Wisdom of the Sages

getting through the pain of divorce / Zoom out - look at decades not days / life's struggles can foster intimacy with God / why the talk of hierarchy? / see spiritual equality & discern the material hierarchy / societies are divided into four / brahmana (leadership counsel, educating, religious ministering) / ksatriya (establishing & enforcing law & justice, protecting) / vaishya (job Creators, employers, entrepreneurs / sudras (employees) / the deeply spiritual transcend the hierarchy 3.29.31-32 https://kavachadesigns.com Coupon code WOTS108

doing small things with great love / the need for nuance / every castle we build will turn to sand / we do your dharma as best you can with selflessness & detachment / Manipur's only thrash band - Phoenix / more need for nuance - we are all both equal & unequal / what is true equality? / treat everyone with dignity - it's basic math like the ABCs / what's the criteria to determine one place as better than another? SB 3.29.27-30

superficial religion is simply imitation / superficial religion is like offering oblations into ashes / superficial religion deprives one of peace of mind / superficial religion never pleases Krishna / superficial religion causes fear / spirituality = seeing God everywhere, in the heart of everyone & in one's own heart / spirituality through kindness to everyone / how spiritually infused ritual cuts the knot of false ego / how to cultivate the vision of God within fire, the sun, water, the heart of the guest & in one's own heart 3.29.20-27

What is meant by Krishna's internal, external & marginal energies? / If we are incarnated as a dog, or an insect, or as a blade of grass, how is our next incarnation determined? / Just how entangling is the law of karma – do we have to come back to accept the charity that we gave in the past? / Is coffee evil?

friendship with the wicked is like a clay pot, easily broken and impossible to mend / friendship with the wise is like a gold pot, difficult to break yet easy to mend / bad company / yogis are straightforward / 2 fundamental practices of Bhakti - hearing & chanting / the point of all the practices is they lead to attraction to Krishna / even if you pronounce Krishna wrong, He knows what you mean / the difference between religion & spirituality / don't stay a wannabe Vaishnava 3.29.18-21

focus on your dreams, not your nightmares / just as the name of a medicine cannot cure a disease, knowledge of scripture bears no fruit if not applied in times of adversity / the need to be dutiful - while committing as little violence as possible / the purpose of temple worship / mundane tasks become sacred when you put God in the center / what it means to see everyone as spiritual / showing respect to seniors / showing compassion to juniors / cultivating friendship with equals SB 3.29.15-17

is my daily contemplation my highest spiritual potential? / cultivate an attitude of friendship toward those who are happy / cultivate an attitude of compassion toward those in distress / cultivate an attitude of joy toward those who are virtuous / cultivate an attitude of equanimity toward those who are nonvirtuous / our attitudes towards others are clouding our mind / the inclination for enlightenment is natural to the pure sāttvic mind / are we free or are we just puppets of the modes of nature? SB 3.29.14

On the occasion of the anniversary of the speaking of the Bhagavad-gita, and World Gita Day, Kaustubha and Paramananda discuss how the Gita entered their lives, favorite verses, how the Gita can be consulted in all critical times for solace from all kinds of mental agonies and how it helps one find their way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour. https://livetogive.webflow.io Malini 1 669 289 5563

broadcasting spiritual knowledge in order to check the imbalance of values and to achieve real unity and peace / Bhagavad-gita summarizes all the Vedic teachings / Bhagavad-gita transcends & synthesizes religiosity & spiritual escapism / Bhagavad-gita finally demonstrates how to be in the world but not of it / two energies - material and spiritual / the senses the mind and the intelligence / the 3 modalities that are radiating from all material objects / simplifying everything through focus & surrender to our divine source https://livetogive.webflow.io Malini 1 669 289 5563

In this interview Shyamasundar Das discusses his recently released Volume 3 of "Chasing Rhinos with the Swami" as well as his time with the Beatles and his cameo appearance in the new Beatles film "Get Back". www.chasingrhinos.com [email protected]

A small piece of me screams a bit when I think about humility and quieting my ego. For women, and other marginalized groups, is it possible that we need to get bigger and take up a bit more space before we relinquish a power we've never really even had? / Are Krishna bhakti kirtan and Shiva bhakti kirtan the same? / How can we understand the presence of child abuse within religious and spiritual organizations and how should justice be pursued? / Could you recommend a type of "Hindu for Dummies" book to me? If you're interested in contributing to the ISKCON efforts in child protection, please visit https://www.iskconchildprotection.org/ or https://www.safetemple.org/

For the 600th episode Raghunath is granted free rein into the paranormal as he & Kaustubha discuss Dr. Ian Stevenson's research into past life memories, and we hear stories from the podcast audience.

