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This year, millions of people attended the Kumbh Melā, which lasted for one and a half months. According to our akhāḍās, we took three holy baths. The atmosphere was very beautiful, filled with divine energy. The Kumbh Melā, held in different places, is not only for taking a dip in the holy Gaṅgā or other sacred rivers. For ages, it has been a place for social gathering. Great thinkers, scholars, and saints—ṛṣis—would come there to discuss human health—physical, mental, social, and spiritual—for the achievement of the divine goal, as well as to contemplate our environment. It is these sages who declared all these rivers, lakes, ponds, and oceans as holy. But they warned that a time would come when humans would not understand and would pollute everything. When pollution prevails and everything is defiled, nature will die. Rivers will dry up, as we have already seen with the great changes foretold. Many rivers around the world have dried out. Many are severely polluted in different countries. Many are blocked by dams, which obstruct the natural water flow. We destroy forests, leading to less rain and less snow. In this way, one can see there is no end to human greed. We did not follow the instructions of the great saints; it doesn’t matter which part of the world. In Africa, rivers are drying. In many countries, they are polluted. Furthermore, it is very pitiful, or very sad, that honey bees are dying out because of pesticides. Where there are crops, so much poison is applied. It can be said, or it can happen, that if this continues, our second or third generation will not see a bee in reality—only in pictures or videos. In many countries, they are being destroyed; certain illnesses have caused their death. Events like the Kumbh Melā were meant for finding inner contentment and peace. Therefore, Banaras, which we call Kāśī, is the city created by Lord Śiva. Banaras has been a city of knowledge and scholars, while Prayagraj has been the city of spirituality, tapasyā, and practicing yoga. Now, there are many facilities, possibilities, comforts, and utilities available. But in those times, people would walk for months to come to the Kumbh Melā and stay for two months on the riverbanks. Everyone had their blanket, that’s all, and a little fire. Yet they had peace in their hearts. They were happy. They knew what they wanted and why they had come. Today, many come to the Kumbh Melā only to see how it is. Many tourists come, but they do not have peace in their minds. They cannot leave the Kumbh Melā with divine peace because they do not understand, do not want to accept, and cannot accept. They do not even understand what the Kumbh Melā is or why so many people come. They do not ask themselves why they are there. There is some power, something that always attracts us. To find peace is not easy. Mahātmā Gāndhījī said, "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." That peace is within your heart, within thyself, not outside. The outer world is known as a world of disturbances. In the Patañjali Yoga Sūtra, it is said: vikṣepa means disturbances, and kleśa means troubles or quarreling. These are two kinds of factors in the outer world. Within ourselves is peace. Within ourselves is peace and contentment. It is said: You may have a lot of wealth, like thousands of elephants—which means you must have a big forest and vast land. You may have golden eagles. You may own mines of precious stones. But when you realize contentment in your heart, when you are satisfied, all this outer wealth is like dust. The true wealth that will accompany us after death is only peace, happiness, contentment, and wisdom. This we cannot get from outside. We should not always change our path or our opinion. If we listen to the outside world, we will never be at peace. Wherever we look in the world, there are challenges, fighting, and many, many things. Wars exist; humans produce weapons and give them to other humans to kill humans. There are, and maybe still are, countries that manufacture weapons and sell them to their enemies, who then use them to fight and kill. You see, money, wealth, position—there is no peace inside. Therefore, spiritual events are not for material wealth but for peace: simple living and higher thinking. We use the words, but people have put different things in our minds. A few decades ago, humans had more peace and time. But now, day by day, something new emerges. We are running and running. Humans have become machines; we use these machines. The answer to this is to practice yoga. Swami Sivananda said, "Within you is the ocean of bliss, and within you is the fountain of joy." Kill this little "I" and live the divine life. Ahaṅkāra, the little "I," ego, "me," destroys everything. We always see the mistakes of others but not our own. We are afraid to look within ourselves, always trying to run away from this world. How will we find peace? Nowhere will we find peace. Therefore, in yoga, there is a call, ekāntavās. What is now called in new systems a "retreat." People go somewhere outside the big cities and stay in a farmhouse, retreat place, or hotel to meditate and rest. Again, one comes to oneself. That gives immense happiness, joy, strength, and energy. You come back very happy and