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Part 1: Spiritual Awakening, Light, and Love: A Discourse on Holy Festivals Good morning to everybody. How are you? Yes, it is a beautiful day. And for Europeans, it is something about the wish on Christmas. Not Christmas. Snow. Snow. I thought they wished for blessings. But God says, "If they are happy with the snow, then I save the blessing for others." But then Śiva has to interfere, and Śiva says, "No, not like this." In the Himalayas, on Kailāśa mountain, beautiful white snow was falling. So Śiva stands up. So, therefore, snow, with this, white flowers are flowing. The snow is the dust of Śiva’s hair, and that is holy. So with this, the blessing is here. But some people say, "Oh God, we are freezing, we are not Śiva." So God said, "Okay." You will have a very nice, hot, sunny day and enjoy the beach. Australia, China, and that part of the world, they wish the sun, and they have a beautiful day. This time of the holy festivals, it’s awakening the sleeping consciousness in humans. That kind of consciousness is what we call the spiritual consciousness. So even people who don’t believe in God, they are only concentrating on their business. And their happiness will also be granted to those who make these things. And when you eat a lot of chocolates, some dentists are happy. They will have more clients, and some are unhappy, because people don’t take care of their teeth. So, in every aspect, it’s the awakening of consciousness. And yesterday I was thinking a lot, in the evening. And again, I was thinking, why were people talking so much about the end of December, that the world would be finished? This was only dogma, gossiping. But still, if we believe that it could happen, then it is not happening. Because the divine consciousness is awakened in everyone, and luckily, it is Christmas time. So, I think Jesus can change the calendar. He can change everything. Why should we be afraid? God will not let us go somewhere in the darkness on this Christmas time. Just now, there was bhajan singing. There is Satguru Rakhe Lāj Chintāmaṭ Karṇā. Gurudev will protect you, don’t worry. Nirbhay Raho Niśaṅk, be fearless, with no doubts. Nirbhay Raho Niśaṅk, so people who have doubts in God are afraid. So we do believe, we do trust in God, and so this is a spiritual awakening, a time of spiritual awakening. So it could be Christmas time, or what we call Dīvālī or Guru Pūrṇimā. Guru Pūrṇimā, or what they call in Islam, the Eid, the Rojah. Every belief, different beliefs, they have holy days. And in reality, within them, there is a longing for the spirituality of God. And everyone believes in different forms of the gods. So this is the one aspect of the holy festivals. Second, to accept everyone. Forget and forgive someone’s bad or not good behavior towards you, maybe a partner, parents, children, neighbors, or colleagues. But this is the time that spiritual consciousness is awakening, and we give the present, and we say, "Forgive it, please." So it is the day where we make everyone happy. And we make happy in that way; that is the spiritual way. Even if you give some valuable presents, that doesn’t mean money. Or not material. But with this, you give your appreciation, you give your love, your respect. So this is the day of real friendship. So, friend, we call it dostī. In Hindi, we call it dostī. The translation of dostī is not "friend." Do means two. You and me. Two. Do. And Satī means the truthful. That is the best friend who walks on the path of "Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithyā," or the name of God, and also guides others on this path. As Gurudev said in this bhajan. So it means we walk on the path of that eternal truth. So don’t fight over little things, like someone stealing your chocolate. Don’t take it this way, but take it in the way. Well, this one enjoys the chocolate; it’s good, so why not? This chocolate is made for eating. Either you should have eaten immediately, or it is lying here, and someone will eat it. The money you have, you put it somewhere. Because you don’t need to pay someone anywhere. Money is lying, and someone is in need. And somebody says, "Oh, here is money, I can pay my electric bill." So, take it in a different way. This is not a part of lie or unlie, truth or not truth. Because it is said, "Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithyā." "Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithyā." The truth is the Brahman, that God which is the formless, eternal one. We call Brahman; in Christianity, they call the Holy Father; Muslims say Allāh. And so on. So that is the truth: Brahma Śakti, Jagat Mithyā, and this world is Mithyā, not reality. Well, I am sitting here in front of you; it’s a reality, but how long? After half an hour, I will say bye-bye, so that is a changeability. So where there is changeability, there is no reality. The reality is there where there is the permanent, the sustainable. So this is the day where we take a saṅkalpa. We make a vow. We promise to ourselves that we will maintain our positive relations with love, understanding, and kindness. Let me be the light in darkness. My each and every step should lead to the light. And I, O Lord, even if there is darkness, I come, and the darkness will disappear. This is thy light, light of wisdom and love. That’s a very old film. Maybe more than 60 years old. Nowadays, films are not films. It’s a crazy