Wisdom of the Sages

after years of meditation Brahma provides the manual for life in the material world / Vedic culture cultivates self realization / the upaveda sciences / how Bhakta Justin outgrew drag culture / the goal is Krishna Prema - how much of the culture we adopt is according to the individual

when the lulls come, take the next step / break-up advice - resentment, anger, fear or revenge - like Rama leaving Ayodhya / embrace the humiliation / we know too much / through our respect & love for our teacher comes the empowerment to carry out their instructions / in Bhakti the future is always bright / the lessons keep coming til you learn them / creating sage minds / expect to get challenged because you are loved / we want freedom not structure - but at what cost? SB 3.12.34-38

Bhakta Justin doesn't need psychedelics / practicing bhakti is like living in a music video / the koshas / letting go of prestige / humiliation can be a breakthrough / the asuric mentality -I AM THE CONTROLLER - I AM THE ENJOYER / giving up everything by force / before the body dies let the false self die / letting the false self die through ritual SB 3.12.33

it's a good time to wake up / we swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter / accepting radical responsibility / Brahma's humiliation / Vedic literature teaches like a king, like a friend & like a lover / once you think you're above Maya, you're in Maya! / draw a line in the sand with porn / we're all just a click away from big maya / what we mean by a healthy fear of maya / our embarrassing failure to imitate Krishna's Rasa Dance / porn & its connection to misogyny / Raghu's teenage realizations on lust SB 3.12.27-32

gratitude is the symbol of one's spiritual advancement / the fuse is lit! / the material world is gonna get kooky / Bhakti Louie's gratitude / religion can lead to arrogance / Daksha's arrogance / truth is food for the soul / give up desires that are destructive to spiritual values / bhakti gets you through tough times / through bhakti one immediately acquires knowledge & detachment / notice your curmudgeonliness / accept your suffering & stay connected / we don't need the "spiritual" trappings SB 3.12.23-26

why did God make creatures that hurt us, like mosquitoes and snakes? / what is it ok to pray to Krishna for? / how to understand the eternal Vedic teachings to the manifold questions related to homosexuality, transgender, gender and sex, equal rights, and how does morality relate to diverse sexual and gender identity issues? / do you have to live it to give it?

may Lord Jagannatha be the object of my vision / anger quotes from Emerson, Ingersoll, Plato, Twain, Thomas A Kempis, Marcus Aurelius & Horace / Srimad-Bhagavatam family tree / all Indians can trace back the family linage? / Sati's spontaneous human combustion / a joke from the Bhagavatam SB 3.12.12-22 http://www.harekrsna.de/jagannathastakam-e.htm http://vedadev.ru/images/SB%20Family%20Tree03.jpg

it's what you do with your stuff that counts / don't lose your spiritual credit in the slot machine of offenses / arrogance makes us suffer / can I be spiritual and still eat meat / lust is the beginning of misogyny / I squirm too / whatever happens to me, I take no offense / nobody can hurt you, unless you allow them / the devotee is in the heart of Krishna & He knows nothing but them

Ben & Esther's Vegetarian Jewish Deli / Krishna has a crazy recipe for all of us / contemplation of the objects of the senses leads to attachment, desire, anger, delusion, bewilderment of memory, loss of intelligence & fall down into the material pool / maya is knocking / the birth of Shiva / anger by nature is destructive / if I realize that the world doesn't revolve around me, it's much easier to control anger / Durvasa Muni's anger SB 3.12.7-11

welcome to the world Kian Arjuna Murphy / Raghu learned everything from Davy and Goliath / Narayana-parayana / we have debts to our forefathers / the Jain girl sannyasi / water the root and your debt to the leaf is paid / Brahma checks his anger / let's hurry up & have some more babies! SB 3.12.5-6

is the point to of shavasana to completely clear your mind and not think of anything? / at the moment of death, what exactly migrates to the next body & when we say that each soul is separate and distinct, is each soul otherwise identical, or does each one have its own characteristics or, for lack of a better word, personality? / can you please help with book recommendations? / how does a devotee deal with the burnout of life & still continue to execute their sacred duties with the right mindset?

