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Oṁ Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī, Devapurīṣa Mahādeva Kī, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān Kī, Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī. Good evening, dear brothers and sisters, here in this hall and across different parts of the earth. Blessings are coming to you from Śrī Viśvadīp Gurukul Āśram, Jāḍaṇ, Pālī, in holy Bhārat. Dear practitioners of yoga, spiritual seekers, and all aspirants. Over the last five or six days, you had a webcast from the Jaipur Ashram with different speakers and various views on spirituality, the way of life, and the aim of life. I believe you received much information and inspiration. A common thought arises in the human mind: How does spirituality influence our life? Not religion alone, though religion is a part of spirituality. Where there is spirituality, there is religion. Where there is religion, there is spirituality. The religion we speak of is Sanātana Dharma. Sanātana means the eternal—that part of you belonging to eternity, your eternal nature. Dharma literally means principle. It is said, dharyate dharma: what you adopt, accept, or take upon yourself. Dhāraṇa karnā has different meanings: to wear clothes is dhāraṇa, to accept something is dhāraṇa, to adopt a principle, a resolve (saṅkalpa), a rule, or meditation is dhāraṇa. So, dhāraṇa karo means to take it, accept it, adopt it. Through this saṅkalpa, commitment, and decisions, you have to realize. Dhāraṇā karo leads to realizing your aim. What aim? To realize your relation. Thus, realize relation—relation in Latin also means relation. Realize it, fulfill it. So, realize; your relation becomes relation. Apne sambandh ko hamāre jo sanātana hai, usko pehchano. Yahī dharma. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said in the 15th chapter: "Mame vaso jīva loke, jīva-bhūta-sanātana." "I live in this world, in the heart of every creature"—not only humans. Jīva-bhūta-sanātana: all these beings, these entities, they are my relatives, they are my aṁśas (parts), my essence, my light. To realize our relation means to realize my relation to the cosmic One. Ham means "I." I am that, and that I am. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: I am Brahman. I, this ātmā, am Brahman. Tat tvam asi: That thou art. You are that Ātmā. Spirituality is what you follow accordingly. Religions in the world are of two kinds. One is the eternal religion, not made by any god or incarnation in any form. That is Sanātana Dharma, the eternal, original principle of the universe. Through that Sanātana, our body communicates, all organs function, and all seasons proceed. Without that Sanātana, not a blade of grass or a leaf can move. The second is known as man-made religion. When there was an incarnation—God Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, Jesus, or the teachings spoken by Prophet Muhammad—these were spoken in human form. Believers and disciples then wrote them down as holy books. They wrote true instructions. Therefore, no religion on this planet is wrong, destructive, or bad. All religions are good, uniting, preaching love, faith, confidence, peace, harmony, and understanding. In the Quran it is written: if you kill one human, you kill all humanity. The question is whether we all understand and follow this properly. If we understand and follow properly, there is no problem. The problem is not in religions; the problem is in people's minds, where ignorance resides. They change their opinions and feelings. It is hard for some to be confident, full of faith and loyalty. Consider dogs: some are very loyal to their master. But some, due to an illness in the brain, may attack their master. There are dogs that, in old age, develop a disease and turn on their master. In our Marwari language, we say: if you raise a dog, you will catch a dog. Similarly, some people face inner conflict due to deep-seated karma that suddenly awakens. Lucky is the dog that does not develop such a disease and dies with dignity and loyalty, leaving the family saddened. Spirituality means being loyal to the holy teachings. All preachings are good, holy teachings. But we do not understand, and we fight. Those with negativity speak negatively; those with positivity speak positively. If a child asks me, "Swāmījī, can I have a toffee?" I wish to give one, but I have no toffee. What should I give? I have a key. If I had a toffee, I would give it, but I have a key, so I offer the key. The child says, "But you can perform miracles; you can make toffees." I reply, "No, I cannot perform miracles. It is very difficult." Yet sometimes miracles happen, and the toffee appears. You can only give what you have. To understand spirituality, Gurujī shared a beautiful story. There was a holy saint named Dungarpurījī, living in a district near Jalor, about 150-200 years ago. At that time, the human population was smaller, with more forests, jungles, and wildlife. Sādhus lived in huts, growing vegetables and fruits. One afternoon, Dungarpurījī was sitting outside his grass hut, chanting mantra. A hunter came, saw Swāmījī, threw his gun into a Tahorani bush, and went to greet him. Swāmījī asked, "What did you throw there?" The hunter replied, "Nothing, Gurudev." Swāmījī insisted, "Don't lie. You threw something." The hunter admitted, "Yes, I am a hunter. I am very poor. I kill animals for my children to survive. I have no job." Dungarpurījī said, "Do not kill innocent animals. Killing is a sin. Meditate, practice mantra, read holy books." The hunter said, "I do not know how to read." Swāmījī said, "Then go to satsaṅg. You will have happiness, peace, harmony, and love in your house. God