Our Everything...behind the vows is the spiritual master, who plays a big part, because in that relationship we can find love, we can find strength, we can find inspiration...we can find so much, if we invest in it! So we must invest in it and be grateful in whatever we get in return. When one is relating to a spiritual master, one has to invest in the relationship as much as one can and you never know what may come in return. ‘After we’ve slaved...he didn’t even smile at me- not even a smile!’ And one has to be grateful, ‘God, we have to be grateful! One has to be appreciative, ‘God! We’ve slaved for one month and we have to be appreciative? Not a word of thanks! God! You wouldn’t do that to your dog! My God! What kind of person is this!’
We must serve, we must give everything- selflessly. And whatever comes, we must be grateful and whatever doesn’t come, we also accept and wait patiently. And then whatever mercy comes we will accept it- not as something ordinary. Whatever attention, whatever way it comes we never accept it as ordinary. Not easy...
One has to tell the mind, because the mind tends to take it ordinary at times but we have to tell our mind, ‘No! This is not ordinary! This is valuable!’ But if we invest in this relationship then it becomes a great source of strength, then it becomes a great inspiration in our spiritual life. And in fact, we realise that at one point, it’s our only means to Krsna...it’s our everything!
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2006, Stockholm)
