Wisdom of the Sages
Raghunath Cappo & Kaustubha Das
Truths about life from the timeless wisdom of the Bhakti-yoga tradition - fun, relevant, and deep. Learn about dharma, yoga, bhakti, and how it relates to all the basic questions of life. This show is about how to live your best life, let go of the external distractions, and uncover the spiritual happiness that lies within the heart as the true nature of the soul.
Raghunath and Kaustubha's connection goes back to their teens in the New York Hardcore Punk Scene of the early 80s, through serving together as Bhakti-yogi monks in the 90's, to sharing their experiences in the world of yoga in the 21st century.
Raghunath and Kaustubha's connection goes back to their teens in the New York Hardcore Punk Scene of the early 80s, through serving together as Bhakti-yogi monks in the 90's, to sharing their experiences in the world of yoga in the 21st century.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 25, 2022 • 55min
741: Study Like You'll Live Forever
it's never too late to learn Sanskrit or plant a fruit tree / be bound in friendship not guilt / redirect desires through divine friendship / study like you'll live forever, do sadhana as if you'll die tomorrow / we should always be learning / set aside some time every day exclusively for spiritual practice / working on the functional level, with the fundamental always running in the background / don't become a leader or parent if you can't deliver your dependents / we don't need forced religion, but we do need spiritual values SB 4.20.12-14 instagram link: @bhakti_kids_sangha facebook link: Bhakti_kids_sangha | Facebook youtube link: Bhakti_kids_sangha - YouTube
May 24, 2022 • 54min
740: Uniting Duty with the Principle of Love
we're walking right past clues to the magic of the universe / the stars admonish us for our pettiness / the recipe for inner satisfaction - tying your functional dharma to your fundamental dharma / Bhagavatam ties all sorts of theistic worship into one excellent principle - Bhakti / knowledge of calculus doesn't diminish addition and subtraction / duty, performed for any reason but love, is a waste of time SB 4.20.10-11
May 23, 2022 • 56min
739: Our 2 Identities - Functional and Fundamental
"He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety" Ralph Waldo Emerson / we all have 2 identities - functional and fundamental / an advanced human being is never malicious / even the mental states are of the body / we're all victims of the three modes of material nature / there's no karma for devotees / the recipe for inner satisfaction - tying your functional dharma to your fundamental dharma SB 4.20.1-9
May 22, 2022 • 1h 2min
738: The Relevance and Appeal of Bhagavad Gita -- Interview with Chaitanya Charan Das
the Gita's universal question - "what is the right thing to do?" / 3 stages of the Gita's popularity / it's not just action that entangles - it's motive / wisdom lying between the polarities, and on multiple levels / moral dilemma vs ethical dilemma / Krishna gives a philosophical world view with a moral framework for ethical dilemmas / the Gita's battlefield setting - violence is absent in terms of content, context and consequence / reading into a book / gaslighting & knowledge in the mode of ignorance / uncertainty as a symptom of humility
May 21, 2022 • 54min
737: Q & A Volume 107
How to deal with heartbreak? / How to understand the Demigods? / Can one have pride in Bhakti?
May 20, 2022 • 56min
736: Gaslighting vs. the Genuine Call for Introspection
differences of opinion embittered by group hostility / Daniel Dennett's Four Steps to Arguing Intelligently / expressing respect by trying to understand the other / understanding morality requires more than citing the moral rules of scripture / sometimes good people perform bad deeds / Bhisma's progression to consequentialism / Prthu leaves it at 99 / the more we resist providence, the more we enter into the darkest region of materialistic thought / fate is the language of God / aligning one's heart with God's through full forgiveness SB 4.19.32-42
May 19, 2022 • 58min
735: Ya Can't Reduce Dharma to a List of Rules
the gravity of Indra's transgression / all that glitters is not gold (there are plenty of phony holy men out there) / Prthu prepares to kill Indra / the Brahmanas prepare to kill Indra / Brahma overlooks Indra's behavior / deontological ethics vs consequentialism / the stories of Balaka, Kaushika and Mrigari the hunter / ya can't reduce dharma to a list of rules / sometimes it's better to speak a lie than to speak the truth SB 4.19.13-32
May 18, 2022 • 58min
734: Fake Sannyāsa vs Real Sannyāsa
we're not buying into the false dichotomy – that other-worldly thought is opposed to worldly good / feeling vitalized by plugging into Bhakti / use the thorn to remove the thorn / Bhagavavad-gita on fake sannyasa vs real sannyasa / cultivating internal renunciation while embracing one's external duties SB 4.19.10-12
May 17, 2022 • 57min
733: The Perennial Danger of 'Religion'
the reality of death can quickly deepen our spiritual insight / when it's bad it's good / ritual is meant to re-mind us / the perennial danger of 'religion' / seeing God in fire, the sun, water and other elements, in the heart of the guest, and in one's own heart / when Indra embarrasses himself it's in front of everyone! / real prosperity is accepting the gifts of the cows, earth, rivers, trees, and oceans SB 4.19.3-9
May 16, 2022 • 1h 2min
732: Dharmic Reversals & I Love Lucy
C.S. Lewis week begins / when it's bad, it's good / prosperity can be an obstacle to approach Krishna with sincere feeling / how intellect can shape samskaras as they enter the subconscious mind / why is Lord Indra always being humiliated? / Bhagavatam is full of dharmic reversals / even the most successful materialist suffers from fear and envy / Indra steals the last horse / Indra send a seductress to break a yogi's determination / Bhagavatam shares the highest truth, which is understandable by the non envious / the litmus test of spirituality - happiness at another's good fortune / karma can cut the weeds in the heart, but Bhakti uproots them SB 4.19.1-2
