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Part 1: A Celebration of a New Beginning Praṇām Swāmījī, Mahāprabhujī, brothers and sisters, friends in yoga and daily life. It is with great pleasure that I am here this evening in San Francisco, Oakland, California, to celebrate the opening of the new āśram. As Swamījī has said, from a small acorn a great tree grows. It is such a pleasure to see yet another branch of our yoga and daily life in America bud forth and stretch out—perfect timing for spring. I can assure you from experience, Divya Purī and I have, that with Swāmījī all things are possible. It was not so very long ago, less than twenty years in this life, that Swāmījī came into Alexandria and, in 1998, took a look at our spot. We had started out in a little apartment with no furniture, a couple of rooms. Then we grew into some apartments and into a condominium, but we really wanted commercial space. The commercial space we signed on for five years, and within three years we had so many people we had no more room. Then, little by little, we raised money, did lots of volunteer work, and we bought our center. Swamijī came, looked at this dark black hole, and said, "Yes, this is it." So, in this deep earth, this earth of this black hole, Swāmījī put life. He breathed life, and everything began happening. I can remember it like it was yesterday. So, when we had the tour of your new center, it was just like a new beginning again. Doing the garden, planting the seed. It will happen, I assure you. You light the light, bring the light, and they will come. Okay? So, Amit Sagar and Mukti, it has been just pure joy for me to be here and to help in any way that I can. You know, it’s a direct flight from Alexandria, and we’re a phone call away, and we are one. And when there’s one, there’s no two, so you’re not alone. You never need to be worried. People travel back and forth across the Rocky Mountains all the time. People on the West Coast in business will be there for pleasure. Your ashram, maybe, you know, you can start looking in the future too for something bigger, because they will come. Like the light of Mahāprabhujī, Swāmījī’s blessing, the rest, just be the vessel, and they will come. So, with deep gratitude to everyone here, thank you for allowing me to come and be present with you as we give our respect and honor to our Guru Dev Swamījī. Thank you so much. Thank you. I don’t know how the sound is coming there. Good? Not very good, not very okay. One more thing, if I may? Yes. On behalf of the Open Day Reliance USA, thank you so much. Thank you. Mukti, pleasure, mukti, it’s glorious. I’ll just stand here. It’s okay, just like this. Swāmījī, Hari Om, everybody. So, on behalf of Vancouver Yoga in Day Life Āśram, I would like to thank Amṛt Sāgar and Mukti for… thank you for hosting us here. We felt great. It was great to see bhaktas and karma yogīs, how they work, and we know how it feels. Swamijī often says, "Sevā is greater than mokṣa, service is greater than liberation," and definitely, that’s why we have our āśram. Ashram gives us space and gives us the opportunity to serve. And when we serve, we feel close. Whenever we do something for Swamījī, whenever we do something in his name, although he might be half a world away, far from us, it feels like he is with us. So for you and for all those who will come, this ashram is a great opportunity to serve. And by serving, we will grow and come closer to Mahāprabhujī’s light. For us, it’s great to have an ashram so close to our flight. As Gītā Purī also said, another opportunity for us to travel, to be with Swāmījī, to be with our friends much closer to home. And we’re looking forward to next year and the years ahead, that we will see each other, work together, help each other, and definitely build our family here in North America to be bigger. We were really unprepared, and we didn’t bring any presents, but we can, from our hearts, wish you all the best. Oh yes, you brought it. Oh yes, sorry. Now I realize we did. I’m a little bit absent-minded, so yes, Earthly and Divine, a wonderful cookbook by a Canadian disciple, Eva from Toronto, so she’s the author, and we would like to have this and make many tasty meals from this book. It’s called earthly and divine. A beautiful Kumbha by our disciple Eva. She’s also near your hometown, from the Czech Republic, living in Toronto. So from Europe, you have this present for her. So Praṇām Swāmījī, Hari Om, all yoga brothers and sisters around the world. I would like to thank Mukti and Amrit Sāgar for the invitation to participate in the opening of the new yoga center here in