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Part 1: Purification of Karmic Pollution and the Sacredness of Water We have been speaking, since yesterday, about the purification of inner karmic pollution. How do we purify it? Let us take a very simple example. Mistakenly or purposely, you have made some dirty spots on a wall. You can consult many different powers—astrologers, or those who can see the future. But that will not remove the spots. You can pray a lot, asking them to disappear. They cannot. This is a very simple explanation. You made these spots; now you must clean or repaint them. That is all. Consciously or unconsciously, we have performed some karma, some actions. We are normal human beings; things happen. We are not yet very divine. It is said that no one’s hands are truly clean. Even if you wash your hands with the best soap, within a minute bacteria are there again. That is why in an operation theatre, the surgeon holds his hands up and they put plastic gloves on. There are many strict rules: you must wear a cap, a mask, special shoes, and green cloth—even if you are not a doctor or a surgeon. Purījī Prakāś, Purījī Prakāś... Intellectual pollution, emotional pollution, social pollution, political pollution, and so on—all these influence our inner activities: body, mind, intellect, and consciousness. This is karmic pollution. Anything we do is karma. It is a Sanskrit word; karma means happening or doing. And if you are not doing, that is also karma. Therefore, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa said, "Better to act than not to act, positively." Consciously or unconsciously, we have made some mistakes. Now, by acting positively, we can purify those spots. This is what we call karmic purification. Doing good things in the world is a very powerful purification. That is called Seva, voluntary service. In performing voluntary Seva, we need Tyāga, renunciation. Tyāga means renunciation—no expectation, neither for money nor for fame, no demands, no conditions. Then there is true Seva. So Tyāga, renunciation—physical, emotional, mental—whatever kind of seva you are doing, you put yourself completely into it. That means you become, or we become, the instrument of God. Dind Bandhu Dinānāth, Merī Dorī Tere Hāth. O Lord of the Meek Ones, the rope of my life, the thread of my life, is in your hands. O Lord, can you move your finger a little so that this thread moves toward yourself, and I can come close to you? You know the puppet dance, and the puppeteer’s expertise with finger movements can create a very nice theatre. In some way, this is God’s theatre here, and we are all players. That thread is destiny, and it is in the hand of the Almighty. Our wish is that this destiny brings us towards God. So, we perform seva. Many do seva for money. We spoke about the Budapest Water Congress. It was organized by the government of Hungary and the United Nations. There were delegates from around the world: Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, America, Canada, many from Africa, South America, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Bangkok, Pakistan, the Middle East, and the Indian water minister. Now we need a minister for water—the water minister is so thirsty, he needs water. And of course, many Hungarians and people from all neighboring countries were there. I noticed this summit was very commercial, always talking about the economy. There was a topic called the green economy. Someone had the subject of talking about the green economy. I was sitting a little tired, but when I heard "green economy," I opened my eyes and listened. I thought we would hear about vegetarian food, organic food, planting trees, reforesting—but there was no word of this. The name "green" was used, but it was about how to develop the economy through water: the management of water and obtaining sanitary, pure water. They said about 1.7 billion people in the world have no access to clean water, and they spoke very nicely about diseases connected to water. But it was not the kind of water summit one might expect. There were many NGOs financed by big companies. Many NGOs, or rich people—one of the richest persons' workers or assistants were also there. We were sitting together and talking, but the question is the water. There is also a special committee about keeping clean and protecting the Danube. As the Danube moves towards the middle of Hungary and the area of Békéscsaba in that direction, the flow is little, so groundwater is not there. And all this—from pig farms and sanitary waters—remains there, standing. We had a seminar in a small village called Ketaghaza. Some of our Austrian and German friends were also there attending. The water was so stinky they didn’t even want to brush their teeth. The little children of some of my Austrian Bhakti children said to their mother, "I can’t take a shower. All the time, my body is smelling." This is what they call the green water. So, blue water, green water, groundwater—there was, of course, a lot of discussion on how to manage