1773: Let Your FOMO Be for the Divine | Saint Augustine and the Gopīs

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Suga, you are squirrel master this morning, friends.

[00:00:02]>> Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures in the entire history of Western thought, theologian, philosopher, and bishop whose writings shaped Christianity, Western philosophy, and even secular thought for over 16 centuries. Wow.

[00:00:16]>> He's considered one of the greatest minds who ever lived, ranked alongside Plato and Aristotle in terms of his influence on how the Western world thinks about God, the soul, time, memory, free will, and human nature.

[00:00:28]Now, listen to this, Raganath, his life story.

[00:00:31]Um he was born in North Africa, modern-day Algeria, to a devout Christian mother and pagan father. He was brilliant from >> Let's slow that down. He was born in northern Africa, in Algeria. Yes. What what is today Algeria.

[00:00:46]Okay. He had a Christian mother, pagan father.

[00:00:50]Christian mother, pagan father.

[00:00:51]>> Brilliant from childhood >> mixed marriage. Yes. Interesting, huh?

[00:00:56]Yes.

[00:00:57]He was brilliant from childhood, but spiritually restless and morally turbulent for most of his early life.

[00:01:03]He took a mistress at 17.

[00:01:06]You know, it's good to know that Augustine was What did you say?

[00:01:12]Morally turbulent. That will make me That makes me feel better about life right there. Thank you.

[00:01:18]>> Okay. He was morally >> the show right here and go on with my day and have a good day. Yeah, but he but by the time he was like in his 20s or 30s, he got over it. I know. So, I'm saying that's good to know that that when you're raising kids, they go through that.

[00:01:32]>> Oh, it's for your kids. Got it. For myself.

[00:01:35]>> Got it. That's right. That's a very good point, Raganath. It's natural.

[00:01:38]>> through more I you know, I was morally turbulent. Yeah. Prana, were you?

[00:01:43]Yes.

[00:01:44]Okay. Liar. No.

[00:01:46]>> [laughter] >> You are? What were you What did you do?

[00:01:49]No, Raganath, you don't have to go there. See, that's where the question You see, you talk about getting people's face with a camera. That was invasive.

[00:01:56]Okay. He took a mistress at 17 with whom he had a son.

[00:02:01]He pursued philosophy. Okay. All right, see? Augustine. It's good every saint has a past. You're going to love this.

[00:02:08]Every sinner has a future, Kastuba.

[00:02:10]>> That's right. He pursued philosophy. He joined a cult called the Manichaeans.

[00:02:17]He chased fame and career in Carthage, Rome, and Milan.

[00:02:22]I mean, that's a book right there.

[00:02:24]He tried everything. Pleasure, philosophy, success, intellectual achievement, and he remained profoundly unsatisfied. There's sometimes as people are geniuses, as people are actually just trying sense gratification.

[00:02:35]>> Restless. Restless. Turbulence.

[00:02:37]Turbulent. His Okay.

[00:02:40]His book Confessions, written around 397 AD, is the story of that entire restless journey, addressed directly to God as a kind of extended prayer.

[00:02:53]What an interesting way to write a book.

[00:02:55]He writes a whole book to God about his restless journey.

[00:02:59]Mhm. It is considered the first autobiography in Western literature and one of the and one of the greatest books ever written. I'm going to read this.

[00:03:06]And the opening line is our nugget for today. The opening line of his Confessions.

[00:03:11]His message to God.

[00:03:13]Okay. He says, "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they REST IN YOU." AW! NICE.

[00:03:24]THAT IS so good. Okay. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. I love this.

[00:03:58]>> COME ON.

[00:03:59]SUPER SOUL FARM IN UPSTATE New York.

[00:04:01]This is Wisdom of the Sage's a Bhakti Yoga podcast with your host Raganath and co-host and senior educator at the Bhakti Center in New York City, Kaustubha Das. Welcome to the show. It's Thursday, May 21st, 2026. This is episode 1773.

[00:04:17]Good morning, beautiful people.

[00:04:20]Here with Pranapriya and we got some, you know, they're coming in. We got Hot Scott here. We got uh Katie and we got Didoma is here. Hari Ball. People are starting to trickle in for the Wisdom of the Sage's retreat and and Henry's coming up today.

[00:04:38]Anybody else coming today?

[00:04:41]Ojai Lila Remy from uh >> Ojai Lila's coming. Parma Stacy Parmatma.

[00:04:45]>> Stacy Parmatma. friend whole crew A whole crew. Kaustubha's coming up tomorrow, excited for that.

[00:04:52]What's up, Kaustubha? How are you, Prabhu? Doing good, Raganath. Doing good. Happy to be here with you this morning. Yeah, I like your new room set up. It's coming together.

[00:05:01]I realize that it's temporary.

[00:05:03]Okay, that's what That was our lesson yesterday. He's getting excited about his new room set up and I was sharing with him that, "Hey, Prabhu, it's temporary."

[00:05:11]>> It's temporary. There it is. Don't forget that.

[00:05:15]And then I had a lesson for you, Raganath. You have Educate Educate me, please.

[00:05:21]You You must learn to live in the moment, my friend. What was I doing not in the moment? Well, you're saying it's temporary. Like in other words, in the future it's going to disappear.

[00:05:31]I'm saying live live in the moment.

[00:05:34]Careful with Careful with that or it could disappear.

[00:05:37]>> Careful with that. [laughter] Careful with that philosophy.

[00:05:40]>> The now, Raganath. Now is all there is.

[00:05:45]You're so wise, Buddha man. Okay. [laughter] Oh, Krishna.

[00:05:55]I'm going through some hard times today, Kostya.

[00:05:57]>> is suffering, Raganath. My body's suffering, my mind is suffering. I'm trying to zoom out.

[00:06:02]I got issues. Oh, that's what it was. I was trying to remember. I don't have the full thing. He I saw Did you hear that?

[00:06:09]I just tried to like break into a little vulnerability thing. He switched the subject to some like Raganath, every morning we go through this. You turn on me quickly at the beginning of the show.

[00:06:21]>> [laughter] >> There's no need for this.

[00:06:22]>> I'm trying to share. I'm going through a hard time. Hey, let me tell you a story about a No, well, because it reminded me earlier before the show, I was trying to share with you I ran into Pradyumna Prabhu yesterday. Okay. Pradyumna Prabhu, he's probably the most learned person I know.

[00:06:39]That we know on Sanskrit, on yoga history, on gurus of India.

[00:06:43]Yeah. According to uh our friend um uh Yeah. What the yoga sutras, what's his name?

[00:06:52]Edwin Bryant.

[00:06:52]>> Bryant.

[00:06:54]Professor Edwin Bryant, he says like the most learned in Sanskrit in America.

[00:06:58]Yeah. Yeah, so what did Pradyumna say?

[00:07:00]So, he asked me, "Oh, you're going up to SuperSoul Farm?" He was like all excited about it. And then he said, "Well, please offer my best wishes to lovely Mara and to Raganath No. and to Gus."

