Satsang in Sanskrit means "gathering together for truth". These gatherings would take place in temples, homes, institutions. Few well-read people would voice their interpretations of scriptures, and quote from their personal experiences. It was predigital era, and more importantly precovid.
With a tidal surge of streaming (entertainment and otherwise) we are leaning to a life of loneliness in a 'highly connected' world. We are on YouTube, Netflix, Amazon prime, etc.. After watching the blockbusters and trending ones you start scraping at the bottom of the cup. But, this interaction sans documentaries is a shallow one.
I have been listening to podcasts since 2009-10. They were few then. Eminent ones were from reputed broadcast houses. The last few years have seen a boom in podcasts. They might be again a one-way street, but you get to hear the ideas of great people. You get to know their routines, hear about their dos and don'ts. Can you cover a biography in one or two hours? You can gather the essence in a podcast interview in this time frame.
There have been some wonderful podcasts that I have come across. They have been a good Satsang to me. I do take notes if it has many life-changing pearls.
Sharing some good ones with you below. Enjoy them.
Vishal Khandelwal with Vinod Sethi on The One Percent Show (the most recent one I heard. Vinod Sethi talks about life, markets, investments and has great tips)
Tim Ferris with Naval Ravikant. Tim has some gems in his collection.
Shane Parrish and his Knowledge Project podcast (there are some wonderful ones here.. Ester perel, Adam Grant, Howard Marks, Atul Gawande, Robert Greene, Susan Cain, Dan Ariely)
Dan Carlin and his hard-core history. One of the best for history buffs. I have been listening to him for a decade.
On being with Krista Tippet This one is for those interested in a deeper meaning in life. Good ones here.
Gita for Daily Living by Neil Bhatt. This one helped me cover the entire Gita in the year 2017. It's by a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda who is an architect in the US. Simple language and easy to understand.
Vedanta Talks by Swami Sarvapriyananda. The Vedantic society in NY which was established by Swami Vivekananda has good sessions on Vedic studies. This is a collection of those sessions.
With an increase in choice of what we can do with our spare time podcast is an option to enrich oneself. Try one from above.
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