it. I was surprised to hear something—maybe it was a joke, and I hope it was. They said in Budapest, when you get water from your tap, it doesn’t come directly. It goes through the poor man’s or poor human’s used water, then comes back to you. Do you remember someone said that? It is a filter system: filtered, refiltered, and then refiltered. Then you have good, clean water from the tap. But that water went through the human body at least four times. So I said, "Well, that is holy water." I don’t know if someone told it as a joke. All like this. The canalization, the sewers—what they call it—and it comes clean, bio-clean, and then it will be filtered again. So there were many good talks, but none of them spoke about the cause of the pollution. They came only for the sanitary issues, the lack of sanitation. Someone was criticizing that in many countries in the world, they still have a toilet in the garden or in the open. Some countries have too much water, but it is not moving. I made a point that this problem exists because of pesticides and a lot of cattle farms, pig farms, chicken farms, horse farms, and donkey farms. Like, you have a big donkey farm, no? It’s a very famous Hungarian salami. Amitābha Amitābha... So, Swāmījī, did you try? I said, in India I have often. Yes? Here is sitting one Indian; she can tell if it’s not true. Yeah. You can tell in Hungarian; you speak Hungarian. Okay, so when some officer comes, we salute. When we are hoisting our national flag, then it’s a salute. And when the president arrives, we have a hundred eight or a hundred eleven soldiers standing, giving a salute. And when a military general comes, also saluting. So this is a salute. The prayer is complete. So you know the words, how can they have meanings? None of them spoke about this polluted water from all these farms where they raise animals for meat. One person from Brazil was talking about how, in some part of Brazil, on one hectare of land, or ten hectares, there are several thousand pigs. In my speech I said, "What are you doing with so many pigs? You have a hobby of pigs?" He said, "No, no, for eating meat." I said, "Oh God, you eat so many pigs." I want to say that no one was talking about organic nourishment. Purījī Prakāś, Purījī Prakāś... Purījī, they all aim for what they can. Many companies produce millions of tons of chemicals per day. And they put in as much as they like; nobody says anything. So I hope in the next water summit, or in a food summit, they will speak about this, because I say that is why this summit is necessary, and why the United Nations is searching for sustainable development. Who disturbed the sustainability on this planet? We humans did. And we are searching for the solution, but in the wrong way. We haven’t found the key to that problem, so it was very interesting. If I had spoken like this longer, their companies would be bankrupt. So they gave me limited time. Anyhow, thank you, it was very nice. I can say that the Hungarian government, the president and his ministers, did very, very good work. Excellent organization. There were about, I think, three thousand delegates. Do you know Sītā? Something like that, because many came from the Middle East. The honor of the oils. Some princes and kings, so they have their companions who come with them; each one has 100–200 people. And the world figure, the monkey moon—the United Nations, of course—many, many were with him. And other governments and volunteers very beautifully arranged the halls, very perfect, and they gave them food, breakfast, something to eat during the break, and lunch also free. All the volunteers, police, and guards were very... So they represented Hungary in the best way. No doubt, Hungary is the best, and the people are very kind. They have good hospitality, and the output was also good. They have to discuss more and think on it. So, in India we say: Sarvar, Tarvar, Sant Jan Chahatabar Se Me Parmarat Ke Karne Charo Dariye De The. Sarvar is the big lake or pond that holds water. Tarvar is a tree that gives shade, oxygen, shelter, and fruits. Amitābha Amitābha... The five elements: space (ether), fire, wind (air), water, and earth. Among all these, fire and water are very powerful elements. Of course, air and earth are also important. So, water—we call it Jal Jahan Jagdis: where there is water, there is God. You said water is life. Where there is water, there is life. If you look from an airplane, villages and cities are located where water flows. Because without water, life is nothing. So water should be respected. About 10 or 15 years ago, there was also a summit in Lyon, France. A man there was talking about water. He said, "When I get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and touch the water first, if you feel that minute, those seconds, it’s unbelievable." And he says, "Thank you. Thank you, God." So, you know, when we touch water, what kind of feeling do we have in the body? Seventy to eighty percent of our body is water. Without it, we cannot survive. So, in the water is the light of God. And