TV Channel

Part 1: On Practice, Faith, and the Inner Path Like a Pokémon, a chimney—you take a sharp fork; it’s not good, but a chimney is not impossible. A chimney is not a virus; a chimney is a software. The effect of the chimney is something. The creaminess, the mustard, ginger—these are the few spices that should be used every day of the year. It is a blessed land. Nature is very precious to you. Your soil is a precious soil. You can produce anything. In India we say, wherever you put your soil, you can have good water. It makes such good soil, and water will have many good things. This would be one of the largest economic supports for your country if you produce pure vegetables. Those who have built them lack good practical knowledge, because all the engineers who are made, designed, and grown are probably made well. I’m afraid you will say again, "Swāmījī is late." So, are you angry because I’m late, little? A no. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Dev Puruṣa. I don’t think so, it is due to kriyās, but for six months stop and then let me know next meeting. Śrī Śrī... Why didn’t I understand what you were saying? Somebody, some friend of hers, some other person has very bad karma. Sometimes it is better than nothing. If someone can’t swim, and you can swim, and you can rescue someone’s life, it’s good. I read a book about the ability to control one’s mind, and in this book it is written that it is possible to heal another person if I imagine intensely that he is healthy through meditation. Do you think it is really so? Check and make an experiment and let me know. You make a mistake there where you observe yourself: "Now I am happy, and now I am unhappy." So don’t think too much. Realize the value of your practice. For a practitioner, for the aspirant, the practices are like God. Patañjali said that you should have an adoration and respect for your practices. Next meeting. How many are still here who didn’t have a mantra and would like to have a mantra? How many V’s does the mantra have, please? One, two, three, four. So, I will make some exceptions for you. And write your name and your room number, and I will call you. Don’t be surprised if it is 2:30 in the night. In the name of Mahāprabhujī, I bless them for their happy and harmonious life together. Yes, this is more or less a problem for all of us. Mahāprabhujī said, "To eat little and forgive is the heart for humans." So, don’t worry, just eat. Proste, yes, sir. Does the union between disciple, guru, and sadguru work? It’s like sunlight, sun energy, is penetrating through and through everywhere. So this is on the spiritual level. You need not bother about this. It’s functioning. It has its way. Chanting mantra loudly is called the second step of practicing mantra. There are five steps. And chanting helps you to pronounce your mantra properly, and it creates more concentration. Other thoughts disappear. When you practice mentally, then many thoughts come in. When you sing, then you will notice that automatically, many, many thoughts disappear. And when you only sing mentally, then many thoughts come. I don’t know what you mean by mudras. And, of course, you can chant your mantra, sing bhajans. That becomes kīrtan. Next. Aha. How is it? Can you tell me something about the freedom of the disciple and the attachment of the disciple towards a guru? It is completely free and totally attested. It means in your material life you are completely free. And on your spiritual path, for your development of your spirituality, you are completely united. It’s like a child and mother. If you practice mantra according to the mālā, counting, then, yes. If you are counting, repeating the mantra spontaneously without counting, then no. Hṛddhi means prosperity. You are not informed properly. Viṣṇu has a thousand names. There is an extra book existing called Viṣṇu Sahasranāma. The thousand names of Viṣṇu, and similarly also the Brahmā. And Śiva too. To understand Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, one should not always take them as one person. It is a process, it is energy. It is a kind of function. And everything has a different function and a different name. It is the wheat. And now it is sprouting. Now it is wheat plants in the ground, in the field. And now it became again the wheat. But now it is wheat flour, and now it is bread, and now it is food, and now it has to be digested. It is the same thing in different form, different name, different... You can serve both very well, both times. You can do good things with money. Give money to the Red Cross or to some societies, or to some poor people. If someone needs emergency medical aid and they don’t have money, money is not wrong. Only wrong is how you use it. You see, the fig tree, the fig fruit, the fig fruit is all content of only seeds, and all seeds will not grow. If all the seeds of the figs begin to grow, the whole world will be full of fig trees. Therefore, it is impossible that all will be spiritual at once. If there is no darkness, we