Time flies! I remember that first day in the classroom as if it were yesterday, and I loved hearing ‘My Sweet Lord’ playing. Today ends just the same – a great sign that you’ll continue to be blessed by Krishna.
Congratulations.🙌🏼 Thankyou for sharing your very inspiring personal journey, and for digging deep into these precious ancient teachings.The above seems to guide towards opening the heart fully for a unique experience of unconditional love without man made labels or boxes. It feels like the Divine waits patiently orchestrating our path to release fear and experience love through relationships. A spiritual path opens a door to connect with the Divine through that open heart. Thankyou for being a shining light for the world and spreading love through an open heart. Hare Krishna. 🙏❤️🙏
I deeply appreciate the analogy of spirituality and religion to love and marriage! It's actually perfect. Your points about how they can be mutually exclusive from the other but also have a synergistic relationship was profound.
Thank you for your intense sharing of Christ and Krishna, of Saint Francis and Lord Chaitanya and of love and marriage, religion and spirituality. I always enjoy reading your substack posts...Sachimata from New Vrindaban
Maharaj! You are truly amazing ...I love your perspective about spirituality and religion! And yes, there's so much more in this article that I need to internalise. Thank you Swami! Harekrishna
Maharaj, what a profound and deeply moving reflection. The parallel between Āṇṭāḷ and Saint Gertrude of Helfta was especially striking. Two mystic women whose entire inner world became absorbed in divine longing. They seemed to know nothing else, nor desire to know anything else; every thought, breath, emotion, and aspiration became wholly channeled toward God: Kṛṣṇa and Christ.
Reading this made me wonder whether there is something uniquely powerful in the feminine expression of devotion. Perhaps an innate capacity for nurturing, surrender, steadfastness, and undivided love. Not merely sentimentality, but a fierce, unwavering offering of the self. Āṇṭāḷ awakening the gopīs, Gertrude writing from the “earthquake of her heart”. Both embody a love that refuses divided loyalty.
And yet, your reflection also reveals that true sannyāsa may ultimately have little to do with external designation and everything to do with absorption. The soul wholly consumed by longing for God. That seems to transcend all categories.
The image of Rabia Basri extinguishing both heaven and hell was especially piercing. Love not for reward, nor fear, but simply because the heart can no longer live without Him. “I really want to see You.” That line stayed with me.
Thank you, Maharaj, for such a thoughtful meditation. It did not feel like reading a post; it felt like being invited into contemplation.
Amazing article, inspiring read!!! "Krishna and Christ" is a relevant topic for devotees like me born and raised in Catholic countries. Hope you can share more about it. Also, our dear young Yudhistir is heading to Oxford for a master's in religious studies focusing on Hinduism and Christianity.
HG Matsyavatara Prabhu too wrote and spoke on the subject of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in comparison with Saint Francis.
As an American I found it impossible to read the title of your post without hearing the theme song, Love & Marriage of the 90s sitcom, “Married… with Children” but the gravity of your writing points out that is far cry from the consciousness of knowledge of the Absolute Truth and Nothing else. Thank you for writing. Hare Kṛṣṇa
Time flies! I remember that first day in the classroom as if it were yesterday, and I loved hearing ‘My Sweet Lord’ playing. Today ends just the same – a great sign that you’ll continue to be blessed by Krishna.
Congratulations!! 🧡🩵🤍💜
Congratulations.🙌🏼 Thankyou for sharing your very inspiring personal journey, and for digging deep into these precious ancient teachings.The above seems to guide towards opening the heart fully for a unique experience of unconditional love without man made labels or boxes. It feels like the Divine waits patiently orchestrating our path to release fear and experience love through relationships. A spiritual path opens a door to connect with the Divine through that open heart. Thankyou for being a shining light for the world and spreading love through an open heart. Hare Krishna. 🙏❤️🙏
I deeply appreciate the analogy of spirituality and religion to love and marriage! It's actually perfect. Your points about how they can be mutually exclusive from the other but also have a synergistic relationship was profound.
🧡💙🙏💚🩵💙🧡🤎❤️🩷💛🩶🤍💗🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🫶🧡 Thank you so very much !!!!
All the best in the new steps in your journey !
May Krishna in all His forms and His associates always bless your steps.
(Image of Lord Vitthala and the poet saints of Maharashtra ).
I Live Without Living In Me (Vivo sin vivir en mi)
by Santa Teresa de Ávila
I live without living in me,
and I expect a life so high,
that I die because I do not die.
I live already beside myself
since I am dying of love;
because I live in Him,
who wanted me for Himself:
when I gave my heart to Him
He placed this sign in it,
that I die because I do not die.
This divine prison,
the love in which I'm living,
has made God my captive,
and my heart free;
causing in me such passion,
to see God, my prisoner,
That I die because I do not die.
Oh, how long is this life!
How hard this exile,
this prison, these chains
which my soul has entered!
Just waiting to get free
causes me so much fierce pain,
that I die because I do not die.
Ah! so much bitterness in this life
without God as my lover!
Because if to be in love is sweet,
to wait so long is not:
take this burden God,
heavier than steel,
that I die because I do not die.
Trusting in You alone, I only live
because I know I'll die
because in death I know
that I will live;
death, where I'll find life
do not be slow, it is you I wait for,
that I die because I do not die.
You see how strong love is;
life, do not hinder me,
you see, all I need do to gain you
is to lose you.
Come on already sweet death
come quickly death
that I die because I do not die.
That life above,
that is the true life,
until this life dies
nothing can be enjoyed in living
death, don't be coy;
let me live by dying first,
that I die because I do not die.
Life, what can I give
to my God who lives in me?
In losing you,
then I am worthy of gaining Him.
I want to reach Him by dying,
Since I love my lover so,
that I die because I do not die.
English version by Megan Don
Beautiful 🕉️ Hari Om 🌸
Thank you for your intense sharing of Christ and Krishna, of Saint Francis and Lord Chaitanya and of love and marriage, religion and spirituality. I always enjoy reading your substack posts...Sachimata from New Vrindaban
Speechless—This is pure divine art…
Maharaj! You are truly amazing ...I love your perspective about spirituality and religion! And yes, there's so much more in this article that I need to internalise. Thank you Swami! Harekrishna
Maharaj, what a profound and deeply moving reflection. The parallel between Āṇṭāḷ and Saint Gertrude of Helfta was especially striking. Two mystic women whose entire inner world became absorbed in divine longing. They seemed to know nothing else, nor desire to know anything else; every thought, breath, emotion, and aspiration became wholly channeled toward God: Kṛṣṇa and Christ.
Reading this made me wonder whether there is something uniquely powerful in the feminine expression of devotion. Perhaps an innate capacity for nurturing, surrender, steadfastness, and undivided love. Not merely sentimentality, but a fierce, unwavering offering of the self. Āṇṭāḷ awakening the gopīs, Gertrude writing from the “earthquake of her heart”. Both embody a love that refuses divided loyalty.
And yet, your reflection also reveals that true sannyāsa may ultimately have little to do with external designation and everything to do with absorption. The soul wholly consumed by longing for God. That seems to transcend all categories.
The image of Rabia Basri extinguishing both heaven and hell was especially piercing. Love not for reward, nor fear, but simply because the heart can no longer live without Him. “I really want to see You.” That line stayed with me.
Thank you, Maharaj, for such a thoughtful meditation. It did not feel like reading a post; it felt like being invited into contemplation.
Amazing article, inspiring read!!! "Krishna and Christ" is a relevant topic for devotees like me born and raised in Catholic countries. Hope you can share more about it. Also, our dear young Yudhistir is heading to Oxford for a master's in religious studies focusing on Hinduism and Christianity.
HG Matsyavatara Prabhu too wrote and spoke on the subject of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in comparison with Saint Francis.
As an American I found it impossible to read the title of your post without hearing the theme song, Love & Marriage of the 90s sitcom, “Married… with Children” but the gravity of your writing points out that is far cry from the consciousness of knowledge of the Absolute Truth and Nothing else. Thank you for writing. Hare Kṛṣṇa
Beautiful..!
Beautifully portrayed 🙏🏽