Pilgrim Heart with Krishna Das

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 197 – Wherever We Are, Maharaj-ji Is Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Krishna Das reflects on the enduring presence of Maharaj-ji, the medicine of devotion, and finding our own way into the practice of love.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das chats about:

Accomplishing all through the name of God
Entering the presence of Maharaj-ji, the presence of real love
Finding your own way to practice
The medicine of love and devotion
The Ramcharitmanas, an epic retelling of the Ramayana by the saint-poet Goswami Tulsidas
Humbling our hearts with gratitude for what we do have
Memories of arti practice with Maharaj-ji

“We’re always here and where we are, Mahraj-ji is. He said, ‘once I take your hand, I never let go, even when you let go of mine’. If we know about Maharaj-ji, if we’ve even heard of him, it means he has already taken our hand and we probably already let go a thousand times. He never lets go—life after life after life.” –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.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

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Ep. 196 – Live Kirtan from the 2024 Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Live from the 2024 Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat, Krishna Das leads a soul-stirring kirtan with “The Band” and shares heartfelt stories about Maharaj-ji.

Join Inner Academy and virtually immerse yourself in the full 2024 retreat! Listen to spiritual talks from some of Be Here Now Network’s favorite wisdom-keepers, live kirtans, and more.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, enjoy Krishna Das’s full kirtan set from our 2024 Summer Mountain Retreat:

Sita Ram
Baba Hanuman
Maha Mantra
Ma Durga
And more!

Interested in attending a retreat? Join us in Hawaii this December for the Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat featuring Krishna Das, Jack Kornfield, Mirabai Starr, and many others!

About Krishna Das:

“I was summoned from the back of the temple where we westerners spent most of our time, banished to inner darkness. All I did was distribute the prasad. I would give out this water, the nectar from the feet of the Goddess. The temple was right next to Maharaj-ji’s room. I’d be sitting there blah all day, and for some reason I would look up and he’d be peeking at me through the window. The minute I’d look up, he’d close the window. He did it every day. It was so funny.” –Krishna Das

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Ep. 195 – Descent into the Heartspace Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Enjoy this descent into the heartspace where Krishna Das connects us to our true nature of pure awareness and unity with God.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das explores:

Different translations of the Ramayana
Bhakti and repetition of the name as one of the easiest paths to follow
Descending deeply into the mind and heart
How Maharaj-ji instructed Krishna Das to wear red
Union with god alongside worldly enjoyments
Remembering to orient ourselves to our true nature
Watching the breath, separating breathing from awareness of breathing

“The eye receives information from the outside world. But, the eye has no consciousness—it’s a physical thing. What has consciousness is our true nature, which is aware of all the sense input that comes in. Who we truly are underneath all our thoughts, emotions, objects of experience, we are that awareness.” –Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

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Ep. 194 – Selfless Service in Action Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Krishna Das offers his perspectives on selfless service, committed practice, and uncovering the presence that has always been within.

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das discusses:

Doing selfless service for others anytime and anywhere
Keeping up with our practice in order to receive the fruits
Asana and Pranayama to clean our energy channels and heal the body
Uncovering the presence that already exists within us
Guru devotion as a means to dissolve the separate self

About Krishna Das:

“Service can be done anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t have to be your job so to speak, it doesn’t have to be a big deal, it doesn’t have to make you money. Real service is learning how to treat other people with the same love and respect that we would like to be treated. You can do that now. You don’t have to wait for permission, you don’t have to wait for inspiration.” –Krishna Das

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Ep. 193 – Sub Ek: Our Own True Nature Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Krishna Das reflects on Maharaj-ji’s teaching that all names, forms, and journeys lead to the same truth.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das talks about:

Neem Karoli’s teaching: Sub Ek (all one)
Following the heart and our own individual path to God
A dream message that Krishna Das had from Maharaj-ji
Developing communication skills for improved relationships
How being hard on ourselves makes it difficult to offer compassion to others
Putting effort into daily practice
Living with ease and being with all experiences, good and bad

“Maharaj-ji said one thing to us that was life-changing: sub ek. All one. Many names, many forms, many paths, all one. Different cultures call it by different names, they conceive of it differently, but underneath the thoughts it’s all the same…What Jesus realized is the same thing that the yogis in India realized, that the Zen Buddhists, Sufis, Muslims realized. They don’t get stuck in the difference of the forms. It’s just names; they’re all the names of the same thing which is our own true nature.” –Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

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Ep. 192 – From Turmoil to Tenderness: Lessons in Devotion and Release May 01, 2026

Show notes

In this extended Q&A special, Krishna Das offers powerful insights on navigating the turmoil of the human experience through devotional practice.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das offers down-to-earth advice on:

The name of God as an echo of our own being
Tuning ourselves into the mantra
Replacing greed and anxiety with compassion and kindness
The delusion of self and other
Depression and falling into the trap of self-obsession
Building up the strength to let go through daily practice
Coming back home to ourselves, to our breath
The lingering connection we have to those we have lost
Looking for love within ourselves instead of outside ourselves