do not know what light is. Therefore, it is said, Āsurik and Devīk Śaktis are all the times. But the time will come, and all creatures will be liberated. That’s called Mahāpralaya. That means, again, complete inhalation. No, life does not exist anywhere anymore. I’ll see. Yes, if the disciple is very lazy and doesn’t practice, then we have to guide them for many, many lives. But if the disciple gets liberation, there is no next life. Then I hope it is not me, or do you have something against the beer? Don’t be afraid. It is natural. Beer is a natural thing. It grows. So don’t be afraid. Identify, recognize what it is, who it is. Grandfather, father, neighbors, some ṛṣis, some yogīs, Devpurījī, and also Swāmījī have long beard and hair. Who is he? So, no problem. And if still you are afraid, then say, "Please, next time, come in my meditation with the saved." Well, it is not so easy to treat the paradentals also. The best thing is what the dentist tells, that you have to learn properly how to brush the teeth and keep away from sugar, sweets, honey, and everything. And then there is another technique, which I didn’t try, but many people said it’s very good. Every morning, take about two tablespoons of oil in the mouth—any kind of edible oil—and just leave it in the mouth for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then spit it out and clean it. That does help, they said. The altar, for me, is the place of my guru, the place of God. An altar for me is that place where I can go with all my problems and have inner consultation with my God. Where can I put all my sorrows, and where can I gain my confidence? An altar is the symbol of purity, a holy place, a respected place. So for many, it may be different, but for me it is like this, and the heart is the real altar of God, but extra picture, extra altar, external altar is also important, that is, how to say, creates the environment and it’s indescribable feelings. Immediately, the whole environment changes. If you move to a new house and you make an altar there for the first time, with a candle and incense, then the whole environment changes. This is also called Mūrti Pūjā. Mūrti means the statue or photo. And pūjā means celebration. There are some people who do not make the Mūrti Pūjā. They believe only in Nirākār. Nirākār means without form. But for a devotee, for a bhakta, it is better to go through the sākāra to the nirākāra. There is, in the prayer said, Nirguṇ se saguṇ banāye bhaktan ke hitkārī he. That you came from the nirguṇa, you manifested yourself from nirguṇa to saguṇa, for the sake of bhaktas, for the sake of devotees. So nirguṇa and saguṇa are the same for a realized person, for a jñānī, and for an ignorant one, both are just unclear, both are unclear. As long as we exist in this body, we need solid things, concrete things, and therefore, it is also easy for us to somehow imagine God, to follow God in our life. It reminds us, there is a story. Once Swāmī Vivekānanda came to one king in Rajasthan. And that king was believing in a different philosophy. And that we call Ārya Samāj. Ārya Samāj is a movement created by one Swāmī called Dayānanda Sarasvatī. And how to say Āryas, you know, for Āryas. And they don’t believe in the form, all the fire ceremonies, nirguṇas, no photos. And Swāmī Vivekānanda, he invited the king in the evening for prayer in his room. And on the altar, there was a picture of Śrī Paramahaṁsa Rāmakṛṣṇa, the Guru of Śrī Vivekānanda. And when the king came into the room, he asked him, "Who is this in the photo?" So, Vivekānanda said, "It is my master, Paramahaṁsa Rāmakṛṣṇa." The king said, "I thought you were very wise, Swāmījī, but it seems you are still not so far. Still, you are like a little child, playing with toys here and there. This photo is a piece of paper. How could it be your guru? You can tear it, you can burn it, you can throw it." Vivekānanda said, it is time for prayer, not for discussion. If you like, please welcome. If not, you may go. But the king politely stayed like this in the prayer. And this means he is tied by karmas. He is not free. This is a symbol. Psychologically, you should not talk to someone like this. There are some people, when you go to their house or office, "Yes, please, what do you want?" Then you know how deep the water is there. Anyhow, they had a prayer in prasāda, and the next morning, the king invited some of his very close friends to have an audience with Swāmījī. And there was a very nice meeting hall. And it was, how to say, influenced by an English touch. Very nice, decorated, and books, and libraries, and whiskeys, and so on. Some oil paintings, and Swāmījī was sitting there. He had a few disciples with him, and about 60-70 people were there. Above where Swāmījī was sitting, on the wall, was hanging a very nice portrait. Oil painting, and Vivekānanda asked the king, "It’s a beautiful portrait. It has a radiance. It’s like some personality. Who is this person?" It’s a king. He stood up from his chair and, with folded hands in the Indian