When Karma Meets Dharma: Contradictions of Destiny and Duty

Do the choices you made in your past life shape the family, friends, and circumstances you’re born into? And how do bhakti-yogis navigate a path of dharma that sometimes seems to contradict itself — demanding sacrifice, mercy, or even revenge — all in the name of love?

In this live Q&A from Tuscany, Raghunath and Kaustubha tackle two profound questions: how to take radical responsibility (karma) and how to recognize the right course of action when dharma appears to point in conflicting directions.

From choosing your parents before birth to uncovering the love hidden in even the toughest moral dilemmas, this conversation reveals how karma and dharma lead us toward spiritual growth — if we trust the divine plan.

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When the Grim Reaper shows up wearing a peacock feather and playing a flute, you know it’s time to rethink your priorities.

This episode of Wisdom of the Sages dives into the 10th Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where Time itself — in the form of Krishna — comes calling, leaving tyrants like Kamsa in panic. Live from Italy, Raghunath explores how fear, loss, and even death can awaken us to life’s deeper purpose, with a mix of timeless wisdom, vivid storytelling, and plenty of laughs.

🎙️ Highlights include:
* Kamsa: the world’s most obsessed (and doomed) Krishna fanboy
* How to survive stabbing, hailstorms, and heartbreak with grace
* Mother Nature’s trident and what it’s really teaching you
* Why nobody needs you — and that’s good news
* Why vacations don’t fulfill you — but mantra does
* How Krishna “calls off the falcon” of karma when you surrender

Tune in and discover how even fear can become a doorway to freedom when you see through the illusion.

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At some point, devotion stops being a duty—and starts becoming a dialogue. In this solo Q & A episode, Kaustubha explores how spiritual life matures when it stops being mechanical and starts becoming deeply personal. With humor, clarity, and depth, he answers questions on emotional attachment, the gradations of divine love, and how to relate to God not just in theory—but in the heart.

Key Highlights:
•⁠ ⁠How to respond when someone is emotionally attached to you
•⁠ ⁠How divine love comes in different gradations of perfection
•⁠ ⁠The art of sharing bhakti without alienating others
•⁠ ⁠Moving beyond theory: when spiritual life becomes deeply personal
•⁠ ⁠Plus: a surprise Krishna miracle on a quiet dirt road

#BhaktiYoga #TalkToGod #KrishnaConsciousness #WisdomOfTheSages #PrayerPractice #ConversationWithKrishna #SrimadBhagavatam #KaustubhaDas

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Time doesn’t just pass—it devours. In this raw and thought-provoking episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack a powerful moment from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, where the tyrant Kaṁsa wakes in dread, realizing that Time itself—the force that ends all things—has come for him.

With lyrical insights from Pink Floyd, unexpected depth from the Insane Clown Posse, and timeless wisdom from ancient India, they explore what it means to live with urgency, die with clarity, and access the eternal—right now.

Key Takeaways:
•⁠ ⁠“The sun is the same in a relative way—but you’re older”
•⁠ ⁠Kaṁsa’s existential crisis and the arrival of death personified
•⁠ ⁠Insane Clown Pundits? — finding truth in unexpected places
•⁠ ⁠One good round: the mantra practice that changes everything
•⁠ ⁠How Vedic wisdom teaches us to step out of time—and into eternity

Time is chasing you. But you can stop running.

🎧 Listen now and chant your way beyond the clock.

SB 10.3.50-10.4.3

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In one of the most powerful moments of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Krishna speaks for the first time—and what He says sheds light on the real aim of yoga, austerity, and spiritual discipline.

Raghunath and Kaustubha, joined by Radhanath Swami in the studio, unpack this pivotal teaching: that it’s not the practice alone that transforms us, but the devotion that infuses it. Without bhakti, even the most intense austerity leaves us spiritually unfulfilled. With it, every action becomes divine.

Tune in for deep insights into Krishna’s words, reflections on a moving initiation ceremony, and an honest look at what makes spiritual life real, sweet, and powerful.

BhaktiYoga #SrimadBhagavatam #KrishnaConsciousness #SpiritualPractice #WisdomOfTheSages

SB 10.3.36-49

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Could the computer of your mind be full of corrupted files? In this fiery and hilarious episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how ancient yogic wisdom offers a practical system for mental clarity and inner growth. Drawing from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and everyday insight, they explain how tapasya (austerity), prāṇāyāma (breath control), and the guidance of a guru work like an antivirus program to restore your true nature.

You’ll hear about the dangers of comfort addiction, why meaninglessness thrives in a pleasure-soaked culture, and how purpose + austerity = real growth.

And check out the Mahavatar Narsimha film at

https://youtu.be/wkOYEhjAXyo?si=kvLrIDWoPwHmoZeP

Whether you’re training your breath, resisting temptation, or just trying to stay off the mental junk food, this episode offers a clear, empowering path forward. #BhaktiYoga #Tapasya #SpiritualGrowth #MentalClarity #WisdomOfTheSages #SrimadBhagavatam #YogaForTheMind

SB 10.3.32-35

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If you want to keep your heart safe, you must give it to no one—but it’ll cost you life’s deepest fulfillment. In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha explore how Bhakti Vedanta reveals vulnerability not as weakness, but as the key to spiritual growth and the soul’s highest potential.

They reflect on a striking quote from C.S. Lewis and discuss how the fear of emotional exposure drives many toward impersonalism, while the path of Bhakti embraces risk as sacred. Real love always carries the risk of pain—but in the fulfillment of Bhakti, that pain transforms into something divine.

#BhaktiYoga #Vedanta #SpiritualPath #WisdomOfTheSages #CSLewis #DivineLove #VulnerabilityIsStrength #LoveAndSpirituality #BhaktiVedanta

SB 10.3.28-35

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When the world shakes, can you stay anchored?

In this episode, Raghunath and Kaustubha unpack how deep spiritual clarity allows one to remain peaceful—even when chaos reigns. Inspired by a lyric from Jimi Hendrix, they explore lessons from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the film The Fog of War to reveal how fear collapses when we root our peace in truth.

It’s not apathy—it’s clarity. It’s not withdrawal—it’s preparation for wise engagement.

Tune in for stories, insights, and unexpected humor on the path to unshakable peace.

SB 10.3.23-27

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