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Part 1: The Path of True Yoga: Beyond Postures and Into the Self Don’t show them the seizure, otherwise they will be afraid. So rikli, rikli pite, the program begins. Rikli, rikli, dobri, dobri,… Tak, tak, tam, dekhoi, dekhoi,… program begins, Hari Om. Yes, daṇḍavat praṇāmasya ina pharsīlegī, Hari Om. Okay, girl, you also get chocolate. Go, disappear. Hari Om. Dekho, praśna, one bhajan more, till I have to read many, many questions. Teri Satta Gurū Rā Ke Lāchī, Om Śrī Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Śrī Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, good evening, everybody, Hari Om. Every day, more and more bhaktas are increasing; nice to see you. Many greetings and blessings to all our international brothers, sisters, and spiritual sādhakas. Welcome to our website. This blessing is coming from Śrī Mahāprabhujī Āśram, Strilky, Czech Republic. It’s a beautiful time, a lot of snow, nice and cold, but the wonder or miracle is this: no one catches a cold. That’s very good. It’s minus five degrees at night, and daytime was zero. Everyone was walking on the snow, playing with the snow, but no one caught a cold. That is something extraordinary, blessings. This kind of cold is a healthy one. A little unhealthiness comes when we keep changing between warm and cold, warm and cold—there we get a lot of flu and different things. So also Sūrya Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān Sūrya Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān Bhāskara was very blessed to us, that we had a whole day of sun sight. Many of us here today got a lot of inspiration for our meditation from this beautiful landscape. Wherever you see white, and the sun is shining, there is the reflection of the sun on the white snow. And you see, it was suddenly there. There were about 50 or 60 deer walking uphill. All these deer were in one line, very disciplined. And they were walking up, 50 or 60 deer. Unfortunately, the cameramen were sleeping at that time. And when the right time comes, the camera is not there. It’s a beautiful picture. There is an electric line. The pole for the electric line is made out of wood—beautiful, nice. And cables, the wood is visibly black. White snow, nice sun shining, and deer are walking through. Can you imagine this picture? Beautiful. It’s a meditation picture. Then I looked to the other side. Suddenly, all discipline in one queue. The yogīs were walking on the snow. All of our yoga brothers were walking through the snow field. They have to go in one line, because I think about 40 centimeters of snow is lying in our garden, or 50 centimeters, but it’s a beautiful inspiration. Every season, every hour, every second, the sun is changing. If you know the Sūrya Namaskār āsana, almost in every yoga book there is about Sūrya Namaskār, salutation to the sun, and there are twelve different names of the sun. And these twelve different names: every hour, the position is changing. The effect of the sunlight is changing, and the constellation is changing. Like this morning, we were talking about Uṣṇī, the first sun ray on the part of our globe where we are now. Now, the first, it is in Vedānta, mathematics, one second is divided into 49. Can you imagine? One second is divided forty-nine times. And so the uṣṇā, sunray, is like that one part of forty-nine of one second. If you can get that light directly, it’s like enlightenment. But there is always, unfortunately, the clouds, the clouds of the karma. There is always fog, the fog of confusion, and there is the sleep of laziness. That is, laziness is the biggest rock on the path of spirituality. Those who cannot sit in Siddhāsana, those who cannot sit in Lotus Padmāsana, what about them? Yes, they should sit like I am sitting, like this, on the sofa. There is a table; you don’t see my legs hanging down. So, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Yes, liberation will come through Guru Kṛpā and knowledge. My dear brothers and sisters, liberation will not come from the torturing of the body. Liberation will not come from the postures of the body. Don’t think that I will sit in lotus for eight hours and my kuṇḍalinī will go up. Where do you want to go up? Where will you go up? Which side is up? You think this is the down side and that’s the up side. But maybe in reality it is the other side. Maybe the kuṇḍalinī is already here and would like to come back to the mūlādhāra. And that’s why in yoga there is one mudrā, and that mudrā is called Viparīta Karṇī Mudrā. Urdhvagaṭī, Viparīta means opposite. And so the energy is flowing from up to down, upside down. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gītā, 15th chapter, the first mantra, śloka is: “Ūrdhvamūlam adhaḥśākham aśvatthaṃ prāhur avyayam, chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yas taṃ veda sa veda-vit.” There he is describing ūrdhvamūlam. This human body is like a tree. Normally, trees have the roots down, but the human trees have the roots up, the brain. And all the branches are the Vedas and holy scriptures, and all the leaves of this tree are the holy mantras, the hymns of the Vedas and spirituality. So, only sitting in the Vajrāsana, the meditation posture, you think the posture will give you liberation. Many people only practice yoga for exercise and feel that they are a yogī. Yes, better than nothing, but you are not a yogī still. We all who sit here, who are practicing so many years—now I am practicing yoga for more than 50 years in this life. Still, I do