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Part 1: The Essence of Sanātana Dharma and Satsaṅg Hari Om, dear brothers and sisters, friends. We have the opportunity today for a beautiful, real satsaṅg in an open space. On the Adriatic coast, in the last fifty years, it has been very hard to have satsaṅg. Usually, the Adriatic coast in the summer is connected with kusaṅg (bad company). But we are fortunate enough, and as Swamījī said, everything in the world can be easily acquired, but not satsaṅg. Just think how fortunate and lucky we are that we can have satsaṅg here with Swāmījī, and in such a big number. Yesterday, Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Swāmī Jñāneśwar Purījī told us how hard it is to study some ślokas, but that our answer is in bhajan. He was trying to study some ślokas, but then he found the answer so easily and understandably in bhajans. And that is really true. The two main truths are: if you do good, you will get good, and if you do not good, or do bad, you will get bad. So, all that philosophy could be translated into a couple of sentences that are not only from India, but also from our region, from our tradition, which is much older than Christianity, and that is: do all that no one ignores, including the Bible. And India’s tradition, but also for our tradition here, which is much older than Christianity. And that is: whatever you do, do it in such a way that you do not harm others. And that is Satsaṅgatana Dharma. When somebody says, "Why are you accepting foreign ideas?" we are not accepting anything foreign; we are just coming back to our origin, to our roots. And because of that, do not think of this satsaṅg as something that came from India. But look at it as our fortune that we have Swāmījī, we have that blessing, and by that blessing, we are coming back to our origin, to our roots. And this origin and those roots are actually Satsaṅgat and Dharma. And now we have the opportunity to bathe in the beautiful sun, the beautiful air, the beautiful sea, and, of course, in the nectar of Gurudev’s satsaṅg. I don’t want to delay, but to use as much time as possible with Swāmījī. Also, when we are alone, without satsaṅg, let’s try to be in satsaṅg, that is, in that good society, with good thoughts, and all the time that we have here, let’s use it for our spiritual development. And when you’re alone, when you’re not physically in satsaṅg, try to remain in satsaṅg, try to have good and positive thoughts, and take as much as you can from this real satsaṅg here for your personal time. I will not take any more time now, and we will hopefully again enjoy Swāmījī’s satsaṅg. I would like to thank Swāmījī again that he came here, and as you see, so many wasps and bees are flying around us, and we are like that also. You know that bees follow the queen bee. And this summer we also followed our queen bee, Swāmījī. We had web, India, Strilky, and now here Duga Uvala. We end this summer program with the fact that Swāmījī is here in Croatia, and also that he came to visit us, Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Swāmījī Ganeśwar Purī Jī. And it is my really, really great joy and privilege that this summer’s cycle of seminars we can end here, and also that Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Swāmījī Ganeśwar Purījī is here with us. And this retreat is really something that we need for our daily life, especially because our school and business year starts on the ninth of September, which is also Gaṇeśa Caturthī. So I hope that the next year will be full of blessings and without obstacles. Hari Om, thank you. So, good morning, everyone. Welcome. Dobro došli. Now, you can understand why in the Middle East and in India, in hot countries, women always have the sari over their face. You are not forced to do what you are doing. So they are also not forced to do. All uniforms and customs are according to the climate. The main reason is to have a turban and a long cloth sari to cover your face against the burning heat. So now when you see in the news and this, the ladies have to cover the face, do not take it as a negative. Also, we are doing here, and all our farmers, they are also covering, women covering their head. Feet should be warm, and head should be cool. When we have loose clothing, then we don’t feel hot because the body is getting moist. Air is blowing through, so it’s like a film of humidity, and the humid air makes it cool. You go in the sauna, 100, 110, 115 degrees, more sweating, and that automatically gives coolness to the body, doesn’t let the temperature go so high. It automatically cools the body and allows the body to receive that high external temperature. So the costumes are designed according to the climate. Don’t worry, cover your face or don’t cover, it’s your choice. This reminds me, because sometimes people are criticizing certain cultures, especially in our Middle East. Can you imagine? More than eleven months a year like this hot sun. In June, you had a hot, not raining. In many European countries, there was an alarm. Crops were drying. Trees were dying. Fire was there, so we should understand. Swami Vivek Purījī spoke about Sanātana Dharma, and I would like to tell you what the Sanātana Dharma is. Sanātana Dharma is not a man-made dharma. Sanatana Dharma is not a philosophy. Sanātana Dharma is called a universal principle. Dharma means not only religion, but the religion accepted the dharma, and this here again, the dharma means good principles. This dharma maintains integrity. The dharma of the tree is to grow, to give nice, cool shadow, and flowers and fruits. This is the dharma of the tree. Dharma of the clouds is to rain. Dharma of the river is to flow. And this work is in the whole universe. The space is working too: stars, moon, sun. Everywhere is called Kriyā. Kriyā means something happening, doing. Dharma, Sanātana Dharma is Ādi Anādi Dharma. Ādi, Anādi, it is from the very beginning. And endless. I am sincere. In Sanātana Dharma, there is no mention of any incarnation name of God. In Sanātana Dharma, there is no mention of incarnations, no name of God. There, you believe only in one God. That’s called Brahman, or Universal One. Literally, you can say, to understand in Christianity, to say the Holy Father, which is not born. O Arjuna, I live in every creature, and in this jīva loka, loka is this earth, where all creatures are living, so I am in this saṃsāra on this earth, I am living here, because each and every entity is my Self. Mame vaso jīva loke jīva bhūta sanātana. These all jīvas are sanātana. Means my relatives, by part, the essence of me. And we say, water is life. Sanatana Dharma says, where there is water, there is God. All these five elements are the principles of the Sanātana. Without this, we can’t be born. We can’t manifest. We cannot state this body, and we cannot exist. These five elements are living elements within us. It is said in the house where you live, there should be five living elements. The earth is not dead concrete; therefore, we should have some flower pots with living earth. It would be good if your walls are polished, plastered with the natural earth. It is a perfect isolation. When hot, it keeps cool. And when it’s cold, it maintains and preserves the heat. It gives good breath, even if you don’t open the windows. Good breath, so living element earth should be in the house, in the living room, also water. And we need, when it is very dry, then we put a humidifier, or we hang a wet cloth. It is good to have, in winter time, a water fountain. Is it small, or water in some pots? Is it living water? Also, we have candles or oil flames. And all the time, they used to cook with wood fire. They had a fire in their house. There are some paṇḍitas, they call them Agnihotra Paṇḍitas. And in their house, there is always fire, like a dhūnī. Fire is the presence of God Himself, Viṣṇu. And that exists, lives in water. Fire can only exist in water. We feel cool, we feel water, nice, cold, or warm. But inside is that real fire. There are many different kinds of fire. Krodha Agni, the fire of anger. Jāṭhara Agni, the digestive fire. Havana Agni, the yajña. Kāmāgni, the passion, etc., there are a lot of different kinds of fire, and what we need, the air which we get everywhere, you open the window, air comes, so where the living elements are, then we are living beings, truly. Then we feel harmony, presence, and oneness. Without that, we can’t exist. Ati sarvatra varjayet, too much is everywhere prohibited. Tijelesne pokrete. If the temperature falls down, freezing, we will die. If the temperature goes higher than, how much, 38 or 37? Then we get, "Oh, I have a fever. 39, 40, 41, alarm." But it is said that when you are in a sauna, your body temperature inside doesn’t rise to 41. It rises up when you jump into the cold water. So, this is Sanātana. Sanātana Dharma is not a dogma. Sanātana Dharma says, maintain all of nature. Don’t go against nature, otherwise nature will punish you. Mahāprabhujī said in his golden preachings, "The Vedas said, ‘The Vedas don’t speak about God.’" The Vedas don’t talk about God, nor about religion, but the Vedas say, live in harmony with nature, understand nature, understand the universe, sun, moon. In the Vedas it is written how old is our sun, and how long is the life of this sun. Then, a new one will be built. So, maintaining the season, maintaining life. When a woman gets pregnant, it is the Sanātana Dharma which lets develop that embryo and give dharma in it. Which kind of dharma? Dharma of the ears is to hear, to listen. Dharma of the eyes is to see. Dharma of the joints is to move. Perfectly done. The dharma of the nerve systems is our body, which is the sanātana dharma. We need not go anywhere to see what the Sanātana Dharma is. So, what we inhale and exhale is a process of the Sanātana Dharma. So, what have you now against Sanātana Dharma? If you don’t like Sanātana Dharma, then jump in the water, hurry home. But that is also Sanātana Dharma, which will take care of your soul, and again, Sanātana Dharma will try hard to find some other body for you. Therefore, Sanātana Dharma is that we humans should live in harmony, and when you have negative thoughts, when you have restless thoughts, suddenly you are moody. You don’t speak. That means there is some kind of imbalance in your brain that Sanātana Dharma, because of this way of feeling and thinking, Sanātana Dharma feels that you are doing against the principle of Sanātana. The brain is given to function positively and for good. The motor engine is given in the car to function nicely. Then it makes noise, then you have to put it in grease. And when it makes more noise, then you have to tighten the screws. So when someone is always up and down, what do we call that? The screws are loose. So that means you have done against the Sanātana Dharma. And that’s why immediately you have fear, you have jealousy, you are unhappy, you have depression. You have doubts, you have different visions, different