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Part 1: The Unity of Culture and the Call to Consciousness Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī. Śrī Śrī Dev Purīṣa Mahādev Kī. Dharm Samrāṭ Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī. Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhudī Par Nārāy. Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhu Dīpar. Namaḥ Śrī Prabhu Dīpar... Haṁsabh Dās Prabhu Śaraṇ Parāyaṇam... Oṁ Namo Siri, Oṁ Namo Siri Prabhudī, Pārāyaṇaṁ Haṁsabhādas Prabhuśaraṇa, Pārāyaṇaṁ Haṁsabhādas Prabhuśaraṇa. Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhudīp. Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhudīp... Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Haṁsabhakt Prabhu Śaraṇapārāyaṇaṁ... Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhudīpa Nārāyaṇam... Haṁsaḥ Bhakta Prabhu Śaraṇa Parāyaṇam Haṁsaḥ Om Namo Śrī Prabhudīpa Nārāyaṇam Om Namo Śrī Prabhudīpa Nārāyaṇam Haṁsabh Dāsa Prabhuśara Parāyaṇam Haṁsa Om Namo Śrī Prabhudi Parāyaṇam Om Namo Śrī Prabhudi Paṇarāya Haṁsabh Dāsa Prabhu Śaraṇāpara Namaḥ Haṁsabh Śaraṇāpara Nam Om Namo Śrī Prabhudīp Nārāyaṇam Om Namo Śrī Prabhudīp Nārāyaṇ, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī, Devādhi Dev, Deveśwar Mahādev, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī. Blessings of Gurudev to all dear devotees in this hall and to those in other countries. For us, divine blessings are coming from holy Bhārata. This month has very auspicious days, holy days associated with the many miracles of great souls and saints. Those stories remain in the Purāṇas, in legends and tales. One of the major holidays in India during these months of March and February, according to Jyotiṣa, is the month of Phālguna. This is a colorful and beautiful month. It is spring, and everything begins to blossom. It is a time of harvesting, and the farmers have completed their work, so they have nothing to do. If there is no spiritual consciousness and no knowledge of life’s purpose, then human weakness leads one the wrong way: sitting and drinking alcohol, taking drugs, backbiting, cheating, blackmailing, and even criminal activities. This is human nature when there is nothing to do. Therefore, after every harvesting season, holy days arrive. Dīpāvalī is when we harvest the crops planted during the monsoon. It is a festival of light, where we decorate with lights. A beautiful tree is decorated with many lights hanging on its branches, along with fruits and different sweets for eating. This was in honor of the occasion when Bhagavān Rāma returned from Śrī Laṅkā after fourteen years in the forest. It served as an indication for people, because day and night people were walking to come and have darśana of Bhagavān Rāma in Ayodhyā. At that time, there was no electricity, no roads as we have now; people were walking or riding on horseback. There were no bikes, cars, camels, or oxen. So as an indication, they placed lights on the road, hanging them from branches using oil or ghee. They also hung items so people would have something to eat. This is exactly what we call, during Christmas time, the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is the tree of Dīvālī, honoring Bhagavān Śrī Rām. Under the Christmas tree, there are many sweets and gifts. So culture unites and spreads. Where there is a human, there is culture, and where there is culture, there is a human. When humans move, they take their culture with them. You come now from different countries, but you brought your culture with you. Though you follow and respect Indian culture, you are colored by the culture from which you come. Similarly, wherever one goes, one brings their culture. But slowly, due to time and distance, culture begins to take on the color of other cultures. Take the example of the gypsies. Some hundreds of years or millennia ago, they began to travel from Punjab and Rajasthan. At that time, it was not called Rajasthan but Rajputana. Names change; for example, Patna is known to all, but its original name is Patli. The name changed when the Mughals rose. The Muslim religion is, I think, about 1,600 years old. Before that, they were all Hindus, because the Prophet Muhammad was a Rajput, a Kṣatriya. Slowly, people began to adopt new cultures. So religion can be seen as a culture, but real dharma is Sanātana Dharma for all. They traveled from India, slowly, to Pakistan; they came to Afghanistan, the Middle East. They changed their way of dressing, their way of living, and their language was also influenced, and they adopted a different religion. As they traveled through Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, they entered European countries with Orthodox traditions. So they turned to Orthodoxy, like in half of Yugoslavia, the former Yugoslavia, and so on. Then they came to Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Spain, France, and many countries. So you see how culture merges into another culture, but still, in their blood, the original way of thinking and living remains. That is not easy to change. I was in Fiji for one month, and there are also many Indians there who speak Hindi. Interestingly, the original people of those islands—New Zealand is also an island—the Māori, Fijians, Samoans, and other tribes, all have in some way the habits and symbols of Sanātana Dharma. They believed in the light, the sun, the moon, the trees, and the protection of the environment. Before Christianity entered Europe, for example, recently during highway construction in Slovakia, archaeologists were digging. They found a beautiful stone with a Swastika on it. So, from where did the Swastika come? From a few thousand years ago. Christianity is 2,000 years old. Before that were the Romans and the Celts. The Celts, the oldest religion, also have symbols of Sanātana Dharma. But the feelings and mentalities remain because they developed in that culture. Now, the original people of Australia are called the Australian Aborigines. China claims it first discovered Australia. But after that came the British. And now the British say Captain Cook discovered this part of Australia, named everything, and ruled it. Scientists began to research. Finally, they found that in the Aboriginal people, they have the genes of Indians—Indians from South India. Because where we are now was under glaciers and water. But in South India, which was a long... so Sanātana Dharma and the real Indians, the Hindus, declare themselves Dravidians, and we are the Āryans. At that time, it is said Australia was connected to India. This includes Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia, spanning thousands of kilometers. I am not telling if it is Indian or not Indian; it doesn’t matter, we are human. You saw during Mahāśivarātri, I celebrated in Australia at the Brisbane Ashram, and we established a Śiva temple. There, I had a lot of vibhūti on my body and wore a lungi. I looked just like an Aboriginal person, with my little beard, sitting like that. After I saw a picture, I said, "Oh, well, anyhow." Why am I telling this? Because the Aboriginals also have in their ceremonies, dances, and normal life, Tilaks. They have a tilak here, here... It is exactly like South Indians who perform pūjā and apply vibhūti here, here, and here. In every way, something is different, but it is the same. So human culture is the same around the whole world; it doesn’t change. It doesn’t change, but it takes on color. Human nature is this: when time is different and there is nothing to do, one develops bad habits and activities. Similarly, one crop was harvested at Dīvālī time, and now the second is coming at Holi time. These are the main seasons in India when farmers harvest. Now they have plenty of grains. What should they do? They will sell and have money. What will they do with it? To have money is very dangerous. If you cannot utilize your money properly, habits develop on how to get rid of your money, and that is dangerous. Money is not bad. What is bad is how we use the money. So, the sense they give is a practical and theoretical, two-way path for us. Yesterday, Viśvakaraṇānandajī Mahārāj was talking a lot about Vedas and dharmas, but that was theory. A European philosopher said, "A ton of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice." This is called Vācaratī and Lakṣaratī. Vācaratī is intellectual, only talking theories, singing mantras, speaking. But how much have you realized? That is important. So practice is more than theory. Practice is not easy because culture stands in between. One thinks, "I am born in this culture, I am like that." Another thinks, "I am this." So obstacles come. But as soon as we go within ourselves, we dive into the ocean of our consciousness; that is the miracle of life. But how to enter that state of consciousness? Not through theories. Many conferences, many people talk about this and that, but no one takes a practical step. For example, many conferences are going on around the world, including at the United Nations. The United Nations searches for a permanent solution for development and for the environment. Billions of dollars are spent talking about what to do. Last time, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Jñāneśvarjī gave a lecture, and he taught there is only one solution: don’t do, that’s all. Don’t produce pesticides, kīṭa nāśaka davāyām̐ para karo, bas. Turn to vegetarianism; it is very simple, and all problems will be solved. But they cannot do this because money is involved. They are achieving sustainable development of money, not of the environment. This is the challenge and the problem. Now, you know, a few decades ago, and even now in India, there was something very well-known: Dalda Ghee, vegetable ghee. But that was not real vegetable ghee. Dalda, have you seen it? You know that? Is there any Indian who doesn’t know? Raise your hand. And who knows? Raise your hand. Dalda? Yes. So all Indians know Dalda. Because Dalda was very cheap and real ghee was expensive, when there was a wedding or occasion, they would bring 10 kilos of real cow ghee and 50 kilos of Dalda. When guests came, they would say, "Please, you can smell, it is all pure ghee." But in reality, it was Dalda. When you ate Dalda, you had diarrhea, illness, vomiting, etc. It was not good. But slowly, the habit formed that everyone bought Dalda, though it was not good. One day, the Indian mind realized, "Why should I destroy my health and the health of my guest by giving Dalda ghee?" Suddenly, in one or two years, it was finished. It entered their consciousness, their awareness. Similarly, now pesticides are used so much that we are spraying poison. This poison reacts on our body, mind, emotions, and consciousness. But I am sure very soon this new generation will realize, "Why should I have this poison in my body?" And suddenly, organic farming and everything will develop. If there is no consumer, what will the manufacturer do? Many villages have cancer. Many people became blind. Almost every third person in India suffers from joint pain, stomach issues, kidney problems, and more. But still, they have not woken up to the fact that this is due to this. We go to the market and see one banana that is small and a little brown, and another that is long, beautiful, and nice. We want to buy the beautiful one. That is manipulated and polluted. The small banana, if you eat it, is a thousand times better for your body, mind, and consciousness. But we have not woken up yet. I was in Australia, and people said, "Oh, better to eat vegetables and salad which have no worms." If it is organic, it has some worms. I said, "What about the meat of other animals? They are bigger than the worm." Still, people run behind that kind of beauty, that shine. The shine is because they spray wax on it. Wax is applied, so you buy the apple. On the apple, take a little knife and scrape slowly. You will see white wax coming out. So you are eating the wax, and inside is more sprayed medicine. We say, "Well, it is sprayed, so please peel the apple." Apple kā śilka nikālne se wo jiharnā jāyegā. Part 2: The Poisoned Seed and the Sleeping Crocodile: On Food, Consciousness, and True Sādhanā There are medicinal plasters you can put on your body, after which you no longer need diabetes medicine or injections. Why? Because the medicine enters through the skin. Similarly, with fruits that have been sprayed with pesticide, after one hour it does not matter what you do—even if you peel the entire skin off—the poison is already throughout the entire apple. This affects many people. They have already begun to suffer: they cannot have children, their life force is gone, and many children are misborn. Why? Because of such pesticides. Therefore, the only answer for the United Nations and all conferences is two simple solutions: use no pesticides, and be vegetarian. That is all. Whenever you kill animals and eat them, and then say you wish for a good death, it cannot be. On one side, we put out poison and kill animals, and for the animals, we are cutting down the forests. Then we are using a vast amount of water—to produce one kilo of meat, how much water is needed? Hundreds of kilos. To produce one kilo of bajrā or makkā, we need only a few liters. You can see how much water is destroyed. Any government in the world does not take this path. Because if they impose a ban in their country, that government is finished. Only the powerful have the public. Power has the people. What can they do? Maybe they will cut your head off. That’s okay. Come and cut my head. I will not eat this poison, and I will not feed my children with poison. This kind of willpower has to become very clear in our consciousness, in our awareness. Similarly, in yoga, you can meditate as much as you like, but if you do not give up certain negative qualities—such as ego, jealousy, hatred, taking offense, fear, and so on—you cannot cure this through your meditation. You will become more aggressive. If you are meditating and then say, "What are you doing, stupid? Oh God!" you are like an explosive bomb. What happened to your meditation? So meditation is only effective if you clean your consciousness. Make aware thyself, then is the meditation. Otherwise, kāma, krodha, mada, lobha, moha, and ahaṅkāra are very, very big. These are called Kāma, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada. They are all crocodiles. I was, just the day before yesterday, in a very big sanctuary with tigers and many animals. Suddenly, a very large crocodile came onto the road. All the workers there and the police attacked to catch it. There was a big banyan tree, and it went under the roots at the back, onto the roots of the tree. It sat there with its mouth completely open, without movement. I asked why it opened its mouth like that. D.G. Kanelaji said, "Swamiji, the crocodile looks lazy. He is very lazy, but when he wants to attack, he is like electricity in the clouds." So quickly, within no time, you are already in his mouth. He looks like a very poor and lazy person, but inside, he is alert. So, Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Mātsarya—these Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Lobha, Moha are the crocodiles within ourselves. They are peacefully sleeping inside. That is why we call them