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Part 1: A Salute to India and Shared Experiences of Grace Gajanandjī, it is an opportunity to speak to your prestigious partner, the spiritual side of India. However, I think I am perhaps not very qualified to speak on the subject, because it is a very vast subject. Today, when we were going through the whole process of various yoga, āsana, prāṇāyāma, and other things, and how your bhaktas were doing all these items, I was feeling ashamed of myself because I didn’t know anything. Maybe we people, being in the Indian diplomatic service, keep on moving from country to country, and like any rolling stone, we gather no moss. It was quite amazing to know that people in the Czech Republic can do all these things in such a very relaxed and easy way. My heartiest congratulations to all of you. Now, talking about India and its culture, India is a vast country. I think most of you have visited India, not even once, maybe many times. And I might have traveled to various parts of the country where I have not been able to go so far. And you might have seen the diversity of India. It’s not only climatically or physically. Swamiji was showing the Himalayas today. The Himalayas are so full of snow, but at the same time, if you go to the south, you can start sweating. So it’s a really very amazing country, where not only different religions—Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism—all religions exist together and in harmony. But many sects, many ways of life, they exist together. So that is why we call it unity in diversity. And as regards Indian culture, I would say that you are the best people, the best ambassadors of Indian culture, who are spreading the culture abroad. And in your such efforts, whatever assistance, whatever help we can render, we can extend, we will be very happy. And in this work of yours, if we can help you in any way, we will be happy to assist you. This I am not telling from my official position, because I am here today in my personal capacity at the invitation of my friend. But in my personal capacity. So once again, my wife and I are very happy and very, very thankful to all of you, to Swami Gajananjī, and to our friends, who gave us such a wonderful opportunity to meet such wonderful people and learn something about Indian culture. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your short and sweet speech. But we are not ready with the topic, India. We are not ready with the topic India. Because when we had, in the afternoon, the beautiful Skype interview with Swamiji, then he very clearly pointed at that bhajan here. The bhajan which, in my time in India—I have been living for 12 years actually in India. I think it was that one which I sing most often there. Dhanya, dhanya, bhārata bhūmi. And Swamiji said, "When I’m in a good mood, then I might speak about that." I guess I have no choice; I have to be in a good mood, huh? Swamiji says he has to be in a good mood to talk about the Bhajan, so now I don’t have a choice but to be in a good mood. So this is a Bhajan of Swāmī Madhavānandjī, Swāmījī’s master. The bhajan is on the glory of the country of India. I expressed it once when I was invited by, I think it was the Lions Club, in a speech like that. India is like the spiritual sun. And the other countries are like the rays of the sun. And if we think, I mean honestly, I think it’s true for our present time. If we go back in history, maybe it was different. Maybe Egypt, maybe Greece, maybe the Mayas, Incas, different cultures. But in the present, I think it’s clear, India is the center of spirituality in the world. No, not in the limited political sense, but this area, including Nepal, Tibet, and so on. But what I also said then in my speech in India, when a ray becomes dark, that doesn’t matter too much, but when the sun itself becomes dark, that is a problem not only for the sun but for the whole world, and it is unfortunately something that I really observed in India. That the influence from Western cultures towards India is nowadays so strong. That many Indians don’t value their own culture anymore. They see it as old-fashioned. And they look to the Western countries and desire the materialism which is there. And then it was quite funny for them when I, as a Westerner, came there as a Swami and said, "Sorry, that’s a dead-end road." I’m just coming back the other way. I think, so we have to understand that Swāmījī’s work in the last years concentrated more and more on India, and his biggest āśram he is building in India. The Indian culture is great, but it needs protection nowadays. So this bhajan speaks about the greatness of India and the Indian culture and Indian spirituality. Dhanya, dhanya, bhārata bhūmi. My glory, salutation to the country of India. Just to inform everyone, and Bhārat is the official name of India. Koṭi, koṭi, vandanā, māra. Thousands, millions of salutations from my side. But you see, it’s a bhajan from Holy Gurujī. And Holy Gurujī is 100% bhakta of Mahāprabhujī. So you can bet what will be next? Siddhipāda Yālu Kadeśa, he says, "It is a country of the merciful Mahāprabhujī, and this is more dear to us than our own life. Dhanya Dhanya Bhāratabhūmi! Glory to the country of India." Viśva Hitakārī, Paramahāsukra Sāgara, Prabhunelīya, Yāhya Avatāra. The Lord incarnated here, just here. To save the world, to save the worldly people, the ocean of bliss. Ananta, Ṛṣi, Muni, or Yogī, Bharat, Kirti, Unca, Siddhara, countless saints are like the glorious stars of India. And then Holī Gurujī mentions some of them, Ramakrishna, you know anyway. Buddha, Guru Nānak. Guru Nānak, the founder of Sikhism. Gandhi, Nehru, Nehru,... Nehru. They were leaders of the country, strong like iron. And in a very poetical way, he also praises the glory and the beauty of the country. And this is the line about which Swamījī spoke in the interview. Himalaya, the mountains, this is like the head of the country. Him, Svarnakamukha Thedhara, the snow on top is like the crown. And he speaks about the holy rivers. You know all about the Kumbh Melā. Gaṅgā, Yamunā, or Kāverī. So he mentions three: Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Kāverī. I think it’s in South India, no? Three: Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Kāverī, which are washing the feet of India. So, in a very poetical way, India as a holy country, as a saint, and you very respectfully wash the feet of the saint here, now of the holy country, and then Holy Gurujī. He compares now India with different lokas: Indra loka, Brahma loka. So he compares India with Indra Loka, with Brahma Loka, and with Svarga Loka. Svarga means heaven, and Indra Loka is like the highest heaven. And he says, "The glory of India is greater than even they." So far, that is clearly understandable, because when you are in heaven, we spoke about this yesterday, then you get your God karmas back, but basically you cannot do anything. So the devas which are there, they are basically not liberated. They are still in the cycle of birth and death. Only when you are on this earth can you act, then you can strive directly for liberation, and the best is, of course, if you are living in a spiritual country like India. What is a little bit astonishing is that Holy Gurujī mentions also Brahma Loka in this context when we... Are we actually struggling on our spiritual path? Our aim is Brahmaloka, the liberation. So it needs a little bit of thought. Why, Holi Gurujī says, India is even greater than Brahmaloka. You see, when you are liberated and you are in Brahmaloka, you have no problem. But still, you might have one problem: that you see the others suffering, and not in Brahmaloka, but on the earth, suffering. And this is the reason, the only reason why God incarnates again and again on this earth. And this is why Pālī Gurujī says, "Mokṣa and Seva, if you compare them, Seva actually weighs more." That is why God again and again renounces the bliss of Brahmaloka and comes to earth. To do seva here on this earth, and the best conditions for this are in India. So when God incarnates on the earth in India, and Mahāprabhujī incarnates on the earth in India, that says he prefers India even from Brahmaloka, to do sevā, to serve us. Devī Devatā Vande Bhārata Mumi. And he says now clearly, the gods, the devīs and devatās in the heaven, they also praise the glory of Bhārata, of India. Sabha Karati had J.J. Kara. J.J., you know, glory, praise. So they all praise again and again. Because they actually are in the moment, not here. They are there and cannot do anything. Because they are there and cannot do anything. And now, again, about the beauty of the country. He says that the beauty of India is greater than the waves of the ocean. And now comes something very funny, I would say. Holy Gurujī, in the last verse, gives a complete postal address. Rajasthan, Pali, Jileme, Jhadan. So if you write this on a letter, the letter will definitely arrive. That means in Rajasthan, in the district Pali, in the village Jhadan. There is a temple for the whole world. Gurudwara is actually a Sikh term for a temple. So, literally, the place of the guru. Vishwa Gurudwara means the temple, the place, the ashram for the whole world. So, Holy Gurujī here directly speaks about our Jadam āśram. He thinks very practically. If someone likes a bhajan, he should know where to go. There is a deeper dialogue. Now he speaks about Mahāprabhujī. And plays a little bit with his word, the name of Mahāprabhujī. You know that deep is the name of Mahāprabhujī. But deep means the light, the divine light. So he says, the light of the country is the merciful Mahāprabhujī. And he says, "The light of the country is the merciful Mahāprabhujī." This light is the light for the whole country, Śrī Maravananka. He, Bhārata Bhūmiko, śataśatahe praṇām hamāra. Holī Gurujī says again and again, my praṇām and salutation to the holy country of India. Now I will try. If I still know how to sing it, since I’m not in India anymore, I sing very rarely. So, I need also some rhythm then. Vandana Mara, dhanya dhanya Bhārata Bhūmi, koṭi koṭi vandana Mara. Deep Dayāloka Deśa, hamako praṇām se atipyāra, praṇām se atipyāra, Deep Dayāloka Deśa hamako. So, Holī Gurujī plays India as a country of Mahāprabhujī. So, Holī Gurujī describes India as a country of Mahāprabhujī. But I would like to add one thing. For us, more important is that it’s also the country of our master. So, that was our salute to the country of India. So, we all, through Swamījī, were very much introduced to the Indian culture and spirituality. So, of course, every time we are happy, a representative of the country is among us. So my voice signals me that I should not talk too much at the moment. Therefore, I would like to give the word now to some among us. Who has this or that experience with Mahāprabhujī. We started yesterday evening with this, actually, after the prayer. It was not on the webcast, but our one friend, I asked if he maybe could repeat that, what he said, for everyone who came new and also for our friends on the webcast. Maybe we can, because it’s a little bit sensitive, take another mic and put it here. So some of you have heard it; many, many haven’t still. Mic, it’s on, but not on enough. I remember a time, just a year ago, when Swami Maheshwarananda was in Prague and was having a public lecture on Ājñā Cakra. I remember a time, just a year ago, when Swami Maheshwarananda was in Prague, having a public lecture on Ājñā Cakra. We all know the stories from Līlā Amṛt. I already know your stories. And I know your stories. And sometimes I wonder for myself that I don’t have any so-called mystical experience for myself. Nothing for me. I was there at this lecture, and together with me there was my father and my friend. They don’t know about yoga, and they don’t know the Līlā Amṛt story. And thanks to it, I myself understand it. I could get this message from Swamijī. So the lecture was over. We were listening to the lecture, and afterwards my friend just mentioned, "Wow, I have seen the things today." I was, of course, very curious about what she could see, but as we say, it’s not good to stick your nose into other people’s affairs. No, it was evening, and that friend was leaving for Plzeň by train, the last train from Prague to Plzeň, to her hometown. I live in Říčany, so I was leaving to Říčany with my father. So we said goodbye and she didn’t mention anything, she didn’t tell me anything. So I was thinking, well, now I will never know what she actually saw, because God knows when we will meet again. And God really knew, though I didn’t. Because 20 minutes later, I got a short message on my phone that she missed the train and she’s coming to our place to stay overnight. So she stayed with us, and the following day, she was about to go in the afternoon, so we invited her for lunch, and we went for lunch together. Of course, I was more and more curious, but still I didn’t ask. So finally, when the lunch was almost over, she started to speak about it by herself. I am happy that I learned it from her, because if I saw the things which she saw, I would maybe start to doubt it after one or two, three days, because I know the story from Līlā Amṛt, so maybe I would think I made it somehow up, I made the connection, I somehow created it in my mind only. She told me, you know, during that lecture, "I saw your master, for sometimes I saw him as a very young man, then sometimes I saw him as he was now, and sometimes I saw him as a very old man." Thank you. So I should not repeat a mistake which I made yesterday. To let the children wait too long, and they have to go to bed and they didn’t get anything. But before that, I would like to ask if there is anyone who has a birthday today. And I know one person, at least, who has a birthday. He had a round birthday, ten years. So much. Thank you. Is there someone else who has a birthday today? Some more candidates? Maybe yesterday? Okay. So then I would like to ask the children. Children can come? The children are gone already? There were more children? More children who qualify as children? Anything else that we should announce? No. Good. Yesterday, in the satsaṅg, I asked if some of us have some personal experiences with Mahāprabhujī. And one of these reports we just heard. I also got an email response from Hamburg. So I find it very valuable, so I printed her email out and would like to share it with you. This is from Sangeeta from Hamburg. So she wrote, "In 1994, my mother died." And exactly one year later, at the same time as her death, I was on the way to the ashram. To light a candle for her. You know, that’s actually the tradition. In India, they call it the Śrāddha ceremony. That, at least once per year, on exactly that day when someone passed away, you should sing of your ancestors. And do something good, dedicated to them. At least do some prayer, or do some malas and dedicate to them. Or, for example, in the ashram you give some nice prasāda and dedicate to them. You could do some good deed for them. So she was on the way, actually, to light a candle for her mother. But it was winter. But on the way, I fell on the icy path and broke my right arm. I cried out, "Mahāprabhujī, ow, ow, ow!" So "ao" is, of course, when you have pain, you say "ao." But in Hindi it means, "Please come." Right? From ānā to come, āo, please come. She said, but at that time I did not know this, and I cried