Wisdom of the Sages

"Be like water, making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves." - Bruce Lee / the universe is designed to assist us - so don't be so rigid / the balance of knowing when to be soft like grass and when to be rigid like a tree / instead of sizing up the whole world find the good qualities / you won't find self worth through others' shortcomings / to serve the universe - start by meditating on it's source SB 4.24.71-79

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Bruce Lee / starve your distractions, feed your focus / find God in your heart and meditate on Him continuously / One who sees the Supersoul equally present everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade themself by their mind / Kaustubha's prema breath work / Haridas Thakura become the Namacharya / keep digging into the mantra / keep digging into your heart SB 4.24.70

The medicine for my suffering I had within me from the very beginning but I did not take it." - Bruce Lee / don't empower the triggers / materialists look without, spiritualists look within / hack away at the unessential - distill the mind / triggers direct you toward your self work / here's the key - human life is meant for inquiry of Absolute truth / 3 features of the Absolute Truth - Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan / you can't understand a sage by the externals / the formula - staying situated in you social position, purify internally through chanting, and carry out your social duties SB 4.24.68-69

"You don't ask God to give you things, you depend on God for your inner theme." - Bruce Lee / worship ≠ self-deprecation / focus all our good qualities to Krishna / worship = the development of deep respect and love for every living being / will we run our life away on the hamster wheel, or focus on learning life's lessons? / we have 2 options: evolve or repeat / the rarity of human birth / 9 symptoms of an advanced devotee SB 4.24.67

Srimad bhagavatam - the great reminder / We aren't selling you a religion, we're waking up your true identity / excavate your spiritual identity / Bhakti is all inclusive / Let everyone sweep their own door and the whole world will be clean / Check ourselves on giving unsolicited advice / its hard to heal in isolation / friends don't cosign friends' nonsense / world peace can't be done, but there can be peace in our consciousness / fame exacerbates pain / even chickens are greedy / we are not the centre, we are satellites of the centre 4.24.64-66

Vaisesika Dasa and Kaustubha discuss the Srimad Bhagavatam's presentation of beauty & love on the spiritual plane and how this world is a reflection of that.

Radhastami Special: How to understand Radha's suffering in separation from Krishna?

the secret of human life lies in the surrender to and awareness of Krishna / the Gita fuses worship, action and contemplation in a fulfillment of daily duty that transcends all three through becoming an instrument of a transcendent will / the Gita remains utterly vital / Swami Bhaktivedanta brings to the West a salutary reminder that we lack the inner depth of an authentic metaphysical consciousness / without illuminated consciousness, we live life with tragic seriousness / the absence of violence in the Gita's content, context and consequence / our future fantasies become a repugnant present / "In obedience to that inner truth we are at last free." - Thomas Merton

Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name." - Thomas Merton / The Big Flip-flop = selfishness leads to suffering, selflessness leads to happiness / don't be a Cosmic Player hater / real romance = holding hands and walk together toward Divinity / living a life both more serious and less serious than the one who does not sense the inner cosmic dynamism / capital e Enjoyer vs lower case enjoyers / Am I just a child and is my entire life just playing with a toy imitation? SB 4.24.62-63

internal, external and marginal energies / we're the marginal engird trying to enjoy the external energy / it's reasonable to infer that someone is holding everything together / past, present and future are natural for the soul / it's hard for us to conceive of existence without time / our desire to enjoy in competition with krishna is the cause of our material existence https://www.mandala.org/upcoming-events/chantcamp2022 SB 4.24.61

"Reason is in fact the path to faith, and faith takes over when reason can say no more." - Thomas Merton / atheism is a type of faith / spirituality is about respecting all other spirits / Raghu says Choose! / the external, internal and marginal energies / the body is planned obsolescence / if there's a corrupt guru in your kitchen, practice Bhakti in the garage / my inner Dr. Evil, is battling my inner Thomas Merton / we're all are being maintained - grow up and acknowledge it SB 4.24.61

