Jake Feinberg Show: The Nina Rao Interview

Devotional mantra singer, Nina Rao, talks about her early exposure to this timeless tradition from her grandfather in India, coming to the states and ultimately connecting with Krishna Das in 1996. She has been a fixture in his Kirtan Band since then.

On The Jake Feinberg Show (radio) and in Facebook Lives, Jake Feinberg has now conducted over 2,000 interviews with “The Cats”—popular musicians across the spectrum from rock to jazz, R&B to folk, pop to country, bluegrass to fusion. Jake’s unique interviewing style puts musicians at their ease and inspires them to reflect candidly on topics familiar or unexpected. The Cats tell little stories, muse about life, uncover aspects of the music business, dig deep into overcoming adversity, revel in camaraderie, and open their souls.

Mindrolling with Raghu Markus – Ep. 641 – Bhumi Devi: Honoring the Sacred Mother with Nina Rao

Discussing the inspiration behind her upcoming album, Bhumi Devi, Nina Rao and Raghu Markus explore preserving the planet and devotion to the sacred mother.

Support the pre-sale of Bhumi Devi with exclusive reward levels on Kickstarter until June 2. Click here for more information.

This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Nina chat about:

• Moderating our consumption and doing our best to heal the earth

• Nina’s work in preserving wilderness areas

• Wisely receiving gifts from Mother Earth while preserving uncorrupted lands

• The unconditional love and presence that resonates through Maharaj-ji

• The reciprocal relationship we have with the divine

• When Nina met Siddhi Ma, and seeing her as merged with Maharaj-ji

• The first time Nina chanted for Siddhi Ma

• Satsang: connecting with Maharaj-ji through community

• Prayers to the Goddess in Nina’s new album, Bhumi Devi

“The way in which this happens is Satsang. I was with Siddhi Ma one time, and someone said, ‘How can we get closer to Maharaj-ji?’ She said, “Get together, have food, and sing the Chalisa.’” –Raghu Markus

Connect with Nina Rao this Summer at the Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat! Learn more HERE.

Spicy Soul Mama Podcast Episode 18 with Guest Nina Rao

Nina was recently featured on the Spicy Soul Mama podcast, where host Shelley Karpaty explores parenting and creativity as a spiritual path. The podcast is a little oasis, a place to come home to your heart, your creativity, and your spirit, not just as a mom, dad, partner, or professional, but as a whole human being. It acts as a reminder that joy, curiosity, and creativity are the antidotes to chaos and fear. Shelley and Nina discuss what Bhakti and loving awareness is, along with what it means to embrace parenting as a spiritual path, including wisdom from Sri Siddhi Ma on what the role of a parent entails.

You can read more about Shelley’s experiences and listen to the full podcast on the Spicy Soul Mama Substack.

Giving Back Season Never Ends

In the spirit of gratitude and giving back, we would like to express our gratitude for all of you practicing in community with us. If you combine all our individual efforts, they form a loving force powerful enough to reverberate across every creature in the entire creation.

Bhumi Devi gifts us everything we could need through Her flourishing ecosystems. That's why our kirtans in India were held to raise funds to help protect, conserve, rewild, and support the wilderness and communities living in proximity across India. The video below was screened before kirtan audiences to illuminate the current state of the environment and why it's important we each do our part to give back to Mother Nature.

The kirtan ticket sales were used to fund the rewilding of areas in Sunderbans, purchasing motorcycles for forest monitoring in Ranthambhore, research and community conservation by women in Uttarakhand, and towards organizations like Voices for Asian Elephants in Odissa, and Madras Crocodile Banks for protection of gharials, among other projects.

The photo above is from our latest darshan of Ganga Ma in Rishikesh.

If you would like to support these efforts, donations are accepted at SavingWildTigers.org via PayPal, check, or ACH transfer. Saving Wild Tigers is a registered 501(c) charity and donations are tax-deductible 🙏🏽

Nina is grateful to travel around the world to chant in-person, and also to share digital offerings and practice together in the ethereal space of Loving Awareness.

Sita's Gems: Reclaiming Sita's Voice from the Shadows

Sita, the heroine of the Hindu epic Ramayana and a divine feminine avatar of Lakshmi, is often misunderstood. She is praised for her patience, remembered for her suffering, but rarely honored for her sovereign choices, her hidden fire, her radical return to Self.

In this extraordinary episode, Acharya Shunya brings together the creators of Sitayana—a groundbreaking audio retelling of the Ramayana through Sita's eyes. Together with producer Michael Sternfeld, devotional artist Nina Rao, mystic Mirabai Starr, and author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, she explores exile, dharma, silence, devotion, and the moment when Sita says no… and returns to the Earth. Includes a stirring passage from "Sita Returns to Mother Earth" and a devotional song offered by Nina Rao to invoke her presence through sacred sound.

Listen on: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Listen Notes

Nourishing the Divine Feminine Within | Awakening in Prison Podcast

Together with Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC, Nina Rao discusses the power of devotional music and spirituality in nurturing the Divine Feminine. She reveals how her practices cultivate connection, presence, and inner peace.

The Awakening in Prison Podcast series currently lives on Edovo, making this content accessible to any incarcerated individual with access to this digital platform free of charge. This is a part of a series that specifically supports women in prison.

The Buddhist Prison Ministry provides the prison population with transformative tools and wisdom from the Buddhist tradition. Buddhist Prison Ministry operates almost exclusively on the incredible generosity of it’s growing team of volunteers.