Wisdom of the Sages

the value of never complaining / rise early / the relative difference between detachment & devotion / "family life" in it's cultural context / Srimad Bhagavatam clarifies all the previous teachings on yoga / temptations of the heavenly planets / connecting to God within the heart SB 1.13.27 - 1.13.28

Vidura's presence makes Dhritarastra ripe to hear / Indian Culture / Sadhus don't flatter / the world is magic when we are connected spiritually / we are that egg on a spoon / hours, days, months, years - exclusively devoted to spiritual life / retirement with wisdom / spiritual knowledge is like the mafia - once you are in you can't get out SB 1.13.23 - 1.13.26

ekadashi is the mother of devotion / grow food, sacrifice, be happy, & go back home / Vidura's tough love / the grim reaper is coming for the king / samadhi through the waves of life / show bottle sadhus just flatter - real sadhus cut / Raghu's chastisement SB 1.13.15 - 1.13.17

a statement about racial inequality in the United States / no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it / there is a dire need at hand to live as dedicated instruments of God's love / the insurmountable force of time / the value of the rare human life and the need to make the most of each moment / learning from the tree / one day we'll pack up our lives in a box /...

Vidura's compassion / omnipresence through diverse potencies / a guru cuts / giving up the ego is both painful and a relief / preparing for the change of body / Radha & Krishna enshrined in the heart / renunciation ≠ spiritual advancement / alien yogis / great souls are like surgeons SB 1.13.10 - 1.13.14

music is spiritual / doing the gritty work of the 12 steps / doing a fearless moral inventory / coming to terms with the ego / being a good listener / beautiful desperation / carrying forward the idealism of punk / hate born of frustration & fear / how much of my world view is informed by a screen? / be an activist in all that you do / the challenge of keeping hate out of our activism www.moby.com

how to respond to inexperienced influences? / how do spiritual communities deal with racial injustice? / I'm new to this - what's next? / how did Kaustubha become a monk? / to whom and how should I properly offer obeisances and what does that mean? / do you think God Is trying tell us something? / how to overcome the discomfort with the idea of a personal God? / how to build a personal relationshi...

12 steps and it's parallels with bhakti / more background on the blind king Dritarashtra / in the material world we fight with each other - in the spiritual world we fight to serve one another / hospitality is conducive for bhakti / uncle Vidura comes home Srimad Bhagavatam 1.13.1 - 1.13.10

"horse rejuvenation ceremony" / what is sacrifice? / Kali Yuga - the age of dented cans / kirtan - the dharma for dented cans / hunting always causes problems / the story of Pandu / the story of Kunti / Dritarashtra was such an enabler / Vidura's wake up call

healthy addictions/ the impressions left in childhood / bhakti is kid friendly / Prabhupada's childhood bhakti / Oh! Calcutta! / most yoga paths are a means to an end - in bhakti the means & the end are the same / 4 yoga paths are meant to lead to bhakti / is asana necessary for bhakti-yoga / bhakti harmonizes the mind with the self

how yogis respond to being wronged / Raghu's mystic friend / forgiveness is the key to bliss / God is using this person to bring out my own greatness / death doesn't care about your plans / Kaustubha gets what Joe Rogan missed / today is an OK day to die / the world can go on without Mara / just say it - "what I did was wrong"

the qualities of a brahmana - Bhagavad-gita 18.42 / peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness / brahmana is not based on birth, it's based on qualities / the futures glories of Maharaja Pariksit / material attachment & surrender go ill together / the story of Pariksit's curse / transcending death through hearing Bhagavatam

the world of New York Hardcore Punk / a second wave of bhakti in the West / how Porcell & Ray were introduced to bhakti / Youth of Today brings straight edge and vegetarianism to the hardcore scene/ Ray leaves the band to become a monk / Mark blows away the anti-cult people / Porcell takes to Bhakti / Ray & Porcell reunite in Shelter / living as a monk & touring in a hardcore band

should I switch mantras? / how to navigate lust as a yogi in today's world? / does the soul die or does it become so purified that it transcends? / what does it mean to "give your life to your guru"? / what does the Bhagavad-Gita mean when it says that one should work in Krishna consciousness? / how to deal with spiritual friends that let us down / do we have any say on how we take our next birth?...

