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I felt like a fish in the water, like I was smiling. I felt my mind was clear, my body was feeling well, and I just thought, "Where have I been till now?" Since I didn't really stop practicing, and I was so glad that I was able to meet Swāmījī maybe one year after I started practicing, I knew immediately that it's not just about physical well-being, that there is much more in the yoga philosophy, and especially meeting a real master. Being able to get this knowledge firsthand. So thank you, Swāmījī, for coming, and I'm looking forward to your words from now. Thank you. Good. If something is not good, then it's not my mistake, it's the microphone. Oṁ Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ, Sarve Santu Nirmāyāḥ, Sarve Bhadrāṇi Paśyantu, Mā Kāścid Duhkha Bhāgbhavet, Oṁ Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ. Good evening to everybody. Hari Om. It's nice to be with you today on this beautiful evening, and thank you, Kṛpā Devī and Dayāpurī, for inviting me here to this beautiful gallery. I see some beautiful pictures, though I don't know what it all means, but something must be good. That's why they're hanging here. Yoga is well known around the whole world. The word yoga means union, harmony, and balance. Where there is balance, there is harmony, and where there is harmony, there is unity. So the word yoga means the unity, the union. Now, what does it mean to practice yoga to achieve unity? And that subject is given: what can I achieve or get through the practice of yoga? That's a very good question and a very good subject. Or is it more or less a question given to me to answer: what can I get through yoga? Yoga is one of the most ancient sciences of the body, mind, consciousness, and soul. It is the practitioners of yoga, or those who realize the oneness, the unity, who are called yogīs. Yoga has many different branches, which begin with the body, with the breath, with relaxation, concentration, meditation, and higher development and union. It is the yogīs who gave a very clear definition, and they researched through their meditation what is the cosmic consciousness and what is the individual consciousness, and what relation we have with that. What is the universal one, and what is the individual one? And what relation do we have with that one? The Cosmic Self is known as eternal, almighty, everlasting, omniscient, and omnipresent. And every individual, not only human, but all living beings, all creatures, carry within them that light of God, or the Almighty One, or the Cosmic Self. It means we are part of the universal one. If we are a part of that universal one, then we are also the universal one. It's quality, not the quantity. So a piece of a diamond is a diamond. It's bigger, or it's smaller. Similarly, if we are that light of God, then we are one with Him, or one with that God. Because someone said, "Who said that? Is it he? It can be she." And now it was a conference, you know, about the women and Vajra. Often said, why do we say brotherhood? Why don't we say sisterhood? So God has no, that consciousness has no attribute in this way, what we call masculine or feminine. That is beyond these attributes. Therefore, your Self, the real Ātmā, is free from this duality, whether it is masculine or feminine. It is the light, the universal one, that's all. Hence, that light is occupied by one form. And this form, all creatures, the yogī said, there are 8.4 million different kinds of creatures. Divided into three categories: the creatures in the water, Jalacha; creatures on the ground, on earth, Sthalacha; and in this space, the Nabhacha. With this creation, two powers develop: positive and negative. And to protect each, there are some who protect the negative, and there are some who protect the positive. So, there are some subtle energies which you can create through your mind and meditations to get protection for creatures in the water, on the ground, or in the sky. That system, which we call now in the modern time the navy, the ground force, and the air force. This comes from that research work and declaration by self-realized yogīs. So, 8.4 million different kinds of creatures. Now, among them, one is called human. Now, all these creatures are manifested or created out of the five elements. And here we go. We occupy the space within us. We occupy the fire, the heat in our body, within us. We occupy the water element, also the earth and air. If one of these elements is in imbalance in our body, vikāra begins. That's called a vikāra. Vikāra means impurities. That means it will cause an illness. This is like dead cells in the body; they are stored in a certain part. Now, these vikāras are different kinds of vikāras, physical and mental. Physical vikāras are through the nourishment, through the food, and not having fresh air, little movement, and so on. The mental vikāras are the social difficulties, the intellectual, with our intellect, the problems, emotional problems, family problems, and so on. That one which is mental, that we call vikṣepa, means the disturbances, which disturb us. There are certain situations that disturb us. And these are again two kinds of situations. One is personal and one is impersonal. And we feel, and we are involved in this both, personal and impersonal. Suppose your