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O Gururāmma! Gurur Viṣṇu! Gururadevo Maheśvara! Gurur Śakṣak Parabrahma! Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ! Dhyāṇa Mūlam Guru Mūrti, Pūjā Mūlam Guru Padam, Mantra Mūlam Guru Vākyam, Mokṣa Mūlam Guru Kṛpā, Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Blessings to all dear ones, the bhaktas of Gurudev, spiritual seekers here with me in this beautiful retreat and seminar, and those who are with us through this webcast. I bless you on this beautiful day. The new year has begun. All activities have started. People enjoyed the Christmas time and New Year holidays, and now they are heading home. Everywhere around the world, yoga and daily life have become active. Many ashrams had programs throughout the whole year. Somewhere during the holidays, there are wonderful ideas. Especially our Sri Swami Madhavan and the World Peace Council, and Sri Swami Madhavan International Yoga and Delhi Foundation Vienna—the Vienna Bhaktas—have organized beautiful open-door activities, offering free classes as a demonstration and a practice to experience. This tradition, which the Vienna Ashram began, has been adopted by all Yoga in Daily Life centers around the world, and people do appreciate that. In this way, it is better to introduce ourselves. We should know what Yoga in Daily Life is and how it is practiced. Thank you, our dear Vienna Bhaktas. Bhaktas in London also have the same model, and Washington too. Of course, Australians are doing it every day. Well, all dear ones, in the new year, new classes begin. Many people are coming with a spiritual motivation, with the expectation to practice and realize something. People who come to yoga must not come only for physical exercises. For physical fitness, you can go swimming, hiking, or somewhere else. People who don't have any idea what yoga is, they torture the body with stretching and postures? Only holy souls, divine souls, the lucky ones, the fortunate ones who had the best karma from past lives, they turn towards yoga. Many people tell me they are disappointed because what they read in the śāstras, in the books, was not there. Every teacher plays like a guru, so we don't know what a guru is. Gurus are difficult; gurus are rare. There are many kangaroo, but little guru. A guru is a brahmaniṣṭha śrotriya. Brahmaniṣṭha means one who has realized Brahman. Śrotriya means one who can give that knowledge, inspirations to their spirits, and guide them on that way. Of course, if one jumps out of the boat, it's not the mistake of the captain, but the mistake of the person who goes in the wrong way while sitting in the boat. Your vṛttis are somewhere you jump out? Nice of you, because the sharks are waiting for breakfast. Which kind of sharks? Asuras, āsurī śaktis. Therefore, Guru Nānak Sāhib said—this is written in the holy book called Guru Granth Sāhib—Guru Nānak said about... Guru Grantha means any book which is written... that is not a book. Guru Nanak said, "There is not a book." If you take it as a book, you don't understand. It is said, "Guru Grantha ko jāniye." Grantha means that book. Grantha means what was collected. Grantha means earth, a spiritual wisdom, richness, like you saw yesterday in the video, but it is a spiritual wealth, the best wealth—neither kingdom nor money, but that ātmā jñāna. When you get that, everything else is senseless. Grantha, which Gurudev has given, from Granthi. Granthi is a knot, a gland, divine glands. The pineal and pituitary glands must be in balance. Then Amṛta comes. Amṛta Vela. Amrita Vela means Brahma Muhūrta. The vākyas of the Satguru, Brahma Mūrta, if you can hear the sound, the voice, the darśana, that opens your granthi. But to open that, still there is an immense, an immense, tons of impurities, layers after layers, like a seed would like to sprout but above it is a rock. How to remove that rock? That is sādhanā, abhyāsa, abhyāsa. Guru Granth ko jāniye. Therefore, Guru Nānak Sāhib said, "Understand, take it, believe, Guru Granth ko jāniye." Understand, Guru Granth ko jāniye. Pragyat Gura kī de, it is the embodiment of Gurudev. It is not a book. It is Guru Nānak himself. He said, "Your Guru's book is not a book. You are Gurudev himself." Jis ke hirde sāch hai, in those hearts, there is pure love, the truth. Khoj usi me de, they will realize they are Gurudev in that. They will see the darśan, the book, each word what Gurudev wrote, dictated from his holy mouth. Such knowledge, such vidyā is given by those spiritual masters. Their satsaṅg, their exercises are real yoga, because yoga means union, union of Jīvātmā to Paramātmā. A drop of water again falls in the ocean and becomes one. That's called the eternal union with Brahman. And that Yoga means meeting together. Yoga unites. Vyoga divides. So when there is a vyoga that takes place, you are alone and divided. You feel lonely, without any happiness, nothing. And inside, in your Anāhata Chakra side, burning the waves of sadness, waves of greed, waves of desire, anger, etc., etc. You are lost. But when you come to the Brahmajñāna, when you come to the yoga, that is the union of the Jīvātmā to the Ātmā. So Paramātmā is the Brahman, and that is yoga. In the Western countries, totally, totally misunderstood what is yoga. 50 or 98 percent of people misunderstand, and they don't know what yoga is, and they don't want to know what yoga is. They want to know only how to get money, that's it, commercially perfectly designed. Beautiful postures, beautiful pictures, beautiful websites, beautiful advertisements—this is the best yoga. That is the best yoga. Come and practice. But that is only the commercial thing. I am very happy that our Prime Minister of India, Mr. Modi, Narendra Modi, he took in his hands the yoga, meaning of the yoga to modify in this world. First step that is declared by the United Nations, the 25th of June as a day of yoga, because many people who are against the Sanātana Dharma and Hindu and India, they were blaming that yoga is a work of the Satans, the devils? What a stupid thinking one can have. Ask them, "How did they come? How did they born? How do they live without yoga?" You can't live. Second, the UNESCO, they have reserved now that yoga is the heritage, spiritual and ethic heritage of the ṛṣis of India, that's the way to protect. Now will come the quality of the yoga. The best part of yoga is the satsaṅg. Satsaṅg is that which will give you the inspiration and teachings. That knowledge of the ātmā-jñāna, and then to practice. Therefore, the New Year began. There are many other yoga centers. It must not be the Yoga in Daily Life. But those yogis and yoga centers, they are struggling, trying their best to give them spirituality, to realize the yoga. I congratulate them and I welcome them. But I know how many are listening, but for them, the first place is their business, money. If you are a real yogī and a real teacher, don't charge anything. That's it. If you believe in God, you will get bread and butter every morning for breakfast. That's it. Who will say the whole system of the Western yogic organization will collapse? Money is Kali Yuga. God in Kali Yuga, money is the god. And that was Jesus saying, "Do not believe in the wrong God." Oh my disciples, follow me, I will bring you to God. Means the master said, Jesus said, "Only me, and after, nobody will be." He didn't say. Jesus never died. He is living. As a master, Krishna never died. Rama didn't die. Patañjali didn't die. Nobody died. They are living with us in other forms. Yesterday our Vasudev came in a beautiful Hawaiian shirt, and today he came in a beautiful white shirt. So, we will not acknowledge him as a Vāsudev. He is not that one. So, if you acknowledge a person and see only through the color of the dress, you are mistaken, my dear. The dress doesn't change you. So, God is God. It doesn't matter if you believe in Allah, you believe and respect Muhammad, you respect Harama, Krishna, Dattātreya, Kapila Bhagavān, or similarly, Jesus. That is a unity. Love and oneness will bring peace in the world. Otherwise, peace and peace, there is no peace. Gandhijī said, "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." So now, many new practices will come. And I ask especially all the yoga teachers who are teaching, please help your students clarify their thoughts and inspire them toward this spirituality. Of course, they should find their master wherever they like, whom they like. This is the specialty of the Sanātana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma never said, "Believe only in Krishna." Then what about Rama? The other don't say, "Believe only in Rāma." What about Hanumān? Sanātana Dharma realized everything, oneness. On the place of this part of the body, here, it is there. Can you believe? If God would have hung your one hand here, the whole body is different, limbs, but all belong to oneness. Our practice will be successful this whole year when you practice mantra. Many have mantras; many people in their yoga centers, in classes, they are selling the malas. And even they don't know how to use the malas. Malas are holy; this is your spiritual passport. This Divine Mālā, this Holy Mālā, Blessed Mālā, in 1966, the month of, this exactly now, this month, me and Gurujī, we were in South India, Śṛṅgerī Maṭh of Ādiguru Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya, and Śaṅkarācārya Jī gave this Mālā to Holy Guruji, and Holy Guruji gave me this Mālā. So, how many years is it now with me? So this Mālā is with me. Don't change your Mālā. Gurudeva, my mala is broken. Okay, I throw it here. Can I have new, please, Gurudeva? No. Then, throw your body. Die. Next life, come, I give you the new mala. One bead is missing. Okay? Go and get it from the ashram. But this is your mala. So, first, tell the meaning of the mala. Second, when you see the mala, it