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Om Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Devī Svaramadeva Kī Jai. Welcome. This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition. The best time for Lakṣmī Pūjā is the night of Dīvalī. Our next discourse is like a Pūjā to Lakṣmījī with her divine attributes and qualities, which are revered and praised here. A discourse to worship the goddess of prosperity, Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī is like a light surrounding the sacred mother, Lakṣmī. This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition. He is originally from Salzburg, and we are delighted to welcome him here today to our Diwali Satsaṅga. Diwali Satsaṅga is also the day when Rāma returned from his 14-year exile, wanting to go back to his homeland Ayodhyā. Mr. Bremel, a piece for you. Thank you very much for your support. I will never forget it. I know, we are all one. Amitābha, Amitābha... Om Dīpa Jyoti Parabrahma Dīpam Sarve Mohanaṃ Dīpanam Sajdi Sarvaṃ Sandhyā Dīpam Sarav Satyam Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Respected Self, first and foremost my Praṇām and respect to our Guru Paramparā on this special day that we are celebrating today or have celebrated and continue to celebrate. This day is not only important in the Indian tradition, in Indian history, but especially for us, who are disciples of Svāmījī. On this day, long, long ago, a great soul incarnated. And this soul, although it has already physically departed from this planet, Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī. Your realism comes in a package. That means, if we deny one, we cannot realize the other. And if we deny the other, it will only strengthen the other side. Today we celebrate the festival called Diwali or Dīpāvalī. Dīp and Āvalī. Dīp actually means light. Dīpāvalī is a clay vessel in which a light is kindled. In India, people also like to give personal names, for example Dīparam or Dīpak and so on. So it always has something to do with light, with a certain purity. This festival is perhaps, alongside the festival of Holī, the most important festival celebrated by Hindus in India. And it is usually situated between mid-October and mid-November. Yes, according to the calendar, the lunar calendar. So, there is no fixed date; it changes every year. In India, the entire calculation is still given according to the lunar calendar. On the one hand, this brings flexibility and accuracy, but of course it also requires a certain freedom. Diwali itself, as it is celebrated today, takes place precisely on the new moon day, Amāvasyā. But according to the traditional Indian calendar, it is not just one day, but a total of five days. In some regions, also six days, but traditionally five days. And fundamentally, it is presented symbolically. That means it is about the light, about renewal, about clarity, and symbolically about one’s own soul, about the Ātman and Brahman, Paramātmā, that which inherently dwells within all things. This light is revered, and it is a renewal of life. At the same time, it is also a day when the new year begins and a day to give thanks for the harvest that has been gathered. So it is a very symbolic festival that is celebrated throughout India. In different regions, different deities are worshipped, but throughout all religions, throughout all regions in India, the light, the Dīpak, is always present. The Āvalī actually begins on the first day, which was two days ago, and it is called Dhan Teras. Dhan means wealth, prosperity. On this day, the birthday of the renowned physician or the deity of Ayurveda is also celebrated. Dhanvantari. Dhanvantari holds in his hands the elixir of life, the Amṛt. And he came from the churning, as they say, where the Devas and Asuras fought and with the serpent, which was churned here, yes, let’s put it that way. And one of these ratnas, these jewels, was, or is, presented as God’s Ayurvedas. On the second day, which was yesterday, a festival is also celebrated called Narak; Narak actually means hell, Naraka Caturdaśī. There is a beautiful story about this, and we know that stories are always easy to remember. Narakāsura was a terrible demon and he terrorized the world. He was brutal, he was power-hungry, and he always clashed with the Devas. That was his main occupation. And one day, together with his friends, the Asuras, he attacked the heavens. And he took the crown away from Indra. The Devas, naturally all deeply saddened and also angry, go to Kṛṣṇa and say, Indra has been deposed, he is tormenting us. Can you not do something? Please help us. At first, Kṛṣṇa was not very interested at all. He did not want to interfere there; he had his own līlā. But then Naraka did something truly evil. He stole the magnificent earrings of Aditi. That means, the Mother of the gods. And that is, of course, something truly terrible. And as a final touch, he also abducted 16,000 daughters of the gods and various saints. Of course, this also reached the ears of Satyabhāmā, the wife of Kṛṣṇa. Satyabhāmā, a distant relative of Aditi, was naturally very upset about it. And even back then, a certain emancipation naturally took place as well. Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī. Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī. He is virtually certain that he will win. He is invincible. So Kṛṣṇa drives the chariot, and as it is, He always has something interesting prepared in His līlā. During the fight, he suddenly pretends to faint. What else angered Bhāmā? Why does he lose consciousness? The mighty, the magnificent Kṛṣṇa. And in all her fury, anger, and wrath, she aims her bow at Naraka. Hell. And as if by a miracle, he was killed. After the battle, of course, Satyabhāmā wonders what is going on, why did it work? And then Kṛṣṇa reveals himself and tells you that you are a reincarnation of Bhūdevī. That is why you were able to kill him. And this story symbolizes the preservation of Dharma in society and that individual interests should be set aside. This is the meaning of this day. This day is also called Jyoti Diwali, the little Diwali. Today is the actual Diwali, Amāvasyā. It is celebrated with various Pūjās, primarily Lakṣmī Pūjā, but also Gaṇeśa Pūjā. And it symbolizes the return of God Rāma after 14 years of exile back to Ayodhyā, where he is welcomed by all the inhabitants with joy and exuberance. It is also the symbol of a new beginning, of a completed path that is now being walked again anew. He assumes the regency, and because he has fulfilled his promise, this regency can only culminate in benevolence and prosperity. On this day, lights are lit all across India as a symbol of the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil. This is external; internally, the same takes place within each individual. And this Diwali is like a valley, the Indian valley, if one may say so, the daily valley. It tastes the same every day, yet each time it is different. It is like when one celebrates a festival and approaches this festival with certain rules and certain inner attitudes. Then one can experience it deeper and deeper every year. The fourth day, which is tomorrow, is also dedicated to worshipping an Asura. Bali, the great king of the Asuras. Bali Pratipad. Bali was, as already mentioned, a king, a ruler who had been raised by his grandfather Prahlāda. Prahlāda, a great, wise, holy, and Bali, grew up as a very experienced, benevolent, and wise king. And he was known for keeping his word. But just as with a king, one kingdom is never enough. Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī, the wise, experienced Guru, Śukrācārya. And Śukrācārya had an instrument that was very advantageous for this battle. He had this Sañjīvanī Mantra. That means, whoever has died or been wounded, with this mantra he could bring them back to life or heal them. Great, not bad. So the Devas didn’t stand much of a chance. Mahāprabhudīp Paramparā, Viśokanand Jī, Siddha Pīṭh Paramparā, Viśokanand Jī, Siddha Pīṭh... Lower worlds. And? Says Viṣṇu. Because precisely Gusta, the Devas are actually somewhat envious and jealous of Bali’s power. After some more discussion, Viṣṇu intervenes and says, okay, I will help you. Bali is meanwhile occupied with a new invasion. And for this purpose, he performs a very specific fire ceremony. In this fire ceremony, it is about maintaining the fire altar for an entire year with daily mantras and rituals. And at the end of this year, a horse will be released, so to speak. And the king’s army follows the horse. And wherever the horse goes, the king then claims that land. And if someone stops this horse or prevents it from moving forward, then the king or this army will, so to speak, ask the others, what is going on, do you have any objections? Yes, okay, let us struggle. And to accomplish this successfully, this Yajña, the Aśvamedha Yajña, was performed. During this ceremony, suddenly a dwarf appears in the courtyard of Bali. Bali, always a generous king, sees the dwarf, the dwarf offers his respects, the king asks, what is your name, the dwarf says, Vāmana, and the dwarf says, today is a great day, oh king, may your Yajña be successful, but I would also have a... A request to you, a wish, Bali says, no problem, anything you want, Vāmana says, actually it is a small wish, I would like to have a piece of land, from you, since you are such a great king and possess so many lands. Only as much land as I can measure with three steps. The king thought to himself, "Yes, this is nothing at all." And those at the court, the ministers, just laugh about it. But for one, the alarm bells are ringing. Śukrācārya. And something stirs within and suddenly realizes that something is not right. Something must be wrong. And he warns the king. But the king, even in his arrogance and pride, can no longer turn back now. He gave his word, despite the warning, he tells him, let’s do it, no problem. And as it was in those times, every desire or every stage that is granted becomes inhabited by water. The king orders Kalaśa, a water pot; brāhmaṇas come, chant mantras, and try to pour water onto the ground. Nothing comes out of sealing this stage. Why not? Shake a little, nothing comes out. Vāmana also has his own insight. He, as the incarnation of Viṣṇu, the fifth incarnation of Viṣṇu who came to Earth to help the Devas against Bali, takes a small straw and pokes it into the pot where the outflow is. And suddenly you hear a loud scream. And then water comes out. And the desire and the well are sealed. Okay. Once again, Śukrācārya warns King Bali. The king looks at him and says, what has happened to you? And he sees that Śukrācārya is bleeding here and his eye is covered. The king says, now, Vāmana, please take your three steps. And what happens now? Vāmana, take on your other form. Viṣṇu takes on another form. Enormous in size. With the first step, he embraces the entire universe. With the second step, the earth, the sky, and the underworlds. And with the third step, nothing more is possible, because he is already right in front of Bali. He cannot take another step. Only now does Bali realize that he has been deceived. But he stands by his word and cannot turn back. All he can do is bow his head and say, I Surrender. The next step, you can place it on my head. Vāmana, again in the form of the dwarf, blesses Bali. He condemns him to the underworld, but blesses him because through his sincerity and the word he has kept, he upholds the Dharma. And this tomorrow is the day when Bali is allowed to come into this world and be worshipped by his bhaktas. And that is what will happen tomorrow. And poor Śukrācārya, from that moment on he has been known