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Part 1: The Lotus of the Earth: The Mūlādhāra Chakra The Mūlādhāra Chakra is a beautiful center. I have nothing against it. This is the first milestone between human and animal consciousness. Baccha Rāma, yeh śarīra mandira sāpavana hara mānav upakārī hai, jahāṁ siṁha bana gahe khilone, gāya jahāṁ mā pyārī hai. Jahāṁ savera śaṅkha bajātā, lorī gātī Śyāma hai. Hara bālā Devī kī pratimā, baccha baccha Rāma hai. Baccha Baccha Rāma, jiske sainik samar bhūmi meṁ jāyā karte Gītā hai, jahāṁ khet meṁ halke niche khelā kartī Sītā hai. Jīvan kā ādarś jahāṁ par parameśvar kā dhām hai, har balā devī kī pratimā baccha baccha Rām hai. Baccha baccha Rām, jahāṁ se bhāgya badal ke śram niṣṭhā kalyāṇī hai. The songs of sacrifice and penance are the words of a singer and a poet. The Gaṅgā Jalsā of the world of knowledge is priceless. Abhirama is the statue of Hārabalā Devī. The Mūlādhāra Chakra is a beautiful center. I have nothing against it. This is the first milestone between human and animal consciousness. The first milestone. Let us begin systematically. First, we come to the lotus. In every culture, in every mythology, the lotus has its own place and its own meaning. In yoga or yogic language, we give it the name kamal. This kamal means lotus. Mool kamal, nabi kamal, hirde kamal, kant kamal. Kamal means the lotus. In Indian mythology, we call the lotus very important, and it has great significance. The lotus cannot exist without water; it grows in water, but that kind of water is not so clean. Though the lotus is in the water, it is untouched by water. When we see the lotus, what we call the stem, and you look through there, the stem has small hairs, and though in the water, the water doesn’t come, doesn’t touch the stem. The water is kept away so that oxygen can come. The blossom is always above the water, and beauty is there. Now, this water for us means the worldly ocean. The worldly ocean means māyā. Māyā means illusion. Maya means temptation. Maya means ignorance. Maya means confusion, so this world is full of temptation. This world is full of illusion, and we have to live in this world. Live in this world, but like a lotus flower. Stay above everything. That is a symbol, symbolizing the methodological meaning of the lotus. Be in the world of māyā, but be untouched by this. Always stay above, and always be beautiful, open like the lotus petals. There is one song Indians are singing in their temples, a beautiful song, a bhajan. It is said, my lord, if I have to live in this world, then please let me be like a lotus in the water. Jag mein rahoon to aise rahoon jo jal mein kamal ka phool rahe, like a flower, lotus flower in the water. The beauty of the blossom of the lotus is so beautiful. When it first begins to open, it has such a beautiful blossom. And so, in Indian mythology and in many poetries, spiritual poetry, we call God Kamala Nayana. Kamala means the lotus, Nayana means the eye. His eyes are so beautiful, eyeballs and eyelids are so beautiful, like a lotus blossom. God has such beautiful eyes. Madhuram, everything is beautiful from God, everything is sweet, everything is beautiful. Now, another meaning of the lotus is the unfoldment of the petals. And similarly, that is an unfoldment of the human consciousness through these cakras, through these particular exercises, as an immense joy, happiness appears. The first awakening of the kuṇḍalinī śakti in this chakra is a joy, happiness. There are two kinds of joy. One joy is a temporary, worldly joy. And I say the joy of the joy is the lesser joy than the sorrow of that joy. That is a worldly joy. When joy turns into bliss, happiness, that’s called everlasting happiness. So, the first awakening process in the Kuṇḍalinī is happiness. And when that happiness appears, then appears the knowledge, wisdom. Wisdom means equal vision, the reality. And when the happiness and wisdom are there, then awakens the universal love. Universal love is equal love towards all. That’s called a mother’s love, cosmic mother. Like a mother loves her child. Or, every child, the parents love all their children equally. Similarly, when in our consciousness the universal love awakes, the cosmic mother is gracious to us, and then we have love for all creatures. We love flowers, we love the vegetation. Mahāprabhujī said, "Love each and every entity, if not more, then at least that much as much as you love yourself." So these are the three significant signs of awakening of the kuṇḍalinī: what you will feel—happiness, knowledge, and universal love. Therefore, I’m not afraid about this center. So that’s called the lotus. The lotus has many meanings. Now we have the red