not dare to say I am a yogī. I am a sādhaka. I am a student. I am a practitioner of yoga. I am not a yogī still. You will be a yogī at that time when you will have some dṛṣṭi, equal vision, and the knowledge of that endless universal consciousness. You become one without a second. And who knows, except our Gurudev, how many births we have to take still. One yogī was sitting under the tree and meditating. Good postures, padmāsana, lotus, great sage Nārada, the son of Brahmā. Nārada came, the great sage Nārada had the siddhi and access to the entire universe. The name of Viṣṇu is also Nārāyaṇa, always singing Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Nārada, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, the entire universe was full of the resonance which was chanted by Nārada: “Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa.” And when some ṛṣis were meditating, even the god Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu in the ocean, could hear, “Oh, Nārada is coming.” Śiva, Brahmā, all Indra. So Nārada was coming, and one yogī was meditating. Nārada came and said, “Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa.” Yogī said, “Oh, great,” says Nārada, “what am I?” Great luck, I am fortunate that I have darśan of you, meaning I see you today. How are you going, my lord? Nārada said, “I am going to have a darśana of God, Viṣṇu.” Oh, you are going to God. Nārāyaṇa said, “Yes.” Please, can you ask him, when will I get enlightenment? My kuṇḍalinī is awakened, my consciousness is on super consciousness, my samādhi, I don’t know which kind of samādhi, nirvikalpa, savikalpa, all vikalpa. Or how, in which life will I get? Nārada said, “Okay, I will ask Viṣṇu.” Nārada went to Lord Viṣṇu, had some darśan and blessings, and Nārada said, “Lord, there is your bhakta meditating under the tree, and he asked me how many lives he has still, or where will he get his enlightenment, mokṣa, brahmayāna.” God Viṣṇu said, “Tell him, the tree under which he is meditating, as many leaves are on that tree, so many lives he still has to attain Brahmatā.” Nārada said, “Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa. How will I tell him? The poor man will be disappointed completely.” Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa… Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa. God said, “You see the tree under which you are sitting? As many leaves that tree has, so many lives you have still to get enlightened.” The yogī got up and began to dance. Only so little life remains. Only so quickly. Oh, I am the great one. That’s it. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, to become a yogī, to be a yogī, is not only doing some āsanas, stretching, or torturing the body. Some people believe only in the postures and the muscles, balancing the body like this for demonstration, then turning this way. What will you get through these postures? Good for your good figure, good body, good looks—means another problem. Good looks are another problem. I remember one story. It is said, and it is true, that the Buddha had his very close, near disciples. And his name was Samrāṭ Aśoka. Samrāṭ means what you call in Europe, they call a Kaiser, not a king, but emperor. Umbrella? Emperor, not umbrella. Yes, the emperor had an umbrella. Otherwise not. So you are right. So, Samrāṭ Aśoka was a great ruler, a spiritual king. If you see the Indian flag, in the middle of the flag, there is one wheel, a chakra, that is the symbol of Samrāṭ Aśoka. It is also time, but also the Aśoka chakra. Aśoka had a daughter, maybe many children that I don’t know. Now, you know everyone has to go one day, to die. It doesn’t matter who is who. This morning I spoke about destiny. And in the destiny, the time of birth and the time of death are already fixed. Thanks to Mahāprabhujī, we don’t know. Don’t look in your calendar of destiny, Nandini, otherwise maybe you will already be suffering now, and have pain and fear. Death is fixed. Death does not belong to or come only to the old person. Do not think that we will be very old and then we will die. Death can come at any time, but the time is fixed, young or old. I wish you a very long life, but we don’t know who will be the first from all of us here. Guru Dev knows. Aśoka, Samrāṭ Aśoka, he was old, his body was getting weaker and weaker, and the time came to die. But somehow, still with his willpower, he keeps his life. And many people were prepared, many people were washing their face and cream and moustache and strong to be the successor, many wanted to have his kingdom, many wanted to have his wealth, to be chosen as his successor, but still his soul is inside the body. He had one daughter, her name was Saṅgmitrā. She came to her father, as she was the only person who asked the father. Others were waiting for him to die. And she said, “Father, what can I do for you? What is your last wish? To be fulfilled, that you may peacefully depart from this mortal body.” Samrāṭ Aśoka had tears in his eyes, and he put his hand on the head of his daughter. He held the head of his daughter and then held her hand and said, “My daughter, yes, I do have a wish. I don’t think that you can fulfill it. Because you are the property of others, or you belong to others,” means that time, even now, and now, in the last few decades, ladies became more emancipated, but before, was this the daughter married and go to her husband’s house to live there, even now also. But now, the husband’s house is somewhere else than his father’s house, no? Before marriage, everybody