the salt travels through the water. From the astral world, it comes through humidity or the organ, and enters into the herbs, into plantations, into the vegetation. Where God Kṛṣṇa said, "Through the moon, I enter into vegetation as nectar." And through the sun, the salt travels, and life comes into vegetation. Through different seeds of food—not only for humans but for other creatures too—that soul enters into the bodies. For example, you have one fig tree with 500 or 1,000 figs on it. But all thousand figs—each fig has many seeds inside. The fig is only a fruit of the seeds, and all seeds do not grow. If all figs grew on the earth, there would be no place for other trees. So that soul, that energy, the light of God—in this, on our mortal planet, it is vivid, it is there. So where the light of God is, life is moving, and what is moving is life. And where life is, there is the light of God. And water is that which constantly moves. If we block the water, it will become stinking. So it is said: Jal to behtā bhalā, pānī to caltā bhalā, paḍā gaṇḍelā hoī, sādhu to ramtā bhalā, dāg na lage koī. Water should flow. If it remains stuck, it will become stagnant. And the saint should travel to preach. If he stays in one place only, then someone will say he is good, or somebody will say he is not good, and then arguments come. So you stay one day, preach, and go. No attachment. Long staying means you create attachment. So water is a main thing on our earth, and water came through the fire element. In the time of creation, in Satya Yuga and before, Śiva, Svayambhū, came first in this space. He created Viṣṇu, he created Brahmā. And Śiva said to Viṣṇu, "Viṣṇu, go and do austerity, tapasyā, tapa." So tapa means the heat, the fire. So the heat comes out of Viṣṇu’s body, and the water element is created. When it is very warm, we sweat. When it is very cold, we are freezing; there is nothing to be filled. So fire and water have a very close relation. They live together and support each other to continue life on this planet. This is what the ancient holy scripture says. Now, what the scientist tells is different, or maybe they will come one day to the same point. So, if we waste water, if we misuse water, it is a karmic sin. In old times, at least in my country and surrounding countries, people did not go into the river or lake naked. They wore a dress, what you call a swimming dress. And if they went to the toilet or somewhere, they first took water and washed themselves, and then went into the water. Part 2: The Sacredness of Water and the Call of the Soul Before you come to a river, lake, or ocean, you pray and ask permission to enter or wash yourself. This instruction was meant to keep the water quality clean. I do not know if you understand or accept that water is holy or not holy. We once had many lakes with drinkable water, but now we do not. In that time, we were surviving; we had everything. Now, consider the factories, the chemicals—that is pollution. The animal farms with thousands upon thousands of animals, and how they are kept—that is pollution. The pollution done through the human body is very little in comparison to that from factories, pesticides, and animal waste. Once I saw a documentary video of a very large cattle farm in America, perhaps Texas, covering thousands of hectares. There were mountains of their manure. The earth there is destroyed because there is so much heat generated inside it; this earth will not recover in a century. The urine of the cattle is directed in one channel that flows into a river like a huge stream. Can you imagine? That has destroyed the water, making it undrinkable, but we do not think of that. At the end of a ceremony one evening, they invited all the guests to "save the water and drink the wine." It was called a wine-tasting evening. You see, everyone has different thinking. But we need water. I speak of our water harvesting. We talk about water problems, but we are asking, "Where is the water?" From 2002 until 2013, in the Jadan Pali area, we measured the highest rainfall in one year at just 62 centimeters. This year, there is little rain. We must wait ten to eleven months for the next monsoon. There, we say water is God. Where is the water? We search for it, drilling wells. After eight or ten meters, the water is salty. If you go deeper, it becomes saltier. You cannot use this water for irrigation; if you put it on a garden or crops, within two days you see a white crust of salt. There, rain is our only hope. We are trying to expand our water harvesting project. The coming years will be more difficult, I think—I hope not, but I think it will be due to pollution and climate change. So-called intellectual, academic people do not understand nature or Mother Earth. They block and make dams in every small creek, so the whole vegetation dies. The banks of the rivers once had many green trees; now the trees have died. Where the water table is 200 or 300 meters deep, from where should the trees get water? When you see this, you have tears in your eyes—100-year, 