"to be a saint means to be myself" Thomas Merton / sainthood is within us - chip it away / if I'm not being a saint, I'm not being myself / Western salvation vs Eastern self-realization / tat tvam asi - you are that (but not like that) / We are God's energy yet we are individual / the personal conception makes everything click / Sri Caitanya schools the monist sannyasis / Arjuna - "how can one transcend the material energy?" - Krishna - "through Bhakti-yoga" / Krishna is the basis of brahaman / three manifestations of the Absolute Truth - Brahman, Paramatma & Bhagavan SB 4.24.60

How do you navigate loneliness on the path of Bhakti? / How to keep Bhakti alive while living in the ordinary world? / How to share Bhakti with my kids? / How to describe Bhakti to someone new to it?

Can we trust our intuition? / How to get through spiritual puberty? / What's so special about me, that I found the path of Bhakti? / What to do if you feel your spiritual teacher's advice is wrong?

"Neither the past nor the future exists." - Yoda / A key for meditation – what distracts our mind most is thoughts of the past and thoughts of the future / the past is not for enjoying through reminiscing or wallowing in lamentation and the future is not for yearning or fantasy, they are both for upgrading the present / the past can enrich the present through knowledge gained by experience / envisioning the future can bring direction to the present / bhakti is transferred from the heart of a devotee / live to be corrected / putting a positive spin on the 10 offenses SB 4.24.59

drop the mysteries of the universe on someone's lap / Bhagavatam makes your home sacred / Bhagavatam untangles all difficulty / one moment's association with a devotee can shift your trajectory / we're out of our real element / a devotee can trigger the dormant devotion in the heart of another / devotional service IS our thing, we just forgot / getting past the triggers SB 4.24.58

Yoda gets it - we're not these bodies / hear the gong of God for a paradigm shift / we go through many bodies, even in this one life / the force of the false ego causes the eternal self to identify with the temporary body / now (while you're in a human body) is the time to inquire into the Absolute Truth / happiness is the natural situation of the living entity / the Bhakti-yogi can transcend the influence of time / death is a symptom of material infection / resist the flow of mundane material life - confront your own dark force SB 4.24.56-57

Yoda speaks to the reflection of his own evil / rejecting our inner evil through patience and training / light up your life with transcendental practices / hearing and reflecting on truth provides our foundation for life / Bhakti-yoga is all about refining and directing emotions / everyone loves Shiva / its easier to cry / Indra wants Bhakti - the monists need Bhakti / why Bhakti is easier / love alone satisfies Krishna SB 4.24.53-55

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." — Yoda / Dig in and examine your fears to cultivate detachment / through reflection we fear less / though Bhakti we transfer attachment and fear / Bhagavatam dissipates the darkness of the heart / Fearfulness is the result of material involvement / a real yogi is focussed on ridding their heart of darkness / you light up my life Sri Krishna SB 4.24.52

Raghunath and Kaustubha discuss the Bhakti Recovery Group with Jiva G and other participants about how principles from 12 step recovery can be applied in the context of Bhakti-yoga, and how it's not just for hardcore drug addicts, but can help address a very wide range of addictive behaviors. More info at https://www.bhaktirecoverygroup.com

Where do you draw the line between a medicine and an intoxicant? / Is it ever ok for me to serve meat to an elderly, disabled relative? / Why does Krishna give us free will when we are so prone to misuse it?

Krishna tags people to touch our lives / seek the spiritual essence, beyond the external stereotypes / humility is the conduit for Krishna's mercy / sweet Krishna places liberation in the hands of the devotees / let Krishna shine within our hearts! / the infinite love and beauty of Krishna's eyes / Krishna cannot check the rising tide of love He feels for his devotees / Lord Shiva Glorifies the beauty of Krishna's form SB 4.24.45-52

Jane Goodall on balancing the clever brain and the human heart / if we dare to look into those eyes, then we shall feel their suffering in our hearts / "If the factory farm does indeed unravel – and it must – then there is hope that we can, gradually, reverse the environmental damage it has caused." Jane Goodall / magic happens when you start to romance Krishna / imagine Lord Shiva coming up to you and telling you what he meditates on! / Shiva's meditative focus on the form of Krishna / Call Krishna and he will come SB 4.24.44

Bhakti culture develops the sentiments favorable for yoga transformation / prune the vestigial limbs that don't serve us / Shiva appeals to Krishna to purify his body and mind / change our choices to expand our free will / our bad choices make us miserable / Am I triggered by Krishna's central role? / If my pleasure brought pleasure to everyone else, then I would be the supreme enjoyer / cultivate the spirit of Vrindavan within / Bhakti - its a formula that works / declare your real identity to check your ego (I'm a pure spirit soul) SB 4.24.41-43

Jane Goodall's unannounced moments of true awareness / don't freak out, freak in / stepping out of the current of time to experience moments of true awareness / the Universe is the body of Vishnu - are we healthy cells, or a virus? / don't fight the flow - fight the anti-flow / the Vedas are an instruction manual for this human body / "It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words." / Sage Engage - we all need to serve / settle into your relationship, career, service and teachers / everything is revealed through spiritual sound SB 4.24.36-40

Jane Goodall is playing the role of a Brahmin / feeling spirituality in nature / the benefits of ashram life / pure and auspicious mantras make our minds pure and auspicious / happiness through loving service is our nature / false ideas impressed within our minds are the cause of our losing touch with our true nature and seeking happiness externally / mantras should be transcendental, pure and auspicious / mantras should be received carefully and attentively / getting into Anjali Mudra / the disciple must be respectful and the guru must be kind-hearted / Jane Goodall gets it - there must be a Master of Integration behind everything SB 4.24.31-35

How do you practice Bhakti sincerely without holding back and at the same time, not lose relationships? / What's the difference between chanting japa and kirtan? / Does Krishna love everyone?

"All Creatures exist for a purpose. Even an ant knows what that purpose is--not with its brain, but somehow it knows. Only human beings have come to a point where they no longer know why they exist." ― Lame Deer / when you set the ego aside you can feel love in your heart / Others are real / ants don't need to find themselves / even the appendix has a purpose / Naimittika-dharma (temporary) & Nitya-dharma (eternal) / our passion needs purpose / we need to tie our temporary purpose to our eternal purpose

"To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself." - Gandhi / how loving a 3 legged pitbull can light you up / ego and arrogance block our understanding of God / we are tiny insignificant specks - part of something greater / a gentle person is self satisfied; sensitive and concerned for others / interpretation of the Indian head bobble is an art / Lord Shiva's cinematic entrance / the Bhagavad-gita's hierarchal inclusivism solves the Rubik's Cube of Vedic thought SB 4.24.21-30

meeting a great soul on pilgrimage can change your life / when we chant with great care and attention, our spiritual life takes off / meeting Lord Shiva is very rare / Kali and Durga are serious women / the mind of a great soul is calm and quiet / our minds are always disturbed / the disciples of a great soul become very calm and quiet in mind / becoming pleased with whatever Krishna wants SB 4.24.1-20

Heal so that you can hear what is being said without the filter of your wounds." - Dr. Thema / truth is truth / another person's behavior towards oneself = a reflection of their relationship with themselves / the only answer - "take it to the soul" / truth gives us a framework for tragedy / the rarity of human birth / this is a tough world, but it is not our true home / would you enter the fire? SB 4.23.15-39

"God instructs the heart, not by ideas, but by pains and contradictions." –18th century French Mystic Jean Pierre De Caussade / It's gonna be so great when we finally see God in everyone's heart / when the mind is conquered, the Supersoul is already reached / Dr. Pain makes house calls for our growth / mysticism (yoga) & detachment (from Jnana) are meant to bring us to the lotus feet of Krishna / to the degree that we let go of resentment and anxiety and practice bhakti, it lightens the load / the point of Jnana & yoga is to remember Narayana at the end / we're the double dropped dented cans SB 4.23.13-14

Kaustubha speaks with Bhaktimarga Swami a monk who has crossed the continent of North America five times on foot. The Walking Monk shares why he does it, the joy of meeting people, the value of being alone, and of feeling small.