wanted to have their own apartment. They don’t want to live with their parents, and the parents said, “Why don’t you have your own apartment?” The world became individualistic. Saṅgmitrā said, “My father, my dear father, I don’t belong to anyone. I belong to you and your kingdom. Please tell me, what is your wish?” He said, “In many places I spread the message of Buddha, but like China, these islands in Japan, and this part, Sri Lanka, still I was not able to go and preach the teaching of the Buddha.” Saṅgmitrā said, “Father, I promise you, I make a saṅkalpa, I will never marry, and I will carry on your wish to bring the teaching of Buddha.” Śrī Śrī… He was today like a 10,000 or more. When she gave a lecture, there were 100 people, and the next day there were 500 people. But none of them accepted the teaching of the Buddha. None of them were ready to become Buddhist. One day, Saṅgmitrā asked her secretary, she had her whole group, bodyguards, and so on. She was a princess, and she asked her close advisor, and the close advisor said, “I’m sorry to tell you what you would like to know. I know, but tell me, what would you like to know?” She said, “So many people are coming, like bees go to the honey, or ants run to the sugar or to the sweets. So many people come, but no one accepts.” He said, “I made research work. They all come to see you, how beautiful you are. Five hundred, mostly men, used to come, not women. Today, there were a hundred men, and they spoke. In the evening, another five hundred men came. How beautiful she is, like you have in your film actors or whatever you call them, no? What do they call actors? Artists.” So she said, “Okay, thank you.” She went to the bathroom, she looked in the mirror, and she took this spirit and she put it on her face. And her face was burned. She went to, of course they took her to the doctor and like this, but everywhere there were burned spots on her body, on her face, not so beautiful like before. You know, we are only looking at the beautiful skin and eyes. We don’t see the heart inside the soul. How beautiful is that. And then people began to follow her. And so Buddhism was spread around the world. So sometimes you think, “I will do only āsanas and prāṇāyāms and become very nice and good figure and big stomach.” And a big stomach is more dangerous. You will, people will admire you only until you are young. After 80 years, 90 years, the people who were admiring you, even they will not telephone and say, “How are you?” Therefore, only the postures are not the yoga. Only the stretching is not the yoga. Do not waste time in your ignorance, in your misunderstanding that you practice yoga, but actually it is not yoga. Like I told you this morning, this story about a dog, a dry bone. The dog found it and he was chewing the dry bone. The bone was from a camel or some big animal in the Sahara, dry. But in reality, it was his own blood and his own flower from his mouth, not in the bone; it was not blood anymore. Similarly, do not waste time only on the decoration of your muscles and your body and then say, “I am practicing yoga, I am a yogī.” On the day when you become a yogī, I will tell you, even Lord Viṣṇu will come and stand up when you are coming. That’s today, not your colleague even stands up when you come home, not even your husband stands up when you come home, unless you are newly married. After a few months, are you? So, yoga, to sing, is something beautiful, but we have to look at inner beauty and the beauty of nature. So today was a beautiful day, with beautiful constellations that could help us to improve in our meditation. Now, people were thinking that meditation is only for the sādhus, swāmīs, yogīs, or monks who are meditating in the monastery. Mahāprabhujī’s work, Mahāprabhujī’s work is only to remove the conflict within the self and to remove the conflict in society. It is that conflict which you have within yourself, towards what or towards whom, that will destroy you or that is torturing you. If you are jealous, that is such a conflict in you that you can’t even sleep. When you are angry with someone, it’s such a conflict in you that you can’t sleep. Big conflict in you, that even you can’t sleep. You are suffering. You are thinking more about the person whom you don’t like than God or thyself. Once God Kṛṣṇa in Gokul said to His friends and His parents that He is going now to Mathurā. He said, “Why? You go to Mathurā, there is a saint.” He is waiting; He will kill you. He said, “Yes, I’m going to see the guns.” He said, “Don’t go there.” Kṛṣṇa said, “Well, I must go. Why? Because day and night, he is only thinking about me. And who is thinking of me, I must go and see and visit and bless. Even if he has a devilish energy, even if he is like an enemy, even if he takes me as his enemy, but he thinks of me, and that is why I should go and calm his feelings. I am here.” Or put more oil in his feelings to get rid of these qualities of this. Therefore, inner conflict can be towards your colleagues, towards your partners, business partners, towards your family members, husband or wife, and can be problems with wealth and money. You know, the last few months there has been an economic crisis in the world. How many people cannot sleep? The research shows that many sleeping tablets sold within four months were never sold before. That many people cannot sleep, they have to take sleeping tablets to sleep. And where money is gone, it didn’t fly to the moon. And it didn’t flow in the river to the ocean. Manī is there where it