TV Channel

We warmly welcome our dear Yogeshjī to Croatia, and welcome also to Yogeshjī’s mother. For that simple reason, he is ours; I would never say he is from India or Slovenia. He is more than welcome, for in this courtyard—now an Ashram—no one is a guest. He greeted everyone specially, yet felt no special introduction was needed, considering Swami Yogeś as our own. So, thank you. And of course, all sannyāsīs are welcome. Yogesh has come from India to tell us that we must finish Om Āśram quickly. In one sense, Om Āśram is almost entirely finished. In another, as long as it exists, it will need maintenance. Therefore, you all have the right to go to India, live in Om Āśram, and maintain it. It was you and I who supported the building. You know, I was in Spain. Sadhvi Yamunāpurī has done immense work there over the last twenty years. On the Grand Canarian Island, she had large groups in two cities, and from a mountain town, the mayor donated a school to yoga before passing away. Because of Yamunā’s work, I visited there. The school is about two hundred square meters—quite nice. Then, in Barcelona and another city about three hundred kilometers away, she has been active. Sadhvi Yamunā has accomplished great work throughout Spain. Equally, Sadhvi Amonā did excellent and vast service in all of Spain, and she has an even larger group in Cuba. For the past five years, they have been trying to bring me there at the government’s invitation, so I will likely travel there someday—also the fruit of Yamunā’s efforts. When I went to Spain recently, she was ill and could not meet me, and I developed respiratory problems on that island, hence my coughing. Well, what I want to share is how our humanitarian efforts—whether for animals, the environment, rainwater harvesting, or similar projects—function. The same applies to our sādhanā. Or, conversely, how bad things multiply. We can use multiplication for good, or someone may use it for harm. Take, for example, thirty tons of stones. Perhaps only three pieces are needed. For those three pieces, Yogesh sometimes waits six months to find such a long block of the finest quality in the mines. If we needed only small stones, we would have finished five times over. Now, let’s say these thirty tons of raw material cost about one hundred thousand rupees. We gave that donation. What happens next? The truck driver and his helper receive money; they each have families—about five or ten people in total. So now, two families or more survive on that income. Then there is diesel: the people working at the petrol pump earn salaries, and their families live from that. The diesel companies benefit. Next, the truck requires repairs and new tires. The tire company, the tire shop, and the mechanic all earn money. Now turn to the mine: how many people work one or two hundred meters deep? Hard labor. They have night shifts and day shifts. Extracting such large rocks is very risky, so they are paid well, and about fifty workers are involved—fifty families receiving money. Then the government lives from the tax, and road tolls must be paid. In this way, with one hundred thousand rupees, roughly five hundred people are sustained. You cannot imagine how, because when workers get money, they go shopping; the shopkeeper earns, and he buys in the wholesale market—those traders also earn. Thus, it multiplies. It is amazing how things multiply. On the negative side: who supplies weapons, explosives, and enables wars? One country says, “We want peace.” Another says, “We want peace.” Meanwhile, someone supplies them with arms and then sends in their military. Money multiplies, but people do not. That becomes a blackmailing, destructive force. So, for one truckload of stone, five hundred people are affected. But if you just count five hundred thousand rupees alone, nothing much happens—yet how it is supported and used makes all the difference. When we do something good, do not think merely, “I gave blood to the Red Cross, that’s why the cross became red.” Rather, reflect on how many people are helped and how lives are saved. We need not know who will receive it. The person whose life is saved may have children; now the children are happy that their father is healthy. The chain extends further and further, expanding and multiplying, even if people never know its origin. However, in the record of Dharmarāja, the God of Justice, there is an account of who began, who offered the thought, and who helped. The first fruits of good karma or the bitter fruits of bad karma go there. Similarly, when we perform our spiritual sādhanā—when we meditate, practice our mantra, and pray—our inner self is purified. Our antaḥkaraṇa is cleansed. Dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa are all realized through spiritual sādhanā. Spirituality begins with one master. Whether you now respect or visit your master does not matter; he or she gave us that immortal fruit, which will never rot. That is why Guru Kṛpā, Guru Bhakti, Guru Mantra endure forever. And not only for ourselves: those whom we inspire also receive the fruits. Let me give an example. I say this without ego. When I came to Gurujī, I was a young boy with no other ideas. Even in my dreams, I did not know a country called Croatia existed. In my village, there were no schools. We knew only a few foreign words—German and Japanese, because both start with “J.” We knew “Englishman,” “English.” But Gurujī blessed me with that aroma of spirituality. And that aroma expanded throughout the entire world. So, it is not me; it is Gurujī’s blessings, and He continues to give. What you all have received is not me. It is Guru Bhakti. A student who has Guru Bhakti will succeed everywhere, in everything. Those who lose Guru Bhakti—temporarily it may be alright, but then it is truly lost. We have two kinds of energy sources. One is physical: gas, coal, and so forth. The second is solar and wind energy. The sun is long-lasting energy. But in a telephone, what have we put? A battery. That also works, but it has limitations. When we do not follow the master’s instructions exactly, our battery remains limited. Afterwards, things go wrong. So, if