way, he said, "It is his highness, my father." Swāmījī had one very strong disciple with him, like Indra. He said, "Put this picture down, spit on it, and tear it." And the king’s face became red. He said, "Swāmījī, what did you say? I hope I didn’t hear right. It’s His Highness, my father. If you say such a word towards my father, soon, there will be no head on your neck." Swāmījī said, "Oh, I thought it was just a piece of paper. How could this be your father? Tear it, throw it, burn it. But it seems that it is a reality, not a paper. King, when salt goes under the skin, salt goes under the skin, then one feels." The king got up. From his chair, he apologizes, but he said, "Yesterday evening, I realized what the photo means." Therefore, everyone has their symbols, and that’s holy for them, and you see, we should support them for their belief and their respect. So the altar is very important. We have here an altar. Mahāprabhujī is there, Gurujī is there, Śrī Devpurījī is there. And I feel that they are sitting beside me. And I don’t dare to say something wrong. And whatever I am speaking, I am getting from here this energy, power, and inspiration. For me, this means for me this. But maybe for others, not. If not, they need not accept. So everyone has their own choice. Regarding this question, in the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, it is very clearly written, as said by Lord Kṛṣṇa. Next, please. Please hear it, of course, of course. Your Satguru said it, but your Guru doesn’t say this. Read the question. Did you read the question? Yes. In Czech? Yes. You see, Vienna Ashram is very nice, and you are welcome to come and serve. But it is small, and there is no facility for accommodations and things like this. But thank you for your wish and your feelings. Whenever I need, or we need, or Vien Ashram needs, we will call you. You should be speaking English and German. And please give your name and address. When we need you, we will inform you. What is time? Ninety-five percent is the content of my lectures and in our books, and as a yoga practitioner, you have to become independent. Sometimes, if you don’t understand or you don’t know, you have to wait. You have to wait. You have to wait and search to answer yourself, because the real answer is from your within self. The question rises up from your within, and it should be solved within. Mostly, questions are sentimental, emotional, partner problems. And about this, yesterday before noon I answered in very great detail. Then there are questions about health, which are personal questions. And definitely, doctors or medicine didn’t help, and that’s why you turned to yoga. Or you didn’t seek the help of a doctor. But the answer wouldn’t give you treatment. It is an individual case, and it has to be given exercises and guided individually. It means with your yoga teacher, with whom you are practicing. Of course, I will answer you which exercise is good for it, either Haṭha Yoga kriyās or āsanas or prāṇāyāms. So, yogī means independent. And I can tell you one thing: if my master would have taught me for so many years and so many hours with such concrete lectures, which I give to you, I tell you, I would be one of the happiest persons in the world, perhaps. I am happy. I am not unhappy. But my master just said, "Do what you like." That’s all. Or in his bhajans, read the bhajans and learn from them. I never had a lesson with him, sitting and explaining the things that I am doing. But it is another case. Everyone is born different, and every master is teaching in a different way, and my master too. And Mahāprabhujī is inwardly guiding me, and he is speaking in me. But you have to gain this confidence that he speaks in you. And then it is very important to observe yourself, so that you don’t make a mistake. You do not misuse the inner voice. Selfless should be, not selfish. There was a master and disciple living together in the forest. And the master said, "Anyone who speaks to you is God, because God speaks through them to you." And in everyone is God, or in every living being there is God. And the disciple went shopping in the village, because they were living in the forest. When he came into the market, there came a crazy elephant, and when the elephant is crazy, it is also very destructive. So people told him, people were shouting, "Please, Swāmījī, go away, a crazy elephant is coming," and he said... To himself, why should I go away? My master said, "Everywhere is God," so in the crazy elephant is also God. So he peacefully went through, and as soon as he came near the elephant, the elephant caught him in its trunk, moved him several times, and threw him. Fortunately, he fell on some dry grass, so only a few bones were broken. And he came back home to the āśram. And the master said, "What happened?" He said, "It happened. What should not have happened, because it happened, I trust your words. You told me in everyone is God, and the crazy elephant came, and people told me, 'Run away,' but I said, 'My master said in all is God,' and I went just on my." Part 2: The Parable of the Elephant and the Touchstone One day, an elephant came, caught me, and threw me away. So, Master, my question is: if God is in that elephant, then why did this happen to me? I had nothing against him. I was positive thinking, and so on. The Master said, "Yes, in him is God. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam..." Often, we misunderstand the words of the Master. Therefore, one has to meditate and wait and wait and become independent. You will be safe if you really practice, do, and teach what I tell you. Confusions happen; either people are mixing the techniques, or those who are afraid have a wrong imagination. Therefore, it is very important in life to be independent. From one sentence, you can build up your whole life and master everything. I have one disciple whom I have known for nearly 18 or 19 years now. He is a clever person, intelligent, teaching people, and everything is good. And now she is thinking that in the night some astral being comes and sucks the energy from her chakras, and she is observed all the time. Some astral beings are following. I was so surprised. How is this possible? What did this person learn from me in 18 years? Zero. Minus and plus become on the same place. Therefore, to understand the words of the Guru, the Guru Vākya, is not so easy. Why is it not so easy? Because one doesn’t listen. One doesn’t listen 100%. Then one is not able to judge things with viveka. To such a person, things happen from their own imagination, from their own fear. So, yoga means, or my teachings should make you the best: alert, aware, conscious, human, active, creative, humble, wise. This is the result, as it should be. But why is it other? There must be some mistake. There is one precious stone known as a paras, and when you touch the paras to any metal, it turns into gold. So there is a poem saying that I touched the paras to the metal or iron, and it didn’t turn into gold. The question was, why? The answer came: either the paras is not real, or it remains at some distance. It did not touch completely. This distance means the doubts in the Master’s words. Many people said, "Yes, good. It’s a way of Indian thinking." But Swāmījī said it’s good, okay, but we are in a different culture and different culture. Now, yeah, it is a different mentality. Well, today science says differently, not he, what he says. But okay, we like yoga, and he’s a nice guy. These things will not give you that. It will not convert or turn you, or change you into the Paramahaṁsa, or to enlightenment. Doubts are the only obstacles. Doubts, I used to say, are the sand stones in the very nice prepared and dressed salad. You would like to eat salad, you would like to enjoy salad, but there are fine stones inside. So, you would like to know the wisdom, but there is a sand of doubts. Yesterday I spoke about two things, sādhanā and śraddhā. Without śraddhā, one can’t come through. The love for the Master should be a pure spiritual love, love of the wisdom, and not an attachment, not worldly love. Because that will disappoint you and again will pull you down. Therefore, one who loves wisdom, loves philosophy, loves the wisdom. And it should be complete trust, complete love. So it is very important for us to be independent physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, materially, and also spiritually. Independent means not just to run away. Where there is love, there is unity; there is no distance. There is ignorance, there is separation, there is suffering, there are doubts, and there is dependency. There were great masters in the world, and they met their Guru just for some minutes, some of them. You know one of the very well-known Swāmīs, Śivānandajī from Ṛṣikeśa. Many good disciples of his are working throughout the world. It is said Śivānanda made just a few minutes with his master, that’s all. And his master told him, "Serve, give, love, meditate, and realize." These are the five principles of the society which he founded, the Divine Life Society. These words you have often heard from me, and still, if you have not opened your consciousness, then it means we have to incarnate often. And because of you, I have to come also, and of course, I love to come. I love to be there where you are, that’s it. You know the highest teaching of the Master in the short form, the essence form, just the mantra. Master gives you mantra, and off you go. And it is you who have to realize through this mantra. It is a mantra, a seed, and it is you who are the farmer, and your heart is your field, and the Master puts in your heart the seed mantra. And now you have to cultivate your tree. If you are a farmer, you know how to take care of it. To find your Iṣṭa Devatā is not so difficult. We have only one father. But there are many men in the world, and we respect and like them also very much. Or we have one mother, and there are many, many mothers in the world, many ladies, and we respect them. Similarly, you have