Pilgrim Heart with Krishna Das

Drawing on over five decades of devotional practice, Krishna Das offers down-to-earth spiritual guidance for beginners and seasoned seekers alike.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das gives wisdom on:

• The miracles that happen around enlightened beings
• How to cleanse and open the heart by letting go of old patterns
• Krishna Das’ lifelong journey of awakening, surrender, and trusting life’s unfolding
• Preparing the heart for prema-bhakti—the experience of real, unconditional love
• Learning to trust yourself and discovering what’s truly right for your unique spiritual path
• Moving away from the ego and going further into our true nature 
• Seeing the guru in everyone and living with less fear, doubt, and mistrust
• Remembering the essential truth of impermanence—nothing lasts forever, not even suffering

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.”  With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

“In those days, my heart was full of many things that the last 50 years have flushed out—sometimes, against my will. I didn’t want to let go of things, but you have to.” –Krishna Das

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Through soulful insights on detaching from the ego and expanding the heart, Krishna Das reminds us that surrender is not defeat, it’s the deepest devotion to God.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das gives wisdom on:

• Listening to the heart and paying attention to our motivations
• Why Krishna Das started to chant with people rather than alone
• What surrendering means in spiritual life: bowing at the feet of God
• Remembering that everything is all grace, but acting like it isn’t
• Loneliness and how feeling alone comes from within our own belief of separateness rather than physical closeness to other people
• Grief and longing for the things we do not have
• Refining oneself through eliminating the parts of our lives that do not work
• Navigating morals in practice when a spiritual teacher has been denounced 
• Keeping our hearts open and engaging with life fully regardless of our quickly passing feelings

Get a copy of Krishna Das’s book, Chants of a Lifetime, to hear more stories about his chanting epiphany.Plus, grab this FREE download of The Divine Reality for stories of Neem Karoli Baba.

“If we were ripe, if we were ready, if we were fully cooked, the moment we heard that, there would be nothing going on in our heads except the name. But we are not ripe, our lives are very busy, our minds are very distracted, so let's do the best we can to remember the name until the point that the name remembers us and it repeats itself within us.” – Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.”  With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

“Over the years I’ve done lots of stuff, I’ve gotten in as much trouble as humanely possible, and I’m still here. So, that’s the most important thing, find out what you want and pursue it. If it’s not working, keep going, keep fine-tuning. How else will you find yourself except to eliminate everything that does not work?” – Krishna Das

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Krishna Das explores how spiritual practices like chanting and loving-kindness can calm anxiety and free the mind from the trap of overthinking.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das shares his thoughts on:

• Maharaj-ji, beyond the physical form
• Discovering the guru’s presence everywhere
• Our limited, human way of conceptualizing God
• Spiritual life and relieving suffering in ourselves and others 
• Loving people as they are while still being able to set boundaries when necessary
• The challenge of leaving relationships after they’ve served their karmic purpose
• Allowing the mind to settle and becoming accustomed to the feeling of letting go
• The illusion of control and the ridiculousness of trying to control others
• Finding ways to give ourselves a break and ways to show ourselves kindness
• Why we practice: feeling the suffering of the world without letting it destroy us
• Offering loving kindness to those we are struggling to accept
• Practicing the Hanuman Chalisa as a coping mechanism and a way to change karma

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.”  With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

“Let the mind settle a little bit, get used to the feeling of letting go. Thoughts will cut you up, cut your mind up. Just keep practicing, letting go, that’s what we can do. If we don’t do it, we’re constantly going to be the target of our own anxiety and fear. We have to do some letting go.” – Krishna Das

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Encouraging listeners to take responsibility for their own inner healing, Krishna Das discusses cleansing the heart of betrayal, hurt, and grief.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das provides wisdom on:

• Meeting Anandamayi Ma and what it means to have darshan with a guru 
• Accepting people as they are and loving unconditionally
• Recognizing where we really are on our spiritual journey so that we can see where our work lies
• How all things are accomplished through the repetition of the name 
• Navigating parental relationships and seeing our parents as people instead of only parents
• Taking responsibility to cleanse our hearts of betrayal, hurt, and pain
• Practicing seva (selfless service) and offering love to the world around us
• Holding grief with compassion and allowing ourselves to move through it with care
• Simplifying our practice: treating others the way we want to be treated 
• How Maharaj-ji scoffed at superficiality and preferred authentic practice, even if it wasn’t meditation

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.”  With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

 “Our relationship with our parents can be very difficult. We don’t know our parents as people; we only know them as our parents. We don’t know how many times their hearts were broken. We don’t know how their parents treated them. We don’t know what they’ve gone through that made them into the person they are now...When your parents lay a trip on you, if you get caught in reacting, that's your problem, not theirs. They are allowed to be who they are.” – Krishna Das

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Krishna Das shares time-tested practices and spiritual wisdom for easing suffering, letting go, and treating others with the same compassion we wish for ourselves.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das provides wisdom on:

• Navigating the challenges of family relationships and untangling the knots of triggered emotions.
• Channeling our energy into chanting, meditation, and treating others with compassion and respect.
• Working skillfully with the mind rather than trying to control it completely
• Training ourselves, transforming ourselves, and opening ourselves to real grace and love
• Investigating deeply into the roots of our thoughts and emotions to understand their true source
• Turning inwards and knowing that we can find answers to all of our questions within ourselves 
• Krishna Das’ go-to practice when he is having a difficult time: chanting 108 Hanuman Chalisas 
• Making daily space for spiritual practice to strengthen the heart and mind
• Relieving suffering through deidentification with the stories that we tell ourselves 
• The difference between letting go and pushing away 

This episode is brought to you by Dharma Moon.

Join Senior Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern for a provocative and playful online discussion exploring the profound practices of mindfulness and the journey of becoming a meditation teacher.

Learn more and sign up for a free online talk about becoming a meditation teacher with David at dharmamoon.com/deepening.

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

 “We can’t push people around, abuse people, hurt people, and think we're gonna get everything we want. That’s creating terrible negative karma for ourselves. We have to learn to treat others the way we ourselves want to be treated. If you think that’s easy, you've got another thing coming.” – Krishna Das

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Reminding us that there's no need to escape our daily life in search of spirituality, Krishna Das explains that our relationships, struggles, joys, and routines are the spiritual path.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das opens our hearts to:

• The divine play (Leela) and mysterious grace behind Maharaj-ji Neem Karoli Baba’s actions
• Krishna Das’ experiences with the Dalai Lama 
• Embracing aging with grace, staying rooted in present-moment awareness, and living in truth
• The story of Neem Karoli Baba and the haunted tree
• Offering the positive karma and merit from chanting practices for the healing of all beings
• Holding space for global peace, collective happiness, and the end of suffering and war
• Working skillfully with sexual energy as a natural part of the human experience
• Learning through our relationships with others and all things
• Using daily life, with all its challenges, as our spiritual practice instead of seeking escape

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

“When we’re not here, when we’re lost in dreamland, busyness, distraction, we don’t experience time going by, and then boom, a breath does not come in and we’re gone out of this body. To age gracefully is with awareness, to be aware of what’s going on in your life every minute.” – Krishna Das

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Krishna Das gives insights on continual grace and transforming our self-limiting inner narratives through spiritual practice.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das thoughtfully discusses:

• What it means for the guru to have a key to our minds
• Teachings from Siddhi Ma: knowing that everything is grace, but acting like it isn’t
• Putting effort into loving everyone, serving everyone, and remembering God
• The story of Maharaj-ji in England with a military devotee 
• Our subjective reality as the product of our karmic cycle
• Reconciling our faith with spiritual practice and seeing God in many forms
• Krishna Das’ take on Buddhism and dealing with the afflictions of the mind
• Using chanting and mantra to release shame and stay rooted in the present moment
• Letting go of the stories we tell ourselves and reclaiming the power to change our lives

