Date: July 19, 2003
Length: 1 hour 20 min

This talk begins with a discussion of the role of austerity in devotional life. When Brahma was trying to discover his own origin at the beginning of creation, the Lord inspired him to perform austerity, illustrating the principle that austerity leads to self-knowledge. Voluntary austerity is an important part of the living entity's transition from selfishness to self-sacrifice, which is the stepping-stone to the ultimate goal of self-forgetfulness in Krsna's service. In this as well as other aspects of devotional life, we are cautioned to avoid imitation and to seek an appropriate balance between austerity and sense gratification. Swami also discusses the importance of the guru and of Vaisnava association in general, as well as the complex topic of the relation between material circumstances and the will of God.