Wisdom of the Sages

matter is eternal, but it's transformations are temporary / time as a concept / what does time teach us? time is the transformer / material existence is a rom com that turns into a horror film / 24 Sankhya, a Buddhist perspective / 25 Sankhya, a Monist perspective / 26 Sankhya, a Bhakti perspective / Western science analyzes matter, Vedic science also analyzes the experiencer of matter, the purush...

fantasies are our dreams within the dream / Raghu's failed kindergarten romance / the spiritual origin of teasing & flirting / rationalization as the intelligence in service of the false ego / better to be a jalopy moving forward than a Ferrari moving backwards / defining yoga / the 5 fluctuating states of mind / it's not sectarian to say it all leads to Krishna / Krishna's description of the sage...

universal creation & destruction comes in cycles / God the Father & Mother Nature / the manas (mind) is the sitting place of desire - it corrupts the senses & the intellect / strengthening the intellect though hearing wisdom daily

Bhisma's 9 deathbed instructions / the external bath & the internal bath / in the material realm, nothing is more powerful than time / we can chose whether to listen to the Supersoul, but we have to listen to time / our default setting is enjoyment / hang out with people that light you up / we need purification to tune into the Supersoul / sadhana + regulation of the senses is the formula for yoga...

the wise don't delight in material pleasures / the enjoyment ceiling gets lower with age / the materialist seeks external pleasure, the yogi seeks pleasure within / death comes to the devotee like a cat to a kitten / time ends our film of life & moves us to the next theater / false ego is the darkness in the theater / how we respond to the film determines our next movie (life) / zoom out to see th...

how can one work and still not be attached to the fruits of labor? / how does falling in love with Krishna before falling in love help us? / Brahman, the universal form, Vishnu & Krishna - who should we meditate on? / can you recommend any books that are written in a simplified form to help me understand bhakti-yoga? / how to understand Arjuna's unique marriages in the Mahabharata?

material hype vs spiritual hope / as a city has department heads our senses have devas in charge / there's no room for arrogance when you accept the Vedic paradigm / there's purusha and then there is Purushotama / we can be both active & reflective / how to remember the 24 material elements / the elements are the batter & time is the mixing element / time is alien to our true nature SB 3.26.9-15

who is responsible for my suffering? / does karma necessitate callousness to the suffering of others? / great personalities accept voluntary suffering to relieve the sufferings of others / the kidnapped kings accepted radical responsibility / there are no passes on forgiveness, even in a dungeon / getting past superficial spirituality requires radical responsibility / Brahma's verse about radical...

every tree has a back story / God is calling us to dance / Divine love is the most powerful influence in the universe / the power month is magical & may lead to Krishn-addiction / meditate on Krishna's baby cheeks / what more can I describe than this? www.sanskritsense.com

sambhanda jnana - God, the self & nature, & how they are related / God transcends material nature / because His awareness pervades all of nature, it is His / we live peacefully when we accept our quota and no more / don't fight over virtual mangos / although we do nothing, we are responsible for our own happiness & distress / the shift in consciousness from the material to Krishna / recognizing th...

prayers for the devotees of Bangladesh / spiritual knowledge counters religious hatred / The Matrix is real & we need a Morpheus to get out! / Raghu observes his emotions through Covid recovery / the need for patience / transcend the matrix & become an instrument of compassion / our desires bind us in the Matrix / "guru" red flags SB 3.26.1-2

Life as a young man in the ashrams of Vrindavan, India / the 3 laws Laws of Perception / the ancient teachings for kings and queens / the 4 principles of the Dharma Code - Truth, Purity, Non-violence, and Discipline / how do we actually practically apply the Dharma Code in our everyday life? / dharma protects one who protects dharma

how does martial arts nestle with the Bhakti Yogi's path? / how to respond to people who, due to emotional scars, are averse to understanding God as a person? / what is the best way to show appreciation to bhakti-yogis? / does Krishna choose sides? / is it bad to chant in my head during meetings?

