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Om Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ. Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Maheśvara, Guru Sākṣāṭ, Paraṁ Brahma, Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. The root of meditation is the form of the Guru; the root of worship is the feet of the Guru; the root of mantra is the word of the Guru; the root of liberation is the grace of the Guru. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Repeated salutations and obeisances to Parabrahma Paramātmā, who dwells in every single heart and sustains the creation of the universe. Reverently bowing at the lotus feet of Gurudev, with folded hands and deep devotion. Dear devotees, beloved mothers and brothers, today is a very auspicious day, a day of the supreme grace of Bhagavān. The benefit of satsang is attained only when the jīva’s puṇya arises. In this sacred city of puṇya, Pokhara, within the state of Nepal, there is a great sacred mountain, Annapūrṇā. By residing in the refuge of Annapūrṇā Mātā, at her feet, a being can attain mokṣa. Even Bhagavān Śaṅkara takes shelter from Annapūrṇā Mātā. Annapūrṇā is ever full; wherever Annapūrṇā Mātā is present, there is all kinds of fullness, no lack at all. Annapūrṇā is ever full. Śaṅkara, the prāṇa-valve, and wherever there is the supreme grace of Bhagavān Śaṅkara, the part of Bhagavān Śaṅkara is... We are born in this courtyard of the world, and here, those who are virtuous and fortunate are born. The ever-fulfilling, the ever-complete Śaṅkara grants prāṇa, strength, knowledge, and the ultimate renunciation. Pārvatī offers alms and prayers. O ever-fulfilling Mother, whom we can also call Pārvatī, who is ours... Give us knowledge and our detachment, our sādhanā, our life to be successful—give us vīkṣā, that is, give us knowledge, give us āśīrvāda, give us knowledge, detachment, and the highest vīkṣā. Pārvatī, Mātā Pārvatī Devī, the mother of all beings, Pārvatī Devī, Mātā Pārvatī Devī. The father is the divine Maheśvara, the same Śiva who is Maheśvara, in whom there was nothing—an infinite Brahman, a void. There was no mountain, no earth, nothing at all; no living beings, nothing; no sun, no moon, nothing. In Him, there was only Brahman. It is said that that Brahman contemplated in His mind, His power... I am one, and I manifest in the many; that same one appears as nāda. Nāda is the form of Parabrahman, Parabrahman is the svarūpa of Paramātmā, nāda is sound, nāda yoga. Through that nāda yoga, jyoti manifests—the jyoti which is called Svayambhū Śiva, jyoti Svayambhū Śiva. So, in this ancient tradition, the very first deity within all creation is Bhagavān Śiva, and in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, Annapūrṇā, it is only by the grace of Śiva that this place exists. If the people here were to stop worshipping Śiva, then obstacles would arise, and sorrow would befall the family. Therefore, from infinite time, from endless ages, Nepal... The kingdom here is the capital of Śiva and the capital of Viṣṇu. Śiva and Viṣṇu reside here, so He manifests as Svayambhū Śiva and creates the entire creation. While creating, the Paramātmā made eighty-four lakh jīvas. Eighty-four lakh is understood in my language. There are 8.4 million beings, which are of three types: jalaścara, sthalacara, and nabhaścara—those living in water, those living on land, and those living in the sky. All together, among these 8.4 million, there is one who is a man, a human being, and the human... God has given intellect, given knowledge, and to protect humans, to protect all living beings, to protect the mountains, to protect the rivers, to protect the forests, and to protect the oceans—the soul is beyond bondage; the soul does not perform any action, the soul does not take birth, the soul is not bound by any action. But karma applies to the jīva, and the jīva comes and goes, and it is the jīva that experiences the fruits of karma. Then it is said, O human, among the eighty-four lakh jīvas, I now give you a human body. Now, by performing good karma, serving, and devotion to Bhagavān in the human body... By engaging in bhajan, you can free yourself from the sorrow of birth and death. So what is it that in the Kali Yuga, only by chanting the name, one becomes a mere mortal wandering in the cycle of existence? In the Kali Yuga, only through bhakti and the remembrance of Bhagavān’s name can a person transform their birth. Therefore, dear ones, by singing the praises of Bhagavān, serving the poor and afflicted, and showing compassion to all living beings, one should make their life successful. This human life will not come again and again. If this opportunity, this time, this chance that we have received is lost, then who knows in what body this soul will return—whether it will become a buffalo, a goat, a dog, a fish, a worm, no one knows where it will go next. Then... It is not in your hands, yet you suffer the fruits of karma, trapped in the sleep of avidyā. Awaken and immerse yourselves in the bhajan of Bhagavān; this is the essence. Otherwise, this world is a gathering of māyā’s bonds—it is iron, desire, anger, pride, and ego—all of which are attached to the human being whom we call manuṣya. People keep their eyes on the money in their pockets, always thinking about how quickly the money will move from their pocket to mine. Everyone is caught up in this hunger for māyā. But one day, even money will not accompany you; leaving everything behind, you will depart—then that’s it. What is the use of the forest, when life in this world is only for two days? Brother, sing the praises of Hari; this is the command of the ṛṣis and munis, and this is the essence of satsang. There are two types of avatāras: the nitya avatāra and the nimitta avatāra. The nimitta avatāra is the one who incarnates from time to time. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, "O Arjuna, from time to time I..." Yoga manifests through māyā in every age. Bhagavān manifests to destroy Kaṁsa—Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa manifested for this purpose. To protect dharma and to eradicate adharma, Bhagavān Rāma manifested to kill Rāvaṇa, to eliminate adharma, and to uphold dharma. So, there have been twenty-four avatāras, twenty-four avatāras to serve the poor and the suffering, to protect all living beings, to show compassion—Bhagavān manifests for this purpose. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Tulasī Dāsa Mahārāja writes that compassion is the root of dharma, and pride is the root of sin. Tulasī says, never abandon compassion. When prāṇa diminishes, in the heart of the one who has compassion, there dwells Bhagavān. The abode of compassion is within, and those whose hearts lack compassion—therefore, O noble ones, you should engage in the bhajan of Bhagavān. It is by His blessings alone that this world functions. The world operates on truth, yet there is much falsehood and untruth within it, which is why humanity is deeply sorrowful. Because of humans, even other creatures suffer greatly. The truth is that under the moon, under the sun, and even under the words of great souls, there is never any change. The sun and the moon may change their paths, but what a sādhu has said will never change. Once, a Mahātma narrated a story, a parable, a long time ago. This must have been a long time ago, perhaps a thousand or two thousand years back. What happened then was that a certain kingdom attacked the kingdom of Nepal. Nepal was ruled by a righteous king, and the king had a guru, a Nāth like Gorakhnāth, a Nāth Mahārāj. The king of Nepal went to his guru and said, "Gurudev, my kingdom is in danger. I have come to seek your refuge. Please protect me and tell me what I should do." This is a true story. The sage said, "Go, king." The king went, and the accomplished yogī was warming himself by the fire. He said, "Well, these are my caraṇapādukā..." Those wooden sandals were my caraṇapādukā; take these caraṇapādukā and place them on your throne. No one will dare to sit on that throne; whoever tries to occupy it will be finished. Listen carefully, the King of Nepal says to Gurudev that Gurudev, your... What will I place on my head—the caraṇapādukā on the throne? If I place it on my head, then go ahead. As long as this remains on your head, your reign will remain unbroken. The caraṇapādukā of Gurudev are depicted on the throne forever, always within the frame of the two caraṇapādukā. Then it is said... The blind soul said that the former king, who was once a ruler, had embraced the Western culture, that is, the culture of foreigners, and those who were about to end that kingdom, their kingdom was indeed ended. These are the words of the great souls, so one should listen carefully to what the saints and sādhus say. One must be resolute, and only by following the prescribed path will our welfare be ensured. Look at the kind of people being born; everyone wants to consume the state of Nepal, everyone desires to rule over it. But, dear ones, in the house of Bhagavān, there may be delay, but there can be no darkness. This is the city of Bhagavān Śiva, and this is Bhagavān Viṣṇu... There, Bhagavān Viṣṇu is performing austerities, so the king of Nepal, who has a portion of Viṣṇu within him, is considered Viṣṇu. But when he faltered, it is possible that Viṣṇu removed his place from there. However, Bhagavān is compassionate; meditating on the mantra of your respective guru will be very beneficial for you. So today I reflected that our devotee Viṣṇu, whom I have called Viṣṇu, is here; some devotees should benefit, the satsang should be beneficial. Otherwise, the lamp is burning in a closed temple, and no one even knows. And wherever the sādhus reside, may you remain healthy and may Bhagavān always keep you happy in your home. I attain such progress that nothing ever goes wrong within, may Bhagavān always keep you happy, and we will create such a sacred deed that every morning here there will always be some bhajan and kīrtana. Our foreign devotees, from different countries, have come for this seva. Why did I think that I should be in Nepal? I will go and meditate a little at the feet of Annapūrṇā Mātā in solitude, but I did not find the place I had hoped for. I am, after all, your servant, Swāmījī, your āśramī. It is good that you stay here. Whatever Bhagavān does, He does well. Because of this, you all have benefited. So, I will remain here for another twenty days. You all must definitely tell your family and your friends to come as well. Transcending the elements, beyond the three guṇas, the great guru of the six-fold, O mind, peace indeed, peace, peace indeed, O noble one, beyond bondage.