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Part 1: The Healing Power of the Sun: Uṣā Pāna and Vedic Wisdom Good morning to everybody. It is a beautiful Sunday. Nedelja, a day of the sun. Dan sunca. Sūrya Nārāyaṇa. The sun is Sūrya, and Sūrya has twelve different names. The constellations change within a 24‑hour period, and during these hours the sun occupies each different position. For our solar system, the sun is supremely important. (To those arriving, please sit where you are and do not walk further; do not let anyone else come in. Children, please go to the playing room. We ask you to take the children to the playground or somewhere they can play freely. Thank you, parents, for your understanding; one of you please go out with the children. Children above four years may sit, but the little ones have a very strong willpower and we are rather weak in the face of it. Our willpower is not so strong; our chance has passed.) Every ray of the sun has a profound effect on our planet. The very first ray at sunrise is called Uṣṇe. There are thousands of sun rays, but the most significant one is that first ray. If you can catch it, it purifies many negative energies. There is a practice known as sun‑food: practitioners need no other nourishment—no liquid and no solid—only prāṇa and sunlight. People used to keep water in a copper vessel overnight at room temperature. You too should have a copper pot at home, holding at least a quarter litre of water; one or two litres is also fine. At the exact moment of sunrise, you drink that water. This is called Uṣā Pāna. Uṣā means that first sun ray, Uṣṇe. Uṣā is also a name for the Brahmamuhūrta, the time of dawn. This water therapy is not merely theoretical; it truly helps. Drink every morning at least half a litre—if you can manage one litre, it is best. Keep the water in a copper pot in your room, and first thing upon waking, drink it. Then walk indoors for five minutes. Of course, your bedroom or apartment may not be large, but you can walk between the sleeping room, kitchen, toilet, and door. Walk around the apartment with a walker for at least five to ten minutes. If you have a grassy garden, walk barefoot on the grass for five minutes; in winter, if there is snow, just one minute—it depends on the temperature. This water therapy is a very old yogic practice found also in Āyurveda. (Now we will pause for ten minutes—five minutes—until all the little “mushrooms” have gone. Thank you.) Now, about Uṣā Pāna: the water is kept in a copper pot overnight, and you must use a little willpower to drink more. Walking afterward creates movement; you can walk in your room, garden, or up and down the staircase—Tāḍāsana. This therapy is excellent, especially for high blood pressure. Many people have experienced great success, and it also helps with stomach ailments and frequent headaches. The real problem is that many do not drink enough liquid. We should normally drink two to three litres of water daily; in a cold climate, at least two litres. Remember, milk, juice, beer, and alcohol do not count as water—they count as food. Pure water is what our body needs. This is the morning therapy. The sun holds immense meaning for our planet. Without it we would not survive; we would turn into blocks of ice. That is why in ancient times, and even now, people adore the sun. In the morning you see them standing in water—in the Gaṅgā, the ocean, or any river—or holding water in a pot and offering it while facing the sun. This is not blind faith; it is scientific. Therefore, in Vedic Dharma, Hindu religion, Sanātana Dharma, Celtic Dharma, and the old traditions of all tribes and cultures—whether American Indians, Maya, Maoris, Aborigines, or Africans—everywhere they worship the sun. For our planet, the sun is God. God is that which gives us life, which cares for our life. And the sun is for everyone, just as God is for everyone. The sun rises for every creature, every plant, every blade of grass, every animal, and every human. The sun cannot be corrupted: you cannot offer it money to visit your country more, nor can you use political power. The sun knows when to rise and when to set. There was a small village where an old lady lived, a slightly clever one with no source of income. She created a fantasy and began to prophesy, using what is called a “clear voice” to blackmail people with threats akin to black magic. All such black magic is mere hocus‑pocus—psychic intimidation aimed at the fearful and nervous. Why do these people blackmail the poor? If they really want something, let them blackmail the president or prime minister, who could provide far more power and money. But no, they prey on the vulnerable. This is blind belief, and some take advantage of it. Once they caught a man who told people their future: “You have this constellation, you will die.” He could not even see the one standing before him with a hidden camera, so how could he see another’s future? Mahāprabhujī said, “Do not make false promises to people. The best is simply to say that God will do everything. We can tell people we pray for them.” Believe in God’s mercy, not in the claim “I can do it.” I am searching for a black magician who will bring the world’s richest person so we can build many yoga centres and help everyone in Croatia and Slovenia—restore cultural and spiritual centres, monasteries, temples, ashrams, and churches. That old lady used to blackmail people. She had one hen, and she would say, “Early morning, whether cold or hot, my hand prays: ‘Sun, come out! Sun, come out quickly!’ And the sun comes. For generations, my family has possessed this hand. Now I want you to pay me a tax; otherwise my hand will stop calling the sun and you will all sit in darkness.” And everyone gave her many things. Greed knows no end; Gandhijī said, “Mother Nature has enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed.” She would threaten to leave the village with her hand, and the frightened people would beg her to stay. One day she grew truly angry and left, taking her hand. The whole village sat in deep sorrow, thinking they would have no sun. They ran after her, but she refused to return. “You will see,” she said, “you will be in darkness, the sun will not come.” Yet the next morning dawn broke. Sunce izašlo. The sun rose without her hand. What do you think, O man? Can you do everything? No. Stay within your limits. We do believe in natural powers: the power of the moon, the sun, the stars, the clouds, the wind—everything. When we pray facing the sun, that morning light, Uṣṇe, is very gentle as it falls on our body. It has a healing power that gives us nourishment. What do we do in winter when the sun is not visible? Go to India—on the bank of the Gaṅgā the sun rises every day. Even if we cannot see it, the sun is already above the territory where we live, above the clouds and fog. Its light cannot be hidden. So this is a therapy for us. Now, the soul that enters this planet—the jīvātmā—is manifested through sunlight. Through sunlight life enters the vegetation, and through vegetation it travels into the seeds of grasses, plants, and into creatures. That is why Sunday is called the day of the sun. On this day, more people would look and pray; there is no political or sectarian religious meaning—it comes from Vedic Dharma. In ancient Vedic times, Celtic times, and among many other tribes this was known. Later, Christianity also adopted Sunday as a day of prayer. Yet it is said that you should pray not only on Sunday, but every day. Is there any day without a sunrise? Does the sun rise only once a week? No, every day. But this day was specially dedicated to the Sun God. He rides a chariot drawn by white horses, and you all know when the sun moves from south to north. The day the sun goes Uttarāyaṇa—moving towards the north—the northern regions begin to celebrate. That is Makara Saṅkrānti: the sun enters a particular constellation and moves northwards. On that day people pray and bathe, even taking a holy dip in the Gaṅgā. The sun is the source of creation; sunlight is extremely important. There were people who understood how to catch a specific sun ray and, using cotton, transform it into a diamond. This is recorded in the Vedas, and some accomplished it. The mystery of the universe is indescribable, yet it is described in the Vedas and Hindu scriptures of Sanātana Dharma. Anant Brahman—endless universe—Śāstra Sūrya, and thousands of suns all exist within this one universe, but we belong to this one. In the Lilāmṛt, Gurujī says—and there is a book by an Indian who wrote his experiences, I think called “Divine Perceptions”—that to reach Brahmaloka, the only door is the sun. That sun is Devpurījī, and at the door stands Mahāprabhujī. If you approach Mahāprabhujī, you will come to Brahmaloka. No one can stop you; no black magic or energy can create obstacles. But rare people have such experiences. What about us? We do not know, and we do not believe the words of the masters. What should God do with us? We neither know nor believe. We must do one of these: believe, accept, or know. Today is Sunday. This day was chosen because of the Sun God, an ancient belief found in all humans. And not only humans—watch the birds and animals at sunrise: they all turn and sit facing the sun, the light. Of course, they seek light and warmth. Sound and light are extremely important; there is a therapy based on sound and light. Light therapy includes colour therapy with different colours. Some people like a particular colour, others like another. Yet many people today are depressed. One reason is that many are manipulated by fashion and colour. Suppose this year green is in fashion. A man who dislikes green, who is even allergic to it, comes home to find his wife with green hair, green clothes, green lipstick, green nails, green handbag, green stockings, green shoes, and a green watch strap. The man, who loves his wife, cannot understand why he feels depressed. But eventually the lady must wash her one green dress; when she wears a white dress and comes home, the husband gradually improves—like sunrise dispersing fog. Yet some are allergic to white. So we cannot prescribe one thing for everyone. If we told everyone to eat only spaghetti—nothing else—you can imagine the monotony. We need salt, butter, parmesan or cheese, nice spices, tomato sauce with oregano. Only then is it fine; plain spaghetti is hard. Sometimes young mothers make mistakes. A young couple