BHNN Guest Podcast – Ep. 269 – Almost Home with Mirabai Bush, Nina Rao, Krishna Das & Sunanda Markus

Joined by long-time friends Nina Rao, Krishna Das, and Sunanda Markus, Mirabai Bush shares stories from her memoir Almost Home.

This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Mirabai, Nina, Krishna Das, and Sunanda discuss:

• Mirabai’s catholic upbringing and working to understand her place in the world

• How Mirabai became the only woman to work on the Saturn Apollo project

• Mirabai’s meditation studies with Goenka

• When Krishna Das, Mirabai, and Sunanda met Maharaj-ji

• Learning about the grace in suffering

• Knowing that love is real and available to us all

“That hard childhood creates that longing for belonging; with Maharaj-ji I felt like at last I belonged—in this moment, in this body, in this world, because I was so totally loved. He changed my idea of what this life could be. I had such a small idea of who we could be in this world, and it just became vastly expanded with him.” –Mirabai Bush

“Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra Japa” by Nina Rao

Nina Rao Chant · Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra Japa

“We worship the omniscient three-eyed Lord, enriching our well-being. Like a ripe watermelon effortlessly detaches from its vine, liberate me from the transient ties of life and unite me with immortal divine”

Recorded and offered on June 16, 2026 for beloved Tenzin Bob Thurman into the clear light.

(Words to the Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra)

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.

Hari Ka Das Podcast | Episode 2 | Nina Rao: The Woman Who Anchored Krishna Das

Everyone knows Krishna Das, the voice of devotion, the sound of Bhakti that has carried millions back to their hearts. But very few know the woman who held that journey together with grace, love, and silent strength.This is the story of Nina Rao. In this conversation with Hari Ka Das, Nina ji opens up about:

• Her first visit to Kaichi Dham

• The moment she felt Maharajji’s presence

• How her life transformed alongside Krishna Das

• Why Bhakti is felt, not performed

• And what it means to serve without needing to be seen

• How Bhakti can heal depression

Some journeys are not loud. Some devotion does not sing. Some love holds everything in place quietly. This episode is that reminder. 🎧 If your heart is seeking something… watch this.

Connect & Follow:

Instagram → @harikadasofficial

YouTube → @harikadasofficial

Winning with a compelling voice, compassion, and clarity: Nina Rao chants KatzJustice.com

Winning with a compelling voice, compassion, and clarity. [En]chanter -- and more -- Nina Rao joins Fairfax Criminal Lawyer / Virginia DUI Attorney Jonathan L. Katz in addressing giving voice to ourselves, finding calm in the eye of the storm, and tackling adversity.

Jon Katz pursues your best defense against felony, misdemeanor, DUI, drug & sex prosecutions. Defending in Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William & Beyond. This episode is also available in audio podcast format at https://podcast.beattheprosecution.co... , including Apple podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Call 703-383-1100 for a free in-person consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending criminal case. KatzJustice.com

IG Live: Nina Rao talks with Sameet Khaldy about Chanting and Spirituality

Nina Rao sits down with Sameet Khaldy over Instagram Live to talk discuss the spiritual nature of the invocational quality of the names of God, how we can be of service in the world, how a regular practice can purify ones mind, about her work with the Saving Wild Tigers organization, and more.

Integral Yoga Podcast | The Power of Spiritual Practice: Nina Rao on Chanting, Gurus, and Everyday Enlightenment

Join Nina Rao, acclaimed kirtan artist and devotee in the lineage of Neem Karoli Baba, in this heartfelt conversation with host Avi Gordon at Yogaville. Nina shares her journey from cultural rituals in India to discovering the depth of sadhana (spiritual practice) in New York through yoga, Krishna Das, and her guru Sri Siddhi Ma. Explore how consistent practice—through chanting, prayer, and mindfulness—fosters unconditional love, equanimity, and compassion in daily life. Topics include integrating practice into parenting, overcoming negativity, and remembering our interconnectedness.

Nina Rao first learned sacred chants as a young girl from her grandfather in south India, and the chants stayed quietly with her until she rediscovered this powerful practice with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. Since then she has been KD’s business manager and accompanies him musically. In 1998 she met her guru, Sri Siddhi Ma, in the foothills of the Himalayas and spent time with her regularly for 19 years, while Ma was in the body. Nina has been chanting regularly as her main practice, has recorded albums that are widely streamed and played around the world, leads chant events, studies and shares Veda chanting and, spiritual texts, is a hospice volunteer, is a podcast host for Be Here Now Network, goes on yatra/pilgrimage, and is a wildlife conservationist as chairperson for Saving Wild Tigers, and hopes that everyone will make a Homegrown National Park in their home by planting native species. Along with the 21 Taras Collective she has released a new album of 7 mantras in 2025. Nina co-hosted and released along with 10 women wisdom leaders, the audio course and program “Sita’s Gems”, lifting Sita Devi from victim to heroine of the Ramayana.

