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Bharat Mata - Mother India

Authentic spiritual essence transforms the intellect and calms destructive anger.

A sage sought a title through ambition, not grace. Anger is a demonic fire consuming oneself and others. That sage, consumed by this fire, plotted murder. Overhearing his desired praise spoken freely, his anger shattered. He confessed and surrendered his lifelong penance as a gift. In return, he was offered one minute of satsang. Deeming this unjust, they sought a divine verdict. The test was to make the earth pause. The accumulated penance could not halt the earth, but the question regarding the fruit of one minute of satsang did. Practice from a true source outweighs all theory.

"Anger is a sleeping snake; one never knows when it will awaken."

"The earth did not stop due to the penance of 62,000 years. But it stopped because of one minute of satsang."

Filming location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

If something is authentic, its essence is unmistakable. That same amṛtatattva, that knowledge, that divine light, a part of it certainly manifests. Therefore, it is said that by partaking of that special kheer in the morning, even one spoonful—in English, it is not the quantity but the quality. So, the thing must be real. Thus, the person who receives that kheer is considered fortunate. It leads to great development of intellect. What we call Kubuddhi (bad intellect) also becomes Satbuddhi (good intellect). It is said that once the sage Viśvāmitra thought, "I must attain the status of a Brahma Ṛṣi." In that endeavor, he sought it through kings and their gurus. Vasiṣṭha Muni was the guru of King Daśaratha, the preceptor of the Sūryavaṁśa lineage. Viśvāmitra was very eager for Vasiṣṭha to confer upon him the title of Brahma Ṛṣi. But Vasiṣṭha Muni gave no answer. The anger of a person—that anger is a thief; it will loot us right at our doorstep. Anger is a sleeping snake; one never knows when it will awaken. Anger is a kind of fire that burns and destroys. Among the many types of Agni—Krodha Agni (the fire of anger), Jñāna Agni (the fire of knowledge), Havana Agni (the fire of sacrifice), Viraha Agni (the fire of separation), Citta Agni (the fire of the mind)—Krodha Agni is such that it is called Rākṣasa (demonic). A rākṣasa only drinks the blood of others, but Krodha drinks the blood of both oneself and others. Therefore, one who gives up krodha becomes truly blessed. Thus, despite performing immense penance, a great sage like Viśvāmitra had his work stolen by greed. It is said that Viśvāmitra killed the sons of Vasiṣṭha Muni. Many such incidents show how vast greed can be. One day, on the night of Śarad Pūrṇimā, Vasiṣṭha Muni and his wife Arundhatī went to the satsaṅg of a sage whose hermitage was far from their own. At night, after an hour of satsaṅg, Arundhatī and Vasiṣṭha Muni were returning. Viśvāmitra learned that Vasiṣṭha had gone to a satsaṅg. Knowing the path of his return, Viśvāmitra sat waiting with a bow and arrow. "I will kill him because I am not getting the status of Brahma Ṛṣi. I want to hear from his own mouth that he should call me a Brahma Ṛṣi." See how vast greed and ambition can be. As they say, some people detonate a bomb themselves. They know they will die, but they say, "I will die, but I will kill others." We say, "Save me, save others, and you too will be saved." As Vasiṣṭha Muni and Arundhatī were walking, the moonlight of Śāradā Pūrṇimā was exquisitely beautiful—neither hot nor cold. Nature was serene. Arundhatī said to Vasiṣṭha Muni, "O Ṛṣi, today the moonlight is so beautiful, so pleasant." Vasiṣṭha Muni replied, "O Devī, today the pure light of the Śāradā Pūrṇimā moon is as if the Brahma Ṛṣihood of Viśvāmitra himself." When Viśvāmitra overheard this—that Vasiṣṭha Muni was considering him a Brahma Ṛṣi—he was stunned. "And I am doing this?" He threw down his bow and arrow. Vasiṣṭha Muni, sensing someone hidden, approached and found Viśvāmitra behind a bush. Viśvāmitra fell at his feet. "Forgive me, Vasiṣṭha Muni. This is what I wanted to hear from your mouth—that you should once call me a Brahma Ṛṣi. Because you did not say it, I committed such and such acts, I stole, I did this and that. I was sitting here to kill you. But this one word of yours has pacified my ego and quelled my anger." So, this light of Śāradā Pūrṇimā, God's light, calms anger, purifies the intellect, keeps it pure, and can even increase one's lifespan. Viśvāmitra