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We return to our central and most interesting subject: Brahmavidyā Kriyā. This practice deals fundamentally with our prāṇas and consciousness. I recently read a compelling story from the Upaniṣads about prāṇa, the vital energy. As I often clarify, prāṇa is not merely oxygen or air. However, on one level, when we walk through a forest and say, "Oh, very pure prāṇa," that too is a part or a function of prāṇa. Prāṇa exists in every limb, organ, and gland of the body. It controls our speech, our mind, and our eyesight. The story tells of five entities sitting together: Prāṇa (the vital force), Vāk (speech), Śrotra (hearing), Manas (mind), and Cakṣus (eyesight). Each claimed, "I am very important." While everything has its importance, they sought to discover who was truly paramount. First, the hearing sense (Śrotra) declared its importance. The others said, "Alright, you may depart." The person became deaf, yet life continued, albeit moving like one insensate. The hearing sense returned. Next, speech (Vāk) claimed importance. It was told to leave. The person became mute, but life went on. Then the eyesight (Cakṣus) said, "I am important." It was separated, and the person became blind, yet life persisted. Then the mind (Manas) asserted, "But still I am here." It was asked to relinquish its function. The person's mind became absent or disturbed, but life remained. Finally, Prāṇa itself spoke. The others said, "You are always dominating and making yourself important among us. We can work and survive without you as well." Prāṇa replied, "Alright, I shall go." As Prāṇa departed, the body died. This story illustrates that Prāṇa is the principal force. There are two kinds of prāṇa. We speak of the cosmic energy, a very pure prāṇa not yet in manifestation or creation. When that prāṇa becomes active, creation begins. This active prāṇa is the second aspect, which sustains creation and the cycle of life on Mṛtuloka (the earthly plane). It is active in different organs and levels of consciousness. If we purify this prāṇa, we can utilize it to rejuvenate our organs. Nowadays, hospitals have operation theaters to replace knees, hips, hearts, and eyes, but that is not addressing the origin. In yoga, the subject of prāṇa is paramount. All prāṇāyāmas hold a very high and important position. However, as a subtle energy, we must deal with it very carefully. About five or six years ago, I gave a particular prāṇāyāma technique to be practiced for three to six months, with the process to be completed over three years. But many neglected it along the way. Prāṇāyāma can be seen as an exercise of the breath (vāyu). Through the breath, we supply the body with prāṇa of better quality. Āsanas also work by inviting prāṇas to penetrate every muscle and tissue, providing nourishment. But with prāṇāyāma, we must be cautious. If done incorrectly, or if we force the breath retention (kumbhaka), it can cause heart problems and other issues. Therefore, everyone must know their capacity. When you go to a swimming pool, you see who can stay underwater longer. You do not demand five minutes from everyone. There, individual abilities become clear. Similarly, we all have differences. It depends on the training of our lungs, diaphragm, and respiratory system. When this system is stronger and supplies more oxygen, the body receives equal energy. Thus, prāṇāyāma should be gentle but constant. According to Rāja Yoga, or more precisely, Vedānta philosophy, there is a prāṇa very close to Īśvara, as I have spoken about before. Prāṇa is in the body. Is there a soul, or is there prāṇa? As long as prāṇa is present, the soul cannot leave the body. As long as the force is there, the general should not leave the battlefield. Now, we do not know: Is prāṇa itself the soul, or is the soul the prāṇa? The soul is not like a tennis ball somewhere in the body; doctors would have discovered it long ago. So, is there a soul? What is it like? Is it long, square, or round? Thick or thin? Transparent or not? Does it move like a spider everywhere, or is it like a bubble? We always speak of the soul, but have you seen it? Even the mother who receives that soul into her body—the first to receive it—cannot see how it entered. And one does not see how it departs. When someone, human or animal, lies dying before you, you do not see the soul leaving like a flying butterfly. But modern computers can indicate this. In intensive care, when connected to monitors tracking heart rhythms and pulse, one can see how the prāṇa gently ebbs. At that time, brain activity slows, the heart slows, muscles tire, and energy diminishes until it is finished. No prāṇa. Therefore, the purpose of practicing yoga and maintaining healthy, organic nourishment is to supply more of that prāṇic energy to the body. It is apt to ask: Are you living to eat, or eating to live? Interestingly, people who eat little and are disciplined tend to have long lives. Those who think, "I must eat more and more"—there is a German saying, "Good eating keeps body and soul together," but they also say, "Suicide with knife and fork." We are often slaves to our svāda indriyas, our taste senses. Sometimes our eyes are guilty; we see food and our mouth begins to water. You may have eaten enough, your stomach is full, but then comes ice cream or something sweet, and you find space. After that, a nice coffee or tea with invisible sugar. At that moment, we do not consider that all our organs must labor. The greatest laboratory is within our body, creating hormones, metals, vitamins, and countless other substances with precise operation. When overloaded, this factory has no vacant space and transfers substances as they are, leading to illness. In Vedānta, prāṇāyāma involves three aspects: recaka (exhalation), pūraka (inhalation), and kumbhaka (retention). There are two types of kumbhaka: bāhya kumbhaka (retention after exhalation) and antara kumbhaka (retention after inhalation). In normal breathing, there is still a natural kumbhaka. When we inhale, a valve closes; when we exhale, after exhalation, the valve closes again. There is a brief interval. When we talk of relaxing with normal breath, we are engaging this natural kumbhaka. Supporting it through specific techniques can be helpful. Suppose you practice for three years and reach higher techniques. But if you then stop for two or three months, you must begin again from the beginning. This is a physical process in the body. You may develop quickly upon returning, but do not make the mistake of immediately attempting the same kumbhaka. You might manage it, but the strain on the lungs could harm them. Therefore, prāṇāyāma is a very gentle practice. Many people become imbalanced because they do not understand prāṇic energy. If you read the book Hidden Powers in Humans, chakras are described. Each chakra in the body holds a particular energy. For example, the Mūlādhāra Cakra and the Maṇipūra Cakra. The Maṇipūra Cakra is very important for our Brahmavidyā practice. It is a crucial junction and powerhouse, distributing energy in different directions, much like electricity reaching a house via a transformer that balances fluctuations. We often do not trust the main transformer, so we use a small one for delicate devices like computers. Similarly, if you connect a 100-volt bulb to 1,500 volts, it will fuse. The energy will not warn you; it will simply burn out. Likewise, with prāṇic exercises, kriyās, meditations, and prāṇāyāma techniques, you must know how to release and divide the energy. This is governed from the Maṇipūra Cakra. It prepares special energy for our eyes, our hearing system, and for the heartbeat. It also maintains a reserve energy, like an automatic generator or inverter, for power outages. The Maṇipūra Cakra is also used for self-healing power. As Gurujī said: "This bungalow of the body is very wondrous, in which God Nārāyaṇa Himself speaks, wonderful, but we do not see anything. Without Gurudev, who can tell you the secret of these bungalows?" Many people, without the guidance of a Gurudev and without knowing proper kriyā or techniques, either are unsuccessful or damage their health. In Brahmavidyā, we speak more about this subtle energy. Ultimately, it is this prāṇa that will lead your soul or consciousness into the cosmos, into cosmic energy. The liver and pancreas coordinate closely, with Maṇipūra as the junction and center point. In our life, the Maṇipūra Cakra begins to develop first. Until birth, you were connected to the mother's body, which worked for you as an inverter, ready to supply all kinds of energy for eyes, ears, voice, and other systems. Thus, Brahmavidyā Kriyā is very important. When you practice prāṇāyāma—even when walking slowly and peacefully—you are practicing good prāṇāyāma. When you walk quickly, prāṇāyāma is overdone, and your rhythm becomes like that of a dog. A dog runs with its mouth open because it cannot sweat; it sweats through its tongue. In hot weather, it cannot sweat effectively, so it pants constantly. But you are not a dog. Because a dog cannot sweat and inhales so rapidly, it has a short life. Those with calm, relaxed breath tend to have long lives, barring accidents or illness. Breath, prāṇa, prāṇāyāma—prāṇokavyeyam, the exercise of the prāṇas. There