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Part 1: Mahāśivarātri Celebration: Yoga, Dance, and Divine Consciousness We came up with this evening quite spontaneously—only ten days ago—and yet everything has fallen into place just as we hoped. I would like to briefly outline the program, which will last about two hours. The Śiva Pūjā and Liṅga Pūjā will continue, and you will all take an active part: here we have a liṅgam upon which you, with Purījī, may pour plenty of water or milk. Then comes the dance of Bhakti Devī—one of the finest expressions of Indian dance in Europe—and, finally, Svāmījī will offer a short lecture. We are delighted that you have come to enjoy this great night of life. Simply for the sake of clarity, I should add: if you do not understand something, that is not a problem. Svāmījī has said that staying until three in the morning is also one of the messages of Mahāśivarātri—you are not to sleep at all—but he does ask that we move along a little faster. This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition. Svāmījī, please: those who already poured the offerings at the shooting ashram should not take part in the second session. The first dance is called Vahana music, a hymn for Lord Gaṇeśa. Lord Gaṇeśa symbolizes the protective universal principle which, in Indian tradition, is worshipped at the start of every undertaking—always first—to remove all obstacles and problems. We will also describe some of the movements and postures so that the meaning of the tenets becomes clearer. Ushikavana, Ushikavana. Kaniṣa rides on the male mouse. Kaniṣa rides on the male mouse. His hands are giving unceasingly. He has the ears of an elephant. He has the ears of an elephant, wears the sacred thread of inner purity, and is the son of Lord Śiva. Problems, remove problems, remove remove… remove. The second dance is a floor offering, Puṣpa Tañjali. It is a danced expression of thanksgiving, honoring all divinities. Choreography by Ujwal Pol, tāla (rhythm) Yedi, rāga (melody) Natya. Through it, all the divinities are blessed and gladdened in their hearts. The audience and the dancers, too, are blessed. We continue with the third dance, the Bhakti Devī dance, which is Bhū, Śambhu, Śiva, Śambhu, Svayambhū. This dance honors Lord Śiva; choreography by Bhakti Devī, singer Sudha Raghunātham, tāla the rhythm of ādi, rāga the melody Revatī. Tīrthaṅka Bhakti Devī, Bhū, Śambhu, Śiva, Śambhu, Svayambhu. A dance to honor Lord Śiva, choreographed by Bhakti Devī, singer Sudha Rāgutan, tāla rhythm edhi, rāga rivati. Lord Śiva is endless, authentic consciousness, the remover of negative forces, the embodiment of mercy and blessing, the liberator from worldly bonds. He is the ocean of mercy, three-eyed, limitless. Pārvatī is His portion, dwelling in pure hearts. You have arisen from Yourself; You are birthless; You have created the moon and the sun, and Your symbols are incomprehensible. From Your hair springs the holy river Gaṅgā. May Your boundless grace meet me. Through the ocean of birth and death, You remain absolutely pure. Supreme Parabrahma, You are beyond the guṇas, untouched by the five elements, above all worldliness, beyond the expanse—Parpañc. Your reality cannot be grasped. Unattainable. You cannot be affected. Infinite. You are endless. You are the fountain, the source of the highest joy, the adorable one. Śivaliṅgam. Śivaliṅgam, through Your dance You keep the rhythm of the universe. You are revered by great saints. The endless universe is Your clothing. Your heart is supremely graceful. You are the source of mokṣa. We thank Bhakti Devī for the beautiful dance and experience. Many Indian friends tell us it is unbelievable that Bhakti Devī is not from India—she is so perfect that no one can believe it. I would now like to invite Svāmījī for a short talk. Many of us came here not knowing in advance what would take place or what the meaning of the ritual is, and Svāmījī can explain a little more for you. Recently we were blessed to be with Svāmījī at the celebration of the Kumbha Melā. On behalf of all my colleagues who took part, I thank them for their contributions. I would like to welcome you here in the name of the Czech Hinduistic Society, with special thanks to Bhakti Devī and to all who helped arrange this event. I am so happy to have arrived at this day. I waited many days for this celebration, for the setting up of the temple, and for this great day for us. I am thankful for that. Besmu svayam ku, Sadgurubī, ucta Sadgurudevovī, brothers and sisters, respected Mr. Kurana from the Embassy of India, members of the Embassy of India in Prague, our dear brother Vivek Jī Hoja, and my very dear ones, Svāmījī Gajaran Jī, Pārvatī Jī, I pray to Almighty Sadāśiv to bless you with good health, happiness, spiritual development, and long life. Today this night is dedicated to Śiva. Śiva means consciousness. Śiva means liberation. Śiva means truth, and Śiva means love. Śiva means beauty. Satyam Śivam Sundaram—that is the mantra. There are many stories about Śiva. Śiva is one