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Part 1: A Message of Peace and the Nature of Spirituality Good evening to all dear brothers and sisters here and around the world, across India, and especially from Indore, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. They must be watching our Swāmīdeep, Neil, and Kothārījī. Blessings are coming from the Mahāprabhū Deep Satsaṅg Foundation on the occasion of Non-Violence Day and Peace Day, under the banner of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. The message of Holy Gurujī, Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandī, is: "One in all, all in one, and enter the kingdom of the Lord through the gate of sacrifice." This means renunciation. For whom? Renounce for others. That is great. And we can only renounce if we feel everyone as our own people or as our own self. An honī guru kārsake, honī det mitāī, par brahm gurudev he, sab kus det banāī. An honī guru kar sake, honī det mitāī, par brahm gurudev he, sab kus det banāī. Is that clear? What is not possible can become possible, and what is possible can become impossible. Through the blessing of Gurudev, he can do everything. Therefore, Gandhījī said, "Be the change you want to see. If you change yourself, others will change automatically." So the subject is the beautiful theme of non-violence and peace. Now we have our sister from the USA, from our ashram, the Alexandriya Ashram, Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda Ashram. Sanjeevani, welcome. The floor is yours. Where is your chapel? Do you know where the chapel disappeared? Go and search. Someone, go and search. Yes. Hari Om. Greetings from the United States to everyone. Thank you, Swamiji, and everyone for welcoming me here. We have four ashrams in the United States, and you might say we are still at the beginning of our growth. In the Alexandria ashram, which is next to Washington DC, we have between 50 and 100 students and maybe about 15 teachers and organizers. I know that some of you have hundreds of students at your ashram, and that’s wonderful. We welcome you to visit us. Now, even though we’re small, we still have some stress, like everyone. And sometimes, even some disagreements about how to operate and how to grow. I know we’re not the only ashram with growing pains or disagreements, right? But we all share a common goal. Thanks to Viśvagarājī and Mahāprabhujī’s practice and love flowing through us, we are ready to spread peace in the world. We believe we can begin by developing peace within ourselves and among each other. Thanks to Mahāprabhujī, we have one common goal: to build peace. We know that when we develop peace within ourselves, we can then expand it further. So we’re working very hard, making some changes, and discussing how we can have peace in our organization so we can spread this peace to a wider audience. Yesterday we heard many suggestions for how yoga can be a path to world peace. So how can this be applied in the United States? According to statistics published by Yoga Journal magazine, there are 20 million people in the United States practicing some type of yoga. 20 million is a lot of people—about 5% of our total population. They don’t all practice the same type of traditional yoga that we like; many are interested in fitness and just the physical exercise, but it’s a start. We hope it will continue to spread. One of our most popular national leaders is actually practicing yoga. Her name is Michelle Obama. The other guy, Barack Obama, just happens to be married to her, but he’s not nearly as popular as she is. She practices Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, which is maybe not quite as traditional as ours—I don’t know much about it. But she also holds a yoga class at the White House once a year for children. So one of our popular national leaders is sowing this seed among a young generation mostly exposed to violent video games. This gives us hope that the United States can someday be more of a leader in sowing peace. I was thinking that when Vishwagurujī decides to have a conference in the United States on yoga for peace (Vishwagurujī rozhodne mít konferenci o míru ve Spojených Státech), maybe we could ask Mrs. Obama to speak to her husband. Maybe he’ll listen to her because we know he is very concerned about sowing peace in the world, and he’ll do whatever he can in the next year of his presidency to do that. So, on behalf of our ashrams, I want to congratulate Vishwagurujī and the speakers yesterday on a groundbreaking conference. I encourage all of you to develop peace in yourself and with each other in your āśrams. We’re not always successful, but we’re trying. I think together we can have an impact. Next time Obama is coming, you said? All right, no problem. Welcome. Still have enough place. Thank you. And now we have our dear brother, Swapnil Kothari. The subject and floor are his. My humble praṇām to the Lotus Feet of Swamijī. I was a very mischievous student in college, so I know what kind of revolutionary thoughts