are ten prāṇas within the body. Beyond them is the highest prāṇa. Each chakra has a different prāṇa. When we speak of chakra energy, it is controlled from the central house, the Mūlādhāra Cakra. This is why we call it śakti, cosmic śakti, kuṇḍalinī. The awakening of kuṇḍalinī is the awakening of pure, direct energy and pure consciousness. It awakens wisdom, light, love, humbleness, kindness, bhakti, jñāna, karma, and discipline. These are represented by the four petals of the Mūlādhāra. Its name signifies mūlaprakṛti, the root nature. Mūla means our origin, foundation, and roots. The roots draw all nutrition to supply the entire tree. Consider the wonderful neem tree. The tree is bitter, but its fruits are sweet. How did Mūlaprakṛti, through the entire tree's bitterness, produce sweet fruit? And how did it develop in the neem blossoms such a beautiful fragrance? If you come to Jadan Ashram in India at the end of March, you will find hundreds of neem trees. Standing beneath them in the evening is profoundly beautiful and contenting. Those who can smell it are fortunate. There is a special 10-day health course using these blossoms. Taking about 10 grams, making a paste, filtering it with water through cloth, and drinking this water daily is one of the best remedies for eyesight. It provides coolness and protection from malaria—a year-long vaccination from neem blossoms. Mother Nature knows what to do. Some trees are sweet in leaves and blossoms, but bear bitter fruit because it is needed. Others have none. There is a story of a poetry conference where many poets presented excellent work. The audience praised them all. The moderator then said, "I have one question. I appreciate everyone is perfect, but the committee must decide on a single winner. Please tell me: where did God or nature make a mistake?" One poet answered that it was a mistake of Vidhātā (the ordainer of destiny). Gold is a precious metal but has no smell. If gold had a beautiful fragrance, it would be even more valuable. The sandalwood tree has fragrant wood but no flowers. If the wood itself smells so good, how magnificent would its blossoms be? The creator forgot this. Another cited sugarcane (gāna). The cane itself is very sweet, but it bears no fruit. If it had fruit, how sweet would that be? Perhaps God overthought. These are human searches for perceived flaws. But prakṛti (nature) knows where to place what. All this exists within us. We can purify it, and willpower is essential. Willpower is self-discipline. When willpower is lost, self-discipline is lost. When self-discipline is lost, laziness arrives. Laziness invites complacency—"I'm here, my friend. How are you? Good. Oh, let's have a rest." Many things follow, and we give up our practice of mantras, meditation, and prayers. After years of practice, suddenly neglecting it is a great pity. We must continue. Consider that the Maṇipūra Cakra, Mūlādhāra Cakra, and Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra are all very important and carry great messages for us. With a single inhalation, countless different energies enter the body and are divided into millions of parts, reaching every cell. You inhale without knowing what is entering. That is our life. It depends on you. Others can only speak or write; you may read. But finally, one must do. Not all bhajans have the same melody—that is my problem. I cannot sing, and you should not follow me in singing. But every singing has its note and rhythm affecting different chakras. The original seat of sound is in Maṇipūra. When you sing, it is prāṇāyāma. I lead satsaṅg. If people gossip, let them gossip. Who is gossiping? Who speaks negatively? They will not help you; they will confuse you. What a pity to lose the path. My development is my concern. My distraction is my concern. Whatever others say, it is my life. I know what I must follow and do. Similarly, whatever I tell you is inspiration. But, my dear ones, the decision is yours, the choice is yours, the willpower is yours, the discipline is yours, because the success is yours. So decide what to do. Therefore, come and practice. You have a beautiful mantra, a golden opportunity, and are most fortunate to have the science of yoga in your life. Where else is there such satsaṅg, such mantras, such bhajans, such kriyās? One in all and all in one. We sit in the same boat, each receiving individually what we need. You should wake up, become active, and practice, practice, practice. With this, I wish all my dear ones here and those with me via webcast all the best. With divine blessings, the webcast will continue tomorrow at 10 o'clock. For today, we are finished.