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

"We have to make our effort to open to that grace, calm the mind, repeat the name, think of others. Like Maharaj-ji said, ‘serve everyone, love everyone, remember God’. There's not one of those three things that I can do completely, and so, my effort is required to open to the space where that's reality." – Krishna Das

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Sharing personal stories of his time with Maharaj-ji, Krishna Das walks us down the path of recognizing grace, loving all beings, and keeping the heart open, no matter how hard it gets.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

"Grace is always here but we're too busy, too involved in our stuff, our thoughts and emotions. We're too identified with our negative emotions. From our side, it appears we lose contact with the grace. But, that's not the case. We just lose awareness of the presence. Maharaj-ji doesn't go, doesn't come, doesn't leave us. He never lets go. Once he takes your hand, he never lets go." – Krishna Das

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das responds to questions about:

• Hanuman’s favorite food and providing offerings from the heart
• The ever-presence of Maharaj-ji and his grace, even when we are too busy to notice
• The struggle to connect with others and find a community 
• Loving everyone, regardless of their actions or if we like/dislike them
• A short retelling of the story of Hanuman’s birth 
• Working through addictions and the avoidance of pain
• A memory of an almost-marriage in India, and how Maharaj-ji always saw right through Krishna Das’ ego
• How it took Krishna Das 21 years to begin singing to Maharaj-ji as his primary practice

"The big community is human beings, that's our real community. Our work is to allow our hearts to open to all beings, even the ones we don't like, even the ones that are doing terrible things. It's not our job to judge—it's our job to love everyone as best we can, and that's hard enough." – Krishna Das

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Krishna Das shares a realistic path for resting in the true nature of love that is always accessible to us all. 

In this episode of Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das thoughtfully discusses:

• The many versions of The Bhagavad Gita from different lineages 
• Figuring out which practice works for you
• How the soul/buddha-nature is always present, even when we aren’t looking
• Meditation practices that increase the awareness of being (I am-ness)
• Appreciating and accepting all the different parts of ourselves 
• A mantra given to Krishna Das from Ram Dass, “When the sun is kept in the heart, all evils vanish from life”
• How relationships can help us see the work we need to do 
• Calming down the mind via chanting
• The magnetic force and energy within in India 
• Being in relationship with everything all the time 
• How real love does not come and go, and is not conditional 

“We're in relationship to everything all the time. We have relationships with this table, the computer, the harmonium, the iPad, the floor, the walls, the house, with other people. We're in relationship to everything in the world all the time. When we're in a romantic relationship, we feel loved in the way we want to be loved and we think it's coming from the other person—it isn't. It's coming from our own hearts.” – Krishna Das

Check out the harmonium tutorials mentioned by Krishna das to learn about playing KD-style chords and chalisas!

“If you don't love yourself, then what? Where do you sit? Where do you rest? Your self, your true self, is not different than God, not different from the guru. If you don't learn to appreciate and accept all the different parts of yourself, you can't find rest inside." – Krishna Das

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In this heart-led exploration, Krishna Das shares how mantra, willpower, and grace guide us from the illusion of ego and into the freedom of real love.

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das offers wisdom on:

• Inspiration from Maharaj-ji’s picture, dream visits, and more
• How the soul pulls us towards real love and freedom
• Why meditating/chanting/any form of practice is a good idea
• The jungle guru who helped Krishna Das with his will power
• Using our will in a constructive way to free ourselves from suffering
• Solving the problem of what is really holding us back
• Repeating the name of God as a gradual method to purify our minds and hearts
• Falling out of the ‘movie of me’ through mantra 

“There's mantras for everything. There's mantras for robbing banks, for finding buried treasure, for controlling snakes, for becoming president of the United States, but kirtan is the chanting of the names, which is only good for one thing, finding real love. It's not good for controlling other people, getting rich, anything except finding real love and connecting deeply to our own true nature” – Krishna Das

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