mother is ill. Now it is impersonal. It is the mother who is ill, not you. But you feel that you are ill. So, personal and impersonal, these both problems which we are facing, that creates vikṣepa. And vikṣepa means disturbances, tensions, restlessness, sleeplessness, anxiety, hallucination, and what not. The physical, that's called vikāra. And this vikāra can develop many physical problems. Now, within this individual phenomenon, which is occupied by the five elements, there are many, many different functions, thousands. Among all that, like mind, intellect, intelligence, emotion, and consciousness—the different levels of consciousness—there is unconscious, subconscious, conscious, superconscious, and cosmic consciousness. It's the soul. And now, as a soul, we are individual. I have my soul. I'm an individual now. You have your soul also, and so on. So, in one body there can be only one soul, not two. Suppose there is a moon shining in the sky, and you look in the mirror, you will see only one moon. Or, a cup of water or liquid, you look inside and you will see only one moon. Similarly, in one creature, there is only one soul, no two. Souls, sometimes people say, "Oh, I am ill and someone has entered my body, and now I have two souls." No, except in the mother's womb, there is another soul, but that one has its own. Then, of course, if we see in a different way, then every cell has a soul. So every tissue is living; everything is living in the body. But all these are functioning and governed by one, and that is your soul. And when the soul moves, all functions go with it. Like a bee queen, the queen of the honey bee, when she flies, then the entire bees, they fly behind. Even they leave behind their eggs or babies, and they just go. So when the soul goes out of the body, then all function stops. That we declare as a death. Now the soul is going according to the destiny. We do have our destiny, and everyone has a different destiny. One mother has three children. One is a doctor, one is a pilot, and one is a farmer. Yes, they all have a destiny. Now, the destiny is the production of our actions, our karma. Every action has a reaction, and every reaction will have an action. So action, reaction, action, reaction, action. Now, we don't know if we are here in this life to take an action or a reaction. That we don't know. But one thing we know is that it... Is it our karma? Is it our good luck or bad luck? Is it our destiny? And as long as destiny will be there, you will exist as an individual soul. On the day, through your good deeds and through many good things, prayers, meditations, and so on, you will become free from this destiny, and that your soul will merge into the Ātmā. Into that light, which is cosmic light, then. And when you come to this point where the realization is there, but still you have body, still you have the body, and dharma, or the nature of the body, first to be born, to grow, and die. It has all the functions. It has desires, it has hunger, there is thirst, there is a feeling of pain, pleasure, cold, warmth, everything. Now, suppose you reach that point of realization, but still your body is functioning, producing karma every second. Inhale and exhale are also karma. To eat is also karma. To go in the bathroom is also karma. You are acting. Get up and go there. Also, you are doing something. So, your good or bad, what you do is called. Your bad or negative things, which happen through your being physically, mentally, or intellectually, bad quality goes to those who will criticize you. If I think negatively about her, then she should be happy because now she is getting rid of her negative qualities, and I should be unhappy because now I am getting this on me. It is like you stand near the dirt and you throw the stone in. What will happen? It will split on your body, on your dress. If I have good, those my good karmas, my good things will transfer to the one who will think good about me. That is a law, that is an eternal law, that after a certain time, you are growing again, producing the karmas, that pollution. But then it is a law that it will not be with you; you have to give it here in this world. And there are many who will take this, inherit your good qualities or the bad qualities. The ṛṣis or yogīs said to come to this self-realization, there is only one possibility, and that's called a human life. It means not that we discriminate against other creatures. It means not that we abuse other creatures. Our duty, because humans are here as protectors, not as distractors. Do not destroy anyone or anything. Do not cause pain through your intellect, through your words, through your behaviors, or through your body. Because that will come back to you. Now you are happy that you did something, and someone is suffering because of this. But it is said very nicely in the Hindi language, "Four nights are the moon nights." Two days before full moon and two days after full moon. Then, finally, again, it is a dark night. So if you cheat someone or if you do something and you become happy, but this happiness will be very little lasting, because it will cover and pollute your inner self. Your soul will become a victim of very negative energy, and you will suffer. There is no one to be blamed for that, only ourselves. Now, another thing: it is said the first happiness