Podcasts about bhagavad

The first section was, 'Change the channel, change your life.'" We talked about why we are where we are now: it's because of what we've been listening to, what we've been reading—the sound that we're allowing to come into our mind and our heart. So, how do I get into this most intimate of services, a connection with a pure devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda, under whom I've taken shelter in this Krishna Consciousness Movement? How do I do it? How? It sounds okay—maybe it's for others, maybe not me. Page by page, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda's books every day is a prerequisite for knowing him and for advancing in spiritual life. So, we actually have to make voluntary life changes. We call this the VLCs. You are human, you can decide; you make the voluntary life change because you're the agent of your own improvement. Here are the two elements that are necessary: knowledge and practice, that will move you to your destination. Remember that nobody—there's no soul that's permanently unqualified. Everyone can rise in due course of time. And remember, even if you're inept, even if you're not very good at it, at least show up, because there's magic in just being there for the reading. So here's one of the obstacles. After we've surveyed many devotees around the world and asked them, "What's the main obstacle?" The answer is, "I don't have time." Here's breaking news for those of you who may be missing it: it's not time we lack, it's taste, and we only get a taste by taking time. This unlocks and disposes off this particular obstacle that "I don't have time." We already found out we all have 24 hours, at least the ones we interviewed. It may be different in Iceland or something, but we all get the same amount of time. So, it's not time; it's taste. Why do some people read more than others? Because they have a taste for it. How do you get a taste? You have to take the time. So you have to budget some time to start. Another common thought is, "I can't understand Śrīla Prabhupāda's books." Śrīla Prabhupāda said he couldn't understand his guru when he first heard him, but he stayed. That's the reason Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta noticed him at his initiation. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta said, "I marked him. He likes to hear. He does not go away." So if you want to be recognized, you could stay there and listen. There was a brāhmaṇa in South India that Caitanya Mahāprabhu met, who was every day reading the Bhagavad-gītā, but he couldn't read. He just did the best he could; he hacked away at it, and everyone was laughing at him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that this brāhmaṇa was crying when he was reading, and He asked him, "Why are you crying?" And he said, "My guru told me to read this every day, but I can't read." He said, "Then, why are you crying?" He said, "Because I think of Krishna when I'm doing this, that He drove the chariot for Arjuna, and He's so kind to His devotee, so I can't help but cry when I think of Krishna and holding this Gītā and trying to read it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took that brāhmaṇa with Him. He said, "You've actually understood the Bhagavad-gītā." You don't have to be a great scholar or a Sanskritist. You just have to have a little sincerity and try to read Prabhupāda's books. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------

“Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.7)

Here's another mantra: "Scrolling makes you dumb, and reading a chapter of Bhagavad-gītā makes you smart!" Because the Bhagavad-gītā is, as Prabhupāda describes, The Vedic intelligence. It's all there in one place, and Kṛṣṇa is speaking Himself. So, you get to hear directly from Kṛṣṇa, and you have your intelligence fortified by the Vedic intelligence. So, which would you rather have: the intelligence of the combined forces of everyone who posts on the internet and consumed in 10-second bytes at a rate of about 50 per 30 seconds, or would you rather have the infusion of Kṛṣṇa's words and His intelligence? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In this talk we discuss Karma Yoga as a spiritual pathway in the context of a self-centered world. Self-centeredness is the enemy of self-realization and modern society's focus on the fulfillment of individual desires as being of paramount importance has led to unprecedented levels of unhappiness, depression, and mental health issues. I refer to experts like Gus Speth and Tristan Harris to illustrate how selfishness and technology-driven self-absorption are creating societal problems. We then explore how yoga is best understood as the union between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, with karma yoga specifically being the path of selfless action. While karma (action) binds us to the material world, selfless service is liberating and awakens one to their true identity. Our natural spiritual function is to love and serve, and adopting a life of selfless service transforms one's existence.The quotes I used:When we speak of yoga we refer to linking up our consciousness with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such a process is named differently by various practitioners in terms of the particular method adopted. When the linking up process is predominantly in fruitive activities, it is called karma-yoga, when it is predominantly empirical, it is called jñāna-yoga, and when it is predominantly in a devotional relationship with the Supreme Lord, it is called bhakti-yoga. Commentary by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Bhagavad-gītā 6.46The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Supreme Soul. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work. Bhagavad-gītā 3.3Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu [the Supreme] has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage. Bhagavad-gītā 3.9One who restrains the senses and organs of action, but whose mind dwells on sense objects, certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender. Bhagavad-gītā 3.6On the other hand, he who controls the senses by the mind and engages his active organs in works of devotion, without attachment, is by far superior. Bhagavad-gītā 3.7One who neither hates nor desires the fruits of his activities is known to be always renounced. Such a person, liberated from all dualities, easily overcomes material bondage and is completely liberated, O mighty-armed Arjuna. Bhagavad-gītā 5.3One who knows that the position reached by means of renunciation can also be attained by works in devotional service and who therefore sees that the path of works and the path of renunciation are one, sees things as they are. Bhagavad-gītā 5.5Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty; for by working without attachment, one attains the Supreme. Bhagavad-gītā 3.19Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with mind intent on Me, and without desire for gain and free from egoism and lethargy, fight. Bhagavad-gītā 3.30One who executes his duties according to My injunctions and who follows this teaching faithfully, without envy, becomes free from the bondage of fruitive actions. Bhagavad-gītā 3.31"One who has taken his birth as a human being…. should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people. - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta - Ādi-līlā 9.41"It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words." - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta - Ādi-līlā 9.42‘By his work, thoughts and words, an intelligent man must perform actions which will be beneficial for all living entities in this life and in the next.' - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta - Ādi-līlā 9.43

