Wisdom of the Sages

On the occasion of the appearance anniversary of Sri Chaitanya, Raghunath and Kaustubha discuss how special and important He is, even among the avatars of Krishna.

Is it ok to have friendships with people who are not Krishna bhaktas / Is it ok to get wisdom and truths from teachers who are not Krishna bhaktas / What are your recommendations for a devotee who lives too far from a Temple?

being used for a mighty purpose vs being a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances / the power of revolving around the Divine principle / we avoid diversions such as nonconstructive criticism, gossip, and politics / the world is our reform school / the essence that lies beyond religion / Sri Caitanya's talks with Ramananda Raya / the false expectations of love we receive from films / sage level 4 / Bhakti is understood not simply by reading books, but by receiving it from someone who embodies it / becoming endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple SB 7.6.26-30

"Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being." - Albert Camus / find philosophy you can live / Prahlad is pure to the core and entirely rebellious / what is the use of following the principles of religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation? / Bhagavatam rebels against the message of the previous Vedic texts / In the Vedas Indra is the hero - in the Bhagavatam Vritrasura is the hero / the innocence of Sukadeva / the pure-hearteness of Pariksit / you've gotta want Krishna / liberation is like going to a water park all by yourself SB 7.6.25

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians 3.16 / religion is more concerned with salvation - spirituality is more concerned with transformation / access to God is easy because 1) you are intimately related to Him 2) He is present everywhere 3) He is always aware of you / nature arranges to keep the secrets of transcendence concealed from the intrusions of mundane intelligence / the theology is that God is in everyone - the practice is to act without enmity or duality, showing mercy to all / let the mantra be the stick shift / you stalk Krishna and He will stalk you SB 7.6.19-24

My head is in the philosophy of Krishna Bhakti, but my heart is with Jesus and the saints. Is that ok? / How can we tell the difference between satisfaction, happiness, and peace stemming from the mode of goodness, and that from actual spiritual advancement? / "With the upcoming solar eclipse could you speak a little to significance of solar eclipses in this tradition and what actions can be taken to divert any negative forces that may come with it?

Uncompromised brahmins should engage the military powers - not the other way around / Einstein as the brahmin in the film Oppenheimer (framed in nature, speaking distilled, essential thought, removed from urgent, fear-based thinking) / beware the separatist conception / Prahlad shines light on the dangers of family attachments / Prahlad as 5 year old revolutionary / we won't be indoctrinated into separatist thinking! / revolution sans-hatred / separatist thought leads to cruelty / our rulers should be inspired and tethered by higher thinkers / if your goal is sense gratification, you'll stay in bondage / find a roadmap to liberation / we can be both monk and revolutionary SB 7.6.16-18

it's what we put in our consciousness in our downtime that shapes who we are / sacred literature is ever fresh and always relevant / sometimes goodness can cheat you out of greatness / Bhagavatam is one big intervention for the material world / hear Bhagavatam on a regular basis in youth and old age, in good health and bad / our daily activities are what change us / add a sense of urgency to your spiritual life / the current of material family life can pull you down the beach / morning Sadhana is like a daily pilgrimage / let God be your God (not someone else) / where does our mind go in extreme situations? / find great souls who know how to harness the energy SB 7.6.11-15 https://bit.ly/vanigita

Prabhupada didn't mince words / everything is meant to support our relationship with God / don't sacrifice the whisper of the heart to the contaminant of the mind / now is the time for self reflection / taking care of a baby and putting a kid in a car seat is real tolerance / renunciation or frustration and arrogance? / material nature lops and prunes your attachments / it's not your wife or husband- it's the beloved of Krishna entrusted to your care / chisel off the hard edges of the ego to serve family / marriage is meant to make you holy not happy / Raghu is not a narcissist SB 7.6.6-9 https://bit.ly/vanigita

