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Today we begin with a very important topic. It is a crucial one for our spiritual development, which has multiple effects and also depends on various aspects. Simply meditating or praying is not enough; praying at the right time with the right words is also very important. Every word has its meaning. It is like this: when we call a person and say that person's name, a specific individual comes. For some time now, questions have continually arisen about the souls that have departed from this physical world. What is going on with them? Where are they at this moment? What can we do, and will we meet again? This is a very important topic for humanity, but I would say it is not only for humans but for all living beings. When a family member dies, it affects not just the family but all relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. It is the same with animals, for they also have relationships and feelings. Just as a human experiences pain or sorrow when someone dies, so too do other living beings. Therefore, it is very important that people truly understand what Ahiṃsā means. Hiṃsā means harm—physical, mental, emotional. Ahiṃsā means to harm nothing. Wherever Hiṃsā stands, there are no true human qualities, for a human possesses wonderful knowledge and intellect and thus understands, whereas animals perhaps do not yet understand. Hiṃsā is of another living being, and Ahiṃsā is of a human being. In animals, there is a natural feeling of ahiṃsā, of not causing harm; they only attack when hungry or threatened. But a person can possess themselves and does not necessarily have to do all of that. Therefore, being a vegetarian and following Ahiṃsā comes first. The second point is that this is a created system. Brahmā created this world and said this is a Karmabhūmi, a workplace for all living beings as a process of development. It is like going to a training, and after the training, you come back again. One goes to school, and after the learning process or period of study, one returns. One cannot sit all day at the university as a teacher, for they will say we need space for other students. One comes, another goes. So one is born, another dies, but we do not accept that. Or we accept it but do not understand it. Or we understand it but cannot overcome this gap. One comes home, goes to vacation spots, walks certain paths to places where one was with close persons, and then memories arise and weigh heavily on us. It is the same for other living beings; it is difficult for them as well. Whether it is difficult or easier, one should give it freedom. When one thinks too much, it becomes difficult for the person or the soul to clear the path ahead and continue onward. Liberation is not only dependent on this world. Death means nothing; it is liberation. And death has its processes. Someone dies suddenly in an accident. No accident was foreseen in Śikṣā. But some negative energy has come to be known and has happened. The worst is suicide. If someone takes their own life, then they face a thousand times more difficulties in the astral planes than here in this world. Some people think they have nothing left to do, that no one is there, and they are just sad and unhappy. Those are just your thoughts. Therefore, there are different kinds of sins, but the greatest sin is suicide. Unfortunately, some people do this because they do not know what the result will be. After death, we know nothing about what happens. It is a great curtain. We do not gain an overview; we cannot see through anything. Therefore, we believe it is good. There is nothing good. A person who is born into a particular family certainly has a father and a mother. These two persons are very closely connected with our soul or body. Then come the blood relatives, such as brothers and sisters. And here comes the Dharma philosophy. We all know what Dharma is. Dharma has two meanings. One general meaning of Dharma is said to be religion—to which religion one belongs and according to which one should lead their life. The spiritual significance and the paths of every religion are the same. The second important dharma is a duty or purpose, and that is your true Dharma. Everyone who is born has a specific cause with a particular message, a mission. Whoever knows this Dharma, that my mission is this and that, finds their life becomes easier because now you know your task and are doing it. When you act according to your Dharma, you have a feeling of happiness, joy, and contentment. Just as you work all day according to your duty or at home, and when everything is done, you feel content, sit down, take a glass of water, and enjoy this peace and freedom—everything you have created. This is our Dharma. What you will do now is called Karma: activity, actions, doing—physical, mental, emotional, through your words. Such a family dharma, the duty, carries on for up to 27 generations. After 27 generations, you are completely free from this Dharma. That means the genetic heritage goes up to 27, and until that time, you can try to fulfill your Dharma. Then it may be that you are free earlier. This means the first main dharma as one born is that we should liberate our ancestors. One can take an example roughly like this: one person retires, and another comes and takes over the entire responsibility of the economy or leadership. Now your successor, whether he will work according to your vision and guidance or not, can either improve things or ruin everything. So, when what our parents began or continued with great effort, love, and expectations is something we can no longer carry on or honor, or according to them we do nothing at all, then that means we are lacking. We do not fulfill our Dharma. To accomplish nothing means doubly that your ancestors are also not free, you are not free, and those to come will also not be free. Let’s take an example. When someone says, "Okay, I will have no more children and there will be no further continuation of these generations, of families," yes, it is possible your family lineage ends here. But that does not mean that in the plane of rays, in Pretaloka, you are liberated or that anyone else is liberated. You absolutely need someone to perform certain ceremonies, certain rites, on your behalf. Therefore, a system was created, or exists, that if one does not have children, then according to Dharma one should adopt a child. Why? Not so the child will take care of you when you are old, or because you love children—that is okay, it belongs to nature—but the underlying intention was nothing of the sort. The underlying thought was that someone would continue the prayers. Or you will have no children, you will not marry, and so on, but you will have a spiritual realization, self-realization itself. There you have a spiritual energy and power, abilities, that through your development, through your self-realization, you can liberate seven generations of the past. And if in your siblings the lives continue with having children and carrying on, then seven generations will also be automatically liberated. So that means 14 generations will inherit your spiritual power—I will not say enjoy, but inherit. They become so wealthy that they are free of debt. Here a question arises: which side? For example, it is a girl and she marries and has a husband. Now, which generation, from the father’s side or from her side? That is also very difficult. But there are always two types of souls from the parents. One is the one with qualities and the inheritance from the father’s side; one can be from the mother’s side. Here one speaks of mother sides. Two souls cannot merge into one soul. No, it either comes from the other side or from your side. Seen in this way, it is seven generations. Now, the debts, Karma—that is, the karma. Those who do not properly follow their Dharma create such Karma. This karma is accounted for as debt. Therefore, a primary dharma of a child is that through a certain offering, ceremony, prayer, or mantra, you liberate your ancestors. There is a certain time of the year when one should reflect and offer. In Hinduism, this time is called Śrāddha. Here in the West, I believe in Christianity there is also a time in November when All Souls’ and All Saints’ days occur, where people go to the cemetery or hold ceremonies. In Hinduism, the cemetery holds no significance. One does not always go there. One goes only once to accompany others, and then the second time as oneself. That is all, because the body is not the reality. In the cemetery, there is no soul. You have only either cremated or buried that body there, and the earth becomes one with the earth again. So going there and praying is a sign of pure ignorance, a sign of very clear ignorance. Because on the one hand, it is said that during the ceremony, blessings were given, mantras were chanted, and pāṭha was recited, and the soul has ascended to the heavens or moved onward. On the other hand, people still believe that this soul is buried underground and that it still wanders there. Therefore, it is not important to go to the cemetery. It has perhaps only become a social custom to attend, to maintain the grave, and so on. Yes, the grave-maintaining system has come or has always been present only with the saints. Samādhi is a part of this, because every part of his body is sacred, every soul of his body is sacred, regardless of whether this body is dead or alive. When this body is dead and buried, still the vibration, the energy remains there. So, to preserve or to sit with this energy, they have attained a kind of Samādhi. Temples were built on it, or churches were built; now it is said a church is being built, a monument is being constructed. But a complex feeling arose among ordinary people and among the saints. The saints had nothing, but ordinary people said, "Why? We are also holy and we would also like to have our grave and so on." So, as compassion, they have also allowed or started it, but they have not understood anything yet. They say a snake comes, and someone takes a stick and tries to strike or drive the snake away. Now the snake is already gone, and there is only a snake’s trail there. Someone comes and strikes the serpent trail with the stick. There is no snake. What do you say, what is that? That is not a snake; that is only a trace of the snake. And so, to go to the cemetery, offer a prayer, give flowers, and light candles is complete nonsense. The proper way would be to pray in a divine place, in a temple or in a church, or at home where you have an altar. Then offer flowers there or light a candle there. This helps the departed souls. When one is born, he automatically inherits five duties that he must repay. These are: the parents; the school teachers up to the university professors, and the methods, the others, your methods, Pretas; and your religious priests and your spiritual master. That is called Ṛṇa. I believe I once spoke about it fully in Salzburg as well. To the mother, a debt towards the mother. To the father, towards your father. Ācārya-ṛṇa, in relation to your teacher or even the priest. Deva-ṛṇa, opposite the gods—here meaning the elements: fire, water, air, earth, space. This also, we constantly take and take and take. What do we give? How do you repay that? We pay nothing, just a small tax this time. Therefore, for example, one says a Mantra. That means, through your mantra, through your singing, through this dedication of time, through this dedication of