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“Do you see this ring from me?” says Rāma. Hanumān took many days, climbing mountains and hills, laboring across the Himalayas. Finally, he found the yogi, the ṛṣi—the saintly Swāmījī who meditated there. Hanumān approached, greeted him, and gave him the ring, saying, “From God Rāma, this ring is for you.” The saint, who always meditated with closed eyes in the manner of an Advaita ascetic, took the ring. Aha! He took it and, near a water well, threw it into the water. He took it without even a glance, without admiration for its beauty, without a word of thanks—simply took it and threw it away. This, of course, angered Hanumān greatly. He thought, “What kind of ego does he have? I do not understand why Rāma sent me here. He has no regard for it at all—no acknowledgment, no thanks. He took the ring and threw it in the water. Why did I make such an effort to come to these mountains and give him this ring?” The saint smiled a little, laughed softly, and understood Hanumān’s thoughts. He said, “Oh Hanumān, please bring the ring back to me.” So Hanumān placed his hand into the water, felt around, and fetched it. He brought up a handful of rings—so many rings! The saint said, “Hanumān, there are so many rings. That many times, God Viṣṇu has incarnated on this earth. And every time He incarnates, He sends a ring like this. This token is a seal. Through this, through the blessings of the Holy One, victory is achieved in the world. So the victory was not because of you, Hanumān, that you did everything. It is the blessing from the Divine that accomplishes it. You were only a medium, an instrument; you are not the doer yourself. Go back and ask Rāma for forgiveness.” Then Hanumān retreated, humbled by this small story, and prayed, “God, forgive me my ignorance. I was so blind, so proud, blinded by my ego.” The other side concerns Garuḍa, who was beset by doubts. Doubt is the greatest enemy of our spirituality. How does doubt arise? It arises either through bad company—people who speak against your path or your principles—or through hearing a negative word. That negative word is like an infection in your brain, in your thoughts. It creates more and more negative thoughts, and through this, your spirituality fades away, and you become worldly again. So Garuḍa could no longer meditate; he could no longer find peace. He had lost his heart; it had become like stone, devoid of love. Garuḍa then went to a saint, a ṛṣi named Nārada. “Please,” he said, “show me medicine; heal my illness.” Nārada asked what was wrong. Garuḍa explained, “I had doubts about my God Viṣṇu, and since then, I have lost everything. As soon as I lost my faith, I lost it all. We should remember: God can take everything from us, but, O Lord, please do not take away one thing—my faith. When faith is gone, everything is gone. Without faith, life is like a body without a soul, or a body without eyes. I lost my faith when I saw Lord Rāma, Viṣṇu, in a certain way. Now, since I have lost my faith, I live, but no one can help me. I see darkness everywhere—darkness, darkness.” Nārada said, “O Garuḍa, this is a great disease, a very serious illness you have. You must be cured as quickly as possible.” Garuḍa replied, “That is why I am here, please help me.” But Nārada said, “I cannot help you. Only Lord Śiva can help you. Go to Lord Śiva.” Now Garuḍa flew to God Śiva. It is said that when Garuḍa flew, the sounds from his wings were like the mantras of the Vedas, the hymns of the Vedas. He flew all around and arrived in the Himalayas, where God Śiva was seated. Śiva welcomed him: “Oh, welcome, Garuḍjī. How are you? You look a little nervous. What is happening?” Garuḍa said, “Yes, Lord, not just a little nervous—I am completely confused. Please help me.” Śiva said, “Yes, your illness is a very dangerous, contagious disease. But I cannot help you.” Garuḍa was utterly miserable; this was his only hope, that God Śiva, the great One, could help him. He thought, “If He cannot help me, then I am lost forever in darkness.” Śiva then said, “Yes, but I have a treatment for your illness. However, I cannot give it to you myself.” Garuḍa pleaded, “Very well, Lord, but tell me where and how.” Śiva explained, “Your illness can only be healed by one medicine, and that medicine is Satsaṅg. Go to a Satsaṅg. There you will lose your doubts again, and your faith, your trust, will return once more. There your feelings will be purified, and confidence will awaken within you. When confidence arises, it is like the monsoon in the dry Sahara desert; when the rain begins, many, many plants and grasses start to grow, and it becomes like a wonderful carpet. But it must be the Satsaṅg of an enlightened one.” Garuda asked, “Yes, Lord, where? Which assembly?” Śiva said, “Near Mount Kailāsa, closer to Mount Kailāsa, there is a saint. His name is Kāk Bhuśuṇḍi; he lives in the form of a white crow. That is where it is to take place. Many saints, many incarnates, go there to hear his wisdom. All around him, for five kilometers, as you come closer and closer, when you are within five kilometers of him, your doubts will begin to fade.” So Garuḍa’s doubts vanished as he approached. He drew near to Kāk Bhuśuṇḍi, and his trust in God Viṣṇu returned. A prayer arose in his heart: “O Lord, you are my mother and father, you are my prosperity, you are my everything. O Lord, forgive me, God Viṣṇu.” And then he realized Viṣṇu in his heart once again. Śiva’s wife, Pārvatī, said—for she was angry, as women often are, with a loving heart, a soft heart. Women are very, very gentle beings, very kind and merciful. The consort of Śiva, Pārvatī, was angry with Him. She said, “How is it possible? The poor, wretched one comes to you, and you do not help him, you just send him away.” Śiva smiled and said, “Yes, Goddess, you are right. But…” Women are always right, but… He wanted to teach Garuḍa two things. First, he wanted to show him how important Satsaṅg is for this mortal world. And second, he wanted to take away his ego, because in the world of birds, the eagle is the king and the crow is considered a lowly bird. But when the king goes to the lowly being, he must completely surrender his ego; otherwise, he cannot proceed. It is to dissolve the ego and bring back the devotee—this is how important Satsaṅg is. Satsaṅg are the words from the wise, from the holy, which we learn. This is very important for us. Now, at the end, I want to tell you: no matter what happens, do not lose your trust. Do not lose your faith. If you lose your faith, you are like a bird whose wings have been cut off. That bird is lying or sitting somewhere, and now the cat is coming. Can you imagine the condition this bird is in? Though it would like to fly away, it cannot because it has no wings. So it is with the person who has no faith and no confidence. Death comes, problems come. You want to act, but you cannot do anything against it. So, God bless you all. Please always attend Satsaṅg. Sing the Bhajans and meditate on God. Reflect on your path, and that will support you. I am very pleased to be with you this evening and to give Satsaṅg. Unfortunately, I will have to fly away tomorrow because another group is already looking forward to it. They have prepared themselves and have been waiting for months, just as we have waited. So tomorrow I will be in Düsseldorf, and on Friday I will be in Zurich, and then back in Vienna. May God fill your lives fully with light, harmony, love, and spiritual development. And if God’s grace and His blessings will it, then our paths will come together again. Until then, all the best. Hari Om. Hari Om.