Kaustubha's Vrindavan wanderings / Prayer is about saying what needs to be said / Vrindavan is the culture of Bhagavatam / While you're healthy, focus on Bhakti and don't waste any time / Train the mind to ease your suffering / "We must engage in the supreme practices of training the mind. There is no other way." - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso / Kaustubha's affirmation: "We don't think like that." / Raghu's affirmation: "We don't criticize." / Discern but don't criticize / If I don't live that internal life, then I'm just an artificial, showbottle, so-called bhakti practitioner / Advanced Bhakti-yogis don't waste time. / Join AA just for the affirmations! SB 7.6.5

Meander into random temples / focus and simplicity / move the internal mountains of attachment and petty grievances / everywhere we turn someone is trying to sell us happiness / kindness saves a ton of mental baggage / simplicity saves us issues with stuff - kindness saves us from issues with people / when you become very focused on spiritual life, it affects everyone / we're off the leash looking for distractions / Vishnu is our real soulmate / game-changer: happiness is automatically obtained without endeavor, just as we obtain distress SB 7.6.1-5

How does puruṣārtha (the Vedic concept of 4 human pursuits) relate to Bhakti? / Is it true that one can be liberated in this life, even though you live a "normal" householder life, or do you have to become a monk? / Do you have a good book recommendation which simply outlines Bhakti in a way that is completely approachable?

Eat, sing and dance to create community / "Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him." - Louis L'Amour / anger leaves you dirty and depleted / The greater the ego the greater the rage / It's our behavior through the day that affects japa / Chat thread arguments drain integrity and harden hearts / Hiranyakashipu's rage against little Prahlad SB 7.5.33-57

"These people were so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back." - Tuesdays With Morrie / everyone is starving - but not for food - for love / the highest dharma is divine love / addiction to material life leads to darkness / Yamunacharya squirrel / take the dust of the feet of the Vaishnavas / we're just a tiny blade of grass in a huge meadow / arrogance is a truth blocker / Krishna's presence accumulates in the heart, and we draw from that when we chant SB 7.5.30-32

"People haven't found meaning in their lives, so they're running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find these things are empty too." - Tuesdays With Morrie / we've gotta figure out what success looks like before we start climbing the ladder / the old musk deer analogy / externals just won't make us happy / am I chewing the chewed? / your new car is chewing the chewed / Krishna's name is heart deep not lip deep / Bhakti is an everlasting ever sweetening gobstopper / can we be happy with nothing? / Bhakti gets more bubblelicious as you go SB 7.5.25-30

You get an authentic experience through an authentic lineage / "Everybody is looking for Krishna. Some don't realize that they are, but they are." - George Harrison / Rishikesh Kirtan mela / the love is in the details / one incarnation for one devotee / just by remembering the great souls before us we get pulled in their draft / a little self disgust can be healthy / service is a natural expression of love / the Vedas have already given us a map / don't be a Kramer to Krishna / love in the mood of service, love in the mood of a friend SB 7.5.23-24

No more inattentive chanting / hear and chant here to prepare to hear and chant in holy places (and vice versa) / India is messy but pure / accept that our life is in Krishna's hands and get on the Uber motorcycle / see God in the temple to practice seeing God everywhere / there has to be someone in the center of existence, to create harmony, otherwise we just battle in competition - Krishna is that center / we have to accept responsibility for the evil in the world / the devotion is in the details / It's hard to find God in the heart, but easy to find God in the temple Follow our friend on IG at silver_tulasi_mala

Raghu and Mara chant Yamunastakam on the banks of the river / Kaustubha says goodbye to Sri Dham Mayapur / PULL THE TRIGGER! / concentrate your thoughts like the sun's rays through a magnifying glass / the practices of Bhakti are not mere religious rituals, they are yogic practices designed to focus the mind on the most satisfying object / "Let my mind, with attention fixed on no other object, repeatedly carry its affection to Krishna, just as the Ganga carries a full stream of water to the ocean" - Queen Kunti / Bhagavatam is one royal calamity after another / never let go of desperation even when things are rosy / bathing in the dust of Vrindavan

the power in hearing about lives of the great saints / the sun is setting, move along / the power in eating saffron filled gulab jamuns / Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati's vision / You cannot vibrate the holy name simply by moving the lips and tongue. The pure name of krishna is not lip deep, but heart deep / the sound descends from the transcendental world into the heart, then rises through the lips and tongue - that vibration is the holy name of Krishna / "Maintain your worldly obligations in whatever way you can, but make the eternal principle, devotion to Krishna, the true provision for your voyage through life" / we're wasting time trying to beautify a reflection

"Each one of us matters, has a role to play, and makes a difference." - Jane Goodall / both Hanuman and the little squirrel were equal, because both were giving their all / "Krishna has some plan for you. Always think in that way, and very soon he will provide everything to your heart's desire." - Srila Prabhupada / Kaustubha is not Taylor Swift / lose faith in the material world providing us happiness / trade your expectations for appreciation BrahmaJi! / the chanting and hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are transcendentally full of mellows / we don't need a high birth or good karma to advance in spiritual life - just chant SB 7.5.19-24

let resentment go to free up the mind in chanting meditation / What are the qualities of a Bhakti-yogi? They are like a rooster, a crane, salt, and you! / a rooster picks out the valuable nourishment even in the dung / salt enhances all the other flavors and yet takes no credit / the crane ignores the petty little fish and stays focused on what counts / in the end, Radha and Krishna are the only "Big Fish" / don't let validation from others be your food / we can be the handle of the Vishnu axe / dharma, artha, kama, moksha, and beyond that is prema - the highest goal / don't go to the jewelry store and walk out with some plastic - don't go to the Vedas or the sadhu for material wealth SB 7.5.15-18

Bhagavatam presents the theology of devotion in the context of the creation of the universe and the following lineages of demigods, sages and royal lines descending from the gods of the sun and moon / omniscience helps in debate / to the extent we are sectarian, we're rowing the boat but the anchor is down / party line spirit blocks perception of the Paramatma / Krishna's like a magnet, we're like iron - when the rust of our illusory desires is removed we are naturally attracted / our love attracts even Krishna SB 7.5.11-14

"If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." - William Blake / "…when the good is a furlong off, and we with our beetle eyes can only see three inches, it takes some confidence in general principles to pull us through." – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle / confidence in the principle of aham bramasmi / the pandit sees everyone equally / saintly persons try to emulate Prahlada's character by practicing freedom from animosity / only devotion grants access to the greatest secrets of the Vedic wisdom / the last snare of illusion B 7.5.6-12

Creeps are out there / what it takes to be an instrument of healing / "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." - Jesus / it's not spoken allegiance that makes one a son of God, it's aligning one's heart with His / Kaustubha runs with the Squirrel / the innocence which can tame the spirit of the unicorn / The 1st illusion - identifying with the body; leads directly to the 2nd illusion - seeing in terms of friends and enemies / having no enemies is based on perceiving inherent spiritual equality of all life / "What did you learn in school today?" - "That any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering" SB 7.4.40-7.5.5

How do you introduce higher dimensions of consciousness into your awareness? / Bhagavatam isn't valid because it's ancient. It's ancient because it's valid. / growth means seeing your circumstances through a higher lens / the planets have a pull - so add the Krishna graha into your life / thesis: we are completely different from God - antithesis: we are one with God - synthesis: we are both one with and different from God / 3 levels of God realization: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan / "God is my baby" - you can't make this stuff up! SB 7.4.37-40

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius / temples (and ritual) are all about elevating the quality of our thoughts / clearing the head and heart of resentment, anger and bitterness / we find what we're looking for / the Vastu Purusha / you can't change the planets you were born under, but you can make Krishna the predominating planet that shines auspiciousness in your life / how the great devotees see Krishna everywhere / stop relying on our good karma for happiness SB 7.4.35-37

How can we best face our own mortality? / Can you speak on the relationship between Radha and Krishna / Are there any stories of Krisna with cats?