busy doing nothing / Raghu ran a surf school in Costa Rica!?! / Brahma's job dissatisfaction / why the executioner wears a mask / glue trap of material existence / the remedy for job dissatisfaction / Brahma creates the 4 Kumaras / 4 principles of knowledge: sāṅkhya, yoga, vairāgya & tapas / the 4 bhakti lineages / fun at the Bankebihari Temple / Tatiyastan SB 3.12.3-4

who is Tulasi Devi? / Bhakti-yogis don't renounce things, they purify them / materialism breeds anxiety & suffering / Indra - the top level materialist, Brahma top level intelligence / zoom in & zoom out / only pure devotion delivers happiness / 5 types of ignorance - the sense of death, anger upon frustration, the sense of false ownership, illusory bodily conception, forgetfulness of one's real identity / knowledge breeds detachment / give the gift of knowledge tulasimala.com IG: silver_tulasi_mala IG: simha_mc

repetition is the mother of mastery / I am 100% responsible for creating my experience / perspective from the Handmaid's Tale / living with both perspectives - zoomed in & zoomed out / you need perspective to map out your destination / Brahma's entire life is one breath for Vishnu / time can control only those who are body conscious / everything is gonna change - that's a given / who's the controller behind the veil? Sweet baby Krishna! SB 3.11.36-42

we don't need to rearrange our personality / Mara needs an attitude adjustment / on a cosmic scale we have a very short life span / on a cosmic scale the ups & downs of our lives are very insignificant / it's all macro-micro! / our minds should be blown on a regular basis! / the residents of the higher planets don't need acid / yoga is eternal SB 3.11.16-35

what is a Bhakti Yogi's relationship with morality? / does a Bhakti yoga path suggest indifference towards political issues or can it coincide with an interest in political causes and speaking up against systemic inequities? / as much as I want to practically denounce the material world, don't we need some material things? / do one's rounds become easier after they take shelter of a guru? and how do I repay the enormous debt to my spiritual master & all the influential devotees in my life? / is it ok to be gay for Krishna?

the optimists creed / don't bring bad habits into sacred circles / get out of your own head by serving others / life is short, what do I want to contribute? / time & space are correlative terms / measuring time from 8/13,500ths of a second up to the 100 year lifespan / just a moment of time with a sadhu can give all perfection / the sun diminishes our duration of life in order to release us from the illusion of material attachment SB 3.11.1-15

"this yoga really works" - spiritual knowledge counters body dysmorphia / material detachment fosters spiritual attachment / zooming out for the troubled mind / I'm tiny, but ... / real humility is our reality / spiritual knowledge is the panacea for all the negative loops / does Raghu have to do everything around here? / geocentric & heliocentric models of the universe / purify the consciousness first - then make decisions / Buddhist sand mandalas SB 3.11.1

animal agriculture is destroying the planet / the Bhagavatam map shows us - YOU ARE HERE! / detachment through deconstruction / contemplating cycles of destruction / now is the time for inquiry into spirit! / puncturing the romance / Raghu would have dinner with a siddha SB 3.10.18-30

not all yogis are good / everyone has a back story / hurt people hurt people / earth is a ghetto / when you ain't got nothin you've got nothin to lose / wisdom doesn't mean collecting a lot of stuff / the internet is a great place to see hate / where's God?! / don't shame them, don't hate them, don't cancel them…pray for them / there's a benevolent force behind everything

you ain't got nothin / striking for the gentle, striking for the kind, striking for the guardians & protectors of the mind / 3 types of destruction / 6 types of primary creation / 4 types of secondary creation / getting the blueprint of the universe SB 3.10.1-17

How to deal with deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy? / I live in a foreign country and don't have any close relationships here. Should I use this discomforting situation to grow despite the lack of support from the community or is it important to find a supportive community? / I'm an empath and I can't help but absorb and be overwhelmed with sadness. What can I turn to for comfort? / How do I continue to serve and have compassion for someone when they don't seem to be trying to heal? / I am a working mother of two kids and it seems that there aren't enough hours to fit in my spiritual practices. How do you do it?

our community floats us / we've been sold a false identity / accept your fate & love with all your heart / Brahma is like us with a better gig / no more complaining / mosquitos don't bump into each other / zooming out / material qualification don't qualify us / lack of material qualifications don't disqualify us / the lightbulb telling the generator why do we all have to connect with you? SB 3.9.36-42

meditation on the name, form, qualities & pastimes of Krishna are the ultimate gunabusters / Bhagavad-gita 14.26 - how to transcend the gunas / how ashtanga-yoga clears the false programing in the mind / insulation not isolation / bhuddhi-yoga and refining our discernment for who we allow to influence us SB 3.9.34 & 35