will provide money and everything." The hunter thought this was very good—no need to run in the bush and kill; just repeat mantra, and happiness, peace, and money will come. He asked, "Swāmījī, where should I go to get a mantra? Can you give me one?" Swāmījī agreed. There was an old garland in the hut. Swāmījī gave him the garland for repeating the mantra. The hunter, feeling he should give something in return but having nothing, went to the bush, retrieved his gun, and offered it to Mahārāj as a donation. Mahārāj said, "What will I do with it?" The hunter said, "Whatever you like." Mahārāj did not touch the gun but said, "Put it in the hut. Hari Om." The hunter went home. His wife was in the kitchen, waiting for him to bring something to cook—a rabbit, fox, or goat. He arrived chanting his mantra: "Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa..." She was angry and asked, "Where are the animals?" He said, "No killing from today; no sin. The master said there will be peace, happiness, and God will provide everything." Enraged, she took her clay cooking pot and threw it at his head. The pot broke, and blood flowed. The hunter said, "The sādhu told me there would be peace, harmony, and love at home. If this is the symbol, then what is this? Anger, hate. He said I would be happy practicing mantra. When will I be happy? Blood is flowing after only two hours of practice. If I practice a few days, my wife will sit on my chest and kill me." He returned to Mahārāj in the jungle and said, "Mahārāj, you are a bigger cheater. Why? You gave me a garland worth only two paisa, and you kept my gun worth two hundred rupees. Here is your garland; please give my gun back." It is said that what you have donated, you have no right to ask back. But the hunter insisted, "Take it; I did not ask you to give it. I am not telling you to take it away. It is yours, take it. I did not even touch it." Yet, asking back your donation is a sin. He continued, "Mahārāj, you told me there would be peace, harmony, love, and understanding at home. Look what my wife did." After only two hours of practice, he took the gun and wanted to leave. Swāmījī said, "Give my mantra back." The hunter took the gun and started to leave. Mahārāj said, "I did not take the gun, but give me the mantra." The hunter wondered how to return a mantra given in his ear: "Oṁ Śohaṁ Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi." Mahārāj said, "Take it as you gave it. Just as you gave, take the mantra as you gave. Why do you have to recite it?" Then Mahārāj pointed to a stone plate where he sometimes meditated and said, "Now dust your ear on this stone." Us pathar pe bolā, "Tere kān ko jharkā de." When he shook his ear over the stone, andar se kesar nikala. Kyā nikala? Ādhā camac. From his ear fell half a spoon of saffron powder. The hunter went away. This is a real story, not made up. Dungarpurījī then wrote a beautiful poem: Kache ghare nir nahīṁ thare, aur nahīṁ thare kāgaj meṁ parā, Bugla moti ko kya kare, moti hansa ka chara. Kache ghare nir nahīṁ thare: When you want to make a pot from clay, and it is still wet, unburned, you cannot fill it with water. First, you must put it in the fire. You cannot carry quicksilver in paper; it will run away. What does a kingfisher do with a pearl? The pearl is the food of the swan (Haṃsa). Kaccha gharas refers to those aspirants and practitioners who have not yet undergone tapasyā, guru-bhakti, guru-kṛpā, and guru-sevā. They are kaccha—like a pot not burned in the fire of tapasyā, the fire of endurance (tīkṣā). It will fall apart. They do not know the value of spirituality, mantras, and blessings. The saffron came out of this. We must understand: we must go through sādhanā while living a normal life. Practice confidence. Chand tale, suraj tale, mahā puruṣa kī bachan kabhī na tale. Even the moon and sun may change their course, but the words of a saint or guru never change. Power resides in the mantra. Sahodrī Gurujī used to recite a beautiful poem: Jab se nāma hirade dharā... From the moment I placed the name of God, my mantra, in my heart (hirade dharā), from that time, on that most beautiful and divine occasion of my life when I received initiation, the destruction of sin began (bhayo pāp ko nāś). But how can one mantra destroy sins from many lives? Gurujī explained: Imagine tons of dry grass. A single spark of fire falls upon it. What happens? It begins to burn. A small spark can burn not only tons of grass but an entire forest, as seen in bushfires in Australia or the Aravalli hills. Similarly, the mantra's power consumes all sins. It is said you will see all else burned, but you will remain like a precious jewel untouched by fire. This is spirituality, sādhanā, confidence. Slowly, my friend, everything will come. A gardener waters a tree abundantly, but the tree gives fruit only when the season arrives. Similarly, in your life, a time will come to harvest spiritual fruits and offer seeds to the world. But if illness attacks your brain, you may give only thorns. Then, remove the thorns; do not spread them on the path. That is spirituality. So, proceed slowly. Sikar ghar chadhna re bhai... Man vā dhire dhire chāla, gagana-ghar chadhānāre Bhāi... O mind, proceed slowly, ascend to the highest peak, brother. The night is dark, the lanes are narrow, the path is slippery. If you slip, you will fall. O mind, proceed slowly, ascend to the sky. Without the Satguru, the path is not known. By the grace of the Guru, it is attained. O mind, proceed slowly, ascend to the highest abode. For today, that is enough. I wish you all the best. Very good evening, good night, or good morning, depending on where you are on this planet. God bless you. Till next time, adió.