Wisdom of the Sages - podcast cover

Wisdom of the Sages

Raghunath Cappo & Kaustubha Daswisdomofthesages.libsyn.com
Truths about life from the timeless wisdom of the Bhakti-yoga tradition - fun, relevant, and deep. Learn about dharma, yoga, bhakti, and how it relates to all the basic questions of life. This show is about how to live your best life, let go of the external distractions, and uncover the spiritual happiness that lies within the heart as the true nature of the soul. Raghunath and Kaustubha's connection goes back to their teens in the New York Hardcore Punk Scene of the early 80s, through serving together as Bhakti-yogi monks in the 90's, to sharing their experiences in the world of yoga in the 21st century.
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Episodes

1024: Don't Just Think You're Not Your Body, Know It!

"Most people see what they expect to see, what they want to see, what they've been told to see, what conventional wisdom tells them to see - not what is right in front of them in its pristine condition." Vincent Bugliosi / don't just think you're not your body, know it / the true self has nothing to do with our worldly dealings / control the senses by eating prasadam / Bhakti takes spirituality to the next level SB 5.12.4-6

Apr 25, 20231 hrEp. 1024

1023: Ya Don't "Create" Clean Water, Ya Stop Polluting it

to ask is to break the spell / "Blind belief and passive consumption can be broken through the simple act of asking questions." - Neil Postman / the yoga culture's acclaim for thoughtful questioning / we presume we will be happier if we are materially successful - and never ask the right questions / question from all different angles / Bhakti is experience based - not just faith based / we don't need to just conform- we need to transform / knowledge is revealed to the virtuous / "We need new too...

Apr 24, 202355 minEp. 1023

1022: Q & A Volume 162

Family therapist/Bhakti-yogini Dhanya Rico joins Wisdom of the Sages to address some difficult questions. • How to deal with a difficult person who is permanently in your life? • In dealing with someone who has emotional problems, how does one release judgment and show compassion and yet keep your heart at a distance so you don't get hurt?

Apr 22, 202358 minEp. 1022

1021: Confronting the Birth to Death Time-lapse

never sniff glue! / the compelling, confronting, fascinating birth to death time-lapse diorama / we have to shift our perception in order to understand what we are doing here / the most amazing thing in the universe - we think we won't die / "Don't become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin." - Ivan Pavlov / when we dissociate anything from it's origin we are in illusion / yogis see everything in it's relation to Krishna / the discovery of Brahma Samhita Ch...

Apr 21, 202349 minEp. 1021

1020: Learning to Ignore the Mind

anxiety for your children never ends / the mind can be an unruly, unappeasable 5 year old / sometimes the best option is to ignore the mind / the mind and senses are meant to work for us, not the other way around / when one's mind is absorbed in the material conception, one thinks that they belong to a particular nation, family, country or creed / upādhis - false designations we adopt, disguises of the spirit / a gift of aging is understanding the cycles of the world / our false intimacy with th...

Apr 20, 202354 minEp. 1020

1019: The Variables That Generate Our Unique Blend of Thoughts

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead." Oscar Wilde / we're zeros desperately searching for 1 / the variables that generate our unique blend of thoughts - the physical elements, nature, the original cause, culture, destiny, time / stepping back to see ourselves separate from our desires /developing a strategy to respond to the challenge of the minds programing / Vasudeva - everyone dwells in Him, and He dwells within everyone / If we don't...

Apr 19, 202354 minEp. 1019

1018: Hookup Apps & the Negative Thought Loops

we have 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, 80% are negative, 95% are repetitive / Bhagavatam predicted Kali-yuga minds would be always disturbed - the National Science Foundation confirms it / technology has created a bizarre world, and it's driving us mad / yogis are in the business of retraining our thoughts / the senses are channels to the mind / we can consciously design our mind's programming / the mind can be the cause bondage or liberation / we need a game plan, otherwise the team of the ...

Apr 18, 202355 minEp. 1018

1017: This World is a Metaphysical Costume Party

"We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge." - John Naisbitt / do we have the cognitive ability to distill information into wisdom? / we're not asking all the most important questions / mental stability through knowledge of matter and spirit / the materialistic mind covering the living entity's soul carries it to different species of life / we're trying to find our tribe at a costume party / wrapping our heads around the idea that we could take birth as an animal / Prabhupada's di...

Apr 17, 202357 minEp. 1017

1016: Q & A Volume 161

Why is there conflicting information about the practices and regulations in Bhakti-yoga? / How to root out "false Bhakti" in oneself?

Apr 16, 202354 minEp. 1016

1015: Parallels in Modern & Vedic Leadership – Interview with Bhuta Bhavana Das

Bhuta Bhavana Das (Ed Anobah) graduated in Philosophy and Economics at the London School of Economics and is currently responsible to training 47,000 leaders in a global financial organization. He's also been practicing Bhakti-yoga for over 25 years. In this episode he discusses parallels in leadership from both modern and Vedic sources, especially regarding the importance for leaders in developing unity while honoring diversity. Ed Anobah Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ed-an...

Apr 15, 20231 hr 9 minEp. 1015

1014: The Corrupted Files Within the Mind

"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." Marcus Aurelius / "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." - F. Scott Fitzgerald / our minds have been corrupted (made unreliable by alterations) / how the 3 gunas corrupt the mind / Without yoga, we're helpless / Don't get pulled into a bird body SB 5.11.4-5

Apr 14, 202357 minEp. 1014

1013: Anne Frank's Spiritual Insight

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank / this world moves in cycles / the remedy for hate is spiritual insight / material awareness is like a dream - when we realize that material happiness is insufficient we begin to wake up SB 5.11.1-3

Apr 13, 202353 minEp. 1013

1012: Sometimes All We Need is a Different Perspective

release the ego and sing with the devotees / functional identity vs fundamental Identity / we've got to simultaneously hold both the conventional perspective and the transcendental perspective / seeing the world through the perspective of what we hear from Bhagavatam / Bhagavad-gita's formula for receiving spiritual insight / spiritual insight = seeing all living beings as part of the Supreme IG: keshava_rgm SB 5.10.23-25

Apr 12, 202358 minEp. 1012

1011: Decoding the Messages of the Universe

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman / "Kṛṣṇa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness." - Sri Caitanya / "Whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness." Sri Krishna / seeing everything (family, money, property, responsibility) through it's relationship to Krishna is the key to the code / seeking clarity b...

Apr 11, 202354 minEp. 1011

1010: Words that Slacken the Knot in the Heart

"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you." —David Foster Wallace / do we point the truth only at others, or can we point it at ourselves? / Jada Bharata accepts karmic responsibility for his own circumstances / "Is everything going well in your endeavor to conquer the repetition of birth and death?" / King Rahugana bows down / Rahugana's only fear, offending a truth speaker SB 5.10.14-18

Apr 10, 202356 minEp. 1010

1009: Inter-Interview

Raghunath and Kaustubha ask each other….. • When did you know that you had to commit your life to Bhakti? • What were your biggest doubts in the beginning? • What are your biggest doubts now?

Apr 09, 202356 minEp. 1009

1008: Q & A Volume 160

What's the difference between love and Love? / Should we sing mantras glorifying the demigods? / What is the importance of studying verses in Sanskrit?

Apr 08, 202358 minEp. 1008

1007: We're Not Naughty by Nature

"Men are not punished for their sins, but by them." - Elbert Hubbard / karma is a natural law designed to foster a disposition of kindness, compassion and generosity / karma helps us own the consequences of our choices and actions / a little suffering can be healthy for our evolution / our desire for stability is indicative of our eternal nature / lust is nothing but love transformed / a real friend walks hand in hand with you toward divinity / we're not naughty by nature SB 5.10.13...