world. And crazy dancing. Bláznivý film. Bláznivý svět. Especially when you see the Indian films, my God. The European doesn’t understand what this is. Are they schizophrenic, or what is that? OK. Indian dance is that classical Indian dance. The dance is, how to say, founded or implemented in life from India. And that was a mudrā, that’s a language. So, cosmic dance, Śiva dance, many, many different kinds of dances, this is an indication, this is a mudrā. It is a language, a language without words, expressing through the limbs, and that resonates with the music. Our mind is that vīṇā, the sitar. Māṅkā Vīṇā, Viśvīṇā, don’t break that string of your inner sitar. Tune your mental waves, and you will hear the Anāhata Nāda. And that Anāhata Nāda, which is produced through a beautiful instrument or through your body. We need practice. If there is a sitar standing near me, and you say, "Swāmījī, please, can you play a little?" Of course I can. But to whom does the sitar belong? Enough, enough, Swāmījī. Because I will make it so it will break all the strings. So, the master is the one who takes the essence, beauty, and divinity from the instruments. Maybe harmonium, anything. But that tuning is in your mind. Manike vīṇā kā tār ṭūṭ gayā. But when the thread is broken, the string is broken. So this festival for us is to tune our relations in harmony. If one restless thought comes, you have disturbed your relation. So it should be tuned to everything. So the dance begins from Śiva, Nāṭarāja, the king, Śiva. And so also, music begins from his ḍamaru. And when his hair is moving, the beautiful resonance of the sitar, and he is the universal one. So there is an old film, and that’s called Mother India. I told you that there are many beautiful countries, good countries, but India has two titles. It’s called Mother India and Holy Bhārat, because so many incarnations and ṛṣis incarnated. The reality we don’t compare with the present situation. Look at the beautiful Czech culture. The country where milk and honey flows. Mystic Prague. Behold, how beautiful. And how many Czechs are sitting here? But I would say, maybe 1% of the Czech people are following the Czech culture. Others, we became a mishmash, what we call the new culture. And even in the Czech Republic, in every district, we had a different culture, different traditions, and a different uniform. But of course, the Slovaks, they said, "What do you think, Swamiji?" We also have a great culture. Hungarians said, "We gave half to Slovakia." Slovaks said, "That’s not true." You imported from Slovakia, so import-export culture. So where there is a human, there is a culture, and where there is a culture, there is a human. But we do not have the right to destroy the culture; we should respect it. So, holy Bhārat, svatantra Bhārat, Mother India. And I don’t know, I didn’t see it completely. Maybe I saw it. It was in ’65 or somewhere in ’66. A small child, a boy. But one thing I remember from my childhood, from my birth onwards. With my first breath, whatever I experienced, the positive is in me, and the negative I am removing. So it is said, the Indian sitting, they can sing better than me. Now, all our friends on webcast will say, "Swāmījī is singing a filming song." Jyot se jyot jagāte chalo, prem kī Gaṅgā bahāte chalo. Raham yāya tūlī nā dukhī, sabko gale śilāgaḍe karo. Beautiful. So, it is said, "Jyoti Se Jyoti Jagāte Chalo." On every step, because you have a light in hand, and you light others also. Jyoti Se Jyoti Jagāte Chalo. So this is called Deep Mala, and that’s called the Deep Jhara Braksha, the Christmas tree, Diwali tree. Jyoti Se Jyoti Jagāte. Light to Light. Your each step should lead you to the Light. Your every word should lead you to the Light. Light of inspiration, light of motivation, light of confidence, light to continue the strength. Jyoti sī jyoti jalate calo, aur prem kī Gaṅgā bahāte calo. And you know, with you the river should flow, the river of the love, that Prem Gaṅgā, that Gaṅgā is the prem, the love. Therefore, when I was in Fiji and I had a lecture, about 60-70% of the audience were Indians. They emigrated a few generations before, and many have not even seen India. But they introduced me, and they spoke something. And they said first, Swamiji, we are the citizens of that country, Mata, where the Gaṅgā is flowing, Mata. So Gaṅgā Mata, many rivers are very pure, beautiful, good, holy, but we don’t say Mata holy Gaṅgā, we say Mata holy Gaṅgā, not others, you know. So what means the Mata? Every mother here is that Gaṅgā Mata. So with you, love should flow, or love should accompany you as a mother’s love. And the light is the father’s wisdom. So sometimes there is a little conflict between love and light. But love is light, and light is love. Light is love. No differences. Raham e juhay, if you meet anyone on the path or on your path, and especially the suffering one, the meek one, sabī ko galī laghate celu, embrace all, means in your heart. Mercy, love, kindness. So these are the festivals which are around the whole world. Beautiful ones. But there are also some festivals where there is drink and dance, and people fall down and bust up at home. So that is a fast way. Fast way to different way and spiritually is it dhire dhire, polako, polako, that’s it, pomalu, that’s it, pomalu, pomalu, manuva, dhire dhire chal. So this holy religious festival should be understood and respected by all. When your neighbor’s