out of pain. But at the next moment, a taxi came. And I jumped in. The driver wanted to drive me to the hospital. But I said, "No, no, drive me to the ashram." So, with my broken arm, I went first to the ashram to light the candle and pray for my mother. And afterwards, I went to the hospital. Now, at that time, many people fell at the same time on the ice. And the doctors were working like crazy for hour after hour. So when it was finally my turn, they had already worked 20 hours. And in their tiredness, they made some mistakes. Which, some days later, caused me a lot more pain. The chief operator of the hospital wanted to operate on me because the bones needed to be fixed. I was very much afraid, but it had to be done. On the day of the surgery, I was lying in one of the operation rooms, where some doctors had given me an injection to anesthetize the arm. I had to wait there for 25 minutes to be brought to the real operation theater. In that time, I was singing our full evening prayer loudly. To purify the whole hospital atmosphere and to help all people who, like me, had to be operated on, the male nurses came to bring me to the orthopedic surgeon to be finally operated on. One of the male nurses told me. That the chief surgeon is very harsh. He doesn’t speak, but I should not be afraid. He wanted to comfort me, but now I was even more afraid of what would happen. It was exactly all as he had told me. The surgeon was old. Seemed to be very hard. No words, not even good morning. So I was lying there and praying my mantra. Thinking of Swāmījī and Mahāprabhujī and praying, "Please protect me." The bones in my right wrist had to be fixed with two strong, long wires. And to bring the wires into the bones, the surgeon needed to drill them. With a drilling machine into my arm. When he told, now it will be loud because of the machine. I started to shout out, "Oh God, oh God." And the surgeon answered, "There is no God." But in return, I said, "Oh, yes, God is here and everywhere." And behind the back of the surgeon, the male nurse made smiling signs to me and gave me a sign with his fingers, "Yes, yes, very good." But now, in the next moment, the drilling machine went into my arm. Even as it was anesthetized, I did not feel pain. I did not feel pain, but such a strong pressure went through my whole body. That I screamed and screamed, "God, God, God!" And then it happened. The whole scene changed. In one second, all became Mahāprabhujī. He was a drilling machine. He was a surgeon. He was the male nurse, and also the female nurse on my left side. He was the whole room, the operation table, and he was me. He was everything and everywhere. There was only Mahāprabhujī. It was such an experience, to be one with all. To be all, only Mahāprabhujī. Only Mahāprabhujī is existing. I do not know how long it lasted. After this opening of the truth, everything was of no interest anymore. The surgeon had to drill another wire into the arm. But my consciousness was far away. The divine had shown me its truth. What a blessing in this situation. I am very thankful for ever and ever. Om Śrī Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Satya Gurudev Kī Jai. From Saṅgītā from Hamburg. Let’s maybe sing another bhajan. Things materialize very quickly. I just spoke about doing something for the ancestors, and I mentioned one example is, for example, giving prasāda. So, I just got information that today in the evening we get such a prasāda. A beautiful halva donated from Shanti from Brno, Austria, on behalf of her ancestors. Thank you. So, I would ask Parvatījī also to contribute something. I would like to contribute to these stories about Mahāprabhujī. I have some little notes ready. I have mostly dreams, or you would call them minor experiences. So, something you may have heard already. I would like to start with my first dream with Mahāprabhujī. It happened before I became a disciple. It was the time when I was deciding whether to become a disciple or not. I had already practiced yoga, but I was attending a different group. And that group had a philosophy that we have our inner guru, and there is no need for an external, physical guru. And definitely not a guru from India. But then it showed that it wasn’t the right opinion. And I was helped by the dream. I had a dream that some group of people were in some underground corridor, and we wanted to get out. After some time, we succeeded. And we got out, and then the second quest was to find a treasure. And suddenly Mahāprabhujī started to appear. And it was interesting, you may know the picture when Mahāprabhujī is wearing the turban. And the first picture of Mahāprabhujī, which I got afterwards, was this picture. And he was quoting some verses from the Upaniṣad. And I think it was about, "I reside within you." And so we went on the path, and finally we reached this treasure. So it was for me very nice. Even before I actually started this path, this journey, I got the confirmation: if I would not do something stupid, I will reach this treasure. But I must say, we started quite many people on the way. Some joined us, but at the end, there were not so many people actually reaching the treasure. And after receiving the mantra, I had another beautiful experience. I was looking at the picture of Mahāprabhujī, and it started to change into a living person, but unfortunately I got shocked, or I got scared, and that moment it disappeared. And it started to change back into the picture. And I have heard that there are some disciples in Europe and in India, too, who managed this better way, and really, they got the darśana of Mahāprabhujī this way. In that time, I also had my personal, very beautiful experience. I was repeating my mantra, and suddenly I could hear a very beautiful, fatherly voice, a very harmonious voice, and the voice was saying, "I am the one you are searching for." And another such story: again, I was repeating my mantra, I... Think both of this happened on the bus, actually. And I was repeating the mantra. Just the idea came to my mind: what a richness it is, what we were given. And the thought was, it’s like gold. And the voice again repeated. Yes, it is gold. For me, it was Mahāprabhujī, and then I was given sometimes the dreams about Mahāprabhujī or with Mahāprabhujī. And you may have heard it, I was telling it many times, so maybe you know it, but I will repeat it. We were trying to build an ashram, it was some house in the countryside, and we would come there for a week or for a weekend to be there. Once I went there, I was alone. I went there sooner to get it ready, and I was expecting others to come later. Suddenly, this atmosphere of this house fell on me. The feeling was it was really away from civilization, the alone, deserted house. So it was kind of a fear; it was not a pleasant feeling. So I told myself, "I will solve it. I will go to sleep. I will just sleep through it. I will wake only when the others are there, and then we will get it ready." So I went to bed, but I didn’t escape. I had a dream that I really... I’m lying on that bed. Where I was, I am afraid, so fortunately I remembered Mahāprabhujī, and Mahāprabhujī appeared suddenly, and a great radiance was coming out of him. And this radiance was showering all the room around. And in this light, I could see some small, strange creatures, and they were like craving for the light, and they suddenly were happy because the light was liberating them. I had a feeling that maybe those are my bad qualities or the things which I am to overcome, and I will overcome them thanks to Mahāprabhujī’s light. So I must check my notes now. And I had different dreams when I was in some not pleasant situations. And as soon as I remembered Mahāprabhujī, the situation changed. For example, I had a dream that I was walking on a path. And suddenly, towards me, a big dog was walking or running towards me. And it was some wild dog, a beast. And I’m sure I didn’t feel like going to meet him, but there was no other way. Part 2: Dreams and Guidance on the Path I remembered Mahāprabhujī. At the same time, I remembered that love is the great power. As soon as I realized this, a huge, fearsome beast in my dream turned into a little puppy that wanted to play with me. Then I had a similar dream. I was climbing a staircase, and coming towards me was a person who felt very unpleasant. I had a strong feeling I did not want to meet him. So again, I begged Mahāprabhujī for help. Suddenly, at the instant of death, I saw that this very negative person had a rose. I understood this was the symbol of his divine Ātmā, what is inside him. Mahāprabhujī showed me this was actually his Ātmā, so I was able to go past him and meet him. It was a very, very educative dream. I went home with Mahāprabhujī. The weather was very unpleasant—raining, with a sharp, cold wind. My only thought was to get home as soon as possible. But Mahāprabhujī was sort of holding me back so that I would go steady, steady. I remember there was a pond or a puddle of water, and I wanted to jump over it. Mahāprabhujī kicked my legs, but he helped me so I didn’t fall down. This dream gave me the understanding that it is really important to walk step by step, carefully and steadily. It is said the spiritual path is a path on the edge of a knife. When somebody wants to take a shortcut, it actually prolongs the way. When you want to save time and jump somewhere, you may even hurt yourself. I sometimes remember this and tell myself to go slowly. Also, I once read in some of Swāmījī’s lectures that during Yoga Nidrā a person can witness the first moments of his life. I thought it would be nice to see this, but I forgot about it. Then once, while practicing Yoga Nidrā, I suddenly found myself somewhere else. I was standing next to Mahāprabhujī, telling him goodbye. I was about to go to the earth. But saying farewell was such an easy thing, like when you are at home and just going shopping for a while, knowing you will be back very soon. That was the feeling. This experience taught me much. It always reminds me of what Swāmījī tells us: to know the value of human life, why we are here, what our duty and task is. Sometimes I remember this and try to lead my life this way, because I think we are all about to see that we are coming back to Mahāprabhujī. We come back so that when we meet him, there is nothing we would be ashamed of. We come with a pure conscience, and the reunion would be a happy one. Another of my experiences was during a Mahāsamādhi celebration many years ago. We would meet in a flat, hold satsaṅg, and stay awake till late, about one o'clock. I wasn't accustomed to staying awake so long. Once, I managed to stay till half past twelve—after midnight, which is actually the time Mahāprabhujī was born according to Indian time. In a vision, I saw Mahāprabhujī as a gardener. He had a watering can in his hand and was taking care of a rose and the whole garden. I could see his great care and great love with which he takes care of us. I think, together with Holy Gurujī and Swāmījī, we cannot find better gardeners or better care than the one we are given. I remember a sort of funny dream. I was really longing to go to India, but it was during communist times and practically impossible. Once I had an encouraging dream: Mahāprabhujī arrived, turned me into a banana, put me in his pocket, went to an airplane, and flew to India. I learned that in the dream, a banana actually means a promise. Really, after some time, the times changed and I could go to India. From a different category, here is how Mahāprabhujī or Swāmījī saved us once. We were traveling back from Vep. Swāmījī had invited those interested to visit him in Vienna, so we went. Swāmījī told our driver to go really slowly, and he took it seriously. On the way, there was a sudden change of weather and all the roads were very icy. The boy driving was usually a very fast driver, but he respected Swāmījī’s advice and kept going slowly. Then we slipped on the highway. The car spun around—a clock going around the clock. We ended up stopped vertically, across the highway. Our first reaction was proper: all of us first remembered Mahāprabhujī and our mantra. As soon as we did this, the car by itself turned a long way and ended up at the side of the highway. As soon as we turned, another car passed very quickly. If we had stayed across or hadn't turned in time, there would have been a crash and we probably wouldn't be here. I think many of you have similar experiences of being saved, of real help when it’s needed. Once more, a dream. I had a dream that some high vibrations were going through me. The dream was repeating. On one hand it was pleasant, on the other I was afraid and didn't know what it meant. I utilized the well-known technique: I asked Mahāprabhujī for help. Then I saw Mahāprabhujī in my Ājñā Cakra. He had a key in his hand. I realized he had locked these things away and would unlock them again when I am ready. I consider this a very great help, because when you get experiences you are not ready for, it may not end well. I think, as all of you, I am so grateful to Mahāprabhujī for so many things. I am very, very happy that I am on this path. Thank you, Pārvatī, for sharing. It’s a venerable bhajan. We’ll have another bhajan. I would like to remind you of one event about which Swāmījī spoke. It was one night during a Mahāsamādhi celebration, I think in the Vienna Ashram, maybe 15–20 years ago (the German speakers know as it's on a video). I have only a vague memory; if someone remembers better, please correct me. There was a long satsaṅg at night. When it finished, everyone sat for meditation. It was exactly the Mahāsamādhi night. Many disciples meditated in the hall. Swāmījī went to his room and also meditated. In his meditation, Swāmījī got the darśana of Mahāprabhujī. He was overwhelmed, and Mahāprabhujī asked if he had any wish. The guru always thinks of his disciples. Swāmījī said, "Yes, I have a wish. You come to me here and give me darśan, but down in the hall there are many disciples full of love and bhakti. They think of you and pray to you. Could you please give your darśan to them as well?" Then Mahāprabhujī said, "I’m sorry, that is not possible." Swāmījī asked why. Mahāprabhujī said, "Because none of them are certain; they are only temporary disciples. Within some years, none of them will be on the way anymore." Mahāprabhujī refused to give darśan because he knew the future and how serious the disciples were. Swāmījī, some years later when he spoke about this, said it had already turned out to be true. It’s a beautiful experience but also a teaching for us. I asked the Vienna people; an actor said it was more than 25 years ago in Śikaneḍra. Otherwise, it was correct. Now, is there someone else who would like to share a personal experience with Mahāprabhujī? ...Okay, wait. He is now jumping in. Dear friends, I have something to share, not as I want them to be back. I would like to go on concerning the story of Sangeeta from Hamburg. I will just say one sentence. Rāmacandra G., please get ready. Maybe it happened in the same year as her story. I would like to tell this story to show the beauty of the guidance of the master. When it’s possible, he always gives advice, guides you through the process, helps you, and takes care of you all the time, even after the year. It was the year 1991-92. There was a seminar in Vienna. We were invited. The price was 300 