Religion & SpiritualityHinduismSpiritualityJudaism

Divine Discoveries

Pratyaksh Pai, Kristianne Schotzinger, & Vikrum Mathur

This podcast explores the various aspects of spirituality and how one can benefit from embarking on the spiritual path. The information shared is largely based on the Vedic scriptures and knowledge that originates from the subcontinent of India but we most certainly strive to include great wisdom from all world religions to give it an interfaith type of flavor as well.

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22 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 43 min
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S2 · E9
Monday · 1 hr 25 min
#26 Ganesh Chaturthi: Faith, Family, Friends, Feasts & Fun (feat. Parasuram Iyer)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD is in conversation with special guest: Parasuram Iyer Ji who hails from Mumbai, India where Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with tremendous faith and grandeur. We go down "memory lane" with him to see where his unwavering devotion towards Lord Ganesha (the enigmatic Elephant God known for removing obstacles from our path) started. How did he and his family celebrate this great festival growing up and how does he continue to celebrate it today. We also explore through symbology and fun stories the divine intellectual that Lord Ganesha is. Wishing all the listeners a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E25
August 19 · 1 hr 22 min
#25 Looking Beyond: Discovering The Timeless Reality Within (feat. Marie Major)
Send us Fan Mail In this milestone episode Team DD were so blessed to have a deeply divine conversation with spiritual book author: Marie Major. Marie has written very though-provoking books that are sure to inspire one to go within and discover yourself. We realize what TIME really is and how we should use it to our advantage. We are sure that you all will enjoy this amazing conversation! Enjoy! :) Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E24
July 29 · 1 hr 43 min
#24 Guru: The Guiding Light for Humanity (feat. Sw. Vandana Jyothi)
Send us Fan Mail Greetings Dear Listeners, in this episode DD host Pratyaksh Pai is in conversation with Sw. Vandana Jyothi who spent most of her life in service of Guruji Sadguru Sant Keshavadas and still continues to do so. Through this fascinating conversation, we all get a glimpse into the sacred bond between a Guru & Disciple. Such wonderful personal memories and anecdotes were revealed that most (if not all) would find inspiring, enlightening, and heartwarming. We certainly hope you all tune in and enjoy this episode! Sadguru Maharaj Ki Jai! 😇🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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June 21 · 1 hr 53 min
#23 Celebrating Yoga: A Timeless Gift to Humanity (feat. Snehal Raskar from Art of Living)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD explores the ancient science of YOGA beyond the physical postures & fitness. We are joined by guest speaker: Snehal Raskar (licensed Art of Living Yoga practitioner & teacher) to discuss all aspects of YOGA that are often overlooked or misunderstood. We talk about how YOGA can benefit all not just physically, but mentally & emotionally as well! Ultimately Yoga is necessary to realize ourselves and be in tune with the divine soul that we are. Enjoy! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E5
May 31 · 1 hr 32 min
#22 Karma III: Vedantic Science of Rebirth & SELF-Realization
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD explores the depths of the Vedantic science called the Doctrine of Rebirth/Reincarnation. We think we are the body but we know there is much more beyond that because the body has a temporary existence just like everything else. So who are we truly? How do we realize ourselves? What are we made up of other than matter and food particles? Under all the false identities and layers, where does the true SELF reside? How shall we make contact with the SELF? These are the aspects of our existence and much more that are explored in this episode! Enjoy! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E4
April 21 · 1 hr 53 min
#21 The Legend of Lord Hanuman (feat. Sangeetha Narayan)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD explores the innumerable virtues of Lord Hanuman who is in a stratosphere of his own. He possesses great wisdom, personifies selfless service, and epitomizes true devotion. His saga is one that started in the Treta Yuga as a pivotal character of the historic epic Ramayana, but it continues today as he dwells wherever Lord Rama's name is chanted/sung/uttered with sincere faith and devotion. Enjoy this special episode dedicated to Shri Hanuman Ji! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E3
March 29 · 2 hr 4 min
#20 Karma 102: Death & The Soul's Journey Beyond (feat. Sonali Jog)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD takes a deep dive into exploring the taboo topic of "DEATH" and the "AFTERLIFE". These topics carry a lot of mystique and wonder, but largely overlaced with FEAR and ANXIETY. Through our research largely based on the wisdom of Garuda Purana, we have gained some answers to the unknowns surrounding these topics. Please listen with an open mind and heart and we assure you all will gain even better perspective of life, death, and the afterlife! Enjoy! Resources Referenced: The Garuda Purana - Unveiling the Secrets of Life, Death, and Beyond by author: Naveen Goyal https://www.amazon.com/Garuda-Purana-Unveiling-Secrets-Puranas-ebook/dp/B0G6DSBYSW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EWPUK4Q6DAHE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-XkoarCa9XeljUwLcNoLyzXuWfYq94mx2KBYa5K5ibj8kn2QdtxPo-e4lMA0jnflIWr4fT6-aR5Ngcy_meEa6DspWTd3N3t-d5mkS4sYoSb5DigP4biQ3R8mSsFSg9RfGOUkTUjWPjwoxfdH43iuvRFLCWkvRTY3lESydUSrBJZ5QbFHi1sxAWeNSl6Ld-x2yCw3TYgUDRARn2KcpRqxGJUT4inYzBgcMBukFP4uLR0.xcx53uYxtZfmk2xr2czQAa0xUL3YlfyNwfXHJqmjQvU&dib_tag=se&keywords=garuda+purana+naveen&qid=1774759368&sprefix=garuda+purana+naveen%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1 Death in San Francisco stage play which DD castmate Vikrum Mathur acted in: Part 1 - https://youtu.be/Uk2ikkTCvBc?si=jBrSAtuG8G7ixAAt Part 2 - https://youtu.be/zBjmTc_6h_k?si=8QG1fePH2z8N1yt6 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E2