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

Lezione sulla Bhagavad-gita capitolo 1 verso 10:aparyāptaṁ tad asmākaṁbalaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitamparyāptaṁ tv idam eteṣāṁbalaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitamLa nostra forza è immensa e siamo perfettamente protetti dall'anziamo Bhīṣma, mentre la forza dei Pandava, sotto l'attenta cura di Bhīma, è limitata.Relatore: Sua Santità Bhakti Narasimha SwamiQuesta conferenza è tratta dai libri e insegnamenti di A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Visita ora la nostra pagina https://www.prabhupadadesh.com/libri e scopri i libri che puoi avere con una libera donazione, direttamente a casa Tua. Spediamo ovunque Tu desideri.Tutte le domeniche dell'anno, a partire dalle ore 17:00, la comunità Hare Krishna di Albettone apre le porte ai visitatori con una gioiosa festa che prevede incontri culturali che affrontano tematiche di attualità tenendo presente i millenari insegnamenti della cultura dei Veda, i più antichi testi sapienziali conosciuti dal genere umano.In un'atmosfera intrisa di cordialità e devozione, gli ospiti possono apprendere gli insegnamenti del bhakti-yoga che include lo studio della filosofia e della spiritualità dell'India classica, la meditazione, la musica sacra e l'arte della cucina vegetariana.Ogni serata si conclude con l'offerta di gustose preparazioni vegetariane!L'ingresso è libero. Per informazioni visita il nostro sito https://www.prabhupadadesh.comVuoi fare una domanda? Scrivici a contatta@prabhupadadesh.com

What does it mean to act without attachment—and why is that the key to spiritual freedom? Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita is so rich, I had to split it into two parts—and this second half is where the real philosophical firepower kicks in

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 9th of July, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

As far as trust goes, it's the most valuable element that we can procure. I say that sort of metaphorically, as if you could procure it. But as we know from any relationship, it comes over time. We find that when we interact with others and we see them in various situations, we come to know their nature. It takes time to trust. You may not trust somebody that you meet immediately, because we haven't had time to verify that they're trustworthy. And so when you interact with somebody and they're consistent in the way they show up, or even if they forget to show up or don't show up, they're contrite at the right times, in the right ways, then we start to develop trust. It's also important that we may consider that we may act in such a way that Kṛṣṇa can trust us. Any relationship is two-way. This relationship that we have with Kṛṣṇa is personal; it's not mechanical. And if we remember that Kṛṣṇa is our ever well-wisher and we work to trust Him, then we'll notice His reciprocation. As in any relationship, by noticing the reciprocation, as Prabhupāda indicated in the purport by quoting from Bhagavad-gītā 10.11, which is: teṣāṁ evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā That when one sincerely tries to reach Kṛṣṇa, then, as Prabhupāda wrote in the purport here, Kṛṣṇa flips on a light. In the Gītā, it's a lamp, the kind that you might light with a mantra, maybe. And then it's a lamp, but Prabhupāda says, 'switch on the light,' and light is self-evident. It's not that you have to intellectualize light. When the sun comes up, the birds know it. The birds know it first, apparently, because they start singing before it comes up. I noticed that: I was camping once, and in the deep, dark forest, all by myself, I pitched a tent, and I was living out there for a couple days, and I just noticed that the birds were clamorous, and I thought, 'Well, time to get up.' So I looked out. It's pitch black. How did they know the sun was coming up? And how do we know when the sun has come up? It's self-evident. And when we act in such a way that Kṛṣṇa can trust us and He begins to shine light in our heart, so we can see more than we saw before, then there's an inkling of a relationship. I think that's a reciprocation. We may verify that, but as time moves on, as in any relationship, we become more and more certain, and that certainty leads to this implicit trust that we have in Kṛṣṇa, and it's always exhilarating, because... ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught, as did Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur, passing on the teachings of the Bhāgavatam, that if you had faith, śraddhā—if you had an abiding desire in your heart to know the supreme, and when you heard a little bit about it, you embraced it—this is called śraddhā. Śraddhā means "the heart" and is an active verb; it means "where you place something." So, what are you putting your heart into? Those who put their hearts into the basic teachings of Bhagavad-gītā will make spiritual advancement. Similarly, with Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, if you put your heart into it, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence how to follow it. That's what Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. So, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur knew this, and he wanted it—meaning the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—to be available to everybody, all over the world. And nowadays, there are centers in, as I mentioned, every continent of the world, but cities everywhere in the world where people are practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Let's name 10 cities that you don't normally hear about on the news or elsewhere where Krishna consciousness is being practiced right now. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 2nd of July, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

“Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature—both material and spiritual—is called a dhira or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13 Purport)

“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.” (Bhagavad-gita, 10.12-13)

Rūpa Goswami says, "Just as young boys are naturally attracted to young girls, and young girls are naturally attracted to young boys"—if you unload a busload of teenagers in front of the Grand Canyon, they won't see the Grand Canyon because they're in samādhi. He said, "In the same way, may my mind be drawn to you." So when Prabhupāda said, "This is a feeling festival, the Ratha-yātrā," there is a story behind it, a love story. But it's THE love story; it's not any love story, it's THE love story. It's the ādi-rasa that gets perverted in this world as what's called āhlāda-tāpa-traya—the love affairs of this world that end in misery and strife and difficulty and complications. Of course, there are complications in the love story of the spiritual world, but they're all ānanda. And this Ratha-yātrā is so remarkable because what we have here is an apparently ordinary parade, but we're pulling the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not just an image of God. And we say, "God is great, and we're all small and we're all servants," but there's this very specific story of Lord Kṛṣṇa meeting again the residents of Vṛndāvana, and the depth of their separation from him, which is never broken, because true love is never broken. Even Shakespeare says that. And that's all encapsulated within the Ratha-yātrā festival. So brilliant was Prabhupāda to bring it out to the world that both aspects are there: kevalānanda-kāṇḍa—the bliss of the chanting, the prasādam, the display of booths, and "Here's Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll get inner peace." But beyond that, there's the most esoteric of all stories that highly advanced paramahaṁsas relish again and again, and tell over and over again, which they go into the details of again and again, and relish it unlimitedly. So we're part of that legacy to bring Ratha-yātrā to the world, and along with the Ratha-yātrā, we may also distribute Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. For anyone who has such an intervention in his or her life by seeing the Ratha-yātrā and then receiving transcendental literature, what to speak of prasādam and the association of devotees, can then take to the path of devotional service. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #rathyatra #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7)