in life is good health. Someone said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." As long as we are healthy, we don't know what health is. But someone who is ill, and the doctor diagnoses this and that and tells them, "Unfortunately, this is that." You know how much we begin to pray, how afraid we are. We don't want to die. We don't want to suffer. We don't want to have pain. We don't want to hear someone tell us we are ill, and we don't want to feel in our bodies that our bodies are ill. But it is, because there is a vikāra developing every day. Vikāra is developing through way of life and everything; it is in the nature. The body is not immortal. It is mortal. But the inside living, that soul, which is coming and going, one day that soul will dissolve into immortality, into the ātmā. But again, it's only possible through human life, because humans can meditate, humans can pray, humans can also help themselves and others. And for that, still, our life is limited. Maybe it is too little time for us to come to our destination, and who knows after death if we will come again as a human? Who knows? We hope. We hope. We have no power over it because of our destiny. Sorry, because of the destiny, we cannot say that next life I will be again born here in New York as a human and overtake my theater. It is, as I said, when the queen flies away, the bee queen flies away, everything is gone. You leave your house and everything, and that queen doesn't come back to this old house. Wherever she will sit, it will be new behavior that will be produced. So whatever you need to realize or get, do it here in this life. So, the first duty of a human is to try your best to remain healthy. Why? So that you can live long. Why? That in this life you can fulfill and get that realization or that destination. So, the health. And yoga is now which can give us really the best health, good health. But you have to practice. Is that ma'am still living, this elderly person? She died at the age of 103, 103 years old, and she was teaching until the last 100 days of her life. And she had, before, 95 years before, about 80 years before, she had a yoga teacher here in America, in New York, from India. And he gave her one good sentence. Always she was saying, "You have yoga, use it or lose it." And she was saying, everyone, you know, look, I am so old because of my yoga. And she was practicing, really she was practicing, and she was a good yoga teacher. So, because you live in one spot, in one place, you can design your life from morning to evening, what you will do, and leave space for different events if they come between. Now, the diet and movements, and therefore, whatever we eat, that influences our body and our psyche. It's not only that we feel our stomach, and a little bit taste is good. Healthy food is that which, as long as you chew, develops that much aroma and taste in the mouth. And unhealthy food is that, as much as you chew or as long, it develops a kind of unpleasant smell and taste, like you feel vomiting. Yes? This fast food, try to chew half, one, two minutes as one bite, you know, and then you will see. Healthy, organic, this vegetarian life, those who have this, the smell from their mouth is pleasant, not unpleasant. Unhealthy foods, the smell from the mouth when you are in the bus and hanging there and crowding, and someone is standing near you and exhaling, and your nose is a little bit near, though you look like that, but you can feel it. Nourishment. By unpleasant smell, it means a lot of vikāras inside. If through the breath comes such a terrible smell out, what will be stored inside? How will that affect our body? So I wouldn't do to my body to eat unhealthy food. Even I will remain one, quit my one meal, but I will do and eat healthy organic food. My life is dear to me, and my life means a lot to this world. And God gave me this life to do something for others also, not for me. And so I will do good things for everyone. And where I think I will do wrong, I will withdraw myself back, because that will go to me. So, health. Yoga will give me, if I practice, very good health. When the body is relaxed and healthy, then automatically you have an inside feeling of happiness. Relaxed. When you are happy and relaxed, then you will produce the outside happiness. You will make others happy. But if inside you are tense and negative, maybe you don't show people that you are not negative and you are not like this, but inside, something is boiling. But when you are balanced, with good health and a tranquil, peaceful mind, then the heart and the brain coordinate together, and that maintains the human qualities. That means the human has compassion, and the human has mercy through thinking, both. So that's what I can get through yoga. And when I get this, that my body is healthy, I am happy, but something is still missing to know the sense of my... Live, and then you will find what is the sense of your life here. Otherwise, you will only work so that my company should become bigger, and my company like this, and my business, and that and that, you know. That is not the sense of your life. The sense of life is that you know who can't walk, a small one, you give your finger to support to walk. Who is unhappy, bring the happiness. Become a bridge between two to join and make the relation