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Part 1: The Eternal Journey: Awakening Consciousness through Kuṇḍalinī Welcome to all of you, and to our dear brothers and sisters around the world who are joining us via live webcast. Blessings are coming from a very beautiful place. Thank you, Umeshjī, for the beautiful flowers of your introduction. Blessings. I am merely the servant of the servants of God. Welcome, everyone. There was a small misunderstanding in the program schedule today. I should have begun an hour earlier, but one of our sisters, Divya Purī, was performing beautiful postures, so I did not dare to interrupt. Where is she? She is here. Thank you. Khaṭū Praṇām. The subject given for today concerns yoga in life, retreats, and the discovery of inner talents in connection with the cakras and kuṇḍalinī. This flyer looks beautiful. Did you see it? Good. Before we continue, let us watch a short video. Please, the light and sound. [Video plays] "The awakening of the kuṇḍalinī means the awakening of bliss. We are very clear. We are confused. Kuṇḍalinī is an awakening of consciousness, and it happens when the cosmic energy contained within the human body is purified and directed upward to the highest spiritual centers. The five cakras associated with normal human existence are situated along the spine, and the three divine cakras related to spiritual development are located between the top of the spine and the crown of the head. In the practice of yoga, prāṇāyāma, meditation, kriyā, and repetition of mantra, we can influence and harmonize the cakras in our body. However, the guidance of a spiritual master is essential on this path. Like every form of energy, one must also learn to understand spiritual energy, and only that one who has traversed the path to enlightenment before us is fully competent to be a guru. The word guru means the remover of darkness. It is that one who removes the darkness of our ignorance and kindles in us the light of wisdom. The guru is that spiritual master who inspires, instructs, and guides us to enlightenment, the ultimate realization of our inner potential. This is the aim and purpose of human life." [Video ends] Thank you. Please put the image on the Mūlādhāra Cakra. Now, the middle picture. This one, the middle one. From the... on your right side. Yes. Up, up. No, the whole body. Yes. Okay. Thank you. How many of you know about this subject of kuṇḍalinī? I would like to know. At least you have heard the name. Okay, thank you. Very good. There is very detailed information available. Would you like to have detailed information, or shall we just speak formally? Details? Okay, details and then retreats. Good, thank you. I welcome you again on this path, the eternal journey of our individual self, our soul. We all know a lot about our body from anatomy and medicine, but I will take you somewhere beyond, far into space. We know we have body, energy, emotion, mind, intellect, consciousness, the soul, the ātmā, and finally the paramātmā. The physical form we see, the energy we have, the emotions we have—there are many kinds. Anger is an emotion, hate is an emotion, jealousy is an emotion, sadness is an emotion, happiness is an emotion. These are different forms where our energy becomes active. The mind is that mighty power in our body which governs us, and we do not know where the mind resides. We do not know in which part, and we have never seen it, yet it dominates us. Then the intellect, which has two parts: the intellect (buddhi) and the intelligence (viveka), which is the cream of the intellect. Then consciousness, which has many different levels: unconscious, subconscious, conscious, higher conscious, and cosmic consciousness. Then we have the individual soul. The soul is not the ātmā. The soul is a mixture of ātmā and... then it is Ātmā. Ātmā means that light of God. No one can destroy the ātmā. It is like the sky, like space. Jise śāstra kāṭe na agni jalāve, bujhāve na pānī na mṛti mitāve. No weapon can destroy it, no element can destroy it, and it will never die. It is eternal, immortal, everlasting. That is our reality, and it is like the sky, like space. You can make a big fire in the sky, and afterward you will see that nothing is burnt. Take a gun and shoot bullets into the sky, and afterward, take a magnifying glass to see if there are holes in the sky. Similarly, our real Self is that immortal, eternal light, and that is the pure, highest consciousness of God. This is our path through which we have come, and we are still here. So let us see when and how it began, where we are now, and if we would like to go further back to our origin. This is the subject. According to Vedānta philosophy, we have divided the ages, the yugas. We now live in the age of darkness, the iron age, Kali Yuga, which is beginning to act fully. It will continue for a very long time, and many terrible things will happen. Every yuga