San Francisco, California. I admire the work they have already done because it’s not easy to make something from nothing. In Europe, we already have hundreds of yoga centers and ashrams, and lots of work has been done. There is already, so it’s quite easy to open a new yoga center or start something, I mean, in this kind. But here, there is, like, let’s say, the opportunity is still waiting here. I mean, when I came here from Europe, I could feel that people here need help, need advice about lifestyle, about health, about spiritual problems. They have everything; they have very nice houses, cars, but still they are not completely happy as they could be. And I think that it’s very good that you decided to open this yoga center as a part of the Yoga in Daily Life network, because like this you can get support from all yoga centers in the āśram all around the world, and you will never be alone. Thank you for watching. Please subscribe to my channel and click on the bell icon to receive notifications of my new videos. Thank you to all the happy attendants and visitors of this new yoga center, and I think I have a feeling that it will be something really big and great because San Francisco is a good place, and now is the best time to do something like that. So once more, thank you for inviting me and for showing me the yoga center. I will be happy if I am able to come back again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And do you have something for both sisters? Well, Hari Om, Pranām Swamijī, dear yoga sisters from San Francisco, Oakland, California. I am not only a direct flyaway. Actually, it takes me about fourteen hours of flying to get to where I live. But I’m often with Swamiji in the United States, and I was witnessing the beautiful growth of yoga and daily life in the States. I was present in this moment when Swāmījī saw this black hole, as you said, and I have to say that I had doubts at that moment when we entered that. What I saw was just a small number of disciples in Alexandria, and it was, as far as I remember, a very expensive space, which was a black hole. It needed a lot of work and investment, but somehow it turned out today is one of the most beautiful Yoga and Day Life ashrams. Like heaven, yeah? The black hole becomes heaven. So I’m pretty sure that you’re able to do the same here. I congratulate you. You are very brave to start such an initiative here. It’s not easy in the States, as Sevā Devī said. Much more difficult than in our countries, Sri Sri… Thank you for traveling quite a bit around this center. I’ll be very happy to return again and see your growth. Thank you very much, and all the best again. Much success, and it’s just something symbolic from Slovenia. San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, and so it’s just a perfect setting for Yoga and Daily Life, and we’re so grateful that you’ve come here to start a center here. On behalf of New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., this is now the fourth center in San Francisco that we have in the umbrella of Yoga and Daily Life USA, and our brothers and sisters in Vancouver, who we feel very close to. So, it’s just, compared to Europe, we’re like the little seed, the United States. Your center feels like a little seed about to grow, and compared to Europe, the United States, Yoga and Daily Life is like a little seed that’s growing. As Dayālpuri said, slowly, slowly… just like our yoga practice. So, but slowly but surely, we welcome you into our fold. This is, this light is a symbol of the light of Yoga and Daily Life and Yoga and Daily Life USA. And we offer you all our love, all our support, and all our help. Welcome to our national yoga and daily life. Thank you. Yes, in the light of Mahāprabhujī. Oṃ Dīpa Jyoti Parabrahma Dīpam Sarve Mohanam Dīpam Sarve Śāntim Sandhyā Dīpam Sarvasatya Śubham Karoti Kalyāṇam Ārogyaṃ Dhana Sambhara Śatrupudhi Vināśāya Dīpa Jyoti Namasute Oṃ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ… Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Dev Mūriswā Mahādeva Kī Jai, Rādhākṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Jalatandana Kī Jai, Parameśvarānandīrī Śakurādeva Kī Jai. Are you sure you’re giving the lights on my page? I will thank you. Sorry if I’m blocking the reflection from the window. Maybe when you’re passing the… yeah, that’s it. Reenactment. Okay. Okay, we can make one more then. Give me light, and then I will hand over to you. Come in the middle. Okay. Okay, you come on the right. Can you hold the microphone there? It’s okay. So, give your hand also. All three. Bless you. Good? Very