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Part 1: The Essence of Devotion and the Test of Surrender Innocent devotees, as always, we dedicate everything at the feet of Sadguru Maharājī and Bhagavān Śaṅkara, offering the Mahā Śiva Purāṇa through kīrtan. It is not so easy for the celestial beings to remember everything—those who composed it, those who spoke the Upaniṣads and Purāṇas, were all recipients of Bhagavān’s grace. They were all recipients of Bhagavān’s grace, or rather, all were established in samādhi. They have heard this, they have written it, and they have listened to it themselves. So what should we do? We are neither established in samādhi nor perhaps have we truly known that grace. Grace is indeed happening, but the heart is not so open that... Therefore, we begin devotion through the name of Bhagavān, through kīrtan, through dance. Bhagavān Himself says for the bhakti sūtra: "Nāhaṁ vasāmive kuṇṭhe, nāhaṁ yoginām, radayam madabhaktā yatragāyanti tatra tiṣṭhāminām." I am neither in Vaikuṇṭha nor among the great yogīs; wherever my devotees sing, there I remain. I am neither in the abode of heaven nor in the heart of any yogī; where my devotees sing, dance, and celebrate for me, I am there first, and therefore I experience this, I witness this. If you ask me about the discourse that has been going on for the past eight days... If you ask me which one exactly, I simply will not be able to answer you. So how can we expect the listeners to remember how many or which stations came? It is not necessary to remember that. So the whole purpose of all the Purāṇas, all the gatherings of Satsang, all the meditation camps is very simple but very important. This is possible; we forget the stories, mantra, and even the names of all the Purāṇas. We have thousands of types of books, thousands of types of Gods and Devatās, and stories and characters, but the purpose is very simple and very clear for all devotees, for all seekers. And that is for the person, that we, for the sake of bhakti, for the person... for the ancient ones, the ancient ones, the ancient ones... Now you will build this temple, you will build this temple within yourself, so very much... The body that we have should become like a hummingbird, so with one hundred percent pure determination, start the kīrtan from the beginning. The kīrtan is the name of Lord Shiva, the pañcākṣara mantra, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. So you can sit closer and chant very loudly. If you are singing bhajan and your thoughts are coming and going, it means you are not chanting the mantra. This is half-hearted. So please do it properly, and properly means just dive into the lake of devotion. In the ocean of bhakti, immerse yourself completely and do not try to swim; don’t try to swim, try to flow. You have seen that one who swims against the flow of the river drowns, and one who floats reaches the destination. So today, with all our prāṇas, we will begin the day with bhakti, with the kīrtan of Bhagavān Śiva and salutations to the feet of the Sadguru. Say, this body is also of Sadguru Maharāj. Dedicated, dedicated... this life of yours is dedicated to you alone. Salutations to Volyadevādhideva Mahādeva, the Lord of the mountains, Har Har Mahādeva. Today’s beautiful stories are about how Bhagavān Paramātmā Śiva blessed his devotee King Bhadrāyu. And one thing to note is that a person who is tested is never ordinary. Just as a guru tests his disciple, for the one who is tested, it is a matter of great fortune. The examination is being conducted like a goldsmith testing gold. A person whose life faces repeated crises, whose life encounters obstacles again and again in auspicious endeavors, or whose Sadguru tests them—understand that they are worthy; only then is their examination taking place. The unworthy are never tested; only the worthy undergo examination. Sometimes we do express complaints—whether to the husband, wife, son, brother, or friend. These complaints are made to our own people; such matters are shared with those close to us, not with strangers. Similarly, Bhagavān, too, tests those whom He considers His own. Yoga-bṛṣṭa, yoga-bṛṣṭa—that is, a person who has never experienced yoga... Once you move towards sādhanā and then descend from that path, there is no word for it other than bhoga-bṛṣṭa; yogabṛṣṭa is a word that applies to one who ascends to great heights, for only such a person faces the risk of falling. Why was Duryodhana not tested? When Mother Sītā came, did she also undergo the trial by fire? Then why did Rāvaṇa not have to face it? Because the test belongs to the one within whom there is truth and reality. Rāja Badrāyū, where Bhadra also means auspiciousness or welfare. There is a word in English, "gentleman," which means a noble man, a civilized person. One meaning of it is Raja Badrāyu. Once, in the month of Vasant, he went to live in the forest with his wife near a Śivalaya. Then Bhagavān tested him—see how He tested them—while they were worshipping Bhagavān Śiva, both the leaf and the wife together. I am narrating to you a story from the Mahāśiva Purāṇa, from the Satṛudra Saṃhitā. A brāhmaṇa couple came to him. When they described him as a host and began to perform worship, at that moment a lion appeared in the forest. It was indeed a lion, as it was called earlier, a lion. Save the man now, save the man—he said this. Now save the lion. See the wondrous play of Bhagavān: the lion came to eat the brāhmaṇa and his wife. The lion came to eat, and the wife was indeed eaten. She kept crying out, "Save me, save me." The king said, "Whoever comes to me, I call them my surrendered ones..." One who has eyes does not need eyes; one whose stomach is full does not need food. A brāhmaṇa says, "My wife has gone; in return, give me your wife." The king replies, "Such things do not suit brāhmaṇas." Contentment destroys suffering; discontentment destroys the twice-born, the brāhmaṇa. One should be content with whatever one attains, but a king should never be content—this is the principle taught by Bhadrāyu. Alright, you have taken a vow before Lord Śaṅkara; now you yourself will become a partaker of sin. I will renounce my body, I will also die, and so will you. You will get hell, Gora, you will go to hell. Your existence will end. Gīrtī Mālinī, to protect her husband’s dharma, dedicated herself to that brāhmaṇa, and today, having resolved firmly, she has become ready to become that brāhmaṇa’s servant and to be his wife. When she becomes the brāhmaṇa’s wife... Now what use is there for me to live? I should not even live anymore. Thinking this, the brāhmaṇa said, "As soon as you take my wife, I will burn myself on the funeral pyre." The king said this, and when the king spoke in this manner, the brāhmaṇa replied, "Even then, with the rising of the sun, your wife will become my wife." See, this is a test—such a thing was said, and the Brahmin could not sleep that night. Hearing this, one is amazed, but the one who experienced it was deeply affected. Bhagavān took such a severe test of His own devotee, and in the morning, he lit a fire himself and, having lit the fire, placed it upon his own funeral pyre. He sat down and said, "Take our wife away, brother." As soon as he lit the fire, Bhagavān Śiva manifested. That Brahmin’s garden was none other than Umā Pārvatī herself, and that garden was my māyā. What is the essence of this story? What is the purpose of this story? What do we offer in the temple of Bhagavān? What do we dedicate to Bhagavān? What exists with us, the entire creation exists with us. Your matter will settle, settle within; something burns inside us. The world is not outside, it is within. A person seems dear to you only as long as they are favorable to you, only as long as they are agreeable. When that person acts contrary... If one is to surrender, it should be to that which is the most supreme in our life. Bhagavān never takes away anyone’s wife, son, or husband from anyone. I earnestly request this from you. But try to unfold the subtle essence of this a little. Should we become mere devotees? The essence of this beautiful story is this. Behave with God as you do with your dearest and nearest ones. Do devotion to God in the same way. Do not buy flowers that are not useful to you. Just as you go to the market and buy a mala or garlands worth two rupees, and yet for Shiva, you think of spending a million or a hundred thousand rupees. They make vows for a million and for one hundred thousand rupees. To you, to you... If Bhagavān is worshipped in India, people say, "Offer a small piece of silver" or "Offer a one-rupee coin," and even then, they want to show it to the world by making it jingle. They say, "Namashivāya," and offer those things to Bhagavān. And how is your heart, your mind? It remains unpurified. First, purify the heart from all evil, then sincerely awaken a passion for the ultimate truth; only then can you truly perceive the ultimate reality. Simply bowing down or performing prostrations will not bring you to the Lord. Let us do Daṇḍavat Praṇām or Pūrā Ṣaṣṭāṅg Namaskār, bowing our heads. The Master is not met by just bowing; what is the use of bowing everywhere if your mind does not bow? Where you repeatedly bow your head in vain and the mind does not bow, the ego remains just as it is. Neither the attainment of Īśvara nor Bhagavān is achieved in such a state, not even once. What have You done, O Bhagavān, and yet remained completely detached from Your duties and actions? Just as the story of the truthful King Harishan illustrates, those who stand firm and true in their duties and actions are like the water of the Gaṅgā flowing behind, always following. Kabīr says, Kabīr, Kabīrā, the mind becomes pure, just as the water of the Gaṅgā flows behind, always following. Kabīr says, Kabīr, Kabīrā. So first, we purify our mind, first our consciousness, and for that, there is satsang. Why is satsang for? To purify the mind. Therefore, purifying the mind is all about this; it is to purify the mind. Through this, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is purified, life becomes a temple. When the mind is purified, the person is transformed, Bhagavān manifests, and the queen... Bestow blessings and boons upon Kīrti Mālinī and King Bhadrāyū. Yati means a renunciant, and the essence of that is the infinite Hari, the endless stories of Hari, and the mother of that infinite Hari, that is, Hari Syo Bhagavān Śaṅkara, from whom Viṣṇu Bhagavān was born. And the countless stories of Viṣṇu Bhagavān exist because, as Mādeva himself says, they are due to Viṣṇu Bhagavān. Mādeva Svem Viṣṇu Bhagavān are speakers and singers who praise the qualities of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, and you will notice that sometimes you might start wondering why Pandījī is singing more and narrating less; such thoughts may arise in the human mind. But see, all our ancient scriptures, all our śāstras, whether it is the Gītā, are all in prose form. They are poetic, not prose, they are meant to be sung; everything is sung. Look at Bhagavān Śiva’s Yatinātha avatāra—it is very beautiful. Once, near a mountain called Arbudācal, which is also known as Abu Parvat, a Bhīl community still lives there today. You will see that a Bhīl named Āhuk used to live there, and his... You will find a greater