There are various ways in which we can organize our lives so that we elevate our consciousness. Now, the first and most important is to take an inventory of what we call the soundscape, or the soundtrack, of your life. Do any of you have a soundtrack in your life? If any of you have ever been to a movie, they have soundtracks. That's what defines the era of the movie, isn't it? Yeah, you look at a movie, you can also understand from the very beginning, after the opening credits, when the movie comes on, you can tell if it's a comedy. If it's kind of whimsical music. "Oh, this is going to be funny." If it's very—there's a dark "uh oh, somebody's getting killed here"—mystery. You know, this is all defined by the soundtrack. And so there's a way in which we also have a soundtrack in our life. And Sūta Goswami addresses this. He's talking about elevation of consciousness, and then he describes a series of practices, or one practice, that evolves our consciousness. One practice that sounds simpler, doesn't it? Technically, it begins with meeting somebody who has a better soundtrack than we have. So he says, and I'll quote what Sūta Goswami spoke to the sages: śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt (SB 1.2.16) That means, if you can meet somebody who's spiritually awake and their taste in hearing is transcendental sound vibration, they like it. They're absorbed in it. What's more, they've been around others who like it, and they've evolved their consciousness. So he says, if you can get around such people, high-minded souls, and do some sevā—means, try to assist them in their life, in whatever they're doing. If you do that, that rubs off on you. It's a technique that Kṛṣṇa mentions in the Bhagavad-gītā also about getting knowledge from a wise person. He says, "Tad vidhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ." When you want knowledge, approach a person who already has it, but do it in a mood of submission. Don't go there saying, "Yeah, I heard that before, yeah, I know that." It'll close the person down. Just be really open. Don't say, "I already know that," ever. Then also render some service. Back when I was a kid, it was cliché that you would bring the teacher an apple. I don't know if they have that here in New York. Are you supposed to bring your teacher an apple? Did you know that ? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

“If You think that I am able to behold Your cosmic form, O my Lord, O master of all mystic power, then kindly show me that universal self.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.4)

Sometimes we meet people and we tell them something about Kṛṣṇa, give them a book, and it's not immediately evident, but later, we'll meet them. Or maybe we won't meet them, we'll meet somebody else who had an incidental contact with the devotee, and then they'll tell how everything started from that one statement. “I heard that thing. He said this, I read this one thing, and then it started.” And we're in a liminal state. Any minute we can cross back over into the spiritual environment by a little encouragement from the sound vibration, or by the same principle, we can always slip into nescience. But once the devotees have been awakened and have experienced the taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if they temporarily slip into darkness, it's not the same, Nārada Muni says, “as it is for somebody who's never experienced it, they always remember it.” Even though they become captured by Māyā, they still remember. As Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura said, they're haunted by the ghost of rasa. Rasāgraha, he said, “they're grabbed by it.” They keep thinking, “Oh, yeah, but I remember that time.” So it's very poignant, what you said about the power of the sound. And the saṅkīrtana movement is based on that; it's spreading that same sound vibration, Bhagavad-gītā, and the holy names to other living entities. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 11th of June, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

“Actions which are performed in terms of the directions of the scriptures are called pravritti, or actions that deserve to be performed, and actions which are not so directed are not to be performed. One who does not know the scriptural directions becomes entangled in the actions and reactions of work. Understanding which discriminates by intelligence is situated in the mode of goodness.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 18.30 Purport)

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 4th of June, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

In this continuation of the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita series, we address the question “Is it all one?” examining whether various spiritual paths all lead to the same destination, and whether the goal of a spiritual undertaking is a singular experience or realization.We need to distinguish between practices that are truly spiritual versus those focused on seeking material benefits and appreciate that real spirituality involves self-realization and God-realization.Regarding whether God is ultimately an impersonal ocean of light or spiritual energy, with which I can merge and ‘become one,' the Vedic understanding is that the Absolute Truth manifests in three aspects: Brahman (impersonal spiritual energy), Paramatma (localized presence of God in all beings), and Bhagavan (a Supreme Personality). In relation to the ideal of ‘oneness,' the philosophical framework for understanding oneness is explained by the aphorism acintya-bhedābheda-tattva - the inconceivable simultaneous oneness and yet difference. While there is a spiritual oneness, individual distinction also exists eternally, and we need to be cautioned against the misinterpretation that one is God, which then leads to unfortunate consequences.Some texts I quoted in this talk:Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me. - Bhagavad-gītā 9.25The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. - Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.2.6 Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.66 Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. - Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.2.11And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal. - Bhagavad-gītā 14.27O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee. - Śrī Īśopaniṣad mantra 15He is the eternal among all eternal entities, and the chief conscious being among all conscious beings. Among the many living entities, He is the chief, who fulfills their desires. - Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad 6.13 and Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13Īśvara is a special Puruṣa, unlike other puruṣas, being untouched by afflictions, actions (material activity) and the fruit of actions, and latent impressions or material desires. In Him the seed of omniscience is unsurpassed (infinite). He is also the Teacher of all ancient teachers (sages), being not limited by time. The transcendental sound personifying Him is AUṀ. - Yoga Sūtra 1.24-27Arjuna inquired: Which is considered to be more perfect: those who are properly engaged in Your loving devotional service, or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested? - Bhagavad-gītā 12.1The Blessed Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect. - Bhagavad-gītā 12.2For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied. - Bhagavad-gītā 12.5One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the realm of God. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.55