"Humans doing the hard jobs on minimum wage, while the robots write poetry and paint, is not the future I wanted." - Karl Sharro / ya can't beat the system / simplicity & kindness / because we remain servants of our senses, we can never be satisfied / the Devas give up food and sleep, meditating to connect with Vishnu / connection with Vishnu dissipates the fear / the qualities that facilitate spiritual experience - sense control, mind control, kindness, respect, giving shelter, deep friendship, freedom from pride SB 7.4.18-34

Anything we have to conquer can be integrated as part of our Bhakti practice / give it your best effort and be detached from the results / mastering an even mind, equal vision and inner happiness / becoming successful emotion managers / Hiraṇyakaśipu terrorizes the universe / pass on praise or it'll kill you / broken egos search for satellites SB 7.4.1-17

seek employment in the field, and with the kind of people you would select if you had no need for money / religion has been stripped of the sacrifice of ones body, words and mind / do you need to erase your conscience to enjoy? / the demonic mentality can't recognize one's dependence on the higher power / work in harmony with the system - because you can't cheat it SB 7.3.17-38

Andrew C. Thornton II's unbridled greed - how much cocaine do you need to sell to be happy? / Dr Bruce Alexander and the Rat Park Experiments / "One should accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong." / All there is to satisfy the senses, can't satisfy one who's senses are uncontrolled / The demonic mentality is taking Vishnu out of the picture / the soul gives life to the body, not the other way around / Hiranyakashipu is no better than the Cocaine Bear SB 7.3.6-16

As an adoptee, how can I understand the longing I have to meet my birth mother in the context of Bhakti-yoga? / Does a yogi just accept their ADHD, or do they try to mitigate it? / Is it too early to speak to my 5 year old about death and reincarnation? / How to process life's curses?

How do we become normalized to suffering, however abominable it may be? / Will you please explain ISKCON's view of the Trimurti? (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) / How important is it for us to desire to go back to Godhead?

the Vrindavan flower vendor / if daily, love infused seva became mandatory in New York City / aligning one's heart with the heart of God / the service itself is the payment / we see God in the deity to see God in the heart of every / Raghu would use the mystic powers only for good / the great commentators speak on austerity / don't lay out during the meteor shower SB 7.2.58 - 7.3.5

Raghunath interviews Giridhari Das, an American who left his past behind, moved to Holy India, built his own cob house, grows his own food, and practices Bhakti-yoga.

"Sometimes a dream almost whispers." - Steven Spielberg / are we asking for advice, or for an instruction? / we're being driven around in a rental car / you can have Krishna consciousness right now, if you really want it / if we had a psychiatrist and a guru with us in the movie theater / the message is everywhere - that we're all gonna die / śmaśāna-vairāgya - the detachment in a cemetery SB 7.2.45-57

"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer." – Mother Teresa / there's a lot of crazy talk in our mind / sometimes God's plan is for Raghu to keep the stage dive money / never consider yourself to be the Ultimate cause / put in the effort, but understand there's a greater plan / we grow by applying wisdom to misfortune, death, grief, betrayal, etc. / real truth is the medicine SB 7.2.39-44

we're living out the dream of Bhaktivinode Thakura / what good are my beauty products when this body burns? / isn't it just sane to recognize and appreciate all that's provided for me? / because we lack conviction in our spiritual nature, we focus on the differences and suffer / we follow our mind like a slave until we find truth / our thoughts and meditations are creating our next body right now SB 7.2.22-38

How can Sri Chaitanya give the highest gift to the most unqualified? / Please explain, who are the Pancha Tattva? / Is loving God as Father a lower type of love?

