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Good evening to all dear ones here and in other parts of the world, and to those joining through the webcast. We know that today people think of, worship, adore, and celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom we call Īśamasi. In many countries, in every house and church, there is celebration. For the last month, I have contemplated the birth or incarnation of holy saints. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad Gītā: Whenever dharma suffers and adharma dominates, when devotees and good people suffer and negative or āsurī śaktis begin to rule, that is the time, oh Arjuna, I come. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa declares that whenever āsurī śakti dominates, humiliating and torturing the bhaktas who believe in God, causing them suffering, then the time has come. It is the same now. When someone is praying or meditating, others say, "Oh my God, what is this person doing?" If you go with a Tilak, they say, "Oh, this must be some cult," without even knowing what a cult is. Those who think like this are possessed by the Asurīśaktis. This is the Kali Yuga. This is the vibration, the Laharā, of the Kali Yuga. Now, even in our vast educational systems around the world, they have removed all spiritual and ethical teachings about gods and spirituality. I think in the Middle East they maintain it more, but in the rest of the world, they are influenced through different media and through various fights for human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, and men’s rights. So, in that time of darkness, the dawn rises. And from the dawn, the sun comes, bringing light again. This is one part. The second is that it has never been easy for any incarnation. From the very beginning, even for Svayaṃbhū Śiva, it was not easy. They did not let him meditate peacefully in the Himalayas because both śaktis developed—Asuras and Devas. Then Brahmā and Viṣṇu came praying to Śiva for help. The first disappointment was experienced by Brahmā, the creator himself. Consider the life of Bhagavān Rāma, which spans nearly one million years. It was not easy. His birth was in a royal family, but his education and the fourteen years after were very hard. Must it be like that? Though he was great and followed all principles, after fourteen years he returned with Sītā, and people humiliated him, speaking very badly. People separated Sītā from Rāma. Kṛṣṇa’s coming was very painful, very horrible—we can say it was inhuman. His mother had to be present, his father was present, and his grandfather was present. Consider how much his mother, Devakī, suffered. Her own brother, Kaṁsa, tortured them. Immediately after she gave birth, he took the newborn baby and threw it against the wall. Everywhere on the walls, there were spots of blood. He was always counting—one, two, three—how many he was killing. When such things happen in front of the mother and father, the pain is immense and indescribable. This is what people do out of ignorance. They do not look within at their own quality, at what they are doing. The ego of position, money, etc.—Kaṁsa wanted to become king though his father was still living. Someone said, "Oh, the crown looks better on your head. You can be a king." A mad person told him, "You are destroying so many things. Don’t put the village on fire." He said, "Oh, I did not know. Thank you for reminding me. I will now put fire in the village." So he went to his father and said, "Father, do you give me the crown, or should I take it?" You see, from that time, the father’s children, Bhakti, was destroyed. Even after birth, the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa had to escape to stay in a village with cows and shepherds. It was not easy. Though he was an incarnation and could have done everything, he showed the world how difficult it is for a spirituality to maintain itself, to bring forth, to lead further, and to spread. Likewise, many saints—you may hear of Kabīr Dās, Sūr Dās, Tulsī Dās, and many others like Mīrā and Rāy Dās—when they were living, people were not nice to them; they were nasty. Now we come to Jesus. Before we celebrate Jesus, we should celebrate his mother. When his mother came to know she was pregnant—and it is said she was not married, a virgin—who believed? No one believed. Her situation, her pain, her disappointment, her neglect, her humiliation—all that she knew. No one was there to support her. These nine months for her were a horror. As for the stories we hear, I do not know, but we always hear stories. At Christmas, people make little cradles for Jesus out of grass. This fresh-born, naked baby, without any clothes, lying on dry grass in an animal stable—like horse or donkey stables. This comes from the fact that no one looked after her, no one cared, and she did not even have a room to live in. That poor lady, dispirited and lost—what condition was that? She had to give birth where goats, sheep, and donkeys were. But she, as a divine mother—every mother is a divine mother—the pain and humiliation she endured is unimaginable. In spite of all this, she kept her pregnancy and prayed for it. Therefore, this day, Christmas Day, is for me more glorious and more divine. I support that mother and share my feelings with her for what she went through. For me, Christmas is a celebration and adoration of that mother, for she gave us such a great light, wisdom, and love to the world. In spite of this, all were ready to kill her and him, both. Furthermore, when we see the life of Jesus, it was not comfortable. Sometimes he had to hide, to go away, to escape—no house, nothing. People searched for him, wondering where he was. He escaped. For many years, he was somewhere; there is a book titled Jesus Was in India. Where was he visited? He wrote something in Banaras and other places, for which evidence exists. After this, my dear, his own disciples—some of them were the cause of his crucifixion. Can you imagine? No one accompanied him, only his mother. She was crying, and her child had to carry his own cross uphill. Not only that, but as the stories show—I was not there—he was beaten. He was hanged on the cross with thorny wires that tied his head so he could not move left or right, and with nails in his palms and feet, and they left him. Only that mother went there after evening dark, and she could not go up to catch him and bring him down. She was so tired and sad, with no tears left to cry. She supported her head against the pillar of the cross, crying, and put her cloth, her saree, where the blood was dripping. What people can do, they all believe. But still, Jesus’ thoughts were saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Then she takes him down the next day and escapes with him. Still, he was alive. So the life of holy saints is always in danger because there are more asuras living. Asuras do more than what they talk about; others have doubts in them. Look at the great saint Assisi. People from Assisi threw stones at him, saying he was crazy, schizophrenic. He had a very hard time. Even the Vatican was against him, but his ātmā-jñāna, his wisdom, proved itself before the Pope, and the Pope allowed him to have his own sector. There is a name called "sect" that comes from "sector." "Sect" does not mean a bed. When you go to the hospital, sector B is for diabetes, sector A for asthma—different sectors. But again, the asuras blame different spiritual groups, calling them a sect, and this and that. This is exactly the situation being created now. How hard it was for a ṛṣi to die, and how alone he died. So, my dear, every incarnation in this world, every holy saint in this world, suffered for others and brought the divine light. No one understands. Now we pray to them, now we cry for them, now we take the holy dust from their feet. But at that time, what did you do with them? This is the reality. So every holy festival reminds us how the asurīśaktis can destroy. But satyameva jayate sanātana dharma. All dharmas are branches; dharmas are rooted in the sanātana dharma. Sanātana Dharma is a universal principle, not a man-made principle. All are based on death? No religion tells you to kill others. No religion tells you to be bad to others. No. All are saying this. We, the followers, are bad because of our ignorance. We did not realize what my Gurudeva is or what my God is. When we like it, we are nice. When we do not like it, we criticize and want to destroy it. It means janam janam dukh pāyegā—that will go. Whoever jumps into the middle of the ocean will go deep down without finding the bottom. But they do not know. In Kalyug, money is Rām. In Kalyug, money is God. As far as I know, Jesus was standing in front of the temple where people were playing with golden coins and gold. There was a gold bull made, so he said, "Do not believe in this wrong gold. Come, I will tell you what God is. This gold is not God." Now they took it. God said, "Do not believe in the wrong God." God cannot be wrong. God is God. Water is water; it may be polluted, but God is water. Life is life. So every festival has its meanings and symbols. In every incarnation, in every festival, there is immense pain hidden, and we try to cover this, seeing only the best things we can have. So, my dear all, here and there, I wish you a very holy evening. We adore the Holy Mother Maria, and we welcome her child in the form of Jesus. We are thankful that Maria gave us such a divine soul. How much she had to suffer, but she kept with this all the best. God bless you. And while I was talking to you, I think Jesus’ baby was active, and she brought so many things so everyone can take something. It is for you; it is here. Thank you. Hari Om. Happy Christmas, and see you tomorrow or sometime again for a webcast. Hari Om.