Why am I moved by simple kirtan and turned off by commercialized kirtan? / Can one attain Krishna Bhakti in just one lifetime, or does it take many? / Should a Bhakti-yogi refrain from wearing gold and jewels / Is the 'evil eye' real?

this place is a dream….you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief / look at our suffering from different angles / we know too much to be able to enjoy the material world / Krishna 2.0 is accessible to everyone! / we need a release valve from the pressure cooker of the material world / transcendental sound is the power washer of Kali Yuga / add wisdom to your practice / this podcast will end your material life SB 4.23.6-12

You are not responsible for the programming you picked up in the "download years" of your childhood, but you are 100% responsible for installing the upgrades. - (source unknown) / the mind is a computer / don't forget to install the Buddhi app / take radical responsibility for upgrading your programming / examine if it's real pleasure or just your ego / who was Rupa Goswami? / the termites that eat away at our spiritual foundation

we're burning through time quick / it's not the what's that make a difference, it's the who's / Happy Birthday Mara! / our souls and minds are starving (for spiritual conversation) / beware the termites of spiritual life SB 4.23.1-5

Kaustubha & Jahnavi discuss her upcoming tour, her experience of bringing kirtan to the stage, her recent wedding, her father's influence and practicing Bhakti as a newly married woman. Find out more about her upcoming tour at https://jahnavimusic.com

How to process disappointing experiences in holy places? / How to view people from different faiths equally when there are long histories of violence and oppression? / How to respond to beggars from a Bhakti perspective?

metalheads are people too / I'm not okay, you're not okay and that's okay / we shouldn't sacrifice long term growth by settling for cheap, temporary positivity / more on Karma-yoga / my child has their own higher power / rituals for conception / Raghu draws the line / burn like the sun / when we are inwardly content, we can move gently and with grace SB 4.22.52-63

there's a Bhakti Tsunami coming / great souls are taking birth / Bhakti recovery group is going to change the world / Karma-yoga 1st requirement - Phalaṁ brahmaṇi sannyasya : giving the fruits of activity to the Supreme / trying to take what's not ours screws everything up / we're just secondhand creators / This consciousness is called nirmama, or "nothing is mine." SB 4.22.51

Raghunath and Paramananda broadcast live from Poland

His Holiness Sacinandana Swami answers live questions from our listeners at the Wisdom of the Sages retreat at Villa Vrindavan

Raghunath and Kaustubha answer live questions from the retreat participants at Villa Vrindavan.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." - Marcus Tullius Cicero / education steers our choices - our choices become us / we think we are independent, but we've been divinely cared for / Krishna has an eye on you / Bhagavatam teaches us to Zoom out even more / the material world is a fading dream / how many lifetimes have I been through? / let go of the cactus / in bhakti it's all good / spiritual knowledge is the perfect benediction / the sages share the knowledge to develop the conviction to break the cycle 4.22.41-47

4.22.38

What really makes you believe Krishna is real? / What does it mean to surrender to Krishna?

the sublime mixed emotions of Mary in Michelangelo's Piete / Bhakti provides coping mechanisms for the glue traps and tragedies of material world / art is creativity engaged in highlighting and preserving something sacred / "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark" Michelangelo / setting the bar high - Bhagavad-gita 6.20-23 / Krishna predominates with love / what is actual spiritual culture? / tat tvam asi - you're not exactly that SB 4.22.37

with death comes sobriety / Gopal was simple and selfless / don't miss the opportunities and lessons for growth that life is sending / the key to life: humility + tolerance + showing respect to others, not expecting respect for oneself = deep, constant spiritual absorption / the model of a mother's love for her child / Raghu renames the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel / Raphael's appreciation of Michelangelo / Vaisnavas die to live