“We often wonder how these big planets are floating in the air. It is stated here that the Supreme Lord, by His inconceivable energy, is sustaining all these big planets and systems of galaxies. The word achintya (inconceivable) is very significant in this connection. God's energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable (achintya). Who can argue this point? He pervades this material world and yet is beyond it. We cannot even comprehend this material world, which is insignificant compared to the spiritual world-so how can we comprehend what is beyond? Achintya means that which is beyond this material world, that which our argument, logic and philosophical speculation cannot touch, that which is inconceivable. Therefore intelligent persons, avoiding useless argument and speculation, should accept what is stated in scriptures like the Vedas, Gita, and Shrimad-Bhagavatam and follow the principles they set down. This will lead one to understanding.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 8.9 Purport)

Modern spirituality often says yoga is all about the journey. But is that what the ancient teachings really meant? In this focused and eye-opening Q & A episode, Kaustubha explores samādhi and the true aim of yoga. Drawing from the Upanishads and Bhakti tradition, he reveals how yoga isn't aimless—it's intentional, transformational, and love-driven. You'll also hear how Krishna's call for surrender in the Bhagavad-gītā—often misunderstood as bossy—is actually rooted in compassion and transcendental clarity. What You'll Learn: •⁠  ⁠The real goal of samādhi and how yoga stays focused •⁠  ⁠Why Krishna asks for everything—and how it's not about ego •⁠  ⁠How even negative emotions can purify when directed toward God •⁠  ⁠Shishupala's surprising liberation through hatred •⁠  ⁠Why Krishna's confidence isn't arrogance—and what it means for us This isn't vague spiritualism—it's grounded wisdom for the seeker who wants clarity, depth, and a target worth aiming for. Listen now and rediscover why love—with direction—is the heart of yoga. ********************************************************************* 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

Modern spirituality often says yoga is all about the journey. But is that what the ancient teachings really meant? In this focused and eye-opening Q & A episode, Kaustubha explores samādhi and the true aim of yoga. Drawing from the Upanishads and Bhakti tradition, he reveals how yoga isn't aimless—it's intentional, transformational, and love-driven. You'll also hear how Krishna's call for surrender in the Bhagavad-gītā—often misunderstood as bossy—is actually rooted in compassion and transcendental clarity. What You'll Learn: •⁠  ⁠The real goal of samādhi and how yoga stays focused •⁠  ⁠Why Krishna asks for everything—and how it's not about ego •⁠  ⁠How even negative emotions can purify when directed toward God •⁠  ⁠Shishupala's surprising liberation through hatred •⁠  ⁠Why Krishna's confidence isn't arrogance—and what it means for us This isn't vague spiritualism—it's grounded wisdom for the seeker who wants clarity, depth, and a target worth aiming for. Listen now and rediscover why love—with direction—is the heart of yoga. ********************************************************************* 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

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 28th of May, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

I'm back with Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita! This is so dense I had to split it into two parts. Today we'll discuss verses 1-38. This chapter serves as a foundation for understanding the eternal nature of the soul (Atman) and the importance of non-attachment in the face of life's challenges. Let's look at Arjuna's emotional turmoil and Krishna's tough love approach, emphasizing the need for inner stability and the acceptance of life's transient nature. The emphasis on the immortality of the soul, the significance of understanding one's Dharma, and the win-win perspective in life. This chapter literally has all of Krishna's essential teachings. Making it a gold mine. Get ready to learn from the original life coach (Krishna):

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 21st of May, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

Many religious and spiritual traditions consider renunciation of the world important.But is living in an ashram or temple really more spiritual?We examine the fact that true spirituality is not determined by physical location or external appearances, but rather by one's consciousness and how one lives. We will learn that the ‘world' (the material energy) is neutral, and the real challenge lies in one's consciousness and relationship with the world. True renunciation (tyāga) is not about physically giving up worldly activities and possessions but rather about performing actions without attachment to their fruits. The Bhagavad Gita illustrates that genuine spirituality involves seeing everything as connected to God and performing all actions as service to the Supreme Soul.If you would like to do a more in-depth course on the essential teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, it is here: https://acharyadas.com/series/bhagavad-gita-chalisa/ The verses I quote were:In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of loving service to the Supreme Lord does not take place. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.44Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection. - Bhagavad-gītā 3.4One who restrains the senses and organs of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender. - Bhagavad-gītā 3.6Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. - Śrī Īśopaniṣad mantra 1The Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work. - Bhagavad-gītā 6.1What is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, for no one can become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification. - Bhagavad-gītā 6.2“I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of the Lord ….” - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 13.80For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me. - Bhagavad-gītā 6.30The Blessed Lord said, To give up the results of all activities is called renunciation [tyāga] by the wise. And that state is called the renounced order of life [sannyāsa] by great learned men. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.2It is indeed impossible for an embodied being to give up all activities. Therefore, it is said that he who renounces the fruits of action is one who has truly renounced. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.11The wise, engaged in loving devotional service, take refuge in the Lord, and free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the fruits of action in the material world. In this way they can attain that state beyond all miseries. - Bhagavad-gītā 2.51Unless one is engaged in the loving devotional service of the Lord, mere renunciation of activities cannot make one happy. The sages, purified by works of devotion, achieve the Supreme without delay. - Bhagavad-gītā 5.6O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me. - Bhagavad-gītā 9.27In this way you will be freed from all reactions to good and evil deeds, and by this principle of renunciation you will be liberated and come to Me. - Bhagavad-gītā 9.28

