
Wisdom of the Sages
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.
Latest episodes

Jul 21, 2024 • 1h 8min
1371: Q & A Volume 235
How can I transition from a spiritual seeker into a deeper Bhakti practitioner, and quell my doubts when reading sacred texts? / How to stay even minded and not lose relationships during a divisive election season? / How to know where to put your spiritual focus / Why do bad things happen to good people? **************************************************************************** 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 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 19, 2024 • 59min
1370: Layers of the Mind & Layers of the Cosmos
becoming aware of yourself as the witness of the mind / pause and ask yourself, “where is my mind right now?” / change your thoughts, change your life / when Narayana predominates one’s heart, then their transcendental eyes are revealed / make some room for Krishna in the heart / Krishna is simultaneously eager for us to turn to him, and accommodating to our will to choose not to / The journey to reach Krishna through the layers of the cosmos / Krishna’s embrace and sweet words when we return SB 7.13.19-22 **************************************************************************** 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 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 18, 2024 • 55min
1369: In Search of the Hidden Saints
"There are the saints of every day, the 'hidden' saints, to which we can all belong" - Pope Francis / Tolstoy's hidden saint Pashenka / our sincerity is soiled by desire for human praise / Pralahd goes in search of the hidden saints / we shouldn't attempt to understand the pas of a Vaisnava / a saintly person may not expose himself to the vision of human society / the most humble are the most glorious SB: 7.13.10-13 **************************************************************************** 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 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 17, 2024 • 59min
1368: How Not to Drain the Battery of Spiritual Focus
6 things a sannyasi should avoid / even non-sannyasis can take some essential teachings from the sannyasi regulations / we need some people, with both feet in the spiritual realm, wandering around the material realm / avoid literature without spiritual benefit / avoid making a living by making a living / avoid indulging in arguments and counterarguments / Daniel Dennett's the 4 steps to arguing intelligently / Bhaktivedanta Swami's multi-faceted approaches / Sri Caitanya's method of argument / avoid alluring disciples with material benefits / avoid reading many books / avoid increasing material opulences unnecssarily SB: 7.13.7-9 ************************************************************************************ 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 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 16, 2024 • 53min
1367: The Power of Our Words, Thoughts & Presence
a vow of silence can mean simply refraining from mundane talk / The power of our words, thoughts and presence / a little self-disgust can be a big breakthrough / our thoughts can move us through the universe and beyond / Raghu and Kaustubha communicate nonviolently / wherever you are, you can be in a holy place / Pilgrimage shows a world revolving around God / Arjuna asks Krishna about one whose consciousness is merged in transcendence. How does he speak? - how neither praises or criticizes the pleasant and unpleasant aspects of this world / not getting caught up in praise or criticism allows space to observe the power of time - Krishna impersonal representation SB 7.13.5-6 ▶ LOVE THE PODCAST? -- BECOME A SUPPORTER: 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 ▶ CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 15, 2024 • 55min
1366: We Can't Let Politics Normalize Hatred Within
dealing with the assassination attempt - wishing well for both the shooter and the shot / appreciating the compassion of care-givers / the power of the Bhagavad-gita’s vibration / the regulations are designed to facilitate essential realizations / be like the dried coconut – embodied but detached from the body / the magic happens when we stretch out of our comfort zone / sannyasi regulations - wander every day, go naked, carry no bags / sannyasi realizations - satisfied in the self, peaceful, well-wishing friend of everyone, dependent solely on God / see God in everything and everything in God SB 7.13.1-4 ▶ LOVE THE PODCAST? -- BECOME A SUPPORTER: 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 ▶ CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: //Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 14, 2024 • 1h 5min
1365: Self Discipline in Music & Bhakti - Interview with Classical Violinist Alexandra Tirsu
Alexandra Tirsu is recognized as one of the leading violinists of her generation and a devoted Bhakti-yogini. Here, Kaustubha interviews her about the intersection of her two worlds, that of Bhakti-yoga and the high pressure world as a solo violinist in classical music. Topics include…. • Feeling spirituality in music • Self discipline in music & Bhakti • The power of repetition in practice • The affection between teacher and student • How Bhakti helps one to negotiate high pressure environments ▶ LOVE THE PODCAST? -- BECOME A SUPPORTER: 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 ▶ CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: //Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 13, 2024 • 53min
1364: Q & A Volume 234
Is Good Karma Bad & Bad Karma Good? / What if I’m not attracted to Krsna for some of His qualities like wealth and fame? Check out Bhaktivedanta Institute's inaugural summer school at https://www.youtube.com/@bihstudies/streams **************************************************** ▶ LOVE THE PODCAST? -- BECOME A SUPPORTER: 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 ▶ CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: //Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages

Jul 12, 2024 • 58min
1363: Dissolving the Body & Mind By Meditation
the Universal plot - consciousness trapped in ego-based self interest gradually becoming free / a better way to frame out the world / “why me?” and “it’s not fair!” are mantras of maya / these social codes and austerities prepare one to see God everywhere / codes for retirement to the forest / dissolving the body & mind by meditation / standing alone as spirit - in the body but separate from it / our bodies, senses, mind, etc. have all been loaned to us and must be returned to their owners, the Devas / perfect knowledge of the self constitutes merging of the material body into the five material elements SB 7.12.16-31 **************************************************** ▶ LOVE THE PODCAST? -- BECOME A SUPPORTER: 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 ▶ CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: //Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sage

Jul 11, 2024 • 53min
1362: Oneness and Difference Beyond Duality
"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius / So why do we always try to find happiness by adjusting the externals? / what if everyone was thinking higher thoughts? / the yoga mat is just the doormat / all the regulations of the yoga culture are designed for improving the quality of our thoughts - if we forget that, we miss the point / the conception of duality, which is epitomized by the duality between man and woman / the sage sees everyone with equal vision / all the leaders need spiritual training / Mahabharata and the Puranas are validated by the Upanishads as "Panchama Veda" - the 5th Veda / Srimad Bhagavatam is the commentary of the Vedanta Sutra by the author himself / all the regulations are there to help us see how God is in everything, and not in everything SB: 7.12.10-15 ***************************************************************************** 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 CONNECT ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_sages