hidden powers in the human. Read that book. These crocodiles have to go into the lake of the Svādhiṣṭhāna. That is why the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra has a crocodile as its symbol. Generally, you are beautiful, you are very kind, but when somebody tells you something, you react quicker than a crocodile. All these qualities reside in the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra. We have to bring this crocodile to a big lake where it can be peaceful and have its own space. So, the awakening of consciousness and the awakening of that awareness within our self is crucial. What do I really want? Having mantras, practicing mantras, meditation, and āsanas will not solve the purpose you wish to achieve. Theory alone can make you very aggressive. When one philosopher says something, and another says something stupid, my God, there is a fight between them. But when true knowledge is there—light in the light—there is nothing to fight. That’s right. Therefore, meditate, follow the vākyas of the masters and the śāstras, and realize it practically in your life. Then yoga is successful, then our life is successful. But again, that duality of culture returns. Yes, that is very, very hard. Even if you are self-realized, you still have something in your genes. The mentality does not go. > Anek janma dhoye manna ko cittai ho to aisī ho, > phaṭāde manna viṣayõ se khaṭṭai ho to aisī ho. > Anek janma dhoye mana ko cittaī ho to aisī ho. > Phir bhī wo ek dahāg aisā hai ki wo utartā nahīṁ hai. For many, many lives we clean our thoughts, our mind, but still there is a very nasty, dirty spot on that consciousness. It is not easy to clean because it is colored by that kind of culture. When we talk about culture, there are different cultures. But one culture which unites humanity is very important; it is the source of human life. One philosopher said—I do not know his name—that every culture is a good culture, but the best culture is agriculture. Yes, so protect and save agriculture. Ask any of our ministers, let’s say from Rajasthan, how much they are protecting the fields from pesticides. None of them. No, because if they stop, all the companies will come and say, "Minister, in your election I gave you so much money, please give me back. You gave the signature that my company will not stop." And all this poison goes into the water and into the ground. Now the earth has become like a dead thing. Without these pesticides, nothing grows. I made an experiment last season. I bought very nice, big seeds of sarsong, mustard, and yellow mustard. I planted them at Jadan Ashram because we have so many bees with nothing to eat. A neighbor sprays poison, and my bees die. I said, "Please don’t go to the neighbor, come here." The first season was very good. We kept the same seeds and planted them this year. You will not believe me—99.8% grew, but there were no flowers, nothing. They grew only this much. The first time, the seeds grew very high. All seeds are manipulated, yet manipulated. Now, imagine: when these seeds cannot grow again, you have to buy new seeds. This means, okay, the first time is fine. When you eat such crops, then your seeds will also die. You cannot have children. This is also one way: you begin now to eat such crops and food, you may have children, but your children will have no children. > Raghu kul rīt sadā calāī hai, > vo kul kahāṁ hai, tumhārā kul khatam ho gayā. > Kula kī bahata calatī hai, parivāra kī > bahata calatī hai, ki merā parivāra, merā samāja, > ki vaha calā jāegā, aura apane āpasa meṁ > koī prema bhī nahīṁ rahegā, kucha bhī nahīṁ hai. We say that we are Agarwal, we are Rajput, we are Brahmins, we are all equal, and we have a good society. But we are making society a mess. They get married in this, they get married in that. The storm of Gandhi, there was a big storm in this field. In that field and in that field? In that field, we don’t know where it came from. > Raghu Kul Reet Sada Chali Aai, Pran Jai Par Bachchan Na Jai. So where did that Kul go? Because your Kul is no more. That seed is finished. Now it is Vāraṇ Śaṅkar. When we were small, we used to get a big bajra. The seller used to say, "Śaṅkar Bajra." The good people of the village used to say, "Śaṅkar is of Bhagavān." Everyone used to take that and eat it. Now it is known that this is a hybrid Bajra. So what did the traders of Śaṅkar Bajra do? They took out the Varaṇ. So they took out the Varaṇa. They kept only Śaṅkar. In the same way, all the poor farmers were killed. That is the world. The food organizations are saying that very soon the whole world, all humans, will be in their hands. All economies will be in their hands. Even nations, countries, will be bankrupt. What is coming? So be aware. > Hoshiyār rehnā bande, na jānā bhūl ṭhagā ke > Ānagrī hai ṭhagāoṅ kī, ṭhagate hai dam pilā ke > Hoshiyār rehnā bande, mat jānā bhūl ṭhagā ke Become conscious now and do something. Organic food will develop our consciousness toward spirituality. Without it, we will not reach our aim in life. Therefore, first, āhāra; second, ācāra; third, vicāra; and fourth, vihāra. Ācāra, Vicāra, Āhāra, and Vihāra: this is very important in our life. What to eat, how to think, how to behave, where to go, and where not to go. It is said that in some yugas, it took a long time to search for an ātmā, a sādhu, or a ṛṣi. They were searching in the forest. Now the same Kali Yuga has come; they are searching, "Where is a good Mahātmā or some Mahātmā?" And if you go to a satsaṅg, you can count the people on your fingers. Therefore, because the asurī śakti is too strong now, and daivī śakti is little, and daivī śakti is in danger. But God is observing all the time; He will not let us go down. So we have to go for shelter to the gods. Gurujī once asked me, "Mahesh, when you throw an iron nail into the water, what happens?" I said it goes down. He said yes. "And when you throw in one piece of wood?" I said, "Of course it will float. Why is it not going down?" I said I don’t know, because it is wood and light. "Then send a hardwood, heavy wood, like a stone." That wood will not go down. It will also remain up. So I said, "Then I don’t know." Gurujī said, "Because this wood has been nourished by water." Water has nourished the wood and made it grow. Therefore, it is the water that gives life and lets the wood grow. So it doesn’t matter what the wood is like; that water will not let it sink because it is like its own child. Not only this, if you put an iron nail in the wood and throw it in the water, that nail will also cross the ocean because it is in the company of the wood. Similarly, even if we have many mistakes and sins and bad things, if we go to the śaraṇam, the shelter of the Gurudev and a real saint, then we can cross this ocean of māyā, this ocean of saṃsāra, or this ocean of the Kali Yuga. Therefore, > Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavānkī Therefore, satsaṅg. That wood is the satsaṅg. And we are like iron. We should go and join with that satsaṅg. We will definitely come to Brahman. So culture is in each and every cell of our body, and it is transferred further and further. Therefore, we have to rise above this sthūla śarīra, the physical body, because it also influences our mind. One horse is yellow like almonds, and the second horse is black. They are both beside each other near the stable. Still, that white horse cannot take the color of the other horse, but it can take its habits. > Yā, Kālī gāy ke sāth dhalī gāy bandh gaī, to dhalī gāy > jo hai kālā raṅg to nahī̃ legī, lekin uske lakṣaṇ le legī. So the body cannot change its color, but habits will be adopted. We have to rise above the physical body and the mental body; then we touch our divine ātmā or jīvātmā, and then we can proceed. Otherwise, no matter how many things you do, there is no way to get anywhere. Relaxing, meditation is good for tranquilizing, for anti-stress. Āsanas are very good for the body, alright. Prāṇāyāma is also very good for health. But for the aim we wish to have, we have to reduce the āsurī śakti and develop the divine śakti, daivī śakti, within us. > Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Dev Purīṣa Mahādeva Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān. In this way, we should perform our sādhanā, rising above culture, nation, language, and your costume, etc. Then we can get somewhere. Otherwise, it is all "terī merī, terī merī"—my and yours, my and yours. Nothing remains. So we are here, and we want to thank our Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Swāmī Jñāneśvar Purījī for his very kind and good hospitality here in his āśram in Jaipur. We thank him. Yogījī gave a mālā, better to give it to Jñāneśvarjī’s side. And now, come for the Mālā here. Yes, Kāryo. Also, our dear Bhagavad Siṅgh Jī is very much taking care, observing that nothing happens, so it’s very good. Bhagavad Singh Jī, many thanks to you. Then Dinesh and his wife, his son, and his daughter—they all are helping very much in the ashram. We thank them also. And then, our member of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, Mr. Kapil Agarwal. Come on. Come, come, come. Give him a garland too. Good. Hari Om. Do everything with your hands. Do everything with your hands. Stand up. Do the Nāmantra again. Like this. You sing. Say a few words. Yes. He is my secretary, you know. Thank you very much. Okay. So. Give the prasāda. Jai Dev, this is a new disciple. Come here, give the prasāda to everyone. Where is the katorī dāna? Katorī dāna, this is not there. Give it here, go. > Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Namaḥ Śivāya,... Har Har Bho > Namaḥ Śivāya, Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Har Har > Bho Jaṭāḍ Rai, Śiv Jaṭāḍ Rai, > Jaṭāḍ Rai Jaṭāḍarai, Jaṭāḍarai,... Har Har Bho, > Namaḥ Śivāya, Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ, Har Har Bho > Gaṅgādharaī, Gaṅgādharaī,... Gaṅgādharaī Gaṅgā Dharaī, > Gaṅgā Dharaī, Hara Hara Bhol, Namaḥ Śiva, Hara Hara Bhol, > Namaḥ Śiva, Namaḥ Śiva, Oṁ Namaḥ Śiva, Namaḥ Śiva > Devī Īśvara Mahādeva, Śaṅkara Bhagavān Kī, Dīpa Nārāyaṇa > Bhagavān Kī, Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī, Satya Sanātana Dharma.