Apr 06, 202352 minEp. 1007

1006: King Today, Dog Tomorrow

I Love Mayapur / our material positions are merely conventional / externally operating according to material convention, internally thinking on the spiritual level / king today, dog tomorrow / for some time we play as master or servant, as actors play / do extraordinary things for an extraordinary life / stage dive into reality SB 5.10.11-12 https://www.youtube.com/@IloveMayapur

Apr 05, 20231 hrEp. 1006

1005: We're Like Straws Floating on the Waves of an Ocean

"Affirm the spirit, the Eternal I" - Ella Wheeler Wilcox / children can break your attachment and the knot in the heart / externally - operate according to convention, internally - think beyond convention / we are gathered together like straws floating in the waves of an ocean… inevitably separated by the laws of the waves / every living being can be a channel of love /the reflection of the spiritual real shows itself when the turbulence of the mind is quieted / the ant's soul is important too /...

Apr 04, 202358 minEp. 1005

1004: The Awakened Don't Judge Those that Sleep

"We are very good lawyers for our own mistakes but very good judges for the mistakes of others." Anonymous / Raghunath is not the spiller! / yoga creates space between stimulus and response / condemn activities, not people / don't forget your principles, even when times are tough / ants are people too / distinction between rajo-guṇa and sattva-guṇa SB 5.10.1-8

Apr 03, 202354 minEp. 1004

1003: The Underlying Messages in The Ramayana / Interview with Dr. Shubha Vilas

In the Western world there is no equivalent to texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are universally loved, from childhood till death, and chock-full of wisdom on many levels. Dr. Shubha Vilas was raised in the tradition of the Ramayana and in this interview he shares this ancient text's relevance and how it can best be understood. Learn more at http://www.shubhavilas.com/

Apr 02, 20231 hr 3 minEp. 1003

1002: Q & A Volume 159

How to understand dementia in a Bhakti context? / Is Krishna real?

Apr 01, 202353 minEp. 1002

1001: Radha, Laxmi, Durga & Kali

Radha is the para-shakti, the origin of all the shakti's including Laxmi, Durga, Kali, etc. / Krishna protects those who - never identify with the body, are liberated from the knot in the heart, always engaged in welfare activities for all living entities, and never contemplate harming anyone / mental discipline in the morning / what does Krishna mean when He says "My devotee never perishes" / the protection of Jatayu the vulture SB 5.9.20

Mar 31, 202357 minEp. 1001

1000! Radhanath Swami Interview

For episode 1,000, Radhanath Swami shares his thoughts on friendship, aging, money, forgiveness, raising children, prayer and bhakti.

Mar 30, 20231 hr 17 minEp. 1000

999: Fearsome Kali Saves Krishna's Gentle Devotee

when we keep our minds simple, it all starts to click / religion can be a distraction from spirituality / Narada's confession to the hunter Mrgari- "If you must kill, then please….." / Vaisnava's respect Kali and worship Radha / Kali protected Krishna's devotee, and killed her own SB 5.9.12-20

Mar 29, 202357 minEp. 999

998: Small Minds Will Disparage Your Spiritual Ambition

we all have the potential to achieve the goal of yoga, in this lifetime / what's the real measure of success? / fight the demons within - "Not Today Satan!" / make your life mission to uncover and experience your true spiritual nature / doing small things with great love is a perfect success / Jada Bharata was beyond the dualities of happiness and distressed caused by respect or disrespect - we can't imitate it, but we can draw principles from it / good & bad are mental speculations (this is...

Mar 28, 202356 minEp. 998

997: Inner Spiritual Life, Beyond the Externals

"Spirituality is about awakening the eyes, the ears, the heart, so that you can see what's always happening right in front of you." / the external life of the brahmana / the internal life of the Bhakti-yogi / we can't let ourselves be distracted by external prestige or material blessings / we may forget death, but death never forgets us SB 5.9.1-6

Mar 27, 202355 minEp. 997

996: These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

• What is your favorite chapter or passage the sacred texts? • Who is your favorite kirtan leader? • Share a story of a memorable kirtan • What is your favorite temple?

Mar 26, 202352 minEp. 996

995: Q&A Volume 158

Is there any kind of basic ritual I could perform to offer food? / How to respond to a narcissist's criticisms? / How to understand Bhagavad-gita 12.18? / What are the death rites for Bhakti-yogis?

Mar 25, 202356 minEp. 955
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