number of devotees of Bhagavān Śiva because there are no strict rules in the devotion to Śiva. Lord Śiva’s worship is very easy, so in ancient times, a vast number of people were devotees of Lord Śiva, compared to others. Viṣṇu, because Viṣṇu is also a devotee of Lord Shiva, and there is no strict rule to please Lord Shiva, just egolessness and not too many rituals. If you just offer water, you just offer bilvapatra, you just offer a beautiful song and bhajan, you can. Realize you can experience the blessing of Lord Śiva. What is being said is that even Bhagavān is undergoing this trial phase. Until yesterday, the war phase was ongoing; now it is the trial phase. For many years, they reside—Bhagavān Rāma for ten thousand years, Śrī Kṛṣṇa for one hundred and sixteen years and fifty-two days, six months and fifty-two days. Similarly, this... Bhagavān is the very incarnation of that event; what is the use of becoming a yati, what is the use of becoming a sanyāsī? An atithi, an atithi coming to your home, is considered worthy of worship. Merely by touching the lotus feet of the pitṛs, your ancestors, your parents, their parents, and their parents, offer your salutations. Ācārya devo bhava. Complete respect to your master, your gurū, and atithi devo bhava. Start fighting, create a great uproar so that it disperses. In a house where guests do not come, Lakṣmī does not come either. In a house where every day two or five new people arrive, understand that Bhagavān resides there. Bhagavān indeed dwells within you like a God, and you worship Him. What is the tradition in Bhārat? The one we worship as Śiva is the one who first offers the āśana—an auspicious, beautiful, divine, supremely blissful, and lovely seat. You cannot just give a seat; you must clean the ground and then say, "Please sit." Offer them the āśana, then have them perform ācamana and kuḷḷa. Serve them argha, offer them water to drink, and have them take a bath. All these were the traditions of our country and culture. Who knows where it got lost, and not only that, by bowing to them, whether they are young or old, say that we are very grateful to you. There is a difference between our saṃskṛti and sabhyatā. Saṃskṛti is one for the entire human race. Sabhyatā varies slightly. And civilization is different everywhere. But culture... It is the same here. Because culture connects with your soul, and where there is a vice, there arises the need for saṃskāra. There are thousands of vices, but if you ask, Maharaj, to tell the cure for thousands of vices in one vice, then the vice is ahaṅkāra and the saṃskāra is samarpan. The vice is ahaṅkāra and the saṃskāra is samarpan. Surrender means being receptive, and ego means closing your doors and becoming negative towards others. When the guest arrived at the house, their home was so small that only two people could stay. See, the wife said she would stand outside, then the husband... He said that protecting his wife is his dharma, and the forest we live in is full of wild animals; any one of them could eat you. When he told Ahuka, Ahuka left, and at their home, to protect themselves, but due to fate, the hunter became the hunted, the Bhīl became the prey, the Bhīl died. In the morning, when the wife found out... So she too prepares her funeral pyre to become a sati, and when the fire begins to burn, upon the departure of that guest, Bhagavān renounces his ego and serves this sanyāsī. I give you this land so that people will know this place as Achlesh, and in the next birth, he who was the Bhīl named Āhuk. In Naisat Nagar, a letter was sent to Veer, and Maharaj Nal became famous under that name, while Ahuka is known by the name Damyanti. The story of Nal and Damyanti, which is renowned in the Purāṇas, made those names famous. To instruct Nal and Damyanti, Bhagavān Śiva took the incarnation of a swan. Śiva and Pārvatī, like the pair of the swan and the swan’s mate, together impart the teaching of truth and dharma. Bhagavān incarnated twice for Nala and Damayantī, the āhuka and āhukā. Then came the incarnation of Poli Śaṅkara Bhagavān, followed by the incarnation known as Kṛṣṇa Darśana, and a very beautiful Avadhūta. Part 2: The Path of the Avadhūta and the Grace of Śiva The tradition of the Avadhūta, the divine incarnation, descends from Ṛṣabha Deva Jī. Such Avadhūtas have also manifested in our own land. To understand their stories, one must first know what an Avadhūta is. He remains naked or wears only a loincloth. Nityānanda Mahārāj was such an Avadhūta. I will tell you seven stories about him, particularly one from when he was walking naked out of the village of Dhaṛang. In a village in Gujarat, a man frying kachorī and pakorī poured hot oil over the Avadhūta’s back. The body of an Avadhūta is the body of Bhagavān. In the Bhāgavata, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa declares that the saint in this world is His own body. If Bhagavān too requires a body, whose body is it? The body of the saints is the body of Bhagavān. As soon as the Avadhūta crossed from one lane to another, the body of the man who threw the oil was burned, while nothing happened to the Avadhūta’s body. This occurred, dear devotees, due to the law of nature: whoever merges their elements into Bhagavān… He is without form, without qualities; to perceive Him is to perceive the imperceptible, meaning no one can truly perceive Him. Similarly, our revered Avadhūtrī Devapurī Jī Maharāj was also an Avadhūta. An Avadhūta is one who has merged his five elements, five tanmātrās, ten indriyas, and the single mind into the universal soul. The one who lives is the living, conscious Mahādeva. Say it: Param Avadhūtarī Devapurī Jī