spring up in mind when someone gives a long speech. I promise you all, this will be a short speech. Thinkers from all around the world, seekers from all around Europe, my dear brothers and sisters. A few years back, my friend faced a similar situation. He had to give a speech on a very difficult topic and was not prepared. He walked on stage and started in a very nervous manner. During his entire speech, he was looking at his mobile phone. He started nervously but somehow managed to give a good speech. When it was over, somebody asked him, "Please share with us whose photograph is on your mobile phone. Is it Angelina Jolie’s photograph? Is it Maria Sharapova’s photograph?" My friend replied, "No, it’s not Sharapova or Angelina Jolie. It’s my wife’s photograph. It’s a very inspiring photograph, but she inspires me in a very different manner. The truth is I was not prepared for this topic. I had to speak on it and landed in difficulty. Whenever in my life I land in difficulty, face a hindrance, a barrier, a problem, I look at my wife’s photograph and think to myself, if I can handle this..." Actually, we don’t need a translator for this. It is such a universal problem. Every time I start my speech with this joke, it clicks. So, ladies and gentlemen, I just want to make it clear that I’m not prepared, and nobody’s photograph is on my mobile phone. I’ve actually brought my wife along with me. We need to do some serious talking now. When I received an invitation from the Madhavanand World Peace Council, I was hesitant. I thought, am I the right person to speak on spiritualism? I’m 35 years old, too young to speak on spiritualism and inner peace. But due to a number of reasons, I decided to take this challenge. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism till now. I’m not as learned as Dr. Nadia and Rubavā Jain Sāhab. But when I was very young, I observed my grandmother closely. She was not well, in bed for a number of years, ill. But she lived peacefully and died peacefully. I learned tolerance from her. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I have observed my mom closely. My mother has no ambitions of her own, but her happiness is linked with the happiness of all family members. I learned selflessness from her. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I have observed my dad closely. One of his close friends ditched him in business, and we were left with nothing. But in spite of all this, he moved on with no grudges. For the first time in my life, I understood what forgiveness is. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I studied at a very good school. My school taught me one very important lesson regarding prayer. The lesson was simple: whenever you pray, never pray for events or things. Pray for wisdom and pray for courage. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I did my education at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. My institute taught me truthfulness and integrity. Truth has the ability to hold things together, and falsehood has the weakness of getting split up. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I started my career as a teacher. I’ve taught around 20,000 students to date, and I’ve found one thing in common. In the eyes of all 20,000 students, I see hope. That taught me that the world is not governed by greed and fear; the world is governed by hope. I learned that everything is connected, and that is the hope. Believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism. But then I got married to this beautiful girl, who’s trying to make my video, and she taught me one very important lesson: accept things which you cannot change. I’m talking in a positive sense. Ladies and gentlemen, believe me, I haven’t read any book on spiritualism, but I took this challenge because I’m a proud Indian. In India, we have spiritualism in our soil, spiritualism in our genetic code, and spiritualism in our air. The rest of my speech will fundamentally answer three or four questions relevant to this topic: spiritualism and inner peace. The first question is: Who is a spiritual person? Back in India, we had a marriage function, and friends and family came from around the world. A very interesting discussion was going on about God. A few women came up with a very interesting theory that God is not male. They were strong feminists. Naturally, men responded with a theory that God was not female. One of my cousins, who did his entire education in the United States and is a big America fan, came up with a theory that God was not black. My uncle resides in Africa and has been there for twenty years. He came up with an interesting theory that God is not white. A nine-year-old boy was sitting there. I went to him and asked, "Do you have to say something?" He said, "Swapnil bhaiyā, please don’t drag me into this discussion. I am 100% clear." I asked him, "I am confused, you are clear? How come you are clear?" He said, "I am clear that God is not male, God is not female, God is not black, God is not white—that means God is Michael Jackson." Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the problem with people who are pretty sure about what they don’t know. That’s the problem with people who have strong beliefs regarding what they don’t know. I met an atheist recently. He came to me and said, "I’m 100% sure that God does not exist. I am 100% clear that God does not exist, but I am spiritual." Then a theist came to me and said, "I am 100% sure that God exists. Since I am a theist, a religious person, I have a fundamental right to call myself a spiritual person." Now, an atheist strongly believes that God does not exist, and he is spiritual. A theist strongly believes that God exists, and he is spiritual. Believe me, both travel in a similar boat. Both have a very interesting similarity: strong beliefs regarding what they don’t know. A spiritual person has to be honest enough to admit that they don’t know. You have to be innocent enough to admit, "I don’t know." Maybe that is the reason an 8-year-old boy, a 7-year-old boy, a 9-year-old boy is closer to God—because he is honest enough to admit he does not know. The moment he grows and acquires all the nonsense prevailing in the world, he becomes not so close to God. All I want to say is, if you want to become spiritual, you have to be a seeker. You have to be honest enough to admit you don’t know. You have to be a rationalist seeker if you want to be spiritual. The second question I want to address is: What is spiritualism? All problems human beings face today are due to the non-alignment of body, mind, emotions, and energy. We need to understand the four realities of life: body, mind, emotions, and energy. If body, mind, emotions, and energy are not aligned, you’ll face many problems. But if you align your body, mind, emotions, and energy, all problems vanish. The moment you align them, the moment you become spiritual, you become more available to all processes of life. You become equally conscious regarding all aspects of life—equally conscious and indiscriminately conscious. You are equally concerned regarding business, the nation, society, your health, and the environment. That’s the meaning of being indiscriminately and equally concerned regarding all aspects of life. The moment you align your body, mind, emotions, and energy, you live in the present and less in the past and future. If you align them, if you become spiritual, you become more enlightened, more awakened, more clear, and more fearless. That’s the meaning of being spiritual: you become more fearless. The second-last question I want to address is: Can you measure spiritual progress, or can you locate spirituality? I have a very interesting story to share. A father had two mischievous sons. The entire neighborhood got irritated with them and complained to the father: either change your address or improve your sons. The father was helpless. You know, it’s very easy to reproduce, but parenting is difficult. So the father went to a priest and shared his problem. The priest said, "I’ll try to fix this. I’ll call your son and convince him that God resides inside. The moment your son understands that, he will improve and be more disciplined." So the priest called Jenderson and asked him to sit on a chair. The priest asked him, "Where is God?" Jenderson shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don’t know." The priest asked in a louder voice, "Where is God?" He was an eight- or nine-year-old boy. He looked here and there and said, "I don’t know." So the priest went closer, touched his chest with a pointed finger, and asked loudly, "Where is God?" A šel. The elder brother asked him, "What happened? You went to a priest. Why are you so frightened?" The younger son gave a very interesting reply, relevant to our issue. He replied, "It seems, brother, it seems they have lost their God. It seems they have lost their God, and they think we have done it." Any attempt to locate spirituality or divinity in God would go futile because spirituality and divinity in God are formless. How can you locate something which is formless? If you are desperate to search for divinity, spirituality, and God, if you’re so desperate to travel for them, you should start your inner journey. The moment you start traveling inwards, the moment you progress in your inner journey, you become more joyful. That’s the only way to assess your spiritual progress. Part 2: The Immeasurable and the Internal: On Spirituality, Stress, and Context You become more available to all processes of life. You cannot measure spirituality. Can you measure fragrance? No, you can feel it. Can you measure happiness? No, you can feel it. Can you measure grace? No, you can feel it. Now, the last part: stress versus inner peace. People, my students—I am a teacher—come to me and ask, "How can we manage stress?" I find this very funny because what do you manage? You manage things which are precious to you. You manage your wealth, you manage your health, you manage your relationships. All these things are very precious