of the most gracious Gods. He is pleased with even a small prayer, He does not look upon our mistakes, and He showers all blessings. That is why the Śiva bhaktas are so happy: their wishes are fulfilled. Śiva is also known as Bhāla Bhaga. A man like an innocent one—Bhalisham Bhuv, Swayam Bhuv. So, who is that Śiva? He has no father and no mother. It is He who manifested Himself. He is Ānanda Brahman, the endless universe, śūnyakaś, a void, dark, blue space. There is nothing—no movement, not even an atom. There are only three: space, energy, and consciousness. Space is known as the embodiment of the mother, and consciousness lies within space. That is why it is called the golden embryo, Hiraṇyagarbha. We do not know where space begins or where it ends. It is described as the form of an egg. And within it is that universal one, the eternal one. You celebrate Easter, and you have the Easter egg, which comes from the Vedas: Hiraṇyagarbha, the golden embryo. In the deepest heart of that śūnyakaś, through energy, one tendency awakens—you may call it Śakti. Śiva and Śakti do not represent any genders. Śiva and Śakti are not the body and mind of the body. No. Śakti is the energy of the entire universe, and Śiva is the life, the consciousness. That is why the Śiva Liṅgaṃ represents the entire universe. When you greet the Śiva Liṅgam, you touch the entire universe. There is that one tendency. Lord Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad Gītā, “Ahaṁ bhagavān,” I am one, and now I will multiply. That is called divine will. Thy will be seen, O Lord. Does God have a wish? Kṛṣṇa said, “Arjuna, in the entire universe, from time to time I manifest Myself through My yoga māyā.” And that yoga is a universal energy which balances, harmonizes, and maintains unity, oneness. Where there is no divine energy, no yoga, there arises doubt, anger, jealousy, and hate—because that is the mark of ignorance. Therefore, Śiva, the first awakening in the entire universe, the One without a second—that is called the sound. In no time, that resonance spread throughout the entire universe. How? Consider an example. A small creature—a mosquito—bites your little toe, and instantly the whole body knows without any delay. So, in the Vedas it is said that the form of the supreme Brahman is resonance, sound. All musicians know what resonance means for them. The great master Ravi Shankara, playing the sitar, said that his fingers moved with the universal waves. Only a musician can understand. You give the instrument, and they produce or create a beautiful melody. Everyone lapses in deep meditation, as Govind told you. The resonance is at zero. Svayambhū—where He manifests Himself. And therefore, only Śiva bears the name Mahādev, Great God. No other—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Buddha—no one else has this title, Mahādev. Śiva manifests Viṣṇu and Brahmā, and creation begins. He vibrates in each and every atom of our body. Before, there was no time. Time is created by humans, not by God. Once the objects or atoms started moving in the universe, the yogīs saw them and began to count the movement. That became our time. Samādhi: Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa. Savikalpa is with wish or saṅkalpa, and Nirvikalpa is without any wish. In that state, one becomes one without a second: omniscient, omnipresent, beyond time and space. Thus, the universe is the body of Śiva. Then you move through every yuga: Satya Yuga, Dvāpar Yuga, Tretā Yuga, Kali Yuga. In all of them, Śiva consciousness observes, and it is that Śiva consciousness that destroys negative energy and creates positive energy. It was Śiva who protected this earth in Satyuga when the ocean was churned, serving the struggle for immortality—the nectar. Sādhanā, Rozīśkanī, Nesmṛtelnostī, Nektaru Nesmṛtelnostī. And from the churning came the fourteen ratnas, the gems out of that ocean. First came the poison, and no one was ready to take it. If it were thrown on the earth, the earth would be destroyed. Śiva took it. He drank, and He stopped it in His throat. Through his Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma, He digested and neutralized the poison. That is why His throat became blue. He is known as Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva, the Blue-Throated One. In this Kali Yuga He will protect again: the atom bomb is a deadly poison now, and where it is used the whole earth will be destroyed. We need Śiva, who can neutralize that force. It will come. After yugas and yugas of yugas, van mantras, kalabhas—look into your Google Earth about the Vedic time periods, the yugas. You will be astonished: trillions and billions of years. Today is the night when Śiva blessed a hunter. It is the night when Śiva and his family are invited to a hunt. The hunter, in our vision, is the sinner who is killing the sinner. Thou shalt not kill. The highest principle is non-violence. Part 2: Embracing Śiva: The Universal Consciousness Within When Bhagavān Buddha went for bhikṣā food, he didn’t even wear shoes. With