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O Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kīje, Śrī Śrīdeva Puruṣa Mahādeva Kīje, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Madākṛṣṇān Bhagavān Kīje, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maiśānjī Gurudeva Kīje. Dear Guru brothers and sisters here in Jadan and around the world, dear yoga friends, Swāmījī is out of the āśram today for the opening ceremony of a temple. He gave some disciples the duty to practice with you. We will try to share some words of the knowledge we received from Gurudev, and you will practice listening to that knowledge. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or if I say something incorrect or improper. Before I begin, I wish all the best to our dear guru brother sannyāsī Swāmī Gajananjī from Hamburg. He chose a good date for his birthday, as we just had a Viṣṇu Yajña, and as a result, we had a glimpse of rain today. I mentioned Yajña, so let us start there. Why did Swāmījī perform the Yajña for peace, understanding, and the protection of the environment and living beings? The world is moving in a strange direction. We know there are wars everywhere. We are cutting forests without mercy. Animals suffer so we can enjoy their dead bodies. The seas are nearly empty, yet the fishing fleets grow larger. How far will this go, and why is it happening? We believe we are not this body; to know it would mean we are realized. We would realize we are the ātmā. We received this body to use it, along with the mind and intellect, and it was filled with our karmas. The ātmā is represented in the body through consciousness. We can do good or bad things; it is our choice. No one said you must do this or that. It is our choice to get angry or not, to have limits or not, to buy things and fill our flats, turning them into storage. It is our choice to be jealous or not, what we eat, whether we plant trees or cut them down. Our choices bring karmas. That karma is stored and travels with us through time and space. Gurudev often says, "How you are living today shows what you were doing yesterday. What you are doing today will show how you will live tomorrow." The world was not always as it is now. Western science speaks of progress, evolution, and Darwin's theory of humans developing from monkeys. But I ask, how far will we develop? What will be left to destroy? The Vedas, the oldest scriptures, say something different. They speak of four yugas: Satya Yuga, Tretā Yuga, Dvāpar Yuga, and now the beginning of Kali Yuga—the Iron or Black Age. Kali Yuga is said to be 432,000 years long, a time when people live short lives (60-80 years) and are not interested in self-realization or God-realization. They identify with their bodies. We are walking bodies with mind and intellect. I see the new generation, born into computers, identifying not with the body but with the computer, games, and virtual reality—one step deeper into Kali Yuga. We are only about 5,000 years into it; it is just beginning. What will happen if we continue as we are? There are many speculations about the world ending. According to Vedic knowledge, we have a very long way to go. What will we drink, eat, breathe? Where will we live if we destroy everything? It was not always like this. In Dvāpar Yuga, which was twice as long as Kali Yuga (864,000 years), people lived for hundreds of years and enjoyed a rich life, performing elaborate pūjās in temples. Before that was Tretā Yuga, longer still, and Satya Yuga, about 1,700,000 years long. Then, humans lived for tens of thousands of years, contemplating the divine and their true nature. We know from Swāmījī's satsaṅgs that Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra offered ten thousand years of his tapasyā to Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha Muni. Why is it going as it is? I can only speculate. The main reason, as I understand, is that we no longer receive proper knowledge. Today, universities and schools educate the ego. You must be the best in your field without mercy, but they teach nothing of real value. They teach mathematics, physics, and sciences created by people who have only physical knowledge. We are stuck on the physical level, yet we know there are many more levels. It is said there are seven levels below the earthly plane and seven above it. Earth is called Karmabhūmi, the place where we perform karmas. That karma will determine whether we go to higher, devic levels or lower, asuric levels after leaving this body and all we have gained. We are blind, and those who educate us are blind. There are a few great personalities in this world who possess real knowledge. They are saints. You cannot imagine how lucky we feel in this hot Jadan to be under the care of one of the greatest saints of this age, Swāmī Maiśānjī, our beloved Gurudev. He protects and guides us, giving us proper knowledge. Through His grace and mercy, a time will come when we are pure enough. Pure means we will not be victims of, nor allow, our Asura Śakti—the negativities within us like anger, jealousy, fear, greed, and passion—to lead us. Just a few days ago, a disciple from Europe reminded me of the fire that burned the White House in the ashram sixteen years ago. I was with Swāmījī this year, and He said, "Do you remember that fire? It was destined that you would lose your life in it, but Mahāprabhujī's kṛpā saved you." Within us, we have everything that exists in this universe. It is our choice what we use: the Asura Śakti, represented by anger, jealousy, fear, greed, and passion, or the divine śakti, represented by understanding, tolerance, love, sevābhāva, and knowledge. Where do we get knowledge? In satsaṅg. There are two ways: one leads to darkness, to pātāla, the lower realms; the other leads toward light, enlightenment, and self-realization. Swāmījī says both have the same root: saṅga. If you put 'ku' in front of saṅga, you get kusaṅga—the way into darkness and suffering. If you put 'sat' (truth) in front, you get satsaṅga—the meeting with truth. Truth can only be given by one who has experienced it, a self-realized teacher, a divine Gurudev. We are in Kali Yuga, where satsaṅga is rare and kusaṅga is everywhere. Open the TV, read newspapers or the internet, walk through the streets, go to the cinema or theater—on every step, there is kusaṅga. We have many gurus guiding us through life, starting with mother and father up to the Sadguru. If everywhere is kusaṅga, then kusaṅga becomes our guru. We learn it is good