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We are gathered here together. This is called a melā—a Kumbha Melā or another type of melā. Melā means to come together, to gather. Melā means milnā, to meet one another. That is a melā. There was a master who had a devoted disciple serving him constantly. One day, the disciple asked the master, "I would like to go to a local melā, a folk event." The master said, "What will you do there? It is not something very special." The disciple replied, "No, Master, I am always in the āśram. I would like to go and see the mela. There will be many people. I would like to see many humans." The master said, "Alright, you may go tomorrow. But come back quickly." The master gave him some food to eat and also gave him a single feather from a peacock. The disciple asked, "Master, what should I do with this peacock feather?" The master instructed, "When you reach the melā grounds, go and sit in a place where some humans are gathered." The disciple said, "Master, I am going to a gathering of humans, not of animals." The master replied, "I know that. But you will feel comfortable if you see some humans. Go." The disciple arrived near the melā. He then began to look through the peacock feather. What did he see? Before, he saw only people. But when he looked through the feather, he saw that all were animals—foxes, deer, scorpions, snakes, and many other wild creatures, with half-human bodies and animal heads. The disciple was frightened. He took the feather away from his eye, and he saw only humans again. Then, again, he looked through the feather, moving it like a camera. Under a beautiful tree, he saw about twenty people sitting. He removed the feather again, and there were many people. Looking through the feather once more in another corner, he saw a few people. He decided to go and sit in one of those two places where he had seen humans. He walked through the melā, through the crowd. Nobody spoke to him. No one said, "Hello, how are you? Good day." Everyone was pushing, trying to go their own way. But when he came near the place where he had seen humans, they greeted him warmly. They said, "Oh, my dear friend, how are you? You are serving the Master. Please come sit with us. Have some drink, have something to eat." They offered him beautiful friendship and a welcoming feeling. He sat with them. Again, he tried to look through the feather. He saw many, many animals fighting, and only in a few places did he see people there. He returned home, back to the āśram. The master asked, "Now, my dear, how was the melā?" The disciple had no answer. Gurujī asked, "Did you eat something?" He said, "Gurudev, it was an animal melā. They had the form of humans, but their qualities and habits were like animals. In a few places, I saw some humans. They all had beautiful feelings. They welcomed me. All had some mālā, some holy sign, and we were talking all the time about God. The others were talking about business, money, and many such things." So, it is said that in the world there are many humans, but few are they who possess human qualities. What makes us human? What makes us human is our inner positive quality. We spoke about these qualities this morning. There is a spiritual development that many cannot see. Even God is there, but you do not see Him. One day, the great saint Tulsīdāsjī said he knew that God, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, were coming to the Melā every day, but he could not see them. Tulsīdāsjī was a great devotee, though Bhagavān Rāma had passed away long ago. Tulsīdāsjī was searching for Rāma. He was searching for people who could tell him the address of Rāma, what Rāma looks like, who could lead him to Bhagavān Rām. A devotee told him, "There is only one person who is very close to Bhagavān Rām, and not a day passes without him seeing God. He meets God Rāma daily. Tulsīdās, go and search for that person who can answer and fulfill your wish." Who is that? Hanumanjī. Hanumanjī can tell us where you can find Bhagavān Rām. Bhagavān Rāma led a very simple life. He is the one who followed his words, his promise. There is a saying even in Europe: even if it costs your life, do not break your promise. When you got married, very happily, you promised her or him: "I will be with you in every aspect, in sorrows or happiness. What I have belongs to you, and what you have belongs to me. I give my word." First, they ask her if she accepts, and she says, "Yes." Then they ask the man. He looks down because he has a big company and a lot of money, and he says, "Yes." This "yes" is mostly spoken in front of a holy altar, a holy place, a holy fire. Nowadays, in the modern system, you have to go to the council. There was no marriage certificate. Their marriage certificate was the promise made before those relatives and people; that was the certificate. Paper can be destroyed, but love cannot be destroyed. That is a promise. Those who are getting divorced day by day did not understand what love is. If we understand what love is, then in your voice and others' voices, you see God's light. That is why it is said: God is love and love is God. So it does not matter what happens; you will keep your words. Therein lies your success. Bhagavān Rāma did not have an easy life. There were days when Bhagavān Rām cried. He was weeping for the sake of others' pain. That is why he is known as Maryādā Puruṣottama—following that human discipline, a human life. He is the highest in human form: Bhagavān God Rāma. He had to renounce his kingdom. His father, the king, announced that tomorrow Bhagavān Rāma would have the ceremony to become his successor as king. Bhagavān Rāma had two stepmothers. King Daśaratha married because they did not get a child, but through a yajña. That time was for yajña. That time was called Rāmrājya, the kingdom of Rāma, Satyayuga. Then came Dvāparayuga, and now Tretā Yuga, and now Kaliyuga. So, one yuga was for yajña. Tretā Yuga was of truth, study, wisdom, Jñāna Yoga. Kaliyuga is the yoga of devotion. Tulsīdāsjī, writing in the Rāmāyaṇa, says that in Kaliyuga you can only cross the ocean of ignorance through the practice of your mantra. Well, I am not going to tell you the whole Rāmāyaṇa. It takes one month, two months. If I hurry to tell you everything... Kṛṣṇa also had a very hard life. Likewise, every incarnation had a very hard life. The incarnation of the holy saints—Jesus did not have an easy life. We know very well that those holy saints who came to this earth were not understood by people. They tried to humiliate them, give them troubles, and even kill them. Because there are two kinds of energies: āsurī-śakti and daivī-śakti. Āsurī-śakti is called negative energy or satanic energy. And Devī Śakti is divine Śakti, the holy Śakti. In Kaliyuga, āsurī śakti is dominating. It is the yuga of the asuras. Therefore, even religion has turned towards business and fighting. Bhagavān Rāma did not fight for the kingdom, nor did he fight for money. They were happy to accept renunciation. Āsurī Śakti is called animal culture. And Devī Śakti is called divine culture, the holy culture. This is the difference. It is like what I told you in the story before. On the surface, we see all as human. But in whose mind and feelings, what kind of energy is there, that we do not know. So it is hard to know who is an Asura and who is a Deva. Asuras never come to satsaṅg. If they come, they come to destroy and disturb others. Immediately one can feel it. And Devas come to satsaṅg; you feel a pleasant, holy atmosphere. In Kaliyuga, there are fewer holy people; that is why there are fewer satsaṅgs. Satsaṅg, you see, is very prevalent in India. Very much. Recently I was in Punjab, about ten days ago. Early morning in every house there is a satsaṅg—every house, every ashram. So, Haridwār, Ilāhābād, Ṛṣikeś, everywhere. But there are also many asuras. They do not go to the satsaṅg. Kaliyuga is dominating. Bhagavān Rām removed the āsurī śaktis and created Devī śaktis. But Āsurī Śakti is not so easy to destroy. Until the last minute, they will try to destroy you. That is why Bhagavān Rām, whatever he said and promised, he fulfilled it. He was the perfect son, perfect brother, perfect friend, perfect husband, perfect student. Whatever he did, he did perfectly. That is why he is known as Maryādā Puruṣottama. The father of Sītā, the wife of Bhagavān Rāma, was born in what we now call Nepal. Her father was a Jīvanmukta, the king, the father of Sītā. Tulsīdās went to the place where Hanumānjī is. It is not easy to find Hanumanjī. He is jumping here and there. Someone said that when you see Hanumanjī sitting very peacefully—otherwise monkeys are restless—and where you see Hanumanjī sitting peacefully, it must be that God Rāma is coming. So you must look around to see if you can realize. So Tulsīdāsjī searched for Hanumānjī, and he met him. Tulsīdāsjī said, "My friend, my brother Hanumānjī, I have one request. Can you show me Bhagavān Rām, just a glimpse? My life will be successful just to see him for one second, and all the sins of my life will be gone." That is called darśan. It is not easy to get God. There is a story of God Rāma. A devotee was asking Him, "Please come, please come." And so Bhagavān came. Now the devotee is looking at Bhagavān. Bhagavān asks him, "Do you wish something? Why did you call me?" The devotee says, "To see you." God says, "Now you have seen me. Bless you." He says, "No, I am going." The devotee says, "No. Let me see you." God said, "But you have seen me already." He said, "Not enough. You promised me that you would come and I would see you. So let me see." After five minutes, God said, "OK, I will go." He said, "No." Now you know how the devotee can catch God. That is why God does not come so easily. We humans are very greedy: one minute, two minutes, three minutes, five minutes. God said, "Let me go, otherwise the whole world will be in darkness. I have to be in many, many places. So, can I go?" Can you understand the situation of God? Yes, your train is going away, and someone keeps on holding you here. So, it was the devotee who was saying, "Please, God, come. Please, God, come." It was love. And now God says to the devotee, "Please let me go, please let me go." So Mahāprabhujī said: If you are mine, then I am yours. If I want to sell you, you should be sold. Then you can sell me, so be mine. So the devotee said, "Be mine." Bhagavān Rāma said, "Bhakta, please let me go. I promise that I will come, and I came." The devotee said, "In your promise, it is only about coming, not about going." In the protocol, there is nothing written about going. "Let me see you. I did not see you enough." Bhagavān Rām said, "Ask me anything, I will fulfill it, but let me go." So the devotee said, "In the next life, you become my son, so I will have you in my hands, in my lap, and I will look at you all the time. Promise me." Bhagavān Rāma said, "It shall be." And Bhagavān disappeared. That devotee became King Daśaratha, and his son was Rāma. That is God's or Master's promise, which is called eternal truth. So, Hanumānjī is sitting there. Tulsīdāsjī comes and asks Hanumānjī, "Brother, can you show me Rāma?" Hanumanjī said, "I cannot show you directly, but I can show you indirectly." Tulsīdāsjī said, "It does not matter, directly or indirectly. Please, please let me see the Lord." Hanumanjī said that around nine o'clock in the morning, between eight and nine, Bhagavān Rām and Lakṣmaṇa come to have a bath in this holy river at Chitrakūṭa, and just at this place, Rāma is coming every day. "I will disappear," Hanumanjī said. "I will sit at a distance." So Tulsīdāsjī said, "Now I am happy." Hanumanjī said, "Hey brother, Tulsīdāsjī, do you know what God Rāma likes? After bathing, the sandalwood paste on his forehead—to make a tilak. Tilak means the three lokas, the three eyes, the third eye, fortune, blessings. So you may prepare the sandal paste. And after Bhagavān Rāma comes, you can make a tilak. Rāma will not go away until you give the tilak. You do it slowly and make the tilak, and Rāma will hold like this. You can see him very close, just half a meter." Tulsīdāsjī said, "Thank you, my brother Hanumānjī." Tulsīdāsjī came with a log of sandalwood, and on a stone he was rubbing the sandalwood to make the paste. Tulsīdās was happily singing God's name: "Śrī Rām, Jaya Rām, Jaya Jaya Rām. Śrī Rām, Jaya Rām, Jaya Jaya Rām. Śrī Rām Jaya Rām Jaya Śrī Rām Jaya Rām Jaya Jaya." Bhagavān Rām is coming with Lakṣmaṇa, taking a bath in the river Sarayū. They dressed again, and both brothers were looking to see if there was somewhere sandal paste available. Lakṣmaṇa said, "There is one devotee who is making paste." So God Rāma went there and stood looking. Tulsīdās did not pay attention. "Śrī Rām, Jai Rām, Jai Jai Rām." So God waited a few minutes. Then God Himself took the pestle and put the tilak on Himself. Hanumanjī said, "Unlucky Tulsīdās, look up, look up." But of course, Hanumanjī does not dare to go and say to Tulsīdās, "This is Bhagavān Rām." So Hanumānjī was shouting: "Chitrakūṭ ke ghāṭ par, Baisantan kī bheed, tulsī dāsa chandana gase, Tilak kare Raghuvīra Śrī Avala Rāmacandra kī. Chitrakūṭ ke ghāṭ par, baisantan kī bheed, tulsī dāsa chandana gase, Tilak kare Raghuvīra." Hanumanjī said, "Look up, look up." Again and again, Hanumanjī is singing: "On the beach of Chitrakoot, by Santanki Beach, so many sādhus are there. Tulsīdās Chandan Gāzī. Okay, Tulsīdāsjī is making chandankanöchöt késit. Tilak kare Raghubī, and Bhagavān is making tilak. Oh, Tulsīdāsjī, look up, come up." Bhagavān Rāma walked away, and Hanumānjī came and said, "Oh, you, my God, my brother, I was shouting and shouting, you did not look at me. If you would have looked at me, I would have said, 'This, this, this is Bhagavān.' But, my brother, at least God took the pestle from you. He knew that you are the devotee. He waited a few minutes, but you did not look up. Yet he blessed you." Similarly, we do not know when the Lord is standing in front of us, when in our life something will change. So, friends should be like Hanumānjī, and God should be like Rāma—who was waiting barefoot on the beach, where the stones were very hot. Bhagavān Rāma's toes kept going up and down because it was too hot, but he was waiting for the devotee, as promised. Therefore, in the last minutes of Rāma's life, a very critical situation arose where he could not decide what to do. So he went to his master. Bhagavān Rāma goes to his Gurujī. Who could be greater than God, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa? They are the Lord of the three worlds. Even though they are the Lord of all three worlds, they obey the Satguru Dev. So Bhagavān Rāma goes and asks Guru Vasiṣṭhamuni, "Gurudev, my whole life my brother Lakṣmaṇa was loving me. Lakṣmaṇa renounced his sleep. For fourteen years, Lakṣmaṇa did not sleep. All the time he was with me in the forest, through many, many things. But today, what happened? I had to give the death sentence to Lakṣmaṇa. Gurudev, why does this happen? Why has all this happened?" Then the master said, "Bhavipravila, the destiny, the karma is mighty. Even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, no one can deny the karma. No one can cross the karma. Viṣṇu also has to respect the karma. Time does not wait for anyone, and karma does not excuse anyone. That destiny will come." Vasiṣṭa Muni said, "A whole life you led a very hard life, and you kept your words. And in the last minutes now, because of love for your brother, you would deny your promise, Rāma. You will lose everything." Tulsīdājī and Guru Vasiṣṭa Muni said about the word: "The culture of the dynasty of the Raghu, the principle, the law was this: even if they have to give their life, even if prāṇa goes, they will not give up their promise." Raghu Kula—Raghu is the dynasty of King Daśaratha or God Rāma. Here we meet again our relation to our ancestors. We have a duty towards our ancestors: to free them from the Pitraloka. As long as you will not perform that kind of ceremony and free them from Pitraloka, your ancestors will not be free, and it will disturb many things in your life: maybe business, marriage, family life, health—many things. So it does not matter who you are; you are still a child of your parents. You have dharma towards your parents, and parents have dharma towards the children. So our dharma goes far into the past and into the future. It is very important that we keep our dynasty. But we say Alakpurījī Siddhāpīṭ Paramparā. Our spiritual dynasty is coming from Alakpurījī from Satya Yuga, on whose name is the holy river Alaknanda. So many, many saints were there; we do not know them all. But we found a little stream, a little thread from Alakpurījī to us. This is our spiritual lineage. But you also have the energy of your parents' blood relations. You can avoid everything, you can excuse everything, but you cannot deny or excuse your blood relation to your ancestors. So, through Guru Kṛpā, he gave a lot. Either through the Guru's grace you can overcome, or you perform the pūjā, ceremony, yajña, as well as with Guru Kṛpā. Then our life will be successful. Otherwise, you are again also hanging there. You know the bat, man? The bat is hanging head down with its legs hooked in the trees. Look carefully. One of them must be your ancestor, or you will be there. Yes, and when you look at the bat, and especially if it looks at you, there must be some relation. You make praṇām: "My great-great-grandfather. I promise I will lead the ceremonies to free you from these family attachments. I am your blood, and I will pay back." That is it. So we have our destiny. Human life is not just about eat, drink, and sleep. Eating, drinking, and creating children—animals are also very expert at that. For what did God give us human life? Therefore, we said, think it over. We will do. We will have some very expert ones. We will bring someone who will really perform some good ceremonies. There are many astrologers and pundits coming, but more often their aim is commercial. Their interest is not in whether your interest is hanging or not. You cannot see, so for us, we only have to believe; that is all. Otherwise, it is difficult. So there is one little story about a pair of swans and a lawyer tomorrow.