Wisdom of the Sages

hearing Bhagavad-gita & Srimad Bhagavatam is the easy way to get out of illusion / even the powerful & strong are vulnerable to suffering & fear / the 4 paths of yoga conclude with hearing (Bhagavad-gita 13.26) / hearing is the nectar which delivers one from death / sthāne sthitāḥ - (fixed in your position) we don't need to give up anything, just add bhakti / deep love is higher than peace https://outofthisworldstudios.org/#/ SB 4.7.41-44

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

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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"?

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

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

we all can be death doulas / Srimad Bhagavatam is one long death doula session / No Raghunath - you're not a death Doula / Who do I need to say "thank you", "I love you" and "I'm sorry" to today? / the brain is just hardware - consciousness is generated from the soul / Daksha's goat-headed remorse / Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam purifies the heart like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water / God is perceived in the repentant heart / we've been battling the force of time & material energy - time to surrender and embrace God SB 4.7.7-11

if equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me / selflessness doesn't deny the need for adherence to dharmic principles / Sri Chaitanya's unconditional love / there will never be enough validation from others to make me feel whole / Xenotransplantation - is it possible to transplant a goat's head to a human? / is it possible that past civilizations were more advanced? / we've got to throw out our material attachments to receive the more valuable treasures SB 4.7.1-6

no blame, no reasoning no argument, just understanding / rewire & recalibrate the vehicle by hearing wisdom daily / we're doing time in the material world & hopefully learning lessons / tread with care with everyone you meet / taking offense is the first domino / the beauty of a tapasvi is forgiveness / we're all strapped a time bomb that's about to blow / you can't use the energy unless you know how to handle the energy / do all of my activities please God? / There is no real happiness without connecting to the roots / saranagati! SB 4.6.48-53

born into Bhakti / being schooled in ashrams / freeing the Soviet Krishna devotees / traveling the world with Indradyumna Swami / becoming a professor / Leadership Lessons From the Bhagavad-gita Follow on IG @sriprahlada_official Follow on FB Sri Prahlada Das

What are the benefits and pitfalls of ashram life? / What are some daily practices that you can recommend that I can start to incorporate into my daily life to help start building a closer relationship to God?

Cut off the chain of hate / project the ethic of love to the center of our lives / would Kaustubha wear deerskin? / mean-minded people have already been killed by providence / RED FLAG - when we are pained to see the flourishing condition of others / we don't have to be the administrators of karma / pray for the good fortune of those you envy SB 4.6.36-47

don't let the birds of sorrow build a nest in your mind / Louisa May Alcott sounds like a yogi / wisdom & austerity purify the senses / material desire leads to frustration and anger / material desire destroys knowledge & wisdom / regulate the senses to loosen the noose of addiction / austerity without devotion can harden the heart / if you identify with that which can be broken you will eventually feel broken / don't scratch the itch of material existence SB 4.6.35

a good attitude goes a long way / you can't bring the 'me first and the gimmes gimmes' into your spiritual life / before you dismiss it glibly, you need to examine it / Lord Shiva is 48 miles tall? / we've lost our potency - we're domesticated dogs / space, as described in Bhagavatam, involves unlimited scales & dimensions / our experience is very tiny & limited / divine love is the highest pursuit / Srimad Bhagavatam clarifies everything SB 4.6.31-35

The tubes of life float you down the river together just for a moment / Life is a series of repeating lessons designed to help us face the fact that there are forces more powerful than us / bow down mister / Apologize whole heartedly with complete conviction / Brahma didn't say "Not my circus, not my monkeys" / We think we're advanced…..not even close / the iPhone, the Giraffe & the Zebra all teach us to accept that unbelievable things are possible SB 4.6.6-31

the unexamined life is not worth living / examining the mind's desires / Raghu slows down / what good is your religion if you're offending great souls? / Daksha loses his head / Lord Brahma - the adult in the room, the voice of reason / be quick to apologize / apologize without mental reservations 4.5.20- 4.6.6

Arjuna's focus / gaining insights though practicing austerities / combining introspection with austerities / the fasting of Maharaja Pariksit and the sages / how can people less adept apply practices of austerity? / Krishna is in the Earth, in the food & in the fire of digestion / 4 quadrants of desire - needs, cravings, aspirations & yearnings / Prabhupada gave us so many ways to focus on Krishna Learn more at http://www.yogicharu.com or http://bhakticenter.org.

