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We are all practitioners here. I know you take your spiritual life and yoga practices very seriously, as do I. None of us is here merely for fun. Therefore, we must think seriously about our spiritual development. As I addressed in a previous question, our lives contain certain patterns. These patterns are changeable, dependent on many factors. First, it is karmic—what we call destiny. Can one influence destiny? Can one influence karma? Yes, one can. Otherwise, we would not practice. If everything had to be exactly as it is, what would be the purpose of all our efforts? So, it is karmic destiny. If we have something negative in our destiny yet find the spiritual path, it means we also have something positive. Good and bad are two waves together. We can overcome negative things through positive ones, or we can destroy the good through the bad. How? By supporting one tendency. If you support negative tendencies, you suppress the positive, and negativity takes over. If we support the positive, we cultivate it. Therefore, it is our karmic destiny, containing both good and bad. Our progress depends on where we concentrate. Secondly, life circumstances matter. The environment in which we live has a great influence on our spiritual development. The external world significantly impacts our inner growth. Development lies in the spiritual qualities we possess within. The question is whether we support them or not. Spirituality depends on the inner qualities we carry and the extent to which we nurture them. The finest quality of the heart is to give and to understand. This means thinking of others, not only of oneself. That develops our spirituality. Spirituality cannot be measured, nor can knowledge. Yet, you can see in actions and behavior how much knowledge is present. Similarly, spirituality can be felt by others. There is a nice analogy. A diamond never praises itself. It does not say, "Look at me, I am a diamond. Buy me, I am an expensive one. See how beautiful I am." It says nothing. It simply is a diamond. It remains a diamond whether placed on a crown or thrown into a wastepaper box or river water. Simply be. If you are simple, that is a sign of spirituality. It is not about proclaiming, "I work very hard. I do all this, and nobody realizes it. Why should I do this?" Mine cinayam—this implies expectation. Expectation always leads to disappointment. Do not tell a tree, "When will you bear fruit?" In time, the tree will give fruit. Just be. Be the diamond. The diamond does not look at itself thinking, "I am a diamond." We all have expectations, but the positive one is our desire for spiritual development. We wish for liberation, for mokṣa. But do you understand what mokṣa is? Do you understand what liberation truly means? Would you like to be spiritually developed? Everything has its price. Would you like to become the president of a country? For his family, for himself, he cannot even go on a simple weekend holiday. There is a responsibility. Similarly, if you become spiritual, thousands of eyes will observe you. Then you might say, "I didn’t want this at all..." You still need polishing. Therefore, be in the heart like that. We must overcome negative qualities. They are called the five thieves, the five crocodiles, the five thorn bushes, the five heavy rocks upon you, the five poisonous cobras biting you day and night. They are Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Lobha, and Moha. Kāma means passion, desire. When we speak of passion, it is not only sexual passion. There are worse passions within us than mere sexual feelings. Kāma means kāmanā—wishes, desires. Even wanting higher studies or a certain social position is kāmanā. Krodha is anger. Normally, we claim we are not angry. If someone asks, "Are you angry?" we deny it. Sometimes a wife tells her husband, "Please don’t be angry, but I want to tell you something." First, he asserts his power of anger. We believe no one can see our anger, but our temper rises when it nears the fire. Like maize corn, which is hard and does not pop open until it meets the hot pan. Then it shows its reality. We are not angry—heaven forbid! We are very harmless. But the seeds, the germs of anger, lie hidden somewhere. A cobra rests peacefully, quietly, calmly. But if you provoke it from a short distance, it jumps up quickly. Anger is that snake biting us day and night. Lobha is greed. We claim we are not greedy at all. "Who said I am greedy?" But if your bank gives you 25% more, will you accept it or not? Greed loses everything. You may have read the story of the greedy dog. He saw another dog with bread in its mouth and wanted to take it. He played cleverly, coming nearer and nearer, then quickly opened his mouth to snatch it and lost his own bread. When our ego becomes active, it is very strong. So, Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Lobha, and Moha. Moha is attachment, infatuation. We have attachment to these four things. Out of attachment, we do many foolish things. It is our attachment that prevents us from becoming free from kāmanās. Spiritual development does not come from outside. It comes only from within. Observe yourself. The degree to which you respect others is a sign of your spirituality. How humble you are is a sign of spirituality. Some people think, "I am spiritual; others are all stupid," and refuse to talk to others. We have such cases. The problem is you cannot tell them directly. A few are sitting here; I won't name them, or my life will be difficult today. Who is a spiritual person? They have no problem communicating with others. One who is not spiritual at all has problems communicating. Even if you work and practice very hard every day, more than anyone else, what is the use? Mahāprabhujī said very clearly in his Gītā, giving a beautiful example I have shared many times: The spoon that remains day and night in sweet pudding still cannot taste its sweetness. A spoon constantly in honey cannot taste the honey. Because that spoon cannot communicate with the pudding. So if you have problems and cannot communicate with anyone else, only interacting with those you like, that is merely