meditating on the smile of God / the role of the rites of passage - samskaras / bhakti-yoga on 3 levels / difference between religion and spirituality / spirituality is when we see God everywhere and in everyone / the state of our democracy - administrators quarreling √ party selfishness √ exploitation of state resources √ corruption √ intrigue √ hypocrisy √ / we need spiritual revolution

character & dharma / understanding astrology, karma & predestiny - our previous choices either expand or contract or liberate / crossing over the 3 modes - Bhagavad-gita 7.14 / for the reconnected yogi the karma winds down like an unplugged fan / when we reconnect all the karma becomes auspicious / sex with spiritual consciousness - calling elevated souls / the disposition for liberation Srimad Bh...

Srimad Bhagavatam gives perspective on all yoga literature / life in the womb / Krishna is in every atom in the universes, and every universe is in him / Krishna appears in the Deity form because we are incapable of perceiving Him everywhere / meditative absorption comes with wisdom / wisdom involves being steady minded through shifting externals and seeing God everywhere / we are qualitatively on...

how to embody joy / rewiring oneself / dead practice vs living practice / aligning body, mind & emotions / Western yoga's need to go deeper / the sadhu in the storm / traveling the path of absorption / the mantra is imbued with spiritual potencies / Philosophy, People, Practice / the prayer of Vritrasura http://www.sacinandanaswami.com  

it's not about joining a religion, it's about self transformation / you have to walk into the lab / the sages bring it back to the original topic / transfer of spiritual knowledge through hearing / cheap imitations come in all traditions / ya can't cheat the system / the process is simple, but only the sincere achieve the result / we are servants by nature / slaves to the senses / the hunger is fo...

how to balance motherhood with spiritual practice? / why are we fascinated with evil ? / any inspiration to help endure life's trolls / how to trust in guru when trust has been broken / is having children selfish? / why did Krishna create illusion / is illusion only seen as negative

tongue scraping & where culture should lead / there is a bhakti explosion brewing / we're over "stuff" and are looking for something more meaningful / understanding Prabhupada's commentaries in context / yoga paths either forbid or regulate sexuality / sexual attraction is the primary motivator in materialistic life / sexual attachment expands to include children, home, society, nation and the nee...

samadhi & being free of happiness & distress / birth as a fruit fly hearing Bhagavatam / japa advice - bathe in the mantra / Cupid & Kandarpa / Krishna's senses can not be agitated but He is captivated by devotion / material enjoyment is like fake food / think it through / 1st 9 Cantos prepare our hearts for the 10th / Krishna is unaffected by matter & so are his devotees / yogamaya

We're like moths - our ability to understand through our senses or inference is limited / spiritual truth is not ascending, it's descending / Nara-narayana Rishi's oneness & difference / srivatsan on Krishna's chest / Laxmi, wish fulfilling trees, stones & cows / Krishna's beauty / broken connections result in a sad experience / perfect manifestations of internal energy

knowledge matures into wisdom through reflection / practicing for the moment of death / birth, death old age & disease / Haridas Thakura & material blessings / the deity is an access point / Raghu & Kaustubha's first temple experiences / imperialism & the aryan invasion theory / Krishna's beauty never gets old / the law of satiation

brainwashing, youthful enthusiasm & magic / Krishna reciprocates according to how we approach / impersonal energy - in the heart - as a person / as master - friend - child - lover / do we practice our role in the spiritual realm / all the details are revealed through the mantra / finding a guru / guru is that through which spiritual knowledge descends / guru's qualifications / we are not asked to...