I'm fake! / shedding our skin / Raghunath's mental appreciation list / appreciating Yamuna Devi /service is love, not an imposition / no one is the master in the material world / you've gotta serve somebody / happiness comes through service SB 3.9.33

don't focus on the bad, just add the good / the beginning of the breakthrough is the desire for the breakthrough / zoom out for freedom from depression & anxiety / changing the body can be easy / Jivan Mukta liberated in this body by serving with body, words & mind /in bhakti the means & the end are the same SB 3.9.33

either we control our senses, or our senses control us / we choose illusion all the time / connection through bhakti leads to the vision of Krishna in everything & everything in Krishna / how is Krishna in everything? / how is everything in Krishna? / adorable Krishna lies all the time / seeing the equality in all living entities like fire in wood / nonviolent communication SB 3.9.31 & 32 / SB 10.8.41

is astrology fortune telling? / the human element in astrological readings / capitalizing on our strengths & challenges / Kaustubha's sannyasa yoga & exalted moon! / Raghu has moksha yoga! / past, present & future karma / what Raghu, Madonna & Michael Jackson have in common / marriage considerations / gemology & crown jewels / we need all the help we can get Find more at www.drewlawrence.com

Why doesn't God listen to the prayers of so many, and allow good people to suffer & die? / How to avoid obsessing about the evil & corruption in the world? / Who came first Krishna or Vishnu? / If God's mercy is causeless, how can there be a formula to get it?

Raghu arrives in Cali / Vishnu's remedy for anxiety & depression / austerity + knowledge = inner direction / the combination of effort & grace / the effort to serve with love results in the grace of inner direction / brainy vs intelligent / what tapas looks like (Bhagavad-gita 17.14-17) what vidya looks like (Bhagavad-gita 15.7-11) SB 3.9.30

Texas memories / sage levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 / the first & most intelligent person struggles with anxiety & depression / Vishnu's deep, thoughtful words dispel illusion / the existential struggle with our smallness / 3 levels of work - survival, fulfillment, that with which we've been entrusted / ambidextrous Arjuna / the healthy result of work is self realization / our value is not in our accomplishments - it's in who & what we are - the accomplishment is in realizing it SB 3.9.27-29

the aim of argument should not be victory, but progress / 4 Steps for arguing intelligently / connection through high quality vibration / Vishnu's eyes / spiritual direction cures dejection / we're missing the big "WHY" / bogus gut feelings / penance, prayers & mental concentration reveal God in the heart / to the degree of the intensity of our desire for truth, Paramatma will reveal truth in the heart / what it means to be a friend SB 3.9.24-26

for those who love, time is not / "it's my life" not / those arrogant music store people / those arrogant bike messengers / we have to be able to laugh at ourselves / the 1st prayer in the universe / bewildered by false ego, we think "I am the doer" / the impressions of the soul filter through the medium of the physical body in proportion to the purity of the mind / our value isn't in our accomplishments - it's in who and what we are. the accomplishment is in realizing it / relinquishing the credit SB 3.9.19-24

evolution of inquiry precedes evolution of being / Bhagavatam's got head & heart / love is the spiritual foundation of reality / love lacking completion / sour grapes of impersonalism / Sukadeva's teenage otherworldliness / the essence of the Bhagavatam / the synthesizing principle of the Bhagavatam / sin means missing the mark Follow Jaya Jagannath at Bodhaka Arise: the Honest Man's podcast, and on IG at urban_sage_deliberates

What is meant by the term "Krishna's mercy" and how does it manifest in your lives? / Bhagavad-gita states that the soul is changeless in one verse, and that the soul can be degraded in another. How to understand this apparent contradiction? / I'm a mother of two young children, I'm isolated from other Bhakti-yogis, and I have a history of unsteadiness in my practice - please help! / Is Krishna's form concrete or abstract? / could you please share some tips for how to cut the tama-guna (lower, darker mode of existence) out of my life?

metamorphosis / the Gita started flowing out of my mouth / Vishnu is the root of the universe / Vishnu is the force of time / the boy sage speaks truth to power / chewing the chewed / the consciousness of "friends & enemies" counteracts yoga SB 3.9.17-18

Bhakti Recovery Group is saving lives / making an offering of all you do / where did you hear that story? / religion vs spirituality - don't miss the point / purifying our spiritual intention / maturing knowledge into wisdom / Jim Carrey uvāca / the world is like a reflection - both real and illusory SB 3.9.13-16

the beautiful character of Pankajanghri das / living for others is the rule of nature / the gravity of the passing of a great soul creates a space for growth in those that knew or even heard of them / Krishna is not pleased by pompous worship / the sweet love of the wives of the priests / the arrogance of the priests / "to hell with our rituals & erudite learning" / meditation through drama / a life well lived SB 3.9.12

we can carry God in the heart / hearing sacred texts as a path of yoga / it happens in a "short time" / hearing can rid the mind of lust, anger and hankering, "like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water" / then you get hooked / God becomes pliable to the love of a devotee / esoteric bhakti involves cultivating a certain type of love, following in the footsteps of the great devotees / progressing from faith to love / casual devotion & pseudo devotion won't cut it SB 3.9.11

Often I know what my ideal choices are in life, yet for some reason I am impelled to the contrary. How can we stay motivated despite our sometimes blatantly stupid decisions? / My worst qualities come out when I am in a committed relationship. Why, with the one person I am trying to build a life with, do my worst qualities come out? / If our bodies are truly meant for service, why does it seem that they are designed for material enjoyment? / Anxiety & fear of loneliness can be debilitating - how does a yogi deal with it?

killing 3 billion animals everyday is killing the health of our collective psyche / looking towards our own actions as the cause of our unhappiness / life is like a movie / the rules of Sanskrit drama / the movie is unreal, but the emotions are real / Paramananda's lives through a horror film / established thus one never departs from the truth…in such a position, one is never shaken / in one sense our suffering is comical SB 3.9.9

Raghunath was spoon-fed bhakti / when the disciple is ready the guru appears / pulling back the bowstring is the hard part / Raghu & Kaustubha always end up on the cutting room floor / the body is a vehicle for service / the old God-shaped hole analogy / lasting happiness comes through service / the pressure on women regarding their bodies has reached a bizarre level / I don't care if you see me as a 1 or a 10 - my body is sacred & it's purpose is service / it's fun when Kaustubha goes off track SB 3.9.7-9

Gaura Vani sings The Moods of Kirtan / Bhagavatam highlights the problems with disconnected life / embarrassed on an existential level / anxiety related with protecting wealth, body, etc. / we don't need to give any thing up, we just need to adjust our attitude / what can we create compared with Brahma - and still we become proud / that sage of steady mind is free of attachment, fear and anger / freedom from attachment, fear & anger facilitates divine love SB 3.9.6

letting thoughts nest in our minds / the thought is the first domino (Bhagavad-Gita 2.62-63) / Brahma's build-up to his prayers / form can be spiritual / spiritual means unbound by time / the form of Vishnu is auspicious to meditate on / calming the mind is not the end - it's the means to focus on spiritual content / spiritual content = name, form, qualities & pastimes of Krishna SB 3.9.1-5

mutual love is the major law of our existence / the vision of Vishnu in the heart of Brahma / Vishnu's smile vanquishes distress / the competition between the Lord & His devotees / the worship of the Radharamana temple / the soul exists for God to feel his own blissful nature through the soul's love / we've all cried an ocean of tears / Krishna is happy, just waiting for us to reconnect / Arjuna's illusion dispelled SB 3.8.27

if there was one single verse that you would recommend to commit to memory, what would it be? / what does it mean to be a vanaprastha (retired person) in the modern context? / what should I do about the envy within me? / why don't yogis taste food while they are cooking it, or eat garlic, onions or mushrooms? / I'm finding Bhagavad-gita to be difficult to grasp, is this normal or should I just keep reading and going over it until something clicks?

what is normal? / Brahma searches for his source externally & fails / Brahma searches internally & succeeds / realizations at the burning ghat / the qualification to understand life's greatest mysteries involves the quality of one's attitudes & character / observational bias – "the drunkard's search principle" or the "streetlight effect" / no one can understand Kṛṣṇa by the blunt material senses / love is the equipment / when the fog clears you see what's been there all along SB 3.8.16-22

Arjuna's confusion / antah sukha (inner happiness) / samadarshina (equal vision) / samatvam (even-mindedness) / the sage of steady mind / freedom from attachment fear & anger / maturing knowledge into wisdom through reflection on what we've heard from the yoga texts / media & politics are clouding our minds / distilling the consciousness

Raghu's spiritual morning makes no material sense / Kaustubha's special day / the story of Gajendra the elephant / we need to be situated in our element to fight / the value of memorizing verses / the story of Vibhishana & Rama's forgiveness / the story of Jatayu - even failure is success / give your life & trust

the higher power via tattva / the higher power via rasa / shuddering at the thought of eternal service / Krishna is naturally controlled by love / Krishna wants to be seen as the servant of Arjuna / yoga-sutra's recommendation to give ones life to "the controller" / the love of the Gopis defeats Krishna / a young lover's mind is the highest yoga / Krishna makes yoga easy for the one with love