becoming aware and contemplative to see miracles everywhere / "when you are grateful, you are happy" - Thich Nhat Hanh / Bhaktivedanta takes spiritual gratitude to its conclusion - who are we grateful to? / I's collide / Sri Caitanya's teaching are so illuminating - that we are both one with, and different from, God / should we have learned Sanskrit, or would we have just become more arrogant? / Krishna works through multifarious energies, and has nothing to do (except his transcendental loving ...
Oct 11, 2024•58 min•Ep. 1444
security, guidance, wisdom, and power flow from a solid, unchanging core / wherever you look, you can see examples of the rotation around a center as a healthy, harmonious model / Brahma helps the Devas get centered around Vishnu / India's temples were architecturally designed to center our awareness / Kerala Mural art's depictions of the universal leaders centered around Vishnu / Rasa dance as a mandala / the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra as a mandala / centering through seeing the universe as the b...
Oct 10, 2024•54 min•Ep. 1443
Brahma and the Devas goes to the ocean of milk / Raghunath's body is a universe / don't think slave master - think dog master / Vishnu's omniscience / the material body resembles the wheel of a mental chariot / Brahma establishes the nature of the self in relation to Vishnu, the hub of the wheel of samsara / you are that - and at the same time different / Lila isn't irritable bowel syndrome / the opportunity to be happy within this material world is illusion / Krishna can call off His illusory e...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 1442
scientific research has determined that people driving luxury cars are 5 times more likely to cut off other drivers / we must consider how the body that we are in is affecting our thoughts and behaviors / through Bhakti one let's go of all upadhis (false designations) / Lord Indra - the Bhagavatam's repeated reference to confusion and embarrassment due to pride of opulence / the zoomed-out, pure atmosphere of Brahmaloka / fear and panic is the time for a satva guna check in / Brahma's mediation ...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1441
Raghunath interviews Hrdaya Caitanya about his walking journey from France to India and his realizations along the way. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomo...
Oct 06, 2024•57 min•Ep. 1440
How can I root out my feelings of unworthiness and my need for validation and sympathy, so that I can genuinely practice Bhakti? / How to apologize and how to forgive in a genuine way? / When I set boundaries, I feel guilt. Is this my codependent nature creeping in? Dhanya Rico holds a Master's degree in Counselor Education, and holds a Specialist's degree in Couples and Family therapy. *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY...
Oct 05, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1439
hearing from our people in Lebanon / we're all shifting positions / Bhakti is taking our listeners beyond the ignorance of nationalism / laying out the universal staffs / our universe is like a tiny mustard sed in a huge bag of seeds / zooming out to see the Universal rulers as insignificant (and Krishna beyond them) / God comes as a Tortoise!?! / good Karma can ruin your life / Indra in the Vedas vs Indra in the Bhagavatam SB 8.5.1-16 Check out Thomas Essig's movie Something Divine at https://a...
Oct 04, 2024•57 min•Ep. 1438
Thomas Merton on the greatest need of our time / our ritual morning trance is being set by algorithms / today's news editors are algorithms, focused on increasing user engagement by exploiting our weakness to click on hate, greed and fear / choose healthy algorithms for your mind / re-engaging the senses in something positive and uplifting / fill your head with beautiful thoughts / the only important thing in existence is the connection between self and God and the love exchanged there / when co...
Oct 03, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1437
zooming out to get the past-life background stories / the nature of Krishna is that all he does is bless / fear is just the inability to see Krishna's hand in everything / as different as we are, we all go through the same things / the crocodile is revealed as a former Gandharva / the elephant is revealed as King Indradyumna / King Indradyumna renounces the kingdom to live as a yogi / King Indradyumna receives the sages curse as a blessing SB 8.4.1-12 Check out Thomas Essig's movie Something Div...
Oct 01, 2024•54 min•Ep. 1436
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." - The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. / "I'm for truth, no matter who tells it." - Malcolm X / spiritual knowledge is the only panacea / only those free of materialistic strategies have the bandwidth to absorb their minds in God within their hearts / home, relatives, friends, money, etc. will fail as a strategy for happiness / Tolstoy's Father Sergius finds true spirituality in a simple housewife SB 8.3.17...