daughter is marrying, you should participate in their happiness. So that when your daughter marries, they will also participate with you. So, to understand the light is to understand the wisdom. Part 2: Love is the Mother: Yoga, Mantra, and the Three Queens of the Mind Love is the mother, and holy is your body, in which the Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī—all three rivers—flow. The science of yoga is the science of body, mind, consciousness, and Ātmā Jñāna. Everything is contained in it. Therefore, yoga postures, or āsanas, are not merely a kind of sport. I do not know what sort of things people are doing nowadays—rolling around pillars, placing their heads on pillars, and asking, "What is this?" That is not the yoga I wish to test. Śiva never put any pillar in his yoga hall. In Śiva’s yoga hall, it was very clean and there was ample space. He had a bigger hall than this one. You see, these are the caves in the mountains. That is why caves remain in the mountains: because Śiva’s bhaktas live there. Every posture awakens positive energy and consciousness. It is not necessary to practice twenty postures; you may do one, two, or five. But those postures that activate and regenerate your vitality in the body—the gland systems, nerve systems, ligaments, muscles, and joints—give them new life. At that time, the energy centers, what we call cakras, are activated. Your strength is that chakra’s strength. We cannot see energy, but without energy we are completely ill. So, yoga postures were designed to influence, regulate, and harmonize physical strength, so that through these postures we become free from stress and tranquility settles in the mind and thoughts. Positive waves enter the body, and you have feelings to give. But there is no one to receive—only One. That is God, and that is why we close our eyes and sit in meditation. Our inner self has an urge to give something, and that is universal love, not an individual one. When we feel doubts in ourselves and feel that we are not strong enough or do not know if we will succeed, we have that mantra. Mantra: “man” means mind, “tra” means contentment, satisfaction. When you are thirsty, you drink good water and your thirst is quenched. Similarly, the mind is a restless place; it is hungry. Through mantra, the mind becomes completely happy, relaxed, and content. At that time, all vṛttis become positive. But the mind is not guilty. We should not blame the poor mind. Why is the mind like this? Because surrounding the mind, its companions are very, very harmful. So, Kabīr Dās said: Mana marā na mamatā marī, mara mara gayā śarīra | Āśā tṛṣṇā na marī, kaha gayā dāsa kabīra || You could not control or kill your mind. Why? Because you did not kill your mamatā. Mamatā means ego, mind, “I.” Mamatvā hi bandhana kā kāraṇa hai. This mamatā is the cause of all ties of attachment and suffering. The mind was not controlled because mamatā, the longing, was not controlled. As the verse says, the body died—mara mara gayā śarīra—but mamatā did not die with the body. Mamatā is like a shadow of the body. You run away from your shadow—try it. Go in an airplane and say to your shadow, “Bye-bye, stay in check.” You get out in Tokyo and are surprised by what is there before you. This is the shadow of our karma, our destiny. It is not easy to get rid of it. Finishing this physical body does not mean everything is finished. Problems are there to solve, not to run away from. Problems are the best school in the world. So, kill your mamatā, attachment. But attachment is not easy to get rid of. It is like a pizza with thick cheese on it. You cut the slice, but it is still pizza, and the cheese goes with it like that—it breaks and still clings. The cheese tells the person, “You cannot get rid of me. I will be the winner. You try to separate me? Very soon, I will be completely in your stomach. I will separate you, not you me.” That is mamatā. And when the seeds fall somewhere on your finger, you pick them up and eat them again, and the seeds are smiling. Man marā na mamatā marī, mar mar gayā śarīra—why? Because mamatā did not die. Āśā tṛṣṇā na marī, kaha gayā dāsa kabīra. Āśā means expectation, and expectation leads to disappointment. The great sitarist Ravi Shankar Ji said, “I remember two words from him.” He was a guest at Śikānanda Gase in Vienna. First, he said about his sitar playing: “Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma”—the form of the Supreme is that resonance. And second, expectation leads to disappointment. There was a girl who had a boyfriend, and the boyfriend left and went far away somewhere in Russia, married there. But still, she had an expectation. And now, what do you call it—Facebook. She tried to search for him on Facebook. I advise everyone to step out of Facebook. Otherwise, after a few years or a decade, you will know what happens. If you have a business, post just your business without your photo and biodata. Anyhow, she found him and tried to get in touch. Of course, he was happy to see her, and she was very happy to see him—after 35 years. Well, women are always the humble ones, the kind ones. They do not give up. They have respect, they have love. What do I mean? A father can be angry with his child, but the mother will not; she will say, “Do not do it, let it be.” That is a woman. Mātā bhavatī na kumātā—a mother can never be a bad mother, even an animal mother. Someone asked, “Why are you suffering?” One