then said to Vasiṣṭha Muni, "O Munīśvara, you have done me a great favor. I am not angry with you. I have been meditating upon you for 62,000 years. Whatever merit has accrued from this meditation, I offer it all to you, Vasiṣṭha Muni." Vasiṣṭha Muni smiled and said, "O Ṛṣi, I will give you one minute of satsaṅg." Consider this: one minute of satsaṅg—what is the benefit of attending satsaṅg? What do we gain? We gain that one minute. Upon hearing this, Viśvāmitra became angry. "Why this injustice? I have given you the fruit of 62,000 years of penance, and you give me just one minute? Is my tapasyā (austerity) and this satsaṅg so vastly different?" The sage said, "Let us go and ask God." They went to Śiva. Śiva said, "Go to Viṣṇu." They went to Brahmā. Brahmā said, "Ask Nārada." Nārada said, "Go to Viṣṇu." Viṣṇu said, "I cannot answer this question. The answer will be given by my Śeṣanāga. If you go to Śeṣanāga, he will tell you the truth about the difference between penance and satsaṅg." Both sages went to Śeṣanāga. Wherever Śeṣanāga was present, they joined their hands in prayer. Śeṣanāga said, "Welcome. Such great sages have come to me today. I am truly blessed. What service can I perform for you? I have nothing to offer, and I bear the burden of the entire earth upon my head. How can I serve you?" Viśvāmitra said, "Give us a verdict on this: what is the difference between satsaṅg and tapasyā?" Śeṣanāga asked, "Tell me, what happened?" Viśvāmitra explained, "I offered him the fruit of 62,000 years of penance, and he asked me for one minute of satsaṅg. I agreed to give him one minute. This is not fair." Śeṣanāga said to Viśvāmitra, "O revered Ṛṣi, you are highly respected. Please do one thing; I will answer your question clearly. But what can I do? The earth's burden is on my head. If you can, please ask the earth to stop for a moment." Viśvāmitra replied, "This earth is sustained by the merit of my 62,000 years of penance. I have not yet fully transferred that merit to the Ṛṣi. I give you that meditative power. Please bear the burden for a while." The earth did not stop at all under that penance's power. Then Śeṣanāga opened his eyes and asked Vasiṣṭha Muni to speak. Vasiṣṭha Muni said, "O Pṛthvī Mātā, please tell us, how great is the fruit of one minute of satsaṅg? O Pṛthvī Mātā, if satsaṅg yields a certain fruit in one minute, then inform us." Pṛthvī Mātā paused for a moment and stopped. Śeṣanāga, who had been holding his head up for many yugas, moved his neck slightly, adjusted his posture in Sarvāṅgāsana Yoga, and said, "I am very thankful to behold both of you Ṛṣis." Viśvāmitra said, "If you have an answer, please give your judgment. The earth has stopped." Śeṣanāga declared, "I have received the answer, O Mahārāj. The earth did not stop due to the penance of 62,000 years. But it stopped because of one minute of satsaṅg." Thus, it is said that thousands of theories, hundreds of tons of theories, are nothing compared to a single gram of practice. That practice which comes from a Brahmaniṣṭha, a Śrotriya, a Satguru Dev. My dear brothers and sisters around the world, good evening. Blessings are coming to you from holy India, from the beautiful city of Jaipur, at the Viśvadīp Guru Kula Ashram. As you know, I have just arrived in India. Here, the climate is beautiful—neither hot nor cold. Many devotees are waiting for satsaṅg. I will be with you a few times via webcast. India, Bhārat, is undoubtedly known as the cradle of culture, a holy land. If you believe in the incarnations of holy saints, they have all incarnated in India. Why? That you must ask yourself. That is the Divine Mother. There are many countries you refer to by name, but there is one country we call Bhārat Mātā. Do you call America Mātā or China Mātā? Across the whole world, only one country is known as Bhārat Mātā. This Bhārat Mātā is the mother who gave birth to millions of great saints and holy incarnations. As someone said, that is the introduction to Holy Bhārat. We are very fortunate. I would like to introduce our dear sister sitting beside me. She is a great social worker, akin to Mahātmā Gandhījī. You can imagine which part of India she is from—Rajasthan. Rajasthan is that place in India where even the stones are considered holy. You will find them in every temple. Here sits Sumitrā Siṅghjī. She has been elected many times as an MLA and has held a ministerial position. Today we are very fortunate that she has visited our ashram. She is a greatly learned person. You