to go shopping, on holiday, to enjoy life. But how far and how long? In one generation, we have nearly managed to destroy the planet. What will remain for our children and grandchildren? Caves under the earth? There is another way: satsaṅga. It is very rare. Even India, the mother of spirituality, is in trouble as kusaṅga has entered on a large scale. Saints like Gurudev create shelters for those seeking enlightenment, happiness, and meaning beyond mere enjoyment. Swāmījī calls such places ships or boats—Jadan, Trilokī, the ashrams where satsaṅga continues. Through satsaṅga, we learn we must act so that when we leave this body, we will not suffer. We do sevā, practice yoga, develop bhakti, and gain proper knowledge. Some are inclined toward sevā, some toward bhakti, some toward practice, some toward study. In the end, all become one, as everything is interconnected. We, the lucky ones, have the great fortune from past lives to be in the shelter of Gurudev. We have a chance to proceed, to turn our way of life from enjoyment toward Self-Realization. This is the reason we received this body. The dharma of every person, every ātmā that comes to this planet, is ultimately to achieve Self-Realization. This is only possible through yoga abhyāsa (practice) and through the blessings and kṛpā of the Guru. I invite you to come to Jadan and other ashrams. You will face many troubles and inner heat, as Swāmī Premanājī says—it will be very hot, but very good. You will encounter things you never dreamed of, delving into the depths of your mind, awakening a longing for the divine. Then everything becomes easier. The troubles in the ashrams result from our impurity. As we undergo purification, we face difficulties. Once we become pure enough for the divine light and energy to affect us, things get easier. Until then, it is hard. What is hard? Not the food, the way of life, or the sevā. It is the heart—what we carry within. Initially, we are unaware of what we carry. When we meet our anger or jealousy, we cannot believe it is there. We become ashamed, realize we are wrong, become afraid, and start observing its origin. We see a small flame, a small smoke—the beginning of anger, passion, or greed. Then we can work with it, step on that small fire, and extinguish it. We can say, "Oh, my dear anger, please leave me alone. I know you are tricky." But if we are in a big fire of anger, we can only witness what burns within and around us. Whatever happens in the ashrams would happen in normal life too. The difference is that here we are under very professional guidance, and things progress very fast. What you might experience in years, we experience in days. It happens one by one, and that is what is so hard. But if we have to purify one ton of karma over 10 or 20 lives, or in one life, it is better to "buy the trees together and go through the fire." Here, lives pass like years, and years pass like days. Our big backpack of karmas gets smaller and lighter. Then, when there is enough space, Gurudev can place His things inside. To reiterate, the world is going where it is because we are not pure, lack proper education, and are selfish. The result is suffering for all beings, including ourselves. We suffer the consequences now. If you wish to escape, there is only one way: find a realized master, bow down to him, be faithful, and he will lead you from suffering into everlasting bliss. The path is not easy. Some say the most difficult profession is to be a Sādguru, adding, "If you are not his disciple." To be a disciple is even more difficult because the guru knows where he wants to take us, but we do not know what is coming. That is why disciples often fight and quarrel with the Master, saying, "Do this. No, Swāmījī, I think this is not good. I will do it my way. I know better." Disciples use all kinds of weapons against the Master. We do not know what is within us or how we will react. We think we are fearless until a wild tiger, animal, or snake appears. So the disciple uses all weapons against the master, which is acceptable to a certain extent, but there is a border one should not cross. Gurudev uses only one tool, one weapon: absolute love. We must not mistake His teaching for His real nature. In teaching, Gurudev can be strict, sharp, or forgiving, but His real nature is soft, gentle, and shy, like a two-year-old child who has not yet developed bad habits. With that one weapon, the Guru always wins. If the disciple is strong enough and has developed enough trust, the Master will bring him from the big pot of suffering called Saṃsāra to endless joy and bliss. In the beginning, Gurudev shows His divine nature to new disciples. When the disciple develops trust and understands the jñāna from the Master, realizing the Master's nature, the Master will then challenge him day and night to prove he is wrong. The Master will say, "I am not divine; I am like this. I get angry, need food and medications, do not practice sometimes." Yet, He gives satsaṅga. We must listen to the satsaṅga, not judge the master. How would it be if a first-grade student judged a university professor? We are in kindergarten, primary school, maybe secondary school. Satsaṅga is given by the master. This island of spirituality in Jadan is a place where satsaṅga continues, where a few lucky disciples from the whole world progress simply by coming here and trying to follow the Guru Vākyas, doing sevā, practicing yoga, and so on. You are all most welcome. Come, help in the ashrams and yoga centers, do sevā. There are millions of ways to perform sevā; it is not only about giving money. Money is important but not the main thing. Why is Swāmījī making Om Āśram so big? Because you are so many and so dedicated. It is you who are making Om Āśram and the other āśrams through your sevā. This has great importance for you, for us, and for the world. Once more, I apologize if I said anything you dislike or that is incorrect. I invite all of you to do something for yourselves and trust your master. He is great. Do not lose your trust. Trust is the string connecting the guru and disciple; it must not be broken. Otherwise, all our sādhanā and life's efforts go to waste, which would be a pity. Thank you very much. Hari Om. Śrī Nareṅdra Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Deva Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svayamadeva Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Viśva Guru Mahāmaheśvara Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svayamadeva Guru Deva, Kī Jai Ho.