Wisdom of the Sages

Bruce Springsteen on what happens when we die / our individuality is not dependent on the body / we are sparks of the eternal fire / we exist in a realm pervaded by selfishness / we're diseased with the desire to be God / will we know our loved ones after we die? / sambhanda, abhideya & prayojana / our dharma is to serve the whole SB 3.28.39-44

How an I explain karma to someone who has a deep emotional resistance to it? / How can karma, free will & Krishna being the controller all exist simultaneously? / How can I maintain sobriety & a strong spiritual practice when traveling on the road? / I know as devotees we are supposed to have our minds fixed on Krishna at all times, but how can we make sure to do that if we leave our body suddenly...

place of surrender - the Sanskrit origin of serendipity / give all of your fruits to Krishna / how pleasure & pain are a symptom of ignorance / material happiness is like the happiness of a madman / material happiness is temporary & pales in comparison to spiritual happiness / it can be either very enlightening or very depressing to think deep / how karma plays out for the liberated yogi / examini...

the virtue of gratitude is essential to Bhakti / ingratitude is the greatest crime / set aside time to count your blessings / contentment lives only in the hearts of those who are grateful / when we bring the meditation to Vishnu we find the relief we been searching for / what good is a still mind & a dirty heart? / the vision of the Vishnu's face charms even Cupid & benefits the sages / when the...

where are we going with the stillness of the mind? / double team mind & troubled heart by hearing & visualizing / keeping our conceptualization personal / we need spiritual strategies to deepen our practice / maximize the early morning hours / give an entire day to seva / meditation on Krishna dispels the gloom of the heart / meditation on Krishna is a thunderbolt that shatters the mountain of ina...

what do we need to accept (or let go of) / where's the tip of the nose? / the description of God begins with His smile / fear of a personal God / if Krishna was on the Dating Game / the Kaustubha jewel / Krishna coming home with the cows ins the original parade / seeing God within one's own heart SB 3.28.12-18

get, then give the gift of bhakti / if we are conscious, there must be a source / invest in the eternal - Bhakti for the Big Day / start with a desire, find a crew, gotta get a guru / hang out with God in sound form / Bhakti won't work in a hard heart—put down the grudges Find Madhu at info@madhu.life or on IG @madhu.life

Should I try to find love in the material world or should I just keep turning towards Krishna, eventually my heart and mind will fully settle into bhakti? / Tilak - who wears it, why & when? / How does someone in a long term relationship or a non-Vedic marriage balance the physical and emotional needs of their partner with their own desire to serve Krishna in an appropriate state, and will I ever...

carving out a little sadhana routine / yoga is reclaiming our freedom from the mind / material sound is exhausting / push through the flavorless period to develop taste for sadhana / withdrawing the senses / make the mind a friend / transcending the modes of nature through meditation on Krishna / put up a roadblock on the path of revenge / the universe is held together by forgiveness / forgiveness...

we all need a road map / focusing on the present moment though concentration on the breath / still your body to focus and energize the mind / Kaustubha's meditation classes / breaking away from the turbo scenarios in the mind / carve out a little time & commit to a sadhana / climbing the ladder to samadhi / inhale, hold, exhale / we're Cycle of Sin from Dayton , Ohio! SB 3.28.5-11

in the name of convenience we throw out everything good / "As long as you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem" / "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" / Your thought is the first domino / Prabhupada isn't raising the bar, he's showing us where the bar is / yoga tradition is based on parampara, not charisma / what if our business leaders, from an early age,...

aligning the mind & heart - wisdom from White Buffalo Calf Woman / the Power Of The Universe (Paramatma) will come to your assistance / the hurt of one is the hurt of all & the honor of one is the honor of all / we're shooting arrows into our circle of concern with no effect / work on your circle of influence and it will expand to your circle of concern / sva-dharma-ācaraṇam — executing one's pres...

coming to art in childhood / discovery Bhakti at New York's School of Art & Design / the BBT Art Department in LA / the privilege of painting for Srila Prabhupada / Prabhupada's vision for Realism in Bhakti art / perspective as an aid to entering into the pastimes / absorbing the mind through creating art / become a transparent via medium / mastering the rules before breaking them / we can all be...