Maharāj. Such Avadhūtas have neither birth nor death; they are Avadhūta Avatārīs, perfected incarnations. What must be done to meet such Avadhūtas? That is the most important thing. If anyone has their contact, reach out; if you are on the internet, seek what is required. First, there is Haṭhayoga. But how will you practice it? In Haṭhayoga, a key practice is to observe a three-day fast on tulasī in the month of Kārtika. Some also observe Viṣama Pañcaka, consuming only five specific items. For five days, they eat little and drink minimal water to conquer the annamaya kośa. People eat once a day for four months. Yet, to have the darśana of such Avadhūtas, if you take shelter in Haṭhayoga, you will constantly need guidance. For that, you absolutely must… There is no cure for mistakes in science. If you fall ill from weather or food, a doctor may restore you. But if you practice incorrect yoga, if you follow a wrong method, no one can cure you. Only Mahāprabhujī, only Yog Gurus, only Siddha Gurus can help. Therefore, never practice by your own method and never create your own method. Perform only in the presence of the Masters, perform before Gurudev; then it becomes nectar. Then this vidyā is like amṛta; otherwise, it is poison. We know the external, but we do not know the internal. And not the physical part, but the sūkṣma śarīra. Now, Mahārāj, as far as I understand, for those who have jobs or physical work, this path is somewhat difficult. It requires dedicating one’s entire life—your whole life, including household, wife, children, society, and the world. Amidst all this, bhakti has been explained. For such people, the means of bhakti is to simply surrender to your Guru, renounce your ego, and take refuge. At that time, if you keep your vessel ready, it will be filled. Gurudeva śaraṇaṁ—all your songs; one Gurudeva śaraṇaṁ, yours; Gurudeva śaraṇaṁ, ours. Say, "Glory to Sadguru Mahārāj!" Close your eyes for a moment and experience the grace of Sadguru, the blessings of the Avadhūtas, and the grace of innocent Śaṅkara. If we wish to offer thanks or pray, we find countless reasons. Without effort, our eyes see, our ears hear, and speech flows from the tongue. It happens, and the indriyas support us—is this not a miracle? O Lord Śiva, without effort we can listen, see, speak, work, and go everywhere. This is the miracle of the supreme power. Sadāśiva, closing His eyes, to know the Bhagavān beating within the heart—just close your eyes and see, feel it in your heartbeat, in your breathing. Lord Sadāśiva gives you this chance in life and the blessing of all these Sadgurus: Devapurī Jī, Dīp Nārāyaṇa Jī, Mādhvānana Jī, and Avatār Śrī Mahiṣvānana Jī. This is the blessing of Lord Sadāśiva. We have this chance to see the ancient, ancient light… You can open your eyes because beyond the senses lies the realm of Indra, the king named Indra. In the Avadhūta incarnation, Bhagavān imparts knowledge to him. Once, Indra became prideful and came to Kailāsa for the darśana of Bhagavān Śaṅkara. At that time, upon hearing of the arrival of Bṛhaspati and Indra, Bhagavān assumed the form of an Avadhūta, completely naked. When Indra came for darśana, he spoke from ego, calling the Avadhūta durmatī (one of poor intellect), and said, "Hey, how did you come between me and Lord Śaṅkara? I have come only for His darśana." I am not sure if I am one of theirs; I do not know them. But Bṛhaspati recognized that brilliance; here, it was not recognized as Bhagavān Śiva. Bṛhaspati, being a brāhmaṇa, began to praise that brilliance and venerate the form of the Avadhūta. When that happened, even Indra fell at the feet of the Avadhūta and said, "Lord, you do not recognize this." Wearing the attire of an Avadhūta, Karṇa Sindhu and all such people should recite this stotra composed by Bṛhaspati. Why? Sometimes we regard saints as… we fail to recognize the divine and neglect them; therefore, this stotra should be recited. This story is told so that we never commit the offense of failing to recognize Bhagavān and the Guru, and to understand the consequences. By listening, we become free from sin. Bhagavān Rudra said, "I am pleased with you, O Indra. Because of the guru, I grant you this life. One of your names is Jīva. The fire from my forehead’s third eye cannot be endured by the deities; therefore, I now leave you at a distance." As an Avadhūta, performing such beautiful divine plays, the benevolent Bhagavān Śaṅkara withdrew into inner meditation. At that place, the establishment of the Avadhūta Īśvara Liṅga also took place. Similarly, Bhagavān once assumed the form of a Vīkṣuka and bestowed grace upon a prince. The Śiva Mahāpurāṇa narrates that Bhagavān can appear before you sometimes as a Vīkṣuka and sometimes as an Avadhūta. Whatever form He takes, it should be the eye through which we recognize Bhagavān. Bhagavān once took the Sureśvara Avatāra. Listen to this beautiful story of how and why. Upamanyu was the son of Vyāghrapāda Muni and had attained siddhi in a previous life. In this age, he manifested as a muni. As a child, he lived at his maternal uncle’s house. Such was the grace of the ancient deities that even in poverty… You may ask, how is poverty a blessing? Sometimes it is indeed a blessing—ask how. Because sometimes a person remembers Bhagavān in poverty and distress. The scriptures mention four benefits of this. In the Rāmcharit Mānas, what is said about the remembrance of Bhagavān? It is described as happiness. It is said that forgetting Bhagavān is sorrow. Wealth is not truly wealth without Bhagavān; adversity is not truly adversity without Bhagavān. Wealth is the remembrance of the Lord; adversity is the forgetting of the