good. Okay. That was a good ceremony. Thank you, Swamiji. Thank you. Swamiji, can I sit here? Yes, of course. And these are the three pictures for your three friends. One is for Nārāyaṇ Purī and family, and these are the three pictures for your three friends who are here today. Oh, thank you. Okay. You can explain to them what it is. Okay. Thank you. And this is for you. You have to make a picture. And this is for you. Okay. This is really overwhelming because I didn’t see this coming. I had a conversation with Swamiji about 15 months ago. Well, actually, it was 18 months ago, and for the first time, Swāmījī said to me that I need to open a yoga center. And I didn’t listen, and I didn’t listen when he told me the second time. When he said to me for the third time, "Amritsar, you need to open a yoga center," I started thinking, well, maybe I should look into it. Then Swamiji said to me, "Well," I said, "well, I still wasn’t sure." I was still wavering. And I think what really got my attention was when Swāmījī said to me, "I will come for your center opening." And he has truly kept his word. He came here to bless the new space and open the door. And I am very excited to have this opportunity to bring the science of yoga, as I am learning from my master what yoga is, to people in America, people in the Bay Area. And hopefully the center is going to bring some peace to people’s souls, health, and well-being, and I feel privileged to be able to do that. Thank you, Swamijī, for your blessing. Bless you. Thank you. And also, I’d like to say thank you to all of you who came. I can’t even tell you how thankful I am for all your help and how beautifully this all came together. It’s like all these angels from all these parts of the world are here, and I am just doing nothing. And also, I would like to say thank you to a few of my students who have supported me along the way. And thank you to Mukti for putting up with all my emotions and listening to me all the time, 24/7. Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done. I think Mukti should also say a few words. And do we have a small cushion that I can put down a little? It’s too soft. That Veyukkha speaks best. No? That’s perfect. Yes, that’s perfect. Now it’s good. Otherwise, it makes you tired. Yes. Yes. And sit down here. Look at me. There. O Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Dharma Samrāj Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Satya Sanātana Bhagavān Kī Jaya O Swāmī Dīna Nāthā Kālī Jayā Cālāpādamuhūrata Jayā Jayā Kandāpādamuhūrata Bhava Bandhanahā Hari Om Jayā Jayā… Guru Devī Devī Devatā Sava Guru Mūrti Dari Hari Osvāmī Guru Matindā Kaha Pura Kaha Raya Santa Sujana Guru Mahima Hari Om Jaya Jaya… Gurudev Yagya Oradana Havana Thapa Bahubhati Kina Aswami Bahubhati Kina Vinaguru Gyanabhugyanam Bhattaka Bhattakarena Hari Om Jaya Jaya… Gurudev Moho Māyā Saṁsā, Uswāmī Bhavasā, Sat Saṅgha Jayā Chālākar, Sat Saṅgha Navachālākar, Gurū Pālame Tyārī Harī Om Jayā Jayā… Gurudev, tachale Kali Yuga me upabhisara jave, Swamiro upabhisara jave. Ātmā bhatālave Pūriśra Paripūraṇa Ānandadarśave, O Swami Ānandadarśave, Śrī Dīpa Prabhu Śatānām Annase, Śrī Dīpa Dayālur Nijaṃ Annase, Guru Atigave Hari Om Jaya Jaya… Gurudev Śrī Dīpa Daipa. Vyāpaka Viśvācāra Ācāra Chetan Jotvendumari Viśvācāra Ācāra. Prabhu, nirguṇa se sūra bhaktaṇa ke hita kari he. Śrī Dīpa Dīpa āp kī śaraṇa me āyā kare. Ānandur dāsa dukhyārī he, īśvarasā dukhya, jarā nihāla, pāla, śirī, pāpakī. Āp binā koī hamāre na koī pukārā hai Prabhu, āp binā koī he jīn koī pukārā hai Prabhu, jahāṁ de kum jahāṁ āvai, āp nitya cetanā nirākārī hai. Śrī Pūjā Dīpa Dukkha Kari, Śrī Pūjā Dīpa Dukkha Kari, Bhukha Jihāpake Caraṇakamala Paliha, Bhukha Hema Jihāpake Caraṇakamala Paliha, Siddhi Padāyat, Siddhi Padāyat,… Siddhi Padāyat… Nandana Nandana… Satguru Saṅgata Nānī, Savajāta Maṅgana Hara, Kyā Rājā, Kyā Vaḍashā, Sabhī Dharare Para Rāmakṛṣṇa Se Kaun Vare? Usne Bhī Guru Kī Tīlā Goprā Kenā Tane Satguru Ke Adhi Satguru Purāṇa Brahma Re Jove Sūrṇa Rāva. Ye Tana Vishaki Vihari Guru Amrita Ki Ka Sri Sri… Dhyānamūlaṁ Gurur Mūlaṁ, Pūjāmūlaṁ Gurur Param, Mantramūlaṁ Gurur Vākyaṁ, Mokṣamūlaṁ Gurur Kṛpā. Oṁ Dīp Jyoti Parabrahmā, Dīpaṁ Sarve Mohanāṁ, Dīpaka Sajjate Sarvaṁ, Satya Dīpaṁ Sarvasatya. Oṁ Namo Prabhu Dīpa Vināśi, Api Brahma, Api. Viṣṇu, Apo Kelaskevasi, Apo Nārada, Apo Śāradā, Apo Śeṣukrāsi, Apo Dhyānī, Apo Vyānī, Apo Yogarakāśī, Apo Devsavdevī, Apo Sūryarakāśī, Apo Brahma Devānī, Apo Charmokkevasi, Apo Vedon Ke Gyātā, Apo Bhakturvasi, Apo Satnām Ke Gyātā, Apo Niśvarūpa Ke Gyātā. Oṁ Namoḥ Prabhudiprā Namaḥ Prāmānanda Gurvasi. Śrī Polī, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Śrī Śrī Dev Purīṣa Mahādeva, Dharma Samrāṭ, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān, Satya Sanātana, Kī Jaya. Very Shāntī Devī. Okay, you come, Ānandī, and take chocolate for your sister, okay? Okay, this, yeah, for Shanti, and this for you, okay? Thank you. Khawalā. Sound is okay? Water is coming? That was a good idea. Adam is sleeping? Now you have to overtake, okay? Adem, come. A chocolate for you also, after prayer. Please. I don’t want to block the light a little bit. Brahmanandaji wants me to block the light a little bit. Block the light? Is that better? Yes. Okay. We can put a shoulder. No, no, no. We can put the bumper here. Yeah. Brahmapurī, who sits where the Divya Purī is, okay? For me? Oh, thank you. Wow. Aha, this side. Trees. Yes, trees, rainbows, flowers. Beautiful. Beautiful. Thank you. Sunflowers between. Thank you, Adam. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī. First of all, our many, many adorations, praṇāms to Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī, Prabhujī, Svayaṃbhū, Deveśvara Mahādeva, Devpurījī, and our beloved Gurudeva, Svāmī Madhavānandajī. Blessings to all of you, and good evening. Today is a beautiful day, Pūrṇimā, and also the holy festival. This evening is our evening where we always, after the program, come together and say, "See you again." On this occasion of the opening of the new Yoga and Daily Life Center in San Francisco, we congratulate our dear Amṛtsāgar and also the great support of our Mukti and many, many good friends of Amṛtsāgar here from San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and others. The suburban cities of San Francisco in the USA, so, congratulations and blessings. It’s called "Yoga and Daily Life: Amṛt Sāgar." Amṛt means nectar, amṛt means immortality, and sāgar is the ocean. So, those who will practice yoga and daily life, they will swim and enjoy the ocean of the nectar. The ocean of immortality means that divine wisdom, that divine message which Alakhpurījī gave to all our paramparās, then to Devpurījī and Mahāprabhujī, and Mahāprabhujī gave to Holy Gurujī, and Holy Gurujī gave to all of us. There is one little story I would like to share with you. You know this, but I would like to again remind you how this divine light of Mahāprabhujī’s paramparā, in the form of yoga in daily life, Mahāprabhujī gave to Gurujī to bring to the world. As you know, according to the Līlā Amṛt, our holy book Līlā Amṛt, Holy Gurujī is describing his life with Gurudev. And at the young age of 17 or 18 years, Gurujī became a disciple of Mahāprabhujī, and also very young, Mahāprabhujī gave Gurujī Holy Sannyāsa Dīkṣā. Because Gurujī wanted it very much. When one gets sānyās dīkṣā, it means now you belong to the whole world, not to your blood relatives or family. If you live with the family, then you have to concentrate. Part 2: The Path of Renunciation and Unwavering Faith You must consider feeding and caring for your family. Here, a subtle distinction arises. At that level, your blood relatives or immediate family come first, and all others are secondary. This means there is no equal vision yet. Therefore, it is said for a sannyāsī that when he or she takes sannyāsa, after a certain period—be it twelve years or twelve months—one returns to one's birthplace, to one's parents or mother or whoever is there, to go for Bhikṣā, Al-Mawzi. You do not go as a member of the home, but as what I would not call a beggar, but a begging monk. It signifies: "I renounced this house for you. Now this house is not yours anymore; it belongs to your previous family." When you receive sannyāsa, you have a new birth. You accept the whole world as your family. All houses are yours. All sisters are yours. All brothers are yours. All mothers are yours. This is equal vision. That is not easy. That is called the first step of renunciation. When you take the bhikṣā and depart, you do not return home. However, due to worldly and social feelings, if a family member dies, you may go to bless them and express condolences. For a sannyāsī says there is no death; the Ātmā is immortal. Therefore, one should not create sadness, but still we have a human heart, we have emotions, we have love. So when anything happens, we are, let's say, not sad but still unhappy. A few days ago, a tsunami happened. I received morning news from Japan, and you know, I couldn't keep myself back. I was so sad for all brothers and sisters who lost their lives or who remained behind. So, even though we think we are only ātmā, we have emotions, we have feelings. But it is a bitter truth. It is hard not to be open, to