Wisdom of the Sages



struggles are an opportunity to walk the walk / rationalizing your illusion is a bad look / justice and mercy / this world will make you cry / we're all gonna fall in love and get killed / stimulus for spiritual feelings / this world is an upside down reflection / our spiritual friendships are so important Check out Dani's art at www.stillwatercraftco.com SB 5.8.20-25

Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be attained only by someone who is detached. - Simone Weil / we are just here to love without caveats / we're so attached to the jello that we're unwilling to leave our jail cell / love every living being the way you love your dog / Shankara's 5 Stanzas on the Loin Cloth / every material attachment will be pruned / our wrinkles are okay...

"Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live."-  Marcus Aurelius / improving the world and improving oneself are not diametrically opposed to each other / seek the commonality, not the difference / Although Bharata's compassion seemed noble, it was really all about him / the Vedic culture...

How to teach yoga to a primarily Judeo Christian population without offending? / How to overcome fear of death? / What's a simple "Bhakti pitch" to a Christian? / Should we risk our spiritual bank account for material security?

genuine intimacy is based on truth, not illusion / is my intimacy with others facilitating my remembrance or my forgetfulness of God's presence behind everything? / In my roles of maintaining others do I act in the awareness of being a representative of The Supreme Maintainer, or as an artificial maintainer? / What was it, about the form of the fawn, that drew the attention of Bharata?  

happiness comes simply / animals are people too / we crave service for meaning in life / Vishnu is in the sun / all of our heat and light can be traced back to the sun, and the sun can be traced back to Krishna - the cause of all causes / Everything is in Krishna, and Krishna is within everything https://divyas.com/?ref=6799 SB 5.7.13-14



"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller / Bhakti is about preparing the heart to melt / what if we were all taught from childhood that God is within the heart of every living being? / peace of mind comes from giving not taking / the devotees have Krishna always etched within their hearts / the progression...

mundane world views based on the limited perception of our senses / messengers exist to wake us up and reveal the wonder that lies beyond our perception / life is meant for self discovery and everything happening in the universe can be interpreted and applied in that context / compassion and love lie at the heart of the self discovery / Can there be spiritual form? / the difference between matter...




In this interview Brighupada shares some fascinating insights on the role of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan and how they presented innovative ideas and practices of Bhakti within the context of an ancient tradition.  Brighupada Dasa (Dr Måns Broo), is a senior lecturer at the Department of Comparative Religion, Åbo Akademi University, Finland. His recent publication "Haribhaktivilāsa of Sanātana...

How do we make amends when we have wronged someone?
 /  Is there a problem with the impersonal conception of God?

sometimes we need a loving nudge / gratitude liberates us from the prison of self–preoccupation / the less we are preoccupied with ourselves, the happier we are / if you don't feel loved or cared about, start loving & caring for others / in witnessing the cruelty of others, and feeling the hopelessness in it, the cruelty in yourself is diminished / speak your blessings and gratitude / gratitude is...

our respects to HH Kadamba Kanana Swami / "the last of one's freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance." - Victor Frankl / we all should become self-sufficient / the bodily conception creates unnecessary demands / what success looks like - freedom from hankering and lamenting / Satisfaction through self-realization is called svarūpānanda / to become happy by making material ad...

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson / letting go of hankering for things in the future, and lamenting things of the past / there's always going to be some sand in the sweet rice / Be Here Now (with Krishna) / to become happy by making material adjustments is impossible / Goddess Saraswati can revoke our intelligenc...

Is My Ladder Leaning Against the Wrong Wall? "If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster." ― Stephen R. Covey / the Bhakti-yogi has no interest in the mystic magic tricks / liberation personified waits at the door of the Bhakti-yogi with folded hands  

Raghunath and Kaustubha discuss Sri Caitanya, the Krishna Avatar, in terms of his internal and external purposes of appearing, along with calling out danger of personality cults and false claims of being an avatar.

Why do we have to experience loss in this world … the loss of loved ones, and will we ever be reunited? / How to make one's life an offering to God? / How to improve at japa meditation?



authentic practice allows for individuality, imitation limits it / imitating the great saints doesn't help anyone / hippies were imitating Rsabhadeva / adjusting tradition, maintaining the compassionate purpose / it makes perfect sense to worship stones! SB 5.6.9 - 14



the inevitable global influence of Bhakti / thinking about death can clarify your life / cemeteries are full of indispensable people / Yogamaya - Krishna voluntarily becomes influenced by illusion for play / What was Rsabdeva trying to avoid by living as an avaduta? (And how can it be applied in our lives?) 1. Prajalpa (gossip and unhelpful talk), 2. Entanglement in the regular material affairs,...

Don't preach, be the example / We're being sold a false identity / Our identity is a divine spark of God and we're meant to reconnect with it / Let go of the excess baggage and scrub the window of the soul / Be cautious trusting the mind & following your instinct / don't offend devotees if you want to control the mind / m ind your own business & Control your own senses & mind / Give love, inspire...

Maya is a black out curtain / Call in the light and watch magic happen / What is my conditioning and what is real? / find your authentic self before Madison Ave sold you your looks / our vehicles have nothing to do with us / The world is a maze / Pruning enhances our growth / Cultivate knowledge to help understand tragedy / Weave knowledge in daily to cultivate wisdom / How can there be anything w...

Nick Cave on the death in 2015 of his teenage son, Arthur / understanding of our vulnerability / step beyond the full force of the grief and experience a kind of joy that is entirely new / grief can enlarge the heart heart / in bhakti, not only do you survive, you thrive / better not to judge - you never know who you're dealing with / yogic practices of extreme renunciation / if this world is unre...

What is the Importance of Initiation / Is the desire for peer association in Bhakti due to ego or is it my true soul wanting to connect? / Any advice for the spiritually vacant? /

Raghunath interviews Draupadi and Vaishnava about Plenitud Farm, PR. They discuss water harvesting, SuperAdobe huts, permaculture, and more. For more info, check out https://www.plenitudpr.org/welcome

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The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi / Get out of the bathtub! / even self reflection needs guidance / Mickey Mouse costumes won't satisfy us / don't hate the warden, take responsibility for your crimes / don't attach your worth to a false designation (upadhi) / engage your senses for the master of the senses / the senses are like apps, som...

The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn / When I start to hate, I'm off my spiritual path / Put the microscope on me / Bhakti Yoga means rooting out one's animosity / I don't have to be the lawyer, judge and jury -  I can be the mailman / What pleases Vishnu - is not so much about sacrifices or offerings to Him - it's 2 things – 1. hono...