{"aeobob_version":"2.6.18","schema_version":"1.1","canonical_url":"https:\/\/paulrodneyturner.com\/2016\/06\/i-was-hugged-by-saint.html","updated_at":"2026-10-06T16:40:48Z","content_hash":"b6e9247a9d5b55330514f24356ae2bc85a720624c222fadeb988d66e84e6529f","task":{"goal":"Optimize this page for LLM AEO discovery and helpfulness."},"page":{"url":"https:\/\/paulrodneyturner.com\/2016\/06\/i-was-hugged-by-saint.html","title":"I was Hugged by a Saint","raw_markdown":"
<\/a><\/div>\r\nI had not seen Radhanath Swami, the author of The Journey Home<\/i>, since I was living in New York in 2010, so attending his book launch at the George Washington University felt like a reunion. He has always been very kind to me, and even back then, when I was probably at my lowest point in life, he extended his compassionate hand to me.\r\n\r\nAt that time I had decided to deconstuct everything I ever knew and to reset my outlook on life, even to the point of adopting a strict raw vegan diet. My hair was a little longer and I spoke and wrote differently about my spirituality. Some of my older Krishna friends had thought I had lost my way, but I was as passionate as ever to find spiritual truth and meaning. Like the true wise sage he is, Radhanatha Swami did not change a beat in how he related to me. He happily sat down with my friends and me at the Sunday feast at the Bhakti Centre in New York and shared funny stories from his college preaching days in the 80s, when he hosted a vegetarian club on campus. This was also the same time that I began writing my book, FOOD YOGA - Nourishing Body, Mind & Soul.<\/a><\/i>\r\n\r\nA few months later, I left the US and returned to Australia to continue my new journey and admired his successes and wisdom from afar through Facebook posts and videos, and like so many\u00a0others,\u00a0I thoroughly relished reading his first book, The Journey Home<\/a>.\u00a0<\/i>\r\n\r\nI was so happy to be able to see him again once I heard he was releasing his latest book,\u00a0The Journey Within<\/a><\/i>\u00a0at the George Washington University tonight.\r\n\r\nMy wife and I arrived on time and took our seats. My son, Bhimal\u00a0is usually very peaceful, but tonight he was also excited and was making many oohs<\/i> and ahhs<\/i>. I watched and listened with rapt attention as Maharaja spoke. My eyes are not good at the moment, so he was slightly blurry to me from a distance, so I was straining my eyes to really focus on his face, hoping to capture his eyes. Like any good speaker, he constantly scanned the room from side to side, communicating to the entire audience. At\u00a0times, I felt that he looked my way and I hoped that he would remember me.\r\n\r\nHis lecture and answers to the questions after the talk were beautiful, enlightening and entertaining. The entire auditorium listened with respectful silence and focus as he delivered each and every word with careful consideration. Maharaja talked about his dear friend Bhaktitirtha Swami, who on his deathbed asked Radhanatha Swami to promise to tell his spiritual journey in the form of a book. That book,\u00a0The Journey Home<\/a><\/i>\u00a0is now translated into 24 languages and has inspired millions of people.\r\n\r\nTonight's talk introduced the wisdom shared in his latest book, The Journey Within<\/a><\/i>, that our search for true happiness has to start from within -- we are the \"witness\" the soul to all of the changes that are taking place in our life and bodies.\r\n\r\nAfter the lecture, Rukmini Walker, the host, asked if people would like to have their copies of The Journey Within<\/i> signed by Maharaja. I jumped at the chance and quickly got into the line. There were about 5 people in front of me and soon the line started to snake around the room. I waited anxiously wondering what I would say, but our main purpose in coming tonight was to ask Maharaja if he would bless our new baby, Bhimal. My wife, Juliana readied him in the stroller beside me. Suddenly a young man approached me and asked for our names. I asked him to write down our spiritual names, Priyavrata, Jagannatha Priya<\/i> and Bhimal<\/i>. It seemed that he only started taking names with us, and those who went before us introduced themselves.\r\n\r\nSoon it was our turn. I offered my respects by bowing my head to the ground in the traditional manner and reciting a prayer of respect to all Vaisnavas. At first, Maharaja did not seem to recognize me. I handed him my book for signing and then the boy with the notepad showed him our names. Maharaja glanced at our names, but still did not make a connection. Knowing Maharaja would not have much time to chat, I immediately introduced my wife, Juliana, and our son, Bhimal. I asked him to please bless Bhimal and whether he would kindly perform the grain giving ceremony for our child next week. He immediately agreed and leaned over to touch the boy's head. He then looked at me again and his eyes lit up. His pupils dilated like they were taking in the universe and with a broad smile, he communicated clearly that he remembered me. We touched hands and then he leaned over to hug me. I did not feel worthy, but gladly complied as we embraced for a good 5 seconds. Maharaja buried his face in my shoulder and I felt so much gratitude. He asked where I was living and I told him we now live in Colombia at my wife's animal sanctuary<\/a>.\r\n