200-year-old trees have become dry wood. I often write in the newspaper, but nobody listens. One speaker in a forum said the government does not pay attention; they pay attention only to how to win the next election, and for that, they are ready to destroy anything. Those who have the feeling have no power. Is this a big problem around the world? When a tree dies, the humans cry as if a family member has died. All they can do is use the dead trees for fuel. Water is a big concern in certain parts of the world. I think 99% of Australia has no water, only on the coast. When you see Australia on Google Earth at night, the landmass is very big, but there is very little light where civilization exists. In the Middle East and in India, let us say about 60% of India has no water. You can help improve our water harvesting. We made a big lake. Every day, thousands of liters of water evaporate from it. We are thinking of making a kind of roof over it, but that will cost a lot. We would have to place a pillar every ten feet and put stone slabs on them. You could support, say, 30 or 10 square meters, which would help secure drinkable water for Jadan and neighboring areas in the future. We have a rainwater harvesting project to provide for farmers and people with no access to water, so they can collect rainwater in a tank. Karmic sin is not only towards humans but also towards other animals—and not only animals, but also birds and fish, and towards the forest. The whole system is our body, and we live in this world. We should not be selfish, focused only on money. Again and again I repeat what the Native American Indian said: "When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, and the last river poisoned, only then will you realize that you cannot eat money." In many parts of the earth, there is too much water, but it is polluted by chemicals. In many parts, there is no water. The mistake or guilt is ours, we humans. Where will human activity lead us? What will happen to our beautiful home, the Earth? What will our children and future generations say about us? They will not be proud of us; they will be the opposite. If you cannot do more, then at least give this world into their hands as purely as you received it. Karmic pollution enters our body, mind, and consciousness every second, and we also purify through good deeds. Seva, helping hands, have more value than folded hands. So do not blame anyone; it is our own selves we have to blame. This is the viewpoint from the yogic side and from the ṛṣi side. Finally, we have to turn to that side. Every evening, when you come home, say to God: "Thank you, Lord, that I could come safely back to my nest." For once we go out our door, we do not know when or how we will come back again. It is very important, and before going to sleep we say: "Lord, forgive all my bad things or sins. Whatever I did, good or bad, I surrender to Thee, my Lord. Give me what I deserve and take care of myself." We know we go to sleep and close our eyes, but to open our eyes again and wake up is not in our hands. There is someone within us, our Divine Mother, who puts us to sleep. And it is our Divine Mother, our Father, who wakes us. When we wake, we say: "Thank you, thank you for a peaceful night. I surrender to Thee, O my Lord, my senses, my mind, and my intellect. Let them be Thy instrument, and guide my steps in the direction where I can do only good things. O Mahāprabhujī, O God, you are only the doer." When you touch water, say thank you. When you have fresh air, say, "Thank you, Mother Nature." What we do is pollute. We exhale. From where comes all this pollution? We consume good air and give bad air back. That is what we do, but Mother Nature always gives good and takes away the bad air. So when good air comes, say thank you. Breath is life, and life is breath. When you open windows or walk somewhere in fresh air, say, "Thank you, Mother Nature. You take care." If we live consciously, we will get rid of our bad karmic pollutions. But some people come and say, "I have problems. Can you do something? Can you tell me something?" And there are some people who say, "Yes, yes, I see, I see. You made a mistake there. You made a noise, and the birds had to run away." Of course, sometimes it happens that birds fly away. "You did this, you did that." So many people go to consult with such people, and I am surprised that some of you are doing this. It means you do not have that trust in Mahāprabhujī, in our Gurudeva. Otherwise, you would not do it. Therefore, it is said in this beautiful bhajan—and this is not only for singing. When you sing, it is you who are calling and you who are asking. > Ab sampūrṇa is jīvan meṁ, yadi rahūṁ sansār meṁ, to jal meṁ kamal ke samān rahūṁ. It is a call of the soul. One devotee is praying to God: "You try many things, but finally you cannot manage." There is everywhere a little happiness and disappointment. A little happy life, then 60% of life is spent with some kind of illness. It is not in our hands to cure it; we struggle. The most unhappy, most