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.
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“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
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.