had a child and read that spinach contains much iron. The poor child was always fed spinach; the mother would push spoon after spoon into the child’s mouth, and the child would refuse. Still she did not understand; she would scrape up what spilled and feed it again. The child could not say no. She kept saying, “You will be strong, strong.” Later I read in the newspaper that spinach actually does not contain as much iron as believed, and the young mother became depressed, thinking, “My God, I forced my child.” So who are we to judge or force anyone? Let things develop naturally, guided by ethical principles, human rights, and love among humans and towards animals. Part 2: The Sun of the Soul and the Path of Ancestral Duty We shall respect nature, but the things which ancient times developed are very scientific, and you need not prove anything. The sun is the sun; no light can be compared with the sun. So our jīvātmā, the light of our soul, is the sun, and that’s it. It will merge into Brahman through this light. Uṣṇāyī Pānī Jal, Uṣṇāyī Jal, Uṣṇāyī Pānī, Uṣṇāyī Pānī Jal, Uṣṇāyī Pānī, Uṣṇāyī Pānī... What kind of benefit did you get, or how do you feel? So light and sound, then vāyu and jal, the air and water. This is very important: then space and earth. So these are the five elements, and our body is made out of the five elements. So, that is, we have to treat somehow through the elements, the sun. So now the sun is moving back to the south, moving from the north. Now, this time is another for us. It’s like it’s inhaling, and it is a withdrawing back, and this is also affecting every soul, every creature. And that’s why, particularly this time of the year, it’s called Pitṛ Pakṣa. Pitṛ means ancestors. And Pakṣa is the period, the time, the month or week. So all, doesn’t matter, humans or animals, all, is it somehow directed towards the light of the sun? It should move into the sun, but some cannot and remain in darkness. And especially the human soul, because humans have very strong karma. No one is to be blamed. Only we humans are guilty for ourselves. So, only our way of thinking can change a lot. So, when the soul goes out of the body, the body is gone, but the soul is still there. Now, the soul has relation to the generations, and it is on 27 generations you have connection, and then you are free from this connection or relation from your father and mother. This 27 is one period, and that one period for us... It is one month, and that one month means the moon changes. There is no month for the sun; the sun is equally. The changing phases of the moon, and so the emotion, the period, is connected to the moon. And Kṛṣṇa said that through the moonlight, I enter into the vegetation as a nectar, the sweetness, but through the sun I enter as a soul, the life, the light, into the vegetation. So, now, directly or indirectly, you have a duty towards your ancestors to pray, to make the ceremonies, that their souls get freedom, liberation. So, normally, every human has five different kinds of debt in life, which you have to pay back. Sooner or later, you have to pay back. The first is to the mother, Mātṛ Ṛṇa. So it doesn’t matter how your mother is, every mother is the best mother. No mother is a bad mother, except in some cases of mental illness. And so the mother, we don’t understand, we’ve forgotten her. How was it? Where have you been? And who received you and kept you in her own body, protected you? And she fed you with her own body, gave you birth, and looked after you afterwards too. It doesn’t matter, human or animal. So the love of a mother for her child, only the mother knows; nobody else knows. Even a child doesn’t know. So we owe something to our mother, and that cannot be enough. So as much as your mother took care of you during the pregnancy and after, too. Now, how much do you try to help your mother? In this way, you can help, to make your karma a little less. And therefore it is said, first, Tamevo Māta, O Lord, you are my mother. Tamevo Pitā, you are my father. Tamevo Bandhu, you are my friend. And Tamevo Saka, you are my brothers and you are my friends. Tamevo Pita, you are my brother and you are my friend. You are my wisdom, you are my wisdom... And at the end of life, we should do some ceremonies, which we are doing a lot. You have very well organized funerals according to the religions and culture: Christians—there are different kinds of Christians—Muslims, different kinds of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Mahāprabhujīs, and well, Buddhists are Hindus, and this is all. The main dharma is only one: Sanātana Dharma. And all others are branches, but it means religion or no religion, humans have a last ceremony. And that is a special ceremony. The second is the father. Second, our debt towards the father. So, mother and father, they are equal for us. If the father were not here, you would not be here. Father is here, but mother is not here, and you are also not here. With one hand you cannot make a sound. At least you need a cheek from someone, then you can make a sound. So there are both father and mother. So we also have the same obligation to take care of and do it for the father. Then comes the ācārya, your teacher. Your teacher who