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Part 1: Time Beyond the Mind Good morning to everybody. Time doesn’t wait for us, and we have to run with the time. But the question is there: is there time? Time is the creation of the human mind. That’s all. Otherwise, beyond space and time, One without a second. But let’s say the system is the system. So, at the end of the day, the weekend seminar is coming—the last three weekends. Some came only for the weekend or for one day. Here in Hungary, the Youth Union of Yoga in Daily Life performed a very beautiful program at VEP Hungary. They moved through the entire area of the agricultural college, which is about 50 hectares or more, where a lot of plastic and other things were lying around. By the end of our seminar or retreat, the whole area looked completely different. The director of the agricultural college, where we have accommodations—and luckily we have two large halls—said that whenever our group comes, they leave the whole area and the rooms so clean and neat that the cleaning staff hardly has anything to do. And in every room, they find some chocolate or a little gift and a note saying “Thank you.” Our people live there for the staff and write thank you. Krishnan is sitting here, he can tell you more. The director mentioned that there was another group from some religious committee—so-called spiritual leaders—who also asked for that accommodation. Afterwards, the head of that group asked whether the college had good security, like walls, and what the security was. The director said, “Yes, there is a high fence and iron gates, but why do you ask?” They replied, “The problem is that at night we are all nearly drunken, and they try to run out.” So you see how our group—gathered from different parts of the world—is very peaceful, very clean, and organized. There is also a coffee house there, and people go to buy something there and in the village. They all belong to the Youth Union of Yoga in Daily Life, including the students who are still studying. And as you know, we have a special internet program, a column where our students write about their successes, about their schools, and so on, and they can exchange thoughts on how they live at school. One of our disciples, Om Prakash from Auckland, New Zealand—now 18 or 17—has parents who emigrated from Croatia. Both are yoga teachers. Every year he receives awards from the school for how good he is, and his marks are always at the top. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā... I think the parents’ happiness is indescribable. When a little baby is born, how much care they take, and then they send him to school for education. And when children fall into bad company, drugs, and criminality, the parents are not happy. But not in our case. You are the pride of your country, you are the dignity of your society, you are the beloved of your family, and finally, you are the light of this world. The children are the culture of tomorrow; the nation will go in that direction. So can we imagine how happy we are when our children are so successful? And it depends a lot on the parents, too. During these eight days, our children here had a beautiful program: a walking picnic, studying different creatures in the fields, because this area is very beautiful and healthy. The Strilky wood and hills are 100% organic, with many medicinal herbs. The children go and learn the names and appearances of the plants, and they count butterflies, beetles, ladybugs, and grasses—couch grass and so many things. They also see how the cherry tree looks and how the fruits hang on it. In big cities, all fruits come packed in a box, so many children think they come only from the box. The great daughter of Krishnānanda, when she was small—three or four years old, now she is seven, I think—always said, “Ice cream comes from the fridge.” Ask her where ice cream comes from: “From the fridge.” So children have to get in touch with nature. They have to feel the earth and mud with their bare feet, and touch the grass and everything. It was beautiful. Sometimes they had lovely stories, games, and some yoga exercises from Yoga in Daily Life that are good for children. And you can see the result. Now, more than forty children are sitting here, and there are about 270 members of the Youth Union altogether. We have the smallest one here, about six months old—maybe even three weeks old—and they are all gathered in the hall. Hardly do you hear them. They have such love, interest, and concentration to learn something. They are so silent. Otherwise, keeping children silent like this is like trying to weigh frogs in one scale: you put a frog in, and another jumps out. So, the credit goes to those teachers. Now, the children have been waiting for us for eight days, observing our programs. I think it would be nice of us to also observe their program. Let’s take twenty minutes or half an hour. All the people sitting in the front here, it’s been a very nice experience throughout the whole week. On the first day, the children found out something very nice: You come here, trust it, there is a treasure. It’s a treasure that you cannot see, nor touch. It’s the most valuable treasure of all. Before we start with the treasures, the most valuable thing is that we are all here, and that we, together with the children, can learn something very precious from our master, Swāmījī. And that’s the reason to be happy. The first day we were looking for the treasure—we were thinking about trust the whole day. Trust. Our little ones, the fireflies, ask: How can we get rid of fear with trust? Once Mahāprabhujī decided to spend some time in Mount Abu. A few disciples went with him, and they passed through a landscape full of mountains. Mahāprabhujī said, “Don’t be afraid. Nothing can happen to you. Just follow me.” So they went farther. But suddenly in the distance, a tiger’s growling was heard. Everyone was scared and climbed the trees. Mahāprabhujī sat under an ashok tree and began meditating. The tiger came, bowed down in front of Mahāprabhujī, and then Mahāprabhujī looked kindly at the tiger and called out, “Utēkl!” And the tiger ran away. Mahāprabhujī then asked the disciples, “What were you afraid of? Didn’t I tell you not to be afraid?” We will tell you one important thing: He who is under the Guru’s protection has nothing to fear. Swāmījī took very good care of them and taught them a mantra: Om Śānti... Very important are our thoughts as well—another treasure. A thought is like a wild pearl; I’m threading the thoughts like beads. I choose the beads very carefully. I’m decorated with beautiful pots—they are true diamonds of mine. No one, please be angry with me if I say: try it yourself. The practice of yoga can help us withdraw into our inner world and find inner happiness. Next, a treasure: Samādhi. And there is another treasure: it can help us look at our troubles from a different perspective. The children liked yoga nidrā, the yoga sleep, very much—according to Swāmījī, it was like being in a magic airplane, where all the troubles are very small. What’s interesting is that the kids conducted a questionnaire among the adults present here. They asked about 170 people, and 60 of them had the experience of being on such an airplane, where troubles appear tiny and they can board that airplane whenever they want. Another treasure: Uparati. The last treasure: Titikṣā—the ability to overcome our troubles and problems. The actors of our last performance truly had to overcome many difficulties. Here is the story of Miracle Sonamukhī. There once was a man in India who drank too much, damaging his liver and stomach. He suffered a terrible stomachache, and the pain was so great that he could not bear living any longer. He decided to leave home, find a place to lie down, and wait for death. On his way, he met a yogī who asked, “Why do you look so terrible? What happened to you?” The man stopped and explained. The yogī told him about an herb called Sonāmukhī, which has a very strong laxative effect but also perfectly purifies the digestive system and removes all illnesses. “Take five grams of Sonāmukhī for five days, and everything will be all right.” The man, however, wanted to be healthy as soon as possible and took 15 grams all at once. Can you imagine what happened to his already alcohol-damaged stomach and liver? He was weak for three days, but to his surprise, he fully recovered. He decided to become a yogī himself and help people with Sonāmukhī. He settled near a small village. A woman soon came for help: “Swamiji, we had four donkeys. We have been searching for them for several days. Could you please help us find them?” Swamiji did not know about the donkeys at all, but with full faith he answered, “You and your husband should eat ten grams of Sonāmukhī, and the donkeys will come back alone.” The woman went home, cooked spinach—which her husband loved—and secretly added the Sonāmukhī. He had not even finished eating when it started; he had to run, and his wife followed. He ran, she came back; he ran, she came back again—they kept meeting one another, and the husband was furious. But what happened? They had a small hay shed that was only opened once in a while. When they finally looked inside, there were the donkeys! Swamiji had said they would come, and indeed they were there. Oh yes, the women must always be right. But our story is not over yet. In the old days, kings in India could have more wives. One king had two wives—one he loved very much, the other he disliked. The woman from our story was the maid of the disliked queen. She told her queen that her guru had given her Sonāmukhī, and that he was so good he could help anyone—her own husband hadn’t believed it either, but in the end he had to. The queen began thinking: “If this yogi is so powerful, maybe he can help me so that my husband loves me again.” The maid answered, “Yes, of course, he can do that very easily. I will go and ask Swāmījī for advice.” The advice was: give her Sonāmukhī. The maid brought Sonāmukhī to the queen, who was really surprised. “I will take a laxative, and my husband will come back to me? Where is the sense in that?” The maid insisted, “If you want to be helped, you need to take it.” At last the queen agreed. When the effects of the Sonāmukhī finally subsided, the queen was so weak that she started losing consciousness and thought she was dying. She decided to write a letter to bid farewell to the king, wishing to see him one last time after not having met for ten years. The maid delivered the letter. As soon as the king read it, his favorite wife snatched the letter and threw it into the fire, saying, “You won’t go to her, even if she were to die.” The king replied, “I didn’t know you were so cruel. I don’t want to see you anymore.” He then went to his first wife, called the doctors, and personally took care of her until she fully recovered. That is how the queen regained the king’s love. The maid was also very happy. To keep the yogi close, they accommodated him in the palace. After some time, the peace and quiet of the kingdom was disturbed by an enemy who wanted to take the kingdom by force. He camped before the city and sent a message: “We shall strike tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.” When the king received this, he felt as if he himself had eaten Sonāmukhī—it was fear. Nobody wants to die, whether a king or a little child. He went to the queen, and she remembered: “Let’s go to Swamiji; he will help us for sure.” The king doubted: “But his power is also limited; how can he help? They have five thousand soldiers, and we only have five hundred.” Still, they went, although it was night. Swamiji was surprised to be visited at this unusual hour. He listened and said, “Give Sonāmukhī to all the soldiers.” The king was amazed and thought, “What nonsense! Give Sonāmukhī to all the soldiers?” But then he decided to follow the advice and ordered a rich dinner to be prepared for everyone. Now the enemy’s scouts were observing the king’s camp. When they saw the troops moving about—running to and fro—they were confused and terrified. “Such a huge army the king must have! We cannot defeat such big troops!” The enemy commander, observing carefully, called for a retreat. “Before sunrise, we must be as far away from here as possible.” And so the kingdom was saved, thanks to the wisdom of the yogi and the power of trust. Part 2: Celebrating the Youth Union of Yoga and Divine Life: A Children’s Program and Spiritual Insights When the sun rose, the half-dead lay exhausted here and there on the field. That is how trust and medicine taken with faith work. And that is why we have a gift for him. Thank you, children. The t-shirt I received is very beautiful and organic. Thank you for my walk in the forest. The special credit goes to our teachers, who were training them. Please come forward. The children are not the teachers—but truly, they are teachers. Thank you, teachers, and thank you to all our juniors. It was perfect. I can see you worked very hard. But when did you find the time? You are always in the satsaṅga with me, so it was wonderful. Many of our friends around the world—those who are with us through webcast—we hope they also appreciate it, and we thank you. Everyone is welcome to join the Youth Union of Yoga and Divine Life. This evening there will be some forms, and you can write about your studies. Yoga in Daily Life—the Youth Union of Yoga in Daily Life. Our dear Sītā from Prachatica, together with her daughter and son, Bhajan Devī and Bhajan Purī, worked very beautifully. They produced a lovely book, Belinka. I cannot understand all of it, but it is a beautiful, very beautiful story. I think you can read a little from it. Come, come forward for it. Yes, yes. I must read it to you. So, Belinka, just in Czech. Yes, Czech, because it is written in Czech. We will check. I will read it in Czech, because it is in Czech. “Toulavý pes. Bela was, for those around her, just an ordinary, sluggish dog. Many looked at her with disdain. She was so dirty and wrinkled. Long, ungroomed hair formed tangles; her bent body, not hidden by that hair, revealed every rib, and her tail was tucked between her hind legs. She was often shouted at. Sometimes someone threw a stone at her; she was never welcomed.” Puri Jī, Siddha Puri Jī, Siddha... Puri Jī Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Puri Jī, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ,... Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ. Co ve radio? No? What happened? It is about a dog. Dog, yes. So where are you now? In here. Is he lost or what? Somehow she had a beautiful life with her man, but somehow… So, thank you. Give it to me. Okay. Because for the webcast, it is too long to read, but it is very nice, I think. What is written behind? Can you read just this page? I will only read what is on the cover of the book. “The tale about Belince is inspired by the real story of the author Sītā and her father Belīśka. The book was written for you to show that, with courage and love in your heart, it is possible to overcome all obstacles and find happiness. Knowing how to do it is very important. That is why Sītā is known to you in a playful form with wise teachings, which helped Belince and the other authors of the book in an uneasy situation.” So, we think it will be translated into some different languages as well. Thank you. Wait, it is for you. Thank you. And would someone from you like to offer a commentary? For our children, welcome. I think Svāmī Premānandajī is the most suitable one. Okay, proceed. Ah, they have to sing one bhajan. Ano, dobri. Ano, poj. Premanjab kusko, for children. Oṁ Tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt... These two came, this little one, just to say that it was beautiful. The children’s program was really special and beautiful. Webcast is excellent. Praṇām. Thank you. Our dear Svāmī Premānandajī has now been in India for many years, more than twenty years, nearly thirty years. And you know that he spent most of that time all the while with the Holy Gurujī. I think our Premānandajī can offer his view about the program, about this—Program, Motivation for Children, the Youth Union of Yoga and Divine Life. This one is only for my men, but for you, this. Hari Om, everybody. I feel quite honored to be introduced as an expert on children’s programs and their command. But I guess it comes with age, as you know. Children and elderly people have quite a lot in common. Both enjoy a kind of carefree time. Children are cared for by their parents, and hopefully, elderly people are cared for by their children. This program was very inspiring and moved me personally—to see so much beauty: beauty in the faces of the children, in their joy of playing, of being unaware of the game, and not having the pressure of having to perform, like me. But it is a different thing. Because of this, I could not prepare. So the pressure of performance is also gone from me. What I very much enjoyed was the way the children were acting and reacting. And there was a lot of purity. One can see in their appearance, in the way they are doing, what actually stands behind them. And that is the parents, the caretakers. Many of us know how it was with our parents. They had a different history. Many of us have parents who experienced war, hardship, and communism. Through this awareness—how we become conditioned, how our education shapes us and others—we can do a lot differently. Normally, when we learn something, we are used to teaching it to others or passing it on in the same way. But through awareness and self-awareness, we at least have the chance and possibility to change something in the way we pass it on. That is the great thing I could see today. The children had a lot of creativity, spontaneity, and joy in their play. And this joy can only unfold itself when there is not too much pressure or expectation. Then it can flow, it can grow, it can blossom. I am sure this is a great future for all of the children—not only in the sense that it is in yoga and daily life, or that they receive a very good base for their life and how they see life and manage it, but they are connected to a society, they are protected in a society that understands and molds their mind and their future in such a way that they have a really good and successful prospect. Their conditioning is very positive, creative. And I am sure their children will also benefit from that. I do not know what more to say about children and their education and whatever it may be. But it is a great thing to work with the material you have and to make the best out of it. When these children grow up and make their own decisions in life, it is no longer up to the parents to decide. If you come as a parent to that point where you say, “I have done my best, now it is up to the child itself what he does,” then I think a great thing is done and something is achieved. So let us see what the future will bring. When these children go forth in life, I am sure their future will be very bright. Thank you very much for the performance. It was spontaneous, and it was joyful. Hari Om. Yes, there is another children’s program expert sitting here. But inside, with a friend of our parents or elderly people, we are always like a child. And who likes to enjoy chocolate? It is always a child. Please, Gajānandajī. Svāmījī, it is always good for jokes, no? Svāmījī is always good for jokes. I never had a brother or sister. I was never a father. And I am a sannyāsī, so definitely the right expert for children. So I could not say much more than Svāmī Premānandajī said. It is always so enjoyable and so touching to see the purity of children. And I adore the parents, or those who are now leading the program, for how they were able to transform, I would say, philosophical principles into