one Iṣṭa Devatā, your personal deity, and respect and love all. One in all, and all in that one. So, wait and meditate, and you will find your Iṣṭa Devatā, and then you will choose it. We should respect, and not only respect, we should adore every holy incarnation. We should respect and adore every holy saint, and we shall respect and recognize every holy book and holy word of holy saints. To learn from anyone is not restricted; there are no restrictions there, because wisdom is wisdom. So, if some other master comes and you learn something good from the other master, that is divine. That’s very good. Satsaṅg means not only with your master and only your group, but any wise man, any holy man is preaching. That is satsaṅg for you too. Otherwise, it will create narrow-minded things again. So, this is the greatest thing that we have: tolerance and freedom. Never think that your master is different, and I will not go to Swāmījī’s satsaṅg or lectures. Or do not think that you are Swāmījī’s disciple and you will not go to some other satsaṅgs. This is wrong. You should go if you have time and the chance or opportunity. Anywhere where there is wisdom, you should take it. You have at home your own water well, from which you drink water every day. And now you went to some other town and you are thirsty, but you don’t drink water there because it is not from your water well. That is a stupid thing. You are thirsty, and there is also water. So either to drink the water from the Liberec, or from Bratislava, or from Budapest, or from anywhere else, it has nothing wrong. Only if some water is not clean, filter it. Like if you go to some tropical countries, then you have to boil the water. So it means if you listen to some other wisdom, and from another culture it comes, get it in you and boil it, boil it with your jñāna agni. There are different kinds of fires: Jñāna Agni, Jāṭhara Agni, Krodha Agni. There are many, many different Agnis. So with your jñāna agni, you can filter, ah, boil it. It is said, a jñāna agni or yoga agni, karam dagdhani, that you can, all the karmas, boil it or fry it or burn it through the jñāna agni. And if it is unclear knowledge, not knowledge but preachings, then filter it with your viveka, and take the essence of it. It is said that Paramahaṁsa, the haṁsa means the swan, and among the swans there is a king swan, that is called Paramahaṁsa, and that is not visible to everyone. It lives in the Mānasārovar Lake at Mount Kailāśa, the holy mountain in the Himālayas, Tibet, and it is written in the books. If you mix water and milk together and give it to him to drink, he will drink the milk and the water will remain there. At the same time, in half a minute, he drank the milk, and the water remained. That is Paramahaṁsa. So, if you have somewhere lectures and talking negative and this and that thing, then, with your viveka, filter it. With your wisdom, filter it. You are capable, you are. You can do it. Probably you don’t want to do it, because you are depending on someone to do it for you. Since people have become dependent, they are more ill. The doctor will help me, the medicine will help me. So we became dependent, and that’s why we are helpless. So you will find your Īśṭa Devatā, and you should adore all holy saints and incarnations. Brahmā, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, Mahāprabhujī, Jesus, Mohammed, and so many, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, everyone, father, mother, master, friends, teachers, everything in harmony. That’s it. So one father in one life, but many men, all we respect. It is our common teaching in India. Who is elder than your parents, you adore them like a father. And who is younger, you adore them as a brother. Mahāprabhujī Karatā, Mahāprabhujī Karatā, Mahāprabhujī. And the persons, each one feels themselves responsible for the kids to educate, not only the parents, but all. If you see some young kids doing something which is not appreciable, even the elderly people will come and give them a slap on the cheek. And when they go to the father and say, "That man was giving me a slap," then the father will say, "Which side did he give you?" Here, this side. Then the father will say, "Okay, now I give you the right side." Why did he give it to you? Because I was sitting in the corner with my little friends and smoking a cigarette. Then I give you this side again. So we have to feel a responsibility to society. Don’t think, "It’s not my children, and it’s not my problem." And also, when someone educates your children with a tale, don’t be angry, be thankful. It’s very important, and that’s another mistake we are making. If we would like to see our family and our house in order, that everything is perfect, then we have to see also perfection in the outer world. And that’s what we are not doing, and that is a problem. So the outer world is reflecting their inner world too. And therefore, what you would like to see in your family, you should also see in other families and other societies. Then things