The Lord's devotees have a special qualification in that, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.32): "ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśyati yo 'rjuna sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ." They're the parama yogīs because, He says, they have compassion. Atmaupamyena means they feel empathy towards others because they've been through it themselves, and they know what the material world's like. Although Kṛṣṇa oversees the material world and there's a sense of the suffering of the living entities, the ones who feel it most intensely are those who've been in it and then have been saved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are given the opportunity, then, as a lifetime occupation, to go out and give mercy to others. And He describes, as everyone knows, several ways in which this potency of Kṛṣṇa appears through the devotees in this world, through the seemingly incidental way in which someone may introduce somebody to Kṛṣṇa consciousness—the vartmana pradakṣaka guru, somebody who shows you the path. Kṛṣṇa works through that person. There's serendipity there. Interestingly, that person who introduces one to the path may not even be fully aware that he or she is doing it. For instance, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura is mentioned in the first chapter of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and his girlfriend is the one he accredits for introducing him to the path of pure bhakti. He was just going to hang out, and she said, "What are you doing with your life? Couldn't you, like, get it together? You'd actually be a great devotee if you just use some of this energy for God." And it woke him up. So he eternally gives her credit as Kṛṣṇa is speaking to him through an agent called the vartmana pradakṣaka guru—guru, one who opens one's eyes from darkness into light. Then he describes how there are many instructors who speak on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, and then there's one who gives the mantra. And all of these, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī describes as manifestations of Kṛṣṇa. It's the way that He appears in this world. Uddhava mentions at the end of the Uddhava-gītā: "naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ yo 'ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti (SB 11.29.6)." He says to Lord Kṛṣṇa, 'That I cannot offer enough gratitude. I cannot express enough gratitude to You, because You appear in this world as the ācārya to sva-gatiṁ vyanakti, to show the path to You. And You also appear as the antaryāmī, the Supersoul within the heart.' As we know, and Kavirāja Gosvāmī quotes this in the first chapter of the Ādi-līlā: "teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te" He uses the metaphor that 'I'm there ready to light a lamp and show you the direction if you become interested in Me.' He said, 'So You're there as the antarayāmī to show the path.' And then he said, 'You manifest externally as the different gurus who will show me the path. Externally walk me by the hand along the path of devotional service,' called anugraha. As graha means a grabber, and anu means follow. So somebody who makes you follow, like, 'No, no, come here. Hold on there, little fella, come over here for a second. We have a little something for you,' and that the devotees who are representing the Lord in the material world, although The Lord doesn't get involved; the devotees do that. They're little grabbers. People feel a little bit roughed up for a minute or two, and then they realize later on, "Oh, saved me from falling on the railway track, pulled me up, grabbed me from falling off the roof." As Prahlāda Mahārāja says.. To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/

When we become frustrated to the point of despair, there's an opening for us. And that opening for Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gītā was that he gave up. There's so much effort I put into trying to organize everything in the world so it'll come out straight, and it always comes out crooked. Prabhupāda mentions in one of his purports, in the Second Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that observing our own frustration can be enlightening because it means that we're incompatible with the nature of the world. And that's because, as he says, 'We are a different category of energy altogether.' We are consciousness, and consciousness can't be measured in the same way that material elements can. We have the controlled studies scientifically to come out with a predictable outcome, or as close as possible, so that we can say that there are certain principles that work uniformly in the world, but with consciousness, you can't apply the same measurements. It's impossible to use the same tools to measure it. We're subtler than matter, and it really bugs us. Bugs me. I'm always trying to get things to work right. And then I remember that purport where Prabhupāda says, 'Just notice that the material nature is clumsy.' I may attribute it to myself, but that's because I want more; I want something more refined. So in despair, we can find teachable moments—that is, times in which we feel so out of place in this world that we can come to a point of questioning why. And oftentimes this is the turning point. It is possible to not take advantage of despair, not take advantage of frustration, and just continually try to fix it or try to forget about it and become distracted. Oftentimes we do that. I'll speak for myself. So one of the big admonitions given in the Brahma-sūtra, otherwise known as the Vedānta-sūtra, is the introductory statement that now you've got a chance to inquire, ask a big question. It says, athāto brahma jijñāsā—means now that you've come to the human form of life, you have an opportunity to ask, 'Why? Why am I suffering?' Also, other questions could be there, like, 'Why do I have to die? Why do—why am I faced with non-permanence when I definitely feel like I shouldn't be?' That's a conundrum and can lead to a sense of angst, existential angst. And it's a relief to know, isn't it, that the wisdom literature knows us? Of course, I could go back to Vyasadeva. He's the one who compiled it, and put that question first amongst all the others, a myriad of questions that can be asked or statements that can be made, principles that can be expounded. But then he says, you do it, you ask, you ask, Why am I suffering, and what's the purpose of life? The implication is that there's an answer waiting for you.It's forthcoming ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife

So, this is one of the very important lessons that Prahlād Mahārāj teaches us, is to become trained in the spiritual science. Don't neglect the Bhagavad-gītā. Or should I say it in the positive? It's better, isn't it, because that might go and you may think, 'Neglect the Bhagavad-gītā.' No. Read Bhagavad-gītā every day. How's that for a challenge? If one reads Bhagavad-gītā every day, then you won't have to make excuses for why you make mistakes, or why you made mistakes, or why you feel morose, or why you feel confused, and so forth, because those who read the Bhagavad-gītā every day don't get confused. They see things as they are, and they see the difference between matter and spirit. And that's fairly simple. Let me just check, do we have any Bhagavad-gītās? Just checking to see if we have them on site. Do we have any here? I heard that we've distributed over approximately 500 million books since Prabhupāda started book distribution, and we have a few of them here. Bhagavad-gītā is available. Do any of you have it at home? Just checking. It sounds simplistic, but sometimes the simple things are the true answer. It's called Occam's razor. So if you take this challenge that Prahlād Mahārāj is putting out—educate yourself the way a geologist becomes educated to see the way the world's actually working and to find out where the gold is—then you'll never be bewildered. So if you read at least a chapter of Bhagavad-gītā every day, hear the verses, and go deeply within the purports as much as possible, then you'll see the world and find the great treasures in life and avoid the difficulties. Now, speaking of difficulties, Prahlād Mahārāj also talks about that. He says.. Selected texts discussed: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/7/21/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/7/41 https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/7/42/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