know, I received an invitation to write for the United Nations about the problems women face worldwide, how to protect them, and the position of women in our society and culture. Culture exists where humans are, and humans exist where culture is. Every human carries their culture around the world, and if we trace it deeply, much of it originates from India. That is why India is known as the cradle of culture. I believe our dear sister will give you more insight into Indian culture and the Indian family system. Thank you. Sumitrā Siṅgh, the floor is yours. Now it is my good fortune to meet Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Īśvarjī today. Mahārāj has just told us that the union of saints is greater than penance. You must have read much about this: Sant milan, Hari kathā, durlabh jag meṁ doi. Sut, dārā, aur Lakṣmī, pāpī ke bhi ho. Santon kā milnā, aur Hari kathā sunnā, yeh doi durlabh bāteṁ hain. Bākī, strī, bache, aur paisā to sab ke pās hotā hai. Sut, dārā, aur Lakṣmī. Pāpī ke bhi, pāpī ke bhi hotā hai. I once saw something I liked very much: Ek ghaṛī, ādhī ghaṛī, ādhī meṁ puni ādh, mile sant ke kate koṭi aparādha. Today we have met such a saint that the merit (puṇya) obtained from meeting him is immense, as one should desire. I just read what Mahārāj wrote about the mother. All of you heard it a short while ago. It is written in the Mahābhārata that when the Pāṇḍavas were walking in exile (Agyatvās), they became thirsty. Yudhiṣṭhira said, "Brother Nakula, you are the youngest. Go and see if there is water, then bring some." Nakula climbed a tree, heard the sound of birds and rustling trees, and found a river. A voice from the river said, "Answer my question before drinking the water. Otherwise, you will not remain alive." Nakula, overcome with thirst, drank the water and fell dead there. Afterwards, Yudhiṣṭhira sent Sahadeva, then Arjuna, then Bhīma. All of them went, drank the water, and died. Finally, Yudhiṣṭhira himself went. The same voice came from the lake. The yakṣa was not visible; it was the lake of a yakṣa. The voice said, "Answer my questions. If you do not, you will meet the same fate as your brothers." Yudhiṣṭhira said, "Ask." The first question the Yakṣa asked was, "Who in the world is greater than the earth?" Yudhiṣṭhira answered, "The mother who is greater than the earth." Just as the earth is all-powerful—today they run bulldozers over it, dig wells, do all sorts of things, yet the earth makes no complaint—similarly, a mother endures much for her children but never tells anyone what she has done for them. She cleans their filth and does everything for them. So, the mother is greater than the earth. That was the answer. The Yakṣa asked twenty questions in total. I do not remember all twenty, but I remember four that I liked most. The second question was, "Who is higher than the sky?" The answer: the father, who is higher than the sky. For the way a father provides for his children, ensures they are well-fed and cared for, he himself looks after them well. The third question was, "What is the nectar (amṛta) in the world?" The answer: cow's milk. The last question I recall being asked was, "What is the greatest wonder in the world?" He said, "The wonder is death." Everyone knows that one day we must die; we must leave this earth. Yet, through lying, deceit, and sin, no human seems to fear anything. He does everything, knowing that nothing will go with him and he must die, and even his name will be erased afterwards. Even then, he does all these things. If that is not a wonder, then what is? Speaking of the mother, she is the child's first teacher. She is the first teacher. The values she instills, the way she cares for the child—she is the first teacher. That is why Jijabai made Śivaji a brave person, one who could speak with conviction and eloquence. Nowadays, as Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Jī Mahārāj was saying, in our new Indian culture, it is the mother's duty today, and the mother does just that. But we have gradually adopted Western culture. Because of that adoption... The right thing is that Tulsidāsjī has written eternal truths. He has written many things which are eternal truths; they have not yet become false. But one thing he wrote—Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Jī will forgive me, I am speaking according to my own intellect—one thing he wrote: "Karma pradhāna viśva rachirākhā, jo jasa karahu tasā phala chākhā." That this world is fundamentally