to obtain wisdom requires independent, serious effort / knowledge vs wisdom / I may know how to build a car, but do I know where to drive it? / Ātmārāma means "one who rejoices in the self," / a materialist tries to satisfy himself in relation to his body – a devotee tries to satisfy the Superself / it's not the activity, its the state of mind in which one performs the activity / would we be attra...

yin deficiencies & yangaholics / self-care vs self-pampering / FOMO / the guru is the cloud who extinguishes the blazing fire of material existence / for the yogi, nothing needs to be happening / tamasic times & self-destruction / the faultiness in our thinking which prevents us from standing in our glory   SB: 3.27.23-24

even while trapped within the body & mind, the yogi is free / like a piano key , we have an individual identity intrinsically tied to a larger whole / reading to find a gem / reading as an act of worship / reading out loud / our feeling of being lost is illusory / are purusha & prakriti inextricable? / the method to break free - hear about Krishna (for a long time) & be dutiful / how to receive pe...

the greatest duty of every Bhakti-yogi is to live & speak without hypocrisy / people who try to force circumstances become the slaves of their circumstances / superficial objections to spirituality from right & left perspectives / spiritual insights on acceptance are neither teachings promoting lack of personal ambition (right), or tools of social oppression (left) / we gotta clean up our own act...

the need for trust in bhakti / #doubtyourdoubts / bhakti is spread from one heart to another / let's start with - what do I know? / as a doctor prescribes medicine as well as diet & lifestyle - a guru prescribes an object of meditation along with lifestyle practices to facilitate absorption / kindness & simplicity / insulate don't isolate / "if your dharma allows" SB 3.27.6-8

is installing the Bhagavatam recommended or necessary? / how do I serve my yoga students by not freaking them or tiptoeing around God? / are offenses during Kartik also multiplied by 1000? / how is Krishna's teasing endearing? / can the concept of ahimsa ever be broadened to allow for killing of animals for a community's survival? / how do I care for my tulsi mala? / if you could redo your brahmac...

pride will ruin your spiritual path / beware of egocentric red flag mantras like "how dare you?!", "who do you think you are?!" / when things don't go your way, you get bitter or better / gratitude for our humbling experiences / let the exchanges of love transform our hearts / see yourself in Indra / transform negative thought loops with japa and sacred literature / get off your elephant & bow dow...

happy Diwali - time to let go of our resentments / our minds are like the Gowanus Canal / the more we engage in the matrix, the more we forget our nature / practicing bhakti-yoga with intensity is the way out / friendship is encouraging you to raise the bar / Visvamitra & Menaka / Raghu loses it at the airport / our conditioned nature can be engaged in yoga SB 3.27.5

our desire + the reactions to our deeds (karma) = our next body in the matrix / the law of karma is cosmic sensitivity training / the whole material world is hope, desire & fear / mystic perfections as matrix transcendence / bending spoons & dodging bullets? when we're ready we won't have to / Bhakti-yogis aren't interested in mystic perfection (except for Raghunath) / channel your excellence towa...

by nature we are unchanging - but we identify with the body & mind, which by nature are always changing / we all have our lady in the red dress / our attachments are causing our fears / we are shifting from body to body in the matrix due to our "faulty actions" / when you act on behalf of the higher power you transcend the laws / every object has it's nature / like water that has become solid - we...

the material elements expand telescopically / Bhagavatam language can be both literal & metaphorical / characteristics of intelligence - from doubt, to misapprehension, to correct apprehension / the intelligence of knowing when to withdraw / sound is the primeval form of energy / matter is activated by the inner presence of the Divine – He is also in you – now meditate on Him

My father suffers from schizophrenia & his violent behavior traumatized me in my youth. He's recently been institutionalised & doctors have contacted me as his next closest relative to make decisions with regard to his treatment. Is it ok to turn my back on him or should I find something inside of me and try to help him by visiting and rekindling a relationship? / Is there a part of us that curren...