The Living Heart Of The Srimad Bhagavatam: A Journey into Its Essential Current
2026-04-27 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | YouTube
For many years, I’ve had the joy of sharing studies on our Gaudiya Vaisnava scriptures, both in English and Spanish. In recent times, my focus has shifted more toward thematic explorations rather than walking through specific books verse by verse, though those sacred texts have always remained the foundation beneath every topic.
For some months now, however, I’ve felt a renewed inspiration to return directly to my beloved Srimad Bhagavatam—our scripture par excellence in the Gaudiya tradition. With the loving insistence of several noble souls, that inspiration has taken shape.
Our journey into the Living Heart of the Srimad Bhagavatam takes place every Monday. Rather than a merely linear reading, we trace its “silver thread”: the essential current of divine love flowing through all twelve cantos. We explore key verses and sections in their context, engage larger narrative arcs, address challenging or controversial passages, and uncover the many layers of meaning that ultimately converge in the Bhagavata’s central revelation.
You are warmly welcome to join live via Zoom (access info in flyer). If you cannot attend, each session is uploaded weekly to my YouTube channel.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

DRUMMING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 69 — Fr. Hyacinth Cordell 5/6/26
2026-05-06 10:00 - 11:30
In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we’re joined by Catholic priest, pastor, and acclaimed drummer Father Hyacinth Cordell. With a background in philosophy, theology, and pastoral ministry, Father Hyacinth brings a unique blend of intellectual depth, spiritual insight, and artistic expression to his work. Alongside his vocation as a priest, he has cultivated a global following through his powerful drumming, using rhythm as a form of devotion and connection to the divine.
Our conversation weaves through music, spirituality, and the many ways art can become an offering of love. Together, we explore drumming, poetry, and embodied expression as pathways that go beyond words—opening space for celebration, transcendence, and deeper relationship with the sacred.
We also touch on Father Hyacinth’s personal journey, including the unexpected call to priesthood, the role of discipline and devotion, and the influence of practices like veganism, running, and contemplative living on his path. From questions of vocation and celibacy to the universal longing for meaning and connection, this episode invites a rich and human exploration of faith in action.
Join us for a lively and heartfelt dialogue that bridges rhythm and reverence, offering a glimpse into a life where spirituality and creativity move as one.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

Response-Ability & The Architecture of Safety | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 70 — Madhava 5/20/26
2026-05-20 10:00 - 11:30
In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we’re joined by psychologist, philosopher, and trauma-informed facilitator Madhava, whose work sits at the intersection of nervous system awareness, attachment, and relational inquiry. As the founder of the Neurobody Method and a teacher at the Learning Love Institute, Madhava explores what truly makes connection possible—beginning with a nervous system that feels safe enough to stay present.
Together, we dive into a rich and expansive conversation on interrelatedness, communication as the fabric of reality, and the subtle dynamics that shape how we meet one another. Rather than focusing on analysis or emotional processing alone, this dialogue points toward the conditions that support genuine safety, dignity, and life-affirming connection.
We explore themes of vulnerability, the difference between false and authentic safety, and what it means to belong while continually evolving into our potential. This episode invites you into a deeper inquiry of relationship—not just with others, but with life itself.
Join us for a thoughtful and open-ended conversation that continues well beyond the episode.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

SOUL FRIENDSHIP & THE CONTEMPLATIVE PATH | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 71 — Carl McColman 6/3/26
2026-06-03 10:00 - 11:30
Join us for an upcoming episode of the Free Radical Podcast, featuring spiritual director, teacher, retreat leader, and author Carl McColman.
Carl McColman is a lay practitioner under formal spiritual guidance from sisters and monks associated with the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Spirit. His formation in Christian contemplative spirituality and contemplative leadership was shaped through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, and he also received training in the practice of spiritual direction through the Institute of Pastoral Studies.
He is also the author of more than a dozen books, alongside contributions to publications such as Huffington Post and Evie of the Arts, and he continues to travel widely, leading retreats and speaking on contemplative spirituality.
Alongside this deep grounding in the Christian contemplative tradition, Carl’s path has also moved through goddess spirituality, nature-centred practice, and interfaith encounter. His early studies in comparative spirituality, together with a sustained engagement with the Christian mystics, have shaped a sensibility attuned to the hidden depths running beneath all religious forms—the presence that is both beyond and within what can be named.
In this conversation, we enter a contemplative space where language begins to loosen its edges: where the divine feminine is encountered as a living presence rather than merely a theological idea; where duality and non-duality are held in creative tension; and where awe, imagination, and wonder become ways of seeing rather than ideas to be held. We reflect on the sacredness that pulses through the natural world, and on scripture as a field of encounter rather than explanation.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

