Wisdom of the Sages artwork

Hinduism · Raghunath Cappo & Kaustubha Das

Wisdom of the Sages

by Raghunath Cappo & Kaustubha Das

Truths about life from the timeless wisdom of the Bhakti-yoga tradition - fun, relevant, and deep. Learn about dharma, yoga, bhakti, and how it relates to all the basic questions of life. This show is about how to live your best life, let go of the external distractions, and uncover the spiritual happiness that lies within the heart as the true nature of the soul. Raghunath and Kaustubha's connection goes back to their teens in the New York Hardcore Punk Scene of the early 80s, through serving together as Bhakti-yogi monks in the 90's, to sharing their experiences in the world of yoga in the 21st century.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

1832: Adapting Ancient Wisdom Without Losing It / Q&A Vol. 302

#2 trending · Hinduism

How does an ancient wisdom tradition survive for thousands of years? It needs teachers who hand it down unchanged, and yet each generation has to hear it in a new way. In

Oct 12
1 h 02 min

1831: Living Bhakti Among People Who Don't Share It / Q&A Vol. 301

#5 trending · Hinduism

There's a sticky note in Ashley's refrigerator that reads "meat section." She's the only devotee in her home, and between a loving family that doesn't share her path and

Oct 11
1 h 06 min

1830: Bhakti Doesn't Grow in a Hard Heart / Q&A Vol. 300

#11 trending · Hinduism

Someone on the street asks you for money, and you're fairly sure where it will go, and it's not good. Can walking past be compassion, or is it quietly hardening your hear

Oct 10
56 min

1829: A Field Guide to Your Inner Demons | Bhaktivinoda Thakur Decodes Krishna's Pastimes

#13 trending · Hinduism

In the 19th century, British colonial scholars dismissed the pastimes of Krishna as primitive and immoral, and a generation of educated Indians began to believe them. The

Oct 8
53 min

1828: We Never Learned the Power of Our Thoughts | You Become What You Think About

#7 trending · Hinduism

Be good. Behave. Behave yourself. Growing up, most of us heard plenty about our actions and almost nothing about the thoughts that produce them. In this episode Raghunath

Oct 7
56 min

1827: The Emptiness of Peace and the Fullness of Love | Meditation Beyond Stillness

Most of us long for a quiet mind. But what fills it once the noise is gone? On a solo bike ride across upstate New York, Raghunath finds that solitude alone doesn't bring

Oct 1
58 min

1826: Why the Comment Thread Is Killing Your Soul | Speaking Truth to Power

When something is wrong and we say nothing, our own inner light begins to fade. But speaking up only heals when it comes from a place of love. Raghunath and Kaustubha dra

Sep 30
51 min

1825: Our Labels Are Warping Our Vision | The Many Ways We Respond to Krishna

I'm a man. I'm a woman. I'm American. I'm this, I'm that. Every label we carry colors how we see the world, ourselves and God. Yoga starts from a bold premise: our percep

Sep 29
1 h 02 min

1824: You're Not in Control | The Placebo Illusion and the Bhakti Reality

Our sense of security is based on illusion — confirmed by both modern science and the sages of the Bhakti Yoga tradition. A landmark psychiatric study reveals something s

Sep 24
1 h 04 min

1823: Life Is Sacred and Life Is Everywhere | The Earth Personified in Krishna's Pastimes

In the form of a beautiful teenager God enters a new city, meets a hunchback girl in the street, transforms her body and enters a romance with her. On the surface it soun

Sep 23
55 min

1822: Grace in Your Face | Human Nature's Resistance to Unconditional Love

Are we all like wounded animals caught in a fence, biting the hand of the person trying to help? Is spiritual grace something exceptionally rare — and most of us the unfo

Sep 22
56 min

1821: Krishna Doesn't Need Your Zucchini Bread | But He Wants Your Love

The Bhagavad-gītā sings of Krishna as the Absolute Truth — complete in himself, independent and lacking nothing. He doesn't need anything we can offer him. And yet — he w

Sep 17
55 min

1820: They Took Him Into Their Hearts Through Their Eyes | Krishna Enters Mathurā

When Krishna and Balarāma entered Mathurā, the women climbed to the rooftops and showered them with flowers. They took him into their hearts through their eyes — embraced

Sep 16
54 min

1819: Daring to Fly Higher | Jonathan Livingston Seagull and the Ascent to Bhakti

In the 1970s the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull became a bestseller. A parable about a gull who refuses to follow the flock and discovers that his true nature is limitl

Sep 15
58 min

1818: Why Nothing in This World Satisfies Us

Voltaire — the greatest writer of the French Enlightenment wrote that there is a dim flame burning in every heart — an intuition that somewhere there is a home, a happine

Sep 11
58 min

1817: All Rivers Flow to the Sea | Beyond Exclusivism and Hyper-Inclusivism

Westerners who take interest in Eastern Spirituality may be reacting to elements of exclusivism found in Western religion (we're right and everyone else is wrong). The sw

Sep 10
1 h 00 min

1816: Krishna, Vishnu and the Mystery of the Avatars

Most Vedic literature speaks from a perspective within this universe. But some reveal that this universe is just a tiny bubble among countless others — and invite us to v

Sep 8
54 min

1815: Watch Until the Dust Settles | Krishna's Love Never Leaves Vrindavan

It is said that Krishna never takes one step out of Vrindavan. But it appears that he does leave, and breaks the hearts of the Gopis. In this episode Raghunath and Kaustu

Sep 3
53 min

1814: We Crash | God's Opulences and Our Limitations

What happens when an individual soul thinks the gifts they have are their own? Why do we see so many celebrities struggle, even though they have achieved so much success?