governed by karma. If you do good deeds, you get good results; if you do bad deeds, you get bad results. But I say, looking at today's times, after winning elections nine times and observing the world... I say this because if you have stolen money, earned black money, and then said, "Here, brother, take this," offering a bribe of 5 crore rupees to settle a tax case, you face no case. The money is gone, but you face no legal problem. If you are driving a car and meet with an accident where a man dies, you might say, "Yes, I have a license. Here, take five lakh rupees and say I was driving." The maximum sentence under section 304A is six months, and to date, I have not heard of anyone being punished. I am telling you, it does not happen. So you give five lakh rupees, and nothing happens to you. No case is filed; you are acquitted for five lakh rupees. That is why I say that in the Kaliyuga happening now, it is said that you reap what you sow, you get good results for good deeds. Although Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Jī should not have this said, he might not like what I am saying, but I am telling the truth. Today it has become like this. That is why I feel this way. I was saying that the mother is the one who instills values in the child. Bhāratīya saṁskṛti jo hai, kisi bhī deś kī pehchān wahāṁ kī saṁskṛti hotī hai. Aur sanskriti kī sambhālak nārī hotī hai. Maa hoti hai, naari hoti hai, sanskriti ki sambhālak, madha ek dosre se sanskriti ko aage se aage badhane ke liye, maa apne bachche ko batati hai, aur bachchi uth sanskriti ko aage continue karti hai. Our culture is so great that because of it, people came to India. Mughals came, the British came, they ruled here, but they could not erase the culture. Our culture remains the same. That is why Iqbal wrote: "What is the matter that our identity does not vanish? Our Yunan, Misr, Roma vanished from where?" This is our culture, our Indian culture, because of which we are alive even today. There was a time when our women were so important and respected that it is said, "In the country where women are respected, deities are worshipped." But when the Mughals came, our Nārī (woman) was no longer in the same state as before. That is when you saw your Devī-Devatā. First comes the name of Nārī, then comes Rādhe Śyām, Rādhe Kṛṣṇa. First comes Sītā, then comes Rāma. Sītā Rām. No one says Rām Sītā. Sītā Rām. First comes Nārī, then comes Puruṣa (man). In our culture, Nārī is very important. In the form of Nārī as mother, as sister, as wife, in the way she performs her duties in society—that very culture has kept us alive. In Indian culture, I understand that certain practices are essential. What should a good householder (sadgṛhasthī) do, as per the Mahābhārata? And the householder who follows this, that is our culture. First, he sets aside time from his daily life for chanting mantras, performing pūjā, and meditation. He is completely devout in all this. Even if he does not wish to do meditation, pūjā, or chanting, he will still reflect for 15-20 minutes: "Why did I come to this earth? What is my duty? Am I fulfilling my duty towards society? Am I fulfilling my duty towards my family? After all, what is it?" If he contemplates this, he will remember, "What is my duty? I should fulfill it." This is the first point. The second point is that knowledge is infinite; it is never complete. Therefore, a person should keep reading until the last moment of life. Our books, our scriptures, are the best companions. The knowledge we gain from them is not attained through casual talk. Hence, until life's last moment, a person should keep studying and remain a learner so that his knowledge keeps increasing. After this, to keep the environment balanced and in a natural state, we should feed birds daily. These birds are of great use; they purify our environment and are beneficial for everyone. When a farmer plows, you can see behind him many small birds, like sparrows and white wagtails, following. The small insects that come out of the ground, they eat them all. So they are very useful for the farmer; they are living beings. The air from a pigeon's wings is said to cure paralysis. We give grain to pigeons because the pigeon is a living being. So we should feed these birds. Then they spoke of the great importance of the cow. A person should keep a cow in his lifetime. For they said, what is nectar in the world? Cow's milk is nectar. Therefore, every household should also keep a cow. Then, you should