As a complementary bonus to episode 76 (“Becoming Fearless with the Bhagavad Gita”), Hari shares his own path and story with devotional yoga beginning with his curiosity spark while watching The Adams Family as a kid and seeing Gomez performing headstand and other yoga poses. A decade-lius later, as a young New Yorker during the hey day of late 70s and early 80s, his spiritual awakening started to root while zig-zagging and chanting mantras on foot across Manhattan as courier – a foreshadowing of his true calling as one who delivers ancient philosophy packed in contemporary wisdom, and evolved into a bhakti practice, and his eventual discovery of a Hare Krishna temple.Connect with Hari✩ Website: https://hari-kirtana.com/✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hari.kirtana/✩ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Harikirtanadas✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harikirtana✩ Free Chapter of Journey Into the Bhagavad gita: https://bit.ly/3EqUNyt✩ Journey Into the Bhagavad-gita: A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3QBcOwr✩ In Search of the Highest Truth: Adventures in Yoga Philosophy by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3GrwQYrSupport and stay connected with the GTY community✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 7th of May, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

Hari-kirtana Das — yoga teacher, spiritual mentor, and author of two books on yoga philosophy — delves into yoga philosophy and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, and shares how such ancient wisdom still relates to the challenges of modern life. An eighteen chapter dialogue between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna, the Bhagavad Gita is a story about following your dharma and being fearless in the face of life's many challenges, by recognizing your essential nature and call to duty.Additionally, the conversation touches on how individuals can find their unique paths in yoga, especially during times of identity crisis, to become fearless in the face of uncertainty. The themes of masculinity, fearlessness, and the transformative power of yoga as illustrated in the Bhagavad Gita are the backbone of Hari's conversation with Derek and Larry.Connect with Hari✩ Website: https://hari-kirtana.com/✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hari.kirtana/✩ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Harikirtanadas✩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harikirtana✩ Free Chapter of Journey Into the Bhagavad gita: https://bit.ly/3EqUNyt✩ Journey Into the Bhagavad-gita: A Guide to Exploring Timeless Principles of Transcendental Knowledge and Integrating Them Into Your Life by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3QBcOwr✩ In Search of the Highest Truth: Adventures in Yoga Philosophy by Hari-Kirtana Das: https://amzn.to/3GrwQYrSupport and stay connected with the GTY community✩ Website: https://www.gtypodcast.com/⁠✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtypodcast/✩ Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@guystalkingyogapodcast⁠✩ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/guystalkingyoga⁠Check out Yoga For Dudes with Larry✩ Website: https://www.yogafordudes.com/✩ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4yM9Mv-q7fA8VKBEyzt27A

What Kṛṣṇa is saying is that if you find your sincerity and you offer it to Kṛṣṇa, and you say, "Kṛṣṇa, I'm Yours, and I will surrender to You and only depend upon You," then Kṛṣṇa is already there, as Gajendra, I mentioned, said, "He's there waiting." It's not that He becomes bored; He's always interested in us. He's always aware of us, and what He's mostly aware of, as we found out in this verse today, is our motive. That's the most secret thing within the heart. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ—it's secret. Why is it secret? Because someone may read it and think, "I'll make a new commentarian, then I'll become Kṛṣṇa." Or, "Who is this person?" Prabhupāda mentions. Some people say, "How audacious of Him to say, 'Surrender to Me.'" And there are scholars who are expert in dissecting the verses, but they have no intention of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, when they write about Kṛṣṇa or they give commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā, their commentaries are meaningless, what to speak of misleading. So the relationship we have with Kṛṣṇa can be immediately realized when we find in ourselves our motive, and even if it's very difficult to bring forth, if we find even a scintilla—is that's small enough. Scintilla? I don't know if a scintilla is smaller than a molecule, but there are different types of terms. One is about a specific element or entity. Scintilla means something very tiny—if we can find that, that's what's important. So this verse is a reminder that if we all were able to find that sincerity and offer to Kṛṣṇa and come what may offer ourselves in service—tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo, knowing that "I'm in Kṛṣṇa's hands, whatever happens because I'm a surrendered soul to Kṛṣṇa, everything that happens to me is for my purification." Verse for discussion https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/13/49/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #sincerity #purpose #livebhagavatam #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Prince Hamlet collides with Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in this mind-bending episode on the illusion of “good and bad.” Raghunath and Kaustubha explore Bhakti Yoga, mental programming, and the transformative power of staying steady amid life's chaos. They unpack a verse that flips the spiritual script: liberation doesn't require a cave—it requires clarity. With vegan cheesecake hangovers, Tom Sawyer tricks, and a dose of Shakespearean angst, this episode reveals how kings lived as yogis—and how your own messy, modern life can become sacred ground for spiritual evolution. Key Highlights: •⁠  ⁠“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” — Hamlet (and basically the Bhāgavatam too) •⁠  ⁠Why your mind is a meaning-making machine—and how that distorts reality •⁠  ⁠Eastern philosophy says good and bad are illusions—here's what that really means •⁠  ⁠The Bhagavad-gītā's bold message: you can transcend duality without renouncing your responsibilities •⁠  ⁠How tolerance is the first quality of a true sadhu or yogi •⁠  ⁠Why red isn't good, blue isn't bad, and Denmark is just a mindset

