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The Bhagavata Podcast
The Bhagavata Podcast invites listeners on an engaging journey through the Bhagavata Purana, more commonly known as the Srimad Bhagavatam. Each episode features conversations between scholars, many of whom are also practitioners, as they reflect on and analyze a chapter of this text together. The podcast offers a unique blend of academic rigor and personal insight, providing fresh perspectives that illuminate the beauty and uniqueness of the Bhagavatam.
In each episode, host Dr. Måns Broo, an esteemed scholar and Gaudiya Vaishnava practitioner, invites expert guests to reflect on a chapter of the Bhagavata Purana. Following a linear progression through the text, the discussions explore the philosophical, theological, and literary dimensions of the Bhagavatam, offering both traditional insights and modern academic interpretations. This thoughtful approach enables listeners to journey through the Bhagavata Purana chapter by chapter, uncovering the intricate teachings of this work.
The Bhagavata Podcast is an initiative supported by the Gaudiya Studies Research Programme of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, furthering the mission of connecting living traditions with academic exploration.
The Bhagavata Podcast
1.14 The Disappearance of Lord Krishna with Jayananda Das
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