Wisdom of the Sages

how can awareness of a higher power be useful for us? / "We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." / the bird & the higher power / the child & the higher power / recognizing karma & time as the influences of the Higher Power / Bhagavad-gita Ch. 13 - an exposition on the Higher Power

how can someone be tolerant, still come across with a strong voice? / gossip, negativity & intrigues have been exhausting me & making me do and say things that I regret afterwards - what to do? / is it an offense to touch someone's feet? / if yogis aspire to see things equally, why make any quality judgements at all? / how to endure disappointing behavior from those who are supposed to be setting good examples?

born into a bhakti community / finding bhakti on one's own / learning the offering of Ayurveda / learning from a bhakti-yoga master / leading by caring for each individual person / the constant need for clear communication / what comes next www.thesisterscience.com

it actually is all good / the celestial Ganges river as a universal highway / the season, or cycles of the universe / the universe unfolds from Vishnu's lotus / if a woman can create a human in her abdomen, is it really so impossible for Vishnu to create the universal Lotus from His? / cultivating spiritual vision - seeing equality on the spiritual level SB 3.8.3-15

Does God have to be a person? / What are some good practices for spiritual contemplation while walking in public? / I want to follow traditional fasts as part of the yoga culture but I work construction which is very physically demanding - what to do? / How do you trust "spiritual people" after you've been hurt, lied to, tricked, used, and manipulated by someone you looked up to?

devoting exclusive time for spiritual practice / a focused commitment to change / first life clue - the death of Raghunath's cat / spiritual knowledge grants immunity to material miseries / these books aren't just for philosophizing - they're life instructions! / seeing the museum piece with devotional eyes / the book Bhagavatam & the person Bhagavat / our entangled lives & the solution in one verse & commentary SB 3.7.39 - 3.8.2

the blind men & the elephant / Hinduism & Buddhism in Nepal / Krishna's beauty is absolute / puncturing the romance of the material world / human life is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth / Brahma Vishnu & Siva / dharma disconnected from prema (divine love) is useless / God doesn't want us to be Ned Flanders / the material world bubble is gonna pop

live from Kathmandu! / self-realization not sense gratification / burning is learning / the potato chip shloka / spiritual addiction is healthy / all there is within the universe for satisfying one's senses cannot satisfy a person whose senses are uncontrolled / be detached & serve with love / training the mind to be always thinking of doing good for others / the more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes dissatisfied / diverting the mind to the Vedic literature BG 17.16

secret thoughts come out in our words & actions / austerity of speech means speaking words that are – truthful, pleasing, beneficial, not agitating to others, & regularly reciting Vedic literature / validation hounds / no junk food no junk speech / being a kind friend of every living entity BG 17.15 & 12.14 & 15

What exactly is a guru? / How should one correctly go about self criticism and introspection? How can I be honest with myself without evoking self hate? Moreover, once I identify my shortcomings how do I turn them from being a hindrance to a means for spiritual growth? / Is there a custom or even a ritual/prayer to be performed before starting with the Maha Mantra? / How can I stay true to my spiritual path when my family members aren't practicing along with me?

the gunas for children / if our capacity for austerity is meager, serve mahatmas / a human has to consider how they eat, sacrifice, perform austerity, give charity / once you take a picture of it, it's not yoga / austerity of the body - respecting great souls, cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy, nonviolence / it all boils down to kindness & simplicity SB 3.7.20 & BG 17.14

our value isn't based on the body / our disturbances have no other basis than the movement of the external energy / the fool is happy & one with transcendental intelligence is happy / when it's bad it's good & when it's good it's bad / service is the way out / Krishna is called Madhusudana because he slays our doubts and slays the false ego SB 3.7.15-19

our miseries are due to a misconception of self-identity / the counterintuitive key - human life is not meant for sense gratification, it is meant for self-realization / we're chasing a mirage that draws us deeper & deeper into the desert / controlling our senses means freedom / Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) - the higher taste / consciousness is active by nature SB 3.7.12-14

Welcome back Mara! / a pandit is born / Raghu's son transcends misery through the wisdom of the Gita / if the soul is unchangeable, and if God is always in our heart, then why do our activities result in misfortune and misery? Or, how do we lose touch with our spiritual nature? / analogy 1 - seeing your own head cut off - the sense of loss is illusory / analogy 2 - the quivering reflection of the moon - the self is steady, the reflection of the self in the mind is unsteady / the 4 paths of yoga SB 3.7.10-11