shillings. I didn't have that much money, and I was building a house, so I decided not to go. The evening before, two friends called and said they had a free place and asked me to come. I apologized, saying I had to start construction work on the first of May. The next day, when I went to the construction site, the wooden beams in the roof collapsed. I fell on my back from the roof onto a pile of material. When I got up, my right hand was just hanging from the wrist. The first thought was: you know where you were supposed to be today? At the hospital, the x-ray showed the bone was so fractured into many small pieces. The surgeon said there was little to do and the hand would likely be immobile. When they gave me anesthesia for the operation, the only thing I thought about was Mahāprabhujī. I repeated the mantra and fell asleep with it. When I woke up, the first eyes I saw were the surgeon's. He told me, "Young man, I don’t know how, but all these little fractured bones just went to the right place by themselves. It seems you will be able to move the hand after all." When they put on the plaster, I asked them to leave three fingers sticking out so I could still use my mālā, because the next seminar in Vienna was starting the other weekend, costing 600 shillings. I decided I really must go. It’s not the end. Over the years, I practiced careful movements with the wrist. Often, when I worked physically using that hand, it would get too warm and I couldn't move my wrist for days. Now, here in Střilky, I took part in karma yoga, collecting twigs or fruit. Swāmījī was present, but I wasn't aware he was near me. As I was walking, I felt somebody catch my wrist, hold it, and then release me. I turned my head, and there was Swāmījī standing there. He just touched my wrist and went away. Since then, my hand has been perfectly well. This is the beauty of Ātmīyatā. Last night, I mentioned trying to contact an Indian man who is a personal disciple of Mahāprabhujī. I tried a month ago during the Dīvālī seminar on Mahāprabhujī’s and Holy Gurujī’s Mahāsamādhi, but it wasn't possible as he was in an Indian village with no good connection. Yesterday it also seemed impossible. But Mahāprabhujī says in his golden teaching: do your work with firm determination and success is sure. If it’s for a good, unselfish matter, we should be persistent. So I said, "OK, I cannot get him in America or India, let me send an email." He responded; he is back in America but doesn't have Skype. So we cannot have a Skype interview, but we will try to telephone him. Let's see if the technique works, as it's complicated for the technical team to handle the webcast and a call simultaneously. Hello? Yes, can you hear me? We have you on loudspeaker; they can hear you very well. Okay, yes, I can hear you very well. Very good. Just to say, when I was twice in America, I was a guest at his family's home in Atlanta. When you are in such a family, you are automatically immersed. All the time he spoke about Mahāprabhujī. I can hear you very well. Rāmacandrajī is a retired veterinary doctor. He came especially to meet me a year ago, which I appreciated. I asked him about his experiences with Mahāprabhujī. Rāmacandrajī, maybe... Yes, do you want me to talk? Can you introduce yourself a little bit? Yes, it is my pleasure to bring my thoughts and prayers to your meeting for Mahāprabhujī. My name is Ramchandra Purohit. I live in the U.S. Please speak slowly so we can understand. There are disturbing sounds. Okay, I will talk very slowly. My name is Rāmchandra Purohit. I live in the U.S. Please wait a moment. This is hard to understand. I'm watching the webcast but turned the sound off so I can hear you. Now it's better. There was a lot of background sound from the website. I turned it off. That is good, thank you. Can you please introduce yourself? Who you are, from where, and tell a little so we can understand. Okay. My name is Ramchandra Purohit. I live in the U.S. I was born in the village Gendrī, which is about two kilometers from Bārā. My name is Rāmchandra, and you have always translated here into Czech. Okay. Rāmchandra, I was born in a village about 2 km away from Kāṭhu. I have known Mahāprabhujī since his childhood. This was when Mahāprabhujī moved from Kāṭhu to Bālāguḍā. I was about seven or eight years old. I remember Mahāprabhujī because he was our family guru. He gave us a guru: my grandfather, grandmother, my whole family. We used to walk from our village, Gendrī, to Bālāguḍā, about two kilometers, to visit Mahāprabhujī as often as we could. We always walked there. Gendrī is also located about two kilometers from Nepal, where Swāmī Madhavānandajī resided or was born. The village of Gendrī is also two kilometers from Nepal, where the ashram is or where Swāmī Madhavānandajī lived. Without giving more details, in the 1950s, Mahāprabhujī moved back to Kāṭhu. I have many, many experiences with the sage all my life with Mahāprabhujī, because we were not only his disciples, we were his family. When Mahāprabhujī moved to Kāṭhu, his cot which he used to sleep on in Bālāguḍā was sent to our house, and it is still in our house in Gendrī. Now