1680: I Came to Die, Learned to Live: A Bhakti Breakthrough
Release Date: 10/08/2025
1696: Racism, Rage and a Spiritual Way Forward / Q&A Vol. 291
Wisdom of the Sages
Rage at a racist, a double middle-finger “protest,” and a bhakti yogi wondering, “Did I actually help… or just lose it?” From there, this episode dives into how good ethics—when cut loose from wisdom traditions—can quietly mutate into the very hatred they’re meant to oppose. Broadcasting this Q&A epeisode from a quiet village in India, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how yogi can confront injustice, racism, and toxic ideology without being swallowed by anger, tribalism, or self-righteousness. Then the conversation widens: why do so many cultures have elaborate...
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1695: Grand Theft Butter: Reincarnation, Gillian Anderson & the Gita
Wisdom of the Sages
Depth and play intertwine as Raghunath and Kaustubha riff on Gillian Anderson’s reincarnation quote, Krishna’s “Grand Theft Butter” pastims in vrindavan, and the modern obsession with empiric evidence. From debates with the “new atheists” to analogies of murder investigations and reasonable doubt, they explore what kinds of proof actually convince the heart. The conversation tracks the soul’s journey from jñāna to bhakti—from intellectual knowing to loving understanding—where genuine realization always expresses itself as compassion, never condescension. ...
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1694: Stunned by the Infinite: When the Ego Meets Its Match
Wisdom of the Sages
Nature, humility, and spiritual vision can still the spinning of the mind and burn away the karmic illusion that we’re the center of it all. From redwood awe to the Annapurna skyline, this episode explores how moments of stillness awaken spiritual clarity—and how the same truth unfolds on a cosmic scale when Lord Brahmā stands dumbstruck before Krishna’s countless Viṣṇu forms (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.13). Along the way, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack some of the philosophical differences between Bhaktivedānta and Advaita Vedānta—divine personality and impersonal oneness. ...
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1693: Bhakti for Beginners: Doing It Right & Keeping It Real / Q&A Vol. 290
Wisdom of the Sages
Recorded live in Jaipur, this Q&A episode dives into real beginner questions on the path of bhakti—with Raghunath and Kaustubha responding with both insight and humor. What exactly is bhakti? How do you know if you’re practicing it right? Can other forms of yoga or breathwork support your devotion? What’s the deal with chanting “16 rounds”—and what if you’re not there yet? Through conversations with first-time pilgrims and new practitioners, this episode reveals what genuine spiritual growth looks like: personal, flexible, joyful, and deeply human. ...
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1692: The Next Step in Bhakti: Finding Your Teacher / Q&A Vol. 289
Wisdom of the Sages
From the sacred city of Jaipur, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore what it means to take the next step in Bhakti—moving from faith to steady practice and learning under a teacher. They discuss how one can deepen Bhakti while still appreciating the devotion and love of Christ, and how to live the principle of yukta-vairāgya—using one’s resources and influence in divine service without losing focus on the goal of love for God. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to WATCH...
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1691: Soft Heart, Steady Mind: Bhakti Yoga Wisdom / Q&A Vol. 288
Wisdom of the Sages
From the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh, this pilgrim Q&A with Raghunath and Kaustubha explores how to respond to visible suffering without emotional collapse, how being “more tolerant than a tree” coexists with healthy boundaries, and how to start a simple, welcoming satsang at home. They also respond to questions about balancing the eagerness to advance with patience, perspective, and the value of living and serving in the moment. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go...
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1690: Carrying the Holy Place in Your Heart / Q&A Vol. 287
Wisdom of the Sages
Live from Devprayag, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how to perceive Paramātmā—the Supersoul within—and how Bhakti transforms the mind’s shadows of resentment, fear, and greed into clarity and love. Drawing from the Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavatam, they offer tools for re-entry after spiritual retreats, insights for chanting with true attention and intention, and practical ways to carry holy-place consciousness into everyday life. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go...
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1689: A Living Universe, Not a Machine: The Cost of Denying Personhood
Wisdom of the Sages
Much of modern science, as well as impersonalist Vedānta, drains the universe of relationship—one by reducing consciousness to brain chemistry, the other by dissolving all individuality into a single awareness that fears “the Other.” In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.54 to reveal a living, personal cosmos where consciousness, choice, and grace are real. Along the way they tackle the “no free will” debate, revisit C. S. Lewis’s vision of a haunted but living world, and show how seeing personhood behind everything restores meaning, ethics,...
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1688: Einstein Meets the Bhagavad Gītā: Yogic Perception Beyond the Intellect
Wisdom of the Sages
When cramming facts hits a ceiling, yogic practice opens the window. In this conversation, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how Einstein’s relativity and Vedic ideas of time echo a truth from the Bhagavad Gītā—that spiritual realization isn’t conquered by intellect but received through receptivity. Drawing on the Gītā, the Yoga Sutras, and insights from Terryl Givens, they unpack the yogic disciplines that transform perception: humility, sattva, service, and devotion. The episode bridges science and spirituality to show how the mind studies, but the heart sees. ...
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1687: Diwali & the Art of Outgrowing Desire
Wisdom of the Sages
Diwali is the perfect moment to upgrade your relationship with desire. In this episode, we contrast the material formula—“if the world gives me what I want, I’ll be happy”—with the yogic move to become the observer of desire, calm it with clear knowledge, and outgrow it through devotion. As love deepens, the craving mind quiets and new, service-shaped desires appear. Expect festival-of-lights reflections, Bhakti insights on detachment and fulfillment, a Bob-Dylan-approved reminder that we all serve something, and a few laughs about Raghu’s gym heroics and MRI adventures—because...
info_outlineShe boarded a flight to India to learn how to die—and found the wisdom to live. Laurel’s journey—from childhood loss and addiction to a stage-4 cancer diagnosis—collides with Bhakti-yoga, kīrtan, and the Bhagavad-gītā at the Govardhan Ecovillage, reframing suffering through devotion and community. With Raghunath and Kaustubha, this episode traces the shift from victimhood to spiritual agency: simple practices, steady philosophy, and a flower-festival moment that changes everything.
Key Highlights
* “I came to die, but I learned to live.”
* Raghu bans pity (but allows chapati—not Chowpatty).
* Dog therapy for the soul: Who rescued who?
* The sliding-tables cruise ship: how to find steadiness when life tilts.
* Kīrtan at 5 a.m., a highway near-miss, and the taste of grace.
* From validation-seeking to service and sādhana.
* “Maintenance meds” vs. maintenance of the heart.
* How the Bhāgavatam reframes impermanence and the “why me?” loop.
Bhakti Yoga, Kirtan, Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Govardhan Ecovillage, Radhanath Swami, Spiritual Transformation, Addiction Recovery, Cancer Journey, Yoga Philosophy, Wisdom of the Sages
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