Sep 2
55 min

1813: The Philosopher vs the Mystic | Understanding the Passion of the Gopīs

To the philosopher, the weeping of Krishna's lovers looks like ordinary suffering. To the mystics it's the culmination of the highest knowledge. Evelyn Underhill — first

Sep 1
56 min

Chart trend

Position in the Hinduism chart (US), last 90 days.

#2
all-time peak
328
days in the top 3 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Wisdom of the Sages ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 14, 2026).

#4 — Hinduism US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

TLDR it’s really good and you should listen to it. But here’s why: I’ve never been religious or spiritual in any way, I’ve always loved nature so maybe there was that. I grew up in a catholic home and as soon I could speak for myself I basically pushed all that to the side as nonsense and that’s where I’ve been mentally for over 40 years. I think these details are important for understanding my review and maybe you’re the same way I accidentally started meditating by way of running. Spending hours on the trails in my own head i would sometimes snap out of it and not know where I was even though I ran these trails daily. I’m not sure where I was going in my head but it was somewhere else. Slowly I came to the conclusion that no matter what you believe, if you dig deep enough there is a leap of faith when you get to where we can’t explain or know what was before. This little crack in my purely scientific way of approaching everything couldn’t be repaired and really had my rethinking things over and over. Some time after this I may have remembered a Hindu festival I went to in high school with a friend’s family or maybe it was divine intervention but either way I generally started thinking about Krishna. Didn’t give anything too much thought it was just there. Then punk to monk was suggested as an audio book in my feed and I was curious. Growing up as a punk and a skinhead had me really wondering what this weirdo guy was all about. I listened to the book and some of the things really stuck with me. I suppose I googled him and found that he had a podcast and started listening to it. Now for the actual review of the podcast. Raghunath and Kaustubha Das really break every detail down. They’re extremely relatable as “dented cans” and that means a lot to me. They explain that faith is built little by little, a small remark that really allowed me to pursue this thing further as I don’t feel like I have to be all in or all out. I’m coming from years and years of a specific mindset and anything faith or spiritually based is foreign to me. Having a resource that breaks each piece down and explains it to me like I’m 5 is priceless. When I decided to take this Bhakti detour I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I always said I’ll believe it when I see it and I have to think that all these small events happening and Krishna making himself known to me is SOMETHING and worth investigating. This podcast has made that extremely easy for me and if you’re interested in this stuff at all I can highly recommend this podcast. I’ve become a paying member and always get excited when a new episode comes out! I hope All this made sense as a review, I just wanted to add some context to it because I assume there are a lot of people like me out there.

nathan.108 · Mar 2026

I found this show after a devastating miscarriage and it had completely changed my life. Thank you for making such beautiful information so relatable for us. I hope to join you both in India once my kids are older!

Kate Mammo · Aug 2025

I started listening to the this podcast about 1 year ago because I was feeling lost. As a yoga teacher, I was finding myself in a lonely place, craving more depth, and spiritual richness in my life. This podcast has helped me a so many ways. It helped me feel connected to people I don’t even know. In the yoga landscape, it’s been challenging to find wise teachers living the teachings and recognizing their own imperfections. This show has been a blessing and has helped me shift my life and mostly my perspectives. Helping me deeply remember what is really important. Thank you Raghu and Kastuba for walking the walk and for sharing all your knowledge. This show is one part of my sadhana. Everyday I Blessed to be connected to this wisdom and love. Thank you is not enough. I am an “other”, I am so grateful. With love and gratitude.

AlliSheehan · Jun 2025

This is the real stuff here. Raghunath and Kaustubha are truly walking the spiritual path that they talk about. This podcast is opening my eyes and stilling my anxious heart. Hare Krishna!

DustinPhilipson · Jun 2025

This podcast is hosted by two funny, smart, spiritual guys. They are both sincere, devoted, and personable. However, listeners should know that this podcast is a “soft sell” for the Hare Krishna movement, or the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON. This is NOT a podcast about the philosophy underlying yoga practice, as they sometimes claim. If it was, there are a LOT of other spiritual texts that they could focus on. Instead, they zero in on a long, mythological text called the Srimad Bhagavatam, which they take as literally as any fundamentalist Christian takes the bible. Nearly all of their special guests on Saturday are ISKCON leaders who believe the same. While there is a lot to commend about this podcast, I suggest that listeners do a little background research on the Hare Krishna/ISKCON movement. For the founder, don’t just watch the new “Hare Krishna” documentary (which I enjoyed), but read about his teachings on women, LGBTQ people, space landing, and the holocost--none of which are mentioned in the film. You should also be aware of all of ISKCON’s history that played out in the 1980s when the movement was mired in what can only be described as horrors. It is important to at least note that this is the historical context from which this podcast originates

Frank the Scottish bastard · Feb 2021

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