Sato Vritteh - Following in the footsteps of previous acaryas

This book was written by Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti. Here he talks about different pastimes of many acaryas vaisnavas, who were always preaching with their example, and were teaching us how to love and serve the humanity in connection with the Truth.

Extracts from the book:

"Sato Vritteh means to follow in the footsteps of the previous acaryas. Srila Rupa Goswami has recommended following in these footsteps as one of the six fundamental principles of success in spiritual life. He also advises one to avoid the association of those who have no interest in the truth, being dedicated to temporary sense gratification and speculation and unable to accept the existence of a higher being. In the final moments of their lives, these great souls remained open to all who wanted to see them. Of course, due to their health, they became somewhat more withdrawn into their bhajana and their seva. This was occurring simultaneously, as they were still sharing their love with each and every soul."

"Nobody can understand the words, the plans and the actions of the Lord with one’s senses. Only when the Supreme Lord is pleased with you can He reveal his mercy to you. Only through that mercy comes understanding."

"We should continuously try to become more qualified. The very fact that we are becoming discouraged in spiritual life is a sign of deficiency, a lack of faith in the spiritual master. It’s faith that is so necessary to understand the substance, the essence."

"When we study the lives of our spiritual masters, their personal human traits are often revealed . They each have their specific merciful inclinations. Srila Prahbupada for example loved kachories. Srila Sridhar Maharaj was very fond of eating freshly made curd with some cini (sugar) on top. Srila Puri Maharaj also had his favorite dishes. They each had their favorite books, their favorite places to visit and their favorite devotional activities as well. Sometimes our spiritual masters reveal symptoms of their particular preferences, thus endearing themselves to their disciples. "

"In this lifetime I had the wonderful association of such surrendered servants of Srila Prabhupada. To associate with Godbrothers and to do service together with them in great intimacy and great love is a necessity. "

"The ideal of serving the spiritual master is that through him your life has direction. When you experience difficult moments, you should never stop serving him. We can’t expect everything to be easy in our life. "