1692: The Next Step in Bhakti: Finding Your Teacher / Q&A Vol. 289

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 "Books of the Dead" while the Bhagavad-gītā boils it all down to the essense of "just remember Kṛṣṇa"? ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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 https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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 to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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 to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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, and wonder to our lives. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 ********************************************************************* Join the Gita Collective Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAxNYgJuyAJR8SHhy2j

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. ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 *********************************************************************  

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 even on the path of devotion, humor helps the medicine go down. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.13.50-51 ********************************************************************* LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 *********************************************************************