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Welcome, everyone. Many friends are joining us via webcast from around the globe, which is a beautiful thing. However, there is a difference between theory in the visions and practice in the physical presence for aspirants. We should not depend solely on a website or webcast; those are for inspiration and motivation. The technology is wonderful, and we gain much from it, but for seekers, it is crucial to be in an environment of physical presence. In the last three lectures, we spoke more about techniques and theoretical instructions. One key point is to understand. If you don't understand in reality—perhaps only intellectually—then you are not sure you will achieve and practice. I spoke about two points: fasting and mauna (silence). I noticed in these two days that you understood the opposite and were purposely talking more and eating more. There is a story of a confused person in a village who was destroying things—an act called vandalism, though historically the Vandals were good people. This person was destroying many things. Someone told him, "You are so crazy, destroying so much. But please, don't do stupid things. Don't set the village on fire." He replied, "Thank you, I had not thought of that." The next day, the whole village was on fire. Similarly, when I spoke of fasting and mauna, you did the complete opposite. What can I say? The success of life is in self-discipline. This is why Patañjali begins with "Atha yogānuśāsanam" (Now, the teaching of yoga). I love you all very much and often say "okay," but in reality, I am not satisfied. Either you do not understand, or perhaps I am not explaining enough. Discipline is missing. Do not blame me when you are very old, after 150 or 200 years, asking, "Why didn't I achieve Self-realization?" I often receive messages saying, "For so many years I have been practicing yoga with you, Swāmījī, and I see no change." I say, thank God you don't see the change, for in reality, it is because you do not practice. Around the world, there are millions of yoga teachers. Perhaps 1% take it seriously and guide people correctly. Many teachers do not care about their students. Our motto is that we do care. You come and go as you are, but you will take two words with you: fasting and mauna. I tell you, if you do not do this, you will have to take birth again and struggle until death. Then you will realize, "I did not follow. Lord, give me a human birth again." Then again, you will be put here to be explained to from birth till death, in the same seminar. We dwell too much in the external world. Many now have high education and are academics, yet they have the walk of the sheep. One sheep falls into a hole, and the others look up and also fall in. This kind of education is only for the external world. You have not awakened inwardly. When you awaken inwardly, you will realize what is Titikṣā, what is Tyāga, and what is Vairāgya. If you do not master these three, it is a pity. You will leave as you came. Titikṣā is an ornament of the yogī. Who does not know what titikṣā is? The majority know; a few do not. Please read "Hidden Powers in Humans" or "In Summer Seminar." Titikṣā is a part of Jñāna Yoga. It is not Haṭha Yoga, but Haṭha Yoga is Titikṣā. To practice Titikṣā is to practice Haṭha Yoga. Where you practice Haṭha Yoga, you are practicing Titikṣā. Titikṣā means to have the strength to endure: cold, heat, hunger, thirst, comfort, and discomfort. When one practices titikṣā, one is like a turtle. When Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa instructs Arjuna to practice yoga, he describes how a yogī should be: like a turtle that can withdraw its limbs at any time and extend them at any time. When a yogī withdraws into a hut, room, or cave, they withdraw their senses. It is not about closing the curtain or using earplugs because external sound disrupts you. You do this because you have not practiced titikṣā, which is part of yama and niyama, and among the ṣaṭ-sampatti: śama, dama, śraddhā, uparati, and titikṣā. Śama means to withdraw your senses from the outside; even if they are screaming, you do not hear anything. This is introverting. It is not an illness, as some might say of a psychic. You become one with the inner world. Whether people are drilling, dancing in the street, or riding loud mopeds, the yogī is happy in the inner world; nothing disturbs. The yoginī is happy in her inner world, and she does not disturb anything. That is it. Have you practiced this? No. Which indriyas (senses) can you withdraw? Tell me, out of the five karmendriyas (organs of action) or the five jñānendriyas (organs of perception)? Yes, when we are 95 or 800 years old, the indriyas will automatically... But you have not practiced, my dear. This is a training for you. Go and meditate in a noisy place. Sleep where it is noisy. Do not say, "I cannot." Śama: tame your horses and pull them back. Dama: control them. These ten horses—the five Karmendriyas and five Jñānendriyas—must be controlled by the rider. Buddhi kī lagām lagāī buddhi: the intellect is the rope that controls the horse, and it is the mind that controls everything. Everything is a theater of the mind; it is a drama of the mind. Your mind makes you happy, and your mind makes you unhappy. Your mind makes you feel lonely, sad, ill, and creates likes and dislikes. This is the mind, because these ten indriyās disturb it. In yoga philosophy, in Jñāna Yoga, one withdraws from the external world and then constantly observes in a very natural way. A mother is cooking, working, ironing, but she knows what her child is doing. Similarly, you meditate, you do your mantra, aware of your aim, but at the same time you know that none of the indriyas runs out. If you have not practiced titikṣā, you will not achieve what you want in this life. And Tyāga: learn what tyāga is. Renounce—not your money. You need not renounce your money; one day your children will take it, do not worry. You do not need to renounce external things, but renounce inner feelings. That is very hard. We cannot renounce our beautiful hair. Cut your hair. When I was with Holy Gurūjī, he said, "Save your hair." I said, "Okay, but people will not like it." Gurujī said, "Are you going to marry somewhere? Who will tell you they do not like it?" It was my attachment to my hair. Gurujī called the barber and the chef, first me and then him. Oh my God. When I came back from Europe, I had hair, and Gurujī said my eyes looked good, but that day was Monday and I should save it. I said okay, but I also tried to find a way, as you are doing. I said, "Gurujī, this is a good idea, thank you, but in two months I am going back, and my passport has a picture with my beard and hair. Maybe they will not let me cross the border." Gurujī said, "Okay Mahesh, all right, no problem." Such little things. How attached we are to our hair, mustache, beard, and nails. This needs tyāga. Do not care about hunger or thirst. Avadhūta valiya, that is avadhūta. Avadhūta means jīvanmukta, like Devpurījī, jīva avadhūta. But we are nothing; we cannot. I hope some of you can become avadhūta. When you are an avadhūta, you give someone chocolate, and if the person thinks negatively, you have chocolate in hand, you give it to a snake, that is it. Or if there is a snake, it will take it and... This is a Siddha Puruṣa, because they have practiced Titikṣā and Tyāga, renunciation. We are attached to our dress, inner and outer. We have a coat and fine dress, but my undershirt, I do not like it; it is black, I want to have... Wait, who sees if I am black or white? So far, we are a test, my dear. Where are we? Nowhere. Tomorrow, come and save my beard. I will be the first one. So, tyāga, vairāgya, renunciation, tyāga, and titikṣā—these three things will make you perfect, happy, relaxed, and will pull you out of depression. But you must not save it all for tomorrow. It was an example. Thank God He gave us good hair. But now, do not dye it black or a different color. Leave it as it is. I can tell you, I have a white-gray beard. It took me seventy years to get this. Hard work. I earned it with hard work, and now I will dye it black? I will look stupid. Therefore, God gave us limitations but no attachment. So, tyāga, vairāgya, and titikṣā are the three ornaments of a yogī. At that time, Ādiguru Śaṅkarācārya said, "Siddhānandarūpa Śivo’haṁ Śivo’haṁ." You say you are Śiva, but what quality of Śiva do you have? It is easy to say, "I am Śiva." It is easy to say, "I am Śakti." Saying is different, and being is different. So you cannot master this simplest principle of yoga—fasting and mauna. What can I expect from you, my dear ones? Because you do not understand. If you fall into water and cannot swim, and there is a thorny bush or wires, you know that only by catching it can you be saved. You will not see the thorns; you will hold it even if blood comes, because it saves your life. Do you understand? Only this is the way to save my life. Therefore, a yogī knows these principles are very important to follow; otherwise, decades will pass, day and night, reading books—what we call the library worm. Potha, potha means literature. Potha padpada yugbhaya: many decades pass. Pandita Bhayana, koi: no one became the wise one. Do Akṣar Premkā: the two letters of love. Padeesu Pandita Koi: if one reads these two, one will become a Paṇḍit, a wise one. Let us call it love. What kind of love? Love towards your spiritual achievement. You do not know what love is. You have not fallen in love yet. And wherever you fell in love, that love becomes thorns for you, and you search for a new one, because the inner pot is always empty; the heart is always empty. If someone tries to fill it, you do not take it. Mauna and fasting are two holes in between. You are always empty. You can repair these holes with the ointment of Titikṣā, Vairāgya, and Tyāga. Then, the love of divine wisdom and mercy comes. First, read yoga philosophy, not just intellectually. Everyone knows; it is available everywhere. What is Haṭha Yoga? What is Jñāna Yoga? What is Karma Yoga? But to explain it and give you the nectar in it, the life in it, the prāṇa—that