Sep 30, 2024•55 min•Ep. 1435
I've been a bit concerned about the both side-ism you have maintained regarding U.S. politics. Why don't you take a clear political stance on your podcast? / How can I root out my need for validation and sympathy, so that I can genuinely practice Bhakti? *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSag...
Sep 28, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1434
"Nature has her own logic, her own laws, she has no effect without cause nor invention without necessity." / nothing makes senses until we understand that there are 2 types of energy, material and spiritual / life (consciousness) doesn't operate according to material laws / huge atheistic speculations grounded on tiny bits of scientific research / there is a fascinating, philosophical, poetic manual to the universe and what's beyond / a rhyming, talking, celestial elephant reveals the mystery of...
Sep 27, 2024•55 min•Ep. 1433
the purifying feeling of satsang / learning spirituality through studying the relationships of Vaishnavas / who am I emulating (among the characters of Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita)? / accepting criticism and correction / "The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." - Michelangelo / a false presumption among atheists - that God is attached to our worship / Why doesn't God write "Accept Me" across the sky? / the Bhagavad-gita's more nuanced idea of God / Krishna says "You do you...
Sep 26, 2024•56 min•Ep. 1432
Vishnu can not be known by the mind and senses / Vishnu is know through devotion, pure of material desire / the nondual Supreme Absolute Truth manifests as the avatars, the material energy and as the impersonal, attritubeless brahman / even our own body is not our own / the false presumption that for something to be accepted as real it must be perceivable empirically SB 8.3.10-13 *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPOR...
Sep 25, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1431
we lock our hearts in caskets of selfishness / for the sake of love God becomes vulnerable / to practice Bhakti we need to understand who we are, who Krishna is, and the nature of the relationship / Krishna is the Purusha - the primeval, personal, animating principle / Krishna is the earth, the potter, the potter's wheel and the pot / qualifications to see the truth - vimukta-saṅgāḥ - disinfected of material conditions, bhūta-ātma-bhūtāḥ - equal to all living entities; / suhṛdaḥ - friends to eve...
Sep 24, 2024•56 min•Ep. 1430
At every crossroads on the path that leads to spiritual consciousness, the mind has placed 10,000 thoughts to guard material consciousness / confronting our comforts, pleasures and fears / don't medicate- meditate / don't DEflect - REflect / seeing behind the minds of others / karmic reactions, manifest and unmanifest / Gajendra fixed his mind in his heart with perfect intelligence / the revival of divine consciousness from the previous life / capsules of spiritual awareness in the subconscious ...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1429
Raghunath and Jiva G discuss hitting rock bottom, finding your higher power, uprooting anarthas, and the importance of a 12 step program. Check out Jiva's Bhakti Recovery podcast. Learn more at https://www.bhaktirecoverygroup.com *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: http...
Sep 22, 2024•59 min•Ep. 1428
As someone is not as a formal devotee, I struggle when asked to explain my spirituality. Could you offer any suggestions on how I might describe my spiritual stance to others? / If we can always pick up our spiritual life again in the next life, then what is the urgency of practicing in this lifetime? / Can you explain who is addressed as a maharaj vs a prabhu? What is a bramacari, or a sannyasi? What are the various levels of priests at the temple? Who is allowed to go on the altar? ***********...
Sep 21, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1427
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. - William Shakespeare / infant, school boy, lover, soldier, justice, old man & infant again / we're destined to perform a karmic role for a few days / spiritual knowledge helps one to pass through stages of life gracefully / Same substance, but More depth / appreciation sets the mind for knowledge absorption / in our battle with illusion, we need to be in a position which maintains our strength and enthusiasm / Gajendra conte...
Sep 20, 2024•54 min•Ep. 1426
examining surrender in various contexts: military, romantic, artistic, spiritual / surrendering the ego / Kaustubha concedes that Raghu is more of a "wood guy" - but they both have to let this identity go / actively choosing to accept our fate / Krishna lets us run til we're materially exhausted / our real bio: I'm a tiny spirit soul here for a few days, to love / the elephant Gajendra's alpha existence is about to turn on a dime SB 8.2.9-27 ******************************************************...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 1425
Manu and the Devas are the universal staff in service of Vishnu / Manu is preserving the sad-dharma over the course of his age / the 8th canto illustrates what surrender looks like through 3 narrations (Gajendra, the churning of the ocean of milk & Bali Maharaja) / lets not redefine Bhakti in order to sound inclusive / we don't object to a person's inclination towards the non-personal energy of Krishna (brahman), but when they deny Krishna Himself, and devotion to Him - that's when we object...
