We have sambandha-jnana. Are we always remembering Krishna? What's the missing ingredient? The missing ingredient is what Dhruva has that we don't have: a grateful heart. He realizes where he was before, where he is now, and how it happened. It happened by the spiritual energy of the Personality of Godhead through His various representatives, which Dhruva very enthusiastically received and acted upon. He is feeling extremely grateful.

Adapted from a lecture by His Holiness Romapada Swami on the Prayers of Dhruva Maharaja (Part 2), given in Hyderabad in November 2005.

Q) How can one come to the platform of absolute humility?
A) One of the ways is to find personalities who have absolute humility, such as Kolaveca Sridhara, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Haridasa Thakura. You become like an ardent fan, follower, or appreciator of them. Read about them, glorify them, remember them, hear more and more about them. Become absorbed in their quality, and that will become your quality. To whatever degree there is some material attraction, that will be dissolved, and all that will remain will be spiritual attraction, because these personalities are on the platform of absolute humility and they have the real thing.

Q) What is your advice on anger management?
A) Anger management means don't have any anger. Just like the best way to manage stress is not to have any stress or anxiety. That is Vaikuntha. So, be a Vaikuntha man or woman. The same is true with anger. But, if there is some anger, and if we are not fully attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the advice of Bhismadeva is to put something on the other side of the pan scale. That is forgiveness. Anger is when we are holding something against the other person. So let go of that something we are holding against the other person. Practice forgiveness. It elevates the quality of goodness.

Srila Sukadeva Goswami is answering Maharaja Pariksit's question about how persons can become free from the sufferings of their misdeeds and what one could do about past sins. The theology of Srimad Bhagavatam instructs us that the means is the chanting of the holy name. Srimad Bhagavatam states it, gives the example of Ajamila, describes the Visnudutas speaking about it, Yamaraja speaking about it, and now Srila Sukadeva Goswami speaking about it again. So it should be very clear. Here is Srila Sukadeva Goswami’s statement (SB 6.3.31), "My dear King, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the sankirtana movement is the most auspicious activity in the entire universe.

When we see a circumstance where someone is in a suffering condition, don't forget what the root of that suffering condition is. It's spiritual. From the spiritual disease has come the material disease. From the spiritual misapplication of free-will, now one is in this condition where their material circumstance is very troubling. The root cause must be seen and acted upon when we are exhibiting compassion.

Adapted from a lecture by His Holiness Romapada Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam 5.8.1-11 entitled “The Pastimes of Bharata Maharaja Part 2” given during March 2011 in Vrindavan, India

One of the qualifications of a devotee is simplicity. According to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura, this is the number one quality that makes a person a devotee. So this is a nice quality to consider. Simplicity has several connotations. One of them is just speaking the truth, whatever it is, and not be cunning, conniving, or duplicitous. In other words, be straight forward.

Here is a little seedling that has started to grow. It has got a few leaves and it is thinking, “I want some flowers”. It just has to grow some more. Keep watering and providing sunshine. The flowers will come.

By the descending process of mercy, some attachment to serving Krsna comes. We develop a little attachment to serve Krsna; what follows behind that is: 'As I come before Krsna, how can I develop the quality that the Lord is pleased?

Discipline is not a word that most people like, because it sounds harsh. However, there is also a loving kind of discipline, wherein discipline means making oneself obedient to something that will elevate one in a spiritual sense. In Srila Prabhupada's words, "there is no disciple without discipline". It is kind of self-evident. How can one be a disciple without being disciplined? So, discipline is a voluntary function, one in which we submit to the instruction or the understanding that is being imparted.

"Austerity is there in life as long as we have a body. Just existing in this world is an austerity. There are inconveniences just to sustain this body, just to drag on. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita: yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juhosi dadasi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya... Whatever austerities you perform, whatever acts you do, whatever charity that you give away should be done for Me. So this observing of Ekadasi is a very, very special day to awaken our inclination to do things for Krsna, to do whatever we do, for Krsna. This is a recommendation for everyone who wants to advance in Krsna consciousness.