I were to say, “I do it,” that would be ignorance. It is Gurudev who did it. Who am I to claim I can do it and no longer need Gurujī? Just because Gurujī is not physically here anymore and I have His photo at home—Guru never dies. Here is an example. In India, in the state of Bihar, there are elections. India is just a little bigger than Croatia, yet Croatia is so peaceful and comfortable, like the Pali district where Om Āśram is largest. And when you write “Om,” if you join it with a friend, it becomes a heart. Croatia is a symbol of the heart—the biggest heart is Croatia. That is perhaps why you have so many cardiologists. Very beautiful, very good. Now, there are different political parties. One asked the opposition, “What do you think about Modi, the Prime Minister of India?” The other replied, “What a stupid question.” Opposition members think about Modi so intensely they cannot sleep. They wonder what he is doing, how he will take hold; they talk about Modi all day. When they wake up, they think, “Modi, Modi, Modi.” They do not think of God, but of Modi. So, whenever there is intense feeling, fear, or guilt, one remembers constantly. Thus, it is Gurudev who is doing. The Guru Principle, Guru Tattva, will never die—but our own ego can be great. You know, there are gypsies—nomads, as we call them. Generally, they do not build houses. They stay a few days in one village, then move on, always seeking the best view and fresh air. One happy gypsy family had a coach—a buggy—and moved from village to village. In the hot summer, they loaded all their tents, cooking pots, and belongings into that buggy; they knew how to pack everything. Then the great-grandparents sat on it, followed by the grandparents, then the husband and wife, and seven children, plus three goats, two sheep, and about six or seven chickens—all in that buggy. It is an art! And they had good hearts; they had no fear that it would break. They also had one horse and one dog. The horse pulled the buggy, and the dog ran behind. Under the burning sun, the dog ran in the shadow beneath the buggy. After a few kilometers, the dog thought, “How cruel they are! They don’t think of me. I am carrying all of them—horses included! How poor a dog I am. I do everything, but that’s my karma. I ended up in such a family, and I’m running.” No one thinks it will take two or three days to get there. Still, the dog thought, “But I eat their bread, so I cannot be ungrateful.” His tongue hung down, dripping. “God, one day You will help me,” he prayed, and ran. After two kilometers, he said, “I can’t go on.” He stopped, but the buggy went further. The dog exclaimed, “Whoop! Without me, who’s carrying it?” Then he realized, “Oh, somebody else is pulling.” Sometimes, likewise, some people think they alone carry the weight—husband or wife, neighbors or friends—but in truth, there is a greater force at work. So, whatever we do, good or bad, we receive the corresponding result. If we have a tree-planting project, how many thousands of creatures live in one tree—including the termites? When we plant one tree, we give shelter to thousands. When your tree grows healthy and large, many refugees come: birds, ants, all. We have done good karma. The same applies to water projects and helping animals. We humans understand this. But destruction takes no time; it means our own destruction. If we speak badly, act badly, or suggest bad things, the effect multiplies negatively. That is why it is called a social community—for all, for society and humanity. We even have a society for saving birds and bees. This is our spiritual development. Some sit with a mālā and meditate, while others work. You might say, “I do my little practice.” But those who engage in selfless service receive more fruit. If one ends up lazy, avoiding work and only sitting in meditation, then helping hands have more value than folded hands. Our duty is to do good. Once, a master and disciple were walking through a forest. Thirsty, they came upon a beautiful lake with very clean water. As they approached to drink, they saw a large scorpion that had fallen into the water. The teacher thought he should save it. He placed his hand under the water, scooped up the scorpion, and was about to put it on the grass when it stung him. A scorpion bite is more painful than a snake bite. When a snake bites, it is like a natural anesthetic—you peacefully sleep all night, forever. But a scorpion bite brings a whole night of horror and searing pain. For twenty-four hours, it feels as if someone has put a piece of fire in your hand. May God protect us. The master was drinking water when the scorpion fell in again. Again, the master lifted it out, using his hand like a magnet to rescue it. Again, it stung him, and then fell back into the water. A third time, he prepared to take it out with both hands. The disciple exclaimed, “Gurudev, this poisonous beast always bites you! Why do you do this? Let me just kill it.” The master replied, “No. It is his nature to sting. He cannot give up his nature. And my nature is to save life. I cannot kill him; I want to save his life.” This is the difference. So, how can we save ourselves and others? Through our sādhanā, our mantra, our prayers, our meditation—everything. In that way, we strengthen and deepen our practice. Human life is not given again and again. There is one bhajan: “Brahma, Holī Gurujī. Holī Gurujī. Tera Avasara Bhī.” Very good. “Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān.” We have many opportunities, yet we often do foolish things. We should use our viveka, our discernment, to understand why we are born. Each thought multiplies and becomes either light or darkness, pain or pleasure. Our life is in our hands. What we do and think becomes our karma and our destiny. Thus, Yogesh is doing great humanitarian work. At least twenty thousand families survive through Yogesh’s work, in the way I have explained. Their children go to school, buy books and uniforms, and the teachers receive a salary. You know well: one tree you plant gives rise to countless more seeds, further and further. Hari Om, Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai.