1758: The Joy of Being an Instrument | Bhakti and Creative Flow
Release Date: 04/15/2026
Wisdom of the Sages
"I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. You don't grasp the fact that what is most alive of all is inside your own house, and you walk from one holy city to the next with a confused look." Kabir — the fifteenth century Indian mystic poet claimed simultaneously by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs — saw it clearly. We are made of God's energy, sustained by God's energy at every moment. And somehow we're thirsty for what is nothing but- God’s energy. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that image alongside Akrūra's journey to Vrindavan — and the four verses...
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"Everything on the earth has a purpose. Every disease, an herb to cure it. And every person, a mission." Morning Dove — the first Native American women to publish a novel — called this the Indian theory of existence. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that alongside Bhakti’s idea of Dharma and its different levels - temporary and eternal. We all have to embrace different temporary roles, but beyond that there is a divine purpose that every living being shares. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.38.1-11 ******************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST?...
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Commonly people speak of time as measurements – days, months, years, etc. Philosophers speak of time as the force that moves — and ultimately crushes — what we measure. The Viking King of England, Canute, said: "Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings." Our beauty, our influence, our position — it comes and it goes by the force of time. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore the power of time, the yogī's vision of sweet Krishna appearing as time personified, and how time is the enemy of the materialist and the friend of the spiritualist. Srimad...
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Low self-esteem and a big ego are two sides of the same coin. Mike Tyson saw it— there was "Iron Mike," the undefeatable persona built for the ring. And then there was the real confused person underneath. The ego can get you to your destination, but it's going to collapse. The teaching of bhakti goes deeper: play your role — boxer, mother, teacher, father — play it as well as it can be played. But never mistake the role for who you are. You have a true spiritual existence beyond it. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that alongside Canto Ten, Chapter Thirty-Seven — where...
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Mariano Rivera — the greatest closer in baseball history — was willing to teach his rivals exactly how to throw his most devastating pitch. He knew that, regardless of their strength or skill, unblessed they were blessed by God to throw they wouldn’t be able to. The Stoics understood it. They called it “amor fati” — love of fate. There are things within our control and things outside our control. The wise person focuses entirely on what's within their control and releases entirely what's outside. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how doing one’s best and then...
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People use religion it to feel superior, or to protect their position. The name and rituals remain. But the love is gone. "What passes as Christianity is a negation of the Sermon on the Mount." Gandhi wasn't rejecting Jesus — he was rejecting what had been done in his name. Something starts with a genuine God experience, rooted in love. Over time it gets warped — In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that pattern across traditions alongside Srimad Bhagavatam’s telling of Aristiaura, a shapeshifter adopting the form of Dharma but sent to kill. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.36.1-10 ...
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You need people who have everything to show you that everything is nothing. George Harrison had wealth, fame, mansions, cars — everything material desire could want. And he said just sitting down and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra gives more happiness than all of it. "The response that comes from chanting is bliss — a much higher taste than any happiness found in the material world." Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that alongside the Yugala Gīta — where the gopīs at the highest perfectional stage are doing exactly what George did on a boat with John Lennon sailing through the Greek...
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The majority of Americans say no one truly knows them. Research shows that warm, real connection correlates directly with physical health and peace of mind. We are relational beings by nature. The question is whether we've found the right object of love. Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that question alongside the Yugala Gīta — where Bhakti Vedānta paints a picture of spiritual relations in perfection: Krishna moving through the forest with his arm over the shoulder of an affectionate friend, wearing a garland of Tulsi flowers bearing the fragrance of his beloved, surrounded by cows,...
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Many spiritual traditions lack a personal conception of the Divine. Other’s do, but offer little description of what that means. The Bhakti tradition’s Srimad Bhagavatam goes further — painting an incredibly detailed picture of the Absolute Truth, and doing it through poetic exchanges of love. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha enter Canto Ten, Chapter Thirty-Five — the Yugala Gīta. Pairs of verses, each describing Krishna in the forest, followed by the world’s response to his beauty. The rivers tremble. The trees overflow with fruits and flowers. The bees sing to him — and...
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Episode 1800. To celebrate, Raghunath and Kaustubha open the floor to the Wisdom of the Sages community — sharing the stories of the moment they told family, friends and spouses: I'm a Hare Krishna. Funny, vulnerable, beautiful and deeply human. Happy 1800, everybody. ******************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to WATCH ON YOUTUBE: LISTEN ON ITUNES: CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: *********************************************************************
info_outlineThe best thing you ever created — you probably didn't create it. Bob Dylan said he could never write a song like Blowin' in the Wind again. Marvin Gaye told Smokey Robinson that What's Going On wasn't his — it came through him. Every great artist eventually arrives at the same humbling, liberating realization: the music doesn't come from you. It comes through you. The Bhagavad Gita names this directly — Krishna says from him comes knowledge, remembrance, and forgetfulness. Whatever ability we have to create, to compose, to lift a single finger — it's being granted. And when we truly recognize that, the pressure drops and the joy deepens. Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that teaching alongside the conclusion of the Govardhan Lila, where the gopis walk home singing — spontaneously composing kirtan straight from their hearts, overwhelmed with love. The means and the end are the same. In bhakti, we call it Krishnifying your life.
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