energy, you repay your debts. That means you shall possess nature. Oṃ Śānti Rekṣam Antarīkṣam: May there be peace in the heavens. Vanaspati Śānti: There should also be peace in nature. Or the mantra: Oṃ Tryambakam Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭi Vardhanam. You dedicate time. That comes from your soul. And through your feelings, through your thoughts, through your power, you draw the energy back. You possess all of nature; you possess the environment. Do not destroy the environment. Everything is created in this atomic workshop. And the power, how do we say, atomic power, nuclear plants—nuclear power plants are very, very much against nature. They destroy nature. You only take, only take, and what you give back is ashes. Therefore, you are Ṛṇī, you are patient, you have patience. And as long as you have not repaid your debt, your soul cannot be liberated. Sumatṛ-ṛṇa, Pitṛ-ṛṇa, Deva-ṛṇa, Ācārya-ṛṇa, and Guru-ṛṇa. We learn from everyone. And when we have learned from them, we should give something back in return. Parents have given us life, and we should pray for them and liberate them. That is why in this world they have created this system called parents and children, so that they help each other. And so this cycle will continue and function with birth and death. It is so important that we have these prayers for our departed loved ones. On one hand, we are emotional and very sad; on the other hand, one is happy that this person, thank God, has successfully lived this world, this life, and has moved on, continued, or is liberated. The crucial question for us is whether you will be successful or not. The others have already succeeded, no matter how, but what about you now? Therefore, you should work, pray, meditate, and strive spiritually according to your Dharma. And it is your Dharma again, your true duty once more, to guide your children to understand this Dharma. If you do not do this, or if you cannot do it, it affects not only your children but also your future generations, yourself personally, and your ancestors. Therefore, the first dharma that we bring to them in this regard. Something lies in nature, and something we can learn from them. One sees in animals also the mother or father, who teach the little children to swim or fly or walk or hunt or such things, like living, sitting, and so on. Everything learns. So if the animals are capable of perfectly transmitting this knowledge, then why is the human being not capable? A predator, a cat. How do they know that when hunting a lion or a tiger, or a deer, they must seize it by the neck? Each of these predators tries to catch another animal and quickly reach the throat so that it dies swiftly. How do they know that? They observe how the parents act, how the others behave. And so it is that human children also observe what their parents do. And if they do not do that, the parents are strict with them to make sure they do this and that, to bring it about. And when she cannot create anything, then the children go outside the house, seeking joy elsewhere. And of course, there is no true teaching outside your own door. People will always try to take advantage of you or misunderstand you and teach false things. The problem with drugs and crime—you did not learn that in your home. Most of the time, you learn outside your home. And the children who have received proper upbringing and whose parents have understood Dharma and passed Dharma on to the children, they are happy and will continue to lead a happy life. And such parents, even those who have passed away, are still happy that, yes, my children are acting according to Dharma. So, we should pray. We should dedicate something on behalf of the parents. There are plenty of opportunities. It is very important, as said in spirituality or in Hinduism, to help or feed other helpless living beings. For example, feeding fish in certain ponds or feeding birds. Or in the season, for example here, when there is a lot of snow around. There are many animals for whom this is a very difficult time; they find only a little bit of grass somewhere beneath the snow. So to give something to eat in time is a great virtue. It is our Dharma. So feed them, don’t eat them. That is it. Do not feed the fish so that the fish become fat and big and so that you can eat them later. That is then not Dharma; that is equivalent to sin. If you feed someone, who is feeding? A mother or a father. Who feeds? The children. Now mother and father were the very children themselves. Slaughtering and eating is not Dharma. When you feed other living beings, you feed with this love, as a father’s love, as a mother’s love, as a giver. You are a giver. You should give, and then you should take nothing. So our spirituality depends not only on praying and meditating, but also on how we conduct our daily lives. Otherwise, people say, "I pray eight times a day at home or in the temple or in the church," but at mealtime you have your own bred rabbits. All your prayers are meaningless. That is it. There, the spirituality of the power plays a very strong role. This life is not eternal here on this planet; the next number is our number. Be ready. And what will happen then? Who will repay your debts? With what karma will you return to this Earth? What did you think before coming here, from the astral planes? "Lord God, I will carry out these four Puruṣārthas: Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Mokṣa." And which of the four have you realized? Perhaps one, and that is Artha, prosperity. And prosperity itself can be selfish. Have you shared nothing with others? So Dharma: "I will feel my duty, I will perform my duty." You probably haven’t done that. Dharma, Artha is your prosperity, material life, the