February 24 · 1 hr 47 min
#19 Karma 101: Seeds of Action, Fruits of Destiny, Cycles of Life
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team Discoveries has it's 3 castmates diving deep into gaining a precise understanding the concept of "KARMA" and it's various facets. We talk about the definition of the word itself and the various types of KARMA. This episode serves as a great introduction to the infallible law of karma/action. Enjoy! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S2 · E1
January 26 · 2 hr 9 min
#18 Why the Bhagavad Gita Still Matters - feat. Pramod Mathur
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD kickstarts Season 2 with a very special conversation with retired chemical engineer, book author, spiritual seeker & guide to many: Mr. Pramod Mathur. Pramod Ji is the uncle of DD Castmate Vikrum Mathur and it was such a wonderful opportunity to learn about his own spiritual journey along with how he decided to author a book titled "MISSION POSSIBLE: Understanding and Applying the Bhagavad Gita (2nd Edition)". Team DD highly recommends all interested listeners to read this book as it simplifies some of the complexities novice readers might encounter while attempting to read and comprehend the Bhagavad Gita. Please use this link to purchase the book (Paperback, Hardcover, & Kindle versions available): https://a.co/d/21D3S0U Through this conversation we learned how relevant the ancient wisdom of the Holy Bhagavad Gita is and how one must approach it in today's times. He provided such wonderful and practical answers to the questions asked by Team DD, which makes this conversation one you do not want to miss! We also talked about the incredible life and legacy of the Swami Vivekananda + reflected back on Season 1 through listener feedback! Please Enjoy! 😊🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E17
January 1 · 1 hr 58 min
#17 One Light, Many Colors: Exploring Christmas, Hanukkah, & More (feat. Sangeetha Narayan)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode DD host Pratyaksh Pai & Guest host (Montessori School Teacher, Singer, & Children's book author) Sangeetha Narayan team up to learn about the incredible history that most may not know about the joyful and popularly celebrated holidays known as Christmas and Hanukkah. These are the holidays that immediately come to mind when the month of December approaches and there is soooooo much to uncover and discover about these amazing holidays and the rich history which tells us about their origins. We also celebrate Bhagavad Gita Jayanti by reciting the 9 holy verses popularly known as the "Gita Dhyana Shlokas". For all of this and much much more, please tune in and listen to the finale episode of Divine Discoveries Season 1. Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E16
Nov 27, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
#16 Give Thanks & Realize Grace
Send us Fan Mail In this Thanksgiving special episode Team DD takes a deeper dive into how the attitude of gratitude is so essential for all spiritual seekers. Being thankful is a way to take the burden of "doership" off your back and surrender the glories/credit to God. It takes effort to get there, but we have to start just by being thankful to our loved ones for all they do and for all that we have. We also explore "gratitude" through some small stories from our holy epics and scriptures that emphasize the importance of thankfulness. Finally is just Gratitude sufficient to reach our Goal? Please listen to find out! Team DD is truly grateful for all their listeners support! Happy Thanksgiving!! 😊🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E15
Oct 20, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min
#15 Diwali Dialogue: Lighting Lamps of the Soul (feat. Janardana Dasa & Prashant Sharma)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team Discoveries discusses the customs, traditions, and deeper significance of the "Festival of Lights" known as "Deepavali/Diwali". There is so much to gain from the deep dive we took into uncovering the symobolic meanings behind our Diwali customs. Hope you all enjoy! Wishing all the listeners a Happy & Wisdom-Filled Diwali! 🪔😊🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E14
Oct 3, 2025 · 1 hr 49 min
#14 Durga Shakti Unleashed - Nine Nights to Victory (feat. Jaya Pandey & Smitha Raj)
Send us Fan Mail This episode centers around the Holy Festival of Navratri where we explore and learn about the various aspects of the Divine Feminine Energy known as "Devi" or Goddess. There are so many flavors or aspects of Devi that one can gain so much knowledge, compassion, and love from. Team DD were joined by 2 special guest speakers who shared their experiences of Durga Puja and so much more! No matter how much we learn, the glories of the Divine Mother are endless but we hope you enjoy the thrilling ride of Durga Discovery through this episode! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E13