How do you go deal with direct hate against you for no apparent reason? / I'm struggling with depression and my bhakti practices can't seem to shake it. Is there something I'm missing? / How does goodness (sattva guna) have a grip on us? / Are the spiritual teaching I read about before coming to Bhakti relevant? Is there any "one true path" for spiritual guidance or do they all contain nuggets of wisdom that correlate? / How can I become more aloof to public opinion?

miracles are everywhere / the cobbler & the brahmin / Bhagavatam is the magic 8 ball - always answering our questions / our disposition can either reveal or repeal knowledge / Raghu's relationship with geese / is my toothache God's lila (divine play)? / if God is situated in our hearts, then why do our activities result in misfortune and misery?

2 monks - "you've been carrying her in your mind all day" / Raghunath's country klatch / miracles are everywhere / lawless Krishna of Mathura is also the universal juggler / the miracle of the banyan tree / the miracle of the whistler thorn / the miracle of the neem tree / everything we need literally grows on trees! / humans always screw it up!

Bhakta Louie practicing seeing God everywhere / find your service / engaging the speech & the ear / the body is a temple - how to keep it sacred / offer the senses to the master of the senses / engaging the body, words & mind / the chataka, which will drink only rain water / the chakora bird, which subsists of the moonbeams / simply by hearing the writings of the great sages one becomes perfectly self-realized SB 3.6.35-37

we all get tested / the senses & corresponding devas (equipment for our avatars) / the 3 planetary systems (3 levels of the video game) / the varnas (categories of the avataras we can choose from in the video game) / each varna has it's strengths and weaknesses / false mastership is the basic disease of the conditioned soul / who am I? the servant of the servant

save the flower for Krishna / we've got to recognize what's truly valuable / the same consciousness in different bodies / we've all been man, woman, plant, animal, saint, sinner / the ten airs that move our body / we become one with the supreme consciousness though dovetailing our desires with the supreme SB 3.6.1-7

Raghunath & Kaustubha speak with filmmaker Ravinol Chambers about women's roles and education in India and the need to reexamine the application of tradition. www.roadtovrindavan.com

does it matter if I pray for God to let [my husband] get strong again if it's already decided? / how do you detach from being seen according to your race? / what is the point of rebirth, and aren't we already part of God from the beginning? / when does that tolerance become a hindrance to our spiritual or material growth? / how can we lovingly and sincerely offer anything to Krishna when we are out and about and only going to offer it so that we can immediately eat it?

Homer Simpson's awkward moral inventory / kill the fake self with humor / Krishna isn't Judge Judy / Kaustubha watched transcendental knowledge prevail in Episode 6 of Surviving Death / why Raghu & Kaustubha are not demigods / even Indra becomes a fool / Raghu's ego shredded by a monkey / things get ghastly when they're disconnected / watering the root serves every leaf / to "water the root" only makes a difference in the world when we get beyond the superficial & become a friend to everyone SB 3.5.48-51

count your blessings / anxiety is born from our love of the temporary / the seers of the truth say if it's temporary it's unreal / we need to reprioritize / the stereotypical idea of spirituality / the grandma vs the renunciate / Arjuna's 2 fundamental questions - 1. should I engage with the world or walk away? 2. should I conceive of God as an energy or as a person? SB 3.5.46-47

Bhakti Recovery with Jiva / bewilderment through material objects is the first level of illusion - denial of the personal form is the second / the goals of yoga (a peaceful mind, no more material desires, love for every living being, etc) are not beyond us if we can engage with detachment & devotion / Arjuna's admitted inability to practice a yoga of renunciation / yoga of devotional service is sukham (easy, happy) SB 3.5.45

Baader–Meinhof frequency illusion / crippling activities / offenders or aparadhis / who can't reconnect? / autostereograms - keep staring until you see it / family attachment isn't evil, but it's limiting / can we be with loved ones after death? / 1st, 2nd & 3rd class intelligence / the preliminary stage of spiritual insight means looking for God everywhere & in everyone / betraying the voice in the heart / seeing through the eyes of knowledge SB 3.5.44