is the work of the master. Then the vessel of your heart, love, will be full. Therefore, Holy Gurujī said... This bhajan itself, which Holy Gurujī was writing. He was sitting in his room meditating at Brahma Mūrta, and there is a beautiful picture of Mahāprabhujī standing with the Guru Gītā in hand. At that time, Gurujī wrote that bhajan early in the morning. It means in his mālā, in his meditation, he was looking at Gurujī, Mahāprabhujī, and it seemed Mahāprabhujī was asking him something. So Mahāprabhujī said, "I have everything, but I feel empty because I do not yet have that mercy, that oneness with thee, O Mahāprabhujī. If you do not accept my sevā, let me serve your servants. While serving your servants, please at least accept my sevā in that way." And if someone asks you to do some work, do not say, "No, I am not going to do it." Humbleness is another crown of the saints. Tyāga, titikṣā, and vairāgya are ornaments; humbleness is the crown. Where there is humbleness, there one feels that mercy, that love. It is said in one bhajan: "Sadābhāī nāma jahā jala bhariyā." One saint wrote this bhajan: where there is a valley, where there is a deepness in the earth, water collects there. Rain falls on mountains, hills, and everywhere, but automatically that water flows to where the deepness is. That deepness is in our heart: surrender, humbleness, give space to all. Do not love only, "I like this person, I like that person, others I do not like." If there is a negative person, of course, when a doctor operates in a theatre, he does not want everyone walking in, bringing infections. But our bhaktas, our devotees, are without any infections. So, humbleness, samadṛṣṭi (equal vision). Premkā Pjalā: the rain collects water where the place is deeper. I have given you the example of the ant and the elephant many times. One little grain of sugar falls on the earth, in the sand. There was a competition between the elephant and the ant. The winner would be the one who brings only the sugar grain. The elephant went and with his trunk inhaled like this. Of course, sugar came, but more sand came with it. He lost. Her Majesty the ant walked nicely, took the sugar, and came back. I said, "Yes, you are the gold medal winner." So, lagutā means to be humble. Do not say that I am so-and-so. Let others praise you, but do not praise yourself, and do not expect someone to praise you. When the sun rises, even the blind one knows the sun has risen. When there is no sun, you can put a torchlight, but they will say, "No, this is different." Your quality others will realize: humbleness. Lagutā se prabhutā: through this humbleness you will get close to God. Prabhutā se prabhutā dur: if you begin by saying, "I am God, I am so Prabhutā, Prabhutāduru," then God is very far away from your ego. So Jñāna Yoga, the philosophy of Jñāna Yoga, is not about intellectual knowledge. What is intellect? The intellect is the biggest problem for humans. Otherwise, humans would have already attained God-realization. They would already be in Brahmaloka. Because this intellect is manipulated. Therefore, God gave us both. He gave us a knife in our hand. You can work with it, or you can kill with it. How to use it? You should know. So intellect becomes the biggest problem in the world: my culture, my tradition, my country, my religion, my position, etc. "My"—this is a problem. So write everywhere, in your bathroom and everywhere: Tyāga, Vairāgya, and Titikṣā. Tyāga is very difficult, Vairāgya is difficult, but they can be mastered through Titikṣā. Therefore, it does not matter how hard it is; even if we have to walk on thorns, even if we have to walk through fire. You know this bhajan, do you not? My dear, so learn and practice two things: mauna and fasting. Fasting is not even taking a little bite. Drink a lot of water. If you do not drink coffee for one day, you will not die, be sure. If you do not drink tea for one day, you will not die. But if you are below 20 years old, no fasting. If you are pregnant, no fasting. If you have diabetes or a certain health problem and must eat something, no fasting. But in that case, you can practice titikṣā in another way. I am looking forward to winter and summer, to have perfect mauna. Many have to catch the bus, so we have to stop. We are going to have a beautiful seminar somewhere in the Fijian Islands. There will be perfect mauna and fasting. Because selected people are coming, there will be no talking allowed. You can talk when I give a lecture, and when my lecture is finished, you are in mauna. So, śama and dama: withdraw from the external world. Nothing should disturb you. Observe your inner vṛttis (modifications). Yogaḥ citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ (Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind). Adiós. Thank you, organizers. Thank you, Swami Vivek Purījī and all Purījīs. I wish you a good journey. We have many Bhaktas from Slovakia and other countries. They are happy to see the webcast, and many Slovakians are here. So you can see your brothers and sisters, even if you do not see them.