disappointed, and most ill is the human. And the most restless and most troublesome—so 99% we are the trouble on this planet, but only 1% are we truly human. So a bhakta turns towards God: "Lord, I surrender my life into your hands. All my responsibility I give into your hands." Ādi Guru Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya said: > Ko'haṁ? Kutaḥ āyātaḥ? Idam jīvitam, katham? Kva gamiṣyāmi? Ko vā tatra vidyate? This is a beautiful question. Who am I? And from where do I come? We came from some other family, and we joined this family. Sitting here, looking at each other, I hope they will accept me, they will love me. Like a stranger, we gain friendship, and now we know each other. When someone is a little different, everyone looks. It was very interesting at this water summit; when I moved, they all were doing like this. Someone said to their neighbor, "Yeah, because I look different than others." If I go with a tie, coat, and suit, nobody will mention it. They will say, "Uh-huh, some Indian also can." So: Ko'haṁ? (Who am I?) Kutaḥ āyātaḥ? (From where have I come?) Idaṁ jīvitam, katham? (This life, how?) Kva gamiṣyāmi? (Where am I going?) Ko vā tatra vidyate? (And who is there?) And what am I doing? For what did God send me here? Am I doing that, or doing something different? For some time we are aware of our seva, then we do what we want. Many karma yogīs come to Jadan with great dedication. After a few weeks or days, they do what they want. So they disturb or destroy more than what they do. Anyhow, what sometimes happens is they go together and come back together. They took my good worker away. And now you have placed the entire burden of this life in my hands, O Merciful Lord. I surrender all my responsibility, my life, in your hands. > Merā niścaya ek yehī hai, ek bār tujhe pā jāūṁ meṁ. Arpaṇ kar dūṁ duniyā bhār kā, sab pyār tumhāre hāthoṁ meṁ. My aim is only one: at least once I can see you. O Lord, even if once you come to me, I will surrender into your hands the love of the entire world. So much I have to give you. > Yadi rahūṁ sansār meṁ, to Prabhu, jal meṁ kamal ke samān rahūṁ. If I live in this troublesome world, then Lord, let me live like a lotus in the water. > He Prabhu, merī sab bhūl, sab guṇ-doṣ, sab tumhāre hāthoṁ meṁ arpaṇ. O Lord, all my mistakes and all my good and bad qualities, all I surrender into Thy hands. > Yadi manav-jaṁm mujhe milē to tab, caraṇoṁ kā pūjārī banūṁ. Lord, if I get human life again, if you give me human life, let me worship Thy lotus feet. I should be your devotee. How many speak about God? There was not one word spoken in the whole summit about spirituality or God—no opening ceremony prayer, no prayers, a dry heart, no remembering of God. So God has become for us a rubber stamp: "I am this religion, I am that religion." That is all. Really, there was no spirituality. Many people there were spiritual and devoted, but no one dared to speak about God. All are afraid. Afraid of what? Of making mistakes. > Yadi manav-jaṁm mujhe milē to tab, caraṇoṁ kā pūjārī banūṁ. Oh Lord, if I will get again human life, let me be the servant, Thy servant. > Is pūjan meṁ, har ek svar meṁ, oh, terā hī terē hāthoṁ meṁ hai. In this worship, in every single note, oh, it is Yours in Your hands. O Lord, every atom of my body should be in Your hands. > Jab bhī āūṁ is sansār meṁ, karmoṁ ke bandhan meṁ, kisī kāraṇ se bandī ban ke. Whenever I come into this world for a karmic reason, as a prisoner... > Niṣkām bhāv se karma karūṁ, sevā karūṁ. Let me serve with niṣkām bhāva, without expectation—service, seva, as a volunteer. > Phir ant samay meṁ, prāṇ tyāgūṁ, Sarkār, tumhāre hāthoṁ meṁ. And then, at the end of my life, I give up my life, O Lord, O King, in Your hands. > Sākār tumhāre hāthoṁ meṁ. Tujh meṁ mujh meṁ bhed yahī, maiṁ nārahūṁ, tum Nārāyaṇa ho. In Thy hands, O Lord, You know, Lord. The difference between You and me: I am the human, You are Nārāyaṇa (God). > He Prabhu, sansār tere hāthoṁ meṁ, aur maiṁ sansār ke hāthoṁ meṁ. O Lord, the world is in Your hands, and I am in the hands of the world. I am in the hands of the world, and the world is in Your hands. O Lord, please, just look upon me and forgive my deeds. Karmic pollution is the most dangerous one. Material pollution is only for some time; after death, we will become part of that pollution. But karmic pollution goes on for lives and lives. Do not pollute thyself with negative thinking, bad words, or bad actions. No one may love you, but at least you should love thyself. Think it over. Tomorrow, we will have another hour lecture. It will begin at 9:30, and at 10:30 we will say goodbye. By 11:00, we should empty our rooms and parking places. And we should empty our money pockets for the Hungarian economy. So spend your money in Hungary. Hungarian water is very good. Buy the waters here. The fruits are very good. The paprika is very good. Hungary has many good things to offer. All the best, and I wish you good night. Dīp Nand Bhagavān. Devīśvara Mādhav. Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān. Sanātana.