first bow to those older than you and those wiser than you. This is also part of our Indian culture—we bow to our elders first. Apart from that, you should bow to your guest. The person who comes to your house is your guest, and he is like God. You should honor him in every way as God. Atithī Devo Bhava is our principle. Along with Atithi Devo Bhava, you should never think ill of any person, be it your neighbor or anyone else. You should not think harmful thoughts or that something bad will happen. A person should be able to live this way. I understand these are the tenets of Indian culture. Because of all these things, our culture is said to be the world's teacher in the spiritual field. And these are the reasons why India is recognized today. That is why all these people from outside have come here. There are no twelve seasons like ours. We have six seasons (Ṛtus). There are no six seasons anywhere else. There are only two seasons there—either winter or a little heat. In India, these festivals—they don't have such festivals elsewhere. They have only one festival, a "big day." That's it. In the West, one festival is a big day. Here, sometimes it is the third, sometimes it is our Dīvālī, sometimes our Holī, sometimes something else. This is our culture. And because of this culture, Bhāratavarṣa still has so many people who have come here regularly. They came and ruled in every way, they suffered losses, but Bhāratavarṣa is still in its present form. Even today, it continues to make its mark on the world. With these words, I would like to end my talk by expressing my gratitude to all of you, by bowing to all of you, and by expressing my gratitude to Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Jī. I don't know what I would do without you. Sari aari baat pihar mein ke ta ja jo ji, so na jaisi pili padhi ji. Log batawe rog... Rog dog mar kuche nahi hai, Sant milan ka jog mara. God bless you, God bless you, God bless you... So now, for everyone's information, our Brahmacārī, Ācārya Purījī, will recite some Vedic mantras. Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ. Hari Om. Om Ghanānā Antvā Ghanapati Gumhavā Mahe Kavin Kavinamu Bhamash Nodiviśit Sadhanam Śrī Mahā Ghanapati Enamahan Praṇodevī Sarasvatī Vāchīr Bhir Vāchinīvatī Dhīnamavitriyāvatu. Anodivo Priyatav Parvatādā Sarasvatī Yajadāgantu Yajñam Vāgdevīyayinamaham. Śire Raṅgay Suṣṭu Vāgum Śāstanubhi Viśevadevāhi. Svastināpuṣā Viśvedāḥ. Svasthi Niṣṭhā Rakṣoḥ Ariṣṭa Nemī. Svasthi Nobre Aspatir Dadātu. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Oṁ Namaste Gaṇapataye, tumheva pratyakṣaṁ tattamasi. Tumheva kevalaṁ kartāsi, tumheva kevalaṁ dhṛtāsi, tumheva kevalaṁ hartāsi. Tumheva sarvaṁ kalpitam ramhasi, tvaṁ sākṣāt ātmāsi nityam. Ṛtaṁ vachmi, satyaṁ vachmi. Avat tumhaṁ avvaktāraṁ avvaśotāraṁ avvadātāraṁ avvadātāraṁ. Ava no janam śiṣyam, ava paśyatat, ava puriṣṭat, ava taratat, ava dakṣiṇatat, ava chordvatat, ava dharatat, sarvatomā pāhi pāhi samantāt. Tam vāṅgmeṣ, tam chinmaya, tam ānandameṣ, tam rāmamaya, tam sacchidānandāditi yosi. Tam pratyakṣam ramasi, tam jñānāmi ho, vijñānāmi hosi. Sarvam jagadam tatto jāyate, sarvam jagadam tatta sthiṣyati, tam guṇātīryatīta, tam hastātīryatīta, tam deyātīryatīta, tam śaktitriyātmā kathāyī yogino dhyāyanti nityam, tam rāma, tam viṣṇu, tam mudrāsam, indrāsam, agnīsam, vāyāsam, sūryāsam, chandramāsam, rāma, bṛhaspati, aśvinau, gaṇādhipam, purāṇam, ucchārya, varṇanādīya, sadā anantaram, anusvāra, parātpara, ardhendu, tilaka, tāraṇa, ārūḍham, etat au manuṣya rūpam. Gākāro pūrva rūpam, akāro madhyama rūpam, anusvāraś cāntya rūpam, vindur uttara rūpam, nādasandhānam saguṇaṁ, vitasandhiḥ ṣaḍaṅgeśa, vidyāgaṇaka ṛṣiḥ, nityaṁ rādhagāyā trikhaṇḍa sīmā, gaṇapatiḥ devatā. Oṁ gaṇānāṁ pataye namaḥ, ekadantāya vidmahe, vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi, tanno danti pracodayāt. Ekadantam Chaturastam Paśvam Kṛṣadhāraṇam Nidhāncha Varadam Haste Vibhrāṇam Moṣagatajam Raktakandanulitāṅgam Raktapuṣpaisupūjitam Avirbhūtaṁ śiṣṭhya do prakāre puruṣāt padam evaṁ jayati o nityam sayogīyo gīnaṁ varāḥ. Namo vratapataye, namo gaṇapataye, namo pramātṛpataye. Namaste śūlāya mudgarāya, kaḍantāya vināśāya, śiṣutāya śrīvardhamūrtaye namaḥ. Hitadatharva śiṣayodite sabramubhuyaye kalpate sasarvavinyai nabadhati sasarvatrasukum etate subhancha mahāpāpād pramuchate sāyam dhyānodil. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Hari Om.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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