wrote a poem: “Kāgaja ho to paḍha līṁ, kismata paḍhā na jāya, tīna kā ho to toḍa līṁ.” If it is a piece of paper, I can read it; if it is a piece of wood, I can break it. But I cannot read my destiny to you. That man explained a lot—he was married, had children—but talked about being together again. And after that, she came back. No answer. Chances changed everything. Āśā is hope, and hope is a walking stick from cradle to grave. Lifelong we walk on this āśā. And out of āśā, or longing, we call it tṛṣṇā. Āśā is desire, and tṛṣṇā is longing. Kabīr Dās said: Because of your mamatā, you could not overcome; because you have āśā, you have hope; and tṛṣṇā, burning desires in the heart. These are the three: Mamatā, Āśā, and Tṛṣṇā. These are the three queens of the manas, and they have captured the mind like a fork with which you eat. The mind is like a piece of cheese in the fog, and these are Āśā, Tṛṣṇā, and Mamatā. Therefore, O man, O mind, be hoṣyār—be alert. That is why spiritual festivals and spiritual meetings are held: we have to awaken this knowledge in us. Love is that which makes you happy, relaxed, without doubts, without longing—nothing. But many are thinking now, “I get SMS.” Swamiji, it is a hard nut, it is a coconut, my dear. This coconut will slowly, slowly also break. A fox smelled a coconut and tried to bite and break it because he thought there was something good inside to eat. Though some of his teeth were broken, he went away, saying, “I do not want any more.” Again he came back, because his nose said, “Go, there is something good.” Again he tried to bite the coconut, but he could not open it. He went away again. But he could not open the nut, so he could not enjoy it. So for many of you, it is a very hard coconut. What does it mean? Rāma nāma nāriyala hai, mana siyāra gūḍāyana le jāta. The name of God is that coconut, and this mind is that fox. Try to roll it like a football and try to bite. Thoḍe to phūṭe nahī̃, aura girikā se khāya. He tried to break it, but he could not. If he cannot break it, how can he eat that nut? Even spirituality is not so easy, my dear. We have to maintain that spirituality. And these two hands, which make together the mudrā of prayer, will shake, meaning we are friends. And these two hands will sing: “Mere lāgī lāgī, Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavāna kī.” So what I have told you are the words of the great saints. Satsaṅg is for all great holy saints—you may speak about Kabīrdās, Sūrdās, Guru Nānakdās, Jesus, or Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, Mahāprabhujī—all wisdom is wisdom. So sometimes you receive certain words that touch your heart. I wish you a very holy, divine, and spiritual Christmas festival, and enjoy it with your friends and family on the 24th. Catholics celebrate on the 24th, Protestants on the 25th, and Orthodox, I think, on January 7th. So which should we believe? We believe in all. God is born or incarnated every day. So according to convenience, we celebrate. And then, on the calendar, we are beginning a new year. The real New Years are the Yugas, but this is also good. Every sunrise is a new sunrise. Every inhalation is like a departure, and exhalation is like an arrival—inhaling, awakening, exhaling, sitting. So this is the time when spiritual consciousness awakens. With that spiritual consciousness, love awakens, and that love means knowledge, and that knowledge is God. God is love, and love is God. The rest—the world—is asatya. Brahma satya, jagat mithyā: the world is an illusion. Happy New Year and a Divine Christmas. God bless you, and thank you for coming. Take the words you like; the rest you can leave here, because Pārvatī and Śṛṅkhalī people have something to do to collect again. And Swāmī Gajānand is here—you are all very lucky. And all others are coming and going. Hari Om. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān. What? Gajānand wants to sing one bhajan. Bhajan, okay. Continue. But you must also show the friends there. They are saying that he is talking, looking over there and at me. And the other people have makeup and everything for nothing. So show them at least also. Oṃ Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān kī jaya, Deveśvara Mahādeva kī jaya, Dharma Samrāṭ Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān kī jaya. Do you want to sing a song, maybe something now? Yes. Hari Om. I also have some plates here. Bharat, come, and your friends. For all your friends, yes? Okay. You did not come for the chocolates? Come on, then the chocolates will go. Okay, then it is fine. You come. Come on. Come on, dear. They are still little babies. Okay. Hari Om, dear. Which one would you like? Okay, okay, thank you very much. Next time you have to play the instruments, okay? And these agarbathis are for all of you to smell next time. And these chocolates, both, are for the kitchen team. Kitchen team, one for kitchen team and one for the office. Okay, so many blessings, and I wish you a good journey. It was snowing, it is snowing, and the roads are a little bit slippery. Dheere, dheere, okay? I will also drive dheere, dheere. So, thank you all. All the best, yes. Thank you all. All the best. Thank you all the best. Thank you all the best. Mahāprabhujī kī karatā, Mahāprabhujī kī karatā, … Mahāprabhujī kī karatā … Devīśvara Mahādeva, Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Madhākṛṣṇa Bhagavān, Sanātandha, Gajānandjī Mahārāj.