ideas, different thoughts. That’s called disbalance, and therefore, the mantra chanting, "Oṃ," it balances from the Maṇipūra to the Sahasrāra Chakra, all in harmony. Then the lower part will also harmonize, because the message and control are sent from the brain side. And all our jñānendriyas, the senses of knowledge, what we call eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and any skin around the whole body, these are the Jñāna Indriyas. And Jñāna Indriyas are very close to the brain. The Jñāna Indriyas are not located down on your foot soles. Part 2: The Essence of Sanātana Dharma: Two Words and the Eternal Law When you put on shoes, your jñānendriyas (organs of perception) cannot see, and the karmendriyas (organs of action) are subdued. These represent all desires and passions, meant to reject all impurities of the body. There is no Brahmā sitting on a lotus flower somewhere near the moon or sun. It is only a mythological picture. Viṣṇu lying in the water is the principle of fire, not some ocean. The amniotic fluid, when it is released, is water; inside is the jīva, that is all. In the embryo, you are like that lotus, connected to the mother's body by the navel. In the womb, that navel is linked to the mother within the water. So that lotus coming from the navel of Viṣṇu is not the Viṣṇu we imagine. Above it is the brain, and then activities and creativity—that is Brahmā; and that which cares and brings consciousness is Śiva. In this way, these mythological pictures simply give us understanding. But can you imagine? Viṣṇu lies in the water, and suddenly a mushroom grows out. On the lotus at the top, Brahmā looks around, asking, “Who is my creator? Who is my origin?” And he goes searching. He finds no one, not even Viṣṇu, because nothing exists like that. The universe is endless—Ananta Brahman, endless universes, thousands of solar systems. Ananta Brahman, the śāstra sūrya. Where are you searching? Nowhere. Again, you have to come back to yourself. We are happy that at least we can see through Jñāna India and say we are with this one and that one, all together. But when this jīvātmā leaves the body, none of these people will go with us. At most, they will bring you to the graveyard, and you will ask, “Where are you carrying me?” To the cemetery. “My dear one, my darling, my son, my husband, wife, mother—I was always with you. And now you put me under the earth? I know you love me very much. Show me your love. Please come and lie down beside me.” Will you do that? If it were like that, no one would go to the funeral. Thank you. So who goes with us? All this jumps into nothingness. There is destiny, the wind of destiny, and the light of the blessing—that is called Guru Tattva. Or the curse, the sin—they go in different directions. There is no one to see, but in that infinity you see and feel such pain and pleasantness. I would say it is a million times stronger than the difficulties in this life. God sent us to this planet Earth: go and enjoy in a good way. Ganeshwar was telling yesterday that he is in kindergarten Sanskrit. Yes, Sanskrit is a perfect language, great, but you have to be very careful. It is a horse from which many riders have fallen down. Because the intellect and philosophy contained in it can make you a complete non-believer. Intellect and philosophy, as they exist, can completely turn you into an unbeliever. Water is life; water gives us life, but it can also take life. So when you read, you have to develop Sanātana Dharma in your thoughts. But the sense of all this—Gurujī said, “Four Vedas and eighteen Purāṇas, four Vedas and six philosophies—only two things are written, my God. So many thick Veda books, and you have to read and learn for at least thirty to forty years.” And Gurujī said there are only two sentences. That is the essence, the reality. The reality of our day and night is one: the sun and moon. The four Vedas and six philosophies have written two things: if you give someone good things, pleasant things, then you get pleasant things; if you do good, you get good, and if you do bad, you get bad. This is the Brahmavākya of the Sanātana. Then it is said: All beings in the world desire happiness; no one desires sorrow. duḥkha koī na cāhata—no one wants pain and troubles. O human, understand this too, and you will master your life. Use to the maximum what God has given you between your two ears, otherwise it will be over. The joints get stuck, calcify—yes, the calcium. Use your brain, but use it in a good way, and supply it at the right time with the right fuel: petrol, diesel, oil, everything. When negative feelings, negative thoughts, or ego come, say, “No, I don't want this.” Do you know how much your brain suffers and is attacked by that energy? We harm our brain; it creates immense tension. To become a little opposite, negative, or distant from someone, your brain is completely in tension. It is like driving in first or second gear at high speed over a mountain. What is the condition of your engine? Or you create distance—physically you may not show it, but inwardly you reject. At that moment, you are driving upside down a hill on curves with the handbrake and footbrake both on, and suddenly the brakes fail and overheat. What will be the condition, my dear? In the curve—this is a curve of life, maybe for one minute—but this curve will harm your spirituality, your development, and so on. There is ambition, the mind, and the intellect. The mind has so many desires and ambitions: “I have a new car, I am young, I can