meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Rich Roll Podcast

“Of Mice and Me” — The Journey From Being Loved To Giving Love

The Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.713.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2014

⏱️ 143 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Safe to say I am mildly obsessed with Ganesh, the famous Hindu elephant boy god. Even if you don't know anything about this odd creature or what he represents, you likely know who I'm talking about. The iconic youngster’s unmistakeable visage is ubiquitous these days — adorning yoga studios, hanging around people’s homes, emblazoned on t-shirts and even splayed across brick wall street art in hipster neighborhoods across America. But how does this have anything to do with this week’s guest? Patience. I’ll bring it around. I always do. The thumbnail fable of Ganesh goes something like this: young boy warrior fiercely devoted to his beloved mother Parvati meets his match in Parvati's abusive husband Shiva. Defending Parvati from Shiva's angry rage late one night while Parvati bathed, Shiva up and just decapitates the young boy. Cut his head straight off! Inconsolable and furious, Parvati is determined to bring her boy back to life. Towards this end, she strikes a deal with Shiva that (inexplicably) involves replacing Ganesh's missing head with that of a young elephant (again, don't ask me how this works, it just does). Rejoice! It works. Not only does Ganesh return to life, he ascends the covetous deity pecking order, becoming one of the most worshipped of ancient Hindu devas. Ganesh the remover of obstacles. Ganesh the patron of arts. Ganesh the deity of intellect and wisdom. Ganesh the Lord of success. The elephant head represents the displacement of individual ego with Universal ego – the idea that before we leave this life we must no longer identify with the limited individual self, but rather with the large universal Self. In this way, our spiritual life is renewed, maturing into one that can truly benefit Creation. Associated with mental agility, Ganesh’s single broken tusk represents the “pen” he creates to transcribe epic poetry — the vast learnings he has experienced. What I'm saying is that Ganesh was a writer. Ganesh was also a god of astounding appetites. And – most importantly for today's discourse — a god that befriended a tiny mouse, often depicted under his foot as his ever present companion. The mouse is commonly interpreted as a symbol for those seeking to overcome powerful low vibrating desires and become less selfish — the quest to find greater meaning and purpose in life. Here’s where things get weird. The life arc of todays guest Mishka Shubaly (in his fifth appearance on the podcast – more co-host than guest at this point) bears more than passing similarity to our little Hindu friend. Sorry Mishka, but I would go so far as to call you guys doppelgängers. Metaphorically at least. Like Ganesh, Mishka is a man devoted to the arts and greater self-wisdom. A man devoted to his mother and scarred by a troubled relationship with his father. A man who has made his mark on the world by transcribing his broken past and attraction to destructive appetites as a primer for greater self-knowledge with a fearlessness that evokes Ganesh’s broken tusk. A man now ascending to become foremost among literary talents. Mishka's words serve up someone toiling with identity, his place in the world, and the conflict that breathes between ego and Universal Self. A man grappling with his own obstacles on a path towards maturing into one who can truly benefit Creation. An appealing yet reluctant determination for greater self-wisdom I think we can all — on some level — relate to our own personal challenges and life experiences. And yet quite ironically, Mishka is also man who just just weeks ago knew little to nothing about this Ganesh character. This despite the huge elephant tattoo covering the better part of his left arm. Enjoy! Rich

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Rich Roll Podcast episode 104 with Mishka Shubali again.

0:20.7

The Rich Roll Podcast.

0:23.7

Hey everybody Rich Roll here, welcome to my podcast to the RRP.

0:26.9

Thanks for listening.

0:27.9

Thank you for sharing the show with a friend.

0:29.6

Thank you for all the feedback and the stories of transformation.

0:33.4

Incredible tales, intimate tales that you've shared with me.

0:36.6

And thank you for supporting the show by clicking through the Amazon banner at

0:39.3

at Rich Roll dot com for all your Amazon purchases.

0:44.2

This really helps us out a lot and I'm so appreciative to all of you who have made the

0:50.3

effort to do just that.

0:52.8

It keeps the lights on here, it keeps us going, puts wind in our sales and I greatly, greatly

0:58.5

appreciate it.

0:59.5

All you have to do is find the Amazon banner at at Rich Roll dot com.

1:02.9

It's on the homepage, it's on the podcast page.

1:04.6

Just click it or bookmark it in your browser better yet and then just use that whenever

1:08.7

you're going to buy something on Amazon doesn't cost you a cent extra, it kicks us some

1:12.5

commission change and it goes a long way.

1:14.9

So thank you.

1:15.9

All right, what do we do here?

1:17.2

What's the mission?

1:18.2

Well, the mission is just to help you live and be better.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rich Roll, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rich Roll and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.