bhakti as an emotion / bhakti as a state of consciousness / bhakti as a yoga practice / bhakti as a school of thought / bhakti as an historic spiritual movement / pure love vs sleazy proposals / we're in an historic era of bhakti / thoughts on sleazy gurus / look for teachers that point up the ladder / little Karuna chants the shikshastakam / bhaki-yogis don't even ask for liberation SB 3.29.13 https://happygirlkitchen.com Coupon code WOTS108

knowledge is the best wealth because it can't be stolen, is priceless & it's imperishable / unadulterated bhakti is when there is no motive getting in the way of the love flow between God & us / bhakti works if you work it, & you're worth it, so work it / purifying the heart so Krishna will enter / habits are just the first layer of muck to cut through - then come the hidden motives / our nature is to be attracted to Krishna / what is raga-bhakti? SB 3.29.11-12

the UK figures out that octopuses, crabs, and lobsters are "sentient beings" / why didn't we ever discuss "what is life" in school? / when people bring their envy, pride & anger into spiritual circles should it affect our faith? / 4 types of children analogy - the vikarmi, karmi, jnani & bhakta SB 3.29.8-10

Kaustubha interviews Keli about crafting his recently released EP, Falling Upwards, available here https://keliwoods.hearnow.com/falling-upwards Follow Keli on IG @keli__woods

Is it possible that we can be reincarnated in the past ? / How do we, practically, take pleasure in the Self? / Is there anything that you think I should consider before approaching a guru for initiation? / Why is it important not to take offense?

spiritual optimism & material pessimism / I don't mean to minimize your suffering - but you should / materialism causes fatigue, spiritual energy is refreshing / knowledge is the greatest gift / tamasic influence on bhakti practice - proud, violent & angry yogis / don't give up critical thought - just give up criticism SB 3.29.3-8

what is a pure devotee? / why saying "bhakti is the ultimate" is not sectarian - because there is nothing greater than love / the liberation found through jnana-yoga is just the neutral stage / do the laws of nature disprove or prove that God exists? / who says that human life is accidental? / the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science? / the Church of Satan & is there really good & bad? SB 3.29.1-2 https://www.bhavawellness.com Coupon WOTS108

Bruce Springsteen on what happens when we die / our individuality is not dependent on the body / we are sparks of the eternal fire / we exist in a realm pervaded by selfishness / we're diseased with the desire to be God / will we know our loved ones after we die? / sambhanda, abhideya & prayojana / our dharma is to serve the whole SB 3.28.39-44

How an I explain karma to someone who has a deep emotional resistance to it? / How can karma, free will & Krishna being the controller all exist simultaneously? / How can I maintain sobriety & a strong spiritual practice when traveling on the road? / I know as devotees we are supposed to have our minds fixed on Krishna at all times, but how can we make sure to do that if we leave our body suddenly in a tragic, un-peaceful way?

place of surrender - the Sanskrit origin of serendipity / give all of your fruits to Krishna / how pleasure & pain are a symptom of ignorance / material happiness is like the happiness of a madman / material happiness is temporary & pales in comparison to spiritual happiness / it can be either very enlightening or very depressing to think deep / how karma plays out for the liberated yogi / examining the experience of having a finger cut off in virtual reality / wanna be used by Krishna SB 3.28.36-38

the virtue of gratitude is essential to Bhakti / ingratitude is the greatest crime / set aside time to count your blessings / contentment lives only in the hearts of those who are grateful / when we bring the meditation to Vishnu we find the relief we been searching for / what good is a still mind & a dirty heart? / the vision of the Vishnu's face charms even Cupid & benefits the sages / when the mind is illuminated with spiritual energy SB 3.28.26-36

where are we going with the stillness of the mind? / double team mind & troubled heart by hearing & visualizing / keeping our conceptualization personal / we need spiritual strategies to deepen our practice / maximize the early morning hours / give an entire day to seva / meditation on Krishna dispels the gloom of the heart / meditation on Krishna is a thunderbolt that shatters the mountain of inauspiciousness in the mind SB 3.28.19-25

what do we need to accept (or let go of) / where's the tip of the nose? / the description of God begins with His smile / fear of a personal God / if Krishna was on the Dating Game / the Kaustubha jewel / Krishna coming home with the cows ins the original parade / seeing God within one's own heart SB 3.28.12-18

get, then give the gift of bhakti / if we are conscious, there must be a source / invest in the eternal - Bhakti for the Big Day / start with a desire, find a crew, gotta get a guru / hang out with God in sound form / Bhakti won't work in a hard heart—put down the grudges Find Madhu at [email protected] or on IG @madhu.life

