Welcoming Address and Valedictory Session on Yoga for Wellness
Yoga for wellness is the subject, moving from practice to integration for national health.
Yoga has gained global acceptance, increasing India's responsibility. The conference aims to establish policy parameters. Yoga is about holistic wellness, not merely cure. Two key features emerged: the need for integration between traditional and modern medicine, and the need for scientific evidence on yoga's impact on specific diseases. Integration must move beyond co-location to active cross-referrals. The ultimate aim is to use yoga to reduce the number of patients. Generating robust scientific evidence is crucial for global acceptability. The presence of both traditional and modern practitioners signifies the desired integration.
"Yoga is not just about a cure. It is about health, overall well-being, and wellness." "We need to generate scientific evidence about the value of yoga if we want true acceptability."
Filming location: Delhi, India
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Vegetarian cooking lesson 10, Stir Fry Vegetables
A stir-fry is cooked quickly at high heat, not slowly. Heat the wok thoroughly first. Use ghee or a generous amount of oil. Cut vegetables into small pieces for fast cooking. We are adding Āyurvedic spices: asafoetida for digestion and coriander seeds. Fry spices first, then add vegetables like spring onions, carrots, and peppers. Start with harder vegetables, adding softer ones later. Do not add salt immediately, as it draws out water and causes steaming instead of frying. Stir constantly. Add salt when vegetables soften. You can finish with soy sauce or tomatoes. The dish should be soft but not overcooked, served with noodles or grains.
"For stir-fried vegetables, it’s good to use a bit extra oil or grease, as it helps the vegetables fry properly."
"It’s important not to add salt immediately, as salt draws water out of the vegetables, causing them to steam rather than fry."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
Gurudev is a goldsmith
Welcome to the spiritual home. Its atmosphere is a blessing of presence.
You have entered the Ashram, which is a Paras-stone. Contact transforms your substance, like iron to gold, but three qualities remain: sharpness, form, and danger. The Satguru, as a goldsmith, can break these with the hammer of knowledge. This process is a beautiful pain. We are here for lectures on Nāda-Yoga and practice. Questions can be submitted for public or private answer. Prayer and singing happen daily. Prasāda, a blessed offering, is distributed. It grants Satbuddhi—good intellect and thoughts—which leads to world peace. It brings Siddhi: health, joy, and prosperity. The divine itself seeks blessing. True value is understood through devotion, not transaction. Distribute prasāda intuitively, not by counting. We also celebrate birthdays and offer collective prayers for specific intentions. Heartfelt good wishes are a powerful blessing.
"An iron knife is united with the Paras. What happens? The knife turns into gold."
"Prasāda means blessing. Blessing means Prasāda."
Filming location: Strelka Ashram, Europe
DVD 224
Aim of the Master
The living transmission of knowledge requires a master, a disciple, and the spoken wisdom. A technique dies if not passed on. The master aims to make the disciple a master, surpassing the philosopher's stone which only transforms. Good qualities must be transmitted to be perfected. This process is defined by Śruti, Śrotriya, and Śrota. Śruti is the authentic scripture. The Śrotriya is the master who understands and explains it. The Śrota is the listening disciple. Without this chain, knowledge is lost. Reading a book differs from learning from a realized teacher. The transmission must be accurate to become Smṛti, or remembered tradition. This system upgrades spiritual understanding. What you receive, you must give. This protects and elevates all.
"Śruti is that which is taught by the Master."
"A Satguru is one who is Brahmaniṣṭha—a knower, a realizer of Brahman. He is the Śrotriya who can speak about Brahman."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Be the tool
The spiritual path requires surrendering the ego's claim of being the doer to become a tool of divine grace. A dog pulling a chariot mistakenly believes it carries the entire load itself. Similarly, Hanuman once thought his great deeds were his own doing. Rama then sent him on a difficult journey to deliver a ring to a sage. The sage threw the ring into a vessel filled with identical rings from every divine incarnation, revealing that countless servants have come before. The practitioner must pray to be an instrument, allowing divine energy to flow through selfless service. All actions, like leading a yoga class, become energized when performed with the attitude of "I am not the doer." Spiritual work must be done invisibly, without seeking recognition, as showing off one's fasting or prayers feeds the ego. The guru's guidance acts as medicine that may stir up inner impurities, which is necessary for purification. Life is like entering a cold, testing ground; the aim is to emerge with one's inner purity intact. By focusing on personal cleansing through practice, one naturally illuminates the surroundings.
"Only what is important for us is to understand and to pray to be the tool."
"Always be aware of Hanumānjī when he realized that a lot, and so many, was before him and so much will be after him, and only pray for grace, for great luck, to get the opportunity to be the tool."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