will not happen like this. Who would like to give drugs to their children? If you don’t like to give drugs to your children, then you should also not offer them to other children. And there is the key, the main point: how we can again make healthy societies. Otherwise, one will say, "It’s not my problem." In the German language, they say, "It is not my problem. It is not my problem. It is his problem. I don’t want to know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it." There begin all criminalities, all bad things, all bad businesses. Respect other ladies as you respect your sister, as you respect your mother, as you respect your grandmother, and also respect other men as your own husband, or your own brother, or your own father, and other children like your own children. This is very, very, very important. And this is the first education. There is no higher education than this. So do to others what you would like to do for you and for your family. So, not only praying, "Lord, protect my family." Now, what about other families? Is there a problem? If you like to protect, do it, but please protect my family. And this is narrow thinking. So always in yoga, in the Upaniṣads, in Vedic culture, we are teaching, "Sarve śhyām svastir bhavatu, sarve śhyām śāntir bhavatu, sarve śhyām maṅgalam bhavatu, and sarve śhyām pūrṇam bhavatu." Loka Samasta, the whole world, Sukhino Bhavantu, this is very important. So we have to gain this consciousness again. Then you will have no problems. Either it is Jesus or Mahāprabhujī or Kṛṣṇa, Mohammed or Buddha, all is divine for you. And that yogī will get liberation. And those who are saying, "I do only what the Gītā said," "I do only what the Qur’ān said," or "I will do only what the Bible said," it is the same voice, the same word, the same wisdom in everything. And if something is a little different, filter it. And that means to be a yogī. And that means to be a yoga practitioner, yoga in daily life. Do you understand what I am saying, or are you tired? Do you agree? Thank you. Have you some opinion, feedback? Mr. Kuliśa always said feedback. So, I mean, anyone who has an opinion, please come. This is very important, what we are thinking in this minute and talking. It’s very important. Is there Mr. Kasai here? Professor Kasai? He has left. Anyone would like to say some comment? Comment? Comment on it? Prashim, he was the first. So we say about some good, for instance, Bhagavān with our Bible or anything else, can we say it is perfect? Because of the differences, can we say this is perfect and nothing else? Say it in Czech, or in Slovak, if you don’t mind. We can say that this is perfect, or that this is not perfect. You see, some water is what we call mineral water with the carbon hydrant. What is that? Some water is called Vinsentka. Some water has chlorine in it. Some water is just from the river. Nithyānandajī, and some like this, some like that. But we have nothing to, we should not deal or decide because it is river water or lake water. But we have to go to the water element. So let us say, if in the Bible it said, "I am the way to the Father." Don’t believe any other, and that’s very true. Kṛṣṇa said the same thing. And that’s also true. It means, "I am." My words, this wisdom, love, next forgive, help, be kind, do good—this is "I am," and this is the way to God. Don’t believe in others’ magics and say, "These and this and that and that," and that Kṛṣṇa said. It doesn’t matter which way you go. Ultimately, you will find me there. I will be there. So now, if you go through the Buddhist way, at the end of the way, you are surprised. There is no Buddha. Kṛṣṇa is standing, or you go the Christian way. And suddenly you come there, and Kṛṣṇa is playing flute and smiling. And he says, "Yes, who is this?" Or you go through the Kṛṣṇa way, and you find Jesus there. All Hare Kṛṣṇa people said, "Oh God, where are we?" So duality is in the form and in the mind of the people. You see, Hinduism is the religion on the earth which is very, very tolerant. In India, we have state holidays for every religion. And in our school books, from primary school books, we have teachings about Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Paramahaṃsa Vivekānanda, Rāmakṛṣṇa, Vivekānanda, and Buddha, many, many. And children are involved, and in India we call Jesus Mahāprabhujī Īsāmasī. So there are three Mahāprabhujī. One was Caitanya Mahāprabhujī. One was Jesus as a Mahāprabhujī, and the third one is our Mahāprabhujī. So duality is in people’s minds. So, I don’t say if it is mineral water, or river water, or lake water, but here it means the water element. So, here means God, not this and that and that, but God. Here means the knowledge, the reality. And reality is one, not two. If my mother is the best in the world, then you also say that your mother is the best in the world. Now, whose mother is not the best in the world? That’s it. Everyone’s is best. So free thinking is very important. Yes, please, next commentary. Please. Please. Good. Good.