lotus, red color. Red color is a color of energy, solid energy, and red color is a color of our planet. Because this chakra is belonging to the earth element, and that’s why the energy, solid energy, dormant energy, which is here, is red. And the red color is a color that belongs to the Divine Mother Śakti, again, energy. And see, the heart devotees, they always have the red spot on their forehead, Divine Mother. This is a mother’s love. So, the red color is a symbol of the energy. This lotus has just opened only four petals, and the four petals here are significant also. Nothing is designed here which has no meaning, and first we have to understand this. Then we can try to awake our kuṇḍalinī, and before you will try to awake it, it is already awakened, if you understand this. Part of the kuṇḍalinī and chakra is very pleasant. These four petals represent the four doors, or four ways, for entering for the soul on this planet, or the life on this planet. One is through the vegetation. The vegetation has life. Second, as a bacterium. Third, like the eggs, like the birds. And fourth, humans and some other animals. These are the four categories of life, how one enters this world. And four petals means the four pillars of human life, for the human consciousness to become successful in your life. The great men, the wise men advise us to achieve four things, work for four things, and this is called Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Mokṣa. Dharma, generally people understand religion, but Dharma is not a religion. Dharma is obligation or principle. Dharma Rakṣita Rakṣita. If you can protect your Dharma, then Dharma can protect you. If you can’t protect your dharma, dharma will not protect you. The dharma of our eyes is to see. If you cannot protect your eyes, your eyes cannot protect you. The dharma of fire is heat. The dharma of your ear is to listen, to hear. Similarly, everything has its meaning or dharma. Dharma of the mother, dharma of the father, dharma of the wife, dharma of the husband, dharma of the four seasons, everything has its dharma, and this dharma should be protected. Therefore, it is said, the human is created by the creator as a protector and not as a distractor, so we are protectors here for this planet. We should not become distractors, but the last 80 years, unfortunately, we humans, out of our greediness, began to destroy our planet. Mahātmā Gāndhī said on this planet, on this earth, Mother Nature has given to everyone enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. And since humans become greedy, we begin to abuse our nature and our planet. Oceans are polluted, rivers are polluted. Lakes are polluted, ponds are polluted, fields are polluted. This pollution is coming out of the human mind, so the most dangerous pollution is the human mind, the mind pollution, mental pollution. So one thing is that we have to awaken in the consciousness of the people to be aware of our environment. One American Indian, a wise man, he said, when the last tree will be chipped off and the last fish will die, Oh man, then you will realize that you cannot eat your money, dollars. We are a protector, so dharma, first develop your dharma. What is your dharma? Then your life will be successful. Artha is prosperity. Humans are civilized beings, and humans have understanding towards others. So you should be able to welcome the guest. You should be able to give someone, the hungry one, the bread. And therefore, the wealth—you should have wealth. Don’t lie only on the beach and say, "I have nothing, and I have nothing." Work. Work is worship. Work in such a way. Work for the environment. Work for world peace. Work for your family. Work for your society. And work on your body to come furthermore. Work, so humans understand what work means. Working is everything. The Earth is working, the ocean is working, the entire universe is working. But we humans should work with our proper intellect and heart together. So, achieve something. Money is not bad. Bad is how you use your money. Therefore, if you have money, you can help many needy people. You can help the environment. You can help the wildlife. You can help in many, many things. So helping hands have more value than folded hands. A needy person comes, and you say, "Sorry, I have nothing." That doesn’t help the needy one. Therefore, artha, you should be able to give someone, a hungry person who comes to your door, a piece of bread and butter. Kāma, this is the fourth. Kāma means to give the birth of such a child which becomes a protector of this planet, a protector of all, the great, the wise. When the child is born, it’s like a raw material in your hand. Now you can form it as