My Legacy Podcast: Krishna Das and Nina Rao | From Rock & Roll to Sacred Sound

From rock ’n’ roll dreams to sacred sound, Krishna Das’s story is one of redemption and renewal. Known as the “chant master of American yoga,” KD has touched millions through kirtan—a practice of music, devotion, and letting go. 

Joined by his longtime collaborator Nina Rao, he sits down with hosts Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Marc Kielburger, and Craig Kielburger to share how music, devotion, and service became the foundation of his life. 

Together, they reveal how: 

• Letting go is a daily practice that builds real strength 

• Music can transform pain into connection 

• Service and love are inseparable 

Bonus Drop: A Krishna Das Sacred Sound Performance

Whether this is your first time hearing kirtan or you’ve been chanting for years, let this offering be a moment of stillness, healing, and renewal.

Subscribe to the My Legacy Podcast now to catch new episodes every Tuesday and bonus content every Thursday. And watch full episodes on YouTube every Wednesday.

Mindrolling with Raghu Markus – Ep. 609 – The Bhakti-Buddhist Lineage: Stories of Ram Dass and Maharaj-ji with Robert Thurman & Nina Rao

Recorded live at the 2025 Summer Mountain Retreat, this homestyle chat with Raghu Markus, Nina Rao, and Robert Thurman explores the Bhakti-Buddhist lineage of Ram Dass and Maharaj-ji.

Join us this December for the 2025 Ram Dass Legacy Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat in Maui!

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu, Nina, and Robert discuss:

• The story of finding Neem Karoli Baba and filling up on poori and potatoes

• How Maharaj-ji miraculously healed Krishna Das’s injured knee

• The wonderful interplay between Ram Dass and Buddhist teachers

• Nina’s relationship with Sri Siddhi Ma, an intimate devotee of Maharaj-ji (considered by many to be a saint in her own right)

• Seeing everyone as the guru and living the best way that we can

• Nina’s journey to the foothills of the Himalayas and meeting Siddhi Ma for the first time

• The Buddhist perspective on the soul (ātman) and whether we truly have one

• Why ‘Be Here Now’ is actually a mantra of care and femininity

• The Bhagavad Gita and the meaning of karma yoga

• Letting go of fear around birth and death by focusing on liberation from suffering

• Being here now in the best way we can by loving those around us rather than running away from the pain in the world

“My own take on it in terms of what we represent and what goes on here is really, truly, a combination of Bhakti and discriminating wisdom represented by Buddhist perspective.” – Raghu Markus

About Nina Rao:

Nina Rao is a devotional singer. She tours with Krishna Das, playing cymbals, singing, and acting as his business manager. Nina has two of her own albums, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts” and “Anubhav”. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. Together with Chandra and Genevieve Walker, Nina operates the 21 Taras Collective. You can keep up with Nina on her website or find her on Instagram @nina_rao and on Facebook @NinaRaoChant.

“I didn’t realize that I was looking for a guru until Krishna Das started talking about Neem Karoli Baba. When I heard about him and I felt that presence that came alive when Krishna Das was talking about Maharaj-ji, I wanted to meet him.” – Nina Rao

About Robert Thurman:

Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and President of the Tibet House U.S., and is the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. His new book, Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life, is now available.

“What is the best way to ‘be here now’? It’s to love Raghu, to love Nina, to love Maharaj-ji, it’s to love everything here and now and make it beautiful and the best. Be as beautiful and as best as you can be because that’s absolute. That’s the way to ‘be Nirvana now’.”  – Robert Thurman

Mindrolling with Raghu Markus

LIVE: Bhakti Meets Buddhism with Nina Rao & Acharya Shunya | Ram Dass Summer Mountain Retreat 2025

You're invited to join us LIVE from the 2025 Ram Dass Summer Mountain Retreat, for a special session with Nina Rao and Acharya Shunya - sharing in conversation on the intersection of Bhakti and Buddhist tradition. Together, they'll explore devotion, emptiness, and the timeless space where love and awareness meet, accompanied by rare archival audio from Ram Dass.

💛 Want to experience the full retreat? Donate what you can to unlock all 15+ hours of livestreamed content + replays: https://ramdass.org/summer (No one turned away • Sliding-Scale replays available through August 25)