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Oṁ śugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanaṁ rukam eva vandana, kṣīrmam vṛtta, oṁ śānti, śānti,... Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Dev Purīṣa Mahādeva, kīrī jaya, Sadguru Svāmī Mādhāvanājī Bhagavān, kīrī jaya. Good morning, dear spiritual seekers. Welcome to the program. The subject is the Koshas, the five different layers of the bodies which are covering our soul. The soul is the shadow of the ātmā. The soul is known as jīvātmā. Jīvātmā is the mixture of ātmā and anātmā. Ātmā and non-ātmā, it means like the shadow or the reflection of the ātmā. The jīvā influences the entire individual being. Our jīvā travels in this universe, accompanied by different elements, different principles. Jīva one day has to merge into its origin, the ātmā. But there are many layers between jīvātmā and pure ātmā. These layers, these are the different bodies; they are very important for the jīva to develop. Wherever through the jīva some creation begins, it means the jīva comes in touch, in contact with the five tattvas: ether, fire, air, water, and earth. When these five come together, the Kriyā Śakti begins its activities. And when the Kriyā Śakti begins, it develops certain principles, the feelings. And it is the feelings which lead or move that jīva in different directions. Besides this, the intellect develops. When the feelings become concrete and clear, that is a part of the intellect to decide. Between this, which is transmitting here to there, we call the mind. The mind is dealing between our feelings and our decisions. Likewise, there are many, many functions around the jīvātmā, the soul. And in this way, the soul is collecting more qualities, either positive or negative. Positive qualities will purify and let the jīvātmā proceed towards the origin, the ātmā. The negative layers will always keep the distance. They will always move the jīva in a different direction. Now, the jīva cannot do anything when the jīva is sitting in these five bodies. For example, you are sitting in your car, and then your car is led in a different direction. Something happens in your car’s mechanism. You can’t do anything. When your car slides on the snow or icy road, you are sitting in it, but you can’t do anything. You may try. Or you are sitting in an aeroplane, and now the aeroplane is falling down. You are a very wise person, you are a very intellectual person, you are a very clear person, conscious of everything, but you can’t do anything. The aeroplane will fall, and with that, you will also fall on the ground. Or the mountaineer who is climbing high on the mountain rock, and suddenly the rope breaks or the rock breaks, and the climber is falling down. He can’t do anything. Similarly, the soul is in these different five bodies, and these five bodies are influenced by actions which are done in different ways: tana, mana, bachana, dhana—through body, through mind, through words, and through your ego, or social or wealth, position, or the power, what we call. Some people are misusing the power. So yogīs try to give instructions to the aspirants, the practitioners, on how they can avoid or clear up this situation, so that the jīvātmā proceeds towards the highest aim, towards the ātmā, to know that I am a part of the ātmā. And there we spoke last three days about the body of nourishment. That’s called annamaya kośa. Annamaya kośa, anna is the food. And food is, in one way, our life. All kinds of energy we get through our food. That’s very important for our body, for our mind, for our intellect, and for everything. Now, the food has different qualities. It is said that from where you get your food and which kind of feelings are hidden in that food, that’s very important. There’s one story that one yogī or one sādhu was sitting somewhere in the forest, in the mountains, near some caves, and one thief came, or what you call a bandit. He saw that sitting one sādhu, the bandit was riding a horse. So he got up from the horse and was thinking, "Definitely this sādhu has nothing that I can take away from him. At least this one I should avoid. It should not become a hundred. So at least a spiritual person, a holy person, I should not trouble." And then his thinking is changing. Who is thinking? The thief's. Everyone is talking, if you do good to some sādhu, some holy man, then you will get good. If you do bad, then you will get the bad. So, why should I not do something good? You see how his feeling is changing. And so, when you come to some spiritual persons, you come to the holy persons, you come to your master, then your negative energy moves away and positive energy comes. For example, this morning we were looking at the holy mountain Himalaya, Annapurna, and there were some fogs, so we couldn’t see clearly. But we wanted to see the mountain, we had good feelings, and suddenly the fog disappeared and clarity came. So, that negative śakti, negative energy, negative kusāṅga will bring more and more fog, the āvaraṇa, the curtains above your consciousness, and you will fall into invisibility, meaning into negatives. When you have respect and devotion, the clarity comes. Now, the thief is thinking. Everyone said, "If you give food to some sādhu, or some cloth or something, it is a good thing." So I would like to give him today something to eat. I will invite him for eating. He went there. He said, "Praṇām, Hari Om, Swamījī. I don’t know who you are, how you are. But you have an orange robe, and this orange robe we take as a symbol, an embodiment of Lord Śiva, the fire, and we adore this. But I am sure that you are a good sādhu, a good saint. And I would request you, if you accept, I would like to invite you for lunch. Or I can provide you food here." The sadhu who was sitting there looked at him. "Yes, my friend, it’s good. Thank you. But what is your profession? How do you earn your living?" He looked down and he said, "Swamiji, I must tell you honestly that I am a thief. I am a bandit. I go and I take away from the people, and if not, then even I kill them. But I thought, in so many bad karmas, at least I should respect a sādhu who is with orange cloth. So, my some karmas will be light. Please accept." Nārada said, "Thank you. I will not accept your food." He said, "Why?" "Because if I eat something, your quality will go into me." He said, "Stupid things. But I want to feed you today. I want to do something good. It’s coming from my heart." He said, "Yes, but my friend, it’s nice of you, but I can’t accept your eating." He said, "Well, thank you. Also, I’m sorry, but one day I hope you will accept it." He knew that though I asked him so much and he was constantly refusing, he must be a good sādhu. He must be aware of the law of the universe and karma. Well, again he sat on the horse, rode the horse, and went away. Five kilometers distance, there was a nice restaurant on the road. Of course, vegetarian restaurant, not a meat restaurant. He brought his horse there, and he got off from the horse, and the restaurant man saw him—in some cowboy films, you know, where the cowboys with the guns and getting off, you know, and the restaurant owner, he said. Oh my, bad luck we have today. This bandit came, so he went inside and he said, "Good morning, sir. Sir, how are you?" The whole stuff of this. He said, "It’s okay. Okay, I’m fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry. Don’t be nervous. I will do nothing today, anything. I came for one thing." He said, "Yes, what can we do for you? Please come, sit, have a drink, have something to eat. Drink lassi, drink milk, drink chai, juice. What can we give you?" He said, "Nothing. Five kilometers far from here, under one tree near the hills, one sādhu is sitting and having tapasyā. I wish that you bring him nice food today. Within one and a half hours, food should be there." He said, "No problem, sir. What can we bring?" He said, "Don’t ask me so many questions. The best what you can do, the best food, okay? How much money you want?" They said, "No, no, we don’t need any money. We have happiness for us that we can do something for you." He said, "Well, today I must pay you because I want to do something. I want to give the one sādhu eating." They said, "Oh, that sādhu is not good. He’s just a beggar going here and there." And he said, "That’s not your business. I’m giving respect to this orange cloth, and who is wearing it doesn’t matter how he or she is. Go, give food, that’s all." "Yes, sir." So they made nice food. He said, "Sāttvic, no onions, no..." He said, "Yes, yes, sir." The owner of the restaurant prepared nice food, and he packed the food and took the horse, because at that time there were no cars. And he came to where Mahārāj was sitting and said, "Praṇām, Hario, we brought you something to eat today." He said, "Okay, thank you. What are you doing? What’s your work?" he said. "I’m in a little restaurant here, a few kilometers away. So we brought you food today. Thank you." And he ate. The man went away. When the food went into his body and energy began to flow, it changed his feelings. He had been sitting there making tapasyā for a few years already, 12-15 years. But now he had a feeling, well, I should go to some village and have a satsaṅg or something. The vairāgya became little. He stood up and he walked towards that restaurant. And when the man went after giving him food, the thief was still sitting there. "Did he eat?" Said yes. "Oh, thanks to God. Some of my karma is less." He went to the restaurant and said, "How far is the village? Is there any temple or satsaṅg where people come?" He said, "Yes. About three kilometers away, there is a nice small village and a Shiva temple. And there is also Krishna’s temple there: Shiva, Krishna, Rāma, and Divine Mother Śakti." So he went there. Now, this food is functioning in him, changing, creating different feelings. He came to the temple; it was already evening, 4 o’clock, 5 o’clock, and the pujārī, the paṇḍit of the temple, had just opened the altar, cleaned it, and was preparing for pūjā. And this Swamiji came. There was one room in the temple behind, if some sādhu or some kamsa can stay. So they asked him, and he asked, "I want to stay here tonight." "No, of course, the temple is for sādhus." When he saw the altar, there was God Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful statue, about five kilos or ten kilos, made out of gold. Now, there was a prayer, and he was also doing prayer with āratī and was looking at the gold. And now the vṛttis, from that food, of the thieves, he begins to think, "Nearly 10 kilos of gold? If I take this, then I don’t need to do any tapasyā more." You see, how the money in Kali Yuga, Rupiya Ram, in Kali Yuga, money is the God. And that’s, if I can understand and compare, when in front of the temple, people were playing with the gold and this, the golden card. And Jesus said, "Don’t believe in this wrong God. The right way is that I am the way to the Father or to the Ātmā." So now they’ve changed it. God changes in God. Don’t believe in the wrong God. Because that God is now in Kali Yuga is a God. All this fighting, wars, ego, and everything is only because of money. And if someone tries to take your business or opens some other business besides you, even your good friend, your good neighbor, you are jealous now. That’s it. He slept there. The pujari, Panditji, made puja after he closed the altar, and he went a few hundred meters away to his house where he used to live, closed the temple, and Mahārāj went to sleep. Two o’clock in the morning he woke up. This is the best time, he thinks, now to take the Kṛṣṇa statue and Aryaum and run away. So he broke the lock, and he entered the temple, and he hugged the Krishna statue because it was nicely fixed with good cement. So he hugged Krishna, and Krishna was happy. Today somebody is hugging me. And he was moving like this, like this,... and the statue came out. He packed it in his hand, took it in his hand, and ran away. Meanwhile, it was Brahmamūrta, 3:30. Paṇḍitjī came into the temple to open it for the morning prayer, Brahmamūrta. She was at the altar, Rāma’s altar, Divine Mother’s altar, Kṛṣṇa’s altar. Everything was ruined. Where is Kṛṣṇa? He rang the bell. The soul is continuously loud. All the village people woke up, ran, and came. What’s happening? The Pandit said, "Krishna’s statue is missing." They said, "Oh, God. Was there some person here?" He said, "Yes, one Swāmījī is staying here down in the room." So we shall go and ask him if he heard something in the night. They went there, and the room was empty. So they knew definitely he took the statue. There was only one way. Other ways were all the farmers’ fields. So, young boys like you all, many young ones sitting, they were running on this way. The other way, that Sadhu was also running with the statue. Meanwhile, it was dawn. Light came. He saw behind some people were running, and luckily he saw there was a beautiful small lake. Pure, good water. He went to the lake. Meanwhile, people also came, screaming and shouting, "Thief! Thief!" He said, "No, no... Stop. Don’t make noise. Come and help me. We must bathe Kṛṣṇa. Because in the night, Krishna came to me and said, 'Since I am sitting here, no one bathes me in my beautiful Yamunā water, so come help.'" And he was chanting mantra, and all the boys were washing Krishna, and Mahārāj Jī also, Swāmījī, Swāmījī. He said, "Thank you, God." They brought, he said, "We must run. Before sunrise, we must, Krishna must come to his place." And they came and made a sari. As Swamījī went into his room, it was already seven in the morning, and he sat in meditation. He made the self-inquiry meditation, which we have in yoga and daily life, self-inquiry meditation. He went in meditation, and he asked a question himself: "In my life, never even a needle stolen. How did it happen that today, in my intellect, in my buddhi, this idea came to me to steal because of the God, and even that? What sin did I do, that I moved the statue of Krishna, broke it, and took it with me? Why? I am asking myself the question, why did I do it?" It was deep in meditation, and the answer came: the food of the thief. I know now that thief who was offering me food, and I refused, but he didn’t give me anything. Only he came to me, and he spoke to me. That was karma on me. He went straight back to the Restaurant man, and restaurant man said, "Swamiji, welcome, welcome. We prepare nice food and come." He said, "No. I want to know, why did you bring me yesterday eating?" He said, "Because that and that man came and he ordered, and we brought it here." "Did he pay?" He said, "Yes." Everything is clear. He went and he meditated. He said, "Even if I do Śaṅkhaprakṣālana now, Kunjalakriyā is already too late because it is nearly 24 hours. So only Kharani Śaṅkhaprakṣālana." He sat there, and he made his mantra and meditation. "God, purify this energy from all my kośas: annamaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, vijñānamaya kośa, and ānandamaya kośa." This is the body of cause, the body of desires. And after a few days, not only one day, after a few days again he came to his normal faith, meditation, and intuition. So, annamaya kośa, our body, is not only that. Oh, it’s good cooked and very good that we eat. Did you kill some animal? No. But you eat meat? Yes. Who killed it? It doesn’t matter who, but it was for you, and you ate. So more karma will come to one who’s eating, then to one who’s killing, and then to that one who sells the animals to someone. Or, some people are, you know, let’s say, not only meat—many people do not eat bananas, imported bananas. Because in many countries, poor countries, they have a big banana farm, but it is so strictly observed, and all are exported because of the money. And their own children, they cannot eat this. They work, they put energy inside. They see everyday bananas being packed, loaded, and shipped, but in their country, the poor children cannot get these nice, beautiful bananas. And that’s it. That food is taken away from someone’s right; that cannot do good to us. So I agree that it is said, one of the experts is from Japan, who researched and worked very hard to make popular around the world the macrobiotic diet. And saying, "Eat only what is growing within 40 kilometers of where you are staying." And observe what is happening in these 40 kilometers. Energy from there. So what we eat influences our manomaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, vijñānamaya kośa, and ānandamaya kośa. Therefore, it is said that you don’t know, I don’t know, from where our milk came, from where our yogurt came, our vegetables came, our grains came, our rice came. How? So there is a little relief in this karma, which is what we have. In almost every belief in religion, there is a prayer, a dining table prayer. And we, what we said, we thank Mother Annapūrṇā. Annapūrṇe Sadāpūrṇe Śaṅkara Prāṇa Vādave. That is the Lord of our prāṇas, Śiva. Anāpūrṇe Sadāpūrṇe Śaṅkara Prāṇa Vādave. Jñāna Vairāgya Siddhārtham. These two we need: the jñāna and vairāgya. In this, if we have a siddhi, meaning control, then everything is okay. Yāna-vairāgya-siddhārthaṁ, bhikṣyāma-deitya-mātā-pārvatī. Always be hungry, turns towards the mother. A hungry child turns towards the mother, and that universal mother, holy mother, is Pārvatī. Yāna-vairāgya-siddhārthaṁ, bhikṣyāma-deitya-pārvatī, mātā-pārvatī-devi. This Annapūrṇā is Pārvatī Devī. Or Pitā Devo Maheśvara. Mahā Īśvara. Maheśvara means Mahā Īśvara. Only the God Śiva has rights, and only on the name of Śiva is called Mahā Dev. Not Mahā Kṛṣṇa, not Mahā Brahmā, not Mahā. No. Only Mahā Dev. Śiva is the greatest one. And all my relatives are the bhaktas of the Śivas, because all come from them. Then we have prayer, and what you also have prayers, the Christians are praying, "Holy Father, thank you for the bread which you gave us." So, with prayers at home, traditionally, people, before they cook—mostly mothers were cooking, and on the fire—so they take a little fresh chapati flour or whatever it is, or oil, and first they put in this agni, and then they begin to cook. That’s called āhuti. "Brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma haviḥ brahmāgno brahmanā hutam, brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma karma samādhinā." Even Agni Dev, that first we give the Brahma Agni, the Agni of the Brahman, the digestive, the consciousness, everything. And then, the first chapati, or first piece of the bread that you cut, it should be for some animals, for birds, or cows, or goats, whatever you have. First, you—this part again—you, that means you offer, not taking immediately. And then also you give the food to the hungry one, something, so that the negative energy, which is in this food, is purified, neutralized. Then this food has a good effect on your Annamaya Kośa. When you cook in the kitchen, have some spiritual bhajans, songs, or mantras in any language. In that language, you have holy songs and mantras. So in the kitchen or cooking area, there is pure energy. And mantra is like an antenna. Around everywhere, energy is purified, and always cook with love. It doesn’t matter who will eat; we’ll have good feelings, and we’ll be happy. When you tell the cook, "Oh, it was very tasty, very nice," the cook will say, "Yes, thank you." Or you say, "Oh, it was so terrible, I feel vomiting in my stomach. Did you cook today?" The cook is also sad with you. Mother prepares with love, but people who are cooking only commercially, They just have to pack the things and just throw them. Take, take... there is no love. So the love of your father, your mother, your sister, your brother, your friends, your cook, when it’s cooked with great joy, then this energy goes into your body and turns also with the happiness, the joy. When you invite your friends for an evening, for lunch or dinner, or for breakfast or for a picnic, and you bring something good, you bring it with the heart, and you accept it. But still, you should know what you are eating. If someone cooks for you meat and fish and like this with love, you will say, "Thank you very much, but I can’t eat." Like that, Swāmījī said to the thief, "Thank you very much for your invitation, but I can’t eat." So everything that you eat and drink influences your energy centers. And vegetarian means, as they always used to say, the right fruit, the right vegetable. You have the right to take this or take just some leaves, but don’t destroy the plant. When you destroy the whole plant, then you kill the plant. So there are many, many ahiṃsā principles. And the ahiṃsā principle is for that which will influence all five layers of the body, the five kośas: annamaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, vijñānamaya kośa, and ānandamaya kośa. So food, jaisā khāī an, vaisā rahegā man. What kind of food you eat, like that your mind will act. Jaisā pīegā pānī, vaisā bolegā bānī. What kind of liquid you drink, that is how you will speak. If you drink nice, clean, pure water or some juice or milk, you are very happy and balanced. If you drink alcohol, then immediately your concentration ability is disturbed. There are many, many waves, the vikṣepas. So, annamaya kośa, haṭha yoga is designed to purify annamaya kośa. Āsanas and prāṇāyāma are designed for purification of annamaya kośa. When the annamaya kośa is pure, then automatically the prāṇa, the prāṇa śakti, is also very pure and very good. So, my dear ones, we will continue this and think over what you eat, from where your eating is coming, what you drink, with whom you eat. When you are cooking, don’t be angry. And if your husband is cooking and he is angry, then tell him, "Please, you come and relax. I will cook." Because otherwise, if a husband or wife is angry and cooking, then the whole anger is inside. Cooking is a science, Vidyā. We have 16 Vidyās according to Ṣoḍaśa Vidyā. And from the Śāla Vidyā, one is called Pakṣaśāstra. And Pakṣaśāstra means cooking. So cooking is a knowledge, a science, and how it should function in the body, which spices, for which glands, for hormones, is good. And unfortunately, nowadays, people have lost the knowledge of cooking. And that’s very, very pitiful. And that’s why the people just don’t know what to do, and they have, day by day, more and more different energies. And you know, for every creature, and especially for humans, food is a big subject. And if we can get better food, good food, sāttvic food, then it will do good to us physically, mentally, and spiritually. So, wish you all the best, and wish you a very good appetite. Whatever you will eat, but think where you are eating and what you are eating. God bless you. I pray to Mahāprabhujī. Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī, Bhagavān Devpurījī, Bhagavān Madhavānandjī, to bless you, and my dear ones, see you tomorrow, as God will. Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Dev Purī Samādeva Kī Jai, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Let us sing the mantra for eating.