Wisdom of the Sages

"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 costum...

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

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 developin...

"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 yog...

"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

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:...

"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, prope...

"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 spea...

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?

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

"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 frie...



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

"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 spirit...

"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



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/

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



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" / t...

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


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

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 ca...


"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

• 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?

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? 

"Discipline yourself, and others won't need to." - John Wooden / to the extent we don't discipline ourselves, life will discipline us / observe nature and follow the clues / an important part of any wisdom culture is how it helps us to voluntarily accept what nature will otherwise force us to accept involuntarily / "You have practiced how to bark in the legislative assembly. Now become a dog and g...



"Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly." - Julie Andrews / Better to pay now than pay later with compound interest / yoga means gaining ground in the battle of the mental algorithms / we can consciously choose our mind's direction and direct your own destiny / keep chanting and it will get sweeter / Bharata takes his next birth as a deer...