you want to form it. So education here means not a school education, but the education of the mother and father. A child needs a healthy relationship between mother and father. A child needs both parents. A child doesn’t need your toys. A child needs your love, and a child doesn’t need your money. He needs your wisdom. And that wisdom, which you can educate your child in such a way. Otherwise, better not to have a child. You give birth to a soul in a human body, and now that child is confused and running and doing such activities which are not appreciated by our human societies. Second, that we are connected to our ancestors until the fourteenth generation. All our ancestors, they are waiting. You have to do the ceremonies, the rituals, to free them from the ancestor world, Pitraloka. It’s called Pitraloka. You have to pay back something. If you will not, then there is no one who will liberate you. So we have to pay back our debt towards five people: mother, father, the elements, the teacher, and the spiritual master. You cannot pay with money. No, you can give billions of dollars, it doesn’t help at all. You shall help with your inner talents. Your mother was carrying you nine months in her body, and she had restless nights because you were hungry in the night and crying, and she who put you from the wet cloths to the dry cloth? You’ve forgotten this? Why? Mother is a mother, and father is a father. Therefore, when the mother needs your help—now you are grown, and she’s old—she needs you. Very important. Think of them. Every child says, "My mother is the best mother." So, which mother is not a good mother? Every mother is a good mother. And finally, mokṣa. Mokṣa means liberation. Human life is given to get liberation from this cycle of rebirth and death. What is a self? What is God? What is knowledge? What is freedom? What is realization? This is everything understood by the human intellect. And therefore, human life is given to liberate. Khana, pina, bhogana, paśubhi param sujan, to eat, drink, and create children, animals are also very active. Oh man, what is different between them and you? It should be a great difference that we should realize Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Mokṣa. These are the four pillars to have a solid human life and a healthy life in social life, everywhere, so that you are independent and you are happy. So these are the four petals, which is what it means. Well, in the very beginning, I spoke about sound, the universe, universal consciousness, the balancing principle as yoga, and the fourth one was the sound, resonance, through which everything is created. And that resonance is still here; in every atom, there is the cosmic sound. In your body, there is also the cosmic sound. And that resonance is what can direct our energy, that resonance can balance our energy, and that resonance can purify our consciousness. Resonance has to be understood. There’s a beautiful instrument, sitar, or a guitar, it doesn’t matter, sitar or guitar. You give it in my hand, and I will try to play. After two minutes, you will say, "Thank you, Swāmījī, it was very nice." The resonance is there. Sound is there. But I can’t understand that, and I have no practice. And give it to someone who is a musician, take a sitar in hand and just touch it once. Oh, such a beautiful sound resonance comes. That is a master work, and that’s a practice. Practice makes a master, or practice makes perfect. It’s only a piece of bamboo. If we blow inside, we have food, food only like this, and who can play? The flute just makes such a sound, we have a meditative atmosphere. So resonance, the sound is still here, but we have to awaken that which is dormant. And so that resonance of these chakras, here we call the mantra, and the mantra is called Laṁ. This is the resonance. Part 2: The Foundation of Consciousness: Mūlādhāra Chakra When you practice Kriya Yoga and receive the techniques for awakening the Kuṇḍalinī, you must utilize the mantra "lam." This is a kriyā—a combination of breath, mudrās, bandhas, concentration, and mantras. The Kuṇḍalinī will then begin to move from its base. It is not an easy process; mantras are the resonance of that particular chakra. You must understand and harmonize with that resonance. If you continue practicing, you will surely be able to awaken your Kuṇḍalinī and your chakras. But you must practice diligently. I tell you, you listen, but if I leave tomorrow and you forget, you will be in the same situation when I return. Today, I will give you some techniques. If you practice continuously, I am sure you will make progress by my next visit. This depends on our destiny or the will of God—whatever you