Lord. Indeed, forgetting Bhagavān is sorrow. Secondly, the greatest saying is that Hanumān faces adversity only when he forgets to remember Bājanana. Everyone, shout loudly once! Why are you all sitting so quietly? Say, let Śaṅkara Bhagavān offer you all some tea; you seem lacking in power. If you remember Bhagavān well, nature will be pleased and you will leave happily. Until then, it will keep raining. See, the gods never bring misfortune to poverty or the poor. It is said that forgetting Bhagavān is calamity. Kuntī said that calamity is the forgetting of the Lord. Wherever there is the world, there is the vision of the Lord. O Yakṣa, again, the vision of the Lord. O Bhagavān, why do you give me sorrow? Does anyone ask for sorrow? O Bhagavān, why do you give me sorrow? Why cause sorrow? In sorrow, we remember you, and when we remember you, we find you. Therefore, sorrow is superior to happiness. In sorrow, we recognize who is ours and who is not. In sorrow, our soul awakens. The weaknesses within us are dispelled in sorrow. After sorrow comes happiness. In sorrow, there is the remembrance of Bhagavān. It happens that in sorrow, one realizes who is truly theirs; in sorrow, your soul awakens, and your sins are destroyed. That poor person, due to poverty, would remember Bhagavān. Therefore, sorrow should not be considered wrong, my brothers; sorrow should not be seen as wrong. Sorrow passes away, and so does happiness. Everything passes away, Mahārāj. Repeatedly, I tell my mother—these days people extract milk from soybeans, but you never drank that. Even today, does milk come from seeds or not? It does. So see how ancient scriptures have already described this method. But the son said, "Mother, this is not real milk," and began to cry. What a person gives to Bhagavān Śiva is exactly what he receives. Say it: Our Sadguru Mahārāj says that what you are receiving is precisely what you have given. What has not been given will not be received. If you now want something, what should you do? The essence of life is this: you desire something you do not have. So you say, "Give me that thing." If you say, "I have nothing to give," then you say, "Do bhajan, do yoga, meditate so you can attain that thing, and then you will also be able to give it." Whatever you give is what you will receive. If you insult someone… the insult may reach someone’s ears later, but your tongue reveals it first. So this is the golden glory of dāna, the golden glory of donation. If you want money, donate money. Suppose you don’t have money to donate, then start bhajan. Start sādhanā, upāsanā; then you can earn money, and then you can donate and do what you wish. Otherwise, you come empty-handed and will leave empty-handed. Such great importance of dāna is explained in our śāstras. It is like taking clay, making a śivaliṅga, and offering leaves and flowers. Then he began worshiping Bhagavān Śiva. Bhagavān Śaṅkara is compassionate. When he started chanting the mantra Namaḥ Śivāya, due to Upamanyu’s tapasyā, Bhagavān Śaṅkara became pleased. At that time, Devarāj Indra… If a minor officer says, "I will give you what you need," you might say, "Our work is done, why meet the Prime Minister?" When you worship Bhagavān Śaṅkara, the supreme power, then… near Mathurā on the banks of the Yamunā, you performed tapasyā. At that time, Indra came to bless Dhruva, and Brahmā also came, but Dhruva did not open his eyes. Similarly, many gods came to bless Upamanyu, but Upamanyu did not open his eyes. Bhagavān Śaṅkara came, placed His hand on Upamanyu’s forehead, and said, "O son… For you, I would create thousands of oceans of milk, curd, and honey in this world. Mahādeva has seen you; now every hunger and thirst of my life has been fulfilled." Say, O Deva, the Ādi Deva Mahādeva, Śambhu, bestowed many divine boons upon Upamanyu, anointed his forehead, and to Devī Pārvatī… Pārvatī said, "Consider him your own son," and so Pārvatī Mātā accepted him as her son. This is a beautiful story. Upamanyu was a very poor brāhmaṇa child with no milk to drink, so he cried. The mother had no milk; she requested, "Oh my son, I don’t have milk. If you worship Lord Śiva, He will give you everything; He will fulfill all your desires." Perhaps in our last life, past life, we did not donate milk, we did not donate fruit… If we have not received anything to donate in this life, what should we do? Go into the forest, begin tapasyā, start meditating on Lord Śiva, and chant the mantra Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Upamanyu took initiation from his mother. A mother can also be a guru. But remember one thing: without making someone your guru, no one can attain the knowledge of the guru. So, regarding your tapasyā, about Śiva… He was given many earthly planets and worlds; Śiva, being pleased, presented for him the indestructible, tangible piṇḍī of the Bhūta Kṣīra Sāgara. This Kṣīra Sāgara, in which Bhagavān Viṣṇu resides, is spoken of in the Upaniṣads… But he will not be satisfied; if Bhagavān is satisfied, then the entire prakṛti becomes satisfied, the whole life becomes satisfied. Bhagavān granted him this boon. Upamanyu found Pārvatī as his mother—such is the story of Bhagavān’s compassion and grace. Bhagavān is compassionate, He is merciful, but to receive that mercy, that grace, a person must take two steps. Until we move towards the temple of Bhagavān, Mahārāj, only then does your plea remain unheard. If poverty did not reside in the heart, then in whose heart would your worship dwell? The world of the poor flourishes because of you. Your greatness lies in your compassion for the poor; it is a beautiful verse, just as Tulsīdāsa Jī wrote: "Tu dayālu