Blog

Invoking the Goddess with Nina Rao and Dr Joanna Kujawa

If you liked my interview with Krishna Das, you will love this one as well. Nina gives us tools to connect with the Feminine Aspects of the Divine and discusses the Hindu Goddess Tradition as well as her own experience of the Divine as both Feminine and Masculine. We also talk about restoring the balance between the Feminine and Masculine aspects in us and in the world. We invoke the Goddess of Wisdom and talk about spiritual practices such as invoking the names of the Goddess, the power of the name itself and the Energy that it brings into our lives.
Much love, Dr Joanna Kujawa


BHNN Guest Podcast – Ep. 65 – Nina Rao – Women’s Stories of Neem Karoli Baba with Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, & Radha Baum

Nina Rao hosts Satsang elders Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, and Radha Baum in sharing stories from the female perspective about Indian mystic and Guru, Neem Karoli Baba.

Joining together in a virtual remembrance and celebration of the life and teachings of Indian Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, on the anniversary of his Mahasamadhi, Nina invites powerful female Satsang elders Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, and Radha Baum to share stories of their time spent in his presence after following the path laid out by Ram Dass to India in the early 1970s. Illuminating the deep transmission of gathering in community and sharing stories of the Guru, Nina welcomes us all to meet where our rivers merge, joining in Satsang and darshan of the divine loving presence known affectionately as Maharajji.

FUll episode

The Path of the Guru: First Darshan

Prompted by Nina; Mirabai, Parvati, and Radha each share their unique and nuanced experience of finding the spiritual path, discovering Neem Karoli Baba, and journeying to India to have his darshan. Darshan is to be enveloped in the divine, reflective presence of a Holy being, an entity with the ability to help guide you to the place of Oneness inside yourself. Sharing their personal stories, Mirabai, Parvati, and Radha elucidate the deep, bellowing, gravitational pull of the Guru’s Grace.

“We piled into Ram Dass’ red VW bus and went to Kainchi, washed our fruit, took our shoes off, went into the temple, and met Maharajji. I had spent time with other ‘saints’ and always felt like something was wrong with me. I couldn’t open my heart. I couldn’t bow at their feet. It didn’t make any sense to me. As soon as I saw Maharajji, that was it. There was no question. There was no having to surrender. It just was.” – Parvati Markus

Getting a Name, Embodying an Essence (36:40)

Famously starting with Bhagavan Das and Ram Dass, Maharajji was known for giving Hindu holy names to the Western devotees who traveled to have his darshan in the early 1970s. Many of the devotees were versed in Indian culture and yearned for specific names, while other’s like Radha were a little skeptical and averse at first, but slowly learned to grow into and embody the essence of their given names from Maharajji.

“I love my Krishna, who is Maharajji, Shiva, Hanuman – I love him as whatever he is, which is everything. [Radha] was a good name for me because I just love him so much…I never, ever experienced anything like this. It’s the greatest love, more than any kind of love you could conceive of.” – Radha Baum

Transformation, Presence, & Lineage (56:52)

Highlighting the experience of spending months with Maharajji at his ashrams in India, the ensuing personal transformations that took place, and the lineage that was brought back to West in the form of Bhakti Yoga, the Hanuman Chalisa, satsang, kirtan, and service; Mirabai, Parvati, and Radha speak to the life-changing and metamorphic reality of sitting in Maharajji’s presence.

“The questions just fell away. They seemed irrelevant being with him. It was just his presence that was the teaching. It wasn’t reduced to a knowing about any particular thing. It was a wholly different way of knowing than before.” – Mirabai Bush

Be Here Now Network Podcast - Nina Rao - Women’s Stories of Neem Karoli Baba with Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, & Radha Baum

Nina Rao hosts Satsang elders Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, and Radha Baum in sharing stories from the female perspective about Indian mystic and Guru, Neem Karoli Baba.

Joining together in a virtual remembrance and celebration of the life and teachings of Indian Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, on the anniversary of his Mahasamadhi, Nina invites powerful female Satsang elders Mirabai Bush, Parvati Markus, and Radha Baum to share stories of their time spent in his presence after following the path laid out by Ram Dass to India in the early 1970s. Illuminating the deep transmission of gathering in community and sharing stories of the Guru, Nina welcomes us all to meet where our rivers merge, joining in Satsang and darshan of the divine loving presence known affectionately as Maharajji.

