1621: Before Religion, Beyond Boundaries: Interview with Author Nitesh Gor
Release Date: 06/08/2025
1637: What to Say When You Talk to God | Q & A Vol. 282
Wisdom of the Sages
At some point, devotion stops being a duty—and starts becoming a dialogue. In this solo Q & A episode, Kaustubha explores how spiritual life matures when it stops being mechanical and starts becoming deeply personal. With humor, clarity, and depth, he answers questions on emotional attachment, the gradations of divine love, and how to relate to God not just in theory—but in the heart. Key Highlights: • How to respond when someone is emotionally attached to you • How divine love comes in different gradations of perfection • The art of sharing...
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1636: Time is Gonna Kill You, but Eternity is Just a Mantra Away
Wisdom of the Sages
Time doesn’t just pass—it devours. In this raw and thought-provoking episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack a powerful moment from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, where the tyrant Kaṁsa wakes in dread, realizing that Time itself—the force that ends all things—has come for him. With lyrical insights from Pink Floyd, unexpected depth from the Insane Clown Posse, and timeless wisdom from ancient India, they explore what it means to live with urgency, die with clarity, and access the eternal—right now. Key Takeaways: • “The sun is the same in a relative way—but you’re...
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1635: Krishna’s First Words Reveal the Missing Ingredient in Spiritual Practice
Wisdom of the Sages
In one of the most powerful moments of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Krishna speaks for the first time—and what He says sheds light on the real aim of yoga, austerity, and spiritual discipline. Raghunath and Kaustubha, joined by Radhanath Swami in the studio, unpack this pivotal teaching: that it’s not the practice alone that transforms us, but the devotion that infuses it. Without bhakti, even the most intense austerity leaves us spiritually unfulfilled. With it, every action becomes divine. Tune in for deep insights into Krishna’s words, reflections on a moving initiation ceremony, and an...
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1634: Austerity + Purpose = Growth: A Yogi’s Formula for Rebooting the Mind
Wisdom of the Sages
Could the computer of your mind be full of corrupted files? In this fiery and hilarious episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how ancient yogic wisdom offers a practical system for mental clarity and inner growth. Drawing from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and everyday insight, they explain how tapasya (austerity), prāṇāyāma (breath control), and the guidance of a guru work like an antivirus program to restore your true nature. You’ll hear about the dangers of comfort addiction, why meaninglessness thrives in a pleasure-soaked culture, and how purpose + austerity = real growth. And check...
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1633: Love Hurts & That’s the Point: Bhakti, Vulnerability & Risk on the Spiritual Path
Wisdom of the Sages
If you want to keep your heart safe, you must give it to no one—but it’ll cost you life’s deepest fulfillment. In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how Bhakti Vedanta reveals vulnerability not as weakness, but as the key to spiritual growth and the soul’s highest potential. They reflect on a striking quote from C.S. Lewis and discuss how the fear of emotional exposure drives many toward impersonalism, while the path of Bhakti embraces risk as sacred. Real love always carries the risk of pain—but in the fulfillment of Bhakti, that pain transforms into something divine....
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1632: Let It Be, It Ain’t Me: Hendrix, Vedanta & The Fog of War
Wisdom of the Sages
When the world shakes, can you stay anchored? In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack how deep spiritual clarity allows one to remain peaceful—even when chaos reigns. Inspired by a lyric from Jimi Hendrix, they explore lessons from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the film The Fog of War to reveal how fear collapses when we root our peace in truth. It’s not apathy—it’s clarity. It’s not withdrawal—it’s preparation for wise engagement. Tune in for stories, insights, and unexpected humor on the path to unshakable peace. SB 10.3.23-27 ...
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1631: Western Souls, Eastern Roads: The Spiritual Migration to India
Wisdom of the Sages
Westerners are booking flights to India—not for sightseeing, but to chant Sanskrit mantras in rice fields, live in ashrams, and rise before dawn for kirtan. What’s really going on here? In this eye-opening episode, Raghunath speaks with anthropology PhD student Keli Lalita to explore a growing phenomenon: Westerners adopting spiritual practices rooted in ancient India. A yoga class in Brooklyn often leads to a pilgrimage in Vrindavan—and a deeper search for meaning beyond material life. Together, they unpack the global remix of yoga culture, the anthropology of spiritual longing, and why...
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1630: Scientists Failed to Find Consciousness—The Yogis Never Lost It
Wisdom of the Sages
A neuroscientist lost a 25-year bet to a philosopher—and it may be one of the most revealing failures in modern science. In 1998, Christof Koch bet David Chalmers that within 25 years, neuroscience would identify the precise brain mechanisms responsible for consciousness. Research teams around the world launched ambitious experiments to track and measure conscious experience in the brain. The deadline came—and the mystery remained. In this fascinating episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack the implications of that failed wager. Why can’t the most advanced minds in science explain...
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1629: Breaking the Universal Code: What the Yogis Found Within
Wisdom of the Sages
Just like a codebreaker working through symbols can gradually uncover a single unifying truth—a key that makes sense of everything—the spiritual journey can unfold in a similar way. Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how a path of trust, focused attention, and turning inward can reveal a deeper coherence beneath life’s confusion. What at first feels chaotic and fragmented—like an unbreakable code—can suddenly click into place when one discovers the truth that pervades it all. The great yogis found that key in the knowledge of Vishnu—the all-pervading presence within and behind...
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1628: The Mind Is the Altar: Mental Worship, Bhakti Yoga & Inner Transformation
Wisdom of the Sages
What matters most in yoga isn’t the ritual—it’s the transformation of the mind and heart. In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore the practice of manasa pūjā (mental worship) through the story of Vasudeva mentally offering charity while imprisoned. They unpack why internal devotion is not only valid—but often more powerful than external performance. Whether you’re on a yoga mat or stuck in traffic, your inner world is where the real yoga happens. 🎯 Takeaways: • Why the mind is the true altar in bhakti yoga • How to avoid spiritual burnout by...
info_outlineCan ancient Indian wisdom heal the rifts of modern religion? In this mind-expanding and often hilarious episode, Raghunath sits down with author and educator Nitesh Gor (a.k.a. Navin Krishna) to explore his new book Before Religion: Ancient India’s Reconciling Vision for Universal Spirituality. From philosophical elephants and Ratha-yatras down Fifth Avenue to quantum physics and peacock-feather cosmology, they unpack what makes the Bhāgavatam a master key for global spiritual unity.
Can you be loyal to one tradition without becoming intolerant of others?
Does God really care which team you’re on?
And what if the wildest creation myth is actually… “everything came from nothing”?
Key Talking Points:
• “Why doesn’t anyone invite Hare Krishnas to the Christmas party?”
• Science, philosophy, and spirituality walk into a temple… and agree
• Vedic culture’s soft power: winning hearts with pakoras and Sanskrit
• Consciousness, the elephant, and the Bhāgavatam—yes, they’re connected
• From Jesus to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: building a house the whole world can live in
Tune in to Episode 1621 of Wisdom of the Sages for a fresh take on religion, unity, and ancient India’s spiritual legacy.
Find his book Before Religion: Ancient India's Reconciling Vision for Universal Spirituality at https://a.co/d/26XLez1
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