Sep 17, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
#13 Vedanta 101 with Prof. B.N. Hebbar
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team Discoveries has the good fortune of speaking with Prof. B.N. Hebbar in order to introduce our listeners to the WORLD OF VEDANTA. We understand what the term "Vedanta" means and learn about the various scholars who founded philosophical schools of thought based on the Upanishads and other prominent scriptural texts. This was a very insightful episode for Team Discoveries, we hope it will be the case for our listeners as well. Enjoy! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E12
Aug 26, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
#12 Lord Ganesha - Sacred Symbology of the Enigmatic Deity
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Team Discoveries attempts to take a deeper look behind the Divine Elephant-faced God and gained a beautiful new perspective on Lord Ganesha. The deep symbolism and valuable lessons to learn from the stories that glorify Lord Ganesha is just UNBELIEVABLE! On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, we present this episode which consists of Ganesha stories, how his holy birthday festival is celebrated, popular Ganesh shlokas/mantra recitations, Ganesha's impact on modern day creative artists, and much much more!! Ganapati Bappa Moraya!!! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E11
Aug 19, 2025 · 1 hr 56 min
#11 Lord Shri Krishna - The Avatar of Pure Divine Love (feat. Smitha Raj & Janardana Dasa)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Team DD along with guests Janardana Dasa & Smitha Raj explore the meaningful and nectarian pastimes of the blessed Lord Shri Krishna in observance of his holy birthday Shri Krishna Janmashtami. Along with the wonderful lilas of Krishna, we also delve into many other topics in relation to Lord Krishna such as the Jagannath Puri temple and the efficacy of why cows are considered sacred, and much much more! Jai Shri Krishna!!! Enjoy!!! 😊🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E10
Aug 1, 2025 · 2 hr 29 min
#10 Guru Purnima: A Disciple's Extraordinary Journey (feat. Janardana Dasa)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode Team DD explores a bit deeper into the concept of a spiritual master aka GURU. We learn about the festival of Guru Purnima and it's significance. A blessed disciple Shri Janardana Dasa (aka John Butler III) shares his incredible life experiences which are truly unbelievable and inspiring. He speaks about how he was given formal spiritual initiation by Guruji Sant Keshavadas and much later found spiritual connection once again with a female saint Shri Amma Karunamayi. Our sincere gratitude to Janardana Dasa for his graciousness to join us for this incredible milestone episode! Please be advised that this episode could cause you to experience amazement and goosebumps at certain points, but it is all for the better! Enjoy! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E9
Jul 15, 2025 · 1 hr 43 min
#9 The Shad Darshanas 101 with Prof. B.N. Hebbar
Send us Fan Mail In this episode the Divine Discoveries Team had a chance to speak with the very accomplished Prof. B.N. Hebbar to gain an introductory understanding of the "Shad Darshanas" aka the six ancient schools of Hindu philosophical thought. Each one of these philosophies has so much depth and there is logic and rationale applied by each of the philosophers who founded them. There was no room for false knowledge or blind faith, these Vedic scholars had competition from rival faiths such as Buddhism & Jainism so they had debate to justify why their philosophy made sense. To learn and understand more, please enjoy the 1st part of a 2 part conversation we have planned with Prof. Hebbar. Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E8
Jun 14, 2025 · 1 hr 56 min
#8 Introduction to the Ancient Judaic & Hindu Scriptures
Send us Fan Mail Team Divine Discoveries gives an introduction and overview of the various types of divinely inspiring scriptural texts that are known to people of modern day Jewish and Hindu faith systems. Through their research they were able to learn and explain some of their findings in a concise manner which can certainly wet the appetite for those who are curious to know more about the great scriptures and why we as a society benefit greatly from the wisdom they contain. Please send any questions/inquiries on the subject matter discussed in this episode to DivineDiscoveries108@gmail.com and we would be glad to address and try answering your questions. Happy Listening!! 😊🙏🏽 Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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S1 · E7
May 15, 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
#7 Stories & Glories - The Animal Avatars of Lord Vishnu
Send us Fan Mail In this episode the Divine Discoveries Team celebrates the appearance day of Lord Shri Narasimha (Shri Narasimha Chaturdashi) by telling the divine tales of Shri Kurma, Shri Varaha, & Shri Narasimha Avatars. We also do our very first Q&A session answering some very intriguing questions our listeners posed based on episode #6: Cosmic Creation & Time. Lastly we cover the Holy Days of May and hear more gems of wisdom from Guruji Sadguru Sant Keshavadasji! Our sincere gratitude to all our listeners! Please provide us with any feedback you can think of and we will use it constructively to improve and that is a promise! Thank you & God Bless! 😊🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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