as the half-blind Guru of the Asuras. This is because he was so clever and diminished himself through his powers and entered into that water pot to prevent... wanted the stage to be consecrated with water. What did he do? He stuck his finger in there and then looked out to see what was happening, and at that moment Vāmana gave a little help with the straw. And the fact that it is said, the half-blind Guru, the Asuras, also conveys something. So this is tomorrow. Let us see what unfolds. And the day after tomorrow will also be celebrated, just as is customary in India. The day is called Vaibhug. That means the brothers go to or meet their sisters and share a meal together, Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī. It is like New Year for us, with firecrackers, days of environmental pollution, noise pollution, and so on. But when you still go to the villages in India, on this day there is an incredible, peaceful atmosphere to be felt. Lights are placed everywhere on the houses along the way in the village. And whoever does it exactly right uses ghee instead of oil, that is, clarified butter. Because it has a completely different quality. The clay vessel is the symbol for the earth. Also a symbol for the body, the material. The ghee or the oil, these are the karmas, the prāṇas, the karmas. The wick is the mind. And the flame, the flame is our individual soul, our prāṇa. And anyone who has done this before and observed a little will see that every flame burns differently. Has different qualities. In some flames, we have more soot or more impurities. And the flame burns according to the quality of the ghee or the oil, or however one may say. That means, our breath burns or illuminates according to our karmas. And what happens when the Ghee is consumed, the karmas are consumed, is that this fire extinguishes. That means the prāṇa moves or unites with the principle of fire. The light, the flame unites with the principle of fire. The prāṇa with the Paramātmā. This is also what we practice in Kriyā, the principle. When the karmas have been exhausted, what remains then? The flame consumes itself. Diwali is celebrated not only by us because it is a holiday in the Indian tradition, but above all because on this day Mahāprabhujī was born, Mahāprabhujī. He was given the name Dīp Purī, Dīp Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī, as we call him. Each individual name, its own universe, its own quality. We know Mahāprabhujī primarily through the images, through the bhajans of Mahāprabhujī, of Holī Gurujī, and through the Līlā Amṛt. Mahāprabhujī is a form, a form of the infinite spirit. And when we learn or realize how to worship the form, to worship it properly, to respect it properly, then we can gain and learn a great deal from it. But it is also important that, from a certain point onward, the form must be transcended. As long as we are in duality, form is always helpful. Every form of worship. What happens in India before a statue of a saint or a god or whatever is installed, then Prāṇa Pratiṣṭhā is performed. That means the statue is infused with life through certain ceremonies. Only then is it awakened and can reflect these qualities, which it represents, unadorned and neutrally. Mahāprabhujī is a symbol of light. A symbol of light that has already happened eternally and will also be present in the future. What lies behind the form is actually what each of us should recognize or work on. If we remain attached to form, then we also remain stuck in time. Yoga means union, unification with this light that Mahāprabhujī represents. This light is like the sun. Whoever approaches receives the quality or attains this quality. Mahāprabhujī is the sun and the disciple is the moon. If the student believes that he himself is shining, then something is wrong. He is only reflecting. And ultimately, we cannot simply remain standing before the sun to come closer to it; rather, we must pass through it, burning in the process. In India, there is a saying that one should not befriend five qualities or beings. This is once the king, a saint, the fire, the water, and the hairdresser. I will not go into detail about this now, but everyone can reflect on why. But, for example, the fire is also there. Why no friendship with a fire? One must understand the quality of the fire. Only when we recognize, experience, and understand the quality can we learn to deal with it. Fire can warm, but it can also burn. Fire can create clarity, but it can also blind. This is the proper balance with it. And when we say light in life, we must also say darkness. Because both belong together. If we deny ourselves one, we also deny ourselves the other. But it is about experiencing and realizing what the light means for us and what the darkness means for us, what pain means for us and what joy means. Both are guides and teachers on our path. Pain is given to each of us, but suffering is optional. Joy is given in life, but bliss is optional. It is always dualism that prevails. And as long as we move within this dualism, we are subject to these forces. And even when we transcend this dualism, it will still operate, but it will no longer affect us. This is the principle of Diwali. Unity within duality. As Guruji says, all in one and one in all. And with this All in One in One in All, I wish you all a Happy Diwali, abundant blessings, much light, and the wisdom and knowledge that this light brings. It is a new year, it is a new beginning, and I hope that we will see each other again next year for this Diwali. Jaya Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Jaya Śrī Srideveśvara Mahādeva, Jaya Śrī Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān, Jaya Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṃsa Svāmī Mahēśvarānanda Purī Jī Mahārāja, Jaya Sat Sanātana Dharma, Jaya Sabarishi Muni Mahātmā.