“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.10.18)

Download this episode (right click and save)

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
त्रिः-सप्तभिः पिता पूतः
पितृभिः सह ते ’नघ
यत् साधो ’स्य कुले जातो
भवान् वै कुल-पावनः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
triḥ-saptabhiḥ pitā pūtaḥ
pitṛbhiḥ saha te ’nagha
yat sādho ’sya kule jāto
bhavān vai kula-pāvanaḥ

It is not difficult to find reasons. Any grievance, any issue, any dislike, any discomfort – lay the blame at the feet of the one who is lotus-like in many features. His hands are soft and delicate. They enjoy dipping into the butter carefully churned by a loving mother Yashoda.

The eyes are like lotus-petals, presenting a wonderful image for the residents of Vrindavana to…

“It is My vow that if one only once seriously surrenders unto Me saying, ‘My dear Lord, from this day I am Yours,’ and prays to Me for courage, I shall immediately award courage to that person, and he will always remain safe from that time on.” (Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kand, 18.33)

Download this episode (right click and save)

सकृद् एव प्रपन्नो यस्
तवास्मीति च याचते
अभयं सर्वदा तस्मै
ददाम्य् एतद् व्रतं मम

sakṛd eva prapanno yas
tavāsmīti ca yācate
abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai
dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama

A quick look at their home, their location in the world, and especially the form of body inhabited, the thought of receiving the Divine mercy, offered to them through personal interaction, would be laughed at:

“Are you kidding me? Them? I don’t believe it. It must be your imagination running wild. Mythology. Understand the symbolism. No way they would be on…

“It is My vow that if one only once seriously surrenders unto Me saying, ‘My dear Lord, from this day I am Yours,’ and prays to Me for courage, I shall immediately award courage to that person, and he will always remain safe from that time on.” (Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kand, 18.33)

Download this episode (right click and save)

सकृद् एव प्रपन्नो यस्
तवास्मीति च याचते
अभयं सर्वदा तस्मै
ददाम्य् एतद् व्रतं मम

sakṛd eva prapanno yas
tavāsmīti ca yācate
abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai
dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama

The key is to be in the devotional mindset. Bhakti-yoga. Above bhoga and tyaga; the pendulum of acceptance and rejection. One day I am really into something; it consumes my mind. The next day I am swearing off it. A friend who hasn’t seen me in years still remembers my previous interest. They are surprised to find that I…

“A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.46)

Download this episode (right click and save)

तपस्विभ्यो ऽधिको योगी
ज्ञानिभ्यो ऽपि मतो ऽधिकः
कर्मिभ्यश् चाधिको योगी
तस्माद् योगी भवार्जुन

tapasvibhyo ‘dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ‘pi mato ‘dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

Go beyond religion. More than something you accept and reject based on personal preference. Far more involved than taking a seat at a designated establishment once a week. Really finding what it is that corresponds to the active propensity within you.

The animating spark is described as soul, which corresponds to the word atma in Sanskrit. Whatever the preferred term, it is the defining aspect for a living being. In other words, its presence is what constitutes life. Take away the soul and you…

“I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.” (Queen Kunti speaking to Lord Krishna, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.25)

Download this episode (right click and save)

विपदः सन्तु ताः शश्वत्
तत्र तत्र जगद्-गुरो
भवतो दर्शनं यत् स्याद्
अपुनर् भव-दर्शनम्

vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam

It is not a fake kind of optimism. It is not thinking positively simply as a survival technique. It is not burying your head in the sand to avoid witnessing the negative. It is not a way to annoy people who are voicing their concerns.

The person aligned with the Divine consciousness views every circumstance, situation, conundrum, difficulty, moment of doubt, or what have you as a blessing from above. These are opportunities…

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

Download this episode (right click and save)

अन्त-काले च माम् एव
स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्
यः प्रयाति स मद्-भावं
याति नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

“Consciousness is everything.” That sums up the philosophy so old that no one can accurately point to its inception. The origin is in someone who is without an origin, anadi. He is also without end, ananta. He empowers certain individuals to carry the torch forward inside of each creation, such as with Lord Brahma diving into the water.

What you remember at the time of death is the state you attain in the next birth. Time is continuous. The living being is steady…

“Bhagavad-gita is also known as Gitopanishad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanishads in Vedic literature.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Book smarts versus street smarts. What you learn in theory tested against the practical application. It’s nice to know that two plus two equals four, but even better to realize that if you have two apples in the basket, acquiring two more will place the total at four apples.

There is jnana in a host of subjects in the ever-changing material world, and with every area of interest there is a corresponding field of activity.

1. The hospital

This person claims to be an expert. They have certificates hanging on the wall. They wear the white coat and carry a stethoscope. Everyone addresses them as “doctor,” but what do they really know? Did those…

“For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.68)

Download this episode (right click and save)

य इदं परमं गुह्यं
मद्-भक्तेष्व् अभिधास्यति
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा
माम् एवैष्यत्य् असंशयः

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

1. Our colleagues

“Just see how many projects I am on. That person sitting across from me is responsible for only one task. The colleague one seat over doesn’t appear to be as busy throughout the day. No one is bothering them. They get to work in peace.

“I, on the other hand, constantly get interrupted. Different departments contact me, looking for assistance. If there is a big task to handle, the managers know that I can complete it the soonest. And the quality of my work doesn’t…

“Yashah, fame, should be according to Lord Chaitanya, who said that a man is famous when he is known as a great devotee. That is real fame.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 10.4-5 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Friend1: I think starting a new job is one of the more unique experiences of adult life.

Friend2: Probably comparable to changing schools when you are a child.

Friend1: You know, many people don’t get to experience that. They grow up in the same area. Some small towns have a single school for grades K through 12.

Friend2: That is true. Changing schools is very strange. You are thrown into this situation all of a sudden. You don’t know a single person. Your friends are left behind, in another city probably. It takes some time to get adjusted.

Friend1: At the new office environment I feel the same way. I keep…

“Not only is the Supreme Personality of Godhead present as the Supersoul of all living entities; at the same time, He pervades everything in the entire creation. He exists in all circumstances and at all times.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.6.20-23 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Nostalgia is for the people who experienced the situation from the past. In the moment they did not think they were part of a bygone era. They were not anticipating revisiting the time through pictures and video recordings, wondering why everything looked different.

Something like nostalgia is available for those who weren’t around in that time period. Prior to my birth, what was the situation in the world? How did the cars look? Were the homes decorated differently? How did people consume news?

The questions are many because the situation is always changing. That is the meaning to the material, prakriti