The power of faith

In the association of Ramesh Baba, at the remote mountains of Varsana, thirty kilometres from Vrindavan, Richard (now Radhanath Swami) learnt about the power of faith in God. A young boy of seven caught Richard’s hand and pointed to a painting of Krishna and declared with simple innocence and faith, “This is my God.” Seeing this Richard remembered Lord Jesus’ words that unless one becomes like a child in his purity and faith, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Richard prayed to be blessed with such a faith.
Another example of a person with unflinching faith that Radhanath Swami met was Ramesh Baba who sacrificed a promising material career to stay in this lonely mountaintop worshipping Sri Radha. Ramesh Baba was constantly threatened by thugs, wielding guns and knives. Yet he remained undisturbed having taken shelter of God’s names in kirtan. With the power of kirtan, he carried a conviction that if Krishna is pleased with him, it didn’t matter what the dacoits did. This unbelievable faith of Ramesh Baba was once again witnessed by Radhanath Swami when at night, Ramesh Baba slept with a small three foot stick by his side, to protect himself from a leopard. When Richard asked how a little stick would help, Ramesh Baba replied that only the Lord can protect them. However he kept the stick to show the Lord that he is doing his part. Ramesh Baba taught that chanting Holy names of God is our only protection and we should cultivate faith in these names of God.
While in Varsana, Richard (now Radhanath Swami) learnt through a personal experience, the lesson on the need to have faith in the holy names. Once while responding to the call of nature in the fields, a poisonous snake crept up to his feet as he squat on the floor. As his heart pounded in fear, he softly chanted Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. He gradually began to feel peace through the power of the mantra, and his fear dissipated. As the serpent slowly slithered back into the bushes, Radhanath Swami reflected: “Today the Lord has revealed to me what a tiny child I am on the spiritual path. When a child is in danger, his only means of protection is in appealing to his mother or father. And today the mother and father of this tiny child have come in the form of their holy names to give me shelter.”
Radhanath Swami says faith is the most precious gift of God for a spiritual seeker. As I wonder how I can also get this faith in God, Radhanath Swami enlightens me through these golden words of wisdom, “Faith is not something put into you; faith is awakened from within. The soul has complete faith in God. But we have lost it. Therefore we have to long for this faith, we have to beg for this faith, we must pray for this faith and we must do the needful to get this faith.”
Radhanath Swami’s adventures have given him profound realizations on the subject of faith. He shares his realization that when everything seems to go wrong in life, faith alone can empower us to look up to see the benevolent hand of God guiding us out of our problems, to understand that everything is actually alright even if it appears wrong. Radhanath Swami’s formula for happiness is also simple; when we are faced with adversities, as is inevitable in this world, our peace and happiness will depend not on our wealth, but our faith.
It’s also important to nourish and protect this faith in God. Radhanath Swami gives the example of a tree which takes years to grow. However it takes a few hours to bring it down crumbling. Similarly it takes years of spiritual practises to cultivate faith but a complacent and lax approach to spiritual practises will allow the illusory forces to drag our innocent faith down, in a matter of moments. He warns, “To lose money, prestige, health or even life itself is not such a loss. To lose faith is the greatest loss.”
How can we increase our faith in God? Radhanath Swami offers a time tested method of hearing the message of the Lord as revealed in the sacred scriptures from His dedicated devotees, and by regularly chanting His Holy Names.