Wisdom of the Sages

which face of the goddess do we want to see? / masculine & feminine energies / knowledge is foundational but the goal is Love / the gentle men of Srimad Bhagavatam / upending the pyramids of power / Srimad Bhagavatam uplifts the humble & simple – brings down the proud / the brahmins & their wives / the role of masculine energy / flowing around misogyny Check out www.urbandevi.com

you have to give your heart over / dealing with anger / is playing video games tamasic / what does it mean to first establish yourself in yoga, then act - Bhagavad-gita 2:48 / the fine line between service & abuse / how to preach without coming off as a judgmental jerk

we should die with hearts saturated with affection / the devotion of Dwaraka's prostitutes / we may end up in compromising positions but it is our state of heart that matters / Cintamani - the prostitute guru / Govinda Damodara Madhava / the citta vritti nirodha of Vrindavan / Freudian slips / on the bhakti path the means and the end are the same

verses for the appearance of the Divine within and the destruction of the inner darkness / the story of the half-man half-lion avatar / Nrisimhadeva miracles / closing blessing

kali-yuga minds are always disturbed / hearing Bhagavatam as mental hygiene / perfection of human civilization is made possible by utilizing the gifts of nature / industry deteriorates the finer instincts of the human being / ugra-karma / civilization means caring for the earth & animals / the Mayapur elephant parade / shifting the current of our loving offering / a culture of love

pronoia - eradicate the victim mentality / what exists internally manifests externally / commentaries by the previous masters / Brahma's envy of the "dirty little cowherd boy" / getting centered around the whorl / what is the most painful thing? / value the association of devotees / the Mickey Mouse outfit we all wear

kirtan & pilgrimage as a child / devotee dog / seeing Shelter as a kid / the intimate devotion of Vrindavan / so many ways of expressing devotion / kumbha Mela at 17 / music is an offering, meditation, joyful expression / advice for kirtan leaders - develop a relationship with the mantra / Divine power is the true protection

bhakti as meditation & as service / I move for the enjoyment of my source & I enjoy naturally as a result of the connection / asana is a condiment of yoga - the meal is the offering we make / meditation of the formless is always troublesome / pure bhakti demands pure intention (as opposed to activity) / clarifying yoga terminology / there is power in commitment / we've been waking up early

Arne's letter / remembrances of Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama / Kripamoya Prabhu's unforgettable kirtan / Krishna reels you back in / so many things are vying for our attention / Srila Gaura Govinda Swami / the embankment of union & the embankment of separation / transformation by spiritual contact/ Sita's separation / Krishna is atmarama - self-satisfied

let go of what we can't control / leave room for magic / Sanatana Goswami's Bhagavatam glorification / Bhagavatam is the churned nectar / mad elephant offense / respect flows up - affection flows down / except for the uncontrolled, misguided mind, there is no enemy / the 6 enemies

the more we exploit nature and animals, the more we become entrapped by the reactions / spread the message from a place of love / don't use it as a vehicle for our lower nature / rituals are designed to restore our original nature / the 5 primary rasa - flavors of love for God / Yoga is a practice which empowers one to overcome the obstacle of the mind for the purpose of the self experiencing its...

to be truly true it has to be true in all 3 phases of time /social justice has to be taken to the spiritual level / all life is sacred / Svarupa - our original form / we are not our outer Mickey Mouse outfit / yoga-pitha - where the spiritual and material worlds meet / panchanga bhakti - 5 most potent spiritual practices / the right people can reveal the spiritual nature of the holy places

makeover Monday / purifying the mind & senses / Vishvamitra muni loses control / artificial sense control vs spontaneous attraction / positive engagement for the senses / Hiranyakashipu's yoga vs Prahlad's / jnana yoga ends in surrendering to God in everything - bhakti-yoga begins there / a human goes beyond polished eating, sleeping, mating & defending

is there a universal message in the bhakti tradition? / is there a message to share about how to see this crisis / advice for maintaining mental well being & relationships through the crisis / a message for the essential health care providers / how to avoid dogmatic exclusivism in spiritual circles? / why is the Bhagavatam so powerfully transformational? / who is Nara-Narayana Rishi?

we need to have like minded devotees in our life / Bhagavatam refines our love / let go of expectations / Krishna's mission is to enjoy divine love / breaking ties with a yogi / don't try to understand the spiritual world through the material, understand the material through the spiritual / we receive a form suited to our consciousness / we forget the trauma of past lives / when we act on behalf o...

all the -isms are the culmination of the illusion / Gita & Bhagavatam are the access point to reality / jnana-yoga = renounce the virtual world / bhakti-yoga = see the virtual world in connection to the programmer & connect with Him / the programmer wants us to wake up & enjoy with Him / miseries of this world are a way the programmer helps wake us up

our habits become us / dedicating hours, days, months and years / the Purusha shuktam hymn of the Vedas / Brahma's life is calculated to help us with perspective shift / minimizing fears and concerns through perspective shift / little fish & big fish / a bhakti-yogi is like a rooster, salt, a crane & you / wisdom though time perspective / nostalgia vs perspective shift / wisdom punctures the roman...

happiness through the senses followed by misery / Bhagavatam brings auspiciousness into life / rock bottom can be a blessing / musk deer tattoo / plastic vs natural ingredients / things just keep getting crummier / the earth kicks back / the Absolute Truth can have form and qualities / materialism is the thesis - renunciation is the antithesis - divine love is the synthesis / the simple talk of de...

past bad decisions become valuable realizations through bhakti / when doubts set in, pull yourself back / think it through / in separation the love goes deeper into the core of the heart / on the spiritual platform love is not determined by physical proximity / Srimad Bhagavatam trains us to the stage of perfection / melting the heart / how to we know it's real - because it still works

locked down with the Bhagavatam / collective karma / leadership with ethics / consumer culture tells us we'll be happy by getting things and we're successful when we are consuming more / simple living - high thinking / those ridiculous leaf blowers / What have we done! / the earth kicks back / we've become sociopaths/ Vaishnava etiquette is for cultivating a disposition of respect and affection

chip away at illusion / progression of Vedic literature leads to divine love / shedding the exoskeleton / if I merge I can't serve / hearing is most important / working with detachment is true mysticism / stereotypical yogi vs karma-yogi / karma-yoga - according to one's nature, with detachment, as an offering / you gotta serve somebody / re-integrate

my external is draggin down my internal / the morality of Krishna & his girlfriends / there's a driving force constantly saying upgrade your life / knowledge matures to wisdom through reflection / when we are free from attachment, fear & anger we can absorb the mind in meditation / it's not about converting, it's about remembering our identity / spiritual vision makes us happier / fish out of wate...

seeing the working of the Divine Hand in hindsight / Bhishma's perfect death scene / the motions and smiles of the Gopis / the progression of Vyasadeva's spiritual literature up to the Rasa Dance / the glory of the Gopis' love / mukti / aversion to service / 5 types of liberation / the "equal footing" of the Gopis