In the home of the soul
Space builds beings, and beings build space.
A true ashram is a space for retreat and contemplation, enabling renewal of physical, mental, and social health. It fosters balance and leads toward self-realization. Yoga is the paramount method for this, requiring only the body, breath, and consciousness. It is the science of conscious movement and stillness, a road to original wholeness. A Guru is one who has cognized oneness, from which all arises and returns. Such beings live for others. The relationship between guru and disciple is supreme, pure, and meaningful. The guru's essence is what he is—Sat Chit Ānanda—and he serves to cure the disease of ignorance, which divides us from ourselves, others, and the divine. Sādhanā, the practice of yoga, is the source of strength to help others and ourselves. Liberation comes through knowledge and the Guru's grace.
"Yoga is the science and art of conscious movement. It is the science and art of conscious stillness."
"The essence of a guru is not what he says, not even what he does. The essence of a guru is what he is."
Filming locations: Jadan Ashram, Rajasthan, India.
DVD 171
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The Power of Satsaṅg and Awareness
The power of satsaṅg and awareness determines outcomes. Two friends chose differently. One attended satsaṅg physically but mentally dwelled on a missed movie. The other went to the movie but his awareness briefly touched satsaṅg. Afterward, the satsaṅg attendee got a thorn in his foot. The moviegoer found a gold coin. They sought explanation. The teacher revealed the satsaṅg attendee was destined for a car crash. Physical presence reduced it to a thorn. The moviegoer was destined for a box of gold coins. Fleeting awareness of satsaṅg reduced it to one coin. Physical presence without awareness still mitigates misfortune. Mental presence without physical attendance still grants reward. The power of satsaṅg transforms fate. It can make a king a beggar or a beggar a king. Everything depends on consciousness and awareness.
"That is the power of bhakti, that is the power of satsaṅg, and that is the power of Gurudeva."
"It all depends on the awareness and how we go forward with our lives."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Yoga means uniting
Yoga in daily life is unity with the divine principle present in all existence.
Life originates from and is sustained by water, which constitutes our bodies and the world. All creatures, including those unseen beneath the earth or in the air, are interconnected through life. The natural world operates on consumption, where creatures eat one another. A human is defined by moving beyond this, by not killing, by showing love and care to all. God is not a separate entity to be seen externally; God is within every creature and within your own heart. We are all fundamentally one, a unity temporarily experiencing separation, like a single drop of water merging back into the ocean. Our individual lives and bodies will eventually dissolve and return to the one source. Therefore, the practice of yoga is this conscious unification. It requires purifying the heart, relinquishing anger and jealousy, and acting with devotion. It involves caring for the body through exercise and pure food, but more importantly, it is an inner alignment. True yoga is living in harmony, causing no harm, and recognizing the divine in all.
"One in all and all in one. One in all and one in all."
"If you want to know God, He is in every creature, in every creature."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
Bhajans singing from Strilky
Devotion centers on the guru's feet as the ultimate refuge and source of grace. The seeker's entire spiritual journey is directed toward this sacred focus. All effort and aspiration culminate in surrender at this divine threshold. The feet represent the complete embodiment of the teacher's wisdom and compassion. They are the portal through which worldly attachment is severed. Approaching them requires reverence, patience, and a gentle, steady resolve. The grace flowing from them is the supreme gift that liberates the soul.
"The mind's sole attachment is to the guru's feet."
"Grace is the donation of the feet, the feet..."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajan evening in Strilky Ashram
Without a true mind, nothing is purified. The mind cannot be purified without being true. Whether one performs austerities or pilgrimages, or practices yoga and samadhi, all is in vain without the true mind. The grace of the Satguru is essential. Upon seeing the Guru's form, the mind can attain supreme ecstasy. All spiritual practices depend on the Guru's word and grace. The true mind and the Guru's grace are the sole means to the divine.
"Mana saccā binā nahīṁ sudhare."
"Sat guru nama chaha, chahe panama chaha visa vi desha."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