Sacred Music with Nina Rao - Podcast with Conscious Diva

How can the practice of Kirtan assist us with what’s happening in the world today - particularly with trauma. In this episode, renown kirtanwalli, Nina Rao explains the devotional music chanted in bhajans, kirtan and the practice of Bhakti, and how we become receptive to the flow of grace through chanting. Nina also shares the story of Hanuman from the Ramayana and how through the practice of Maha mantra, a transmission of wisdom is received by the practitioner.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
LISTEN ON iTUNES

Be Here Now Network Podcast – Nina Rao - Saving Wild Tigers with Dr. Ullas Karanth and Dr. Krithi Karanth

Nina Rao talks with tiger conservationists Dr. Ullas Karanth and Dr. Krithi Karanth about their work at the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India.

Dr. Ullas Karanth is the Managing Trustee and Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies. His daughter, Dr. Krithi Karanth, is the Chief Conservation Scientist. They practice science-based conservation to promote the protection of wildlife. For over 20 years, Nina Rao’s Saving Wild Tigers has supported the Karanth’s work in creating viable sanctuaries for wild tigers.

Don’t miss Saving Wild Tigers online benefit concert: Sacred Music for Sacred Forests. Premiering at 7pm ET on May 30, join Nina and artists such as Trevor Hall, MC Yogi, and Krishna Das in their expression of love for nature.



BHNN Guest Podcast – Ep. 58 – Nina Rao – Saving Wild Tigers with Dr. Ullas Karanth and Dr. Krithi Karanth

Nina Rao talks with tiger conservationists Dr. Ullas Karanth and Dr. Krithi Karanth about their work at the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India.

Dr. Ullas Karanth is the Managing Trustee and Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies. His daughter, Dr. Krithi Karanth, is the Chief Conservation Scientist. They practice science-based conservation to promote the protection of wildlife. For over 20 years, Nina Rao’s Saving Wild Tigers has supported the Karanth’s work in creating viable sanctuaries for wild tigers.

Full episode

Obsessed with Tigers

Nina welcomes Ullas and Krithi, and asks both how they came to their love of tigers and wildlife. Ullas talks about his efforts to help restore the tiger population in India, and how there’s room to create more wilderness habitats for tigers around the globe. They discuss the importance of biodiversity, and the deep culture of tolerance for wildlife in India.

“In general, [humans] want nature. And I think it’s like priceless paintings that you have inherited. Why do you want to rip it up for a couple dollars?” –Dr. Ullas Karanth

Conservation Efforts (20:03)

Nina asks Krithi about the projects she has created for the Centre for Wildlife Studies, including one that looks at the scale of interaction between humans and wildlife in India. Nina and Ullas talk about the work he does in the field, and his program to train the next generation of conservationists.

“One thing that struck me was no matter where we went, and how many households we talked to, there was an acknowledgement that these spaces were to be shared with animals. Sometimes the animals cause problems, but inherently there is this recognition that these animals have been around as long, if not longer, than us.” – Dr. Krithi Karanth

Tigers and Covid (36:50)

Nina asks Ullas about the news of the tiger at the Bronx Zoo that was infected with Covid-19. They discuss how wildlife poaching in India has increased due to the pandemic lockdown. Krithi talks about the scope of another program she runs, and how everyone who works in the NGO sector is affected by the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic.

“A human being can pass on Covid to a tiger if he literally hugs and kisses it, which happens in zoos, but it’s highly unlikely to happen in the wild in India.” – Dr. Ullas Karanth

Be Here Now Podcast – Nina Rao - Preserving the Wealth of Nature with Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman joins Nina Rao for a conversation around strategies we can use to restore our balance with nature for the sake of our connection, Beauty, and global climate.

Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific treatises from the Tibetan Tengyur. Keep up with Robert at bobthurman.com

Find events near you featuring dharma talks, meditations and chanting with Nina at ninaraochant.com. Register here for the Sacred Music for Sacred Forests Benefit Concert with Nina, Krishna Das and Friends, NYC May 30, 2020. You can learn more about ways you can preserve the natural habitat of India’s tigers at Nina Rao’s wilderness conservation non-profit charity: savingwildtigers.org

Wisdom Rising: Mandala of the Five Wisdom Dakinis & Goddess Traditions of India and Tibet

Experience transformation through the power of chanting to the goddess in her many forms and through meditation on the maṇḍala—a universal map for inner and outer balance, wholeness, and practical awakening. Chandra and Nina share a deep interest in the complementary wisdom and devotional traditions of Tibet and India honoring the divine feminine. They will weave together mystical stories, visualizations, meditations, mantra repetition, and singing chants.