WHEN MUSIC BECOMES PRAYER| The Free Radical Podcast # EP 72 — HAVI 6/17/26
2026-06-17 10:00 - 11:30
We are delighted to welcome to the The Free Radical Podcast renowned musician, author, and spiritual seeker Havi Prabhu—also known by his artistic name Ilan Chester.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Spanish-language music, Havi’s life and work span more than four decades of international artistry. Born in Israel to European parents and raised in Venezuela, his musical world was formed at the crossroads of cultures. A gifted pianist from early childhood, he developed a deeply expressive and stylistically open musical language that has resonated across genres and generations. With nearly 30 albums, hundreds of performances worldwide, a Latin Grammy Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy, his artistic legacy is both prolific and enduring.
Alongside his musical journey, Havi has also walked a profound spiritual path. Initiated in 1973 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and given the name Havi Das, he spent five years living as a monk dedicated to bhakti yoga, serving and teaching in Venezuela and Colombia. Today, he continues to embody a life woven together through music, devotion, and lived experience—now also as a father of seven and grandfather of eight.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

FROM CONTROL TO RELATIONSHIP: A NEW VISION OF GOD| The Free Radical Podcast # EP 73 — Sheri Kling 7/1/26
2026-07-01 10:00 - 11:30
In this upcoming episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Sheri Kling—Christian author, theologian, artist, musician, public speaker, and spiritual guide—for a deeply penetrating exploration of the intersections of faith, theology, psychology, science, and the arts.
Drawing from her work as the author of A Processed Spirituality and her passion for helping others move from disconnection and doubt into deeper purpose, passion, and spiritual vitality, Dr. Kling offers profound insights into some of life’s most challenging questions. Through her writing, teaching, speaking, and retreat ministry, she helps others engage transformative pathways toward a more vibrant and meaningful faith.
Together, we explore the nature of faith and belief, the reality of crisis, evil and suffering, and what it means to understand these experiences in the context of an all-alluring God. The conversation also touches on music, creativity, spiritual transformation, and the possibility of finding deeper meaning amid life’s uncertainties.
This episode is an abundant feast of wisdom, reflection, and hope—inviting listeners into a deeper and more transformative vision of spirituality. Join us for a conversation that will challenge, inspire, and nourish both heart and mind.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

SIMPLICITY AFTER COMPLEXITY: THE MATURATION OF BHAKTI | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 74 — Vraja Kishor 7/15/26
2026-07-15 10:00 - 11:30
Join us on The Free Radical Podcast for a reflective and deeply human conversation with artist, author, Vaishnava scholar, and astrologer Vraja Kishor.
Having joined ISKCON in 1990, Vraja Kishor pursued formal studies at the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education and spent several years immersed in devotional life and study. His path has also taken unexpected turns—most notably through his time with the Krishna punk band 108, where he helped integrate devotional themes into alternative music culture. Alongside his spiritual and artistic work, he has built a diverse professional background spanning software development and language teaching, before dedicating himself fully to Vedic astrology. He is also a translator of key Vaishnava texts, including work on the Bhagavad Gita, four cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam, and ongoing translation of the fifth canto as well as the Yoga Sutras.
In this episode, we explore themes drawn from his memoir Train Wrecks and Transcendence—including the arc of spiritual life, relationships, early enthusiasm and later grounding, and the challenge of integrating depth with simplicity. The conversation moves through questions of responsibility, devotion, friendship, family, and the evolving relationship between rigidity and maturity on the spiritual path—arriving at a vision of wholeness that finds the profound within the ordinary.
Tune in for a thoughtful and open exchange that traces a life lived at the intersection of devotion, creativity, and lived experience.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube

THE TRANSFORMATIVE LIFE OF ETTY HILLESUM | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 75 — Patrick Woodhouse 8/5/26
2026-08-05 10:00 - 11:30
On this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we are joined by Anglican priest, author, and former Canon of Wells Cathedral, Patrick Woodhouse. Our conversation unfolds through faith, suffering, and the possibility of transformation within life’s most difficult experiences. We discuss the search for meaning beyond fixed religious boundaries, including the ways in which faith can emerge in unexpected forms and settings.
Much of the discussion is shaped by Woodhouse’s engagement with the life and writings of Etty Hillesum, particularly through Patrick’s book Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed, alongside his work Life Transformed and Life in the Psalms: Contemporary Meaning in Ancient Texts (Bloomsbury). Through these texts, he explores how ancient spiritual traditions and modern testimony can speak into questions that remain urgently present today: how to live with grief and tragedy, how to understand hope without denial, and how praise and lament can coexist within a single life.
At its heart, this episode invites reflection on how Etty Hillesum’s witness, along with the enduring voice of the Psalms, continues to offer language for both despair and hope in a complex and unsettled world.
on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube
