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Om Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān kī, Śrī Śrī Deveśvara Mahādeva kī, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānjī Bhagavān kī Jai. Satya Sanātana. "Kaliyuga kevala nāma ādhāra, sumira sumira nara hoi bhava pāra." The great Tulsīdāsjī wrote this in the holy Rāmāyaṇa. The Yugas are divided into four. Satyuga was for tapasyā. Dwāpar Yuga was for jñāna, knowledge. Tretā Yuga was for karmakāṇḍa, yajñas and ceremonies. And Kaliyuga is for bhakti yoga. The ṛṣis knew that in Kaliyuga, the time would become so hard and difficult. People would have little discipline, little knowledge about God, and their attention would be diverted towards materialism. So what is the easiest way in this Kaliyuga? There is such temptation that great yogīs, great bhaktas, and disciples are suddenly attacked by Kaliyuga, and it destroys their spiritual development. Therefore, Tulsīdāsjī said, "Kaliyuga kevala nāma ādhāra, sumira sumira nara hoi bhava pāra." Only the name is the support. Ādhāra means support, help, everything we can hold onto. It is said, "O God, I depend only on you; I trust in your mercy." Nāma means the name of God, which we call a mantra—a very short mantra like "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa" or many others. By practicing and repeating the name of God, oh human, you can cross this ocean of māyā, saṃsāra, the worldly ocean. Bhakti yoga also has many principles: sākām bhakti and niṣkām bhakti. Sākām bhakti is selfish; niṣkām bhakti is selfless. Sākām bhakti is more for the material world, but its duration lasts only till the end of life. Like when we pray, "Oh Bhagavān, my health should be good, I should pass my examination, my business should go well," etc. We have so many wishes when we don't see a way out; then we turn towards God, and God will definitely support us. But God will see if it is a negative or positive wish. Generally, negative wishes are not supported, but it happens. When negative problems come, then you blame God. Therefore, God has given freedom to humans. What you do, you will get. It has both good and bad; it is temporary. But selfless bhakti supports our spiritual development. You are not praying for money or for your business to sell well. You are not using that energy for temporary things. Therefore, once Bhagavān Śrī Dīpna Mahāprabhujī asked Holy Gurujī, "What do you wish? I will give you everything you wish." Gurujī said, "Bless me, please fulfill my wish that if I am born again, give me bhakti to your holy lotus feet. Do not separate me from you throughout the whole universe. I would like to be in your seva. Again and again I ask for your blessings. Please, Lord, always be in front of my vision. Wherever I see, I see you." We were driving in the afternoon or evening in Czechoslovakia—now the Czech Republic—in a city called Ostrava. A great bhakta named Bhaktānanda was driving his beautiful Škoda car. Gurujī and I were sitting in the back, and two other people were in the front. He said, "Mahesh, many times Mahāprabhujī asked, 'What do you wish?'" The answer was always only one: "Seva. Seva to you, Mahāprabhujī. In the whole universe, nothing is more precious to me than Seva. No siddhi, no miracles, nothing." And he blessed me for all, but I never concentrated on it or took it in a serious way. Then Gurujī told me, "Mahesh, it is a pity you came a few years late. Mahāprabhujī would have seen you physically. I think he would have blessed you in such a way that no one else can give." I said, "Gurujī, what is he giving me?" Gurujī said, "That's true. Your entire being, Mahāprabhujī's grace, and all the protection you are getting from Devpurījī. Compare your life in your birthplace to your life here in Europe. This is your bhakti." Gurujī said these are the words of Mahāprabhujī: "Every saṅkalpa and every word of Maheśvarānand will come true." He said, "I am so happy and proud of you that Mahāprabhujī has blessed you in such a way." It is very important. Every religion in the world, no matter which kind, is based on devotion. No one will say, "Don't pray to God." Without faith, there is no religion. Religion means relation—the relation of this ātmā to Paramātmā, this jīvātmā to śivātmā. At about 11:30, he was doing his mālā and talking to me. I was sleeping sometimes, and Gurujī said, "You are sleeping? Okay, sleep." I said, "No, no, Gurujī, I am only listening and enjoying." Gurujī spoke about bhakti and māyā—the only way. Now it is good that you do your yoga programs and meditation. Finally, this jīvātmā has to turn to one place to find shelter, and this shelter is protection for the whole life. There was an elderly brother who was very restless and intellectual. He studied many faculties and got many diplomas, but he kept thinking about his youngest brother: "My young brother has lost the sense of life. If he had studied, he would be a manager, director, engineer, doctor, scientist—what not? Instead, he is sitting in the jungle in an old ruined temple, pouring water on a stone and performing pūjā. What is the sense of it? Life should have some abilities." Between the city or village and the forest, there was a peaceful, flowing river with a boat to cross. He wanted to go see his brother. He came by boat and went to him. The brother was very happy, and the elder one was also happy. They hugged each other. The elder brother brought some prasāda and fruit, and they spent four or five hours together. The whole time he was saying, "You didn't study; you should study. I suggest you go and study now." The younger brother said, "Yes, brother, but now I am about 45 or 50 years old. What should I study? You have studied for me, so you enjoy. Sorry." Then the younger brother said, "Brother, it is now 12:30 noon, and I have to perform a Śiva pūjā. Is it okay? Would you like to come?" Out of love and respect for his younger brother, he also came. He stood looking at the stone while the younger brother performed pūjā, āratī, and some mantras—the mantra you chanted, half correct and half wrong. The younger brother said, "Whatever you did, it was the best." The elder brother said, "Now I am going. Take care. I would suggest you learn the mantra properly or come and study." He accompanied his brother to the riverbank. The elder brother sat in the departing boat, and the younger brother waved to him. About 100 meters from the other bank, the younger brother was chanting a mantra but realized he had made a mistake; he had forgotten one sentence. He called out, "Brother, brother, stop the boat!" and he walked on the water. He ran on the water. The elder brother said, "He can walk on the water! I studied so much, yet I cannot even swim that far." He ran until he reached the bank on the other side. He said, "Brother, I have forgotten one mantra. Can you make a correction?" The elder brother said, "My brother, my salutation to you. You do not need any correction of mantras. You have become like a mantra yourself." So when we have devotion to God with a pure heart, without any trick, desires, or doubts, then God is always in your words, in your heart, and with you. In every religion, there are beautiful stories. There was one Sufi saint among Hindus and Muslims. In the past, there was a Siddha who had ātmā jñāna. In this ātmā jñāna, we call it the Soham mantra: "Soham. I am that which I am." In Islam, they do not believe you can say you are like Allāh. You cannot say, "I am this, I am that." That mantra is called "Anā al-Ḥaqq." They were all against him and hunted him from here to there. They gathered and said, "Stop saying 'Anā al-Ḥaqq.' Say 'Malik,' 'Allah,' but not 'Anā al-Ḥaqq.'" He said, "'Anā al-Ḥaqq' is 'Anā al-Ḥaqq.' There is a Malik, there is Allah, that is the same Self." He had a hard life. But when you have that love for the eternal God, then all else is restless. Now I taste the taste of God's name, God's nectar. All other juices or tastes of the world become tasteless. They asked him, "Don't say it. We respect you, we do all, but don't teach." He said, "Anā al-Ḥaqq is Anā al-Ḥaqq." So they crucified him, like Jesus was crucified. As he was dying, every drop of blood dripping down made the sound, "Anā al-Ḥaqq, Anā al-Ḥaqq." Someone said, "My God, he is going to become a Satan, a Rākṣasa. Even in his blood, what to do?" Generally, they bury the body, but this time they said, "We will burn his body." So they burned the body; they did not bury it. The fire burned, the body burned, and from the fire came the sound, "Anāla, Anāla... Soham, Soham." They said, "Look, the Rākṣasa still doesn't give up." After waiting, when all became ash—his bones, his body, everything—from that ash also came the sound, "Anā al-Ḥaqq." Then all the Sufi saints bowed down to him. "Forgive, forgive... Annapūrṇā." So devotion brings us to immortality. There is no other way to come to Brahman. Therefore, Mahāprabhujī said in prayer, "How many yajñas, havan, yajña, and dāna—all without Gurudev's kṛpā—are senseless." Therefore, that kṛpā, the blessing of the Gurudev—Mahāprabhujī, Deveśvara Mahādeva, Devādideva, Devapurījī—protects us. Gurujī's divine blessing, Gurujī's divine love—those who understood are crossing the ocean. Gurujī told me this story in the car when we were near Piešťany in Slovakia. Piešťany is very well-known internationally, especially for its spa treatments for joints. Our dear Dr. Anna Kalichava organized many beautiful programs there and still does; she is a great social worker. From there, Gurujī started the story. By the time we came to Bratislava, Gurujī had tears while telling it. Gurujī said many times Mahāprabhujī was telling about Anā al-Ḥaqq. We saw the video of the Gaṅgā Upaniṣad, and there they saw the Sufi saint who was saying "Anā al-Ḥaqq." So Anā al-Ḥaqq said in his words, his song: "Where are you searching for me, my friend?" Bandā means friend, bhakta, trustable brother—everything. So, O devotee, where are you searching for me? I am with you. My hut is outside the city, in the forest. But my residence, my tent—in some languages, this is a derā—is in your breath. Dear ones, I dwell in your breath, in your ascending and descending breath. Ara urad—inhale, exhale. In that prāṇa, that prāṇa develops into divine energy, making you divine. But when negative vṛttis come towards the worldly, you become like this again. Yesterday was beautiful. Wood and fire: the obstacles and desires came between and turned into the S. Some remain black coal. So in one song it is said: the wood burned turned into coal, and the coal burned turned into ash. I am lucky through the black bear, or the negative energy desires. I neither remain wood nor become ash. I remain the black coal, the black sheep. It is a hard way. Bhakti is also not so easy. Bhakti is very comfortable, very easy, very divine, but it requires complete surrender. "Where are you searching for me? I am with you. My heart is in the forest, in the jungle. Dear, my residence is in your breath. Khojoge to abhī miluṅgā. If you search for me in your breath—in the ascending, descending breath—khojoge to abhī miluṅgā. Pal bhar kī talāsh me. If you really search, within no time you will see me. I will meet you. Anā al-Ḥaqq. Anā al-Ḥaqq." Therefore, bhakti. A great saint, Kabīr Dās, said in a beautiful bhajan: "Oh my Gurudev, bless me with bhakti, bhakti dāna." Dāna means donation, something you give. "What do I ask you, God? Nothing. You are the Lord of the Lords. You are the God of all Goddesses. Even if I take new birth, I should not be separated from you. I do not ask for gold and diamond mines. I do not ask for the kingdom of the whole world. I do not ask for this and that, but only one thing: bhakti." Bhakti lost even Kakabhūṣaṇḍī. He went against his Gurudev. He wanted to become a guru and be a successor. When the Gurudev came to know what he was doing, struggling for what? He gave him the curse: "Become a crow." He became a crow. But that crow then regained his past life knowledge and turned to spirituality. It is the whole Rāmāyaṇa that Tulsīdās is writing from, like a satsaṅg of Kakabhūṣaṇḍī. Look what happened to Garuḍa, Bhagavān Viṣṇu's chariot. He had a little doubt because when Bhagavān Rāma was in Laṅkā, he was bound by Nāga fetters from arrows. In that yuga, they would just think and imagine with mental power, and they shot the arrow in which form and where it should go and how it should function. Nowadays, they have made the navigator. They are sending airplanes that have no sound at all, and they drop the bomb just there. This is like that technology. Bhagavān Rāma became unconscious. No one could free him from those snakes, so he said, "Only Garuḍa can do it." When Bhagavān Viṣṇu incarnates here, at that time his chariot has holidays. He did not know on which island he was swimming and enjoying. It was Hanumānjī who went and found him. He came and freed Rāma from the snake fetters. But Garuḍa got a doubt: "If this is my God, my Lord Viṣṇu, and he is lying here helpless and needs my help, I thought he helps all of us. But the helper needs help too. What a wonder." He lost his devotion. When he lost devotion, he lost love. He lost peace. There was no peace. He could not repeat the mantra. He was always going in the wrong direction. His vṛtti was going somewhere, and he kept seeing Rāma lying there helpless. He said, "I will search for another God." He could not meditate. He went to Brahmā. Brahmā said, "I cannot help you. Go to Viṣṇu." Viṣṇu was lying there. Then he went to Śiva. Bhagavān Śiva said, "Do not come near, because Garuḍa and snakes are enemies." Śiva has Nāgas around his body, and when Garuḍa comes, all Nāgas go back. Śiva said, "You bring restlessness here." Garuḍa said, "God, the Nāgas will not disturb anything. I will not disturb them. You can take away their fear. Okay. Help me, please. I am helpless. I cannot meditate. I have lost my trust." Śivajī said, "This is a very, very terrible disease, an incurable disease. I cannot help you." Pārvatī said, "Mahādev, when you cannot help, who can help in the whole universe? Poor Garuḍa. Help him." He said, "Mahādevī, I cannot help, but I can give him a suggestion. If he follows this, his illness will go, and devotion will come again." Garuḍa said, "Yes, Bhagavān Śiva, what can I do?" "Go to the Himalayas from here, about that much distance from Kailāsa mountain. There is Kakabhūṣaṇḍī, an ascetic incarnated in the form of a crow. Kakabhūṣaṇḍī is giving satsaṅg, and all are sitting there: all the Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Devas, Indras, all the divine souls and saints, sitting and listening to his satsaṅg. Even I go, from time to time, to listen to his satsaṅg." Well, Garuḍa was disappointed. He said, "Mahādevjī, Hey Bholenāth, I will do what you tell me, but I am so sad. I came with such great hope and belief, trust that Mahādev will solve all my problems." Śiva smiled and said, "Garuda, this is help. Take it as my help. Go." "How do I know where Garuḍa is? How will I search for him?" Garuḍa said, "Kakabhūṣaṇḍī." He said, "When you will be about some kilometers far in the Himalayas, your disease will disappear. How? You people came from Europe now, in minus degrees, and you flew to the island here. Before you get off the airplane, you throw away all your warm clothes. Everything is warm and nice. Similarly, when you come near the area of Kakabhūṣaṇḍī, all your disappointments, diseases, and doubts will disappear." Very sad and disappointed, Garuḍajī went. He could not say his mantra. When bhakti is lost, you lose the mantra. When you lose the mantra, everything is lost because your vṛtti is going somewhere else all the time. You meditate, you repeat the mantra, but your thoughts are somewhere else. It is a dead body. When Garuḍa entered the area where Kakabhūṣaṇḍī was, immediately he remembered his mantra, the beautiful mantra: "Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa." As soon as he got his mantra in his heart again, the darkness went to that side where the negative energy was. He found himself in the light of belief and saw Gurujī sitting on a beautiful rock, and many, many devas sitting there from the whole world, and the gurus were talking about bhakti to Bhagavān Rāma. Gurujī came and said, "There, listening, Gurujī, with folded hands, is praying for forgiveness to Bhagavān Viṣṇu: 'This is your līlā, your māyā. Forgive me, please.'" On the other side, Pārvatī was a little angry. Women have a very soft heart; they want to have things immediately. So she said to Bhagavān Śiva, "My lord, I do not agree with you now." Śivajī said, "Well, no problem. But why don't you agree? Tell me the reason." "Hey Prabhu, Hey Mahādev, poor Garuḍa was suffering. He searched the whole universe; nowhere did he find shelter. He came to you. You are capable; you can do everything. You did not help him. Simply, you said, 'No, I cannot help you.' Lord, when there is beautiful water and a thirsty one comes, and the water says, 'No, I am not water, do not drink,' what kind of fountain or lake are you? You send him away." Bhagavān Śiva said, "Mahādevī, you still do not know the Līlā of Mahādev. This Garuḍa had ego. I want not to treat his illness, but that illness which is the illness of the ego. This ego has brought him into such a situation." "What do you mean? You could also treat his ego." He said, "I was doing that. You do not know. So, why? What? Explain to me." Mahādev, Devādideva, Svayambhū, Bhagavān Śiva says: "The eagle, Garuḍa, is like a king among the birds, and this eagle, as a king, has its proud days, ego—'I am the king.' And the crow is a simple little bird which is all the time eating junk food, all the food which is thrown, dirty food, used food. If you drink, eat in a clean pot; do not put that dirt in your pot. So Garuḍa does not want to surrender to the crow. Hey, Mā Devī, did you see that Garuḍa comes and makes praṇām to the crow? Can you imagine anybody that Garuḍa will come and take food out of the crow's food? Never. This is his ego. Therefore, I want him to surrender to the crow, and he cannot surrender until he has ego. Now his ego is to be treated. This happened to him, and he will lose the ego. He will sit with folded hands and listen to the wise words of Kakabhūṣaṇḍī. Second, this disease has a remedy for permanent treatment, and this remedy is satsaṅg. No other treatment is there. When you have lost everything, only satsaṅg remains—real satsaṅg." Pārvatījī said, "Hey Śaṅkara, your Līlā only you know. Forgive me." Śivajī smiled and said, "Mahādevī, when you do not know, then do not act like that. You know, Umā—I said, Pārvatī—Śivajī said, 'Umā, I tell you my own experiences.' Only that satsaṅg and name of God is the truth, and the whole world is a dream. What is now, in half a minute, in five seconds, in one second, is like a dream. It has passed away. Do not cry, do not run behind those past lives and past dreams. Be aware of the present time, and take the nectar of wisdom and satsaṅg. Bhakti yoga—bhakti yoga is the best in this time. You can do any kind of yoga; they are also very good. But for mokṣa, for liberation, it is only bhakti. You can put everything in your car, but you have to put petrol in if you want to run the car. This technology said only with petrol will the car work. Of course, you can pull it with horses or bulls. Suddenly, when there will be no petrol, you will see that horses will become very expensive. Everybody will sit in the car, and a horse will pull a good car, okay? So this is my own experience, and I tell you also my own experience. All is bhakti." When Draupadī was being disrobed, all the Kauravas wanted to pull away her sari, and no one was ready to do anything because they were afraid. Finally, she turned to God: "Hey Govinda, Hey Gopāla, Hey Dayāla, Hey Hari, Hey Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, Gopāla. Hey Kṛṣṇa, no one is in this world for me now. Only you can." And Kṛṣṇa sent her so much sari, like this island, that much. No one had the power or strength to make Draupadī's body naked, not even one centimeter. Because once something happened—that story I will not tell—and Kṛṣṇa sent the Sudarśana Cakra. It was in such a hurry that his finger was injured and blood came. The finger was cut. While looking, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, bring some bandage," people were talking. Pārvatī was there; Draupadī was standing there. She had a very beautiful, precious sari. She immediately tore her sari and put the bandage on Kṛṣṇa's finger. Kṛṣṇa looked at Droṇācārya and smiled. Droṇācārya said, "Did I make some mistake?" She said, "You did not make the mistake purposely, but you made me, how to say, in debt. Now I have to pay you back." And that was that sari. God, if you do one thing for God, he will give you a million things. But if you have doubt in Gurudev, then you cannot. Therefore, bhakti. Mahāprabhujī said, "Hatshod, oh my mind, give up all this, your negative thinking and fixed ideas. Come with me in satsaṅg. I will tell you the essence and knowledge of the ātmā. My dear bhaktas, pray always for bhakti, nothing else. Bhakti is lost, everything is lost. See you tomorrow." Devaīśvara Mahādevakī Dharm Samrāṭ Satguru Svāmī Mādhavānandjī Bhagavānakī, Madhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavānakī, Satya Sanātana Dharma Bhagavān aur Bhakt kī.