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Good morning, everybody. Is the microphone on? Can you understand me? Okay. As I mentioned last night, Swāmījī wanted me to translate a specific bhajan, and I am now ready with it. I also had to learn this bhajan, as I had never sung it before. The bhajan is by Holī Gurujī, from the group of Sādho Bhai bhajans. We know Holī Gurujī as a saint and a poet who created beautiful bhajans. But in this composition, we encounter another aspect of him: the knower of the Vedas. This bhajan tells the story of a chariot, a metaphor that originates in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad. Swāmījī gives a short summary of this Upaniṣad in his book Meetings with a Yogi. Every Upaniṣad is introduced by a peace mantra. There are five classical peace mantras, as the Yajur Veda has two parts. The mantra for the Kaṭha Upaniṣad is: Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ. This is the mantra of Mīru, the initiator of this Upaniṣad. The story, or rather the symbolic teaching, is found in the first part, third chapter. I will quote directly from the scripture: "Know the Self (Ātmā) as the master of the chariot, the owner sitting within. And know the body as the chariot itself. The charioteer, the driver, is the intellect (buddhi). The mind (manaḥ or manas) is the reins, the bridle to guide it. The sense organs (indriyas) are the horses. The roads on which this chariot travels are the objects of the senses." The discriminating people call this Self, the Jīvātmā, the enjoyer, because it is connected with the body, mind, and sense organs. Here we speak of the individual self, not the liberated Swan (Haṁsa), but the crow (Kāka) which is still on the journey, seated in this vehicle. The Upaniṣad then speaks about the relationship between the intellect (buddhi) and the mind (manas). When the mind is very stubborn—as we heard in another bhajan, possessing a strong haṭha (force)—it becomes very difficult for the intellect to control it. As a result, the mind cannot control the horses, the sense organs, which then draw us here and there, uncontrolled. They bind us. The problem is clear: when the mind is uncontrolled and the horses are uncontrolled, the Self cannot reach its destination. The Upaniṣad says the Self, hidden in all beings, then attains worldly existence—in other words, it must reincarnate again. But when the intellect is discriminating (possessing viveka) and the mind is controllable, then the goal can be achieved. The Upaniṣad states that then the master of the chariot attains that goal from which he is not born again. He reaches the end of the path, which is the highest place of Viṣṇu—that is, God-realization. Studying the Upaniṣads directly is not so easy, but also not so difficult. I am using an edition with the commentary of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. There are also good commentaries by saints like Swami Śivānanda. It should be a saint's commentary, as the Upaniṣads contain the highest wisdom. Now, Holī Gurujī transformed this Upaniṣadic teaching into a wonderful bhajan. You will see how, drawing from his own experience and his poetic genius, he creates a true work of art. We will go through it part by part. The refrain of the bhajan is: Sādhu bhāī, ajaba ratha hamārā (O saintly brother, my chariot is wondrous). This bhajan belongs to the group of Sādhu Bhai bhajans. Holī Gurujī, or Mahāprabhujī, wrote many addresses to sādhus and swāmīs. Normal people might not be so interested, but we are spiritual seekers, so for us it is definitely the right thing. Holī Gurujī says: Ajaba ratha hamārā, beta barambara. "Ajaba ratha" means a strange, wondrous chariot. As the Upaniṣad said, this symbolizes our body—but not just the physical body. "Beta" means "sitting," and "barambara" means "again and again." So, "I am sitting in it again and again." He is speaking about reincarnation. When Swāmījī says our body is a sādhanā, an instrument, this bhajan explains the various aspects of this instrument. Das ghoḍā jote, hāṅkata huśiyārā. "Das" means ten. "Ghoḍā" means horses. So, ten horses are yoked to this chariot. This corresponds exactly to the Upaniṣad: the ten indriyas—the five sense organs of perception and the five organs of action. It is a strange journey to the infinite, to the Divine, to realization. Buddhi kī lagāma lagāī, hāṅkata huśiyārā. "Buddhi" (the intellect) is controlling the "lagāma," the reins. The intellect is the charioteer, the driver sitting on the chariot. The reins are the mind (manas). So, the buddhi controls the mind, and the mind should control the horses, the sense organs. "Hāṅkata" means giving direction, and "huśiyārā" means skillfully, carefully. Now, Holī Gurujī introduces something not explicitly in the Upaniṣad—here