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 30th of April, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

That's why we're always so confounded, because we're always trying to create a self. What is my relationship now, when I go to kindergarten with all these other kids that I never met before? What about in fifth grade? How do I adapt? Should I wear jeans or corduroys, or should I wear shorts? Who should I be like? Which identity should I take on now? And throughout our lives, trying to create a persona based on the material body and mind is extremely troublesome, and what to speak of the fact that it's untenable. You can't hold it. Whatever identity you have now will be diminished. It will change. It will be lost completely at a certain point. So, this is one of the tenets of the teachings of Jung—Jung and the Bhagavad-gītā. And finally, we have this statement: modern psychology and ancient wisdom both address this with beautiful parallels and profound differences. So, let's go into a few more of them. The problem: losing the self. This is a problem. We've lost ourselves. In the ancient Upaniṣads, this is called ātma-hā—death of the self. There is no death of the self, but we conceive that ourself has died, and we lose sense of our real self. And when we do that, we get into this trap. So, Jung says we get trapped in personas—masks. He calls them living for society's expectations. This is a sociological fact. Everyone is working very hard to put on the right mask in order to fit in. It's one of the deep needs of the human psyche: I have to fit in with everybody else. Therefore, I'll wear the appropriate mask at the appropriate time, whether it's in relationship to the family or to the greater society. One has to play a certain role and assume a certain sort of mask. He also says, "The unconscious gets repressed, leading to alienation and neurosis." I'll read that again. Maybe it resonates: "The unconscious gets repressed, leading to alienation and neurosis." And here's some from the Bhagavad-gītā. I'll give some summary comparison between what Jung said and what Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says. In Bhagavad-gītā, the soul (ātmā) identifies with the temporary body and mind. This phenomenon is called māyā, which means it's a mistake, and it forgets its eternal divine nature. If you remember your eternal divine nature and you're aware of it, you don't have a problem. The problem comes when you forget it. Next, this leads to suffering and endless rebirth—this is called saṁsāra. One thing leads to another. The world is accommodating our desires, and our misguided sense of self leads us to misguided desires, which are then accommodated by this material nature, which is very mechanical, and we end up moving from one temporary situation to another. And in each one of them, we're striving for something that cannot be achieved. We cannot find permanence in a temporary world. That's our problem. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark

I find that when something looks too hard, then it's easy to get discouraged. If you put the bar low enough, and someone says, "So anybody could do that," that's a good place for it, which is what Lord Caitanya is doing there. So oftentimes, devotees become intimidated because they think, "It's too hard," or "It's too much," but there are many encouraging statements like that in the śāstra. Can you hand me a Bhagavad-gītā? Is there one available right there? If you can't get a Bhagavad-gītā in a Hare Krishna temple, I don't know. So, at 3.31, this is one of my favorite encouraging purports, and it has to do with doing what you can with what you have now, because there's another phenomenon, which is, "Because I can't do everything, I won't do anything." And in this verse, Krishna says, "One who executes his duties according to My injunctions and who follows this teaching faithfully, without envy, becomes free from the bondage of the fruit of actions." And Prabhupāda writes the following in his purport: "The injunction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the essence of all Vedic wisdom, and therefore is eternally true without exception. As the Vedas are eternal, so this truth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also eternal. One should have firm faith in this injunction without envying the Lord. There are many philosophers who write comments on the Bhagavad-gītā but have no faith in Kṛṣṇa. They will never be liberated from the bondage of the fruit of action, but an ordinary man with firm faith in the eternal injunctions of the Lord, even though unable to execute such orders, becomes liberated from the bondage of the law of karma. In the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely, without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Do you find that encouraging? https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/3/31/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #sincerity #spiritualstudy #spiritualpurposeoflife #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Once, when we were in a spot where there was no light whatsoever, no moon and no cities nearby, I stepped out of the car, and the stars were so bright, I was almost knocked on my back. I had an existential moment thinking, "Oh, I'm in a universe I forgot. And look at all these planets that abound." There's a universal form of the Lord described in the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But beyond that, there's the original beauty of the Supreme Personality of God Himself that's so captivating that He's known as Kṛṣṇa. It means He captivates everyone. There was a song written by George Harrison many years ago, "There's something in the way she moves." Actually it was originally "in the way He moves," but the producers thought, "Well, that won't fly." He was talking about Kṛṣṇa, "That attracts me like no other lover," and he was just singing a song. And there are myriad songs, not just from one who heard about Kṛṣṇa from someone else, but you go to the great ācāryas and poets, and they'll be saying—they'll—they'll want to write the choicest poetry. That's why Kṛṣṇa is called uttama-śloka. Everyone wants to write something to try to describe the limit of Kṛṣṇa's beauty, and they never get to that point of describing the limit, because it's unlimited. It's always becoming more beautiful and more captivating. And without this beauty, we're relegated to the reflection of beauty in the material world. Whatever natural scene we see, if you've ever noticed, it can't completely satisfy the heart. It doesn't reciprocate. There's a verisimilitude. It's the reflection of reality, and therefore we're attracted to it, and it's breathtaking for a moment, but you can't keep it within you. You can't—it doesn't reciprocate with you. But Kṛṣṇa is beauty, because His beauty, His opulence is non-different from Himself. By seeing Kṛṣṇa, the ultimate object for the for meditation—dheyam sadā—one can continuously, says the Bhāgavatam, look at Kṛṣṇa's beauty, and you'll never get tired of it. Other scenes you make you might get used to. If you've seen the ocean enough times, then you think, "Oh, I'm going to go somewhere else." Seeing enough sunsets, you forget about it, like, "Oh, that's suns to get in my eyes. Close the curtains. Let's watch TV." The Bhāgavatam says that everyone's looking for that beauty everywhere. There's never a time we're satisfied by it, until we see Kṛṣṇa, who's the source of all beauty. And this is what's available through bhakti-yoga—is the beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa and the descriptions of His beauty. And Rūpa Gosvāmī said, "This is the second element by which one doesn't even care about—" one who has seen the beauty of Kṛṣṇa and is pursuing the beauty of Kṛṣṇa no longer cares about liberation. They're only addicted to that. "I just want to see the beauty of Kṛṣṇa." ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------