Surviving Death & the need to talk about consciousness / Thomas Merton on defending the imaginary self / the creation of the meat suits / Kaustubha meets Lou Ferrigno / the Devas have the best meat suits, but they're humble / taking shelter of Vishnu grants freedom from the meat suit miseries / crossing over the miseries by grace SB 3.5.38-43

Bhagavatam cuts through the material romance / bioluminescence and the 4 animal propensities / as the material enjoyment sets spiritual happiness rises / the production of the fake-God suits / the gods come together to pray / the advantages of cooperative spiritual practice (sankirtan) / we're here to get our ego dismantled SB 3.5.27-38

Vishnu & Shiva - like milk & yogurt / great souls voluntary accept suffering to help others / religious pretension blinds one / false ego makes us intolerant to the happiness of others (sick in the head) / offering respect to God in the heart of everyone / the pretentious see the faults in others - the spiritual see whatever little good there is, and magnify it / mean-minded people are already dead (no need to campaign against them)

Road to Vrindavan - examining the importance of education for girls in India & the insight needed for tradition be applied in ways that uplift rather than oppress / normalization of prison existence / avatars, jivas & Krishna the Fountainhead / the Purusha Avataras / Mother Nature can't produce life on her own / waking up in prison / we are foreign to matter / whole Vedic process is to remind us of our life outside the prison https://slofilmfest.org/events/road-to-vrindavan/ https://www.roadtovrindavan.com SB 3.5.26

it's sick in the head that we want others to be miserable / vulnerability opens the door to deeper revelation / Kaustubha busts out the scientific journals / awakening experiences as described in the Gita / Krishna defines the highest yogi / one who sees the Supersoul everywhere, in every living being, does not degrade themself / paramatma realization as the cure to social ills / the goggles of knowledge / yoga of the Supreme Person

wisdom means seeing the macro & the micro (and the mini-micro) / Vishnu's awareness is spread everywhere / consciousness is produced by our brains? / mismatches between consciousness & brain activity / consciousness is fundamental & irreducible / "new" "alternative" views about consciousness have been around forever / the brain doesn't produce consciousness, it acts as a receiver / "awakening experiences" of the oneness all over the Bhagavad-gita & Srimad Bhagavatam / knowledge of consciousness is the raising tide that lifts all boats SB 3.5.25

punk & monk worlds colliding / ajnata sukriti / no happiness in material success / in a Berlin bathroom, Jonny Rotten asks Paramananda a secret question / the illusion of fame / Steve Jones is lost like the rest of us / straight edge = what you don't do – bhakti = what you do / given some rope to do our thing in Philly / recharging in Vrindavan

what does Raghunath admire in Kaustubha & vice versa? / how does one truly know & how to know that I haven't just deluded myself? / can I incorporate my hip hop beat-making skillz in bhakti? / is it possible to hear too much? / how do I know I'm not just believing this out of fear?

the world mirrors your heart / the great teacher Sri Ramanuja / our existence flows from from God's perfection & fullness that demand communication / we are complete / this world is complete - and if we don't get that then our understanding is incomplete / wisdom is to see the completeness / complaining means we don't get it / we feel incomplete until we reconnect with the complete

not accepting another's hostility / the old man, the boy & the donkey / is God lonely for us? / when the universes shakes us it's so that we can wake up and enjoy / dance with Krishna or dance with illusion / Rasa dance is the culmination of all the yoga teachings SB 3.5.23-24

pros & cons of being raised in an ashram / the trepidation of retelling the Ramayana / Ramayana - why did it have to end that way? / rediscovering the character of Rama / through shoka comes shloka / challenges of parenting / cutting some slack for Mantara (the hunchback) / Sita's special powers www.sitasfire.com

what can you tell those of us that physically, mentally and emotionally suffer on a daily basis to help us keep going day after day, or sometimes minute after minute? / how to deal with cruel-hearted criticism? / what's the difference between self indulgent whining vs identifying and examining an emotion so that it can be purified? / is the concept of the retribution of God inconsistent with bhakti philosophy?