wish to call it. Let us hope we meet again. Man proposes and God disposes. Now, let us come to the beautiful elephant. We have neglected him, and he is already a little sad. So, we must attend to him. Here is a beautiful white elephant with seven trunks. I grew up in a country with elephants and have seen many in Africa, but never one with two trunks, let alone seven. These seven trunks represent the seven minerals, the sapta dhātu, which are crucial for our health—both physical and psychic. Our body, mind, and consciousness all depend on our nutrition and health. This chakra is the earth chakra, the earth element, and Mother Earth provides these seven minerals for a healthy body. In Indian mythology, Gaṇeśa, the remover of obstacles and bestower of happiness, is depicted with an elephant head. The elephant is a potent symbol. To see a white elephant is considered very auspicious; I have seen one only in dreams or meditation. Even dreaming of an elephant is a good omen. The elephant is one of the most ancient creatures still existing on our planet, though they are tragically being killed. The elephant represents everything valuable and auspicious—it is an animal of luck, prosperity, wisdom, and happiness. Its four legs symbolize the four pillars of life: dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. This mighty creature carries the burden of our life and karmas. Here, we also find the principles of Brahmā and Ḍākinī Śakti. Brahmā is the creator, Viṣṇu the sustainer, and Śiva the liberator. As this is the first level of human consciousness where development begins, it is the first milestone of creativity, hence the principle of Brahmā. Brahmā is not merely a human form but represents the creator. Ḍākinī Śakti is present because without Śakti (energy), consciousness can achieve nothing. They must come together for creation to occur. This does not refer to male and female bodies but to consciousness and energy. In the astral or divine form, there is no duality of male and female as we anatomically perceive it. The soul is equal; there is no distinction between a male or female soul. In Yoga, Indian Hinduism, and mythology, both male and female hold equal positions. Unfortunately, over time, the male in physical form began to dominate and suppress female power. However, times are changing, and women are gaining emancipation. This is good, but balance is essential. Sometimes emancipation goes too far, which is not beneficial. When one power tries to rise too high, the other becomes aggressive. There must be a perfect balance between energy and consciousness, male and female. Therefore, when we speak of Viṣṇu, Lakṣmī must come first. For Śiva, there is first Pārvatī. We always say Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Sītā-Rām, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa—the feminine principle is named first. The Upaniṣad says, "Mātṛ Devo Bhavaḥ"—the mother is God, the first one. Of course, the father is also important, but this is what the scriptures emphasize. In a household where the mother—where women are respected—there is harmony. If you do not respect your wife, you will face difficulties. Respect here means recognition, not surrender. Balance is key: the mother has her place, the father has his. This balance is also yoga; it creates harmony in your family. Many people come to me saying their wife does not appreciate their yoga practice or is angry. Many men even fear admitting they attend yoga class. Conversely, many women here wish their husbands were different. The first step is to create harmony. Āyurveda states that the first happiness is a healthy body. The second happiness is a partner full of tolerance and obedience—not like a dog, but through mutual understanding. Without mutual understanding, married life becomes a horror. One man told me that after his wedding, he sat on his sofa and thought, "Now I am a perfect man, a husband." Six years later, sitting on the same sofa, he said, "How stupid I was to marry." Life starts nicely, but disharmony often creeps in. I wish you all a very happy partnership. God bless you with this. Otherwise, life is better lived alone, being your own partner. There is a story of a man meditating alone on a beach. Another man, walking in his garden, saw him and felt pity, thinking he must be lonely. He approached and said, "Good morning, sir. How are you? I thought you were lonely, so I came to speak with you. Are you lonely?" The meditator replied, "Yes, I was one with myself, but since you came here, I’m lonely." After marriage, many feel lonely, exchanging hollow pleasantries. Even animals have happy lives because they follow nature, while humans often do not. My