As we make progress in devotional service, it's vital to be aware of who we're tuned into, and to that degree, Prabhupāda was meticulous in instructing us about the process of hearing. And I'll just give a couple of examples, and I will stop in a moment. One was when the devotees first went to India, they came to understand that there was a bigger universe, spiritual universe, outside of ISKCON. Prabhupāda had a few books: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, The Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was coming out volume by volume. Prabhupāda brought a bunch of devotees to India because he was eager to get the movement started there. So when they came there, they started to notice things. For instance, wow! there are other devotees in the world. There is Prabhupāda's own origin from the Gauḍīya Maṭh. And then there were books from the Gauḍīya Maṭh, what to speak of even then there was Gita Press. You could go get anything, if you could read Devanāgarī, that is. Of course, nowadays, there's Rāsi Bihārī Lāl's; that's a more recent thing that wasn't there in the 70s. Rāsi Bihārī Lāl is the biggest little bookstore in the world. So if you walk up the stairs, you'll notice one floor after another. I hope they have strong beams in there, because that's all they have, is books all the way to the rafters. And you can find books from anybody, because they're indiscriminate. They're not promoting Guru Paramparā and such; they're promoting the sale of books. So anybody could walk in there and pick out any stack of books they wish and go home and read it. It could have mistranslations, it could have misconceptions. It could have anything. As Śivarāma Mahārāja once commented, anybody could go buy books in the cloth market in India. He was referring to Rāsi Bihārī Lāl's, and if you're listening, Rāsi Bihārī Lāl Prabhu, no offense, I still want to buy tilakas sometimes. So a controversy came up, because devotees did find some books that they could read from the Gauḍīya Maṭh, and the temple president had understood from Prabhupāda that being exclusivistic in one's hearing is not limiting. It's the opposite. Counterintuitively, the more you refine your hearing to the Guru Paramparā specifically, and you're careful to hear from those who are authorized. And one may say, "Authorized, everybody's authorized." Well, you can take that point of view, but that it's not very refined. In fact, that goes to who can come into the circle of devotees who are cultivating a particular mood and speak? And some people would say, "Well, they're followers of Lord Caitanya, it doesn't matter," okay, but it does. Prabhupāda said it himself when Mukunda Mahārāja had wondered what would happen if Prabhupāda left, because early on, Prabhupāda had severe health problems, and he was going to go back to India. And Mukunda Mahārāja, this is in the Līlāmṛta, had brought up to him, "Well, maybe we'll bring over some senior devotee from the Gauḍīya Maṭh to take your place." Prabhupāda was quiet about it until later, and then, in a more parokṣavād, indirect way, he had indicated that that was not a sanguine idea.He mentioned at that time the famous mantra, which was, "If they say one word different, then it will cause confusion." (excerpt from the talk) Verse for discussion: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/20/31/ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 23rd of April, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda on the 16th of April, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. For more information, please see https://vedantasociety.net/store?category=Gita

This Q&A episode offers a bold reminder: a deep and transformational spiritual experience isn't reserved for mystics in the mountains—it's available to you right now, anywhere. Kaustubha and guest Co-host Kishori Gopi unpack the Bhagavad-gītā's ancient key to overcoming seasonal depression, emotional heaviness, and the constant ups and downs of modern life: detachment from the shifting mind, and connection to the ever-radiant soul within. Learn how simply observing your thoughts and emotions—rather than identifying with them—is not just mindfulness, but a moment of true spiritual awakening. Also in this episode: * What the Gītā says about seasonal sadness and inner stability * The profound power of stepping back from the mind and witnessing the soul * How weather, darkness, and emotional struggle can become fuel for real growth * How to raise God-connected kids in challenging circumstances * Navigating Catholicism, Krishna bhakti  Whether your long winter is literal or emotional—this episode will help you rediscover your luminosity and find clarity on how to guide others, especially your children, toward the same.

“You Won't Rise to the Occasion—You'll Default to Your Training”. In this episode we explore how ancient yogic wisdom aligns with the discipline of elite athletes, soldiers, and spiritual seekers. Learn how the mind, when trained in remembrance and devotion, naturally turns toward the Divine—even at the moment of death. This episode is a clarion call to train your heart, shape your consciousness, and live with purpose so that when the test comes, you're not grasping for last-minute wisdom—you're simply doing what you've always done: remembering who you've been meditating on all along. Drawing from the timeless teachings of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Kaustubha, and special guest Kishori Gopi dive deep into the life of King Katvanga, a warrior-king who turned his final moment into his finest moment—not by chance, but by a lifetime of conscious preparation. Key Highlights: * “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”—why your daily practice shapes your destiny * What King Katvanga teaches us about detachment, clarity, and the power of a single moment * How to build your spiritual default setting through consistent sādhanā * The Bhagavad-gītā's teaching on death, remembrance, and ultimate transformation * Why even the devas admired a king who asked for no boon but truth

A lot of translators actually skip chapter one of the Bhagavad Gita, but I've found it to be one of my favorite chapters. This chapter sets the stage for the conflict and highlights the struggle between emotions and intellect. Something we all struggle with throughout our lives. Make sure to go back a couple of episodes and listen to my overview of the Bhagavad Gita, and get excited because chapter one is only the beginning of this amazing series! Let's explore: