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Part 1: The Devotion of Fools and the Grace of God The masters of the three worlds belong to the King, and our King is no less than anyone else. We are the people of Kṛṣṇa. You will give ten rupees, we will give five rupees. Tell me, the wealth of Bhagavān’s devotees slips away from under your feet, and the poor one never even dreams of a bungalow of flowers once a year for forty rupees. He said, "Mahārāj, you give 40, we will give 80." Now speak, you have eighty rupees, he said, "We will give eighty. We will sell all the jewelry in the house, sell everything from the punditain’s house, save Thākur Jī, and say, alright, the small bungalow of Bhagavān, decorate it with flowers, this is what it is made of." Hearing that, Bhagavān becomes a man. The king’s man thought that it is not wise to buy something worth one rupee for one hundred and one rupees. Devotees of Bhagavān are not wise; they are fools, and Bhagavān is found by fools. He sold all the utensils, sold the gold, sold the books, and the wife... He sold all his clothes, kept nothing in the house, and by evening, the wooden bungalow that belonged to Bhagavān was adorned with flowers, fully blossomed. The entire house was decorated with flowers; today, garlands were made from flowers and placed around Bhagavān’s neck. Just as you all webcast today, everyone everywhere... The thread, the same thread, the same picture is going on—this is the tradition in our country. Within our country, the place of Śrī Nāda Jī, the twelve Jyotirliṅgas, all these are connected. Without any science, they are connected through the science of dharma. At that time, through our Nāda, Śrī Nāda... The āratī of Bhagavān is being performed, the curtain is drawn inside, and tears are flowing from the eyes of Śrī Nāz Jī towards the mūrti; the mūrti of Bhagavān is weeping. Biṭhal Nāz saw and wondered, what kind of burden has come upon my Govind today, what debt has fallen upon my Thākur Jī? Upon reflection, it was realized, ah, my Bhagavān’s... A devotee in Mathurā had sold everything he owned, including his house and belongings, to make a flower bungalow and adorn it with garlands for them. Viṭṭhal Nāz Jī immediately called one of his servants and instructed him to go to Mathurā and, before tomorrow evening, give that man more than 101 rupees so that all his sold possessions could be recovered. Only when it happens does the idol of my revered Śrī Nāz Jī rise back up; its value is beyond measure. How we offer it, how much devotion we have in it—if with complete surrender we present songs to Bhagavān, offer bhajans, or perform dance, then Bhagavān becomes a part of it. We offer Bhagavān... Worship, worship... Without, without... A flower greens a man’s life. Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya, a flower greens a man’s life. A flower greens a man’s life. A flower greens a man’s life. We offer trust for you. We offer trust for you. With great joy, we offer flowers and perfume. But sweat comes and smell—yet a one-paise flower or a twenty-five-paise flower or a one-rupee flower gives you a beautiful fragrance. Our body never emits fragrance, while a small flower does. Have you ever thought about why fragrance does not come from our body? There are such stories, such narratives, such wondrous events. The fragrance emanating from the bodies of sādhus and saints—how does it arise? If you remove the foul odor, when you expel vāsanā from your home, the beginning of fragrance in life will commence. That fragrance is the peaceful cakras within us, and they are like all the flowers; all our Bhagavān... Prayer reaches its destination—just as the prayer of Prahlāda reaches, the prayer of Dhruva reaches. We must keep in mind when our prayer will reach there, and what is the meaning of prayer. What is the meaning of the pray? At the time of Sāma, the meaning of prayer is: One layer in the lake creates all the rubbish and dirty things in the lake. A small layer of dirt forms, and from that very spot inside the body, all the impurities of life begin. How should I say? Within a person arises a desire, and for that desire another desire, a third desire, thousands of layers upon layers, and from there begins the separation of the person from Paramātmā. Fame, memory, intellect, and ego—all are destroyed. This is what Prahlāda Jī is saying to Narasiṃha Bhagavān: if You are pleased with me, then... Grant me such a boon that none of my vānśa whom you protect will be harmed by me, and bless my father as well. Then I told Naraśa Prahilāda that I will no longer harm any man in your realm. Therefore, it was Prahilāda’s own son, Virocana, the son of Virocana, Bali, and... The story of Bali will also begin soon, and in it, Bhagavān granted such a boon to Prahlāda that He promised, "From now on, I will not kill anyone at your command." Now, let us listen to Prahlāda’s prayer. Prahlāda bowed to Nārada and to Narasiṃha Bhagavān both. After leaving, Prahlāj Jī went to the feet of Gurudev carrying the materials for the worship of Ṣoḍaśa Svapchār, because he had met the Guru. Speak of Satguru Mahārāj, the divine primordial deity Mahādeva. Thus, the incarnation of Nara-siṃha Bhagavān is narrated. See, there is a story that is not found anywhere else, which is told in this way: when Nara-siṃha Bhagavān took incarnation, things had become very intense. At that time, Bhagavān Śiva took another... The avatāra was taken, and Bhagavān Śiva came in the form of a great eagle, Narasiṃha, the bird, and lifting him up, revealed His own form to him. Because that avatāra of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, at that time two people went to Him—one was Nārada Jī and the other Prahlāda Jī. All the deities said, "O Lakṣmī Mātā, please pacify your husband." They said... He is a fierce lion, not just a husband; he has become a fierce lion. How can you calm him down? Today, he is not going to be calm. Let him come home first; then all lions become mice. Now, he is outside the home, not inside. And look at our Sardar brothers—their faces are like those of Narasiṃha Bhagavān. Look, and all Sardars also wear the Singh name. Ajit Singh, Manjit Singh, Jagjit Singh—and this is no joke, it is absolutely true—their incarnation took place right in Punjab. To protect Ādi Guru Śaṅkarācārya, they would come as his disciple. Ādi Guru Śaṅkarācārya had four bodyguards, his disciples who stayed with him constantly. One of those disciples was... I am forgetting the name right now, but in that, the nursing Bhagavān takes a Kapāla avatāra, and then Bhagavān Viṣṇu comes to protect. And when Bhagavān Viṣṇu takes an avatāra, then Bhagavān Śaṅkara comes to assist like Hanumān Jī. Tomorrow, in the Śiva Purāṇa, there will also be a story of Śaṅkara Bhagavān in the form of Hanumat, so that Hanumān Jī and... If you remove one group, the social order will be disrupted. The chant is Oṃ Namasyuāya. Yes, it is the month of Sāvan. No matter how many times you chant Oṃ Namasyuāya, even if you chant it a hundred thousand times now, or let’s say five hundred thousand times, it will be considered as having been done. After this, who is Prelaj Jī the son of? Hiraṇyakaśipu’s son was Hiraṇyākṣa, and his son was Andhaka, meaning the blind one. Now, Prelāj Jī, who was the son of his uncle, never mocked him. But that blind Andhaka, when Bhag Brahmā Jī came, Brahmā Jī came and said, "Speak, son, you have done such intense tapasyā; you are even the son of Śiva." What boon do you want? He says, O Pitāmah, may no one be able to cause my death in the world. But if you wish, tell Brahmā that no one should be able to kill me, because I have seen the boon of Hiraṇyakaśipu. What boon did Hiraṇyakaśipu ask for? Neither by day nor by night... Neither in the mind, nor in the year, nor in the age will I die. So Bhagavān appointed the month of Puṣyottam to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu. This Puṣyottam month came, you see, for the devotee Prahlāda. Bhagavān created this adhika māsa (extra month). Now He said, it does not matter whether it is day or night; die at twilight. They say speak from within, not from outside. So, they speak at the threshold—the boundary between inside and outside—because it is the place between going in and coming out. That is why one should neither eat nor sit there; it is part of Hiraṇyākṣa, of Hiraṇya Kaśyapa. Now see, Bhagavān spoke to Hiraṇya Kaśyapa... Given the choice, whether to die as a man or as a beast, Narasiṃha Bhagavān says, at least give me one point regarding my death. He says, my death could be caused by that woman whom all the people of the world consider as mother; all the gods, demons, and rakṣasas regard her as mother. And when a feeling of desire arises in my mind for it, when lust arises, only then can I be destroyed. Then Bhagavān Śaṅkara said, "What boon have you asked for? Whose side are you on, and you have done everything?" Bhagavān said, "Alright, we have given you such a boon." When the time of the demon Andhaka comes, one day the blacksmith of the goldsmith... This time had been so tormenting because it was darkness itself. Now, Andikāsura had taken control over the three worlds and had brought all the deities under his influence. Once, when he was ruling, whatever these three said, he would accept their words, they would distribute wealth, and please his mind. Those three friends went and... Once, Andhakāsūra said, "Hey Andhakāsūra, we went into a cave where there was a man, a man named Śaṅkara, who was performing tapasyā. He appeared old and resembled a bull. Andhak was a great warrior, with intellect like that of Śiva at the end of Tripura. After receiving hundreds of boons, he became mad, and there were many others as well." He had the Aṣṭar and Ṣaṣṭar with him; today, this demon’s battle is with my revered Bhagavān Śiva. In his mind, a bad thought arises towards Mātā Pārvatī. He fights with Bhagavān Śaṅkara for a long time. Along with the demons, there was also Śukrācārya Jī, whose abduction was carried out by Nandī. See, the person who awakens the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra five hundred thousand times attains the assured direct vision of Bhagavān Śiva, and if he repeats it another five hundred thousand times, he gains such power that he can grant darśana to many others. Now you might say, the fruit is multiplied when the japa is done at a tīrtha place... If it is going to grant siddhi quickly, then when you go to a tīrtha like Badrinath or Kedarnath and perform japa, there is no need to do it five lakh times; your work will be done in a few months. But within us, oh Bhagavān, in our list, we ask little from Bhagavān, yet we ask many things from Bhagavān. We ask little from Bhagavān; after a long time, Bhagavān brought Śukrācārya out through His sibling. The establishment of Śukra, Śukrācārya, was explained, prayers were recited, and through intense tapasyā by Śukrācārya, Bhagavān bestowed upon him the Chitra Ratna and, through the Aṣṭa Mūrtika Stotra, honored Śukrācārya. One should worship Bholenāth; Bhagavān Śaṅkar is pleased and does not kill but sends the person to Viṭal Lok. And when he had shown enmity towards Mātā Pārvatī, he also performed prāyaścitta for that. When Bhagavān Śaṅkar went to battle along with other deities, Andakāsura came from behind, and then Nandī... This is the prayer that I be made His son, and so He made him immortal and never killed Andhikāsura because he was born from the sweat of Bhagavān Śaṅkara. It is a very beautiful story here about Bāṇāsura. Who is Bāṇāsura? Bāṇāsura had a thousand arms. In this discourse, no asura has ever been more powerful than Bāṇāsura, because the first boon was granted from birth. Anyone born in Prahlāda’s house would not die. By the grace of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, he also had a thousand hands. He is a very busy asura, a very busy demon. He can do all the work at the same time—he can cook food, operate the internet, play the tabla, and perform āratī simultaneously because he can do 500 tasks at once. One day, he played 500 instruments in front of Lord Shiva. 500 instruments with a thousand hands—one instrument needs at least two hands. 500 instruments are playing: violin, sitār, tabla, vīṇā, dholak, mṛdaṅg. 500 instruments are playing, 500 orchestras with one hand each, both with their arrows, and it says, these hands have given uselessness, these hands have given uselessness... These hands are not for wrestling or fighting, or at least if someone says, "Hey, your sari looks very nice," just say, "Namastivāi." If some mother says, "Your sari is nice," or if no one says anything, what does it really mean? Part 2: The Inner War and the Divine Within Wearing beautiful jewelry, auspicious threads, bangles, anklets, and walking around—when someone compliments them, it feels good. These are things to show the world. But what use is power? What use is wealth? And what use is knowledge? There is power in wealth, there is power in knowledge, and with the power that we... The power that can protect the world is also called śakti, power. No one has a method to overpower someone greater than themselves. So, they torment the weak instead. They will become intoxicated with wealth. Wealth has three movements—money has three movements: destruction, consumption, and donation. They will become intoxicated with wealth by engaging in the worst act, which is intoxication with money. So when a person says he will spend on these things, Bāṇāsura says, "There is no one to fight with me." Bhagavān Śaṅkara said, "The day your dvajā falls down, the flag, the symbol of victory, when it falls down..." From your, the top of the temple, that day your enemies will come to your country. Now it has its own world; every demon’s name and its place was Śoṇitapura. Today, at Bāṇāsura’s place, this event happened that his daughter is Uṣā. She is his friend, his companion, his servant—Citralekhā. She saw in a dream the grandson of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Now, where have we reached? In the Dvāpara Yuga. This is not a regular serial like the Śiva Purāṇa, the Bhāgavata, or the Rāmāyaṇa, where any kind of editing can come in from anywhere. So this is very, very... Let me tell you one thing: how many times within us—tell me honestly, all of you sitting here—is there a war going on inside us or not? A war of thoughts, a war is going on within everyone. That is why there is extensive discussion of wars in our Purāṇas, in every home... This is not a Purāṇa; these are our own verses because there is nothing but war in our lives as well. If somebody is born, he starts going to school; parents force him, teachers force him to read, to pass the primary school. Then again, parents and teachers force him to pass the secondary school, senior school, then pass college. Now get a good job—this is war, more than war. And when you join the job, then you fight for promotion. And finally, when you get married, the ultimate war, world war, begins with the wife. The war that takes place between husband and wife in a home is greater than any world war, and the arrows that fly from the tongue are the most dangerous weapons. Our tongue is the greatest weapon, more than a knife or any other thing. The wounds caused by it are very dangerous and do not heal easily. Because all the weapons touch only your body, but these weapons touch and injure your soul as well. Even if someone says to you, "You are a dog," you don’t feel it; you don’t think, "I am not a human." You have read and learned that all are dogs—that’s how it feels to me. When called a dog, this is the state we are in. In the Bhāgavata, in the Rāmāyaṇa, and in all the Purāṇas, you will see the story of the gods and demons, the story of darkness and light. This darkness and light are not outside; they are within. Sūrya is also within, Bāṇāsura is also within, Viṣṇu is that... Yesterday, I had a conversation with Gurudev about the āratī. We discussed with our very respectful Svāmī Mahiśrāṇana Jī, and he suggested us to change the time of the kathā, so we also want to ask you all a little, right now today’s presentation... This is the very beautiful message of Svāmījī Maheśvarānandajī. See the path of light in the message and books of Gurudev. All the books, all the messages of the master are the body of the master. This is what is said in Sanskrit: tene’yaṃ bāṅgavai mūrti pratyakṣā vartate harī śreṣṭha viddha syū purāṇa, syū purāṇa jo hai pustaka nahīṃ hai ye bhagavān kā vigraha hai. Here, the Gītā is called the mother, the Bhāgavata is held as the Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa on the head, the Śiva Mahāpurāṇa is held on the head, and we are paving the way for truth in our lives, and are indeed finding that path. In this, the body of the guru, the words of the guru, the speech of the guru—Prahlāda Jī says, "O father, in this world, people consider themselves immortal and believe in their immortality. If any person in this world accepts that they will die one day, on that very day they begin to realize that this world is mithyā. Everyone else lives as if they will never die." This is not the problem of a demon; that demon also resides within man. The demon is in our mind, the real demon, the real asura in our mind. And what does it want? Make the big bank balance, accumulate a lot of money. Sometimes, when money accumulates, there arises the illusion that I possess something. Then, when a big house is built, the illusion arises that I have a large home. But all these illusions create insecurity. You can ask me how. Now, if you have your gold or Indian and a very, very... Everyone has their own tsunami. We will cry for our own car, and so part of materialistic things. And one day, suppose we die in an accident, our car will not cry, our house will not cry, our furniture will not cry. We cry so that the furniture does not get lost; in our language, we also say, "chamṛī jāe." Don’t lose your prāṇa, and don’t lose your money; this principle is the principle of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. And if someone receives a blessing, then one should think like this: take the name of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, for there is nothing better in the world. I will tell you in two bhajans—first, "Govinda Hare, Gopāla Hare, Jai Jai Prabhu Dīn Dayāl Hare"—who sang this first? It was Draupadī who sang it first. This composition emerged from within Draupadī herself. And the mantra we chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare." This was sung by Prahlāda Jī, and later Caitanya Mahāprabhujī spread it throughout the world. That is a different matter. Here, in the Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, the glory of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa is described. Within this section, in the Rudra Saṁhitā, just as Bhagavat Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the iṣṭa deva, but there Bhagavān Śaṅkara... The divine pastimes come repeatedly here in the Mahāśiva Purāṇa, where the story of Bhagavān’s Narasiṃha avatāra is being narrated. When the name of Bhagavān was heard from the mouth of His son, it was said: "Who can harm the one who is protected by the Lord? Neither can anyone kill him, nor can anyone do anything to the child who is the savior of the world." If a person surrenders themselves at the feet of Bhagavān, then they forget their own responsibilities because their responsibilities are with Bhagavān. Our effort is like having a small six-month-old baby at home—if you ask that baby to take on the household responsibilities and digest them, we cannot even digest a single biscuit. If the liver malfunctions due to the hand, and we ask you to produce a drop of blood to show, you will not be able to produce even that. This is a leaf that has turned yellow; now this is for devotion to the Prabhu. Do not ever damage this temple of devotion. Never engage in any work that makes you feel that life has been fulfilled. And it never happens; sometimes we become accustomed to walking in sleep until the attainment of the Sadguru in life. The path of bhakti—Nārada has spoiled you. Call Nārada. Nārada himself appeared there, saying, "Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa," and said, "The jñāna I gave to your son..." I want to give to you what you wish to receive; if you do not speak, then speak. The Guru is merely the medium between Paramātmā and the disciple. I am that very knowledge. You say all demons do not want to receive anything; it is receptive. That is why I have given it to this one, O son of Hiraṇya, the supreme being. The things I have given to him in six months... The teaching happened at the time when it was still in the womb; without the presence of the one who gives birth, there is no crying. If someone had taught, then it would have been learned. All these teachings come later; no one can become peaceful by force from behind—it is created from behind, it is a system. Today, when Prahlāda Jī stands before his father, he receives much illumination. What torments were inflicted—beating, attempts to kill, attempts to burn, attempts to cut—I will take you through briefly without elaborating. One day, Hiraṇyakaśipu became very angry and said, "Your conduct has become utterly unacceptable; it seems you have become the enemy of our entire lineage, family, and clan. Tell me, whose devotion do you practice?" He said, "I practice the devotion of Śrī Viṣṇu." "Where is He?" He said, "Where is He not? Now you tell me." The atheist says, "Where is Bhagavān? Tell me." The theist says, "Where is Bhagavān not? Tell me." What a beautiful dialogue this is! Ahaha, what a delight, what a wonderful thing! "Oṁ namaśvāī jñāne svarjī," how wonderful Sanskrit and Hindi language are, their true translation cannot be done; only a verbal one is possible. Look, "mome rām, tome rām" is said—Father, you say, where is it? I am saying, what you are speaking is also that very same. And say, indeed, in me too, that Paramātmā, that Īśvara is speaking. It seems you have crossed all limits of delusion, you have gone mad, you have become insane, said the father. Leave aside the jaḍa and cetana, they said, even jaḍa pervades, and said, it is present in this pillar as well. He said, "Yes, then now I will kill you too, I will kill both jaḍa and cetana," and took the mace and fist and started hitting. On whom? Above the pillar, there was a powerful sound, like the words "satyam vibhātu gaditum nirśaṃsa," and Bhagavān, to prove the words of His devotee, tore the pillar apart and stood there, saying that Narasiṃha Bhagavān took Hiraṇyakaśipugo into His lap and... Just as a cat kills a mouse between two people, if Narasiṃha Bhagavān was present in the pillars then, why is He not present in the pillars today? At that time, Mīrā danced, so today Govind also dances. What about today? Oh, Mīrā danced 500 years ago. Mīrā did not live 5000 years ago. The saints before whose vigraha we sit, the melodies of the āl mājārī resonate like the passionate words of Pīrē Mīrā, but where is that same essence in the numerous compositions of Sūr? Where is that essence in Sūr’s writings? Narasiṃha resides in every pillar, but where is Prahlāda in the pillar of Kādhan? In every pillar sits Narasiṃha Bhagavān, but Prahlāda Jī is not there, Mahārāj. In our country... Karmā was the name of the vāyu, and it is said that Jāṭnī was there. Now, in the village, the villagers were like this: some were Jāṭ, some were Viṣṇoī, and some were Brāhmaṇa, some were Kṣatriya—forget about them too. They belonged to the village, to the rural community. They were not very educated; they had never even touched paper. Like Kabīr, none of them had ever been to a university, nor had they read any book. As he was leaving, father said, "Son, listen, do not let Bhagavān remain hungry; make sure to feed Him." And to feed Bhagavān that meal after father left, khichṛī was prepared and brought. And you all know, we people of Rajasthan eat only when Bhagavān eats. If Bhagavān begins to partake of the prasāda, then we have established a ritual in our home: bring a nine-inch Ṭhākurjī and keep it in a box. Truly, the five-foot Ṭhākurjī has arrived. For as many as you are, they too need a room. You must be watching some other channel; Bhagavān will say, "This is not my channel, put on your own channel." You even end up quarreling with Bhagavān. It will not go away, it will happen. Why press the clothes of Bhagavān every day? Now chant "Oṁ Namassvād." That is why we have placed Bhagavān in the temple through karma; He is already present, in your own home. You yourself do not go to call Him. He is present, ready to come. Where has He gone that He would come? But living with Him is difficult—karma. When he remembered his mother, Narasiṃha was singing the praises of Bhagavān.