relaxed. Yet, as soon as we jump back into the world, we again encounter vikṣepa and kleśa. Kleśa is fighting—mentally, physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, politically, etc. Or vikṣepa: we are disturbed by many, many things. There is personal vikṣepa and impersonal vikṣepa. We are human; we do care. You may be very peaceful, on a retreat, and very happy. Everything is very good, and then you receive news that your grandmother died or something happened. This message brings you back into sorrow, restlessness, and unhappiness. But we should understand this: our grandmother is a part of our life, our grandfather is a part of our life, our neighbor is a part of our life, and our relatives and friends are part of our life. We do care about them, so we cannot stop this. However, our own thinking, which creates troubles, is the dangerous part. Patañjali spoke of kliṣṭa and akliṣṭa vṛttis. Kliṣṭa vṛtti means thoughts that are disturbing and negative. Those negative thoughts will disturb you forever. An akliṣṭa vṛtti, a positive vṛtti without troubles, will solve all problems. A person may be working spiritually, doing sādhanā, kriyās, mantras, and so on. Suddenly, a kuṣaṅga, a kliṣṭa vṛtti like someone blackmailing you, can stop years of work and destroy it. Finally, where are you? Nowhere. You have lost inner peace and faith. I have one story; it is a little longer, but I think I should tell it. What can peace do for us? And when we lack peace, how do we feel? You know the story of God Rāma. Yesterday was the day of God Rāma’s incarnation, Rām Navamī. Yesterday was Rāma’s incarnation, similar to how people celebrate Christmas. In every Indian temple, today or yesterday, they hold a festival. Before this was the nine nights of the Divine Mother, Navarātri, a very holy and great festival. There is an organization called Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. When they say "Rāma," it is not the Rāma I am speaking about—Bhagavān Rāma, God Rāma, who was an incarnation over 10,000 years ago. After Bhagavān Rāma, a few thousand years later came Kṛṣṇa. But they are referring to what is called Rāma, Kṛṣṇa’s brother, Balarāma. You know this? So when they say "Rāma, Hare Rāma," it is not Bhagavān Rāma, the son of Daśaratha and Sītā. They do not believe in that at all, so you should know this. But many think it is Bhagavān Rāma. No. Bhagavān Rāma was truly one of the greatest in human form. He fulfilled all his dharma and obligations. There are two examples: one is Mahatma Gandhi and his experiment with truth, Satyāgraha. He writes in his biography how hard it is. The second is Bhagavān Rāma, who followed all principles and dharmas. When he said yes, it was a yes. You know that Bhagavān Rāma had to go to the forest for fourteen years because his stepmother asked him. You know the whole story. You should watch one episode of the Rāmāyaṇa in your satsaṅg each time, and you should also show the Mahābhārata. You can see what humans can do—brother against brother. One family, real brothers’ children—the Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata is an epic written by someone; it doesn’t matter who wrote it. It contains ten thousand or how many thousands of ślokas. Recently, an Indian ambassador said that never in mankind’s history, till today, has anyone written such a great novel, and the Rāmāyaṇa too. When you watch these videos, you should not see them as mere stories but feel that it is you. You are playing in this; this is your life playing. There are figures representing jealousy, anger, hate, love, kindness, protection—it’s beautiful. They have subtitles. In satsaṅg, you should have peace on Sunday evening. On Thursday, all kriyā groups and mantra groups come together. This day you should reserve for spiritual seekers and advanced disciples. Understand? Divya Jyoti. Divya Purī. We shall organize a program so we can all come, as everyone has different duties. We have to consider their possibilities and facilities, not ours. In short, King Rāvaṇa from Sri Lanka kidnapped Sītā. Rāvaṇa was a very great personality—one of the most learned persons. He had immense wealth; his entire kingdom in Laṅkā was golden, called Sone Kī Laṅkā. He had performed so much spiritual sādhanā. It is said he commanded all nine planets, telling them, "Stay where there is always a good constellation on me. If you move a little in the wrong direction, where I am affected, I will reduce you to powder." Such was his sādhanā and mental power. In the Rāmāyaṇa, you will see what he did. The king of heaven, Indra, was afraid of Rāvaṇa. When Indra came, Rāvaṇa said, "Indra!" and Indra trembled. So much spiritual, intellectual, and social power. But he had one weakness that destroyed him and his Laṅkā: his ego, pride, the "I." When God Rāma and his army went to rescue Sītā, they built a bridge over the ocean between India and Sri Lanka, known as Rāma Setu. During the battle, Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma’s brother, was struck by a poisoned arrow and was about to die. The remedy, advised by an Ayurvedic doctor, was found in the Himalayas, and Hanumanjī brought it, as you know. On another occasion, Rāvaṇa sent a special arrow. At that time, arrows were small, but they carried mantra-śakti. The power was in the