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Om Bhole Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai, Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maravananpurījī Mahārāj Kī Jai, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarananpurījī Satguru Deva Kī Jai. Hari Om. Firstly, today is Mahāprabhujī’s Mahāsamādhi according to the solar calendar. So, before we begin, on behalf of everyone here in Jadana, we send praṇāms to Gurujī. And, of course, from all here to everybody around the world in all the ashrams, our Hari Aums and praṇāms. Have a great Bārṣī Mahāsamādhi day. Here in India, we celebrate more the date according to the lunar calendar, so today is a celebration. But our main celebration and the big function here in Jadan will be on the 14th of December. On that day, there will be a large function in Jhādan, and people will come from all over India for the bhajans and satsaṅg. We are still praying that Gurujī will also be here. It is a special day because we can take the chance to remind ourselves about Mahāprabhujī and what he gave us, gives us, and will give us—if we leave ourselves open to receive that and ready for His message. This morning, Swamiji was giving a webcast. One of the things he said—I won’t be quoting him perfectly—was something like, “Just remember that you are always the bhakta who is just Mahāprabhujī’s bhakta.” There is no more special place to be. He makes the way clear, and we just have to humbly put that into practice, put that into work in our own lives, and apply it day to day and moment to moment. We all know there are times when it is really hard. Not because of the teachings, but because of ourselves and our ego, and the fact that it wants to go in the opposite direction. I once had a wonderful experience with Sultan, one of our horses. It happened here near the tin shed in Jadan, where we have the satsaṅgs. At that time, Sultan used to live near the workshop; he was the only horse here in Jadan then. I was learning how to ride, having learned for maybe six months or a year. I took him for riding in the morning, but when he came to the point just near the tin shed, he didn’t want to go any further. I think he knew that breakfast was going to be waiting afterwards back in the stable, and he wanted an early breakfast. I wanted to go around so he would get his exercise first, especially for such a big horse with so much energy. He must exercise, or else he goes quite crazy. He has that energy which just has to go out. That release for him is when he gets ridden or goes running. That keeps him balanced and also aids the horse’s digestion. I guess for us, that is karma yoga. It also helps us digest what we are going through more easily and releases energy we perhaps can’t control in any other way. Anyway, we were there at that point for about half an hour. I would turn Sultan’s head around to go one way, and he would continue the circle so his head was facing the other way. From afar, it must have looked like some sort of dance, because we’d go ten times around this way, and then I’d try to change direction, and we’d go around the other way. It was so frustrating. But I had been taught before by people who knew better than me about horse riding: “Je jedno, co budeš dělat, ale nakonec ty musíš prosadit to, co se bude dělat.” (It doesn’t matter what you do, but in the end, you must enforce what will be done.) If you don’t, and you let the horse do what he wants, then afterwards he will continue to do it, and you will always have the problem. It somehow felt like the beginning of my relationship with Sultan and riding, and I knew it would be a defining moment for how it would be afterwards. So round and round we went for that half hour. Eventually, he went further. Again, he went about twenty meters, and then he started the same theater. But that time we did it for about five minutes. Then we got further, and once we got past a certain point onto the straight road, he was happy and just started to run. The next day it was the same thing at the same place, but this time it was only for five minutes. The next day it happened again, but that time we just did one circle. After that, he would always just turn his head a little towards the stable, and then I would pull him back straight, and it would be okay. Afterwards, it was so much easier in the morning; it was beautiful to ride. Somehow, it is the same with our own quest, our own journey, our own sādhanā. There are certain points where our mind doesn’t want to go; it always wants to go back to the comfort of breakfast. But if we make a decision to go on a path, then we have to go with it. We should try to see it through. There will always be moments where doubt comes. Occasionally, it will be there. But then it’s a question of what the doubt is about. So much of the time, it’s just your mind trying to avoid something difficult to do. If at those points in time we can be firm in our conviction and firm in our bhakti, and have that trust in Swāmījī and Mahāprabhujī to take us in the right direction, then afterwards that relationship with our own mind is established, and it becomes so much easier to go on that path when that same issue comes again. I was reading today Mahāprabhujī’s golden teachings; it is Mahāprabhujī’s Mahāsamādhi. Somehow, I feel it’s always a good day to remind myself of them. There are a couple I picked out that I’d like to read: “Do not let yourself be discouraged by problems. Earthly life constantly flows between the banks of fortune and grief. One who loses courage won’t fulfill the aim. Fulfill your duties with inner certainty and faith.” Inner certainty and faith. There are three I want to share. The second one, when I saw it, I thought, “Oh, that’s for me today.” “Complete your tasks immediately. Do not postpone them until tomorrow. Realize your good intentions now, because one moment is never like the next.” And then one more, which reminds me of that story with Sultan: “Do not give up what you have already started. There will always be obstacles in the way, just like roses always have thorns. Remove those obstacles. With self-confidence and by God’s grace, your path will lead you to the goal.” For me today, these were the three that jumped out at me and said, “Listen to me, listen to me.” When you think about the path which we’ve found, stumbled upon—or better to say, the path onto which Swāmījī, Mahāprabhujī, and Gurujī have gathered us and put us—and how beautifully it is laid before us, for me it is so precious at this time, on this day, to just remind ourselves not to give up what we’ve already started. It is such a beautiful thing which is built up as somebody starts their sādhanā and continues it. Swāmījī gives blessings, and it grows into such a beautiful building, which is one’s life. But it is so, so important to be aware of how easily we can destroy that. It doesn’t require a lot; it just requires some awareness from outside to keep it going. Likely, as we get past certain points—the same way as with Sultan at that point near the tin shed—there are some points that are very difficult to pass. But the next day, one still has to be aware as you go past that point. Sultan was always ready to jump back to have that breakfast. Afterwards, it didn’t take a big fight to keep going on. But every day, every time we went past that point, I had to make sure his head was straight when I rode him. For all of us on the path, it is so important to keep our heads also straight and be aware of those things which are truly important: Mahāprabhujī, our Paramparā, Swāmījī, our Mantra, our Seva, and the Satsaṅg. They are the jewels toward which we should head. They are the path on which we should keep our focus. We know of Mahāprabhujī; we have all read of Him, learned from Swāmījī about Him. Our part is just to be the bhakta, and He will take care of the rest. Om Bhole Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai, Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maravananpurījī Mahārāj Kī Jai, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maheśvaranpurījī Satguru Dev Kī Jai. Bhai tum jagore, tera avasara bhīta jāya. Bhai tum jagore, tera avasara bhīta jāya. Bhai tum jagore, ninda avidyā chāyā rahī, ninda avidyā chāyā rahī. Tum janam janam dukkha pāyā, bhai tum jagore. ... Tera avasara beeta jaya bhai, tum jago re. Lak cho rasi me jaa bola. Tere guru bin kona sahaya, bhai tum jago re. Tere guru bin kon sahaya, bhai tum jagore. Tera vasara bita jaya, bhai tum jagore. Satguru śaraṇa sādhanā pyāre janama saphala ho jāya, bhai tum jāgo re. Terā avasara bīṭa jāya, bhai tum jāgo re. Moha jāla kī phāṁsī meṁ, Prabhu moha jāla kī phāṁsī meṁ, kyoṁ makṛī jū mara jāya, bhai tum jāgo re. Tera avasar beeta jaya bhai, tum jago re. Manushya janam amolak pāyo, Manushya janam amolak hīro. Bāra bāra nāhi pāya bāi, tum jagore. Prabhu bāra bāra nāhi pāya bāi, tum jagore. Tera avasar beeta jaya bhai, tum jagore. Mānusyatannase ātmā kojo rāma-mīle gatamāyā bhāī tum jagore. Prabhu Rāma-mīle ghaṭamāyā bhāī tum jagore. Terā vāsara vīṭā jaya bhāī tum jagore. Śrī Pūjā Bhagavān Dīpa Nārāyaṇa. Shri Pūjā Bhagavān Dīpanārāyaṇa Dīna Haṁsa Chetāya Bhāī Tum Jagore Prabhu Dīna Haṁsa Chetāya Bhāī Tum Jagore Derā Bhasāra Vīṭa Jaya Bhāī Tum Jagore Swāmī Madhavānandajī Yogavātha hai, Swāmī Madhavānandajī Yogavātha hai, Pyaare sabhi suno re chittalaya bhai, tum jago re. So, let’s all just remind ourselves on this day, on Mahāprabhujī’s Mahāsamādhi day, what a chance we’ve got, what an opportunity we have to be with Swāmījī. Let’s not waste it. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Satguru Dev Kī Jai. Tea, ciao.