let me say a few things about Mahāprabhujī himself. Mahāprabhujī never liked big crowds or to talk a lot. He never accepted great gifts from people. Mahāprabhujī had a prasanna—I called it a prasanna—like when I was around him. You don’t have to ask him a question. He will answer without you asking. Whatever you’re thinking, my experience all my life has been with him. If I’m next to him, he’ll put his arm around me and call me by my first name, Rām. "What do you want, or what are you thinking?" Then he’ll answer the question without me asking. In the interest of time, I don’t want to take too much. But I will tell a few of my experiences. One was about my education. With his blessing, when I was about 10 years old, I asked him if I could go to the USA. He gave his blessing and told me I could get all the education I wanted. That’s his blessing. I have two doctoral degrees: a DVM and a Ph.D. I will describe one unusual experience. It was 1961-62. I was in a veterinary college, planning to travel in December to go home to Gendrī. I went to the railway station in Bikaner to buy a ticket, but I received a telegraph from my mother (no telephone). She said it was time to visit my family before coming home. So I bought a plane ticket to Nagpur. In the morning I reached Nagpur and took a bus to Kāṭhu. I got off the bus and saw a car and van coming. In it were Mahāprabhujī and about three or four disciples and his cook. They told me to get in, and we went to Ajmer. We went to Ajmer that night. In that car, Mahāprabhujī was with some disciples, so we were together that evening. I was the only one who spoke English there because I went to a private school. We went to a Catholic nursing home that night. Anyway, I stayed in Ajmer with him for three or four days. Then one day he looked at me and said, "It’s time to go see your mother." So he gave me permission to go visit my mother. After three days with him, I went to my village. It was 1963. Today, Mahāprabhujī’s day... Mahāprabhujī went to divine himself in December, as you are celebrating his Mahāsamādhi day. It was June 1964 when I went to the US. In 1990, I visited Kāṭhu and Mahāprabhujī’s samādhi. I was sitting in front of his bed, eyes closed, and my body shook. I looked up and there was Mahāprabhujī sitting on the bed. This was 1990. He showed me something on the right. There were my mother and Mahāprabhujī’s court master. They were both deceased a long time ago, but they were also sitting there. That was an experience I never forgot. As I said, all our family are Mahāprabhujī’s disciples. I want to thank Swāmījī Gajānandajī for asking me to speak. If you have any questions, I will be glad to answer. Well, Mahāprabhujī, even today for me... When I was there, I asked him several things. When he gave the Guru Mantra, I told him I cannot meditate for half an hour. He told me the only thing I need is to use the Guru Mantra three times in the morning when I get up and three times in bed. The Guru Mantra he gave was very unique; I never found it in any books. Even today, whenever I need something, I ask for his help. He always helps me out. I don’t know how to explain my relationship with him and my family. It is really very difficult to write or talk about without thinking about it... I knew that whenever I needed something, he would always help me, and whenever I needed something, he was there for me... I can’t even describe what a blessing it was for me and our whole family to be with Mahāprabhujī. Can answer? Yeah, thank you very much. Okay, I can talk about my problems all my life. It was a little difficult to understand you, so I would request if maybe in the next weeks you could install Skype. Then maybe the next interview will be better in touch. Thank you, because the telephone echo makes it very hard. Okay, all the best. Thank you. Goodbye. Bye. Please take the translation with a grain of salt. I understood every tenth word. So he was talking about this, and I understood something. It was a little difficult. You see, when you have a strong saṅkalpa, it sometimes gets fulfilled double. Because he was actually on the webcast two and a half years ago. I had no idea. Someone now, after I made the announcement yesterday, sent me this file. I don’t want to challenge the video team too much, but I think after prayer we can maybe see that, and it is actually quite easy to understand. We are really in a special situation. We don’t need to guess about Mahāprabhujī; we really can know. There are people who still know Mahāprabhujī personally, and that is great. Just pray these old persons stay many years still with us so we can collect more wisdom and experiences. You know, Holy Gurujī sang so beautifully and stayed many years with us. But still, only a part of his bhajans is recorded. He loved to sing Mahāprabhujī’s bhajans, but we have hardly any recording of his own bhajans. So sometimes it is also important that we demand before the chance is gone. Okay, let’s have a bhajan. Are you tired? Yes. Or should we have prayer straight away? Yeah? Okay, prayer is also a bhajan. Good, so then let’s have prayer. And goodbye to our friends on the webcast.