Should I try to find love in the material world or should I just keep turning towards Krishna, eventually my heart and mind will fully settle into bhakti? / Tilak - who wears it, why & when? / How does someone in a long term relationship or a non-Vedic marriage balance the physical and emotional needs of their partner with their own desire to serve Krishna in an appropriate state, and will I ever be able to take initiation if my partner or spouse is not a devotee?

carving out a little sadhana routine / yoga is reclaiming our freedom from the mind / material sound is exhausting / push through the flavorless period to develop taste for sadhana / withdrawing the senses / make the mind a friend / transcending the modes of nature through meditation on Krishna / put up a roadblock on the path of revenge / the universe is held together by forgiveness / forgiveness is a quiet mind / forgiveness is the highest virtue 3.28.11

we all need a road map / focusing on the present moment though concentration on the breath / still your body to focus and energize the mind / Kaustubha's meditation classes / breaking away from the turbo scenarios in the mind / carve out a little time & commit to a sadhana / climbing the ladder to samadhi / inhale, hold, exhale / we're Cycle of Sin from Dayton , Ohio! SB 3.28.5-11

in the name of convenience we throw out everything good / "As long as you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem" / "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" / Your thought is the first domino / Prabhupada isn't raising the bar, he's showing us where the bar is / yoga tradition is based on parampara, not charisma / what if our business leaders, from an early age, were taught the ethic that "The more you help others is your glory? / Spiritual communism SB 3.28.4

aligning the mind & heart - wisdom from White Buffalo Calf Woman / the Power Of The Universe (Paramatma) will come to your assistance / the hurt of one is the hurt of all & the honor of one is the honor of all / we're shooting arrows into our circle of concern with no effect / work on your circle of influence and it will expand to your circle of concern / sva-dharma-ācaraṇam — executing one's prescribed duties / santoṣaḥ — contentment / ātmavic-caraṇārcanam - worship the lotus feet of a knower of the soul / namaste = not me, you / grāmya-dharma-nivṛttiś - letting go of conventional religion / mita-medhyādanaṁ - eating frugally / vivikta-kṣema-sevanam - dwelling in a secluded place SB 3.28.1-3

coming to art in childhood / discovery Bhakti at New York's School of Art & Design / the BBT Art Department in LA / the privilege of painting for Srila Prabhupada / Prabhupada's vision for Realism in Bhakti art / perspective as an aid to entering into the pastimes / absorbing the mind through creating art / become a transparent via medium / mastering the rules before breaking them / we can all be artists You can find Dhrti Dasi's artworks at: FaceBook & Instagram: @sosacredart & online at: www.sosacredart.com

to obtain wisdom requires independent, serious effort / knowledge vs wisdom / I may know how to build a car, but do I know where to drive it? / Ātmārāma means "one who rejoices in the self," / a materialist tries to satisfy himself in relation to his body – a devotee tries to satisfy the Superself / it's not the activity, its the state of mind in which one performs the activity / would we be attracted to the enjoyment on the heavenly planets? / what about mystic powers? SB 3.27.24-30

yin deficiencies & yangaholics / self-care vs self-pampering / FOMO / the guru is the cloud who extinguishes the blazing fire of material existence / for the yogi, nothing needs to be happening / tamasic times & self-destruction / the faultiness in our thinking which prevents us from standing in our glory SB: 3.27.23-24

even while trapped within the body & mind, the yogi is free / like a piano key , we have an individual identity intrinsically tied to a larger whole / reading to find a gem / reading as an act of worship / reading out loud / our feeling of being lost is illusory / are purusha & prakriti inextricable? / the method to break free - hear about Krishna (for a long time) & be dutiful / how to receive perfect knowledge & transcendental vision SB 3.27.14-22

the greatest duty of every Bhakti-yogi is to live & speak without hypocrisy / people who try to force circumstances become the slaves of their circumstances / superficial objections to spirituality from right & left perspectives / spiritual insights on acceptance are neither teachings promoting lack of personal ambition (right), or tools of social oppression (left) / we gotta clean up our own act before we can clean up the Earth SB 3.27.8-13

the need for trust in bhakti / #doubtyourdoubts / bhakti is spread from one heart to another / let's start with - what do I know? / as a doctor prescribes medicine as well as diet & lifestyle - a guru prescribes an object of meditation along with lifestyle practices to facilitate absorption / kindness & simplicity / insulate don't isolate / "if your dharma allows" SB 3.27.6-8

is installing the Bhagavatam recommended or necessary? / how do I serve my yoga students by not freaking them or tiptoeing around God? / are offenses during Kartik also multiplied by 1000? / how is Krishna's teasing endearing? / can the concept of ahimsa ever be broadened to allow for killing of animals for a community's survival? / how do I care for my tulsi mala? / if you could redo your brahmacharya training, what would you add and remove?

pride will ruin your spiritual path / beware of egocentric red flag mantras like "how dare you?!", "who do you think you are?!" / when things don't go your way, you get bitter or better / gratitude for our humbling experiences / let the exchanges of love transform our hearts / see yourself in Indra / transform negative thought loops with japa and sacred literature / get off your elephant & bow down Watch Raghunath's Ted talk here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjTWz4WKusU

happy Diwali - time to let go of our resentments / our minds are like the Gowanus Canal / the more we engage in the matrix, the more we forget our nature / practicing bhakti-yoga with intensity is the way out / friendship is encouraging you to raise the bar / Visvamitra & Menaka / Raghu loses it at the airport / our conditioned nature can be engaged in yoga SB 3.27.5

our desire + the reactions to our deeds (karma) = our next body in the matrix / the law of karma is cosmic sensitivity training / the whole material world is hope, desire & fear / mystic perfections as matrix transcendence / bending spoons & dodging bullets? when we're ready we won't have to / Bhakti-yogis aren't interested in mystic perfection (except for Raghunath) / channel your excellence towards God / when we realize that Krishna is the friend of everyone we transcend the matrix SB 3.27.1-4 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-kirtan-album-from-madi-das-dave-stringer#/

by nature we are unchanging - but we identify with the body & mind, which by nature are always changing / we all have our lady in the red dress / our attachments are causing our fears / we are shifting from body to body in the matrix due to our "faulty actions" / when you act on behalf of the higher power you transcend the laws / every object has it's nature / like water that has become solid - we can regain our true nature SB 3.27.1-3

the material elements expand telescopically / Bhagavatam language can be both literal & metaphorical / characteristics of intelligence - from doubt, to misapprehension, to correct apprehension / the intelligence of knowing when to withdraw / sound is the primeval form of energy / matter is activated by the inner presence of the Divine – He is also in you – now meditate on Him

My father suffers from schizophrenia & his violent behavior traumatized me in my youth. He's recently been institutionalised & doctors have contacted me as his next closest relative to make decisions with regard to his treatment. Is it ok to turn my back on him or should I find something inside of me and try to help him by visiting and rekindling a relationship? / Is there a part of us that currently exists in the spiritual world, perhaps in a dormant state, like sleeping, and we haven't really left the spiritual world at all? / How do books like Bhagavad-gita & Srimad Bhagavatam address the environment? / I know we are here to serve Krishna, but in what ways are we here on an individual level?

matter is eternal, but it's transformations are temporary / time as a concept / what does time teach us? time is the transformer / material existence is a rom com that turns into a horror film / 24 Sankhya, a Buddhist perspective / 25 Sankhya, a Monist perspective / 26 Sankhya, a Bhakti perspective / Western science analyzes matter, Vedic science also analyzes the experiencer of matter, the purusha www.thespiritualscientist.com www.gitadaily.com

fantasies are our dreams within the dream / Raghu's failed kindergarten romance / the spiritual origin of teasing & flirting / rationalization as the intelligence in service of the false ego / better to be a jalopy moving forward than a Ferrari moving backwards / defining yoga / the 5 fluctuating states of mind / it's not sectarian to say it all leads to Krishna / Krishna's description of the sage of steady mind

universal creation & destruction comes in cycles / God the Father & Mother Nature / the manas (mind) is the sitting place of desire - it corrupts the senses & the intellect / strengthening the intellect though hearing wisdom daily

Bhisma's 9 deathbed instructions / the external bath & the internal bath / in the material realm, nothing is more powerful than time / we can chose whether to listen to the Supersoul, but we have to listen to time / our default setting is enjoyment / hang out with people that light you up / we need purification to tune into the Supersoul / sadhana + regulation of the senses is the formula for yoga / GET THE HELL OF THE ALTAR! SB 3.26.17-18

the wise don't delight in material pleasures / the enjoyment ceiling gets lower with age / the materialist seeks external pleasure, the yogi seeks pleasure within / death comes to the devotee like a cat to a kitten / time ends our film of life & moves us to the next theater / false ego is the darkness in the theater / how we respond to the film determines our next movie (life) / zoom out to see the multiplex Maya & broader reality SB 3.26.15-16

how can one work and still not be attached to the fruits of labor? / how does falling in love with Krishna before falling in love help us? / Brahman, the universal form, Vishnu & Krishna - who should we meditate on? / can you recommend any books that are written in a simplified form to help me understand bhakti-yoga? / how to understand Arjuna's unique marriages in the Mahabharata?