unite. Don't divide. Love unites, and ignorance divides. Therefore, nothing is impossible; everything is possible. But that love only can work if you purify your intellect, buddhi, what we call viveka, and that. The light of God in the form of wisdom enters you. Then, if things are divided, you try to hold them together. Now, for example, there is a piece of fruit; it's called an orange. Okay? You know what is orange fruit? Definitely no. You don't know? Yes, thank you. When we peel the orange skin, what is inside? Many, many slightest pieces of the orange. These are the individuals, different. But a wise person, a realized person, a loving person, a kind person is that skin. Hold all together and let them all develop together equally. If that skin is damaged by something, then that fruit will not develop as it should. And so be that holder, be that skin, that cover. So my skin is your skin, I wrap you all in me. Then it means, don't do to others what you don't like to be done to you, clear? If you do differently what you don't like to do with you, then you are not that which realization, or which love, or wisdom you should have, clear? Now, the yoga we practice will give me that kind of feeling to be a protector, not a distractor. Be a uniting force, not a dividing force. Like a mother and father keep the children, maybe there are two children or five children or eight children, but keep all together, and that's not easy to get that kind of realization. So yoga will develop and give me that energy, tendency, and abilities to unite. Means the entire world is my family. And when one is unhappy and the other is doing something wrong, one brother is angry with the other brother, or one sister is angry with the other brother, then the parents will suffer and they will try to forgive them. After that, feelings come. Yes, the sense of my life is this. But what should I achieve through this? What does that mean? Yes, there is something higher. Automatically, that love will awaken your heart, what we call spirituality, the God. You know, there is one name of God which is called "God is love," and love is God. And that means the devotion, and the devotion where you surrender. Now, whatever I have, good or bad qualities, I surrender to God. And there are two different kinds of God: a personal God or an impersonal God. The universal God, which has no form, or some incarnation or some form which we believe. Both are the same. Both will enlighten your heart and your consciousness to become one with God. Suddenly, the things will appear in front of you: happiness, joy. So someone is happy: little children are happy to have toys; a little bigger, then I'm happy to have material things; then happy to have positions and money inside. But then, finally, one is happy to have God in the heart. So yoga will give us that realization, because finally you will find that you were searching, you were thinking that God is somewhere outside of you. But no, it's within you, because that is your Self. And how funny it is that the Self is searching for the Self. We are calling self-realization, "I am searching myself." Because we always look outside, we don't look within ourselves. And that time, by the realization, yes, God is in me and I am in God. One without second, one in all and all in one. So, practicing yoga will give me good health, peace of mind, and harmony. I will come out of the stress and will awake in me the love for all creatures. I will realize my duty God has given me, and finally, I know that I will come into the lap of the eternal one, eternal peace and light. There is eternal light, there is eternal peace. Whether we believe or not, because believing or not believing doesn't change anything. There is, it is, that's all. So there is sun, that's all. And the sun doesn't need any evidence. The sun doesn't need any proof. The sun never asks us. The sun is the sun. So, just like that bee, then suddenly the light will come in your mind, and then you will see what happened to that person. That person will see what mistakes I made. Now, that is the last calculation of his or her life's steps. And then we'll pray more, "God, I surrender everything. I renounce everything. Let me go." And therefore it is said, "Enter the kingdom of the Lord through the gate of sacrifice." So what did you sacrifice for others? And so I will do the yoga, because the yoga will give me this, and that's a sure thing. Yoga is not only philosophy or theory, it's practical, but it needs practice. If you don't practice, it's only words. But also, don't think that you will be immortal, ever-living, healthy, and good. One day, our day will be the last day, one day. And we don't know who will be the first from us. So until then, whatever we can get and realize, we shall do it. So, yoga in daily life is the system which has all this: physical, mental, social, spiritual health, and the spiritual development and God realization. So you have a right yoga teacher here, our dear Kṛpā Devī, and I wish her very good health and long life and many good friends and students. And I am happy for you that you have such a good teacher here with you. With this, thank you for listening, and I pray for your good health, long life, and divine blessings. God bless you. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Peace, peace, peace. Adió.