drive well.” This is your greed or ambition, and your mind says, “Yes, oh, good.” And somebody is sitting with you, a co-driver; the roof is open. This is mostly what young drivers do—drive faster and faster. Sometimes children shout, “Faster, Father, faster, faster!” So inside sits greed, and the mind says “Yes, yes,” but suddenly a very sharp curve appears. The mind says, “I am not responsible.” Greed says, “That was not my subject.” The intellect says, “I didn't instruct you.” Similarly, these are examples. Every step we have to take very carefully. How many times a day are you moody, up and down, up and down? Towards your husband, towards your wife, or towards your neighbours. One young man was driving with his wife in a good car on the highway. Suddenly, the radio announced, “Attention, on such and such road a ghost driver is on the wrong side. Do not overtake.” The young driver said, “It's stupid.” What does one mean? Look how many are coming. That's it. So don't make others foolish. Don't be selfish. Therefore, one Swami used to say: when you smile, only six muscles are in tension or working, while sixty-four muscles are relaxed. But when you frown, only a little part relaxes, and all sixty-four muscles are in tension—including your Mūlādhāra Cakra, which is burning. At that time, the Kuṇḍalinī Śakti makes a coil, rolling backwards, and the heartbeat suffers. The heart's rhythm suffers. So our mood harms our brain, our heart, and the solar plexus. Spiritual development is against Sanātana Dharma when you cause pain to someone or kill creatures without feeling their pain. Think of your food—even the fire-living creature in hot water. Did you ever imagine if someone put you in that fire or boiling water? Even if a little finger touches fire, we cry, “Oh, God.” So that is the two words: sukha diyā sukha hotā hai, duḥkha diyā duḥkha hoī. If you give happiness, you get happiness; if you give sorrow, you get sorrow. If you give trouble, you get trouble; and if you save someone and give goodness, you will get goodness. These are the instructions and principles of Sanātana Dharma. No one sat down to write them; as the ṛṣi said, it is the law of the universe—balancing, harmonizing. Let it function positively, for good. When we speak of Sanātana Dharma, we do not speak of one religion. Every religion is very good; no religion is bad. The bad is that we do not understand, and we act negatively or make compromises. But in Dharma there is no compromise—in quality, no compromise. Now we human beings make some compromises: we replace the heart, the kidneys. This is a little compromise. But Sanātana asks, “How long? O man, how long?” So man tried to create something immortal. Now two things are immortal. One is the Ātmā, which is God-made or Sanātana—the Ātmā. And the second immortal is made by man: plastic. Plastic we cannot destroy anymore. That Ātmā is divine, immortal, pleasant, and bliss for everyone. But this plastic immortal—this plastic ātmā—is very destructive. Devī Śakti is sanātana, and Āsurī Śakti is pollution. This pollution is born from the human brain, because humans misuse the brain in the wrong way. The principle of fire is to burn everything. That is the dharma of fire. We throw some papers and dry grass in it; whatever we throw, fire does not say, “Oh, don't do this.” If you throw your 100,000 euros to make the fire, fire will not tell us, “Take care of the euros, money, money.” There is no compromise. So whether you do good karma or bad karma, everything is taken. But finally, you have to be sorry, or you have to suffer. Therefore, you should always be happy. When unhappiness comes on your face, you are torturing yourself. Not only that, you are creating darkness for your future. Therefore, it is said: jis hālame, jis cālame, Rām kahu, Rām kahu. In whatever condition and in whatever situation you are, say the name of God and be happy. Smile. It's only sun—hot, that's all. If it is a cold wind, we will again be taking many clothes. I am not this body—it is very easy. And who is speaking, saying this to you now, sitting in a nice shed? So it doesn't matter—in the sun or in the shed. We should be happy and sing. Kī Jai! Happy? Our dear Swami Vivek Purījī understands Sanātana Dharma and has made a website on Sanātana Dharma. So you should read more on this. I hope you understood what I mean by Sanātana. So, there is no personal God, because God is only one. In the Hindu religion, we believe in one God, called Brahman. But different incarnations represent Him. It is like one family with ten family members: we love all ten, but in reality it is one family. Similarly, there is only one universal God, Brahman. You may call Him Brahman or Allah. There is no picture of Allah, no statue of Allah. Yet we all pray to Allah. Whom do we pray to? Where is He? If you understand, then He is with you. He sees us, He hears us; only we cannot see Him with these material eyes. Holy Father, do you see Him somewhere? We see mostly Jesus, and all His followers are the religious leaders. But they are representing, bringing the message of the Father. So, at most, we make a light. That light represents Brahman, perhaps. Everywhere there is a candle or some lamp. According to Sanātana Dharma, the ṛṣis who realized through their meditation wrote down the instructions, and different religions took the different words they liked. So all is from one. And so Gurujī's picture has been moved away, because today is not a birthday. One in all and all in one. So all the best.