lasts for millions of years, and there are cycles of billions and trillions of years involving yugas, manvantaras, and kalpas. This is a vast subject; you can look it up. It is very interesting. Yet, it is said there is no time. Time is counted by humans. That reality is beyond time and space. But before reaching it, we are still fluttering on the waves of time, through darkness and light, happiness and unhappiness, struggling, suffering, or being joyful. In this endless universe, the individual self is alone. There is no company, no one, except our deeds, our karma. The actions we do immediately become our destiny. As long as karma is in your hands, it is yours. But when it is gone from your hands, it is no longer yours; it becomes your destiny. Every action has a reaction, and every reaction has an action. Suppose I have this stone in my hand. It depends on me; I can keep it or throw it. When I throw it with all my energy and say, "No, I don’t want it," I cannot run to catch it. It will go until it reaches its target. A bullet goes out of the gun. As long as you do not press the trigger, it is in your hand. But once you press it and the bullet is gone, you cannot run to catch it back. This is literally about karma. So we say bhag gayā—it is gone from your hand—and it becomes bhaṅgya, meaning destiny. Whatever kind of action it was, that kind of fruit will come back. Action and reaction: we clean one thing, and more pollution comes. How do we come to the end? We do not know where the beginning is. So we are somewhere in this space, lost. We have desires. Every creature has the desire to return to the origin. Where is our origin? Our origin is that light, that universal, cosmic light. Even a seed put in the earth will sprout and grow toward the light. Our reality is oriented toward that highest light. Our inner longing is to go there. Our physical body belongs to the earth. Whatever we throw up will fall down; this is gravity. In yoga, we would say this metal is a part of the larger earth, and the smaller part always desires to join the bigger one. Similarly, our Self is a part of that universal Self, and we always have the desire to merge with it. But the actions we have done, are doing, or will do become either a help or an obstacle. We travel a long distance, then arrive at a barrier we cannot pass. We have to turn back, but to where? This is the situation of every creature. The Vedas and the meditation of the highest samādhi—which great yogīs and saints, who brought this science, can traverse—ask: how many solar systems? Chauda Loka, Ikīso Brahmāṇḍa. There are fourteen different worlds in which we are pedaling, going up and down: seven below and seven above. We are on Earth, but our existence moves within these worlds. Through meditation and samādhi... there is one book you should read: the Patañjali Yoga Sūtra. The great saint Patañjali, the father of psychology, was born about 250-280 years before Christ. What he writes is beautiful. Patañjali described samādhi. There are different kinds. Samādhi means the highest consciousness. Ultimately, there are two levels: Sabīja Samādhi and Nirbīja Samādhi. Bīja means seed. In Sabīja, you travel with your astral body far, but you still retain individual consciousness, feelings, and the desire to go or return. That is the seed. In Nirbīja Samādhi, there is no more seed. You go and go, and you become one with the universe. May the divine will bring you back. That is the highest level of consciousness. After that, a human is liberated. It is said, "Ikīso brahmāṇḍa." Brahmāṇḍa means one universe, our solar system. It is the territory where the light of our sun reaches. It is one Brahmā's territory. Śiva, Viṣṇu, Brahmā. Śiva is Svayaṃbhu. Svayaṃbhu means He who manifests Himself; there is no father, no mother. That is called Swayambhū. From Swayambhū, through His will, comes Viṣṇu, where the elements like water begin. Then Brahmā is the creator. So, the creator is Brahmā, the protector is Viṣṇu, and the liberator is Śiva. Satyam Śivam Sundaram. Our solar system is the kingdom of Brahmā (not Brahman). Brahman is the universe, endless. Brahmā is the creator and governor of our world, the solar system. Chauda Loka, Ikīso Brahmāṇḍa: a yogī can travel with his consciousness through 2100 different solar systems and return. That is why we call yoga the science of body, mind, and soul. The journey is most beautiful, but it requires renunciation, detachment, non-attachment. Where there is attachment, there is fear. When fear comes, you cannot even want to leave this earth. We are all full of fear; we do not want to die. Can you imagine if you suddenly began levitating with no one there? You go for a walk in the forest and suddenly start levitating. What would you do? It is a good question. Suppose you are looking up and suddenly you are going up. What would you see? Your dog is with you, also going "Wow, wow." Many people see you. You would think, "My God, please, no, don't let me go." This is how fear arises. Those with such attachment cannot proceed; they will always fall down. One must have no fear and be very relaxed and aware. At that time, the soul remains. If the soul were not there, the body would be finished. Therefore, the soul, the light of life, remains. The cosmic mother energy is provided to the body to survive. All our medical instruments can measure brain waves and heartbeats. You might say the person is in a coma, with the last movements of the heartbeat. But a doctor cannot understand it; only one who is in samādhi can. Therefore, yogīs go into samādhi in a cave and tell their disciples, "In any case, do not disturb; do not open the door." My age passes... I can show you a picture. There is a great ṛṣi who has been living for many, many ages, from millions of years ago in the Satya Yuga. I will tell you this story afterward, otherwise our program will finish. So, there is a yogī, a very rare human. We are cowards, you know. Can you imagine your car beginning to lift up and up because you are inside? Okay, let's go with the car. There is more than this. Creation in the universe exists in different forms. On this earth, we call it a mortal world. It means one comes and goes, one dies, suffers, and can work. This is a workshop. Anant means the endless. In this endless universe, what we see is nothing. Only darkness, completely dark. So dark, blue dark, but there is a resonance. Constantly, you hear the sound. So you are connected with the sound to God or the highest consciousness, and the rest is space, floating. At that time, there is nothing—no manifestation, no creation. Part 2: The Divine Will and the Awakening of Inner Talents The Vedas tell us, "Eko’haṁ bahu syāmi," meaning, "I am one, and I will multiply myself." This is just an imagination of humans, that it must have been this desire of the highest one: "I am one, and now I will multiply." Otherwise, why did all this begin? What was the cause? So, who must be that will of God? Does God have a will? Does he have a desire? Does he want something? He has everything. But there must be something, and that we call eko’haṁ bahusyāmi: "I am one, and I will multiply." It took the ages of time. Millions of years, Viṣṇu is one. I lead. Close and again open. Millions of years. Our one year is just one day of Brahmā, and millions of years are his age. So that begins with resonance. So in the Vedas it is said, Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma: the form of the Supreme is sound. If you want to see how God is, it is a sound: music, the tune. Tune can be disturbing or harmonizing, so that sound is called Oṁ. As far as you go in space, there is this sound. You listen in the kāns, in the cell, a sound. Here, your blood circulation, your heartbeat, everywhere, there is sound. We are connected, united with the sound. If this sound stops, suddenly our body will fall apart. It is that sound, that resonance, which is like cement between two bricks joining, and in that sound is that energy. Through the energy, it is possible that the resonance goes further, and when the resonance goes further, there is air. So air is full of energy. So first is the sound, and with the speed of the sound, that’s called the jyoti, the fire. The light begins. And that is what we call the Śiva jyoti. And out of that jyoti, Śiva manifests. He comes, appears. That’s why we call him Swayambhu. And now he is looking, he came in meditation posture, so yoga is almost as old as that time, the first nāda began. So that was the light, sound. Sound and light became like the sun’s rays, became like drops of fog, everything. And these are the individual creatures. Life began. It is a fog of the soul. It means the light of God. When this involves itself in some material things, then it is divided, and there is ego. Ego is very important. You cannot become egoless. Without ego, we can’t live. So ego is to survive. Ego is not to dominate. If you are thirsty, only you can feel and drink water if you have ego. Eating also, you can only. So, God has given everything for our own protection and development. So, in Vedānta philosophy, that yogī who could go 2,100 beyond the solar system, through all galaxies where he went, said, "On this Earth, there are 8.4 million different creatures created by one creator." So we are all light of one God. We are coming, going, coming, going, and we are multiplying also. But there are 8.4 million different kinds of creatures, and from them, one is the human. And humans have a very powerful tool, and that is the intellect. And this intellect needs the education, needs that kind of education which makes a human a human, which understands the human qualities and how to awaken those qualities or energies in the human body. Now, in this Kali Yuga, man, the human, went out of control and went into the outer world. Humans should go to the inner world to know their inner talents, to awaken them, and to utilize them for good things, and to achieve liberation into the light. Now, there are inner talents. I would like to give a very simple example. A very simple example to understand. And this is this, that you don’t know how to drive. Your father gave you one car. The father gave you the car key. But you have no driver’s license, and you can’t drive. Now we have to go to the driving school, and our driving guru will teach us how to drive. In some days or in some weeks, you know how to drive. You get a driving license. You are a perfectly good driver. Now I am asking, what has changed in you? Did your eyes, two eyes, become four eyes? Or your mind, one became more? What changed in you physically? Nothing. Then how can you drive now? Well, I can drive. So this is the answer to this question, perhaps: how to awaken the inner talents. So these driving talents we have within us, but we did not learn them. And when we practice and we learn, then this is awakened in us. Now we can drive like a pilot. It must not be that the pilot is a bodybuilder or something, but to know how. And now he or she, the pilot, can take such a big aeroplane, where there are hundreds of people inside and how many tons of weight is on it, and just take off smoothly. Everyone is enjoying, but that driver or pilot, twenty years ago, he could not. So this is how our inner talents can awaken, for concentration, for many different things. All the artists, all the scientists, all people who are inventing something, they concentrated, they learned, they made experiments. Similarly, this yogic technique is that you have to practice your mantra, you have to follow the discipline, and you have to follow the fastings. You have to have a certain technique of meditation. Not every day changing from this or there and there. For one day, you go for car driving lessons, and after three days, you give up and go to locomotive training. And after that, you say, "Oh, then you want to have a motorbike." And that also in three days you say, "No, no, this also I can’t go." Then you go for the aeroplane. Also, you cannot. Then you take a horse, the horse riding. You are nowhere. Everything is good. The horse is good. The motorbike is good. Locomotive is good. Aeroplane is good. Everything is good. But the first one is finished. And so it is with one technique, with one master, with one kind of practice; it is years and years of practice. May I not, I hope, for ages, for many, many births, again be born and die, born and die. And it is not sure that we will be born again as a human. We are not sure. Therefore, Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya says, "Ko’haṁ? Katham idaṁ jātaṁ? Ko vā kartuḥ sā vidyate?" Who am I? From where do I come? Why did I come? And where will I go? What am I doing for what I came? To do this or not? So where will I go again? But birth will be there because karma will not excuse. Time will not wait for us. These two things are sure: karma and time are the same. So, kāla and karma, they are always the same. So, karma comes back to us. If you do bad to someone, well, someone will be affected, but that will mostly come back to yourself. If you kill someone, yes, someone is killed. But the karma will come back to you, so that you will be killed not only once, but many times. One seed grows and produces many seeds. One action produces immense reactions. We do believe that we are born again, in reincarnation. Many people don’t believe in incarnation. So, you know, in this century we have a very famous word, or we are all concerned about that: the environment problem. So we all try to have something environmentally friendly, not plastic. We thought the immortal one, ātmā, is immortal, but now plastic has also become immortal. So, we shall have something recyclable. Do you believe in recycling? So then why don’t you believe in reincarnation? It is the same thing. You have a beautiful tomato. Oh, very nice. And now, this tomato you eat, or you just destroy it, or whatever it is, but it is recycled. Became nice fertilizer, and that tomato again will grow as a pumpkin. Yes, Mr. Tomato, you are a pumpkin. He said, "Yes, it’s my karma. Next time, I will be maybe some potato." This is a recycling; the same human soul does not depend on and has no permanent rights to be in this life, in the form of a human. Karma will change us, and therefore we should awaken the inner talents of human quality. That which we can’t achieve in this life, in the next life we will definitely get a human life, and we will achieve it. We will proceed. We will not go back. We will go further. But we know that this life is a journey, not a destination. The destination will be decided at the end of life. So all these talents which we are talking about are coming then. So, life is created. There are four different forms to come on this earth, and these forms are the first or the second, it doesn’t matter which one, the bacteria through dirty water and sweating, etc. It is also life there. Then, through the bark, through the sprouting, the vegetation sprouts. Third, in the form of eggs, which birds lay. And fourth, like we humans and certain animals. These creatures which are coming on this earth have three levels. Jalchar, Thalchar, and Nabachar. Three means the creatures in the water, including the algae, creatures on the earth, all kinds of creatures, and in the space. They are born in the space, die in the space, many, many. These are 8.5 million circles of birth and death, birth and death, and the soul is going inside like that, everywhere. The last milestone is a human, and a human can enter into the highest consciousness and will not come anymore into the birth and death cycles. They can help us, they will be with us, and they are one with the universe. That’s why the great masters are adored, and we adore, we celebrate, we make a ceremony because their energy is coming to us. Humans, ancestors, your past parents, parents,... They have a very strong effect on you. That we will speak in the afternoon. Now, let’s come to the human. Humans, like many other creatures, have bodies. And in this body, there are 72,000 nerves. It’s like a network. Only the nerves bring information everywhere. So, the nāḍīs, the nerves. When the nerves are dead or damaged, then there is no more sensation. So, like now our televisions and telephones have the network, and this network is through which the signal can come. So, similarly, our nervous systems. So, out of 70,000 nerves, some are displayed in this picture. They are not 72,000, but there are many hundreds of these nerves. So this is the energy ball, a net with our whole body. Whatever we receive, cosmic light, energy, whatever, is by these nerves, which are supplying the body and also helping to reduce all the apāna śaktis that it is bringing. These nāḍīs, these nerve systems, are very, very important for our awakening, the body, talents, the consciousness, our siddhis, miracles, everything is connected with these nerves. Now, beside these nerves, there are the glands. Glands, which we all know very well, are producing the hormones. They are supporting each other to exchange hormones, to keep the whole body healthy and balanced. But when we consider our way of life, how we are living, then we can destroy. If you are not living healthy, if we don’t care about the body and this and that, then we are destroying. That’s called self-murder. So when you take some drugs, every day you are killing yourself slowly, slowly, slowly. That’s called halāla. So don’t make self-halāla. Therefore, try to come out of such a habit, which damages our body. The body is not immortal. The body is not everything. But everything is nothing without the body. If the body is here, we are here. And therefore, life means health, a healthy life. A very ill person can’t move; there is only burden and punishment, karmic punishment from past life. So we can overcome and awaken something. Patañjali: We will write the complete title of the book, Patañjali Yoga Sūtra. It is really very nice, very good too. Then you understand what yoga is. Then everything, emotional problems, mental problems, etc., etc., many, many things. And it is Patañjali who then modified and put yoga in four parts. Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Service; Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion; Rāja Yoga, the Yoga of Discipline, the King; and Jñāna Yoga, the Philosophical. So these are the four parts of yoga. It’s very, very nice. And there are four parts of yoga described in the Yoga and Dead Life book. And if you want to know more, then you should go to the book shop and ask for these four books by Swami Vivekānanda. Swami Vivekananda, I think he was in the last century, he passed away. Very nicely, very neutral, good commentary, and written: what is Karma Yoga, what is Bhakti Yoga, and like this. Then everything becomes very clear. Yes, it influences the glands, and the glands have the energy, so these glands are responsible for leading the energy further. So, it is a nerve system, but at the same time, the nerves have the responsibility to feed the glands. So, like a root, the root gets water from the soil, and the water supplies life to the root, and the root supplies it further to the branches and so on. So everything is in this system now, you see. Every chakra, where it is and what kind of function it has, this you have in your yoga book, what you call the hidden powers in humans. So, what? It’s okay. So this, it is really a science. This is a science of body, mind, and consciousness. And it will give us such happiness and a relaxing life, sure and without fear, but we have to learn, practice, and continue on the path to happiness and joy in spirituality.