[00:07:13]And to he mentioned Gus.

[00:07:16]So, I think I think your body, you're taking on Gus's Gus's karma.

[00:07:21]>> You're taking on the aches and pains that um Gus would otherwise be suffering from right now. And now look at him. He used to just lie there. Now he's running around the neighborhood.

[00:07:30]He's not running around. No? He's >> [laughter] >> He's still sleeping. Okay. I thought he was sleeping.

[00:07:36]>> with this dog.

[00:07:37]>> [laughter] >> But you're suffering, Raganath.

[00:07:41]How are you taking it? How are you processing it?

[00:07:45]Um it's making me a little irritable.

[00:07:48]That's how.

[00:07:48]>> Okay.

[00:07:49]That's how. And um I'm going through some stuff.

[00:07:51]>> is. That's why you go off on me every morning. Per- maybe. Maybe you're the brunt of it. I just need to be tolerant.

[00:07:59]Yeah. Just going through some emotional stuff.

[00:08:02]Um Physical, emotional, it's a grinder this life, isn't it? Parenting. Parenting on top of it. Oh.

[00:08:11]Parenting's got to be brutal. I mean wonderful >> and brutal, both. Yeah. It's just like you are sitting there childless, animal-less. [laughter] You don't have to deal with any of this stuff. You know, when your dog gets sick, you don't have to put your dog down. Putting your dog down, that's like a it's like the most horrible thing ever.

[00:08:32]You know? Or you get a child and you worry about a child at every different phase of their life. Imagine when people had to put their dog down.

[00:08:39]>> way to deal with that is to zoom so far out and tell yourself, "This is not my child." You know what I mean? And then you have to become like this Iceman where you don't feel any emotion at all.

[00:08:51]And you have to like see yourself from like a from like like in 500 years it's not going to make a difference, but >> you and God. It's just me. It's like I am torn between like impersonalism and >> [laughter] >> personalism.

[00:09:04]And materialism. And mater- and materialism.

[00:09:08]Um yeah.

[00:09:10]That's what I'm going through.

[00:09:11]That's what I'm going through.

[00:09:13]And I got 50 people showing up at the house today.

[00:09:16]When tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow.

[00:09:18]Well, that's a good thing.

[00:09:19]>> And my tractor broke on top of all that.

[00:09:21]Your Now that's a heartbreaker. Well, it is in a farm when you have to mow and lift mulch.

[00:09:28]Or just get away from it all. I think that's why you go on that tractor. With your big earphones, your your drive.

[00:09:35]Drive into the sunset.

[00:09:37]>> [laughter] >> Okay. All right.

[00:09:41]Um, announcements.

[00:09:43]Pranapriya Um, Bhakti Center this Sunday from 11:00 to 12:30 has an urban Gavi satsang and the speaker is Shamala Priya Devi Dasi and the topic is plant your heart and cultivate devotion. Plant your heart. Yes, so it's all about how to unlock your own secret garden and turn the seemingly ordinary into an extraordinary gift of love.

[00:10:06]>> See, that's something I think Raganath would be really interested in hearing that, but he's barred because of his gender. It is. It is. Well, I'm going to identify as a Madhaji and then I'm going to show up there.

[00:10:18]And what's I want to know about the heart.

[00:10:20]>> And then I'm going to go in there with my camera. You know what I don't like lately? What's that? Everybody getting in everybody's face with cameras. Was that happening to you? No, it's happening to people. It's and and they're like and they're driving the person insane.

[00:10:35]And the person What context? I don't Person snaps.

[00:10:39]Who knows? Like celebrities, you mean?

[00:10:42]Not celebrities. It's just happening all the time. Someone you don't like or someone They're getting in your face with the camera. They're trying to do a prank or they're trying to do a prank.

[00:10:49]>> Did that happen to you yet? It didn't happen to me. It hasn't happened to me.

[00:10:52]Has it happened to anyone [laughter] you know?

[00:10:54]Has it happened to someone you know?

[00:10:56]Someone you love?

[00:10:57]>> It's only happened to me. It's red and you're following. It's like he's trying to people just being pranksters. It's not even a prank. It's not even funny.

[00:11:04]Instead of a prank Candid camera is a prank.

[00:11:08]Those elevator pranks where a little demon girl comes out of the wall. That's a prank.

[00:11:14]Pranapriya, you just have to unsubscribe him from that from that account on Instagram, whatever it is, this prank account.

[00:11:22]It's upsetting him.

[00:11:24]Well, also there's like this no respect.

[00:11:26]If an old person gets mad, they're all of a sudden a Karen.

[00:11:32]No, they're just old. Leave the elderly alone.

[00:11:35]>> [laughter] >> Is that happening to you? It happens out there. And I'm old now and I have Have you been called a Karen?

[00:11:43]Uh no.

[00:11:44]>> is about?

[00:11:44]>> I'm probably moving towards Karen as I get older.

[00:11:47]>> Karen-hood.

[00:11:48]I think they came up with a male Karen name now, like Oh, really? Yeah, I forget what it was, Carl or something like that. I forget. Oh, that's my dad's name.

[00:11:57]>> [laughter] >> All right, let's let's move on though.

[00:12:00]Let's Are there any Was that the end of the announcements, Pranapriya? Yeah, that's all. What was the announcement?

[00:12:05]>> Okay. About the [clears throat] uh Urban Devi.

[00:12:09]Yeah. Okay. Should we dive into our nugget?

[00:12:12]Let's do that. Oh, maybe you need to make announcement of when we're back cuz this is our last show for >> that's what I was thinking. Oh, no. You know what I was thinking, Kastuba? Let's just do shows, extra shows on No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You want to do this secret thing, special. Secret thing and we put it on our Wisdom of the Sages platform for those who are monthly contributors.

[00:12:31]I think we should just get it out there to everyone.

[00:12:35]You're like Lord Chaitanya. What am I?

[00:12:37]I'm like this miserly Give out Give out the mercy freely, right?

[00:12:42]John Kazi. Don't be no chanting of the holy name.

[00:12:45]>> [laughter] >> I think we'll we we will maybe do shows while Let's do special shows. Okay, so there's no show tomorrow. How about we do Meet the Pilgrims Saturday and Sunday?

[00:12:56]>> it. Meet the Pilgrims shows where people come, they tell their story.

[00:13:00]>> never do We never do Q&A anymore. So, I think it's a good time to do Q&A.

[00:13:05]We could do live live Q&A.

[00:13:06]>> Live live Q&A.

[00:13:07]>> Q&A. That's it. Saturday, Sunday.

[00:13:09]>> Pilgrims, hear their story.

[00:13:12]8:00 a.m. Eastern time. Yeah. 8:00 a.m.

[00:13:14]Eastern time Saturday and Sunday, we're back. Okay.

[00:13:18]And for Wisdom of the Sages community members, you're going to get um uh me and Hot Scott getting tattooed live.

[00:13:28]>> [laughter] >> By J Lo Ma.