something very practical that even small children can touch, understand, and grasp. I would like to take the Ṣaṭsampati, the six treasures of Jñāna Yoga, which is like high yoga philosophy, you know. I would have no idea how to explain Ṣaṭsampati to a child, but they know. So, how did they learn? Just by being in contact with the children. You see, there was a phase in my life when I was thinking about whether to become a Svāmī or not. And I knew that if one decides to become a Svāmī simply out of the thought, “I don’t want children,” that is actually not a good motivation. One has to see the positive and negative aspects of both, and then make a very conscious, very clear decision. And then Mahāprabhujī arranged for me, somehow, a situation where for a short moment, for a few months, I stepped into the father role without being the father. A girl who was pregnant and whose partner had run away simply could not deal with the situation. She asked me to be present during the birth to give her support. But in the end, it was a big experience for me. And you can understand, maybe emotionally, for a few weeks or months, I was in this father role somehow. That opened something in me to understand the greatness of being a parent. And Mahāprabhujī organized that two or three months after the birth, the father came back. Then I became a retired father, so I could withdraw myself. During that time, of course, I also had more contact with mothers and was speaking about that topic. I was somehow busy with it. One thing I will never forget was the very innocent reaction of a young mother, what she told me maybe two or three days after the birth. She said, “You know, I have read so many books to prepare myself. I have spoken with so many mothers to get inspiration on how it will be. But one thing no one told me: that you simply must love your child. That you cannot do otherwise. When the child cries, you have to run. And you forget everything about yourself. You are just there for the child.” It was so innocent, so pure, that it really touched me. I still remember it after many years. And this is the quality of mother, the quality of family life, Gṛhastha Āśrama. So, I am amazed that I understood that the Kṛṣāśrama, this spiritual path, is also a spiritual path. Another mother explained to me something very important: how do you communicate with a child? When the child is two years, five years, eight years, or twelve years, you have to communicate in a different way. You are now maybe fifty. So you do it, perhaps unconsciously, by remembering your own life when you were small. And now, bringing up a child through the years, you somehow go through your own life once more. That means, with every child you bring up, you undergo a kind of self-therapy. I think there are many more aspects of family life. They make the householder path a fully grown spiritual path. In fact, it is the path for the vast majority, ninety-nine percent. The only problem, from what I see, is that this love is always a little bit mixed with some attachment. And the more the children grow up and want to go their own way, you must let them go their own way. Do not try to make the children live out your unfulfilled desires. In this way, the spiritual path of the householder can really lead from love to bhakti. So, that is what I wanted to say. Thank you. Thank you, Gajānandajī. Pramāṇānjī, very nice advice. The future of our youth is the future of the entire world. So children are like raw material, and parents are the artists; they can model them as they like. Now, the final program is coming again. Yes. We must thank SITI, because it helped us to participate in the children’s program. A special thanks goes to SITI, because the children from Slovenia could be included in the program. For building human societies with human feelings, spiritualities, and ethics, the United Nations and the NGO UNICEF are trying very hard to give the best quality of education to children. And as you know, one of the stated aims of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals is education. As you know, within the program of this permanent sustainable development, there is also a department that deals with education, education, and peace—so many things. Our Youth Union of Yoga and Divine Life has done a very great job as well: helping to protect the environment, helping to plant trees. This Guru Pūrṇimā you will know how many million trees we have planted, and how many peace trees. That is something very great. Thank you. Thank you all—our organizers, the technicians, and all our junior artists. They performed a perfect theater, and I wish you a very good appetite. The next lecture will be at 7:30, 5 o’clock in the afternoon. If it is warm, then we will be on the meadow; otherwise, here. That webcast will be only half. An hour, and then the evening session will be at 7:30 for one hour and forty-five minutes. Good appetite. Adiós. Subtitles by the Amara.org community