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Part 1: The Ever-Present Master: Bhakti as the Magnet Oṁ Bhai Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Chet. Mayelā Gānā Guru Caraṇana Kī Mayelā Gānā. This is a spiritual discourse on Yoga in the Indian tradition. Good morning, everyone. It seems half of the people have already gone—the room suddenly feels so empty. The only one who told me she had to leave early is still here. And this is our dear Vasantī. When I first came to Strilky, I naturally observed who was coming, who was going, and who was living here. I was quite sure that Vasantī lived in Strilky, because she was here nearly all the time. Later, when I went to Ostrava for the first time, I found her there as well. I asked her, “Why are you here?” and she replied, “I’m living here.” But I think she is a really very good example of a karma yogī. Whenever she has time, she is here. So Vasantī stayed longer than she had planned because she wanted to say something. Vasantī: I would like to greet you all, but Gajananjī already put it so nicely about me—too nicely. The reason I am here has to do with Strilky, and the very beginning of Strilky. When I started yoga, I did not yet have a mantra, and I practiced with Ludhik Zanashka. After practicing, everyone left, but I didn’t feel like going, so I stayed. It was a nice, silent atmosphere. It seemed empty, but it was only seemingly empty, because I sat directly facing a picture of Mahāprabhujī, and he was in Kāṭhu. So I was not alone. I was gazing at the picture, and I heard a voice: “Where are you running all the time? You are not here.” I heard that voice, and then I listened to my own answer: “You are right; you cannot run, you cannot escape the truth.” That was my first seed of touching the truth. Why can’t a picture speak? Is it only chance, or is it not chance? Are there any chances at all? This word “truth” stayed with me, and together with Mahāprabhujī I realized that there are no accidents. So I am not a hare, not a rabbit; I am an ordinary human being, and I have no reason to run, no need to run. And then the truths kept growing and sprouting—Mahāprabhujī, Swāmījī. The most beautiful truth is the truth about love, and all of that was here. So I didn’t miss anything. And if you are not missing anything, then you want to return there. Yesterday, when I listened to the very beautiful experiences and the dreams that Pārvatī described, it is really true—we have it. And then it is necessary to communicate with the truth. Communication is very important. On one side was the picture and the voice I heard; on the other side was my ability to communicate, to make contact. The reason I’m here, and why I didn’t go to Ostrava, is that I wanted to share this with you, because I believe that what is inside me is also inside you. Perhaps in you there are even more of these experiences. And you haven’t yet said to yourself, “No, I will not run away.” The reason I’m here is that I said to myself, “No, I will not run.” It’s very important to communicate and to share each other’s opinions or experiences. I would be very happy if someone else would sit here and share his or her experiences with me. I am so glad that you are all here, and I have a beautiful image that I still play with—the composition of a puzzle. There is one big picture of the truth, consisting of many, many pieces, and each of us is one of those pieces. Someone is a bigger part, someone perhaps smaller, but that doesn’t matter. The puzzle will be completed once every piece is in place. And I would like to say, when we all realize this, we are all here because of each other. Thank you for listening to me, and I would also like to listen to you. Thank you, Swāmījī. Thank you, Mahāprabhujī. So Vasantī has asked to hear something more. I think maybe many of us remembered something last night or this morning. Maṅgalmaṇī and I were also talking and remembering many stories. Often these seem very small to us, because we are used to living with Swāmījī and with Mahāprabhujī, and so we don’t always recognize that we are having little experiences all the time. One of my well-known experiences involves my son. He wanted to travel to the Scandinavian countries, maybe ten years ago or more. He was about seventeen or eighteen and had very little money. So he and some friends were traveling through Scandinavia. It was very expensive there, so at first they stayed in youth hostels. After a while, even that became too expensive, so they slept in their tent, cold as it was. Eventually they didn’t have enough money for food and were eating only rice. But they made it to Norway, to a fjord that was their goal. Then they saw the ticket price for the boat they needed, and they simply didn’t have the money. They were really depressed. What happened next? An Indian film company arrived with a ship, and they invited all the boys on board. They were given nice sabzī and chapātī—it was truly a surprise. When my son came home, I asked, “What were you thinking about all this?” This is the end of the story. Thank you. I think he was thinking the right thing. And he made all these pictures of our masters. Our seminar is coming to an end. Let us for a moment remember why we actually came here: Mahāprabhujī’s Mahāsamādhi. According to the calendar, it would actually be this very night, the following night. So it would be beautiful if, once you are home—perhaps again in Līlā Āmra—you could spend a little time with Mahāprabhujī. Do special prayer, pūjā, mantra this night. Mahāsamādhi Day, the 5th of December, is actually tomorrow. That is why we did not have a fasting day here, but it would be good if you keep tomorrow as a fasting day. Let us just recall the situation from the Līlā Amṛt. On Wednesday, the 5th of December, 1963, a morning satsaṅg was held as usual in the Kāṭhu Āśram. Mahāprabhujī gave prasāda to everyone. Ten minutes before five o’clock, he spoke to those present: “My dear ones, if you still have any wishes, tell me now, for soon I will say goodbye to you.” For some moments there was silence. Then came the only question from all present: “Master, are you leaving us alone here?” Mahāprabhujī’s words blessed them: “Don’t be afraid. You are with me always, and I am with you. Whenever my devotees think of me, I will be present. No matter what country, what place, what year it is. My soul is indestructible and immortal. Only the physical body is mortal. It is made out of the five elements. This is an unchangeable natural law. But you should know that I am always with you.” Then he added, “Difficult times are approaching. The world will be influenced by destructive powers and disbelief. But you shall remain steadfast and never lose your faith.” And then he repeated what he had repeated over and over during his life: “Nothing belongs to you. Hold on to the truth, and always remember God.” After these words of farewell, at exactly five o’clock in the morning, Mahāprabhujī began to chant Oṁ. Prāṇa and Apāna united and rose towards Brahmarandhra. Those present clearly heard the manifestation of Aum rise in Mahāprabhujī’s body. Such a samādhi is only possible with God-realized yogīs. When the master goes into Mahāsamādhi, this question always comes: “Do you leave us alone now?” And Mahāprabhujī’s answer is actually interesting. He does not merely say, “I am always with you.” Instead he says, “When my bhaktas think on me”—when they pray to me, when they meditate on me. In one lecture, Swāmījī raised this question very clearly: How is it actually possible? How does it work that when the divine light—not the physical light, but that subtle, divine light, the light of lights, the light of consciousness, the light present in each and every atom—concentrates in a certain form during incarnation? And when that form dissolves, this concentrated light dissolves back again. But it is not lost; it is there, it is everywhere. That body was like a center of this energy, like a magnet. When we lived at that time, we could access this concentrated light. We could draw closer and taste that light. Now, to access this light which is everywhere, another magnet is needed. What is that magnet? Exactly as Mahāprabhujī says: when you think of me, when you pray to me, when you meditate on me—it is our love, our concentration, our devotion. Everything depends on us. If we are open, then he is already there. It depends on our bhakti. Bhakti is that magnet that can bring Mahāprabhujī here at any time. And therefore, I find it so useful and inspiring to hear also from other devotees about their experiences. Are you in a rush? Should we finish the satsaṅg soon, or can we still have a little bit more? One announcement regarding Mahāsamādhi: Swāmījī is planning that tomorrow morning at 6:15 our time there will be a webcast from Nepal. So tomorrow, early in the morning at 6:15, there is a planned webcast from Nepal. Let’s sing the bhajan, one of the most beautiful bhajans about Mahāprabhujī, “Sabhgu Chideva Tathā.” It says Mahāprabhujī, the merciful Mahāprabhujī, is the one who gives each and everything. It’s a beautiful bhajan from Holī Gurujī, which he composed to praise the glory of Mahāprabhujī. But I would say it’s one of our most dangerous bhajans. Let’s look a little at what he is saying. Dharitrā means poverty, karmic poverty. So Mahāprabhujī is one who can remove poverty when it has karmic causes, just like that. Mahādāna dete viśāl: viśāl means the great one. He can give you the Mahādhan, the great boon, the great treasure. Gyāna: he can give you Gyāna, wisdom, the fruit of meditation. Part 2: The Light of the Guru: Beyond Siddhis and the Warehouse of Māyā Gyāṇu, meditāciju. Yoga and the techniques. Deve, ātmajñāna ujjal he. He can give you the light of ātmajñāna, self-realization. So now the question is, why does the bhajan continue? We have two verses, but the whole thing has twelve. That is what I could say: dangerous. Now it is so dangerous that we have other verses there—so what are they for? Aṣṭa Siddhi, Nava Nidhi, Haridevī. So he can give you the eight Siddhis. He can give you the eight Siddhis. These are the supernatural powers, perfections. These are supernatural powers, perfections. And eight, because it is said for a yogī—for practicing yogīs, eight is the maximum number they can achieve, but divine incarnations, avatāras, usually have sixteen siddhis. But incarnations of Paramātmā, the highest, like Mahāprabhujī, have twenty-four—they have all siddhis. So he can give you, if you want, the eight siddhis. And the nine nidhis, which means treasures in life: like harmony, joy, peace, health, and good qualities. Annādāna Deva Ghanamālā is the food, so he can give you the food that you need, that you desire, and he can give you so much wealth. He can remove all suffering and make you really happy. Kāṭī Sabhā Jīvandra Dhanjal can remove all karmic complications in life. Sundara Rūpa. That means rūpa is form, meaning our physical body. So if you desire to have a beautiful body, maybe sexy or whatever, he can give you that. Jas, which would usually mean yaś, means glory, honor, fame, respect. He can give you that. Bal, that means power, energy. You know it from the word Ātambal, the power of the Ātmā. So he can give you so much. Vishvavī Jai Karatā Kṛpāl, the merciful one, he can make you the conqueror of the whole world. In a moment, he can make you the lord of countless universes. Vishwapati Banāḍī Gopāla, so he can make you the lord of the world. When someone has bhakti in the heart, then Mahāprabhujī protects him and cares for him. Kapateke Bhakti Prabhu Nahi Mane. But when the bhakti is not true, it is pretended, tricky, then the Lord does not accept that. That means bhakti in which there is some selfishness. Bhakti means surrender, really surrender. Sache Rache Madhana Gopāla. The truthful, Madhana Gopāla is actually the god of love—it is a name usually used for Kṛṣṇa. So the Lord is always attracted to those who are truthful. Parahitakārī Esā Koī Nahī̃ Jagame: there is no other benefactor so great as he. Without any selfishness, he makes you happy and content. Please, here for the singers, be careful: do not sing “Nind,” but “Nindhā.” Pozor, speváci. Nind means sleep, but here it is Nindhā, and Nindhā Karaṇa means to blame, to criticize. So those men and women who criticize him—they, Vedukyārī, they will suffer. Poye Kangaḷ. Kangaḷ means the poorest of the poor. Sudīpā Dayāḷā Dayakī Sāgā: the karma comes back. The mercy of Mahāprabhujī is the ocean of mercy. He is always protecting his devotees. Śrī Mādhāvānandakī Ānanda Bhārī. Holī Gurujī says, “He has given me such divine bliss.” Pala Pala Leta Sambhal: every moment, every second, He is taking care of me. So now look at that bhajan. What is all offered? It is like a big warehouse. You can say, “I go in this direction or that direction, I want…” Chocolate. Go shopping. Go to the guru for a kind of spiritual shopping. And that is a real danger: that we misunderstand what the Guru is here for—that we misunderstand what he actually wants to give us. Did he come here to give you a beautiful body? Did he come here to make you rich? Did he come here to make you the lord of the world? Did he come here to give you power and all this which we just mentioned here? Think about that. So it is right what Holī Gurujī says: he can give you all that. But is this the point? You see, many come to Jadana Āśrama and meet Svāmījī. And they have no idea who Swamiji is and what they can get from him. Many simply try to make some business with him—you know, to sell him some stones or some beds or whatever. But they can get much more. So we have to understand what really is the Guru here. For what is the Guru here? Our task is to understand deeper and deeper who is Mahāprabhujī, who is the Guru. And my experience is the most precise, and according to my experience, the most accurate formulations are in our books. Let us look into Līlā Amṛt. I tell you, there is one chapter in Līlā Amṛt which for me is so fascinating that when I was in India, I really took my time to make my own translation from Hindi into English. It is a chapter about Mahāprabhujī’s meeting with the Divine Mother. When I sometimes give workshops on the Divine Mother, they do not always use this material. This is a chapter where Mahāprabhujī speaks to the Divine Mother, praising the Divine Mother. But the Divine Mother also speaks about Mahāprabhujī. And here, when we see these statements in contrast, it becomes very, very clear who is Mahāprabhujī. So I will read you just some passages out of that. Now the Divine Mother starts speaking about Mahāprabhujī. She bowed her head, full of humbleness, and said: “O Lord, you are the Lord of the whole creation, animate and inanimate. The divine light of the Ātmā in all beings—this divine light is nothing but your light. You alone live in the heart of all beings. You are Viśvadīp, the divine light of the universe. Without your light, the darkness of ignorance cannot be removed.” And then she quotes, actually, from Mahāprabhujī’s book Anubhava Prakāśa, one of the Hindi books, where Mahāprabhujī says: “Without the sun, there is no light. Something is lying in front of your house. But how will you perceive it without light? Who did not meet the Satguru is like a blind one.” She continues, the Divine Mother: “O Satguru, all the glorious great souls in the world—like Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa, Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, and so on—all the avatars, gods, and goddesses, they all worshipped the feet of the Satguru. They served the Guru. They meditated on him. Medituju na nho. And they repeated his name all the time. And because of this, their names are now remembered in the world. Because of this, they are worshipped now. Because of this, they are served and meditated upon now and will be in the future, always.” So her statement is very clear: Mahāprabhujī is the light. The light is the Guru. And that is what we need. So Mahāprabhujī is not just a Guru. He is the Guru of the Gurus. He is the essence of the Guru. And then comes a very important statement now from the Divine Mother: “Wherever the Paramātmā appears in the world, there I also come. And bestow siddhis and boons. Upon the ṛṣis, munis, avatars, and yudhīs. Yogīs, according to the intensity of their bhakti and tapasyā.” You see, she says: when Paramātmā comes in the world, and Mahāprabhujī is Paramātmā, then she comes along and gives all the siddhis. She is the one who actually fulfills all these worldly desires. That means for a guru, and especially for a guru like Mahāprabhujī, all that is at hand. You just spoke about this bhajan, “Sapakucha Devadatta,” and said that it is actually like a warehouse, and you can go shopping. But now you see, this is actually her warehouse. She offers all this through the guru. So most of that which is offered is actually māyā. So we have to be very careful where we go shopping, and for what. So then, look carefully in the bhajan to see which verse it is that you want to pick. In this warehouse, there is also yoga, yoga tea, and the light of Ātmajñāna. And that is not her warehouse. When we continue here, it will become very clear. All visible forms of māyā will be destroyed one day—still, she is speaking. “But you, the highest Self, cannot be destroyed.” So the Divine Mother says, “My forms which I create, they are all temporary.” They are not true, not real, therefore asat. “But you, you are sat, the truth, the reality.” She continues: “The eternal, indestructible, blissful abode of the highest Self—that is the essence, which does not change in past, present, or future. This is the abode of liberation for all beings.” And she says very clearly: “This cannot be achieved without the mercy of a competent, self-realized Brāhmaṇiṣṭha Satguru.” And she continues: “I can give ṛddhis and siddhis. I can give wealth and all desired objects. I can give power, I can give so much. I can destroy or create. I can ruin or save. I can throw down or lift up. But, O Lord, the nature of māyā is to bind. This is my principle, and I am not able to change this principle. Even to my most devoted bhaktas, I cannot grant eternal peace. “Terrible Kali Yuga, to uplift the worldly and liberate the bhaktas, through the repetition of your names, singing your glory, through meditating on you and worshipping you. And on the other hand, without Māyā, even Brahmā himself cannot do anything. “So, this human body, your physical form in which you appear now—this is nothing else than the pure sāttvic form of the Divine Mother. But the radiant light in each hair, in each cell of your body, that is the divine light of Brahman. For this reason, it is possible that through your divine darśan, through the touch of your holy lotus feet, or merely through your shadow or the breeze which touched your physical form, the karmas from many lives of even the worst sinners are burned to ashes by the repetition of your name and meditation upon you. The dangerous net of māyā disappears by itself, like the night disappears automatically as soon as the sun rises. “O Mahāprabhujī, the people in Kali Yuga, with their heavy karmas and bad character—that is a magnet which can at any time bring Mahāprabhujī’s energy right here. Keep him in your heart.” So, I wish you that this evening at home you will still have a nice celebration, maybe meditation on Mahāprabhujī. It is time to come to the end. And if you still have time, I would suggest that we finish with a prayer. Okay, so then goodbye to our friends on the webcast. And let us have prayer then.