ability to also give something to others, to be able to offer. Kāma is the continuation of family procreation or liberation from karma. And Mokṣa is the fourth of the four aims, that through your Dharma, Artha, Kāma, you will attain Mokṣa. And because you were not able to do all of that, because life is too short, you pass this task, this responsibility on to your children or your students, so that they will continue it. Don’t they do it? You say it’s not my fault, so what am I supposed to do? The children don’t follow me. Yes, nevertheless, it is your fault. It was your Dharma to bring that to them. It was your dharma that you received, the children. So life is a complicated process, isn’t it? It’s not that simple that you just pack your bag and say adios. "I am now going to the beach, onto the hot sand on the beach. I lie around there." You lose your mind there. Just like when someone says, "I don’t care." That is a very negative word. That is very negative when someone says, "This is not my cup of tea." And unfortunately, now it has become very common. Compassion is very, very little. It is your Dharma to show the right path even to your neighbors, children, and your surroundings, to all. Humanity has been intoxicated. We should understand and pray, at the right time, with the right words, and give and do something that suffices for them. They have had enough. So, when you wish to help departed souls, it is according to your Dharma and through prayers and offerings. To whom to give? They need something. Helping the innocent beings is very important. There are also people, even those you can help; that is very important. This is a powerful process of development, and our spiritual power, as well as our spirituality, is being developed; this is very, very important. Often you can make an effort, you strive greatly, but you do not strive according to your Dharma, from your expectations, from your ancestors. The Pitṛs are not satisfied, no matter what you do; here everything goes deep. The relationship between father and child, mother and child, is not of this emotional intensity as here; we have an emotional world on Earth, but on the astral planes there are few emotions, and it moves more towards the proper Vidyān-Yogas, Ādarśa-Yogas, discipline, principles, Dharmas. And so is our process of development. On the other hand, what we appeared as a spiritual person—not that the spiritual person perhaps has four ears or a double beard or anything like that. No, it is from multiple sides; multiple sides are dependent, not just one. For example, everyone says, "Why doesn’t our government do this or that? That’s stupid, why don’t they do it?" But our government has many facets, relationships, pressures, and much more. It is difficult when Austria has to make America happy, to keep them happy. And at the same time, the Russians must also be happy with Austria. Africans should be included as well. The Middle East and the Far East should be included too. Maintain the good relationship with them, and they should also maintain a good relationship with us. Such a policy is important not only within a country but also very, very important to have a relationship with other countries, in accordance with the expectations of others. And it is not easy to keep them satisfied. It is difficult to say why he does not do this or that. But one must approach it from several sides, perspectives, as they say, perspectives, exactly. And that is to each side. It is simply put: when a driver learns, or when a driver is driving, the best driver is the one who, during the drive, must be aware of all four directions, the cardinal points. You must also observe what is happening behind, on the sides, and in front. It’s not as simple as sitting in the car, turning the key, pressing the gas, and getting on the highway. This is nothing different. And so it is in this life. "I was born, had my child, succeeded in school, had everything. Goodbye." No, that is not the case. It is a great, great Dharma. That is why one is called Dharmācārya. A Dharma-Ācārya is one who brings us Dharma as we learn Dharma. When dharma is protected, dharma protects. Those who visit Dharma, Dharma visits them. If you protect the Dharma, then Dharma will protect you. If you do not protect the Dharma, the Dharma will not protect you. So that comes back to us again. This is, think about it, also a very important part of our spiritual development. That is spirituality and yoga; it is a subject for lifelong engagement. We too should now engage with the past, although in Yoga it is said the past is the past. Now you should be aware of the present and be cautious of the future. Your present and future will be as your present is. But according to Dharma duty, what comes to us from the past, we should also reflect upon and honor especially our ancestors. The more you give freedom to those and pray, the happier they will be. Yes, now my child acts according to mine. Otherwise, who knows if you will come together again in this physical body. Paṭā, ṭuṭā, ḍālasē, lēgē, pavanē, uḍāī, ab kē, bicharē, kab milēṅgē, dūr parē, aṅgē jāī. A leaf has fallen from the branch, and the wind has blown it away. This distance will never come together again; it is gone. But spiritually, with feelings, with the astral planes, you are constantly united. The difficulty is that with this physical consciousness, we cannot communicate with them. We communicate only with our own feelings. What they want, what they do, what they say, we do not understand. We say, we want, we feel what we want. And they say, no, it is nothing. So these communication errors, language errors. To help in the name of others, to do something, to give something—that is very important; it is our Dharma.