In this episode of the Bhagavata Podcast, Bhrigupada Dasa is joined by ethicist and scholar practitioner Gopal Hari Dasa (Dr. Gopal Gupta), Assistant Professor of Ethics at Aurora University near Chicago, to explore Canto 1, Chapter 16 of the Srimad Bhagavatam. They situate this chapter as a turning point that reveals why the Bhagavatam matters so much in the Age of Kali: the scripture rises like the sun as darkness gathers, and Maharaja Parikshit meets Kali in a dramatic encounter where dharma itself is under attack.

The conversation moves from Parikshit’s royal duties and the asvamedha sacrifices to the striking symbolism of Kali harming the cow and bull, Mother Earth’s grief at losing Krishna’s footprints, and dharma standing on broken legs in a world slipping from mercy, austerity, and cleanliness toward the collapse of truth. Along the way, they reflect on what it means to taste the Bhagavata rather than merely study it, why truthfulness carries spiritual power yet must be guided by nonviolence and compassion, and how devotion includes both inner refuge in Krishna and courageous action to protect the vulnerable.

This episode weaves together ethics, theology, and lived practice, ending with the aching beauty of separation from Krishna and the call to become serious, honest, and protective in a time shaped by exploitation.

00:00 – Introduction and Chapter Overview (SB 1.16)

07:10 – Parikshit, Empire, and the Ashvamedha Sacrifice

12:00 – Kali Attacks Dharma: The Cow and the Bull

21:20 – The Four Legs of Dharma and the Crisis of Truth

34:40 – How to “Taste the Honey” of the Bhagavatam

40:30 – Who Is Kali? Free Will, Decline, and Moral Responsibility

1:07:50 – Separation from Krishna and the Call to Leadership

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In this episode of the Bhagavata Podcast, Bhrigupada Dasa (Dr Måns Broo) welcomes back Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr Ravi Gupta) to explore Canto 1, Chapter 15: The Pandavas Retire Timely. Beginning with Arjuna’s confirmation of Krishna’s departure, the conversation traces grief, remembrance, and vipralambha, love intensified through separation. Through close reading and lived reflection, the episode explores how loss dismantles worldly identity and reveals Arjuna’s deeper identity as Krishna’s friend.

The dialogue moves through luminous Sanskrit verses, the withdrawal of divine power, Draupadi’s agency, and the Bhagavata’s post-Mahabharata clearing of the stage. The chapter closes by returning to the Bhagavad Gita within the Bhagavata and the phala shruti promise: devotion to Hari as the true perfection.

Chapters

00:05 Welcome

03:20 Krishna Departs

08:10 Naming Krishna

14:00 Love in Separation

19:40 Power Withdrawn

24:30 Humbling Loss

31:45 True Identity

38:20 World Without Krishna

45:00 When to Renounce

56:30 Devotion as the Goal

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In this episode of the Bhagavata Podcast, Bhrigupada Dasa (Dr Måns Broo) welcomes back Jayananda Dasa (Dr Janne Kontala) to explore Canto 1, Chapter 14: The Disappearance of Lord Krishna. The conversation follows Yudhishthira’s growing anxiety as strange omens appear, Arjuna’s delayed return becomes ominous, and the unspoken fear of Krishna’s departure hangs between the brothers. Through close reading and lived experience, they unpack how exalted devotees can simultaneously be spiritually realized and emotionally shaken.

The dialogue ranges from the anthropology of omens to yogic subtle anatomy, from Yudhishthira’s pastoral sensitivity to the paradox of vipralambha, love deepened through separation. What emerges is a chapter where feeling leads the philosophy, and where loss becomes the very means of intensifying remembrance of Krishna.

00:25 Welcome & Setup
01:48 Summary of the Chapter
05:37 Devotees and Human Emotion
08:29 Love in Separation
10:20 Omens: Superstition or Insight?
12:35 Strange Signs in Nature & Temples
18:58 Body, Breath & Subtle Anatomy
27:33 Deities Crying & Arjuna’s Return
29:50 Yudhishthira’s Careful Questioning
42:05 Krishna’s Disappearance & Closing Reflections

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