"The one who plants trees knowing that he or she will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life." — Rabindranath Tagore / As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, simply worshiping the Supreme Person through Bhakti automatically satisfies the demigods / don't cut down trees- just build around them / take special care of your initiation beads / trees are sacred and so are squirrels / we're like straws being washed down a river SB 7.2.13-21

one who is content enjoys transcendental happiness without endeavoring / for one who has mastered ahimsa, others become nonviolent in their presence / We need a class of pure hearted spiritualists without a material agenda / It's simple math to see the value of a cow / There's gotta be an adult in the room to stop all the junk mail / no good comes after 10 pm / Srila Prabhupada's beautiful devotional audacity SB 7.2.1-12

(may God) deliver you from externals, and bestow upon you an inward occupation, which will absorb you so that your attention is not drawn away - Rumi / Begging for the removal of envy and animosity / let your meditation be thick like honey on Krishna / may our minds go to Krishna spontaneously / our inner meditation will deliver us to our spiritual body / it's hard to be kind when you're a hornet / the curse of a Bhakti-yogi is ultimately a blessing / the background history of the demon Shishupal SB 7.1.30-48

What are some of the do's and don'ts when attending a temple? / Can you tell us about Sri Caitanya?

"If something can corrupt you, you're corrupted already." — Bob Marley / Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. — Bob Marley / get obsessed with things that lift you up / knowledge frees one from the pain of insults / our issues all stem from our bodily concepts / enmity is a powerful meditation / Through song, ritual, music or meditation, bring your mind to Krishna SB 7.1.22-29

Raghu's official apology to Bob Marley / "We become what we think about most of the time, and that's the strangest secret." - Earl Nightingale / Only if one contemplates something continuously does it become fixed as internal consciousness and manifest as a part of one's nature. - Sri Madhvacharya / spiritual culture makes it easy to meditate all the time / Krishna is the most purifying force / Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail / "Everything is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa and is acting and moving by the supreme desire of Kṛṣṇa. This understanding, this consciousness, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness." - Srila Prabhupada / Raghu would be looking for Sisupala's head SB 7.1.16-21

the wisdom in accepting our fate / it's the strong person who can accepts reversals in life without complaint / we have very little control beyond our own mind / entering Sage Level 3 / Sisupala's focused hatred of Krishna / Krishna's cool headed tolerance of Sisupala's insults / right in the mists of the worlds great kings and sages, Krishna effortlessly takes Sisupala's life / how did a deamon like Sisupala receive the moksha of merging into the body of Krishna? SB 7.1.13-15

'Have your heart always turned towards the Divine…. It is not exterior silence that makes a monk, but silence of the heart.' - Theodora of Alexandria / how to guard your snow globe heart / love God above all things, preserve tranquility, be meek and without malice, avoid obscenity and silliness, love non-covetousness, don't neglect communal prayer - Theodora of Alexandria / Raghu Has Forgiven Elvis Costello & Moved On / It's one thing to align with God externally, but it's a life's work to align entirely internally / Krishna is never partial / How did a demon like Sisupala get liberated? SB 7.1.7-11

How can I clear the bad karma accumulated through activities of the past? / If one of the pillars of Bhakti is to take no offense, why does the SB speak about the danger of offending pure devotees? / What is the Bhakti viewpoint on chanting japa silently?

"In ancient India, soul-searching crisis was not concealed or imbued with shame, but viewed as an important time of transition, a deep rite of passage." - Simon Hass / passing through the gates of soul searching crisis to the next level of spiritual advancement / sacred literature- it's one crisis after another / Krishna is independent, but likes to be dependent on devotees / there is growing evidence that depression is linked to television watching / why not binge out on the sacred texts? / binging Krishna gives you life, binging tv gives you depression SB 7.1.1-6

"I have tried to be impartial, though I know that a man's past always colors his views." - Will Durant / only the impartial can see the truth / true impartiality is found through seeing the soul within the body and behind the mind / Vishnu is both a cat and a dog person / the result of mixed devotion is fear, the result of our devotion is freedom / What is the way to get pure devotion? / because the body of the conditioned soul is infected by the three qualities of nature, dualities arise such as enmity and friendship, attachment and detachment