Yamaraja is cursed to become Vidura / kids are free from karma thanks to Mandavya Muni / speaking truth to power (& allowing power to save face) / tolerating insults / making the best of bad situations / forgiving / what is wisdom? from Bhagavad-gita / not looking for happiness through externals / a peaceful mind through life's miseries / not complaining / controlled senses SB 3.4.15-22 (& BG 2.55-58)

Krishna = sweetness / Sri Chaitanya is Krishna when he is most compassionate / Balaram (Nityananda) is the embodiment of the mood of service - & thus the original guru / one's disqualifications aren't considered / joking chanting / killing the demoniac within / we connect with God through serving His people

a warm home in the heart / you spoke my language…and it worked / singing in the streets / happiness through contributing / what is pitiable by the pitied / the law of karma is coded into the virtual reality of the universe / the cycle of karma / manifest & unmanifest karma / the negative disposition of karma / ripping bad karma out at the roots IG: hannibalstore SB 3.5.14

don't think of monkeys / wide love - breaking the limitations of family affection / seeing the same sacred life in all living beings - namaste / breaking the bonds of the expectations of family and friends to follow a calling in the heart / Krishna-katha makes one indifferent to mundane subjects / Krishna-katha vanquishes miseries without delay / the sincere reader of Bhagavad-gita vs the mundane wrangler SB 3.5.11-13

when I chant the mantra I feel no fear / Lord Vishnu lies down on His own heart spread in the form of the sky / Kaustubha's teenage barstool philosophizing / we're all just fighting for resources / brahmins can't be purchased / simplicity & kindness is the way of the yogi / Brother Sun Sister Moon / Radhanath Swami talks St. Francis stories with Mike D SB 3.5.5-10 www.prabhupadamemories.com

what you meditate on - that you become / surrender & the language of love / young Raghu questions an old person / why we shudder at the thought of service / subordinate to truth / fine-tuning ourselves to the Divine / God revealed from within / the terms karma, jnana & yoga in context - juxtaposed with bhakti / For those whose minds are attached to the impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome SB 3.5.3-4

3 types of happiness from Bhagavad-gita / qualifications for transmission of spiritual knowledge - the potent speaker and the fertile hearer / Vidura was gentle & content / God will send you sacred relationships - keep them sacred / yoga is a culture of descending knowledge / Shanti mantras - let there be no animosity amongst us / a healthy dose of material pessimism / we don't need to endeavor for material happiness / Kaustubha witnesses crushed dreams for happiness at Yankee Stadium SB 3.4.32-3.5.2

can I chant my mental health issues away? / do we really want to be normal? / self care as regulating the nervous system / overstimulation / trying to convert our spouses / my lifestyle determines my death style / when is it ok to quit a marriage? / understanding boundaries Contact Dhanya at [email protected]

how to navigate the different types of relationships with God? / what does it mean to surrender to God? / can the great teachers of the past hear our prayers? E-mail questions to [email protected]

am I a puddle or a pond? / the spiritual separation paradox - like dry ice / the double perception of simultaneous separation and meeting / the order of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical / knowing about the modes of nature is helpful, whether you believe in God or not / the yogi is the only one that's free / snipping the strings of our puppeteers / our worldly struggles are the exact recipe for our rectification - we just need to realize it SB 3.4.27-31 (& BG 14.21-26)

Momma Cappo's attitude of gratitude / Uddhava gets ready to depart to the Himalayas / maryādā-vyatikrama - crossing the line of etiquette / the following of etiquette can serve as a yogic practice that not only demonstrates, but also cultivates a deeper awareness or sensitivity towards the hearts of others / one should not be eager to become a spiritual master cheaply for the sake of profit & fame / how to see fallen gurus / kindness towards juniors and respect towards seniors serves as the conduit for the flow of transcendental knowledge SB 3.4.16-26

Adrian Eagle putting out positive soul / cultivating a burning desire for pure bhakti - leaving behind the minutiae / fanning the spark / Raghu's dream of Vrindavan - you just have to want it / sitting in New York but being in Vrindavan / the blessing of kind souls who share their desire / the greed for pure devotion / dharma, artha, kama, moksha / 3 reasons why materialism always fails / prema pumartho mahan / no amount of wealth, romance or followers can fill our God-shaped hole / back to our friend Francois de La Rochefoucauld