586: An Interview with Madhuri Pura Das — Simplifying Bhakti

“Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe.” - Albert Einstein / both the believer and the skeptic are investing faith / Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.” - May Sarton / climbing the hill at Tirupati / “Is your God in this pillar?” / all varieties of Avatars spring from Krishna / Sri Nrsimhadeva appears to taste the ferocious anger of pure love / demons get the claw, devotees get the paw / when your ego collapses. SB 7.8.11-24

“The clue to the meaning of ultimate reality is found in personality.” Dr. Martin Luther King / our understanding of our shared connection to God dissolves our divisive mentalities / denial of the Personality behind the Universe removes the element of gratitude from our thinking / Ishvara in the yoga sutras is a “special person” / the Supreme Person energizes our senses, bodies and minds / “Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world.” - Sri Prahlad / the real enemies are within SB 7.8.7-10

How do I find a Krishna a conscious way to prepare my family pet and the environment for his death? / I know we place significant importance on actually saying the mantra out loud, but is my method a legitimate way to chant? / How can one meet a guru if they live far from a temple? If you have a question, e-mail us at [email protected]

Is self-replication the measure of life? / is there a sufficient level of intelligence for matter to become conscious? / is there an “emergent property” that creates consciousness? / is Brian Cox really “damn sure” that consciousness is physical (our could it be that it is just very subtle)? / “Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know.” - Bhagavad-gita 13.16 / “the living entity, even though situated in varieties of bodies, is aloof from them due to his subtle nature… therefore it is impossible to see with the material eyes … no one in science can ascertain this.” - Bhaktivedanta Swami / what is the compulsion of empiricists to deny the existence of the soul? / Prahlad converts his school / Prahlad triggers his father / just as different grades of fire all derive heat and light from the sun, we all drive our power from the same source SB 7.8.1-7

seeing life’s problems as tests, and rising to meet them / even-mindedness when all are losing their heads / all the great saints had to respond to persecution / the impostors of Triumph and Disaster / pretentiousness as the next level of the test / always responding with positive energy / passing through the world, uncorrupted / no one is barred from Bhakti / neither charity, austerity, sacrifice, cleanliness, etc. can move Krishna - he’s waiting for pure love / the mature vision - beyond religious symbols and externals - recognizing God in everyone SB 7.7.48-55

“Beware of over-concern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.” - Rudyard Kipling / the emptiness that drives us to seek fulfillment through externals / the treasure in the heart of the sadhu / affection for others running through affection for Krishna / prema is the wealth that makes everything else appear pale / the steady engagement in releasing, accepting and stepping up one notch / the ocean of eternal happiness / “This is misery, but it gives me a laugh…. All that is left of this family life is a list of names.” - Bhaktivedanta Swami / “I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful.” - Krishna / with Krishna, there’s beauty in destitution SB 7.7.45-47

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” - Friedrich Nietzsche / don’t be afraid to turn it all upside down / “It makes no material sense” / The George Costanza Approach - do the opposite /  these mantras are timeless / the pessimistic eye (towards the material world) and the optimistic eye (towards the spiritual world) / 2 radically different ways of thinking about the body - (1) it’s destined to be food for the worms, (2) it belongs to others / there are 2 people in your body (and the other one created it) / Truth Blockers - Attachment, Fear & Resentment / sorry, we don’t accommodate those kind of thoughts in this mind SB 7.7.43-45

all our conveniences are making our minds less patient / less patient minds are less happy / as soon as you endeavor for happiness it backfires / change your algorithms / you can’t be happy unless you’re satvic / break the doomscrolling cycles / a zoomed out perspective of history / a wise person develops simplicity / for small things we complicate our lives / this AI isn’t the future we hoped for SB 7.7.40-42 Check out Raghunath on the Rich Roll podcast at https://youtu.be/BLopUQdMIGk?si=xNJMpiZ-46qqLK2c

What is your Bhakti-yoga elevator pitch? / Did Sri Chaitanya know He was Krishna? /  If we are not the body, why is it important that our ashes are thrown in the Ganges river after we die?

Celebrate Episode 1300 with us as we hear testimonials from Wisdom of the Sages listeners about how the podcast, Bhakti & Srimad Bhagavatam have transformed their lives. Check out Timothy Todd's t shirts at https://www.etsy.com/shop/Timothytoddtshirts