the materialistic dream has failed / we need an adult in the room / every object is radiating 1 of 3 influences / letting go of destructive habits / we’ve got a false sense of freedom / Bhakti is the formula for freedom from the modes of material nature / understanding the gunas is the first step to transcending them /  get some shlokas in your head / what does it look like to be free from the gunas? / Divine love is where it all goes SB 4.7.39-40

Wisdom of the Sages

660: We’ve Got a False Sense of Freedom

On the 31st anniversary of their initiation ceremony in Vrindavan, Raghunath and Kaustubha reminisce about the day, discuss the meaning of initiation into a Bhakti lineage, samskaras, and the power and purpose of Bhakti-yoga culture.

659: The Power of Bhakti-yoga Culture

on friendship / on aging / on marriage / on being a good man / on prayer / on forgiveness / on love

658: Prophet Style Interview with Kaustubha Das

In this special Q & A episode Raghunath & Kaustubha answer four questions from Karuna, an 8 year old girl, and daily Wisdom of the Sages listener from Lebanon.  Why did Krishna show us an example of doing his duty when he could just tell us to do it? / When I was reading Srimad Bhagavatam I thought that was how many humans are on this Earth, but are there always more coming? / In Narada-Bhakti-Sutra it said that Krishna dislikes the proud but likes the humble - so does Krishna like everyone except the proud or does He like everyone? / Yesterday i was talking with my mom about what worship you do in each yuga, so she was telling me that in the Satya yuga they do austerity to please Krishna etc. So do they please Krishna, or Krishna is only pleased when we chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra?

657: Q & A Volume 94

extract spiritual substance from the mundane / move straight like a bullet train with your service, detached from the results / we must go on struggling to be sadhus - recognize & resist the urge towards animosity & anger / the more we think that we are in control the less able we are at recognizing who is / Kaustubha’s confession / mindfulness & peace with a purpose / the Hare Krishna’s didn’t make this stuff up, it’s been around for millennia / Krishna is inclined to his devotees SB 4.7.38

656: Mindfulness & Peace with a Purpose

what will we shove in the hole of our loneliness? / secrets & duplicity in ashramas / it’s ok to be vulnerable / Daksha’s wife shares a joke! / pramanas - ways of gaining knowledge / this knowledge is descending / direct perception has it’s limitations / Bhagavatam is giving us windows into another dimension / discipline of the senses expands our insights / those who see God in everyone are very, very dear to God SB 4.7.36-39

655: Seeing Beyond the Limitations of Our Senses

the company you keep creates you / Krishna is your soulmate / a wise person realizes that happiness is an inside job / don’t keep Lakshmi, keep Krishna and Lakshmi will stay / the attractiveness of detachment / finding shelter from the forest fire in the river of Krishna’s pastimes SB 4.7.32-35

654: Happiness is an Inside Job

Was the goddess Sati in illusion when she took her own life? / How important is sangha --even if it is only online sangha? / How to set up an altar in one's home?

653: Q & A - Volume 93

trade in expectations for appreciations / Ben Franklin nugget / saragrahi = essence seeker / spiritual reality lies beyond the scope of the material senses / we don’t know what we don’t know / who was Sankaracharya? / “just worship Govinda you fools” / reality is revealed through devotion - the problem is we want the purple pill / spiritual greed / the power of love is more powerful than God SB 4.7.31

652: Truth is Revealed Through Devotion

If your path of self-improvement is making you hate, you’re doing something wrong / don’t focus on religious rituals and throw away God / we’re gonna trip up on our spiritual path - pick yourself up and keep going / time is a snake, the world is full of ditches & the fire of lamentation is blazing / our material happiness is in a very precarious position / Raghu is thinking like Lord Shiva again / our materialistic life is nothing but hankering for the future and lamenting the past / Bhakti is living in the eternal present / knowledge of what lies beyond the senses descends - you don’t climb up to it SB 4.7.28-30

651: Just Enough Religion to Hate (Not Enough to Love)

a David Bowie birthday nugget for Kaustubha / aging brings either horror or wisdom / aging is working for our spiritual life, if we don’t identify with body / the trauma of aging can make us humble / letting go of the facade / we are trying to be controllers of the material world- just be tolerant / the prison warden analogy / Raghu is thinking like Prabhupada again / it’s not us - Krishna said all these things! / don’t get stuck in Scranton SB 4.7.25-27

650: Aging Brings Either Horror or Wisdom

what do we mean by spiritual not religious? / ritualism, intolerance & dogmatism / Krishna didn’t demand Arjuna’s obedience, he asked for his deep deliberation / focused on differences vs focused on commonality / regulation is success vs regulation is the means / motive of salvation vs motive of transformation / spirituality as a state of mind, spirituality as a state of reality, spirituality as a path / spiritual manifestations in nature / does my spiritual experience lead to the stage of spiritual reality? / is my aversion to religion genuine or based on my aversion to regulating myself? / Spirituality transcends religion in Bhagavad-gita & Srimad Bhagavatam / only spirituality leads to complete satisfaction of the soul

649: Religion vs Spirituality -  An Interview with Chaitanya Charan Das

How to explain Radha to a non-devotee? / From an ethical point of view, how do you decide what clothes and shoes to wear? / what does Krishna mean by the phrase "giving up all their activities unto Me”?

648: Q & A - Volume 92

Marcus Aurelius zooms the hell out / cleaning out the spam folder of the mind / the Yoga system is meant to get the soul back on track / false ideas impressed within our minds are the cause of our losing touch with our true nature and seeking happiness externally / hitting the warning bumps in the material world / asking the “big why” in life / Daksha had the right lifestyle, but the wrong sentiments / niyamāgrahaḥ - following all the rules without knowing their purpose / the smile of Vishnu / yoga starts with controlling the tongue SB 4.7.17-24

647: Cleaning Out the Spam Folder of the Mind

sing your death song & die like a hero going home / what will it take in our life to die nobly? / burning is learning / no longer blaming the world for your shortcomings is the dawn of liberation / my gluetraps are my blessings / does my speech pass the hot mic test?  / honor every being (they could be a deva in disguise) / the stumbling blocks are tests of our sincerity / Bhagavad-gita is anti cancel culture / this book is alive! SB 4.7.12-16

646: Does My Speech Pass the Hot Mic Test?

Truths about life from the timeless wisdom of the Bhakti-yoga tradition - fun, relevant, and deep. Learn about dharma, yoga, bhakti, and how it relates to all the basic questions of life. This show is about how to live your best life, let go of the external distractions, and uncover the spiritual happiness that lies within the heart as the true nature of the soul. Raghunath and Kaustubha's connection goes back to their teens in the New York Hardcore Punk Scene of the early 80s, through serving together as Bhakti-yogi monks in the 90's, to sharing their experiences in the world of yoga in the 21st century.

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Wisdom of the Sages

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