renounce and become one with the whole world. Therefore, it is said a swāmī should not attend any funeral, except perhaps for one's mother or for some saints, like a priest. Until today, I do my best to follow these principles. After going home for bhikṣā, I went two or three times when my brother and son died. But I did not enter the house; I sat outside. To follow the principles of sannyāsa, one must not enter one's house or stay overnight there. One may stay with neighbors, in a temple, or somewhere else, but not there. Why? Because then moha, attachment, will grow again. So, holy Gurujī, when very young, did sevā for Mahāprabhujī, that is all. There was no teaching like I am teaching you every day, talking, giving satsaṅg daily. One lives with Mahāprabhujī or with one's guru and does sevā first. That is all. Cleaning, cooking, washing—that is your duty. Do not think that you will go and the master will sit and teach you meditation all the time. No. The master will only give you a mantra and say, "Go and meditate." That is all. But how? You go and sit down and practice the mantra. So, to understand the Master and to know the mercy of the Master is rare; disciples who can understand are rare. When you give your word to your Master that you renounce and will live life as the Master wishes, there lies your success, your greatness, your development. If you fail, then you did not succeed. That is why rare disciples attain what millions of disciples would like to attain. For the human intellect may still say, "I will be Thay, O Gurudev," but only in singing, not in reality. You go to the temple and say, "God, I am yours. Please, God, take me. I don’t want anybody. God, take me." And God appears and says, "Yes, my child, come with me." Then you say, "I didn’t mean it like this. I didn’t realize that you would come and take me. No, no... thank you, go back where you came from." So our saying is different from our feelings; the two must become one. A drop fell into the ocean. That drop is gone. There is no more drop there. One day, about 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning, in Khattu Āśram, Mahāprabhujī and only Gurujī were sitting. Mahāprabhujī said to Gurujī, "Mādhavānanda, Mādhav"—he was not yet Mādhavānanda, just Mādhav—with great love, "Now you go and bring the light of Devpurījī to the world. This is your Yogśālā. Every day, life will be enlightening day by day. Take this light of blessing." Holy Gurujī was so attached to Mahāprabhujī, so attached. For him, this was like having his head cut off. Separation from Gurudev is like a death. Now the question arose for Gurujī: where to go, what to teach? Mahāprabhujī didn’t give me any yoga lessons or lectures on how to talk. Since I came to Mahāprabhujī, I was doing only sevā, service. And when Mahāprabhujī was giving satsaṅg, then I was listening, that’s all. And now he throws me away. The feeling was one of disappointment, but not in the way we think of disappointment. How, where, and what? So, Holy Gurujī was describing in his book, Līlāmṛti, and was very sad. Why did my Gurudev send me away? What did I do? And what did I not do? What did he ask me to do? He went behind the room. It was a hot season, very hot, about 48 degrees. Gurujī was sitting. Behind the room, there were two small rooms, that’s all. No fence, nothing, only desert. The sun was high, so there was no shade, there were no trees. So, Holy Gurujī tried to step to the wall where a little bit of shadow was, weeping and thinking, "Where will I go? To whom will I go? And to whom will I say, 'I am hungry'? Will someone give me food? And when they ask why I came, what will I answer? And where will I sleep?" You know, then one creates many, many thoughts: where, where, how. Mahāprabhujī was sitting in his room, and he realized what Gurujī was thinking. Mahāprabhujī knew what you think and what you feel. So Mahāprabhujī tied his lungi tight and came to that side of the room. Gurujī was sitting and weeping like this. Mahāprabhujī came, he got up. And Mahāprabhujī said, "Mādhavānanda. Mādhav, why are you sad? To whom does the whole world belong?" Gurujī said, "To you, my Lord. And to whom do you belong? To you, my Mahāprabhujī." "Then why do you worry? Why do you worry?" Mahāprabhujī said, "Personally, I will take care of you. I will always be with you. Even if you are somewhere in the desert, in the forest, or in the mountains, where no humans are visible anywhere, and you are hungry, I personally will bring food for you to eat. At that time when you are hungry, food for not only one, but for two." And Mahāprabhujī, Gurujī said, "Who is two?" He