taught you anything. Without learning, without any wisdom, humans would be like animals. How hard was it for you to write the alphabet A? How were you holding the pen like this? And your mother and father said, “Oh, beautiful, beautiful.” Also, your driving teacher. Always be thankful to your driving teacher, so you can comfortably come home. It’s empty. We learn from nature. We learn from everyone. So that’s why we were also saying, when you drink milk from a goat, buffalo, or a cow, milk is a mother. And now, don’t eat that animal, because that is your mother. That’s why we say the holy cow is the holy mother. Those who don’t respect and don’t acknowledge, it is their problem. And they will suffer anyhow when they are suffering. Then it’s called Deva Ṛṇa. Deva means goddess. Now here, Deva means elements. Fire element, water element, air element, earth element. These all elements are very, very important for us. What can be God more than this? It is our life. God, Lord, You are my life. So where? Have you seen Him? Did you see Him somewhere sitting? Even He came, He had to adopt the five elements. So, O man, do not pollute. We do not pollute. We respect. Trees. Nature. Druga bića. Dharma, that’s your duty. And so that dharma, your body, is the temple of your dharma. And the core of the Dharma is your Jīvātmā. And then comes the ṛṣi, the holy saints, towards your Guru. All the holy saints who wrote the holy scriptures, that’s called Guruvākya, the wisdom. If they had not written these things, I do not know where humanity would be today. How great they were, how wide-thinking they had, their thoughts were sustainable development. So that what those ṛṣis spoke and what God has created, that is sustainable. You know, our grandparents had more knowledge than we do. Maybe they didn’t go to school, but they had more knowledge. I heard day before yesterday or yesterday. In Pula, in one hour, in one square meter, 163 liters of water ran. Now the village is underwater. But they have a canalization; they made a bridge, but that was not sustainable. They didn’t think that it could overflow, but our ancestors didn’t make a bridge, so they were not underwater; everything was flowing. So sustainable development means to stop all this technology to manipulate our planetary system, become more natural, and let it be free. All these many, many highways, and many bridges, and cutting all the forests, and all the pesticides—this is not sustainable. So now, this modern technology cannot bring sustainability. Over the last few days, the United Nations has been talking and holding conferences about sustainable development. The people who are sitting in the United Nations and talking, there should sit your great-grandfather and babushka. Seek and tell them how to make a sustainable planet. They know because they are more connected to Mother Earth. And who is sitting there? They are connected to the papers, the notes. It’s easy to talk, but to take care of this planet, you have to go and feel the planet, work with it, hands on. So, sustainability must first enter our brain. Who created this planet? That one was the best one. That one made this planet a sustainable planet. Now, why at that time was there no question about sustainability? And why now is the question about sustainability? So who manipulates, who disrupts? The humans. And therefore, the greed of the humans, all cities expanding, there was a time in one family house, the whole family was living. And you are talking about sustainability? That’s it. All become selfish, so from where will the flat come? And where will the flat be? So we are taking everything from the earth. Therefore, sustainability means knowing your limitations and reducing your needs. Minimize your needs and try to look back to nature and come to nature. Do not run behind fashion. How many dresses do you have at home? How many shoes do you have at home? For what? You have only two legs. Okay, one pair of shoes for winter and one for summer, okay? But many people will need one complete room only for shoes. And many people, this is not only a problem of having a room. But the problem will be when you die, and the person who will inherit everything, that don’t know what to do with your shoes. So many, many things. Try to minimize, minimize, minimize and come to nature, but we run behind fashion, and this fashion has destroyed it. People became so poor, they are so poor, and especially ladies became very poor. When they go to the office, they are so poor. They don’t have one meter of cloth around them. Everything is minimized. Do not minimize with your cloth like this. There, you should be generous. Have a good, nice, long dress. You see, upside down, men have a long gene, and ladies are minimizing. So I try to be generous, you know, and that’s why my skin is very healthy. I don’t apply a lot of cream every day, morning cream, and then lunch cream, and then evening cream, and all that. Day cream, afternoon cream, evening cream, night cream, cotton cloth, and natural. Anyhow, so we are coming to the Pitṛpakṣa. So there are some ceremonies which you can do, and you should do them for your parents. In every religion, there is ceremony, and it should be done exactly. And otherwise, it happens that this soul, when it has gone out of the body, then this relation, as a parent and child, the attachment relation, is gone. You know, do you know what a pizza is? Eating pizza? With a cheese called Emmentaler. And when you cut the slice of the pizza and you pull it, the cheese comes with it like this. So this is one piece which is remaining on the plate. And second, which is going up, and after a while it will break. So this is the attachment between child and parents. And it has a limitation to a certain level of the universe. And then it breaks. After that, but still you have a relation, that soul relation. And that soul comes because the soul wants to go further, to liberation. But let’s say in normal words, for that soul, the door is closed. You cannot go further. Your children have to make a ceremony for you to go further. If you have not done that, it comes and becomes a disturbance in your family. In certain houses, no one is happy. And very soon, the husband and wife begin to quarrel. Children do not feel well at home; they are waiting to go out of the house. You know many things, so these are disturbing energies there. When you do the Pitṛ Tarpaṇa ceremony, then they are liberated; they go further, and then suddenly peace appears. Mutual understanding appears. Love appears, harmony comes. Because everything is changed in that atmosphere. So that ceremony should be done by your religious leader, whom we call a paṇḍit. You may call a priest, and that should be very scientific. So, next year, or sometimes, the Vivek Purī is going to have one paṇḍit, and so, those who have interest towards this, it will be a ceremony for them. After you will see how things changed in your life, in business life also, in health also, in family relations also, in social relations also, but don’t expect a miracle to happen. I cannot promise you, but something will happen, a good thing will happen. So, this is what, and of course, when you have a funeral of your parents or anyone, a priest comes, makes a ceremony, you go to the church or temple or synagogue, make prayers, and now you know, now you are a Peter Paksa. And the same in the month of November is also coming according to Christianity, too. All are more or less on the same time. And this all is connected to the sun. So the sun is very, very important and of great significance for us. Rest we will do next time. There is a question: when a crossroad is life, how do you make a decision? How do you choose between two different options? Do you use your intuition, or do you wait for a sign? I have no crossroads. I have a very straight road, so there is no crossroads coming. And when a crossroad comes, then there is always a direction. And when there is no direction, there is a guide. And when there is no guide, then there is one prayer. If there is no leadership, then it is a prayer. Nāhaṁ kartā prabhu dīpa kartā, Mahāprabhujī dīpa kartā he kevalam. In the name of God, you make your decision. Or wait, wait, no problem, wait, one life, two lives, wait, then you are sure, secure, don’t move left and right, stay there, then the wind will come, and it will take you there, Patatuta Dalse Ligayi Pavan Udayi. The leaf falls from the branch, and the wind blows it away. Ab bichāre kab mileṅgī, dūr paḷeṅgī jāī. Now this separation, when will it come together again? It will fall in the far distance. So destiny will take you, so don’t do too much intellectually. But there is no crossroad without direction, so go straight. Just let’s go. Samp Diyā Is Jīvan Kā Sabh, Ab Samp Diyā Is Jīvan Kā Sabh. We know that some people are leaving this noon. And some have birthdays today, and some have birthdays tomorrow. And some have Tuesday birthdays, so we can compromise until Tuesday. Those who have a Wednesday birthday should come back. And those who are going, we wish you a good journey and look forward to seeing you again. October 2nd is Non-Violence Day, declared by the United Nations in honor of Gandhījī. So, we will have here on the beach evening prayer. During the daytime, there will be some talk about non-violence. Anyone who would like to talk about non-violence, please write something and prepare yourself. And announce that you will talk about non-violence. Maximum time is 10 minutes. If there are fewer speakers, then you have more time. If there are more, then we will minimize the time. Evening, seven o’clock at sunset time, we will be on the beach with the candles. And I think it is exactly ten years since we had the first, we began peace prayers here on the coast. And we had a multi-religious peace prayer in Slovenia, in the park, in Croatia, in Austria, but you people did not continue. You should have continued. So now it is declared by the United Nations that one day a year is a day of peace. And that is on the 21st of September. So wherever you are, either you have that world peace tree which we planted, or anywhere in your yoga center or in a park, if you can organize a peace prayer. Under the name of Yoga and a dead life. Or Sri Swami Madhavānanda World Peace Council. You see, we have to become active, unless you don’t want peace, of course. So, I wish that you could come and join us, and I wish you all the best.