[00:13:32]Are you really getting tattooed? Yeah, I am.

[00:13:34]And what what's it going to be?

[00:13:36]Well, I can't tell you.

[00:13:37]All right. All right. Somewhat. Okay.

[00:13:40]Should we dive into our nugget? Yes.

[00:13:43]Who's it from? Saint Augustine. This character, Saint Augustine.

[00:13:48]I'm telling >> love for you to research what made him a saint.

[00:13:52]You're always in the I Would you like me to read a bit about him? He It's I think you'll be fascinated by him, Rogan.

[00:13:57]Okay, well, let me find it. One second.

[00:14:00]Um Okay.

[00:14:02]Augustine of Hippo.

[00:14:05]He lived from 345 to 430 AD. If you're Rogan, that's why you're cracking up. He wants to be called Augustine of Hippo.

[00:14:11]Rogan of Hippo.

[00:14:13]>> [laughter] >> Cuz once I put on a little bit of weight, you know where that joke's going.

[00:14:19]Oh. You know. Think of that, Rogan.

[00:14:21]Yeah. By the way, I saw something This is a total squirrel, but I saw something that would fascinate you.

[00:14:27]Was animals that kill people like like per year.

[00:14:31]What's the highest? Let me guess.

[00:14:34]I bet ticks are up there.

[00:14:36]No.

[00:14:38]I don't know.

[00:14:39]Deer.

[00:14:39]>> Such a squirrel. I was thinking we could make a nugget. Deer? Deer from walking in front of the cars because we killed all their predators.

[00:14:47]But then if you don't kill the predators, then you got to deal with their predators.

[00:14:50]>> No, no, no. We're talk Not We're not talking about We're talking about animals that kill humans. Yeah. Deer cuz you hit a deer with your car. But that's You think that's the number one death cause of death from animals is is that?

[00:15:03]Well, what are What do you think? Uh rats from poisonous disease? The number one >> Mosquitoes. Exact Boom.

[00:15:11]Got it. Rogan, boom. Although humans may be above that. Um you know, humans killing humans. But I think it's actually mosquitoes was the number one. Mosquitoes. Wow. Yeah. Oh, here we go. I got it.

[00:15:23]Okay, I was thinking we could do this for a nugget. I might But any case, we may as well just >> Okay, squirrel man, where where are you?

[00:15:30]What are you What are you going to >> Okay, if number one is mosquitoes, number two is humans.

[00:15:35]Well, come on.

[00:15:36]>> And And then so 760,000 deaths are caused by mosquitoes per year.

[00:15:45]And humans kill 600,000.

[00:15:48]Now it drops drastically to the next one, snakes.

[00:15:52]100,000. There's been a lot of snake attacks this year, by the way.

[00:15:56]Next one might surprise you, dogs.

[00:16:00]40,000.

[00:16:02]>> No kidding. Dogs are Dogs [clears throat] are evil.

[00:16:07]And then >> get in packs, that's >> This one This one Now it drops down to 14,000. You'll never guess this one.

[00:16:14]Freshwater snails.

[00:16:17]Oh, I wouldn't have guessed that.

[00:16:18]>> right, I wouldn't have guessed that. And then the next one, 8,000.

[00:16:21]>> how do they kill? They just inhale them?

[00:16:23]I have no idea. [laughter] I GOT A SNAIL IN MY NOSE, I THINK.

[00:16:28]NEXT one is kissing bugs.

[00:16:30]I don't even know what that means, 8,000. Sandflies, roundworms, scorpions, tapeworms, tsetse flies.

[00:16:40]That's 1,500. Next one, elephants. 1,000 people are killed by elephants every year. You know, I just saw a person die in an an elephant. In real life, you saw that?

[00:16:49]>> In real life, you saw that right in the No, no, I don't watch anything in real life. I don't live a real life.

[00:16:55]>> [laughter] >> There could be an elephant killing somebody on the front lawn, right?

[00:17:00]>> watch it. I'll Then it goes down to 500, bees, wasps, and hornets.

[00:17:06]Well, that's understandable if you're allergic to a wasp.

[00:17:10]>> right? Yeah, I thought that would be higher, actually.

[00:17:13]>> Yeah. Then big cats at 300.

[00:17:16]Not very high. Well, they're out there.

[00:17:19]Crocodiles at 150.

[00:17:22]No kidding. And then the deadly jellyfish at 100.

[00:17:28]And then almost killed my child. And now this might sound like a little, but to me it sounds like a lot. 50 people every year are killed by hippopotamuses.

[00:17:37]I was waiting to get to that >> They're not pleasant. Is this is that This is how we got to Augustina Augustina of Hippo? So we're almost done.

[00:17:46]Spiders at 50, bears at 20.

[00:17:49]I feel good that only 20 people are being killed by bears every year. It would be a horrible way to go. I feel a little bad. I'm talking it up to probably people are taunting the bears, too. Yeah, it's probably they asked for it. And then this is going to make people feel good. Only six people per year are killed by sharks.

[00:18:03]Mosquitoes are much more deadly. And then gray wolves are at number five.

[00:18:08]The that didn't mention anything about bison having >> There's always somebody like trying to take a photo with themself on a bison and then it's like a whole scene like >> [laughter] >> poor people just running for their life.

[00:18:17]And one person getting thrown around by a bison. Forgive me for that >> Trevor, you are squirrel master this morning, friend. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures in the entire history of Western thought, theologian, philosopher, and bishop whose writings shaped Christianity, Western philosophy, and even secular thought for over 16 centuries. Wow.

[00:18:37]>> He's considered one of the greatest minds who ever lived, ranked alongside Plato and Aristotle in terms of his influence on how the Western world thinks about God, the soul, time, memory, free will, and human nature. Now listen to this Trevor, his life story.

[00:18:51]Um he was born in North Africa, modern-day Algeria, to a devout Christian mother and pagan father. He was brilliant from >> Let's slow that down. He was born in northern Africa in Algeria. Yes. What what is today Algeria.

[00:19:07]Okay. He had a Christian mother, pagan father.

[00:19:10]Christian mother, pagan father.

[00:19:12]Brilliant from childhood.

[00:19:13]>> That's a mixed marriage.

[00:19:15]Yes. Interesting, huh? Yes.

[00:19:17]He was brilliant from childhood, but spiritually restless and morally turbulent for most of his early life. He took a mistress at 17.

[00:19:27]You know, it's good to know that Augustine was What did you say?

[00:19:33]Morally turbulent. That will make me That makes me feel better about life right there. Thank you.

[00:19:39]>> Okay. He was morally >> the show right here and go on with my day and have a good day. Yeah, but he but by the time he was like in his 20s or 30s, he got over it. I know. So, I'm saying that's good to know that that when you're raising kids, they go through >> Okay. Was for your kids. Got it. For myself.

[00:19:56]That's right. That's a very good point, Raganath. It's natural.

[00:19:59]>> through more I you know, I was morally turbulent. Yeah. Prana, were you?

[00:20:04]Yes.