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<\/a><\/div>\r\nIt is said in the scriptures that even a moment\u2019s association with a devotee of God, known as s\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ga<\/i>, will guarantee one a successful spiritual journey, and I felt this truth in Maharaja\u2019s embrace. The Chaitanya Charitimarita<\/a><\/i>\u00a0says it this way:\r\n
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'S\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ga\u2019, \u2018s\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ga\u2019<\/i>\u2014sarva-\u015b\u0101stre\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\r\n
kaya lava-m\u0101tra s\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ge sarva-siddhi haya<\/i><\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\nSYNONYMS\r\ns\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ga s\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ga<\/i>\u2014association with pure devotees; sarva-\u015b\u0101stre<\/i>\u2014all the revealed scriptures; kaya<\/i>\u2014say; lava-m\u0101tra<\/i>\u2014even for a moment; s\u0101dhu-sa\u1e45ge<\/i>\u2014by association with a devotee; sarva-siddhi<\/i>\u2014all success; haya<\/i>\u2014there is\r\n\r\nTRANSLATION\r\n\u201cThe verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment\u2019s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.<\/b>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nTonight I got a hug from a saint, Radhanatha Swami, and although I felt extremely unqualified to receive it, that embrace made my day. As I read Maharaja\u2019s book later tonight, tears welled up in my eyes as Radhanatha Swami recalled his meeting with Dorothy at the airport. Dorothy was an elderly lady that had literally gone through hell and felt the entire universe swallow her up. Her story was so sad but Maharaja was there to comfort her with his simple words of wisdom and helped her see the positive side and how we always have a choice as to how we respond to each situation in life.\r\n\r\nWe all go through challenges and I have had my fair share. Lately, however, although in many ways life is good, it can still be overwhelming and has brought me to tears.\r\n\r\nWhen I hear the stories of Radhanatha Swami and his incredible successes<\/a>, I feel like I've achieved nothing and are far from reaching my full potential. In some ways, this makes me hopeful that things can only get better, but there are times, when, like Dorothy, I feel that God might have forgotten me. But when you come into the presence of a genuine holy person like Radhanatha Swami and take the time to attentively hear their wise words, you get a direct connection to transcendence, which puts everything in your life in full perspective. Just like a light bulb turned on in a dark room, suddenly things become clearer, my challenges make sense, and I remember that God has not forgotten me.\r\n\r\nIn the Chaitanya Charitamrita<\/i> there is a wonderful exchange between Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his dear friend, Ramananda Raya. \u00a0CC Madhya 8.251<\/a>\r\n
\u015ar\u012b Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu asked, \"Out of all auspicious and beneficial activities, which is best for the living entity?\"<\/blockquote>\r\nNow, Ramananda Raya could have given so many good suggestions here, even some very obvious ones like, \"Oh the most auspicious activity is chanting the holy name of God,\" or \"visiting a holy place,\" but he didn't. His answer was much more profound...\r\n
R\u0101m\u0101nanda R\u0101ya replied, \"The only<\/b> auspicious activity is association with the devotees of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.\"<\/blockquote>\r\nThe ONLY auspicious activity! In making this amazing statement in the Chaitanya Charitamrita<\/i>, Ramananda Raya clearly declares to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that there is nothing truly auspicious about this material world, and that association with devotees of Krishna is what really matters. It is a temporary realm of birth, disease, old age and death, combined with three kinds of suffering (bodily, other living beings and natural causes). His statement supports the bold claim that even a moment\u2019s association with a pure devotee of God can guarantee one all success.\r\n
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We try to build big \"castles\" of wealth and fame in our life, but in reality, they are all made of sand and will not last past our demise. It is important to stay fixed on what is really important in this life \u2014 self-realization. Who are we really? That is the journey within, the very theme of Radhanatha Swami\u2019s book The Journey Within<\/i>, and most of us need a constant reminder from the saints and sages of this world, just as I received tonight.\r\n
\r\nI felt really blessed tonight after that hug. Thank you, God. Thank you, Krishna.Books by Radhanatha Swami<\/b>\r\n