to you. Why would anybody like to manage stress? The moment someone says, "I want to manage stress," I understand that this person has concluded that stress is an indispensable, inevitable part of life. Stress is not an indispensable part of your life. Stress is your own inability to manage your own internal system. You don’t know how to manage your body, you don’t know how to manage your mind, you don’t know how to manage your emotions, and you don’t know how to manage your energy. You function by accident. That’s why you feel stress. Is stress related to environment or work? No. A person working in the Prime Minister’s office is suffering from stress. A person working at Coca-Cola is suffering from stress. A person who is jobless is suffering from stress. That simply means stress is not related to work or environment. When stress is experienced by people who work for the prime minister, people who work at Coca-Cola, and people who have no job at all, it shows that it has nothing to do with the work environment. What is stress for you? Someone else is breathing through it. So I just want to say that stress is your own inability to manage your own internal system. Essentially, the quality of your life will improve when you change the context of living life. Create the context of your life. Our problem is that we keep on changing the contents of our life. The moment we change the context of living life, stress vanishes. At the very moment we change the context, the stress disappears. And for changing context, you need nobody’s permission, but for changing contents, you need a lot of people’s permission. So if you want inner peace and happiness, please change the context of living life and not the contents of life. Thank you so much. Jai Him, Jai Bhārat. Thank you. Thank you, Kota Rijī. Your beautiful thoughts are very practical. That’s why you are very clever. That your wife is with you, never travel alone, you see? Yes. To let your wife travel with you means it doesn’t matter where you go or where you are, she’s in your heart. That means it is with you. So that’s called confidence, faithfulness, harmony, peace, and trust. So you have expressed everything. If we follow in such a way, definitely we are very close to realizing peace in the world. So you’re the priest and God. So one day the priest went to school to give a little talk about religion and God. You can come this side. No, no,... there. And now, look to me. Yes, because the translator has to see the movement of the lips. So the priest asked the children—they were five to seven, eight years old—he said, "I have got five dollars in my pocket, and who will tell where is God? I will give you five dollars." So one said, "God is in my mother." Another one said, "My friend." Another said, "My dog." Some said in church, another one said in the temple, etc. So everyone answered. One child lived; he was very silent. He was thinking, but he was silent. So the priest asked him, "What about you? You are not answering." He said, "Well, there is not a question of answering or a question. Unfortunately, I don’t have five dollars in my pocket. But if you will answer me, I can help in your garden to clean your garden for two days. Can you tell us, please," he said to the priest, "where is no God?" There’s no answer. So the priest asked him, "What are your parents doing? Yoga in their life." Means God is everywhere. And you know who was that student? Swapnil Kothari. In answer, it’s his answer. So, he found the lost God. That God is everywhere, omniscient and omnipresent. Because the Indian religion and philosophy say, in every corner of the sand, even there is God. In the breath, in the prāṇas, everywhere is God. So, thank you very much. You have to come again. So every day we will give you time for a lecture. When the people are a little tired, you have to wake them up. Sometimes Bābā Jain, and sometimes you. So, knowledge and spirituality cannot be measured. Neither in kilograms nor kilometers. Knowledge is endless. That’s why the goddess of wisdom, Sarasvatī, even she has a book in her hands all the time. So one man came to Gurujī and said, "Gurudev, the best bhajans, the best words that one can speak or write, have already been written by great saints: Kabīr Dās, Sūr Dās, Mīrābāī, etc. Vidyas are so cream, cream they ate already. We left behind only the buttermilk, so what can I write, Gurujī? Because they took everything." Gurujī said, "Yes, so what should I do, Gurujī?" Guruji said, "Write." But I, what can I write? Everything, they took it. Makhan, makhan, cream, they have eaten. So Guruji said, "Makhan khāyā to kyā huā? Dainu hamāre pās charā ḍālo prem kā." Or do din or rāt clear. So Guruji said, "They ate all the butter or cream, but they didn’t eat the cow. Feed her with love and milk day and night, which means you will get butter again." So that’s called kāma-dhenu. So there is no end of knowledge. There was a story I didn’t finish, and where I was talking about this, about one ṛṣi. The ṛṣi wanted to study Vedas, and his life