reminds you of your spirituality. Remember your mantra. Remember everything. When you touch your mala, you feel divine energy, which you, or you—I am also you—through repetition, repeating the mantra and prayer, I have charged that divine energy. Holy Guruji had many years, his mala more than 65 years. And I'm writing in my story something in the night when I was sleeping alone on the floor in Guruji's room. Several times I saw when Gurujī had a shawl or a blanket over his body. I could see, like, when the dawn is coming. Light. The whole blanket was like a light. One day I was frightened. I thought, "Oh God, fire is there." And I said, "Gurujī, Gurujī." Gurujī said, "What happened?" I said, "Fire." Where? It was nothing. And Rudrākṣa Mālā, the same quality, but sparkling in the night. Only a bhakta could see. That was the divine mālā. Don't let anybody touch your Mala. Yes. Don't take your Mala and just put it there. Not like this. Touch your forehead, because the kismat, destiny, the destiny of everyone is written here. This is a book of your destiny. You know where? Here. Compact, and when less destiny is written, that is like this. Compact is like that, you hear. And when solid is like this, here is the Lakṣmī. Here is your fortune: spiritual fortune, material fortune, your luck. This is your book, open in meditation. One after another, chapter you will see what you have written inside, or black out, black out of your mistakes, your negative thinking, etc., etc. So, one told the story. There's a story: Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, after that, Mahābhārata. On the battlefield, Krishna went to Gujarat and lived there in Dvārakā, and he had a very dear friend, a very dear friend, Sudāmā. But he was so poor. One day his wife told him, in Gokul or there in Sambhathura, "Why don't you go to Krishna, to your friend, he can give you something. We are very poor." He said, "I don't want to go to my friend and beg from him. If he will not give me anything, what will I say?" He said, "Go, I'm sure Kṛṣṇa will give you something." He said, "Okay." He walked from the Mathura to Dvārikā is nearly 2,000 kilometers. Nearly his friend Krishna's friends, before going, his wife said, "You should bring him something." But he said, "What can we bring, Sudhama?" Sudhama said, his wife, "What should we bring? We have nothing." She said, "I give you something. Give to Krishna as our gift." She took one handful of rice, tied it in one cloth, and gave it. "Please, please give it from me to Krishna as a project." He took it. He didn't want to take, but who has, who dare to say against anything, his wife? If anyone said against his wife, you are in good troubles. So he took and went. He came near the palace of Krishna. He didn't dare to go in. I am so poor, and Krishna is a king in a palace. Where is Krishna and where is Sudāma? How could I compare to enter in this door? There were guards. Sudhama said to the guards, "Please tell Krishna that Sudhama came, not your friend." The guard went and told Krishna, "Sudhama has come." Krishna said, "What? My friend Sudhama?" Krishna became so happy, he even forgot to take his shawl and cloth. Only with a lungi, he was running. Sudhāma, Sudhāma, that is called a friend. That's called love. He hugged him. Come, my dear. He takes Sudāmā in his room where all other bhaktas are sitting there, devotees. And Kṛṣṇa ordered the bowl of water. Kṛṣṇa put Sudāmā on a beautiful chair, and Sudāmā was washing—Kṛṣṇa was washing the feet of Sudāmā. Now, you can believe, compare the same thing they wrote in the Bible, that Jesus was washing the feet of the devotees. That was not this, that was Sudāma and Kṛṣṇa. Believe me? Well, while washing the feet, Krishna said to Sudāmā, "Merī bābī ne kyā bejā?" You don't have this word we call, let's say, sister-in-law. Your wife Sudāmā, what did your wife send for me? Now Sudāma is looking everywhere: palace, palace, gold, diamonds. How should I give him a handful of rice? What a humiliation if I give the Krishna. Krishna had this little rice, and he hid it in his armpit. Say nothing. She sent good wishes. He dried his feet, and Krishna said he was tickling him. My friend, what is here? What is that? Say sorry, it's a little rice. Why did you hide? This is not a little rice. It is the wealth of all three worlds. Opened, everything is a diamond. Diamonds. That is the love of Bhagavān and bhakta. Then Krishna said, "Sudhama, it should always be written here, Subha Lakshmi." There is a name called Subha Lakṣmī. It is written wrong for you. No Lakṣmī. So I said, "Make a connection." God, the Tilak, you know, making Tilak with the ring finger and with the thumb. I will change, turn the Lakṣmī and Śubhā in this direction. I will change your destiny and give the Tilak. So, blessing can change your destiny. That is written here. Blessing is given here, not here. Here only you can give to the master or parents. That is a big blessing. So, Tilak is to change the Bhagya in a good way. Fortunate are those who can have this Tilak. There are some people who don't want to have Tilak; they immediately wash it. It means they wash it, their spiritual fortune. Understand, these symbols are taken out of some reality into the smallest of the smallest form. Well, in a few days, Sudama said, "Now I have to go." Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa said, "Okay, my friend, it was nice, very nice." And Krishna gave him, in the same cloth, the barley, jowar, gerste, what they call, in his towel, a small shawl like this. Give it to my bhabhī, my sister-in-law. Wish you a good journey. Bye-bye. Kam takat gushabhari. Kam takat gushabhari. Those who have little energy have great anger, thousands of kilometers. Stayed here, washing my feet and this. At home, I can do it. He went out of the palace. He looked to the palace, and then he opened this. And he said, "For the birds," and went. Empty, he comes home, can't find his house. The palace, Kṛṣṇa turned into the palace. He touches, there was not where the grains was hanging, all the diamonds. Kṛṣṇa said, "Sudāmā, still Lakṣmī is not on the right place, but this." Is Lakṣmī your wife? And since that time, wife is known as graha Lakṣmī. If you go to someone in India's house and ask, "Is a graha Lakṣmī at home?" automatically it means his wife. Wife is a Lakṣmī, but Lakṣmī likes purity. Lakṣmī, honesty, purity, qualities, and spiritualities, not stupidities. There is a coming Lakṣmī. That Lakṣmī has a special sign on her footstool. When that young girl marries and comes home, she changes the destiny of the whole family. If someone becomes a kalesha, who has the lines of the destructive, they destroy whole families, all atmospheres, all harmony. Therefore, find the Lakṣmī, Bhagyalakṣmī. So, there are some names we have here: Bhagyalakṣmī. One girl, her name is... Who is Bhagyalakshmi, who is working here, and there is one Divya Darśan also. So choose the girl who is Bhagyalakṣmī. When Bhagyalakṣmī comes there, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu is there. Otherwise, donkey to donkey, how long will it be taking each other? Yes, Mister? Yes. Therefore, choose the new year, the best path. Mantra. Mantra-mūlam guru-vākyam. The first mantra is to follow the advice and instructions of the Gurudev. Then what mantra gives you to practice, that is your Sādhanā. Mantras are practiced in five levels. First, Likhit, writing. Dev Nagrik, writing. Likhit. Akṣar Brahma. Akṣar Brahma. Akshar means that alphabet, or akshar means everlasting. Brahma, because Brahma is the everlasting writing. Second, Vekrī, means chanting. Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma, that Nāda, the vibration goes into the body. Upamśu, then your lips and tongue are moving, but sound doesn't come. Mānasika, mental. Then Ajapa will spontaneously continue in your body, automatically. Twelve years faithfully, when you will practice this mala every day, then you will achieve what you call ajapa. Even if you don't practice, your mantra is going on in a better way. Mantra is a protection. After that, darśana, akṣa, brahma opens your vision. Then you understand, you listen to the sound, to what is talking, then you feel the vibration, Upāṃśu. Then your mind dwells there, gives all the information, then it becomes a japa. These are all yogic sādhanās: mantra, practicing of the mantra. The mālā is held on these two fingers, the ring finger and the small finger, held with the middle finger and thumb. With the middle finger, you pull the bead towards your inside, not out. Where you do out, you are emptying everything from your luck. The index finger here becomes negative. Power, this you are not seeing. Somebody like that, and it is a reserved in case of case, but your hand is still pure. This is called all dharmaś guṇa purified. And this finger means only Brahman: Eko brahmaditya nāsti, ahaṁ brahmāśmi, ātmā. Jīvātmā is merged into one place. Sattva, rajas, and tamas, the guṇas and the jīvātmā, all come to become the one. If you put this in, you are again mixed in the same water. What you call, you go in a beautiful bathtub, washing yourself half an hour in your own dirt. Practice this mala every day. Rest, my dear. Tomorrow, about practicing, how to succeed in the yoga. Eating, sleeping, and working are not the only aims of human life. Eat for living, work for service, and practice for liberation. Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Respect your Mālā. Deep Nayan Bhagwan, Devīśwar Mahādeva, Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān, Sanātandhara. And whenever you meet your master, Hari Gurū Pūrṇimā, give him to bless it. Whole year practicing, and only one touch of the master is more than whole year practicing. It is accepted, it is evidence. At a given step, okay, continue again. Next chapter, are you same time and same space tomorrow?