How can we bridge the gap between the truth that I am not the body & the practical reality that I need to take care of the body? / Are we karmically responsible for our thoughts & our dreams? / If I drink a glass of wine at dinner, would that make me less fit for Krishna consciousness? / How do I keep myself from feelings of envy & dejection when I hear of my peers out-achieving me? / Was Arjuna on psychedelics & was Krishna his guru in the use of psychedelics? / Can you please discuss how to interpret traditional yogic recommendations to sleep less in relation to modern recommendations for sleep?

Zuckerberg doublespeak / metaverse the next big thing that won't make us happy / the dream within the dream within the dream / all this technology is making us weak / there are no adults in the room / Prabhupada's vision of Bhakti in cooperation with earth & animals / persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance shall get light from Srimad Bhagavatam / it's about internal devotion, not the externals / Daksa's chickens come home to roost / don't mess with Lord Shiva / all hell breaks loose 4.4.31-4.5.19

the wise waste neither men nor words / even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth / pray for the blessing to lose interest in village talk / the path of enjoyment & the path of renunciation / there's nothing of this world that will satisfy my heart / all the rules are meant to lead to Bhakti / dharma - from brahmacarya to gṛhastha to vānaprastha to sannyāsa / Sati sets off the spontaneous human combustion 4.4.20-30

focus on progress not perfection / the message of the Bhagavatam is that love (not religion) is the highest pursuit / if one's not careful their religion can foster envy & animosity / the spiritualist sees beyond the surface / the great souls magnify the good in others / if someones shares gossip with me - then what is wrong with me? / hearing criticism of great souls kills spiritual life / great souls transcend religious rules 4.4.11-19 [email protected] www.jivagcoaching.com

practice charity, austerity & sacrifice (on your birthday) / the Shiva -Shakti element of Shiva & Sati's dialog / Bhagavatam is meant to end our cycles of bad karma / getting over the triggers to hear the real message / deluded by the feminine nature - deluded by the masculine nature / Sati's posse go to the event / the women receive Sati warmly & the men cold / when anger becomes justified / Sati speaks truth to power / don't take offense, don't make offense / great souls overlook the faults in others and magnify what good they see SB 4.3.23-4.4.12

what's in your cup will spill out when you're rattled / the wise let go of opportunities for enjoyment & embrace opportunities for service / false ego leads to distress leads to envy / the real namaste is to see the presence of God in everyone / Raghu is thinking like Prabhupada again! / when you see the soul & Supersoul in everyone the mind never becomes degraded / if the body is a temple, then who is the deity in the temple? / the guru is a postal peon 4.3.18-22

Sadhaka Leela Vilasini discusses moving from Kazakhstan to Vrindavan, the potency of Vrindavan and of the Brijbasis. She dives into Govardhan Lila, where the heart of Vrindavan is uncovered, ordinary talks are not ordinary and Krishna is in the center. Can you handle committing to Krishna?

How to avoid the post death results of bad karma? / How can we think of karma in an individual way when we are so interrelated and affected by the effects of karma? / What do the scriptures say about the mantra Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram as compared to the maha mantra and is it ok to focus my mediation on both Rama & Krishna? / How to understand the Bhagavad-gita's instruction that worship of the demigods is less intelligent?

to be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it (and other wisdom by Confucius / resentment is a distraction from spiritual progress / pride makes your third eye blind / all of our good qualities are ruined by a little bit of arrogance / material exhaustion advantageous / put the supreme One in front of your zeros SB 4.3.11-17

what will I be holding on to when everything falls apart? / Krishna is controlled by the power of love / Krishna is not Judge Judy / evolved people are morally diverse / Shiva de-escalates the conflict / Daksha's pride / utsaha-mayi - puffed up with enthusiasm / Raghu loses it in the Delhi Airport / Sati's ominous desire to attend Daksha's ceremony SB 4.2.33-4.3.10

Todays Walk-On Wednesday segment spontaneously turned into a full hour interview because we had to hear the whole story of Ana's near death experience. Ana Syro is a 29 year old mother in Cali, Colombia who listens to Wisdom of the Sages every day. In the past year she has dealt with the premature birth of her daughter, the collapse of her business, her husband leaving her, leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, hospitalization due to covid, and a mysterious lung ailment that brought her to the precipice of death. At the very moment that her heart stopped her connection to Bhakti came to the forefront in an amazing way.

