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Part 1: The Living Presence of Mahāprabhujī Oṃ choti para brahma, dīpam sarve mohanaḥam, dīpam sarjate savasādyam, dīpam sarav satyam. Oṁ pūrṇamadaḥ, pūrṇamidaṁ, pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate, pūrṇasya, pūrṇamādāya, pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate, oṁ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ. Oṃ Divo Śāntiḥ, Antarikṣaṃ Śāntiḥ, Pṛthivī Śāntiḥ, Āpaḥ Śāntiḥ, Oṣadhayaḥ Śāntiḥ, Vanaspatayaḥ Śāntiḥ, Viśvedevāḥ Śāntiḥ, Brahma Śāntiḥ, Sarvaṃ Śāntiḥ, Śānti Reva Śāntiḥ, Sā Mā Śānti Redhi. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Om Tryambakam Yajāmahe Sugandhim Puṣṭivardhanam, Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyormukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt. Om Tryambakam Yajāmahe Sugandhim Puṣṭi... Vadanam urvarukam iva bandhanāt mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam. Urvarukam iva bandhanāt mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Nāhaṁ kartā, prabhuḥ kartā, nāhaṁ kartā, prabhuḥ kartā hi kevalam. Om Śānti Śānti... Siddhīp Nārāyan Bāghvān Gījān. Dear friends around the world, I greet you from Gurujī’s ashram in Vienna on the occasion of Mahāprabhujī’s Mahāsamādhi day, which takes place tomorrow. Tomorrow, Swamiji will be, for the first time, on the webcast from Nepal. And today we have this satsaṅg here in Vienna. So, Mahāprabhujī, what to say? I did not know Mahāprabhujī, but Mahāprabhujī is living inside of me and inside of all bhaktas of Swāmījī. I have been with Swamiji for a long time, 35 years, and I was not immediately connected with Mahāprabhujī. I was also not connected to the knowledge which Swāmījī gave. It took me quite a long time to understand what a master means. It took me a very long time to understand this because, in our culture, we don’t have this devotion and not this respect, and we don’t know what is a master. I had the opportunity to know Holy Gurujī and Swāmījī for a very long time and also very closely. And Holy Gurujī dedicated his whole life to Mahāprabhujī. Whenever he made something which was not a normal act, like he blessed families that they get children, or he prevented that accidents are happening, he prevented also one time that the house in which I was living went into fire; that was his blessing. He never took this on him. He always said, "It is only Mahāprabhujī. Mahāprabhujī is doing everything." So Mahāprabhujī is also the Īśa Deva of Swāmī Swāmijī. And as I told you, for a long time I didn’t have any connection, also due to our different culture and different education. Our heart was not open to listen to his words. And one time, I remember, we were in the Schikanedergasse. You know, Schikanedergasse is the oldest ashram here in Vienna, and it is the ashram in the center of the city from where yoga and daily life spread to the whole world. So here you can say that Swāmījī developed this whole system. In the beginning, when we were with him, we were only about fourteen to twenty disciples. And now we have thousands and thousands of disciples around the world. And it is from the center here in Vienna that the message of Mahāprabhujī was spread to the whole world. And today we also had the opportunity to go into this divine hall, this divine temple of the Śikāṇḍā Gāse. And I can only tell you, whenever you are coming to Europe, or if you ever come to Austria, try, as a disciple of Swāmījī, to go to this ashram. Because Swamiji spent so many years here in this ashram. He was living there, he was teaching there. And the radiance and the prāṇa is so strong that you, after two minutes, you come into a very deep kind of concentration, and you feel really the presence of Mahāprabhujī there. I was there today for only about maybe seven or eight minutes. And on these special days, the vibration is much stronger than on other days, like on Guru Pūrṇimā, but also on the Mahāsamādhi days of our masters. So on these days, it is good to meditate, to go inside, to take the picture of Mahāprabhujī and try to have a conversation with him. Listen, what he wants, what he will tell you; this is a very important thing. We have so many meditation techniques, and one of our most famous meditation techniques is the self-inquiry meditation of yoga and daily life. And one time, Swāmījī was asked in a seminar, "Swamiji, please tell us what is the best meditation technique," and Swamiji gave a wonderful answer. He said, "See, the most easy is if you go in your heart and you just connect and feel your personal cottage there." And Mahāprabhujī is this divinity residing in our heart. And if we are able to do this, then it is like the light of wisdom, of knowledge, of guidance, of protection is with us. And all, we all are under the protection, the guidance of Mahāprabhujī. Another time also, Swamiji, we were sitting after one yoga class, and he said, "All of you, you are connected with Mahāprabhujī." So it doesn’t matter who is listening, it doesn’t matter if you are in the first class of Yoga in Daily Life, or you have been with us for many years, you are connected with him. Because we are connected with Swamījī, we are connected with yoga and daily life. And the chain of the knowledge, the chain of the wisdom, is going from one master to the other master. And when he said this, Swamiji, I could not really understand, because at this time I didn’t have a connection to Mahāprabhujī. As I told you, it took me quite a long time. And in my beginnings, I tried to convince Swamiji that it is not necessary to have a personal godhead. It is enough to have a nirguṇa form, means a formless god, not a form for adoration. And then Swamiji said this, that you’re all connected with Mahāprabhujī. And I said, "Uh-huh," meaning even if I am believing in only the light and the cosmos and the superconscious, I am also connected with Mahāprabhujī. And Swamiji smiled and said, "Yeah, you are also connected." And I knew after some years that something was missing in me. I made a lot of exercises, levels, āsanas, prāṇāyāma, but my heart was not open to receive the blessings of the Gurudev. And I felt this very strongly, that after some years, something was missing, and I’m not progressing anymore in a way. Something was missing. And I spoke with a very near friend of mine and told her that, you know, I feel that something is missing in my sādhanā, something, I know there is a lack somewhere. And she told me, and I told her that I have not a personal godage in this way. And she said, "Yes, but you know, I am doing like this. I’m speaking all the time with God." And she’s a very rooted person, not, how do you say, abgehoben, not a dreamer. She was not a dreamer. She was a very, very based person. And she said, "All the time I’m speaking with him. You know, when I’m driving in the car, I’m not like this, driving in the car, I speak with him." And in the morning I speak with him, and then lunchtime, and all the time I’m speaking with him. I said, "My goodness." And I said, when she was speaking with him, that was very impressive for me. And she told me, you know, it’s very simple. You just have to call him. After I left her, I said, "I don’t know if I really want to call him. This is very demanding." I cannot do so many demanding things. Just to call him, and it should appear that it’s too much to ask. But I had another request. I said, "Okay, if you are existing, you will show me. In the next week, I request you, you give me some signs." Okay, that was it, because I said, "Definitely, he will maybe give me some signs." If he’s there, and then I—I was in this time, I had a clinic, a dental clinic, and I had in this period a very difficult time with money, yes. So I was at the bank, and it was lacking everywhere, so it was a very difficult time, and I had to pay a lot of fees, and I actually did not know at all how to pay all this? Maybe you know this kind of feeling. And anyhow, my clinic is on the border of Vienna, so it was not in the center where the rich people are. It’s more in a labor area where laborers are living. And you know what happened this week? One sheikh, you know what is a sheikh, from Saudi Arabia, he came to my clinic, yes? This is a true story. And anyhow, I was 28 years in this clinic, never before and never afterwards, a sheikh from Saudi Arabia came through another person who knows me, so it was somebody who directed him to me, actually. And anyhow, I made him a very big work in the upper part and in the lower part, and I made Saudi Arabian prices, you understand, so a little bit more golden than for Vienna. And actually, this saved my financial situation. And the second thing happened also that... I was applying for some other flat in the same house. This is from the, not the governor magistrate from the, it’s not a private house where the clinic was. It was from the department district, it was from district some house where they are deciding who will come in this house, in this flat, yes, and I was already applying since one year to get another small flat for more or less meeting people, speaking, and relaxing also, and so on, but I didn’t get an answer. And in the same week, in the same week again, they phoned me and they said, "You will get the flat," and to a very low rate, yes. And so I had a room where I could actually practice yoga also, and that was the second thing that happened. So, this is just very short. So, this convinced me afterwards that it is better to have a personal God. He is very concrete to take care of us, really, and I think what is really important is that we should not think that he is far away. This is the main thing: we should always think that God is in our heart, meaning in us and very near. And if we don’t know this, then we cannot go into a dialogue, and he is always waiting for us making this dialogue. So in all holy scriptures, it is described that the ātmā is residing in your heart. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Śaṅkarācārya is telling. In the Upaniṣads, everywhere, this is described. And to feel this presence is divine. And Mahāprabhujī was very simple, living and high-thinking. Any time when I come to Kathu in Rajasthan, we have really a big luck that we can visit his original room where he was living and preaching also. And whenever you have occasion, please visit this wonderful place. And also, Swamiji built an ashram in the village of Kathu, where we have very big halls and temples, and there Mahāprabhujī was giving satsaṅg under the banyan tree. I remember the time in Kāṭu where there was nothing there. There was not a big āśram. There was just one little house in the middle of the area there, and a very big banyan tree. And Mahāprabhujī was giving there the satsaṅg to his disciples. So we are lucky that we can have so many direct messages also from Mahāprabhujī through Holy Gurujī, who wrote the Līlā Amṛt, telling the life and the miracles of Mahāprabhujī, and through his bhajans he is speaking to us. What Mahāprabhujī, in all his bhajans, he is always describing and speaking about the satsaṅg, as well as Holy Gurujī, as well as Swāmijī did, as doing. And he gave many satsaṅgs, and in his satsaṅgs he was singing the bhajans. So our bhajan book is actually a collection of jewels. It is the direct message of Mahāprabhujī to us. And that’s why our bhajans are very, very important, and in all satsaṅgs it’s good to read also the translations and to understand what my Prabhupāda wants to tell us, and I choose just some little bhajan? It’s not a little bhajan, sorry. It’s a big, it’s a big bhajan. And this is a bhajan which Swāmījī, in many years before, was very often singing and explaining also. This bhajan, because it is a jñāna bhajan, we have different bhajans, some bhajans are connected to knowledge, and others are connected to love and devotion, bhakti bhajans. And this one is more or less one who is connected with the knowledge, and there are two pāpas who are speaking one with the other. And they are speaking about the sense of life, and first it is Suvā speaking and telling to Menā, and Menā is representing the mind, and Suvā is representing the Jīvātmā. And Suha tells Mena, "Listen, my dear Mena, you should enjoy mostly the spiritual life, because this is the real aim of life. The whole world is only illusion." You are flying all the time from one branch to the other branch. It means from one desire to the other desire, and you are eating the poisoned fruits of passion. If you eat those fruits, it is only a fata morgana, which is not real. Your happiness, your experiences, are only very short. You cannot touch it; it will not remain with you. And you should not be proud about this, because Mahāprabhujī tells us the sweetness of the Māyā is only an illusion. When we will leave this park, meaning when we are passing away, who knows if we will ever come again. So it means be aware of how precious this life is, and every moment, think, "What is the aim of our life?" And now Mahāprabhujī tells us how to reach this, to understand what is the aim of life. So to understand that all this is only an illusion, Mahāprabhujī tells us to concentrate on the mantra "so’ham" and leave the world to the side. You know that our self-inquiry meditation, the first and the second part, is connected, the breathing with the mantra so’ham, that I am, I am that. And that means that God is inside of me, and I am a part of God. So this mantra leads us to self-realization if we continuously concentrate on this mantra, for instance, with breathing. And when you are doing this, to repeat again and again this mantra, then the world... You can come, you can detach from the world and the tree which gives you the real fruits of nectar, means everlasting joy. This is the satsaṅg, and Mahāprabhujī says, "Finally, here really, the heaven and the hell are both here. It’s our choice what we are choosing." And then Mena is answering to Sua, "Listen, my dear Sua, you too should practice the mantra Soham, not only me." Your tongue is your property, and it doesn’t cost anything if you are singing the mantra Soham. One day, the cat of death will catch you, and in one moment, she will destroy your cage, meaning the body. Your mind and your body will be completely destroyed. The body is a cage, and your ātmā is so’ham. When the blessing of the guru comes, your mind will find peace. Life is a big chance. Every morning and evening you should meditate, says Mahāprabhujī. This worldly garden, one time it will dry out, and everything inside is not the reality. And Mahāprabhujī says, really, the best pilgrimage which you can do is to go to the satsaṅg. Aishwarya, Nanājī, Gurudeva kī chā sunorī mena Sumbha jala valuta sāra nijayāhī Jagkāra bāra saba jūta sāra nijayāhī Jagkāra bāra saba jūta adāra dāra fir Fir batakatī ghaṭa viṣaye phallakaī Dar dar fir fir batakatī ghaṭa viṣaye phallakaī Are, are ghaṭ viṣaye phalakāī, ek palakā kī kyā khabarāī? Suno, bajalāvā lūṭ sar nijāyī jagkār barsābhajūṭ, sar nijāyī jagkār barsābhajūṭ, phalakāṭī phulīphī reviṣam ragajalāvatāsamajān. Subhakae sunasela riji, Subhakae sunasela riji. Yeh ra sa jaan joot, suno ri me na. Tum aari bhajja laa wa loot, saar nija yehi. Jag kaar baar sab joot, saar nija yehi. Jag kār sār jab jūṭ, a phīr bhī churein bāg sūṭ. So mil na ho ki na hoī, phīr bhī jurein bāg sūṭ. So mil na ho ki na hoī, so ām so ām so jī ām so, so ām ām so kāo jī so. Norī me na tumhārī bhajjā lāvā haluṭu sāra. Nijayahi Jag kārbhāra sābhajūtu sāra, nijayahi Jag kārbhāra sābhajūtu. Guru Charana Sata Saṅghame Jī, Amṛta Vṛkṣa Phalla Jāna. Śrī Deepakārī yoh ketahai jī, Prabhu Deepakāī yoh ketahai jī. Vohī svarga bhikunta sunorī mena, Tumhārī bhajjala vahaluta sara nijayahi. Jag kār bār sab jūṭā, sar nijāyahī. Jag kār bār sab jūṭā, jīva terī gāṛā kī. Jeeva tera gaara ki Pyaama sunoori Pyare laage nahi kachudam, jiva teri gara ki. Pyare laage nahi kachudam, motabiliya java sire kara sika matama. Pinjara tore pallakka mere, Pinjara tore pallakka mere, Mukha mecha sunore suva, Tumratte sohamga nama jiva teri garaki, pyaare aage karit tachudam diva teri garaki pyaare aage nahi kachudam manasuvatana pinjarajiat masoham ganam manasuvatana pinjarajiat masoham ganam Āre, āre, ātmā sohaṁ gaṇam, mera kae gurudeva jīto. Mera kae gurudeva jīto, chadha pāiśaraṁ sunnorī suvaṁ. Tum raṭale sohaṁ gaṇam, jīva terī garakī piyāre lage nahīṁ kachchūdaṁ. Jīva terī garakī piyāre lage nahīṁ kachchūdaṁ. Hari bachale avasara milyāre, untā sube āruṣyam. Hari bachale avasara milyare, unta sube arushyam. Arre, arre, ulta sube arushyam. Jagad bhaqi chaha sukha sire, jagad bhaqi chaha sukha sire. piyare lage nahi kachudam, jeeva teri garaki. Piyare lage nahi kachudam, Sri Deepaka hai satta mana Joho, santa sharana sukkadam. Sri Deepaka hai satta mana Joho, santa sharana sukkadam. Are are he santa sharana sukha daam, Veda santa upade shabba tave, Vaa rakshata mama suno re subha. Tumratale soham ganaama jeeva teri garaki. In the Indian, the saints of India. And the ṛṣis of India are bringing us very high knowledge, very high wisdom. Śaṅkarācārya, in all his scriptures, is speaking about the aim of life, is speaking about the realization. And it is wonderful to read this. Also in the Upaniṣads, it is described what is Ātmā. And in the Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa is telling again and again how to practice yoga to reach self-realization. And in the 12th chapter, which is also a very practical chapter for all spiritual aspirants, he tells us which qualities we should develop, and he’s also saying that the bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, is the best to practice better than the adoration of formless God, so we find in all the ancient scriptures so many words of wisdom. That’s why it is beautiful once a day to read in this book, and also in bhajans of Mahāprabhujī and Holy Gurujī, we can find the traces of this ancient wisdom. Which is given from master to disciple, and what is so special about our Guruparamparā is that they are very practical. We are not born in the same age as Śaṅkarācārya, for instance, and his philosophy is a very high philosophy, very high and wonderful. What Mahāprabhujī, Holī Gurujī, and Swāmījī, because all three are only one. They give us very practical tools, very practical tools, and we have just to click on these tools. And to click is not enough, to read and then try to realize, this is a main thing. So clicking is not enough, and these tools were Mahāprabhujī, for instance. It gives us, as well as Swāmījī, especially also the golden teachings of Mahāprabhujī, so it’s a very good present actually for Christmas to distribute these golden teachings on a small folder and to read them again and again, because it’s really yoga and daily life. Mahāprabhujī inspired, probably for sure, Swāmījī for this, because actually it is the rules of yoga and daily life, you can say, which we should follow actually. And that’s why I like these golden teachings very much. And it’s recommendable to read this, or to choose one just for every day, something. So I just took out some of them also for myself. I’m very happy that I could go inside of Mahāprabhujī’s wisdom today, a little bit only. And quote number 35 tells, for instance, never speak ill of your parents or your master, and also do not accept malicious talk against them. And this is actually a very actual quote, and I just recommend you just to read Mahāprabhujī’s, and also don’t accept the talk. We have all our masters, which we can listen to, we can hear. I told you the three who are one: Mahāprabhujī, Holī Gurujī, Swāmījī. Again and again they say, "Satsaṅg, satsaṅg, satsaṅg." You know this. All disciples, we know this from the bhajan, from the lectures, etc. So we have always to be aware in our daily life: are we in the moment making a kuśaṅg or a satsaṅg? And I think, in times now here, I think it’s our right also not to accept if people are speaking bad about your parents or your masters, because I think we have the right to choose which Prana, we are connecting ourselves, and we should try to elevate ourselves in a satsaṅg and not to be thrown down, pulled down. This doesn’t mean that we are not listening to the others, but not in this way. We can always be kind, we can always be understanding, but we are not forced to listen to the bad words. So I just tell you that is Mahāprabhujī’s word. And it also says, in this context, he tells us about speaking. Only pass on what is important. Hollow talk and gossip are lost time. It is lost time. So that’s also what Swamījī is always telling us: be careful with your time and don’t lose your time, especially with things which are not important. One thing which is also, maybe in our time, important to know, is that in our century now, especially these last 20 years, maybe 30 years, we are used to taking, but we are not anymore used to giving. This is a development in this society, that we take everything as normal. It is normal if we have something to eat or to drink, we take from others’ wisdom or whatever. So we are more taking and less giving in this time, especially in this last development. Now, especially with the technique, the social relations are less and less. And that’s why we lost this element of the heart to give. It’s not possible only to receive; we have also to give. And that’s why it is wonderful that we are all a yoga group, and that again our masters are bringing us back to the real values, the ethic and moral values in this world, and that’s why every one of us, it doesn’t matter if he’s one day with yoga or 20 years or 30 years, it’s our duty to spread the message of ethic values in the world so that we are trying to make something better. Part 2: The Light Behind All Forms My brother said in one of his teachings, "Do not just take; also learn to give. Constant taking creates a serious burden, which is only unloaded by the act of giving." He also said, "I will not tell all teachings, yes? Don’t worry." In another teaching, he advises us to treat others as we wish they should treat us. You will get back everything that you give. This is true. Every one of us who is giving, who is in seva, will receive everything back, either in this form or in another. In the same context, I believe it is our dharma, and also in the sense of our masters, that we should try to establish more ethical values. He said in 1937, "Try your best to promote the realization of ethical ideals." This will contribute to more harmony in this world. I think this is a very important thing, especially now before Christmas. We should be more aware of and think more about these things that create harmony between us, inside of us, and with others. One last thing from Mahāprabhujī that I like so much, again and again, is his teaching that it is not through complicated techniques that you reach God. You can reach Him only if you open your heart to love. He says the perfect awakening of self-realization takes place through love. This love does not mean only love for others; it means, of course, first of all, to love ourselves. In another teaching, in the same context, he says, "Love every living being at least as much as yourself." This self-love is also important. When we have a pot where there is no water inside, we cannot give anything. What do you want to give if you have a certain person in front of you? You cannot give. So first, your pot—meaning the chakra of your heart—must be full of love. Only then can you give something to others. If you don’t have anything, you cannot give anything. That’s very simple. So it is very important that we approach ourselves in a very kind and good way and develop love for ourselves also. This is the last one now. In all his golden teachings, he gave very practical advice. In one, he speaks about the aim of life. He said that all beings are able to sleep, eat, drink, and reproduce. The difference between people and animals is that the purpose of human birth is aimed at self-knowledge and self-realization. I was thinking it is very beautiful if we today can also hear from some other bhaktas from Vienna here, who have also been with Swāmījī for a long time. So we will hear now from some other bhaktas. I would request Rādhā to come here, please. Hari Om. When Satviśāntī asked me shortly before the satsaṅg if I would like to also say something first, I said, "Oh, I don’t know anything. I don’t know what to say." But then I thought I could maybe share some thoughts with you which I had when I was a newcomer to yoga and daily life. When I was new and young, coming to Swāmījī—and we all are here from Western culture, from the Christian tradition, religion, and education—I think many who come here have these thoughts, and maybe some problems or considerations. When I came here and saw Mahāprabhujī’s picture, I thought, "Yes, who is Mahāprabhujī? What is my relation to him? Do I have any relation to him? Is there any relation he has to me, maybe? Who is he?" I was very close and very strongly related to the Catholic Church in my youth. I was always in church on Sunday, I was praying, and I had a strong feeling for Jesus. So somehow, I had some duality in my mind about Jesus and Mahāprabhujī: what is who, and who is who, and how can I think or combine or where to go? These thoughts were in me for some time. Then we learned with Swāmījī yoga and meditation. Once, in meditation, I really got an answer, and this I would like to share with you. Maybe it pleases you or helps also. Actually, I was passing by a church and entered. It was empty and dark, and I was sitting there just relaxing and looking at the altar. Again, there was a question: who is Mahāprabhujī? Who is God? How can I realize him? How can I see him? That was a kind of meditation or concentration. Suddenly, I thought... I nearly decided to go into the cloister, into a Christian monastery. I remember this very much; it was such a strong wish. But then I said, "No, Śāntī, that’s not... you are not a person to sit behind monastery walls. You are a person to communicate." And so I apologized to Jesus and said, "It will be another way, maybe." Sometime later, Swāmījī came and proposed to me, not the monastery, but this orange dress for yoga daily life. And then, especially also in this time, I made a very big relation with Mahāprabhujī. This is so right: we should always be aware of the light behind. For one, it is one window we have. Here are twelve windows: on one window, maybe it is Jesus, and the other is Kṛṣṇa, then it is Hanumān, then it is Devapurījī, then it is Mahāprabhujī. But actually, the light is always the same. So this is the thing. That is a beautiful one in Indian culture and religion also, that they accept whatever idol you adore, because it is the same way, and it leads you to the light which is behind. Thank you once more, Rādhājī. And I wanted to request Gaṅgā Purījī also for one bhajan, if you agree. No problem, no problem. Do you want to replace it? Do you need the harmonium? Hello. Śāntī called me this afternoon and asked if I would like to talk about a bhajan. Now Śāntī called me to ask if I would like to speak this evening about the bhajan. So I thought it over, but then I said yes. I am actually at satsaṅg quite often and regularly, although I always hold myself back a little. I’m almost in every satsaṅg, but I need to keep in the background because there are sitting some old disciples who are a long time, many years with Swāmījī. So I thought, what could I tell the people who are decades in satsaṅg of Swāmījī? But then I thought, maybe I would like, or maybe I can share with you, some experiences of myself also. And I thought, which bhajan could I present to you? And then I thought of the bhajan, "Kyā pūcho, kaise dīpa dayāla?" This bhajan, "Kyā pūcho, kaise dīpa dayāla?" This is a description of Mahāprabhujī, how you can see him when you meet him. You are asking who was, how was the merciful Mahāprabhujī. And to tell the truth, the merciful was like this: like Brahmā, he was a proclaimer of the Vedas; and like Viṣṇu, he was the protector of the world; like Śiva, he was a great yogī and enlightened avatār; and he was without any attachment to this world; he was the enemy of the Asuras and their negative influence; like the God Rāma, he was the Puruṣottama, the highest Ātmā; he was the highest embodiment of the... he was the human embodiment of the highest form of God, and also the embodiment of all virtues and limitless grace. Wie Kṛṣṇa war Mahāprabhujī ein Meister der Künste. Like Kṛṣṇa, Mahāprabhujī was a master of the arts, and his life was a divine play, a līlā. Like Hare Chandra, he was a benefactor, and he gave everything. Like the great king Cāṇakya, he was a śivānmukta, a liberated incarnation. Like Buddha and Mahāvīra, he was for ahiṃsā, the non-violence, because he saw the true form in all the divine Ātmā. Like Śukadeva Muni, he was a brahmacārī, always concentrated on God; he was the living embodiment of divine wisdom. Like Hanumān, he had great power. Like Gaṇeśa, he was the master of all rites and siddhis. Like Dhruva, his bhakti was unshakable, and his influence was very powerful in all lokas and worlds. There are two more verses which he would have written, but the translation is not available at the moment. We will first sing the bhajan together. [Bhajan is sung.] The reason why I have chosen this bhajan is that it is very easy for a bhajan singer; it is always easier when he can share certain experiences that are described in this bhajan. This bhajan describes in which way we can see Gurudev. I had often the opportunity to sit in the satsaṅg of Swāmījī at his feet. When the people came to him to do praṇām, I had the duty to take care of the prasāda. I was very concentrated, of course, on the duty to take care of the prasāda, but I also noticed how the people came to Swāmījī, approached Swāmījī. I never could see a special expression on the face of Swāmījī. Swāmījī’s expression of his face and his behavior was fully related to the bhakta who came to him. When somebody who was a haṭha yogī came to Swāmījī to greet him, Swāmījī had the appearance also of a haṭha yogī, and he gave some advice to him on haṭha yoga. And when some child of 15 years came to Swāmījī, who knew him since birth, and saw in him a father, then Swāmījī was like a father and talked like a father to this child. So, we also in this... bhajan is said, we cannot put the master in a box. A great Indian saint once tried to explain how is Gurudev and how is God. And he said, "You cannot describe it with words, but the closest explanation is, the Gurudev is like a mirror." So, when we come to the master, we see our qualities in his facial expression, in his behavior. And this picture of a mirror reminded me of a film which I saw on the TV. There was a castle, and in the tower of the castle was a cabinet with mirrors. It was strictly prohibited, or forbidden, to go into this chamber, to this mirror. But there were curious disciples who wanted to go there. And one went there and looked into the mirror. But they saw in this mirror their own deepest wishes and their own nature. And therefore, it was said many looked in this mirror and got crazy because they could not bear the truth. And I think the Master you can see in the same way. So it’s always good to go to the Master with positive thoughts. About 15 years ago, I was in a seminar in Strilke. And there was a satsaṅg on Sunday with hundreds of people gathered. And Swāmījī had a really fantastic satsaṅg, like Śiva himself. And all our hair stood up to the mountains. And two hours later, I had to drive him to Vienna with his car. And on the way, we took a break and went to a pizzeria. We went to a pizzeria and, like normal people, we ate some ice cream, and he was just like a normal human being. So we could see that the master has many faces, and we cannot put him into one box. Ich habe viele Jahre Kṛṣṇa geworshipt. For many years, I was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa came once to me in a meditation. Because God is coming in that form in which you pray to Him and adore Him. But he does not come only like you would see him or adore him, but also according to the place where you are praying. Because in Kailāś Āśram, in Kailāś Āśram when I was there for the first time, I meditated, and Śrī Devapurījī in the form of a light came into my ājñā cakra. So in our Guru Lineage, everything is possible, and it is really our golden chance. I would like to read a story from the Līlā Amṛt; it is only very short. With the title, "God appears in many forms." Whenever the disciples of Mahāprabhujī came together, we spoke about our good fortune in meeting him in this life and shared the experiences of the grace that he bestowed on each of us in different ways. Mahāprabhujī filled the innermost needs of every devotee through that aspect of God whom they worshipped. Once a follower of Saināth had intended to go and see his master, who was far away. On seeing Mahāprabhujī before him, he recoiled in surprise. "Lord, how did you come to be in Rajasthan? How is this possible?" He prostrated himself at the feet of Mahāprabhujī, and on standing up again, recognized his own teacher. "I am everywhere," Mahāprabhujī said. "Wherever you are, I am with you. Saināth, Mahāprabhujī, Rāmakṛṣṇa, all are one. The Ātmā is one and eternal." The following event makes this quite clear. During a journey through the district of Mewar, I came to the village of Gangapur, where a sādhu lived in a small temple near the cemetery. He was a strict ascetic, dedicated to Lord Śiva; he never left the temple. He ate very little and repeated his mantra day and night. "Despite your efforts, you won’t gain anything in this way," I said to him, and I recommended the following procedure: "Take the protection of a realized master, whose self is one with Śiva, and follow him and his teaching only; thus will you reach your aim." "In Kali Yuga, there are no such gurus," the sādhu snapped. "Come with me," I invited him, "and see if my divine master can meet your expectations." Together we traveled to Kathu, and when the sādhu saw Mahāprabhujī, he was filled with reverence and joy. "Lord Śiva, what a miracle! I was looking for you where I lived, but all the time you were here." Mahāprabhujī blessed him, "Today your time of asceticism is over. You have reached your goal. From now on, I will always be with you whenever you think of me." Śrīdīp Narambakwanā. Thank you very much, Gaṅgāpurījī, for this beautiful speech. And I would request now Vijay, who is always and constantly our satsaṅg moderator here and giving his seva in the satsaṅg, to speak some words, please. It’s already late, so I don’t want to spend too much time from you. I also know about this now, just before the satsaṅg. Satyaśāntī informed me, and I like to... and he is telling the story here. On January 5th, 1971, I had a remarkable experience. A merchant in precious stones named Seth Narottam Dās Jāvīrī came up to me after satsaṅg, saying that he had a question regarding the samādhi that is reached through yoga. I was surprised, because businessmen are not usually interested in such spiritually demanding goals. And I immediately began to explain to him that samādhi was not possible to buy or to receive as a gift, but rather was achieved by the sacrifice of much time towards practice. "Pardon me, Swāmījī," was his quiet reply. "I have never had a guru, but from my earliest years I’ve had the inner wish to practice yoga. On my own, I frequently sit and meditate. About three years ago, I had my first brief samādhi experience. All was dark for a few seconds, and then I experienced an intensely bright light that lasted forever, or for over an hour. From that day on, I have practiced regularly to increase my ability to stay in that exalted state. Until now, I can remain still for seven hours." That’s quite a long time. I listened with great interest to the merchant’s words. He then went on to tell me the most important thing. "Now I would like to explain why I have come to you. In my samādhi I have repeatedly seen devas, ṛṣis, munis, and holy persons such as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and other divine incarnations. For the last five days now, I have been visited by a saint in a turban. He is enveloped in a radiant light, and many other gods and saints accompany him. He never says anything but just smiles at me. I am drawn to him like a magnet, but I don’t know who he is. Do you think you could possibly help me?" I felt sure that the turbaned saint described by Narottam Dās Jāvīrī could only be my Prabhupāda, and I took his picture out of my bag. "Yes, this master appears to me during my meditation," he exclaimed. "Please be so kind as to tell me where I can find him. Through him, my life will be fulfilled. If you are his disciple, then please accept me as your Gurbāī, disciple of the same master." I congratulated Śrī Jāvīrī for being blessed with Mahāprabhujī’s darśana, for his appearance during meditation was a sign of a highly advanced stage of spiritual development. Then, to his great sorrow, I told him that Mahāprabhujī’s physical form was no longer on earth. Śrī Jāvīrī asked if he could visit me the next day, and when he came in the afternoon, Holī Gurujī gave him mantra-dīkṣā. Three days later, he visited again and told me the following: "Conscientiously, I practiced the mantra you gave me, and after a short time, I could feel a radiant energy surround me, and it seemed as though a dark shadow left my body. I continued repeating my mantra until the shadow completely disappeared. Since then, I have experienced much better health. The lethargy and other physical problems from which I have suffered for so long have gone. Within my eyebrows, a light began to shine, and I heard the sound of Oṁ. In the ray of light appeared the kind face of Śrī Mahāprabhujī. He was smiling and said, 'You are mine. I always care for my devotees. Some of them forgot me due to the temptations of Māyā, but I never give up. I watch over them all.' Further said, 'Tell Māta Vānanda to give you a copy of my Gītā.' Mahāprabhujī then vanished. So please, Swāmījī, I beg you to give me a copy of Śrī Vijñāna Dīpa Gītā." Oṁ Śrī Vijñāna Dīpa Gītā. So this is a very precious story for me, and one of my favorite stories of the biography of the divine incarnation of Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā. And it gives me a feeling of safeness to be in the shelter of Guru Dev. So, thank you very much, everyone. And thank you very much also, all listeners. And we heard so many beautiful things about Mahāprabhujī. May his light be forever and ever in us, and may we be aware, especially about his presence, his guidance, and his protection. I wish you a wonderful day, evening, night, and tomorrow. At the same time, Swāmījī will be in webcast tomorrow morning, 6:15 European time, I hear, and other times. Anyhow, it will be written on www.swamijitv.com. And let us end now this satsaṅg, which we had for Mahāprabhujī, like this story was ending, by chanting Aum and imagining the light, and feel Mahāprabhujī and see him. Please close your eyes and let us chant deeply and long Aum. O Dīpā Karatā, Mahāprabhu Dīpā, Karatā Hi Kevalam, O Śānti, Śānti, Śānti Hi, Siddhiṁ Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya. Bishwa Guru Mahāmadaleśwa Paramahaṁsa Maiśwa Dhanan̄jī Guru Deva Kī Jaya Śrī Alak Purī Jī Sītā Pitāparaṁ Para Kī Jaya Hari Om.