dīn hai, tu dānī ho bikhārī." This "dīn"—if we present it as being close to Bhagavān and do not extend our hand before anyone else in the world, but instead establish our direct connection with the Supreme Power—nothing could be better than this. This story from the Śiva Mahāpurāṇa is to establish a connection with Bhagavān, to create a relationship with Bhagavān. Let us practice sādhana and upāsanā in our lives and build our relationship with Bhagavān, said Sadguru Mahārāj. Speak of Śaḍguru Mahārāj, the Devādhi Deva Mahādeva; you have countless connections and qualities. When you go to a guru to attain Bhagavān, do not think this is your only connection today. We have lived through thousands of connections; how many times has a human sought Paramātmā? To receive, one must have taken birth, and how many times again and again Bhagavān… This is not just a single connection; it is a deep bond that has existed many times. That is why it is not so… Arjuna, Arjuna… Lord Śiva coming into your life—there should be no distinction between the Guru and Mahādeva. You see, you know that the Pāṇḍavas were devotees of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa; your Pāṇḍavas were devotees of Kṛṣṇa. But when they lost all their property, assets, and kingdoms in gambling, they had to live in the forest for 12 years. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa came and suggested to the Pāṇḍavas to worship Lord Śiva. Part 3: The Grace of Śiva: A Discourse on Devotion and the Somnāth Legend This is the story of that time: once Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave the Pāṇḍavas the consent and idea to perform the ārādhanā of Bhagavān Śaṅkara. He said that Śiva is the destroyer of all sorrows and becomes pleased in a very short time. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says, "Only Śiva is the God from whom you can easily receive many varadāna, many blessings, in a very short time—but it requires your complete devotion." For this, you don’t even need to think that this is the world and this is yoga. You will not see it as materialistic or spiritual; it encompasses both, providing both bhoga and mokṣa. Therefore, it is called the giver of both bhukti and mukti. He is the eternal Bhagavān, the destroyer of the wicked, and the embodiment of the shelter of the virtuous. Upon hearing this, Nandī Śar Byāt Jī speaks, and Sūta Jī speaks to the Saunakādi ṛṣis. Vyāsa Jī heard this beautiful story from Sanat Kumār Jī: Arjuna, leaving his brothers aside, prayed to Bhagavān Śiva. He reached the place where Gaṅgā Māyā is called Jāhnavī, where Gaṅgā Māyā emerges from Gaumukha. Arjuna is seated there. Today, that mountain is called Indra Kīla Parvata. Arjuna performed his sādhanā there. As I have told you, this is the section of the test, in which Bhagavān Śaṅkara is tested. God Śaṅkara also tests His devotees there. Arjuna came to fight, and Arjuna wanted to kill him but could not. Now Bhagavān himself comes and rescues the mute deity, taking the form of a well-educated Bhīl in the guise of Kirāta. Arjuna thinks that he has killed him, but Bhagavān, invoking the name of Śiva, is actually contending with Śiva. Remembering the feet of Bhagavān Śiva, the power is being directed towards Him, and you see that this power is also increasing. Here lies the mystery of the name of Bhagavān. This is the mystery of the God, the name of the holy God. You must have seen in the Rāmcharitmānas and Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa that when the bridge, that is the setu, was being built over the ocean, everyone wrote the name of Rāma and filled the letters with it. Rāma said, "Everyone is doing it, let me do it too." He also wrote the name of Rāma on a leaf and placed it, but the leaf sank. Everyone said, "What is this?" Bhagavān Rāma Himself began to worry that the protective letter He had given had sunk, and His devotees, taking His name, were trying to keep the letter afloat. Hanumān Jī said, "Mahārāj, whatever you let go of, how will it float? The one you hold onto will attain liberation; the one you let go will surely be lost in this ocean of existence." Here, the distinction between aham (ego), bhakta (devotee), and parādhīna (dependent) is discussed. Yes, the scriptures say, and Bhagavān says, "I am under the control of My devotees," just as a cow is under the care of her calf. Parents are also bound by the love of their children. Similarly, Bhagavān is bound in the love of His devotees. Maybe one can forget God, but God... We will never forget that devotees never forget Bhagavān; they cannot forget Him. Mahārāj, see, when Bhagavān Śaṅkara manifested there, Arjuna began to weep, and so much so that Arjuna was made His student. Arjuna became the disciple of Lord Śiva and learned the art of archery. Among the Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna became the foremost; among the archers of the world, Arjuna became the best. And here, Arjuna worshipped Bhagavān in the form of Kirāta and practiced his devotion. It was there that Pināka-manī Bhagavān accepted Arjuna as His disciple. In form, they have been granted many boons, many such boons. To be victorious in this battle, we must take refuge in Bhagavān Pināka Pāṇi, Bhagavān Āśutoṣa Mahādeva. We must surrender ourselves at the feet of Bhagavān Śiva. Only then is it possible for us to conquer and win the Mahābhārata of the world. A very beautiful episode has now come in the Mahāsyu Purāṇa, which describes the twelve Jyotirliṅgas. These twelve Jyotirliṅgas of Śaṅkara Bhagavān are mentioned in the Mahāsyu Purāṇa of the Bhāgavata. We bow to these twelve Śaṅkara Bhagavān Jyotirliṅgas. Regarding these