the secret of change / a mere denouncer is the enemy of progress & Nature / criticism and complaining exhaust us / Ned Flanders (neophyte brahmanas) vs Sideshow Bob (neophyte Shaivites) / the material field is so unsteady that even great personalities become infected by the atmosphere of anger / the curse on the brahmanas is still alive today / the curse on the Shaivites is still alive today / who is Brghu? SB 4.2.27-32

the mind is always searching for a network to join / the good qualities of Lord Shiva / the deep need for prestige / when our mental turbo scenarios are spoken out loud / self importance is the biggest trip line / am I Shiva or am I Daksha? / spiritual life requires introspection 4.1.1-4.2.26

Radhikesh Sharma shares form his own unique life challenges how knowledge from Srimad Bhagavatam & Vedic Astrology can help one understand, face and grow through life's greatest tests. https://radhikeshdas.com/radhikesh-das/ E-mail [email protected]

Is it ok to kill garden pests? / How to be a good father, husband and still render service and be detached? / How do Bhakti-yogis get over feelings of distrust of the "outside" world? / Is Paramatma in my heart, or is Krishna in my heart?

Devahuti's prayers to her son Kapiladeva / spiritual status is based on merit not birth / the Vedic teachings conclude in the chanting of the Holy Name & one who chants the Name is glorious / Kapiladeva's final instructions / Devahuti achives samadhi / the conclusion of Canto 3 - one who speaks or hears this achieves devotion to Bhagavan 3.33.1-37

our material enjoyments are so low grade / all the yoga paths cultivate detachment, each in their own way / attachments cloud truth perception / "my truth" & "your truth" / perceiving different features of the absolute like different features of an elephant / say goodbye to Hollywood (the desire to be the star, the attractor, Krishna) either willingly, or by the force of time / all the paths are meant to lead to Krishna / the disqualifications for Krishna perception / the qualifications for Krishna perception / make Krishna the most dear SB 3.32.27-43

Bhakti-yogis are Karma-yogis and more, because they directly cultivate love for Krsna / sakama vs niskama (attached workers vs detached workers) / karma-yoga can purify the consciousness of all the false narratives / the time factor extends to the heavens of this universe / why people honor the forefathers and why Bhakti-yogis don't need to SB 3.32.1-26

the stages of the embryo's development / the sufferings in the womb / the prayers within the womb / losing memory during birth / the sufferings of childhood / buying into the false narrative again, that happiness will be found through externals / losing all our good qualities / becoming a dancing dog in the hands of maya / balancing healthy material pessimism with healthy spiritual optimism 3.31.1-48

time is blowing us around like a cloud in the sky / even the hog in the sewage gutter thinks "life is good" / our deep rooted attachments / anxiety due to attachments / the bad karma we create due to attachments / then it all goes to hell / if you look closely you'll see hell all around you / it's all a wake up call 3.30.1-34

How can I answer my 5 year old when he asks "Why did God make me sick on the day of the Christmas play?" / Are Krishna and Christ the same? / Was Jesus a shaktyavesa-avatara? / Is resurrection considered possible in the yoga tradition? / Did Prabhupada ever comment on 'the missing years' of Jesus in India? / Why would the teachings of Bhagavad-gita be considered higher than the teachings of the Bible? / Does Lord Jesus Christ appear in the spiritual sky with the body he manifested on the earth? / Do Indian Vaisnavs address Krishna as Krsta?

the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome / learning the beauty of generosity & tasting the happiness of giving / knowledge is the understanding that my material attachment brings pain & my material detachment brings relief / time is the cause of change in matter / Krishna codes, downloads & installs time into the material world / if I know the benevolent coder the program gives inspiration, if not it gives fear / spiritual world = no time & no fear, material world (the reflection) = time & fear 3.29.36-45

Carl Jung on fear & wonder / don't throw the Brahmana out with the bathwater / Steven Covey as a contemporary Brahmana / Recognizing and applying the true Varnashram Dharma / offer respect and dignity to every living / even the most dented can can transform with association of a pure devotee 3.29.31-35