selfish, I suppose. Spiritual development is in your hands. Mantras, prayers, and meditations are secondary. You can put sugar or butter on a spoon all day, but the spoon will not absorb it. Practicing the whole day without sense is pointless. We need a practical life. Mahāprabhujī said in one bhajan: "Mahāprabhujī, mondayājīk bhaja nyābām. Jeevatahi Muradasam Reve Nai Siddha Nai Peer Ramjī. Jeevatahi Muradasam Reve Nai Siddha Nai Peer Swāmī Deepa Avadhūta Avaliyā." It is also said, and you may know this from the Bible: you have to die so that you can live. The Bible says if you want to live, you must die. First you have to die, then you have to live. What must die? The ego, Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Lobha, Moha. Learn to communicate. Billions are spent creating instruments of communication. There are telecommunications companies. Again, the human mind goes there: how to communicate? Then your spirituality will begin. In communication, there must be quality. There should be no noise in between. Noise means you are communicating, but inside you harbor selfishness, Kāma, Krodha, or Lobha. That is not correct communication. How many times do we change our patterns? How many times do we change our feelings? Many, many times. Today you say, "Oh, I like this and I do this," and tomorrow you do something different. "I will be thine, my Lord." And the next day, you find a girl and tell her, "I will be thine, my Lord." So God says, "What kind of communication are you doing now? Where is the reality?" It is not easy. As Kabīrdās Jī says: "Rekhojno Bhajanu Maitō Unare Santara Hoi Jaun Dās Jī Nane Manvo Maare Liyo." I become the devotee of those santa, sādhus, saints who have killed their mind. Killing the mind means it no longer has these jumping qualities, here and there, this and that. Manmara Tanvasakiyare Dini Bharamaname, Tahare Har Dini Bharamaname, Manmara Tanvasakiyare. He killed his mind, controlled his body, and removed all doubts. So, how far are you on your path? Why do you ask me, my dear? I cannot answer you. My answers would take different forms. If I tell you the truth, you will be disappointed and angry. If I tell you differently, it is not your reality, not what you want to know. Better not to ask me how far you are on the spiritual way. You know yourself very well. Do not ask others, "What do you think? How hungry am I still? How correct am I, and how many tricks do I play?" Consider this: when we have a seminar in Czechoslovakia, there are two price categories: one for Eastern European countries and one for Western European countries. Some from Eastern Europe work in Western Europe and enjoy the same benefits. But when paying for a yoga seminar in Slovakia, they claim, "I am a Czech citizen," to pay just 100 shillings. You changed your discipline. You changed your principle. Oh my God! Do you see only the 100 shillings? You don't see what you have lost with those 100 shillings. Even a Czechoslovakian would offer, but you said no. Do you understand my point? I do not wish to offend anyone. You are sitting near Pārvatī, and she might say, "No, Śānti can take his price." But you understand what I mean. Let me share a small example. Gurujī told me this many times. Once, Mahāprabhujī asked Gurujī, who had some money, to do something in Kathu Ashram with it. Mahāprabhujī never asked anyone like this before. Gurujī said, "No, I want to give this money to build a school in Nepal in your name, Mahāprabhujī." Mahāprabhujī just looked down. He said nothing. Now Gurujī is deeply sorry, not merely for the money—he wouldn't have lost it if he had given it to Mahāprabhujī—but because he feels he lost the confidence and trust his master had placed in him by asking. That trust cannot be bought with money. From my own experience: Gurujī once asked me to build a room for myself in Nepal, not for him. I said, "No, I don't have that much money. I want to use it for Jāḍan." It would have cost just a few hundred thousand rupees. Two hundred thousand rupees. Fifteen days later, the whole building in Jadan burned down, along with many things worth 200 times more. Gurujī never said anything to me, but I was ashamed. If Gurujī were to ask, "Mahesh, you said you had no money. How are you rebuilding this now?" What could I say? Sometimes, our clever intellectual thinking harms our inner, subtle development. There is a story. After the Dvāpara Yuga, King Parīkṣit was very kind. As Kali Yuga, the dark iron age, began to enter, Kali approached the king. The king asked, "Who are you? What do you want?" Kali replied, "I want shelter in your kingdom, on this earth." The king asked, "What does Kali Yuga mean?" Kali presented his introduction, his visiting card. The king said, "There is no place for you here." Kali responded, "I heard everyone receives shelter in your kingdom. Please give me a place, even on the smallest thing." The king asked, "What is the smallest thing?" Kali said, "For example, gold. Let me live in gold." The king agreed. Since that time, gold became gold—money. Materialism took over humanity. Gold remains, but consider how many wars have occurred because of it, how many humans have been killed, how many countries suffer. In Kali Yuga, money is God. When we speak of māyā, it is not a female or male power, but that money power. Our development also depends on how greedy we are. I do not wish to make people from Eastern or Western Europe angry. I have no divisions. I do not want to provoke anyone; I am speaking about principles. Therefore, Patañjali said, "Atha yoga anuśāsanam." This whole lecture is about that one sentence of Patañjali. That is why Patañjali, in the first sūtra, states that yoga begins with discipline. He said it, not I. I am merely conveying it. When the Master is speaking, and the disciple listens while looking away, not at the Master, it means the disciple does not wish to listen. He turns his horn toward the master. In human society, we educate children: when speaking to someone, look into their eyes. Pravda. When I die, look into my eyes. They will mutely say, "I will go away, I will die." So, where are your promises? "I will die?" Sorry. So let us sing, "God, I will be thine."