Jyotirliṅgas, leaving aside the Jyotirliṅgas, even in local temples... Even if you go, you might have to stand in line. Let me tell you something about bliss, something delightful—that you all can partake in the devotion of Ādeva by experiencing your bhakti and love. Come with the abhiṣeka, O Bhagavān Siṅg Sivajī. Before describing the twelve Jyotirliṅga avatāras, let us invoke them by their names. Namaḥ Śiva Namaḥ Śiva... Speak of Bhagavān Somnāth when today there are Manu, Manu’s form, birth, and divinity—these were three maidens. The dispute of Prasūti was with Dakṣa Prajāpati, who was born from the thumb of Brahmājī. The dispute of Dakṣa Prajāpati’s twenty-seven daughters was with the Moon. Therefore, the Moon loved his wife Rohiṇī more, and he could not give love to his other wives like Revatī. Because of this, Dakṣa Prajāpati forbade him. Dakṣa Prajāpati tried to explain to him, but he did not listen, as he was an ardent devotee of Bhagavān Śiva. The second reason for their anger was that he was a devotee of Śiva, but they needed some reason to exile and torment him. So, Dakṣa Prajāpati cursed Chandra, which caused him to suffer from six diseases, and this too is after astrology. If your moon is disturbed in your horoscope, you will suffer from all diseases related to water and blood, such as skin diseases and the six ailments in which the body gradually stops functioning completely, though death cannot occur due to the moon. Because the moon had consumed the poison during the churning of the ocean, but the moon was afflicted with such a terrible curse that even the order of creation was disturbed. The gods like Brahmā and others began to contemplate, realizing that what the moon did was also not right. But what Dakṣa did was absolutely not right. The jāmā, meaning the daughter’s husband, is highly revered and respected. This is the culture we learn from the ancient scriptures of this country. Now see what happened with the moon’s sister-in-law, whom we call... Rohiṇī’s sister was also a satī, and her sisters all went to the ṛṣi munis; everyone approached Ṛṣi Mārkaṇḍeya. You have become immortal and eternal; among the seven chirañjivīs, you are the eighth—Mārkaṇḍeya Jī. Rāja Bali, Kṛpācārya Jī, Paraśurāma Jī, Aśvatthāmā, Hanumān Mahārāj, Vibhīṣaṇa—whoever takes Mārkaṇḍeya’s name early in the morning, if you chant the mantra when you wake up on the bed, you will attain full longevity; no sudden death will occur. So remember this mantra. If you ask, we will also provide it in writing: yajā mahe śugandhim puṣṭi vardhanam urvār kamiva bandhanān mṛtyor vakṣhi yamā mṛtāt. Now, when some people practice this, they say it as Oṁ Hauṁ Juṁsāḥ, Oṁ Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ, Tryambakaṁ... Kāṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi vardhanam, urvārukamiva bandhanān, mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt, svāhā. Oṁ Hauṁ Juṁsāḥ Oṁ — this is also done in this manner. Some people simply chant Oṁ Hauṁ Juṁsāḥ, just this much. One should do as Gurujī has instructed. Oṁ Hauṁ Juṁsāḥ is its bīja. Hai Oṁ Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ is also a bīja of this mantra. They practiced this mantra for five years, and it is not merely for increasing lifespan. Here, it is said, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya, just as we discard our old clothes. The ātman abandons this body when it becomes old; here, the body has no desire to remain alive. The body remains only because, in ignorance, we have not truly known the body. Mahādeva, this time your mantra has purified the body. Now, with the body we receive, we will engage in your sādhana and upāsanā. The essence of protecting the body through mantra is this: O Bhagavān, please grant us age so that we can watch the Olympic matches; for that, age is not required. We need long age for worship, for bhakti, for the practice of meditation. Someone asked Patañjali, "You have written so much about samādhi pāda, vibhūti pāda, kaivalya pāda, sādhana pāda, Patañjali Mahārṣi." Twenty thousand years before Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Mahārṣi Patañjali appeared in our country, who said that thousands of years before him, the body is not meant to be beautiful for walking on a fashion ramp; the body should be beautiful to offer to Bhagavān. I will make my body like a rose flower and offer it to Bhagavān. I will make my body as a beautiful... If the body is not healthy, if you are sick, then I will surrender my flower. We need a healthy body for bhakti, and we need a healthy mind to understand spirituality, to comprehend the message of the masters. We need a beautiful body for this reason. In Marwari, there is a very beautiful verse that I presented at Gurujī’s feet on the first day: "Make me a companion of the solvars, have mercy, make me a companion of the solvars." O Master, please accept me as your disciple when my age is sixteen years. That time I am pure, I am beautiful, and I am full of energy. Do not feel bad—when you cannot eat bread with your relatives, when you cannot even get up and go to the kitchen, then how will you reach Bhagavān? That is why it is said here that we should offer sūman to Bhagavān, offer flowers—that is, sūman, a beautiful mind, jewels, jewels. This body, this radiant jewel, a body like a diamond, a jewel, a human body, a jewel in human form, such beautiful things—if you come, come alive, come even as a corpse, even if you come as ashes, I will embrace you. If you come as ashes, I will still accept you. Just come once. Just surrender to me once, Bhagavān says. That is why before the destruction of the viśuddha cakra, his life ended here; only this much of the moon remained. Then Bhagavān Śaṅkara manifested and by merely touching him, he was healed. There are two types of dīkṣā: mantra dīkṣā and sparśa dīkṣā. Mantra dīkṣā is when the guru whispers the mantra into the ear, and sparśa dīkṣā is when the guru imparts it through touch. When Swāmījī Vivekānanda went to Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa, and Vivekānanda asked, "Sadgurū, have you seen Bhagavān?" Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa replied, "You want an answer." When Bhagavān said, he took Bhagavān into the room and placed his feet on the chest above the heart, and entered samādhi. What is the way to give samādhi? Tell him, come, sing with me, come, close your eyes for a moment, come, let me embrace you with my heart, let me make you feel through love that... The deluded self is nowhere; it is hidden within love. Hari is all-pervading everywhere. When the Guru touches you, when your Gurudev’s body touches you, you become blessed. Therefore, one of the beautiful names of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is "Vikhana Sārthito Viśva Gupthe Sakha Udehimān Sātvataṁ Kula Gopyo." The response given is that you are not famous merely by the name of Kṛṣṇa, nor are you simply the son of Nanda Bābā, or just the son of Nanda Bābā. Do not remain in this illusion of "I am this," "I am that," even if you do not know your own name. Still, wherever there is life, the meaning of life itself is Paramātmā, Paramātmā. If there is no life, then there is no existence at all; that is why Paramātmā grants life. He has also given life to the moon, and so I will tell you the story of the Somnāth, that is, the temple of the moon, tomorrow. There was so much wealth and prosperity that someone came from Arabia to loot the temple of Somnāth. The Somnath temple was the richest temple in ancient India, and even today Somnath is not a poor temple. Just a few days or months ago, we read in a newspaper or... Listen to the news: a lot of money has been found in South India, in the Padmanābha temple. Because where God is, there is no problem of money. Lakṣmījī is His consort. It is not like that; where the money comes from and where it goes, only Mahādeva knows. In the realm of Bhagavān, there is no shortage of money. Where there is a lack of money, understand that Bhagavān is not there. So Bhagavān came to Somanāth, touched the moon, and when he touched it, its radiance would not fade. Come, let me place it on your forehead. Bhagavān placed the moon on the forehead, and it became the moonlight. This is the Somanāth Bhagavān. Bhagavān says that on one side... You, your art will be taken away, and on the other hand, by continuously worshipping B and Somnāth, any kind of disease like chhāyā and koḍ is eradicated. Any deformity or disease related to the body is also destroyed. There, they have also created the Chandra Kuṇḍa, in which Śiva and Varma eternally reside. Because whose son was the moon? Atri Ṛṣi and at Atri Ṛṣi’s place, the moon is the incarnation of Brahmā’s power. Yesterday you listened to the story, maybe you remember or not, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheś went to Atri Āśram to take the exam of Mātā Anasūyā. And then they give the Vardhana to Mātā Anasūyā; Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheś were born from the womb of Mātā Anasūyā. They went to take the test, but having tested themselves, they returned. Who has won over Bhagavān? The devotee alone is victorious because seeing the devotee happy brings even greater joy to Bhagavān. Even Bhagavān surrenders before His devotees; He is the mother and father of the world. The moon, being healthy, begins to take care of its old duties, and the distinctions that arise in their minds—that is, if there is discrimination in our minds, then deformity will manifest in our bodies, such as the dark circles that form under our eyes. But the grace of the skin diminishes, and there is only one reason for that: we discriminate. If there is discrimination, it is the fault; it is our own... our own, as our people say, our people say... They say, if you ignore him, you invite old age; you invite that time of old age. And when you are in the samavasthā, when you are in a state of normalcy, you neither attract nor repel—this time is the samavasthā, this is the samatā. And this is part of niyama, yama, niyama being the second step of the aṣṭāṅga yoga. So never criticize what is unbeautiful; beauty is a part of this nature, and ugliness is also a part of this nature. We do not have the right to say this is bad or this is good. Just see, just watch, and just accept everything. If you do not like ugliness, then let the beautiful aspects of ugliness fly in life, because ugliness is also the other side of the coin of form. In the world, all around us, sometimes we see ugliness—when we see an old person, when we see someone helpless, when we see a beggar. Yes, and when we begin to consider it as possession, then we have taken that thing within ourselves. Never do this. Ādi Gurudev Bhagavān Śaṅkara Himself manifested and said that what you call possession is still a part of My nature. Therefore, when we conquer the five elements, then form... Whoever is to be conquered, accept all forms—sight, taste, smell, sound, touch—all forms are created by Bhagavān. All of you listen to a beautiful bhajan dedicated to Bhagavān Śiva, seeking his refuge. On behalf of Chandra, there is a special offering to Pulī Śaṅkara Bhagavān. Tomorrow at 9 o’clock, there will be a Rudra Abhiṣeka. You are all welcome to attend the Rudra Abhiṣeka. Only a few days of Śrāvaṇa remain. Chant the Mahānāth prāṇava three times.