was at an end, so he asked God to prolong his life: two thousand years, five thousand years, fifteen thousand years. The fourth time, God said, "Send Dharmarāja, the God of justice. Please explain to him, ‘If your time is to come back, the knowledge has no end.’" So Dharmadāsa went there, and Dharmadāsa told the ṛṣi, "Let’s go to the Brahmaloka." He said, "Please, no. Tell God, ‘I have to finish the learning of the Vedas.’" So he said, "How many years do you want?" That I don’t know. So then Dhanamratā said, "Look to the Himalayas." And he was looking to the Himalayas, and Dhanamratā said, "Open your palms." And a strong storm came. So some dust of the Himalayas fell into the hands of the ṛṣis. Rishi said, "What happened?" He said, "No, just some dust or sand came from the Himalayas." He said, you know, the Vedas are like the Himalayas. Now, how much dust you need? You can never finish the Vedas. The Vedas are the source of knowledge, and knowledge has no end. It’s like an endless sky. We can’t reach the horizon. What is the horizon? The horizon is that as close you go, the farther it goes. So as much as you want to approach and have knowledge, it is more than you could imagine. And therefore, all these speakers, if they give only one or two lectures, it’s just nothing. It’s still, they didn’t open the door, or they didn’t open the window. When they open the window, then you will see how far and how much the world looks. So therefore, the best way is yoga. So yoga means to become one. Through the fire of yoga, all the seeds of the karmas will burn. So yoga postures are okay, they are very good. Prāṇāyāma, āsanas, meditations, it’s okay. Anti-stress, good health. But yoga is beyond this, and without the body, we can’t achieve that yoga. So, we will try to achieve something. So, thank you very much, Kota Rijī and Sanjīvanī. Yes, you know what is Sanjīvanī? The herb which makes a dead body awake again. In this castle, you don’t know what happened in the Second World War, the First World War. And before, when the kings were there, and Sanjivanī came now. Don’t wake them up, okay? So she liberated them all. Thank you, Sanjivani. Sanjivani is the Ayurveda. There is such a herb existing, but we have lost the knowledge. But now, the same thing is yoga. So our dear, respected Dr. Nagendrajī brought back again that knowledge which was being lost. So, thank you, Nāgendraji. Selfless work, which you are doing, and you have in your visions to bring this knowledge throughout the whole world. We wish you, and we pray to Almighty Gurudev that your wish will come true, and we will also help you. We can’t be like you, but we will support you. Supporting. I didn’t want to talk, but I wanted to talk because something has to be done, and I was just using the time, and I’ve forgotten. Please tell Tilak that some of you are hungry. Make chapati and sabji, okay? Chapati, sabji, and some soup, kaddi or something, thank you. In, in... okay? So, sorry, what was it and where was it? So, there’s a beautiful story. How many people? About 30. Why? You know why? Because he’s so active, so active. His wife has to warm food ten times, and still he’s not at home because he’s so busy working and helping. He’s a very great helper, and he telephones, and he goes away. Oh, he’s going. Okay, so the story is about the Rāmāyaṇa, the holy book Rāmāyaṇa. Who doesn’t know the Holy Book Rāmāyaṇa? Very good. What is written in the Rāmāyaṇa about whom? Manipūra cakras are bīja mantras. Which is the bīja mantra? Ram Ram. Chandravagwan, so the holy book Rāmāyaṇa is very great. There is a little story that Rāvaṇa kidnapped Sītā, and Hanumānjī found where Sītā is. God knows everything, but still God uses someone indirectly. Sometimes you ask some people, "What’s your wish?" And especially to me, they said, "But you know, Gurudev." Now, which wish I’ve done, I should know. So I said, "Yes, but I would like to listen from your mouth. That’s my protection." Well, God Rāma had to spend 14 years in the forest. No, he should not go to any villas, and he should not take any help from humans, and no gathering. So only the monkeys, bears, birds, all animals, they were supporting Rāma very much. Well, they want to build the bridge between Bhārata, India and Śrī Laṅkā. How to cross that ocean? So Hanumanjī said, "Let’s construct a bridge." They all said, "Hanumanjī, from where do you get such ideas? We are still creatures. Look how deep is the ocean, and you say, ‘We make a bridge.’" Arman said, "No discussion, come on." They took the stones and threw them in the ocean. A miracle happened. The stones were fluttering, and they were putting and putting. The bridge was... Getting longer and longer. Bhagavān Rām thought I should also help work. So Bhagavān Rāma also took this stone and threw it. And the stone went down. Again, Ram took a second stone and threw it in; it went down. And anyone throws there, it is stone is floating. Now Rāma was in doubt. They have these miracles, the power, and I throw, and nothing remains on the surface. Bhagavān Rāma was thinking. Hanumānjī came to know that God will ask me for something. Ram knows everything. Ram can do everything. But definitely, he wants to give me a lesson. So Hanumanjī came and said, "God, what can I do?" Bhagavān Rām said, "Hanumān, anyone who throws a stone is floating. And I throw, and it goes down." Hanuman just said, "Lord, it is very clear, merciful Lord, please don’t do to anyone like this. What, Lord? Whom you will throw away from your hands, they have no place more. They will go to hell directly. So please don’t throw anyone out of your hands." Be merciful and sit down. So Bhagavān Rām said, then they all said, "We need cement." Or calcium, the lime. So they brought calcium, but there was no sand. So the stone was there, water is there, calcium is there, but there is no sand. And there was one squirrel. They were all squirrels sitting there and running to some trees and bringing nuts and fruits to feed all the monkeys and bears and everybody. So one squirrel jumped in the water and came out. And she was rolling in the sand and came near the bridge where the camel was, and she was doing like this. The sand falls there. Others also. And in this way, the squirrel also helped the god. So, when Krishna incarnated and he was listening to the glory of God Rāma, who was helping God Rāma, I would like to thank them. So God Kṛṣṇa gave everyone blessings and something, and the squirrel was sitting somewhere. Nobody remembered him. Then the squirrel came near Krishna. Lord, I was also there. And I helped to bring the sand. I had no bowl or basket. Or a bucket, but in this way I brought the sand. The Lord bless me too. So God Rāma Kṛṣṇa took the squirrel in his hand, on his lap, and that love, the devotion of that squirrel, touched the heart of Kṛṣṇa, and tears came from the eyes of Kṛṣṇa, and he took the squirrel and he was touching it with his one hand. The back of the squirrel, and so it became white and black lines on the squirrel. So you will see that squirrels have very beautiful lines, like a zebra. So the zebra was also helping, so it came to Krishna. So God never forgets anyone. Our each and every action, each and every thought, it will be fulfilled. So we should have a confidence, a trust. There is another story. The hall is not ready yet. The story is about... A turtle, there was a beautiful lake, a big, beautiful lake, and in that lake there was one couple living, the turtles, the kachwā. He was a bhakta, and he was searching for a master, and he was telling his wife about God and the master and mantras, etc. But she said, "I don’t trust." I don’t trust humans. If you have some other guru, then the humans, I will come. He said, "Only the master can be born in human life." But he kept on inspiring her. So one day she came with him out on the beach, and one man came with one orange shirt, and he said, "Look, darling, I told you, God is great. He sent us a master. Let’s go towards him." And that was a person, what we call the nomad gypsy, and he was searching for something to bring it home for the children, or for their food, to hunt something. And they are nomads, they are living in the forest or out of the village for ten days, then they go away, and like this. So he said, "Oh, two big turtles coming." And she said to him, "Don’t trust, don’t go close. Let’s jump in the water." He said, "Come on. Gurudev is coming." She said, "My heart doesn’t accept." It will accept. Come on. I go first, and the friend said, "No, I don’t want." But anyhow, a good wife always follows her husband. And the husband always tries to protect. So that man took both and put them in his bag. And she was so angry, "I told you, I told you!" She tried to bite him, but he put the limbs in. "I told you, don’t trust." He said, "Don’t worry, God will do everything." They made a fire, and they put a big pot. And put these two turtles in the water. Fire is burning. Now she was so angry, but she had no power to run away. She said, now getting hot. She said, don’t worry. God will take care of you. I said, you and your master and God go somewhere else. He said, "Darling, don’t worry. Now it’s getting hot, I can’t breathe. My belly is burning." He said, "Then, darling, sit on my back. I will be down, getting warm, 40 degrees, 45 degrees, and she’s screaming and only telling him bad words. He said, "God’s līlā is different. Why are you worrying?" Your God’s līlā I don’t want. I want cold water. He said that you will get it also, yeah, in the next life. He said, "No, no, in this life." And he said, "No, trust. Trust in God. Gurudev will do all." Now it was getting hotter and hotter, and within no time a strong wind came, heavy clouds gathered, and it began to rain so strongly that within five minutes there was water flowing all the way to the west. The fire was finished, the pot fell down, the cold water, and they swam back into the lake. He said, "Come on, darling, I told you, it was a tapasyā. Now, look, God has done everything." So there’s a beautiful bhajan next time. Wish you all the best.