mantra. The arrow’s effect depended on the thought behind it. Rāvaṇa thought of a snake, and immediately the arrow touched Rāma and transformed into a snake, wrapping his whole body with poison. No one could free him from the snake or kill it. The poison was spreading. The only solution was Garuḍa, the eagle, the enemy of snakes. Garuḍa is the carrier of Viṣṇu. They said, "Only if Garuḍa comes can Rāma’s life be saved; otherwise, he will die from the poison." But where was Garuḍa? He was on holiday because Viṣṇu had incarnated on earth in human form, and all others were on break. Hanumanjī went and traced Garuḍa, bringing him to earth to free Rāma from the snake. These are all symbols within us. The quality that poisons is our blackmailing; that poison is the snake. Garuḍa is our intellect, our buddhi, viveka. That viveka can remove your poisonous blackmailing; otherwise, you are gone, killed. Garuḍa came. He wanted to greet Bhagavān Hanumānjī, but Hanumānjī said, "No time, greet later." First work, then you can do everything well. He freed God, destroyed the snake, and then Hanumanjī said, "Now you can perform pūjā, do everything you wish." First work, first duty. That’s why I say helping hands are more valuable than all that ends. Bhagavān Rāma said, "Oh, Garuḍa, you are here. Bless you. You may go." Garuḍa left, but he was plagued by doubt: "Is this really God? Is this my Lord Viṣṇu, whom I believe as God, lying here helpless and unconscious, unable to free himself from a little snake?" As Garuḍa flew back to the sky, the universe, this creature, the eagle, could not find peace in his heart. He lost devotion; he could not meditate, read holy texts, or be peaceful anywhere. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Rāma lying there like a normal person. Thoughts came constantly; this is blackmailing. He went to Brahmā, saying, "Please, Brahmā, help me." Brahmā said, "Garuḍa, this is a very big illness; I cannot help you." He went to Nārada. Nārada said, "My brother, I cannot help you. This is a terrible disease; only Śiva can help you." So he went to Śiva. Śiva said, "Well, Garuḍa, I cannot help you. It is a very difficult disease. But I know someone who can help you." Garuḍa asked, "Yes, Lord, who is that?" Śiva replied, "Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī, a saint incarnated in the form of a crow. I told this story last time; do you remember? Go there. When you come within fifty kilometers of that place, your illness will already disappear." Such is the energy and radiance of Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī. Garuḍa went. Pārvatī was angry. She asked Śiva, "Why did you not help? The poor being came to you. You are capable of everything, Lord. Why did you send him away?" Śiva explained: The eagle thinks he is the king of all animals and birds. The lowest in the family of birds is the crow. Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī is a crow, and Garuḍa is an eagle. Now he must go to Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī and bow down. His ego is so great; if he does not do this, he will not be healed. So I sent him to cleanse his ego there. Secondly, Kākabhūṣaṇḍī is always giving satsaṅg, and many saints gather there. Through the energy of this satsaṅg, all negative thoughts—vṛttis—will go away. It happened as Garuḍa entered the Himalayas, near Mukti Dhām where Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī resided, about fifty kilometers away. As he approached, he suddenly regained bhakti, devotion to God Rāma. Suddenly, he saw within himself the beautiful form of his Lord, all his līlā and energy. He understood. He came to Kāg Bhūṣaṇḍī and bowed down. He looked around: Śiva was sitting there, Brahmā was sitting there, Viṣṇu was sitting there, Nārada was sitting there—all ṛṣis and saints were present, and Kāgabhūṣaṇḍī was speaking, giving satsaṅg. Peace is found within. You can perform many āsanas and prāṇāyāmas, but you will not find that peace. Real yoga is this: it unites your thoughts in your inner self, creating oneness. That is why yoga and daily life involve self-inquiry meditation—not "Who am I?" but "How am I?" What have you done in your life? What have you learned? How much compassion and love do you have towards others? How much can you renounce? Gandhi said, "We do not hate the sinner; we hate the sin." Can you find anyone in this world without any sin? Yes. When you identify with the body, the body requires many things. But you are not the body. This body is made of five elements, and these elements always require something. The body is given to us as an instrument to realize the divine, to escape the cycle of rebirth and death, caturdaśalaka. Therefore, protect nature, love nature, and live in harmony with nature. It is said: Please think, oh human, think deeply. Nature does not need us, but we need nature. When we die, will the tree cry? The tree will not cry. It might say, "It is good that he is finished. He always brought his stinking car, with so much petrol and noise. We could not breathe. Now he is gone; no car is here." Nature does not need us, but we need nature. Now, decide for yourself. To survive in this world, to earn more dollars, at least try to protect nature. Protect human nature too. Protect human quality, human energy, human abilities, and knowledge. Everything is so precious in a human. But greed, ego, jealousy, and hate can cause you to lose peace. When we practice āsanas, we regulate the energies in our body. When we practice prāṇāyāma, we detoxify our body and create positive energy. Then we enter into meditation. Then we can feel: yes, within me, there is peace. So yoga is the way to peace, and that peace leads you to God. Because yoga is also devotion, bhakti, belief. Believe me, I am the way to God. A master said to his disciples, "If you have no such confidence and belief, you will not attain." Trust your captain or pilot. Even if you have not seen your pilot or do not like him or her, if you are sitting in an airplane, be assured the pilot will bring you to your destination. Whether the pilot is beautiful or not, old or young, does not matter. Are you sitting in the airplane because the pilot is a beautiful boy? No. You are there because he is talented, capable of taking off, flying smoothly, and landing so gently you hardly feel it. An inexperienced pilot lands like a jumping rabbit. That is the difference practice makes. So it is the master who will liberate you gently and smoothly. Therefore, remain, follow, and practice. Do not always change your horses. Your horse suffers when you give it to someone else’s hands. When another horse comes into your hand, it also suffers. Even your car is used to you. When a new driver sits inside, the car suffers. After three days, you return, and the car says, "Why did you give me to someone else? I do not like this." You also feel something is wrong with the car. You ask, "What happened?" It says, "I am angry. I am offended. I belong to you. Why did you give me to someone else?" Everything needs good hands, right hands. Peace, inner peace, comes through inner contentment, happiness, following the Guru Vākya, and practicing our Kriyā Mantra. Therefore, Yogānanda said, "Lord, I will be Thine." Devotees may come, and devotees may go, but my Lord, I will be Thine. How many people have come and gone through this door? But you are here because you feel that oneness and belonging. That is it. "I go far, farther than a star, but still, my Lord, I will be Thine. And far somewhere, if I die, look into my eye; they will mutely say." When Paramahaṃsa Yogānanda wrote this song, he was going through a very hard time because some people were blackmailing him and telling many things to his master. His master wrote him a letter saying that people claimed he had gone to the West and would not return, that he did not care about his guru, and that he was acting as a guru himself. Then Yogānanda wrote, "I have not gone away, my Lord. People may come and go, but I will be yours, my Lord." Later, Yukteśvar wrote him a letter, published in his biography, which I read in Hindi. Yukteśvar wrote, "Mere hṛday ke dulhārā." This is a beautiful word. Dulhārā means your little baby, your beloved one. Hṛday means heart. Like a mother looks at her child and says, "How is my baby?" So, you are the one of my heart. Do not think like this. Let people talk, but I know who you are, Yogānanda. Every sense goes through many experiences, but one thing is guru-bhakti. They come through. Peace is within us. Holy Gurujī used to say, "Peace and bliss are the result of satsaṅg. Come to satsaṅg here." It is your boat where you sit and drink the nectar of wisdom. So, make it every Sunday, perhaps. When people have more time, they can come, or on Thursday a little later. Decide the time, but you should have a satsaṅg with prayer, a few bhajans, some recordings, and watch these epics. The Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata are beautiful; you will want to watch them again and again. Do you have these recordings here? Do you have the whole set? You haven’t shown them? It’s beautiful. And the Mahābhārata? I think you will have it. It contains great teachings about Bhīṣma and others. The Bhagavad Gītā is only one small chapter of the Mahābhārata. The story of how Bhīṣma is the son of Gaṅgā is something unbelievable. You should watch this. And the Mahāśivapurāṇa. Have you seen the Mahāśivapurāṇa? When you see it, you will know who created the universe. That is why I call Mahā, meaning the greatest. Mahādeva, Śiva, is the greatest one. These three—you should watch them, and a whole year will pass. There are many, many episodes. Do not watch too much; just watch what you can digest. Sometimes, it is not easy to digest; some things are difficult. Therefore, inner peace comes through yoga. Yoga means uniting, coming to oneself. That is non-duality, because a person with duality in the heart struggles in the heart and intellect, and so on, losing peace and happiness. Peace will only be inside again when we come to ourself. Okay? That is all for now. This evening we will have another beautiful talk. I am very happy that you have Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Swāmī Vivek Purījī. He gave a nice class and will now lead a special yoga nidrā. After lunch, there will be a very nice yoga nidrā, then a talk about prāṇa, a few āsanas, and then I will come again, I think. So, this evening, do I have a program, or only Vivekānandajī? Me? Okay, I will come. Thank you. Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Adiós.