Unscripted, exploratory, and refreshingly honest, the Free Radical Podcast invites listeners into real conversations that bridge spirituality and everyday life. With a mix of insight, humor, and heartfelt questioning, Swami Padmanabha and his guests explore what it means to live with depth, courage, and sacred curiosity.
Airing 10 am (edt)
1st and 3rd Wednesdays
of each month on YouTube

The Free Radical Podcast is a creative encounter among like-minded and like-hearted spirits, regardless of their background or affiliation—or even non-affiliation. Following the call of our 21st Century spirituality, we embrace a trans-institutional commitment to spirituality rather than an institutionalized version of it. It is not so much about the demarkation of buildings but the exploration of hearts, not so much about fitting in but about deeply belonging—not so much about mere holiness but about wholeness as well. And it is the freedom born in the fire of these shared hearts who deeply belong to a process of becoming fully whole, fully persons, that creates the sacred space to step into new ways of being, deeper ways of being, radical—to the core—ways of being….and being what?….Being fully integrated individuals, whose humanity contextualizes their spirituality.Swami Padmanabha is an author, monk, and spiritual mentor who has just published his second book, called “Radical Personalism: Revival Manifesto for Proactive Devotion.”
The format of the podcast is not an interview as much as spontaneous exploration in dialogue, encouraging a multi-trait interdisciplinary method of approaching how we understand something—of looking at it from different angles and perspectives. We don’t expect to agree on everything with each person, but we do expect to use our differences as a way to approach each other, rather than an excuse for further distancing. The time has come to let down the draw bridges and learn how to deeply relate with ourselves, each other, and the world in meaningful ways. This experience of mutual enlightenment can be also called “Collective Introspection.” This joint reflection is probably “the highest form of worship and communion. Restricted to the individual, this power of reflection remains limited and rudimentary. It is only in connection to kindred spirits that we can discover our own depth and wholeness. In other words, the deepest form of reflection can be developed only in communion with others. It is essentially a social phenomenon.” (excerpt from Radical Personalism: Revival Manifesto for Proactive Devotion”).
The Free Radical Podcast attempts to invoke sacred space and sacred conversation through deep expressive exchanges with like-minded souls with whom we share one same purpose in mind and heart, that purpose being to align our lives with the loving will of the Sweet Absolute, and to compassionately point to those things that need to be addressed for that miracle to continue happening in each of us.
Please join the conversation. It won’t be the same without you.
What happens when bhakti becomes more than something we practice—and begins to reveal who we truly are?
In this episode of the Free Radical Podcast, Swami Padmanabha welcomes Mukunda Das for a rich exploration of the living theology of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, drawing from Mukunda Prabhu’s decades of devotional experience and his book, Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana: A Study in the Applied Practice of Bhakti Yoga.
Their conversation centers on three foundational dimensions of bhakti: sambandha (relationship), abhidheya (practice), and prayojana (the ultimate goal of divine love). Far from being merely philosophical categories, these principles illuminate how spiritual understanding becomes lived experience, how practice deepens relationship, and how love continues to unfold without limit.
Along the way, they explore the sacredness of the material world, the distinction between genuine spiritual realization and institutional identity, the nature and function of guru, and the importance of recognizing spiritual growth beyond rigid, black-and-white conceptions of advancement.
A recurring theme is the necessity of genuine relationship—not only with the Divine, but with one another. When sambandha is understood, bhakti ceases to be a mechanical performance of prescribed activities and becomes an increasingly conscious expression of love.
And what of the ultimate goal? If divine love is infinite, can it ever be fully attained? Their reflections on prayojana open toward a beautiful paradox: love fulfills our deepest necessity while continually awakening the capacity and longing for more.
An invitation to reconsider what it means to practice bhakti, recognize grace already at work, and discover that the spiritual journey is not simply taking us somewhere else—it is revealing the life we are already beginning to live.
Connect further with Mukunda dasa:
FaceBook: /mukunda.das.1042
YouTube: /@MukundaDas-pm4vc
▶ CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Gaudiya Reform Forum on Facebook .
~ Swami Padmanabha’s Channels
▶ YOUTUBE
▶ WEBSITE
▶ PURCHASE RADICAL PERSONALISM: Revival Manifesto for Proactive Devotion in hardcover, paperback, and/or Kindle formats on Amazon
▶ WRITE your REVIEW of RADICAL PERSONALISM
~ Tadatmya Sangha’s Channels
▶ WEBSITE
▶ YOUTUBE

THE PLACE WHERE ALL MYSTICS MEET | Free Radical Podcast ep81 | James Finley | 11/4/26
THE RELATIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF BHAKTI | Free Radical Podcast ep80 | Mukunda dasa | 10/21/26
FROM EGO TO INFINITY: States, Stages, and Human Journey—Free Radical Podcast ep79—Ken Wilber | Oct 7
WHY MEN NEED TO BE INITIATED—AS MEN | Free Radical Podcast ep78 | Deva Madhava | 9/16/26
THE GOD WHO IS LOVE | Free Radical Podcast ep77 | Mirabai Starr | 9/2/26
PUSTHI MARGA: SECRETS OF THE BLESSED PATH | Free Radical Podcast ep76 | Krishna Kinkari | 8/19/26
THE TRANSFORMATIVE LIFE OF ETTY HILLESUM | Free Radical Podcast ep75 | Patrick Woodhouse 8/5/26
SIMPLICITY AFTER COMPLEXITY: The Maturation of Bhakti—Free Radical Podcast 74–Vraja Kishor 7/15/26
FROM CONTROL TO RELATIONSHIP: A New Vision of God | Free Radical Podcast ep73 | Sheri Kling 7/1/26