Glorifying a Vaishnav

I grew up in what you can call “critical household”…in other words, criticism rules! One of the big blocks for me in Vaishnava etiquette is glorifying devotees. I find it very difficult to glorify anyone let alone devotees, making me a miser.

While glorification is Vaishnava etiquette, at the same time, one shouldn’t engage in superficial glorification just because it is etiquette. We should try to, in all sincerity, glorify our peers, seniors and juniors. So, our glorification should come from the heart and not merely from the mouth. By glorifying someone from our heart, we gain their love and trust and more importantly we please the person. Vaishnava etiquette is all about pleasing devotees thus at the end pleasing the Supreme Lord.

I want to glorify a special person I am long due of any sort of glorification. This person has put up with my shenanigans for sometime and for some reason still sticks to me. In all honesty, there are very few people who can put with my idiosyncratic behavior…one such person who tolerates me day in and out is my wife.

For many number of reasons I am in due of glorifying my wife. Actually, I don’t think I have ever praised her in the 12 years I have been with her. So I would seek this public forum to say a few words about her.

While I and my wife have many differences, in fact we are night and day. I don’t think there is one thing we can both agree upon. It can be anywhere from a small thing to a big thing…we never agree to the same thing. This, indeed, was difficult for me simply because this is the type of person I am…I want people to agree with me. Krishna, being the most merciful towards me, sends me a better half just to disagree with everything I say or think. So you can imagine, our household is always filled with excitement (to say the least). But I have no less than sincere gratitude for my wife for everything she has done.

There are many material favors and services she has done, while it is important, it is temporary and has no real value in the grand scheme of things. So I am not concentrating on that much, but above all, my wife has been instrumental in shaping my spiritual life. Apart from teaching me valuable lessons, she has guided me to my eternal relationship with my guru maharaj H.H.Radhanath Swami, from that opened up many wonderful avenues to association with my godbrothers. For that, I am eternally indebted to my wife- Thank you!

Glorifying doesn’t mean to flatter one’s ego, glorifying essentially is glorifying the Lord Himself because we glorify the devotee in connection with Krishna. In that regard, I am eternally indebted and grateful to my wife for connecting me to my guru and the Parampara and for teaching valuable spiritual lessons of tolerance and love. She has been an instrument of tolerance and patience towards me. She has sacrificed much of her comforts on my wish, and she is willing to tread the path I am willing to make towards Krishna. In spite of all her physical and mental limitations, she neverthless engages in duties just to please me. All this shows her faith in her husband and faith in her guru, thus pleasing the Lord.

I personally gain inspiration from the faith she has for her guru maharaj. While I confess I do not have such faith or attachment, it is inspiring to live with someone who has that faith...again thank you.

I hope one day, I do not commit offense against her and sincerely try to live a life of proper Vaishnava etiquette and encourage each other in our march back to God.

I sincerely thank this wonderful personality with a grateful heart.

Thank you for everything!

Hare Krishna