the real enemies are within / a sun-ray of love for Krsna / bhakti causes the heart to be softened by various tastes / the eternal propensity for love in all living entities is always searching for a place to reside / might as well face it you're addicted to God / to the degree we take shelter of Krishna our fear dissipates / choose fear or choose Bhakti SB 3.25.38-44

Bhagavatam cuts through the social fluff / 5 potent practices of Bhakti - nama, dhama, Bhagavatam, deities, devotees / Kaustubha's favorite temples / how Bhakti works / false ideas impressed within our minds are the cause of our losing touch with our true nature & seeking happiness externally / the transformative practices of Bhakti-yoga are designed to purify the mind through contact with powerfu...

beautiful destitution / turn your prison into a temple / beginning the journey of awakening / Bhakti dissolves the false programing in the mind /the 4 objects of human pursuit / the 5th object of human pursuit / liberation is just the neutral position on the way to love / finding meditative focus in a temple SB 3.25.33-34

avoiding the material glue traps / step back & think about how we are situated in the body & the universe / approaching like a fool / the evidence that we need help is our suffering / our senses are being monitored / the Vedic teachings are the guidebook to how to use the equipment of the body / visiting the holy place in the mind SB 3.25.31-32

Bhagavatam is a support through all situations / the naval is the magic spot / Krishna can eat with his eyes / bhakti makes the pursuit of knowledge effective / yoga is an eternal practice / in bhakti, one need not kill their tender emotions / service should never be impeded due to external considerations (sex, gender, race, etc.) SB 3.25.27-30

How many Bhakti lineages are there, where do they stem from & what are the differences between them? / What is the difference between Bhakti for Vishnu & Bhakti for Krishna? / Are we supposed to always think about other people's comfort and forget about our own? / Isn't it wrong for God to lie, cheat or steal?

the most instructive question in approaching a texts is not "what does it say?" but, "what am I looking for?" / what is the path? it's hidden in the heart an unadulterated, self-realized person / aligning one's heart with the heart of a pure devotee / what do I need to let go of to open myself to truth? / welcome the breakdowns that lead to the breakthroughs / hearing Krishna's pastimes makes yoga...

devotional treasures within the heart / approach a sadhu without guile or duplicity /there's hypocrisy on the Eastern paths too / the psychological effect of bowing / deep inquiry is informed by a recognition of our necessity & the absence of awareness of how to fulfill it / Maya's remedy for insincerity is suffering / in the right context and association, stories & pastimes transform / the progre...

evolution of inquiry precedes evolution of being / the basic dimension of the material world is death / sadhus are both beacon & burden for the conventional psyche / renounce what dilutes your attachment to God / spiritual wisdom leads to fearlessness / bhakti broadens affection to the wider family / absorption in divinity leads to forgetting material miseries / have faith in Krishna's eagerness t...

going deeper into the practices we repeat / little Karuna knows her Gita shlokas! / the peace formula / growing through the challenges / the story of Ajamil - Krishna is so kind / paka vs sucka / we recognize a sadhu by their character, not the externals / don't return the hate / practicing tolerance can make the entire day a yoga practice / once I get resentful, I'm off my spiritual path / we com...

these stories not only educate - they satisfy the soul / the mind is the pivot / Vyasadeva's despondency / Vyasadeva clarifies all the Vedic teachings through Srimad Bhagavatam / all the other yoga paths find complete auspiciousness through Bhakti / understand devotion through "spirituality" not "religion" / attachment, when applied to sadhus, opens the door of liberation / the devotional yoga of...

lesson 1 - material happiness does not come without material distress – this is the law of the material world / lesson 2 - when we let go of false identification of the body as "I" & bodily possessions as "mine," - we transcend material happiness and distress / we're conditioned to believe that happiness is external / the soul is like God (transcendental to material existence & self-effulgent) & d...