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Interview with Phil Cartwright - Nina Rao "Anubhav" Album

ANUBHAV is the title of the album ~ Anubhav is a word Ma spoke when talking with Nina about how important it is to have a disciplined practice so it may blossom into each one’s own direct experience of the Divine, the Soul, the One. This inner knowing or perception or feeling, Anubhav, is what guides us on the Path of Life.
Nina Rao learned traditional chants (bhajans) from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das' business manager and assistant, often touring with him playing cymbals and singing. In 2007, she recorded the track 'Nina Chalisa' on Krishna Das' CD "Flow of Grace " and in January 2013, she released her debut album, "Antarayaami - Knower of All Hearts". Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond.

Positive Energy - Video Interview + Chant {with me and my Uma}

Here's an interview and chant (with Uma and me) - "Positive Energy" on Princeton Community TV that you might enjoy.

Exploring the Devotional Path with Nina Rao

Michele Granberg interviews well-known Kirtan artist Nina Rao, who travels the world with Krishna Das, about her spiritual journey. Nina and her daughter Uma share a beautiful sanskrit chant.

Embodied Love - Online Conference

Devotion is a phenomenon more universal than any particular tradition, for devotion can be as varied as love itself.  In the dharmic traditions, the term for devotion is bhakti. As Bhakti Yoga, it is a form of practice characterized by devotion to a deity. The more popular forms of bhakti are Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta in character (devoted to Krishna, Shiva, or forms of the Goddess, respectively). In all of these traditions, bhakti is both a form of religious and contemplative practice since love for a particular form of God/Goddess is widely accepted as one of the most effective ways to focus the mind.  

In this free online conference, we will discover both traditional and non-traditional forms of bhakti. We will explore the ways in which devotion transforms our world, from the inside out. Just as falling in love has the power to shape and renew one’s worldview, becoming a Bhakta transmutes our vision and refines our heart. Love for the divine further empowers the devotee to transcend aspects of mundane existence, as it challenges common and selfish expressions of love.  By dedicating our practice to a principle or deity that transcends the ephemeral, we can begin to taste the fullness of embodied love and its liberating possibilities.  

This conference, as with all programming at Embodied Philosophy, will seek to strike a balance between scholarship and practice. Each participant has been invited to share embodied bhakti-informed practices as well as scholarship and research relevant to Bhaktas and the various Bhakti traditions.

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We will learn about:

  • The history of Vaishnava Bhakti

  • The teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā

  • How to live the life of the heart

  • The yogic practices of devotion

  • The character of Hanuman, the personification of devotion from the Ramayana

  • How Bhakti yoga differs from other forms of yoga

  • Why serving the divine will save the world

  • The relationship between the Bhakta (or practitioner) and Bhakti

  • The relationship between the human and the divine in Vaishnava Bhakti

  • Stories from the Indian tradition that are central to Bhakti

  • Sri Krishna

  • The 9 Practices of Vaidhī Bhakti

I am so pleased to be included as a presenter in this free online event coming up Oct 4 to 6, 2019.

Sign up here!
https://www.embodiedphilosophy.org/a/17738/tSca2zU2

Mindrolling Podcast – Raghu Markus with Nina Rao on Nina's Anubhav CD

Nina Rao visits the Mindrolling Podcast for a chat with Raghu about the transformative power of mantra and the fruits of pursuing a spiritual path.

Nina learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she was nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and assistant, often touring with him playing kartals (cymbals) and singing. In January 2013, she released her debut album, Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts and her sophomore album, Anubhav, in 2018. Nina regularly leads kirtan, chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, and sings for yoga classes in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY and beyond. Keep up with Nina Rao at ninaraochant.com.

My New CD Pre-Sale On Kickstarter!!

Today is the launch of my new CD pre-sale on Kickstarter.
Find out more about the CD and get your very own copy!
CLICK HERE