"Depression expresses itself in many different ways. In general, through regular practice, we obsess about ourselves less and less. Over time, how we feel retreats into the background. It’s no longer the most important thing in your life. You wake up ‘How am I now? How am I now?’. All day long, all life long, we are always judging how we feel. As time goes on, you don’t give a shit about your state of mind anymore. You’re here now, which is where we are.” –Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

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Ep. 191 – Trauma, Healing & Permission to Start Over Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Krishna Das shares wisdom on overcoming trauma, transforming negative patterns, and continually beginning again in the grace of the present moment.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das offers down-to-earth advice on:

The incredible life of Garchen Rinpoche, a Tibetan Lama who spent 20 years in prison and labor camps in Communist China
Overcoming trauma & tragedy with gratitude for the present moment
Holding beings we have lost in our hearts and helping their spirit through prayer
Negative thought patterns and the stories we tell ourselves
Liberating the mind from suffering through practice
Remembering that we can always start again and create better habits
Finding the quiet space within ourselves that is non-reactive
Naturally arising compassion and not taking things too personally

Check out this free documentary on Garchen Rinpoche, For the Benefit of All Beings.

About Krishna Das:

"Our emotions are like clouds. We can't see the sun when we're stuck in our emotions. But has the sun gone anywhere? Have we gone anywhere? It is our minds that create the suffering and our minds that liberate us from suffering. You will always be right here where you are every minute. So how do we free ourselves? Practice. It's not about being high, having bliss or love all the time; it's about dealing with what's here. We can always start again." –Krishna Das

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Ep. 190 – The Essence of Karma Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Exploring the essence of karma, Krishna Das explains how conscious spiritual practice and selfless living can transform the patterns that guide our incarnation.

Check out Krishna Das’s book and CDs, Flow of Grace, for an expansive explanation of the Hanuman Chalisa and more!

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das gives wisdom on:

The essence of karma and the seeds that we plant for the future
Individual karma, global karma, cultural karma and ancestral karma
Transforming our reactions to all that arises in the moment
What perpetuates negative karma
The spiritual law of cause and effect: how love generates love, anger generates anger, and intention shapes reality
Knowing that we are here in this incarnation for a reason
The many forms that spiritual practice can come in and finding what resonates with you
How to live selflessly and cultivate compassion, even when feeling lost or searching for meaning

"Every action, every thought, is a karma which has an effect at one point or another. Whatever it is right now is a result of the past of our own karmas, the karmas of the world, the karmas of our culture, our family, and our own particular personal stuff. That can't be changed because it is here, it's in the moment. What can be changed is how

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Ep. 189 – Maharaj-ji Behind the Scenes Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

Discussing the divine mystery of Maharaj-ji, Krishna Das explains all of the spiritual workings that are going on ‘behind the scenes’ of our daily lives, bringing us exactly where we need to be.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das explores:

How Maharaj-ji works in our lives, often without us directly noticing
When Maharaj-ji sent Krishna Das back to America
The moment that Krishna Das ‘got with the program’ and realized he had to chant with others in order to purify his own heart
Serving Maharaj-ji through being true to oneself and figuring out what we want out of life
Doing activities that bring one closer to peace and compassion
Turning inward and getting to the root of depression and unhappiness
Seeing Hanuman and Jesus Christ as one in the same
Freeing ourselves from egoistic suffering

Grab a copy of KD’s favorite version of the Ramayana HERE!

“Finally, I blurted out, ‘Maharaj-ji, how can I serve you in America?’ Now come on, I wasn’t at all concerned with how I was going to serve. I was concerned with how I was going to live in America. He looked like he bit a pickle. That’s when he said, ‘Asking about service, then it’s not service. Just do what you want.’ So what did he mean…you can help people, you can do many things to help, but Maharaj-ji was saying that I had to figure out what I wanted and that would be a service to him.” –Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:

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Ep. 188 – Suffering & Self-Created Stories Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Guiding us toward balance, connection, and freedom from suffering, Krishna Das explores letting go of our numerous self-created stories.

This week on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das responds to questions on:

Devotional literature and poetry
What to do when feelings of boredom arise during practice
Using pain as an object of awareness
How mantra practice helps us remain balanced in daily life
Detaching from our thoughts and feelings rather than identifying with them
Freeing ourselves from the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves
The difference between letting go and pushing away
The illusion of separation and how recognizing our connection to all beings releases us from suffering

Check out this Tibetan devotional poem mentioned by Krishna Das, Life Beyond Time

“When there is a lot of physical pain, it is really hard to be present, which is why they always say practice when you can. It is inevitable that people get sick and suffer and die. People we know will get sick, suffer, and die, and we’re going to have to deal with those situations. We must find a way to live everyday in the best way we can.” –Krishna Das

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