comes his poetry and personal experience. Sādhu bhāī, jaba ratha amāra jñāna kī bāṭī lagāī, ratha me anahata bhaya ujārā. "Jñāna kī bāṭī" is the lamp of wisdom. There is a light inside the chariot, not a normal light, but the light of wisdom. "Ujārā" also means light, and this light is "Anahata"—you know this from the Anāhata Chakra. It is the infinite, divine light. Rājā ātmā vitta ratha mahiṁ, nija cetana nirākārā. Inside the chariot sits the king. "Rājā" is the king, and that is the Ātmā, the Self. But who is this king? It is our consciousness (Cetan), and it is formless (Nirākāra). Mantrī rahe sātha me, anubhava karata vicārā. The king is not alone. With him sits a minister (Mantrī). This minister is Viveka, the power of discrimination—the first principle in Jñāna Yoga. Viveka analyzes life experiences (anubhava), considers them (vicārā), and makes wise decisions. So, we have a chain of command. The king, the Ātmā, desires to reach the destination of liberation. The minister, Viveka, analyzes past experiences to decide the right path. The Kaṭha Upaniṣad describes two roads: the path of the good (śreyaḥ) and the path of the pleasurable (preyaḥ). What seems pleasant often leads to disappointment. The path of the good might require self-discipline and sādhanā, but its result is different. The minister instructs, "Go that way." He gives the order to the charioteer, the buddhi. The buddhi controls the reins (the mind), and the mind controls the horses (the senses), guiding us on the road the king truly desires. On the road, there are difficulties. Robbers may attack to plunder the chariot. The minister knows this and uses weapons for defense. Āgama nigama selī, kisī lakīnī nahīṁ pāyā khaṭa lagārā. "Selī" is a spear, a weapon (like "bhalā" in another bhajan). The weapons are Āgama and Nigama—the Vedas and Śāstras, the holy scriptures. When making decisions, the minister consults the scriptures for practical guidance, to avoid trouble on the king's journey. And who are these robbers? Four are named: Krodha (anger), Mada (pride, intoxication), Lobha (greed), and Chora (thief). The problem is, when we think we know them, we often fail to practice vigilance. Tīra guruśabda kā, chorā bhāgā dārā. "Tīra" is another weapon: the arrow. This arrow is "guruśabda" or "guruvākya"—the word of the Guru. What is the difference between the holy scriptures and the Guru's word? The scriptures are like preserved teachings from Gurus of the past. The Guru's word is fresh, spoken directly to us now. With this arrow, he drives away all the attackers. Now comes another aspect, showing how Holī Gurujī is inspired by the Upaniṣad but writes from his own experience. Caudaha loka, iko brahmāṇḍa, ratha me sakala pasārā. He speaks of "Caudaha loka," the fourteen worlds. We often speak of three worlds, but here it is more refined: seven higher and seven lower. This relates to the teaching of the chakras. The higher chakras, which Swāmījī teaches in Kuṇḍalinī Yoga, and the lower chakras in the lower part of the body, which we are advised not to focus on. "Brahmāṇḍa" means universe. It is said there are 21 universes, and they are all spread out within this "kośa" (sheath). Here, Holī Gurujī explains a basic principle of esotericism: whatever exists outside in the macrocosm also exists inside the microcosm of our own body. As we have the sun and moon outside, we have Iḍā and Piṅgalā inside. We are in the middle of the teachings of Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and the chakras, which we practice, for example, in Chakra Śodhana. Anāhata bāja, ratha me bāja, nāpata ghuṁgura nā gājarā. "Bāja" means music or sound. We know the term Anāhata Nāda, the endless, eternal sound—what Swāmījī often calls the sound of the soul, located in the Anāhata chakra. Swāmījī says in his chakra book it is like "So'haṁ." Therefore, Holī Gurujī uses the symbol of the drum (nāpata). This whole body is full of this rumbling, eternal sound. Let's come to the last verse. Śrī Pūjya Bhagavān Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Veda patāyā sārā, kahi Mādhava Nanda ratha me pāyā mādhurā, sādhu bhāī ajaba ratha hamārā. Of course, in the final verse, Holī Gurujī turns to his master, Siddha Mahāprabhujī. From where did Gurujī receive all this knowledge? "Bheda" means secret. Holī Gurujī says, "Mahāprabhujī, my master, revealed this entire secret to me." He says, "Kahi Mādhava Nanda"—speaking as Madhavananda (another name for Holī Gurujī)—"I attained in this chariot, in this body, 'mādhurā,' which means bliss and contentment." Everything, including Self-realization, he found within this chariot, this body. This whole bhajan beautifully describes how important this vehicle, the body, is for us. It clarifies our aim and how to reach it. That's it for today. Hari Oṁ.