said, "Your sevak, your bhakta. I will give you someone to be with you. Have you no confidence in me?" "Yes." "Then, why are you worried?" Then Mahāprabhujī sang a bhajan on the spot. Holy Gurujī was describing, when we were sitting alone, how nice it was. In the sun, midday, 48 degrees hot, and Mahāprabhujī sat in front of Gurujī, like we sit in utkaṭāsana, you know, when we do this āsana, he was sitting and said, "Sit down," to Mahāprabhujī and sang a bhajan, a beautiful bhajan. Karadūm ajaryamartan kāya bhakta Harī kā saccā hove to kyo man mein ghabrāyā? Karadūm ajaryamartan kāya. Mahāprabhujī said, "Mādhav, karadūm ajaryamartan kāya. I will make you immortal. I will take care of your body, everything. If you are really a devotee of Bhagavān, then why are you scared? Why are you scared? You are scared or you are sad because you have no faith in me. That’s all. Faith lost, everything lost. The bird lost its wings. They are cut off, now the bird cannot fly, and the cat of death is coming. The bird moves its muscles to fly away, but no wings are there. That condition is for those bhaktas who lose or lose confidence in their Gurudev." Holy Gurujī said, "No, Lord, no, not for a second. I have no doubt in my faith, my confidence. I am Thay. But I don’t know where, what to do." Mahāprabhujī said, "I will be with you." And Gurujī took his first journey. What did he take with him? One picture and one bhajan book of Mahāprabhujī in his small bag, and one pot made out of what is called the bitter pumpkin, which grows somewhere between the ocean and a bay area. It looks nice, black, which I still have. I’m lucky that Gurujī gave me that one. That’s all, nothing else. And one bag inside this one pot—that was for drinking, for eating, for everything. And Gurujī, Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan book, that’s all. Midday, one o’clock, and no shoes, hot sand, one cloth here, whole body wrapped in one cloth. Can you imagine, a young man? Mahāprabhujī said, "Should I give you some money?" Gurujī said, "Where I need, you give me, that’s all." He went, he walked about 35 kilometers, 40 kilometers, and he came to one village, and people were waiting for him to welcome him. Gurujī couldn’t imagine. How do they know? How do they know? At that time, there was no telephone, and in those villages, there was no telegraph. A royal family invited Gurujī to stay there. With folded hands, they said, "Please stay ten days and give us satsaṅg." Gurujī was one of the best singers. When Gurujī sang the bhajans, you didn’t need any loudspeaker. You know, he was like an opera singer, you know, such a good voice. And those bhaktas, they are still whole families, completely dedicated to Gurujī and Mahāprabhujī. The grandfather, the father, the son, and the grandchildren are now all devotees. And so the light of yoga and daily life, how Devpurījī gave to Mahāprabhujī and how Mahāprabhujī gave to Gurujī, and then Gurujī began to bring the light around the whole of India. Many things Gurujī tells, it was not easy sometimes. But whenever there was a hard time, Mahāprabhujī was there. So Gurujī wrote a bhajan. Whenever he was a little bit troubled, then he said: Nirbhairaho Nishang Kabhi Mata Darna, Teri Sattva Gurura Ke Laaj Chinta Mata Karna. Nirbhairaho Nishang Kabhi Mata Darna... Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī. When there was something, suddenly Gurujī remembered. Mahāprabhujī said, "Teri Satguru Rakelaj," Gurudev protects you. Nirve, be brave, don’t be fearful, don’t be scared. Nirve raho sadā niśaṅk, ever niśaṅk. Niśaṅk means without any doubts, not a doubt. Like a thin hair, Mahāprabhujī’s word, then Gurujī was, and you know, 24 hours, Gurujī’s inhalation and exhalation was the name of Mahāprabhujī. Often I witnessed that when Gurujī’s room—because I used to sleep in Gurujī’s room—minimum five times he got up in the night and sat at least half an hour practicing mantra, and then again he slept. And you see that he’s sleeping. When one is sleeping, his breath goes a little deeper. But the mālā was going on. That’s called ajapa. That’s called guru kṛpā. That guru consciousness has awakened you. In the last days of Gurujī, he gave me his mālā in New Delhi and said, "Mahesh, I have used this mālā for a long, long time." Mahāprabhujī gave it to him, just materialized in Bola Gura Ashram and gave it to him. "This is for you." Of course, with great adoration, I kept it as my biggest treasure in my life. Mahāprabhujī, Gurujī’s mālā, which Mahāprabhujī gave him. When he was in his last days and he was in deep samādhi, still these fingers were moving like this. The doctor said that Gurujī is like this, you know, like you are doing japa, you know, mālā like this, all the time. And in that stage, because he had some health problems, the doctor put him in an artificial sleep or something like this. And he was all the time moving and then searching, "Where is my Mālā?" That’s called gurubhakti, and that is a person who should follow the footsteps of Gurudev to be successful. But we did, we did nothing. How much guru sevā did you do? And how much did I? Be frank, often I try to escape because of hard work. No teaching, just cleaning, this, that. So I said, "Gurujī, can I go to buy vegetables for you from that other village?" Gurujī said, "Yes, but come in one hour." So, always. And when I came to the West, Gurujī was sad. And I also left exactly like Gurujī went, carrying nothing with me. My passport, picture of Mahāprabhujī and Gurujī, and one bhajan book. In the middle of winter, at the end of December, on the 28th or 29th of December, I landed at London airport, and I had only these rubber sandals and only this one cloth like this. I came out, and there was snow, 10 to 30 centimeters, and our luggage landed at the Luton airport, and I landed at Heathrow. We had to wait from Luton. The bus brought our luggage outside, and the customs officer was standing, saying, "Open your suitcase." It was a small iron suitcase. But my hands were so frozen I couldn’t open it. And I remembered Mahāprabhujī’s story. Gurujī said, and I said, "Maheśvarānanda, Gurujī is with you, why do you worry about that?" Since that time, because my concentration was only that I carry the light of Gurudev in my palm and give this light to everyone’s hearts, that they carry this light within them. We used to say in India, "You carry light like you have a blister on your palm." It is very painful, and you carry your hands like that. So God carries you on His palm. Gurudev carries His devotees in the hollow of His palm. Difficult time? Rest time. Walk it. So Mahāprabhujī told me, "Why do you worry? Don’t worry, I am here." But sometimes we mortal people, we still have a doubt. Many think, "A picture? What will a picture do with Swamiji?" It is not a picture, my dear. It is reality. Those who have the eyes of devotion see the reality; others see only the picture. And so, it’s called a grassroots project. Our dear Amrit and her sister Mukti, they started this grassroots project. And I wish them this little seed of a banyan tree. One day it will grow large. So I bless you in the name of Bhagavān Devpurījī, Mahāprabhujī, and Gurujī. All the best and much success. And without any hesitation, open your heart and teach spirituality. You know, to you, people come only who are spiritual. Not those who want position, this and that. So, love, devotion, spirituality. I wish you all the best, and your best friends who are sitting here. I also bless them in the name of Gurudev, and all the best. And all, as our Divya Jyoti, president of our Yoga and Daily Life in Virginia, Alexandria, said to you, and also president of Yoga and Daily Life, Nirvan Puri, that we are all here with you. So, whenever you need anything, we will be with you. Don’t hesitate. And now, internationally, all bhaktas and yogīs and their life, they are so happy that in San Francisco we have an āśram. They will come, they will phone you, and they will visit your center. So, prepare a big flat, yeah? So they also can sometimes stay there. So everything will be okay. Trust in Gurudev. And you know the American slogan is also, "We trust in God." So we trust in God. That’s it. It will be. So, all of you, thank you for coming and for this beautiful weekend. Many, many people came from different parts of the world. Bless you, and all my dear brothers and sisters around the world who are with the website. Wish you a very blessed, holy, and colorful festival. Tomorrow, they will throw colors on everyone. It is a colorful festival. It’s a festival which God Kṛṣṇa loved very much. He also makes everyone the happiest, putting colors on everyone. Be colorful. Why? Because Hiranyakashipu is gone. Hina Kashyap is lost. His energy is diminishing day by day. He is going until he is opened. Yes? So Hīnā Kāśyapa is gone. And now, Prahlāda, Bhaktas. Now is the time of the Bhaktas. So we are happy. You are a bhakta. Bhakta means devotion, devotees. So we are devotees. We are all one, brothers and sisters. So I am also with you. Hari Om. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, Deveśvara Mahādeva Kṛṣṇa, Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, Sanātana Kṛṣṇa, Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ.