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
Sep 9, 2020 • 57min
232: 6 Characteristics of Pure Devotion
Krishna's got a special plan for you / devotion is attained by the association of devotees / ratiḥ (attraction) / acalo bhāvo (unflinching spontaneous attraction / pure bhakti has 6 characteristics / the inauspiciousness of leaving the association of the Bhakti-yogis / progressing through 3 stages - unaware of the faults of devotees, engrossed in the faults of devotees, less concerned about the faults of devotees / the all attractive is attracted to the one who has pure devotion SB 2.3.10 - 11 bijaartisans.org
Sep 8, 2020 • 57min
231: We All Have to Throw Something in the Ganges
we are the children, the devas are the house servants, Krishna is the parent / Raghu shares a little Socrates / impregnated desires vs those from within / ya can't reach Bombay with a ticket for Baroda / pure devotional service means without any tinge of material desires / bhakti is for Krishna / the show of bhakti vs true love / we all have to throw something in the Ganges / Krishna fulfilled Raghu's desire but gave him the tools / "serve God not be God" SB 2.3.1 - 10
Sep 7, 2020 • 52min
230: Keep Life Simple & Hear the Right Stuff
shifting the hearing process / Lord Brahma's triple scrutinization concludes that attraction (rati) to Krishna is the perfection of dharma) / regularly hearing Vedic literature is fundamental to bhakti-yoga / focus on the similarities rather than the differences / nature has provided everything we need - so keep it simple / pursuing artificial needs for comforts is like a whack-a-mole / Parjanya Maharaja's Patel Motel / Raghu's inspiration verse SB 2.2.36 & 37
Sep 6, 2020 • 1h 22min
229: Interview with Eddie Stern – Eastern & Western Mindsets in Yoga
lawless NY and the Broome St. Temple / differences of yoga in India & in the west / Kaustubha does yoga like an Indian / sense of devotion vs self improvement / contrasting Eastern & Western mindsets / self-care via the Upanishads / seeing the mother, father teacher & guest as God / every object has it's nature / thoughts on cultural appropriation / kriya yoga / the kleshas / identity beyond survival function https://eddiestern.com
Sep 5, 2020 • 1h 25min
228: Questions & Answers – Volume 25
what is your favorite bhajan or hymn? / what is the purpose of living in an ashram or temple? / how can we tell if we are on the right spiritual path or just hiding from the real work we need to do? / can ashtanga yoga be combined with bhakti? / can we offer food that we don't prepare ourselves as part of bhakti ritual? / what advice would you give to someone who wants to maintain and develop this faith that God is kind but struggles when seeing the suffering people go through? / how to deal with vague, fluffy "spiritualists"? / what is the relation between Vishnu and Krishna?
Sep 4, 2020 • 53min
227: The Souls that Illuminate the Body by Consciousness
baby sea turtles prompted from within / instinct as the Divine whisper / yoga's 3 means of knowledge - pratyakṣa (perception), anumāna (inference), Śabda (hearing or testimony) / dealing with dogma / applying perception and inference to what we've heard / as the sun illuminates the universe, the soul illuminates the body by consciousness / beyond the paramatma is the divine person / beyond hearing is grace / the Upanishads' 2 birds in the tree / 2 world views - either the world has meaning or it doesn't SB 2.2.35 (& BG 13.34-35 & 10.42)
Sep 3, 2020 • 54min
226: Layers that Distort the Internal Voice
one who has conquered the mind reaches the internal guide / layers of conditioning distort internal guidance / the yogi is promoted from within and confirms it from without / guru, sadhu & sastra / practical samadhi / you can't make consciousness in a laboratory / the false premise that everything can be explained empirically / how are the little turtles prompted to run? / Our freedom consists in orienting our desire from illusion toward truth / the last snare of illusion SB 2.2.35 (& BG 6.7 & 18.58)
Sep 2, 2020 • 57min
225: In Defense of Reality
Mara's story / Brahma - the universal engineer / intelligent design / in defense of reality / we are here to evolve / we are all tied to a time bomb / perceiving God within through reasoning / the seer & the seen / the act of & objects of perception have been supplied to us / that we are dissatisfied with matter indicates that we are spirit / the religious belief that consciousness develops out of matter SB 2.2.34 - 35
Sep 1, 2020 • 57min
224: I Can't Get No Satisfaction
bhoga - tyaga / cultivate the growth of the seed of bhakti in the heart / when we realize that everyone is pure underneath, there is no room for hate / pure love of God is eternally in the heart / I Can't Get No Satisfaction / peace comes with freedom for the separate desires / the discipline succession / jnana-yoga and ashtanga-yoga find completion in bhakti - bhakti-yoga is independent / practicing bhakti is like a child learning to walk SB 2.2.31-33
Aug 31, 2020 • 59min
223: Nurturing the Seed of Bhakti in the Heart
revisiting perfect yoga alignment / no other life in the universe? - give me a break! / you don't need to be smarter / how the yogi exits the body and exits the universe - micro & macro / bhakti-yoga is the viable path to the spiritual realm in the current age / the seed of bhakti in the heart / watering the seed by hearing & chanting / building a protective fence by being respectful / pulling out the weeds / Haridasa Thakur - the namacharya / Haridasa's bliss in chanting SB 2.2.18 - 30