[00:20:05]Okay. Liar. No.

[00:20:07]You are? What were you What did you do?

[00:20:10]Oh, Raganath, you don't have to go there. See, that's where the question You see, you talk about getting people's face with a camera. That was invasive.

[00:20:17]Okay. He took a mistress at 17 with whom he had a son.

[00:20:21]He pursued philosophy.

[00:20:23]>> Okay. All right. See, Augustine It's good Every saint has a past. You're going to love this, Raganath.

[00:20:29]>> Every sinner has a future, Kristuba.

[00:20:31]>> That's right. He pursued philosophy. He joined a cult called the Manichaeans.

[00:20:38]He chased fame and career in Carthage, Rome, and Milan.

[00:20:43]I mean, that's a book right there.

[00:20:44]He tried everything. Pleasure, philosophy, success, intellectual achievement, and he remained profoundly unsatisfied. It's sometimes as people are geniuses, as people are actually just trying sense gratification.

[00:20:56]>> Restless. Restless. Turbulent.

[00:20:58]Turbulent. And what Okay. His book Confessions, written around 397 AD, is the story of that entire restless journey, addressed directly to God as a kind of extended prayer.

[00:21:14]What an interesting way to write a book.

[00:21:16]He writes the whole book to God about his restless journey.

[00:21:19]Mhm. It is considered the first autobiography in Western literature and one of the and one of the greatest books ever written. I'm going to read this.

[00:21:27]And the opening line is our nugget for today. The opening line of his confessions.

[00:21:32]His message to God.

[00:21:34]Okay. He says, "You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they REST IN YOU." AH! NICE.

[00:21:44]>> [laughter] >> THAT IS so good. "You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." I love this.

[00:21:56]He's not giving us much religious instruction here, but he's making like this statement about what we actually are.

[00:22:03]Okay. We were made for God. Like Prahlada said, the fish is made for the water. Mhm. So, we are made for God. That's not a recommendation. That's what we are.

[00:22:13]That's our nature.

[00:22:15]And, you know, the proof is the restlessness.

[00:22:19]This You know, you know what kids suffer from? This FOMO. Custumer.

[00:22:24]>> FOMO. Yes. Fo- their fear of missing out. That FOMO is coming from our missing God.

[00:22:32]Right? And we spend years or decades, lifetimes running this experiment. New relationship, better job, more money, more recognition, more experiences.

[00:22:45]Uh you know, travel. I mean, I'm just traveling.

[00:22:49]Right?

[00:22:51]And Having a mistress at 17. Having a Been there, done that. Joining a cult.

[00:22:58]Wait, what's a mistress at 17? Didn't Is it a cult?

[00:23:00]>> he was married already. Oh, okay. Maybe.

[00:23:03]I guess, yeah. Joining a joining a cult?

[00:23:06]Anybody joining a cult here? Been there, done that. Okay, [laughter] very good.

[00:23:09]And each time for a while it feels like maybe this is the thing. And then the restlessness comes back. Not because something went wrong with the plan because something is working exactly as designed. We are designed to be restless with matter, Kastuba.

[00:23:27]The restlessness is the clue. It's the trail of breadcrumbs. It's the soul saying not this, not yet. Keep going.

[00:23:40]Anyways, it's that restlessness we feel, the sense that there has to be something more. Mhm. Right? It's that big deal thing we always talk about. That's not a problem to be solved.

[00:23:51]Um that's the most honest thing about us or about the soul, about the soul's passions.

[00:23:58]It knows what it was made for and it won't stop reminding us.

[00:24:04]>> Mhm.

[00:24:05]Very interesting, Robin.

[00:24:07]>> I like Augustine.

[00:24:09]Yeah.

[00:24:09]All right, wait till you read the whole biography.

[00:24:12]Yeah.

[00:24:13]>> Um you mentioned that Prabhupada mentioned this thing about the fish in the water, right? It's It's a It's a real nice solid analogy. Hey, this is a good thing. If you want to share kind of your thoughts about what you're getting into if you're getting into bhakti, that fish in the water is a powerful analogy for people. The idea that Yeah, we move around this world seeking happiness, seeking satisfaction satisfaction, contentment love um in so many different places uh but they don't satisfy. Just like if you took a fish out of water, no matter what you do for that fish it's it won't be satisfied until it's back in the water. What if I laid that fish down on a silk pillow?

[00:24:52]>> It doesn't It doesn't like it either.

[00:24:54]So, really really >> [laughter] >> It's won't to happy on the show pillow?

[00:24:58]No, it has to >> a Cuban cigar?

[00:25:01]I don't I think it would actually not like the Cuban cigar. Okay, what about if I just pet the fish? It wouldn't even like that. It would flop and to get me back in the water.

[00:25:11]Please be merciful.

[00:25:12]>> what you offer that fish. Yeah. Anything of the material realm, right? It will not be happy until you put it into the water. Yeah. And and so like like you know, the great sage Someone that we should be learning about in school, really. I mean, I'm happy to learn about sages from all the different spiritual traditions. And and tell me about secularists, too. Let's hear. But why not tell me about someone like Bhaktivinoda Thakura?

[00:25:37]Right? He has so much to share.

[00:25:39]Um and he wrote this incredibly brilliant book. Kind of I don't know if I'd call it a novel.

[00:25:46]But it's a book it but it is a story. Um and it but it's a lot of >> Jaiva Dharma. A lot of questions and answers there, right? Uh seekers asking questions of deeply realized sadhus.

[00:26:00]Mhm. And the the whole theme of that book is that every object has a what we can call a dharma. It's it's purpose. What it was designed for.

[00:26:15]What it's meant to do. When it's >> What's the dharma of water?

[00:26:20]The you could say that the the the dharma of water is liquidity, right? By nature, it flows, right? What is the dharma of sugar, Pranapriya?

[00:26:30]Sweetness. Sweetness, right? If it's not sweet, it's not sugar. It's it's it's essential quality. It's the quality >> Essential quality of that thing.

[00:26:37]>> for it. It's dharma, what it's made for.

[00:26:39]So then the question becomes if everything has its dharma, if everything has its purpose, what it's designed for, what it's meant to do, what it's well situated when it's doing that, then what is the dharma of the self? What is the Dharma of the soul?

[00:26:53]And the answer is it's ultimately service, loving service to the divine, connection with God.

[00:26:59]That's what we were made for. That's That's where Augustine begins his whole thing, right? You have made us for yourself.

[00:27:07]Right? Very interesting, right? You That's That's the opening line of his book. Powerful.

[00:27:13]And And And then what if we're not situated in that Dharma and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

[00:27:20]Only then are we properly situated. Only then is the fish happy when it's swimming around in the water. And only then are we um does our restlessness settle when we make that reconnection? And And And you know, we talk about this a lot, but it's it should be obvious to us. It should be obvious to us that, you know, um we see certain people, you know, reach the the pinnacle of their of their field and receive all the accolades and all the rewards that they offer, and yet they remain unsatisfied.

[00:27:56]And even simpler people that have that are that are have a more calm mind and and and are seeking uh contentment in in uh or satisfaction in in simpler ways, still there's a there's some underlying restlessness there unless they found this. Unless they kind of found that Dharma, that connect that reconnection.

[00:28:19]That is the That is the reason why the mode of goodness or sattva guna can be Right. or is um which word I'm looking for? Uh distraction, a uh Yeah, why it's settling for the good and not achieving the great in a sense.

[00:28:36]Yeah, you settle for the good, you don't achieve the great. Everything's sort of regulated, everything's on time, everything's wrinkle-free.

[00:28:45]And next thing you know, you're Next thing you know, you're dead. Oh. You haven't really solved life's problems.

[00:28:50]All right. That's right. And then >> This was our gift, Kastuba. You and me were born into passion and ignorance.

[00:28:56]Okay.

[00:28:57]Been a gift for us. What's the gift?

[00:29:00]We were born into passion and ignorance.

[00:29:01]>> That was good.

[00:29:02]>> And it gave us some like >> Oh, okay. So, I didn't Gave us some Got you. Gave us some inspiration to go deeper into life.

[00:29:08]>> Yeah, you got to suffer a little bit.

[00:29:09]>> trying to shake the passion and ignorance off though. That's the problem.

[00:29:12]>> All right. All right.

[00:29:14]>> Mhm.

[00:29:16]So, any case, now we're reading about the Gopis. This is the example of that return, right? Hey, you Krishna's saying to them, you should go back. Go back to your homes. Go back to your dharmas.

[00:29:26]They're like, "No, no, no.

[00:29:28]You know, we will not be satisfied until we're reconnect. We were made for you."

[00:29:33]Right?

[00:29:34]They have songs that was Stevie Wonder, you know, I was made to love her. Right?

[00:29:39]That feeling, you know, like I was made to love God. You know, that's what that's what we're made for. Mhm. Let's read this over.

[00:29:46]Narayanam namaskrtya naram caiva narottamam devim sarasvatim vyasam tato jayam udirayet. Before we start the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is our very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord Narayana, unto Nara Narayana, the reservoir of the super most human being, and unto Mother Saraswati, the goddess of learning, and unto Srila Vyasadeva, the author.

[00:30:07]Nasta prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering service to the pure devotees, all that is troublesome to the heart will become eradicated and loving service to the Supreme Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, will be established as an irrevocable fact.

[00:30:26]Om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah. I was born in the darkness of ignorance. My teachers have opened my eyes with the torchlight of knowledge.

[00:30:39]I offer my obeisances at their lotus feet.

[00:30:42]Reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam, canto 10, chapter 29, text 20.

[00:30:47]Text 20.

[00:30:49]Okay, let me pull that out.

[00:30:56]Hit it.

[00:30:58]Not finding you at home, your mother's, father's, sons, brothers, and husbands are certainly searching for you.

[00:31:05]Don't cause anxiety for your family members.

[00:31:09]Krishna is teasing them saying, "Be responsible.

[00:31:12]Don't come looking after me."

[00:31:14]Yeah, just because I played a flute that reached deep into your heart and called you with the deepest longings and powerful overwhelming love.

[00:31:21]>> No, go go The spiritual calling is big.

[00:31:24]Strong. It makes you just walk away from everything that the world holds valuable. This is the most powerful form of FOMO for the divine.

[00:31:35]Yeah, it's divine FOMO. That's right.

[00:31:39]That's right. That could be the name of our episode. Divine FOMO. Yeah.

[00:31:44]Now you have seen this Vrindavan forest full of flowers and resplendent with the light of the full moon.

[00:31:51]You've seen the beauty of the trees with their leaves trembling in the gentle breeze coming from the Yamuna.

[00:31:57]So now go back to the cowherd village.

[00:31:59]Don't delay. Oh chaste ladies, serve your husbands and give milk to your crying babies and calves. Okay. You know, um um Oh, it's just thing Something just totally slipped my mind. It'll come back. You're an old man. You're getting old.

[00:32:18]>> Yeah, I am. That's exactly what it is.

[00:32:19]Sorry about that. That's You just seen your moment right there.

[00:32:22]>> [laughter] >> You old Karen. Get off the sidewalk with those scooters.

[00:32:27]>> How did we get there?

[00:32:29]>> [laughter] >> You ever yell Do you ever shake Once you start shaking your fist, that means you're That means you're old.

[00:32:37]That means you're old. You're old. I could see you walking down 72nd Street.

[00:32:41]Some kid zips by on a scooter. Get off the sidewalks. I did have a feeling like that recently about something. I forget what it was. I do feel like that riding the bikes. Yeah. Because uh all of the um the uh delivery guys.

[00:32:56]Oh, they're zipping by. It's And they're they're all You know, if you're going to go the I break the rules. I'll admit it.

[00:33:02]You do? I do.

[00:33:03]>> But we know you don't wear a helmet.

[00:33:05]Go on. There's no rule about that.

[00:33:07]There's a rule. No, there is no rule about that. There's no law that says you have There's no helmet law.

[00:33:13]Really? Yeah, for motorcycles, yes. But But in any case, um you know, I I will run the red light, but when I do Oh, you do? Okay. Well, when I do This is my confessions. Augustine had his.

[00:33:26][laughter] I run the red light. I don't wear a helmet. I ride THE WRONG WAY. I'M COSTUBA. But whenever you break the law, you have to It's on you.

[00:33:34]Right? To make sure that that everything's safe. Right? You got to make >> Costuba Yeah. Once you start breaking the laws, WHO DO WE HAVE TO LOOK UP TO?

[00:33:43]NO, you can break >> My whole thing is what would Costuba do?

[00:33:45]I follow the spirit of the law, not the letter.

[00:33:48]All right? In other words, the spirit of the law is if someone's crossing at that point, they've got the right of way.

[00:33:54]Honor that. I honor that.

[00:33:56]Okay?

[00:33:57]And if I go the wrong way, which I rarely do, but sometimes it's a lot easier just to go one block the wrong way than to go the whole way around the block.

[00:34:04]>> I get it. All right.

[00:34:06]It's on you. Right? To get out of the way of someone going the right way.

[00:34:10]Yeah. But these guys on their motorized bicycles are just >> No.

[00:34:15]They don't care. They don't They don't They don't care.

[00:34:18]>> [laughter] >> They don't care.

[00:34:20]All right.

[00:34:22]What you speak of those guys who are like really into bikes? Like >> You and I are really getting old here.

[00:34:25]We're just complaining.

[00:34:27]>> real biking guys who are like, "I've got an $8,000 bike." Those guys do not like like tourists like me who's I'm now officially a tourist of New York City.

[00:34:36]I'll walk around there and cuz sometimes when you're a tourist you don't realize oh they just built bike lanes everywhere. So you're just like going slow motion in the bike lane and they're like "Get out!" They're like cursing at you.

[00:34:46]Oh Krishna, they got to ring the bell.

[00:34:49]All right, let's let's get back into the most You sound like a couple Karens.

[00:34:52]Exactly, let's get back into this most enlightening and pinnacle greatest of all literatures, the Srimad Bhagavatam.

[00:35:00]On the other hand, perhaps you have come here out of great love for me which has taken control of your heart.

[00:35:04]>> did you read the one now you have seen the forest? Did you read that? You did, okay, I'm sorry. Please continue. Did I read this?

[00:35:11]Oh, that's what I want. I now I remember. Okay.

[00:35:13]>> We're There we go, old man yells at the cloud.

[00:35:16]That's a good one.

[00:35:18]You see that?

[00:35:20]>> [laughter] >> Uh Krishna's speaking in these What was it again? Double entendre?

[00:35:28]Right? Yeah, the double entendre.

[00:35:30]>> So he's saying, "Now you've seen the beautiful forest. You you've fulfilled your reason for coming here. Now go back." Right? But somehow it was revealed in the commentary that we're reading yesterday, he's saying go back and at the same time he's saying don't go back. Right?

[00:35:42]>> got a very clever way of speaking.

[00:35:45]Don't stop. Don't stop.

[00:35:46]>> Poetic, yes. He has double meanings in what he's saying. Is that double entendre? What is double entendre?

[00:35:50]>> Double entendre. Yeah, two meanings for the same thing. Two meanings.

[00:35:54]Okay.

[00:35:56]23. On the other hand, On the other hand, perhaps you have come here out of your great love for me which has taken control of your hearts. This is of course quite commendable on your part since all living entities possess natural affection for me. Okay, this is the connection back to the original verse, right? Yeah. All living entities possess natural affection for me. That's your nature, right? To have affection for Krishna. You're replacing it here, you're placing it there.

[00:36:24]You never finding that satisfaction.

[00:36:27]Always fearing that you're missing out on something because the divine FOMO needs to be directed towards Krishna, right?

[00:36:33]>> You know, it's always sad when I see people get into bhakti, make a sincere attempt, and they just say, "Nah, this is too far and it's too weird." And perhaps that's our problem for making it appear too far and too weird.

[00:36:46]>> Sometimes, yes. Cuz sometimes it is a little foreign and a little weird. And so they say, "It's not for me. I got to go back to my natural thing. I was born to eat meat. I can tell, I can feel it.

[00:36:54]You know what I mean? I wasn't born to, you know, whatever little detail of sadhana bhakti is not natural. All this pressure to, you know, you got to become sexually free. This is crazy. You want to try to control."

[00:37:08]But if they actually just analyze it, whenever you want to get something great at something, you need some discipline.

[00:37:15]Mhm.

[00:37:16]>> And after a while, that discipline becomes so sweet, and you don't want to live without it. Almost like those worker dogs that those those dogs that they have like sniffing around at the airport. They say when they retire them, they get very depressed. Oh.

[00:37:30]>> Cuz they missed their That's their dog.

[00:37:32]>> Meaning, purpose, yes, yes.

[00:37:34]>> some purpose. So sometimes people get out of bhakti because they feel like, "I just can't do it." But it's actually na- worshipping God is very natural. Control your senses is natural. We've just grown up in such an unnatural world where we just want sense gratification all the time.

[00:37:53]Right? Just like with a child. If they're on their phone constantly, Restlessness. it's hard for them to sit and read. But if you get a child to read on a regular basis, they actually develop a taste for reading.

[00:38:04]You know? So we we're training ourselves to in good habits, and from that good habit manifests this natural desire to want to serve Krishna. It's a very natural thing. Prabhupada called it like holding the hands of a little toddler to help them walk. The walking propensity is already in the toddler. You just got to help them along. We naturally want to worship Krishna, want to worship God.

[00:38:32]Controlling the senses, we're dealing with some karma, but we feel better and we do better. We become better when we learn that control gives us a higher payoff than just splaying, being splayed with our desires and mind and senses.

[00:38:48]This is where we're at. This is innate in the soul in the soul.

[00:38:52]It's innate. Don't ignore it.

[00:38:55]Don't ignore it. Just understand that restlessness is speaking to you. This is the message. Right?

[00:39:01]On the other hand, perhaps you have come Read it again. It's so nice. On the other hand, perhaps you have come here out of great love for me, which has taken control of your hearts. This, of course, This is, of course, quite commendable on your part, since all living entities possess natural affection for me.

[00:39:17]>> Oh, what the gopis must be doing?

[00:39:19]>> Already there. When he said when he said this, it's like, "Go back." Oh, or maybe you're here because of your hearts. You love me. Yes, that's what it Oh, they must be going through all kinds of Yeah. Um Just like Hot Scott told me yesterday.

[00:39:31]He was like, "You know, I don't know if I'm a doty guy or a sikha guy."

[00:39:35]You know?

[00:39:36]You don't have to be. Who cares?

[00:39:38]That's not disqualification from bhakti.

[00:39:40]A doty is like a robe, and a sikha is like a little tuft of hair. You don't have to be that guy.

[00:39:45]And you can be that guy. You don't have to, and you can. Okay. Okay.

[00:39:50]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, but the point is, but you're a god guy. That's what counts in this world.

[00:39:54]Being a god a god guy, cuz that's what we are actually attracted to deep down.

[00:40:00]That question was also addressed in Jaiva Dharma.

[00:40:05]Where where one where one seeker was questioning the sadhu, "Well, is it is it necessary that I adopt this Vaishnava style of dress?"

[00:40:15]And he said, you know, that he said that is like it's not essential.

[00:40:20]Um it's it's a detail. It's not necessary, but you know, let someone practice and and if they want, right? If if it arises in them naturally, then then then they can wear that. There you go. You've solved the whole You've solved the whole uh Why do we not talk ourselves? quagmire.

[00:40:39]Yeah, it shouldn't be forced on someone.

[00:40:41]>> we wear, you know, Indian dresses?

[00:40:43]Indian dress is is it even Indian? Is it traditional? Is it Vedic?

[00:40:48]Who cares?

[00:40:49]Do whatever you want, but fall in love with God. Okay.

[00:40:53]Right? Yeah, focus on the essence. Focus on the essence. And let let people live.

[00:40:58]I don't want to see one more post about what you should wear. [laughter] Okay? Or not.

[00:41:05]Yeah, okay.

[00:41:08]That's the hill you want to die on? What you should wear? I don't want to hear it anymore. [laughter] We should have been OVER THIS YEARS AGO.

[00:41:18]I'M AN OLD MAN NOW.

[00:41:20]GUESS WHAT, KASTUBA? This year Yeah.

[00:41:23]>> I get to fly as a senior citizen on Air India.

[00:41:28]Senior citizen, 60 years old. That means I get to as well. I'm never flying in Air India again, though. I don't care if I'm six I don't care if I'm 100 years old. I'm not flying Air India again.

[00:41:37]>> [laughter] >> Oh, man.

[00:41:42]>> You told me you told me, "Oh, Air India is it's under new management. It's totally different now."

[00:41:46]>> It is.

[00:41:47]But you know, sometimes It's still Air India. I'm sorry.

[00:41:50]>> Air India.

[00:41:53]You know what I like about Air India?

[00:41:54]It's sort of like, you know how sometimes you go to you know, on a long a long-haul flight, you go up to like the rest area and um you know, you're like, "Hey, excuse me, can I have some water, please?" And they're like, "Yeah, you're going to get, you know, an ounce of water. That's all we're giving you." You're like, you know, I drink much more than this.

[00:42:11]>> [laughter] >> I have like I'm just going to stay here. And then they're constantly giving you brand new cups. I was like, really? Landfills? How many cups you going to throw? Just fill this Finally, I just like, give me the whole bottle. Right? That's most American Airlines.

[00:42:26]But Air India, it's like a free-for-all.

[00:42:28]They're like, here Look, we're leaving all this stuff out. You can eat it, you can have it whenever you want. When you're done with it, just throw it on the floor. That's Air India. You you can actually distribute it to the people if you like. Or you can You CAN JUST GIVE IT OUT. WE'RE OFF DUTY. WE'RE BACK HERE.

[00:42:43]>> [laughter] >> OH, KRISHNA.

[00:42:48]OH, KRISHNA.

[00:42:49]>> how you get me those big bottles of water I asked for?

[00:42:50]>> That's how I GET YOU THOSE BIG BOTTLES OF WATER. BUT I always come back. That's my little gift for Pranapriya.

[00:42:55]She's snoozing and I'm bringing back like a a liter liter of water for her.

[00:42:59]Oh, man.

[00:43:02]Okay.

[00:43:03]Um that was a great verse. This next one is going to be real Oh, this next one is a little Okay. You read You should have a sweet baby Krishna tonight. We got to read anyway to to tonight. Oh, tonight?

[00:43:13]No. Not tonight. Forget it. Now we got a little street Oh, I'm just saying we read anyway. Just saying. Well, we have to do it in soccer practice. We have a bunch of people. At soccer practice.

[00:43:21]Okay, got it. Now we got a little Stree Dharma here, Raganath. Okay, little Stree Dharma, the Dharma of women. Yes.

[00:43:29]The highest religious duty for a woman >> part of this Yeah, go ahead.

[00:43:33]Highest religious duty for a woman is to sincerely serve her husband.

[00:43:37]While the husband lays on the couch and watches movies.

[00:43:40]>> [laughter] >> It did not say that.

[00:43:42]It doesn't say that. Husbands got Dharma, too. Okay. Um to serve her husband, behave well towards her husband's family, That's important.

[00:43:52]and take good care of her children.

[00:43:54]These are all important things.

[00:43:56]Yes.

[00:43:58]And so Krishna's poking. He's poking his jollies.

[00:44:02]>> the karmic perspective.

[00:44:05]So these are what's called Dharma Shastras, right? Well, how to What is your Dharma and how to behave like what is appropriate? What's your role in society? And he's he's poking at these Gopis cuz they're they're breaking their Dharma here.

[00:44:18]Obligations.

[00:44:19]>> in the highest way they're breaking their Dharma. They're running away from everything responsible. The param Dharma.

[00:44:25]>> the most responsible, the param the param Dharma.

[00:44:30]The supreme Dharma.

[00:44:32]Right? Yes.

[00:44:32]>> For a woman from a respectable family petty >> No, no, no, you skipped one. There's a whole karmic approach. He's he's speaking like from a karmic perspective here, which is not what he's all about.

[00:44:42]Okay.

[00:44:43]Women who desire a good destination in their next life should be should should never abandon a husband who is not fallen from his religious standard.

[00:44:52]>> is very important for Pranapriya to hear right now. Even if he is obnoxious Why? Am I obnoxious? Unfor- You've been telling it We'll just read the whole thing. Even if he is obnoxious, unfortunate old unintelligent sickly or poor. Okay, I'm not that rich.

[00:45:12]>> If he's a Karen.

[00:45:13]>> sickly.

[00:45:15]>> [laughter] >> I feel very fortunate, but I am old in the sense like I'm in the the final chapters of I'm in the 11th canto of life, if I'm lucky.

[00:45:27]Obnoxious, that is debatable.

[00:45:30]>> [laughter] >> That is debatable.

[00:45:34]The one that jury's still out on that one. The [laughter] jury's still out.

[00:45:38]Some people find it charming. Okay.

[00:45:41]For a woman from a respectable family, Pranapriya is Yes. petty adulterous affairs are always condemned.

[00:45:50]>> Condemned.

[00:45:51]Of course, they are.

[00:45:51]>> They bar her from heaven. Ruin her reputation.

[00:45:57]And bring her difficulty and fear.

[00:45:59]They're like, you're lecturing us like this? You We gave up everything to come out to you and now you're giving us this Vedic dharmic lecture?

[00:46:09]Yeah, and they're just saying I don't give a damn about my bad reputation. That's what they're saying to Krishna.

[00:46:16]That's right. Text 27. Transcendental love for me arises by the devotional process of hearing about me, seeing my deity form, meditating on me and faithfully chanting my glories. What is this sh- The same result is not achieved by mere physical proximity. So, please go back to your homes. Boom. Okay, so he switched it, right? He was speaking from the karmic perspective. He's saying you're going to get bad karma if you stay out here with me. And now he's flipping it and he's really speaking from the level of truth that actually physical proximity is not necessary.

[00:46:52]What's happening internally is what's important. So, you So, so in other words, by hearing about him, shravana, by seeing his deity form, archana, by meditating on him, dhyana, by faithfully chanting his glories, kirtana, the same result is achieved. You are in the presence of God through these meditations, through these through these um forms of of spiritual bhakti sadhana, spiritual practice. The same result is achieved by is not achieved by mere physical proximity. So, please go back to your home. I think maybe this is a commentary worth reading here.

[00:47:27]Is there one?

[00:47:29]Nope, it's pretty simple.

[00:47:31]>> [laughter] >> No, no need. It's one sentence.

[00:47:34]All right, text 28.

[00:47:36]Sukadeva Goswami said, "Hearing these unpleasant words spoken by Govinda, the gopis became morose.

[00:47:44]Their great hopes were frustrated and they felt insurmountable anxiety.

[00:47:50]>> Palmo for the divine.

[00:47:53]Divine palmo.

[00:47:55]Their heads hanging down and their heavy, sorrowful breathing drying up their reddened lips. Can you act that out?

[00:48:03]Heavy >> even move my neck. Don't let me make my head hang down. I thought maybe the breathing you could do.

[00:48:11]Prana breath you can do.

[00:48:12]>> Sorrowful breathing.

[00:48:13]No.

[00:48:14]No, I will not breathe heavy.

[00:48:16]Okay.

[00:48:18]The Gopis scratched the ground with their toes. That's a good one.

[00:48:21]Scratching the ground with your toes.

[00:48:22]That's a good >> pattern down there.

[00:48:24]>> Yeah, that's sort of like cuz a universal sign for like I'm just in my head.

[00:48:30]>> [snorts] >> Tears flowed down from their eyes carrying their carrying their cudgel.

[00:48:35]The tears carried the cudgel. Their mascara. And washing away the vermilion smeared on their breasts.

[00:48:43]>> Crying a lot for that much water to come down. Mhm.

[00:48:47]Thus they stood silently bearing the burden of their unhappiness.

[00:48:51]Oh, this is This is >> Although Krishna was their beloved, and although they had abandoned all other objects of their desire for his sake he had been >> Could you read the commentary to the previous one?

[00:49:04]I think it's important we know their internal experience here.

[00:49:09]>> Sure, I see.

[00:49:12]The Gopis felt if Krishna has not been conquered by our love, then our love must not be genuine.

[00:49:18]And if we cannot properly love Krishna, what is the use of our lives?

[00:49:23]Their reddish lips were drying up because of the hot breathing that arose from their unhappiness.

[00:49:27]When the hot sun dries ripe red bimba fruits dark dark spots appear on them and they grow soft.

[00:49:37]The beautiful lips of the Gopis similar similarly changed in appearance.

[00:49:41]They stood silently before Krishna unable to speak.

[00:49:46]>> [snorts] >> Although Krishna was their beloved, and although they had abandoned all other objects of desire for his sake, he had been speaking to them unfavorably.

[00:49:59]Nonetheless, they remained unflinching in their attachment to him.

[00:50:04]Stopping their crying, they wiped their tears and began to speak, their voices stammering with agitation. Now, this is important, right?

[00:50:14]Nonetheless, they remained unflinching in their attachment to him. This is unconditional love.

[00:50:20]They gave up everything for him. They came running to him. They took great risk. He said, "Go back."

[00:50:27]They had every reason to be upset.

[00:50:30]This is in materialism.

[00:50:32]Someone would say, "Oh, forget you. I hate you." Right? It would have gone from love to hate like quick.

[00:50:38]For them, their love remains unflinching. Right? This is This is Shikshashtakam of Raghunath, right?

[00:50:44]Yeah. Right?

[00:50:47]You can you can abandon me. You can embrace me.

[00:50:54]What is it?

[00:51:00]Right?

[00:51:01]Yeah.

[00:51:02]The beautiful Gopis said, "I think why don't we Why don't we pick up the the the not the next show cuz we're going to have a couple Q&A's, but uh when we come back to Bhaktam, why don't we pick it up right here at text 31 where the Gopis begin to speak?

[00:51:13]>> What's happening next week? Oh, okay.

[00:51:15]We're around. Okay. I'm in Florida.

[00:51:18]Oh, you're in Florida.

[00:51:20]Well, I just it have to be like that, right? Why?

[00:51:23]Cuz Steve is in Florida. Cuz Steve is traveling.

[00:51:33]>> [clears throat] >> Oh, I can't do Thursday cuz I'm giving the class at the Krishna House.

[00:51:39]Or maybe I could do both.

[00:51:41]We'll figure that out. Cuz Steve can't do it. You know what you should be doing? You should be doing it on the side of the road like I used to do.

[00:51:48]Pulling over to do the show. That's dedication man. You see he resents me for never having done the show on the side of the road. Yeah, one day you going to pull over get out of the car set up in the hot sun and do this podcast like I've done. Okay.

[00:52:02]Hiking through the Himalayas doing the show. Swimming with a computer over my head in Croatia.

[00:52:08]>> [laughter] >> Happened to do the show because Kustubha was going to get mad if I missed it.

[00:52:15]How do you get into her? It's all a god you're annoyed by everything.

[00:52:20]>> [laughter] >> Oh man, Karen's and FOMO and Karen's.

[00:52:28]What what is the male Karen? Could someone please look that up for us?

[00:52:30]>> Yeah, I was about to SAY THE SAME THING.

[00:52:34]I was about to ask that same Okay. All right.

[00:52:39]Takeaways.

[00:52:40]We are made for it's called a Carl.

[00:52:42]Isn't it Carl? That's horrible. THAT'S MY FATHER'S AND BROTHER'S NAME. But they it was probably with a C. Yeah, it was with a C. It was with a K.

[00:52:52]All right. We are made for God.

[00:52:54]There you go. It's as simple as that.

[00:52:57]Let your FOMO Yeah, let your FOMO be for the divine.

[00:53:02]Let your FOMO be for the divine. Got you. The restlessness is the trail of bread crumbs. The restlessness bread crumbs. That's got a message is directing us to somewhere.

[00:53:15]Find our nitya dharma to solve our restless heart.

[00:53:19]Okay, the nitya dharma the eternal dharma.

[00:53:22]Did you say that? I mean you didn't say it exactly. You didn't say it. You're just like you're mature. That came from a person that understood jiva dharma.

[00:53:31]Okay. Just place your affection on Krishna.

[00:53:35]Place it on Krishna. Right there. Okay, we'll do. Lotus feet.

[00:53:40]Do whatever you want but focus on God.

[00:53:43]Do whatever you want.

[00:53:45]Google says it's Kevin. Kevin is the name.

[00:53:48]>> not Carl.

[00:53:48]>> Kevin. Good. Let's go with Kevin. All the Kevins of the world are like, damn.

[00:53:53]>> [laughter] >> Isn't Haro Imagine if they all of a sudden Raganath was just the not cool.

[00:53:59]Hey, stop being a Raganath. You know what I mean? Raganath will always be cool. It will be because it's the name for Lord Ram. Yeah. That would be a takeaway.

[00:54:08]Uh Raganath will always be cool. And >> [laughter] >> Raganath will always be cool.

[00:54:14]Focus on the essence.

[00:54:16]Focus on the essence.

[00:54:18]Do I write the dress? And maybe Is there one about dress coming up? Cuz Raganath really had something to say about >> you want, but focus on God. Yeah, that that's what he was referring to. But I think he said, "I don't want to see one more post."

[00:54:30]>> [laughter] >> Yeah.

[00:54:32]Uh Train good habits to assist our bhakti.

[00:54:34]>> Raganath is Look at his Just look at him.

[00:54:38]>> [laughter] >> Train good habits to assist our bhakti.

[00:54:42]That's right.

[00:54:44]And And Krishna, I don't give a damn about my bad reputation. Oh, that that's That's it, right? Yeah. They capture the essence of the feeling of the good Who's that? Joan Jett. What was the second line of that song?

[00:55:03]What's that? What was the second line?

[00:55:05]>> about my reputation.

[00:55:06]>> reputation.

[00:55:08]I want to go to Vrindavan, you know, and have >> [laughter] >> Uh we all sacrifice our reputation.

[00:55:17]>> agitation.

[00:55:19]Next, we'll see everybody on Saturday at 8:00 a.m.

[00:55:22]Want to get some glob gentleman's real Want to get some maha. You work on that.

[00:55:27]I'll work on that song.

[00:55:29]We'll come back to you. I don't give a damn about my reputation.