the Udāśrī Mahona technique, he observed the path so that he wouldn’t step on any creature. He led a very pure, vegetarian life. Nowadays, when I see my Buddhist brothers, some eat all kinds of things and preach the holy words of the Buddha. That is not in the teaching of Buddha. Buddha means the intellect. When Siddhārtha, Aśoka, Siddhārtha, Buddha—Prince Siddhārtha—attained enlightenment, it means the intellect was enlightened, meaning buddhi. Intellect is buddhi, and when buddhi is enlightened, it is called bodhā. Buddha means knowledge, and knowledge is that knowledge where there is no ignorance. So that enlightened consciousness becomes the Buddha. As far as I know the life of Jesus, it is a real example of simple living and high thinking. I see Jesus hanging on the cross; he doesn’t have very precious dress. Just like Mahātma Gāndhī is in one dhotī and one sārī. But we all remember Gandhījī, we all remember Jesus. So that is the Śiva consciousness. We are the jīva, individual souls, and that is Śiva, the universal soul. We are like a drop held in the hollow of our palm above the ocean. This drop, when it falls, falls into the ocean—the drop falls into the ocean, and the drop falls into the ocean, merging into the ocean again and again, until it becomes one. Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam. Uruvarukam mielavandhanam mṛtyurk Śrī Mahāmṛta o thārayi. Lord Śiva, bless us; bless vegetation, let our vegetation be healthy. The aroma of the herbs is increased. The Czech Republic is known as a country of honey and milk. And now the fields are poisoned. Bees are dying. If we continue this poison pollution, our children will see the bee only in school book pictures. Our duty is to protect our country, our vegetation, and our environment. So Shiva is not only in me or in you. Each and every atom of this world, these trees, these plants—nothing but Śiva. So when this jīva goes to Śiva, it becomes one. It is not only today to make Abhiṣeka. Every morning, at least five times a month, offer water. Water is the symbol of life. Jal, jahāṁ jagadīś—where there is water, there is God. And we make purification, which calms down our temperament. So, my dear ones, I didn’t want to take a lot of your time, but I was feeling, what is this Śiva? He is everywhere. Our consciousness is Śiva. When someone is in a coma, it means Śiva has merged back into the universe. Yet even the body doesn’t die; this body is made out of elements. Fire returns into fire, water into water, air into air—all elements will merge into their origin. Humans are created as protectors, not destroyers. And within us we have both qualities: asuras and devas. By churning our meditation and mantra, we try to neutralize negative thoughts and negative qualities. Always use wise, divine words. A great saint, Swami Śivānanda, said, “Within you is the ocean of bliss, and within you is the fountain of joy. Within you is the immortal one. Just kill the little ‘I’, the ego, and lead a divine life.” We are human; we may be good, but we make mistakes. Animals don’t make mistakes—no animal makes mistakes. But we humans make excuses, and we say God is perfect and we are imperfect. Why do we make mistakes? Because ignorance and the negative tendencies of asura nature force us to make mistakes. So keep in your heart only that divine light, divine joy. Keep Śiva in your heart. I thank our dear brother Vivek Ojha. I don’t know how he produced this within such a short time. I think he is like Sai Baba—he got it from the air. Śivajī didn’t just come to me; he gave it to me, and he gave it to each one of you. I think, what can be greater than this, a present? Today your Śivarātri is successful. He is coming to your home. He blesses your home. Keep it with respect and adoration in some beautiful place, or in your heart. See what will happen until next Śivarātri, but every day, five times in the morning, you must chant the Mahāmṛtyu Jaya Mantra. Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe. When you start your car, begin singing the Mahā Mṛtyu Jaya Mantra. It will protect you from accidents. Mahā means great, mṛtyu means death, jaya means victory—victory over death or troubles. Prabhu Prakāśamī. Further is your choice. My duty today was to tell you. I feel myself blessed that Bhagavān Sadāśiva, Devīśvara Mahādeva, Sadāśiva, Gaurī Śaṅkara, Mahādeva, Svayaṃbhū—he has thousands, he has a thousand names. There is one book: Thousand Names of Śiva, Thousand Names of Śiva. Vishnu had a wish, a saṅkalpa, and he wanted to perform an abhiṣeka and offer a thousand lotus flowers to Śiva. He gathered a thousand lotus flowers near him and began to make abhiṣeka—one mantra, then one flower. One mantra: Tryambakaṃ yajāmahe, and one of Śiva’s thousand names. Śiva thought, “What will he do?” So Śiva appeared, manifested himself, and secretly took one flower away without Vishnu knowing. He made nine hundred and ninety-nine, and one was missing. Vishnu became nervous, worried: “My saṅkalpa will not be successful. Where is my thousandth one?” Śiva said, “Well, you can offer me one of your eyes, an eyeball. I will accept it.” Vishnu was thinking it over. Śiva said, “What are you waiting for? Don’t you trust?” Then Vishnu raised his hand; a weapon, some kind of arrow, appeared in his hand, and he wanted to take out his eye. But before he could bring it near, Shiva pulled his hand and stopped him. “Vishnu, your wish is fulfilled. From today on, you will be known as Kamal Nayan.” Kamal Nayan—so one of Vishnu’s names is Kamal Nayan. Kamal means the blossom of the lotus. And I think this is one of the most beautiful Mahāśivarātri celebrations. During the communist time, the government changed—it can happen in every country. At that time, my bhaktas, Czech bhaktas, were asking, “Swamiji, we would like to have a Hindu pūjā too.” So, with the help of my bhaktas and Pārvatī, we registered this Czech Hindu community, the temple, the mandir. But we were not so active. I spoke with Vivek, and Vivek said, “Gurudev, I will take this task in my hands.” And you see, hardly a few months had passed, and he made beautiful success. And also, dear brother, he is sitting—his name I forgot again. Your name? Marek. Marek. Beautiful name. Krásné jméno. It is the jewel of the mind, Marek. Marek, a beautiful name. So thank you. Thank you. Now, in a few days, or two weeks I think, a beautiful festival is coming called Holi. Oh my God! Hindus have 99.9% happy festivals. So not only will my hand be covered—everything will be covered. And I would ask Vivek on the real holy day to make a holy festival. If I am here, I will come to you, but I will also go to other places because you control so many colors. Also, there was a question: should we become a member of this organization? I said, “Today is only Śiva, and we are all Śiva’s members.” Maybe he can go with another, or his friends will sit together and make an organization to discuss how to organize. So, thank you very much for coming. I wish you all the divine blessings. Śiva is Sanātana Dharma. Sanātana Dharma is, for example, like an orange. When you open the orange, there are beautiful, different parts, slices of the orange. Only this one is king. So Sanātana Dharma is this king, and all different religions are inside it—beautiful, tasteful. I wish today, on this Śivarātri, that the day should come when no religions fight against each other, and that we shall work together. We shall pray that we adore all the holy incarnations and holy saints. You are also incarnations, and every creature is an incarnation. Sabhi Prāṇī, Viśva Prāṇī Merī Ātmā Hai. All entities in this world are My Ātmā, and Ātmā Hi Paramātmā, and that is the Supreme One. My ātmā or Ātmā is the Cosmic Ātmā. Mana Mandira meṃ, Govind tells you, “man, mandira, man or dil.” This, within our heart—the heart is the temple of that God, and that God is your ātmā. But Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa tells in the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā: what is better to worship, a personal or an impersonal God? Śrī Bhagavān said, “Both are good. But for you, it is easier to go through a personal God. Arjuna, it does not matter through which way you will come. Finally, I will be meeting you there to welcome my dear child.” Happy Śivarātri! Thank you, organizers! Thank you, our dear Bhakti Devī, who danced beautifully. I was surprised how she coordinated every movement. I thought I was also learning. It’s not with both legs; different sounds. I was sitting here and looking at her feet mostly. How is it possible? Here is a different sound, and here is a different sound. That’s art. It’s a secret—if you want to learn, you have to go through hell. So, thank you once more. And I bless you by the name of Sadāśiva. May all be happy. May the whole world be happy. May we all be happy. Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Viśvāra Mahādeva, Śatguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān, Śrī Jaya, Sanātana, Śrī Jaya. Thank you all, especially Swamiji, for the beautiful speech. I hope that you will like it here, and you will start to meditate, and you will feel happy. That you will remember this beautiful dance, and the whole night we can meditate, because this is Śivarātri. Before leaving, there is a lot of prasāda—please take it, and take also this beautiful dance and the small statue of Lord Śiva. Thank you very much. And Pañcāmṛta? Pañcāmṛta means five different kinds of Amṛta. Panch means five, and there are five different kinds of Amṛta mixed into oneness that becomes Mahā… You will get one teaspoon—not in quantity, but in quality. You drink it, and then you can go. It will take time to give here, so two or three people will stand there at the gate and give it to you. If you didn’t make the abhiṣeka, I can come and do it. And there are some laddūs. That’s very good. As prasād, they will distribute them to you. Eight strong boys will come and move through and give you one laddū. Take it. And we will give you each one of these laddūs. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you.