dear, I wish you a very happy married life and harmony. God bless you. The second happiness is ghṛme māyā—having some wealth so you are not dependent on others. When bills for telephone, electricity, gas, rent, and car tickets arrive, you should be able to manage. Work and be independent. Borrowing money often breaks friendships. If you want a lifelong friend, avoid two things: doing business together and borrowing money. If you do borrow, do not ask for it back. If it is returned, good; if not, let it be. Demanding repayment creates differences. In the biography of Leelā Amṛta Mahāprabhujī, there are useful words on the upliftment of human consciousness, detailing what one should and should not do. The third happiness is gṛhe māyā—having a little wealth. Too much wealth makes you float on pink clouds, which is not good. The fourth is putra ājñākārī: children who follow your instructions and love you—happy children. So we have health, partner, wealth, and children. The fifth is a good neighbor. Lucky are those who have good neighbors; many people move houses due to neighbor problems. Now, we come to the Śiva liṅgam. This is a symbol of the universal body, not of male and female, but an attribute of cosmic consciousness residing in the endless universe. Here lies the awakening of Śakti, the first impulse: "eko’haṁ bahu syām"—"I am one, and now I will multiply myself." Near the Śiva liṅga is a snake, coiled three times. Our inner snake, however, is coiled and facing downward. Who dares to awaken it? If you do, it becomes difficult. This snake represents Kāla—time: bhūtakāla (past), vartamāna (present), bhaviṣya (future). The past is a Kāla we do not know. Our destiny lies dormant in the darkness of the unconscious level. We do not know what is there, just as we sitting here do not know what is in the room downstairs. We spoke yesterday about the subconscious, unconscious, conscious, superconscious, and cosmic conscious. The snake symbolizes poison. The most poisonous is the Australian snake; if it bites you, you only have time to make yourself comfortable. This poison represents the unknown—what lies dormant in our unconscious. When the Kuṇḍalinī awakens, you will experience many things and must become the master of yourself. Therefore, before awakening the Mūlādhāra Chakra, we should first awaken the Ājñā Chakra, the third eye, the seat of intellect and consciousness. Then you will understand the process of awakening and the emotions that arise. You can become your own master. Otherwise, you might call me asking, "What should I do now?" or feel the need to see a psychiatrist. Everything has its meaning. What is dormant in our unconscious is unknown. When the Ājñā Chakra awakens and becomes enlightened, it is like turning on a light in a dark room: the darkness vanishes, and everything—table, chair, kitchen, book—becomes clear. In darkness, we are afraid due to ignorance. The snake represents this poison and also the nāḍīs, the channels through which energies move up and down, awakening the energy. Now, there is a triangle in the Mūlādhāra Cakra. The triangle represents energy, transmitting pure, clean, good energy. Consider the pyramid. A man once brought me two small pyramids. He placed a quarter liter of milk inside one and another outside, both at the same room temperature. The milk outside spoiled in two days, while the milk in the pyramid remained fresh for a week. He also had a razor blade he used for a year. After each shave, he placed it in the pyramid, and the next day it was like new. After a year, he said he changed it only out of boredom. This triangle is a downward-pointing triangle, signifying that currently, all energy flows downward. But when the Kuṇḍalinī awakens, this point becomes active, and energy flows through the whole body. This pyramid symbolizes the Mūlādhāra Chakra. The name Mūlādhāra comes from "mūla," meaning roots, and "ādhāra," meaning base or foundation. This is the foundation of human consciousness. As it pertains to the level of human and animal consciousness, the Śiva here is called Paśupati Mahādeva. In Nepal, there is a very ancient Śiva temple by that name. "Paśu" means animal, "pati" means lord—the lord of animals and humans. This Śiva liṅgam symbolizes that Śiva who guides both animal and human consciousness. From here, we can ascend with the Kuṇḍalinī. This is a literal explanation of the Mūlādhāra Chakra. There is much more to say, but our time is short. This center is where our destiny lies dormant. Destiny is the product or fruit of our karma, largely from past lives. Through knowledge, we must purify our destiny and face it in life. Awakening these chakras makes this process easier. Thank you.