Sep 18, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1424
"Wisdom is not knowledge, it is a realization of the scheme and of one's own part in it." - Algernon Blackwood / THE UNIVERSAL SCHEME: you are designed to enjoy divine love (but you're not ready for it until you're free of all selfishness) / we're doing the material world wrong / the faith of Richard Dawkins / the most fantastic creation myth is that everything came from nothing / the universe is the energy, body, and property of Krishna - work in harmony with that and you never get entangled by...
Sep 17, 2024•54 min•Ep. 1423
Is it possible that both the Jnana and Bhakti paths are correct in their understanding of "enlightenment"? That some people are naturally inclined towards devotion and due to conditioning and past samskaras some are naturally inclined to the jnana path? And after the dissolution of ego some would experience universal, impersonal, infinite consciousness, and others would experience the bliss of devotion to a personal form of God? *******************************************************************...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1422
"Asceticism is to remain pure amidst impurities." - Guru Nanak / the yogi's practice of austerity is like a way of establishing controlled laboratory conditions / the Bhagavad-gita on who is a true renunciate and a true mystic (Bg. 6.1) / the Bhagavad-gita on who is a poser (Bg. 3.6) / more on spiritual communism / Krishna embodies apparently contradictory attributes / as the virtual reality programer remains beyond the encoded laws of the VR, so Krishna lies beyond the laws of the world / 2 pro...
Sep 13, 2024•55 min•Ep. 1421
Has my pursuit of comfort and pleasure clouded my perception of truth? / Why should a yogi stand on one foot? / Patanjali's Kriya-yoga = austerity + study of the self + surrender to God / "With asceticism, wisdom bears fruit." - Ali ibn Abi Talib / yogic regulations key in on the animalistic basics of sleeping, eating and sex / Manu's contemplation - there is a conscious intelligence behind everything, and everything is His property / spiritual communism can't be legislated, it has to be inspire...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1420
Building up to tomorrow's festival of the appearance of Sri Radha, Raghunath and Kaustubha read from Lord Shiva's poem, The Sri Sri Radha-Kripa-Kataksha Stava (Prayers for the Merciful Side-long Grace of Sri Radha). *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/a...
Sep 10, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1419
The wisdom of Srimad Bhagavatam is the medicine for our illness and pain / Entering Canto 8 / every one of us has a crocodile glommed on our leg / we need to practice spirituality from a position of strength / every one has a back story / What are the subtle bodies on the higher planets like? / the subtle is the solid / Manu walks away from kingly power to meditate on the truth Our Goal for 2024 : At least 68,000 Srimad Bhagavatam sets around the world. We will be happy to share extra sets for t...
Sep 09, 2024•56 min•Ep. 1418
Raghunath talks with filmmakers Kip Anderson and Kam Waters about the making of their films - Seaspiracy, What the Health, Cowspiracy and their newest film, Christspiracy. They discuss the Dead Sea scrolls, the 'meatrix', music ministry, and the importance of eating a liberated diet. Learn more at https://www.christspiracy.com And connect with Kip and Kam at https://www.instagram.com/christspiracy/ *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE A...
Sep 08, 2024•59 min•Ep. 1417
How to deal with family functions which are centered around alcohol and where all the conversations are gossip and superficial? / Is it possible to be humble, tolerant and still set boundaries? *************************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wi...
Sep 07, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1416
"The perception of beauty is a moral test." - Henry David Thoreau / where we find beauty reveals a lot about our character / perceiving beauty from the perspective of selflessness / the immature stage of vedanta denies beauty - the mature stage sees it all in relation to Krishna / kriyādvaita: oneness in actions / dravyādvaita: oneness in objectives / In Narada's previous life he was a Gandharva intoxicated by beauty / the blessing of losing one's beauty / the Para Brahman lived in the home of t...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1415