was. Manī is in that position where it was before, in our mind, in our heart. This is a psychic, it is a psychic torturing of the human intellect, and everybody said, “Oh God, global crisis! Oh God, global crisis! My bank, my bank!” And everyone is checking now. In reality, people have more money now than before. Because no one is spending the money. Everyone tries to keep the money. Though you have money in your pocket, you are still trembling. When you don’t have, you have a problem, and when you have, you have a problem. So now you took the money out of the bank? Yes. But now you are afraid that the value of the money will go down. So $100,000 will become $200. $100,000 will become only $200. So it means $99,800 is lost, psychically, mentally. Like in ex-Yugoslavia, no? My God! Every day, it was some millions more. And one day, Chidānanda gave me one note from the dinar. Dinar, was it? How many billions? Twenty-five billion dinars. And the value, you couldn’t even buy a piece of bread. And I gave it to Holī Gurujī in India, and Holī Gurujī… Holī Gurujī said he called the police to accompany him to the bank. And Holī Gurujī was so surprised that I gave him so much, twenty-five billions. There were two fives and then so many zeros until the end of the note. He went to the bank, and the bank said, “Only five paisa, not even five paisa.” Gurujī said, “No, cannot be.” They explained to him. The next day, a telephone call came, and someone told me, “Gurujī wants to talk to you, Swāmījī.” Without a heater, without sitting near the fire, I was sweating. What will Gurujī say now? But Gurudev is Gurudev. Gurudev is known as the ocean of mercy. Means, in His mercy, like in the ocean, billions of creatures are living. So Gurudev always forgives and warns us not to do it again. So Gurujī telephoned and asked me, “Mahesh, how are you?” Many blessings of Mahāprabhujī. Gurujī, whenever Gurujī telephoned, he gave me so many blessings. I am only so unhappy that I did not record them. Each time, either I called him or he called me. First, what he said was, “The grace of Mahāprabhujī, the immortal grace of Mahāprabhujī, showers on you, dear Maheś.” You see, every guru loves their disciple, and every disciple loves their guru, but I think, as much as Gurujī was loving me, it’s indescribable, indescribable. So much what he gave me, no one can give us. And Gurujī said, “How are you?” I said, “Good.” “How are you?” Gurujī said, “Very good.” “Maheshwarananda, remember you gave me one envelope?” I said, “Yes.” There was someone. I said, “Yes.” Before he could, but I said, you know, it is only for memory, to keep it. He said, “What? I went to the bank.” So before he could explain to me, better I explain what it is, that he is not angry. He was not angry, but still, as a respect, there is. Until my age of 35 or 30, Gurujī was very strict, but I don’t want to tell you about that. And that strictness, even sometimes I dream. So when I dream in the night sometimes about Gurujī, then my pillow is wet because I feel that Gurujī will be angry, maybe I made a mistake. I’m not afraid of anything, but what will my master tell me about what I did? With this face, I will go to my master and look in his eyes. When he asks me a question, what will I answer? In what price will my words be sold? And so this is not a fear, but this is a respect, and it is attention towards the master’s words, and the master’s blessing to you is the master’s kindness. Part 2: Questions Answered, Family Warmth, and Blessings: A Gathering with Svāmījī The master points out mistakes in you, and you have to correct those mistakes. If you repeat them again and again, it is not so good. Please open the upper windows on this side—the lower ones can stay shut—oxygen is missing. Boys and girls, open the small upper windows. Keep the big windows closed. Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya. So, let’s have a very nice bhajan, okay? Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī Gurudeva Kī Jaya, Sattva Guru Svāmījī. Sometimes Rāma, sometimes Dhātā, not only Rāma, okay? Very good bhajan. So, well and well. We are in a good mood, correct? I am relaxed. It’s not easy to put people in a good mood. Yes, there are a lot of questions to be answered. And the questions are truly here—they are your questions. They mean problems, advice, and so on. Some questions are just for saying yes or no, and some will need some explanation. So, a question from Lakshmi: regarding the meeting with the yogī, the book is prepared, and she needs some more photos because the last few years’ lectures are also included. You can get in touch with Chidānand, and he can give you more photos from different programs and seminars. Also, Lalitā has tried to prepare a book for the children’s edition of “Yoga in Daily Life.” Yes, we shall take this up and try to publish. Congratulations and thank you. “Thank you from the heart of me, from the heart, for your mercifulness and everything you do for every one of us. Please give me advice about my living. In which place should I live?” On this planet, where you are and where you are happy. If you are on a pension and have a lot of money, you can travel—sometimes to Australia, sometimes to Fiji, sometimes to India (which is not so easy), and sometimes stay at home. So, be happy where you are. That’s it. Dalsi, yes, alcohol is one of the most dangerous and biggest drugs in the world. Many accidents on the road are due to alcohol. Many families are destroyed because of alcohol. Health is destroyed because of alcohol. But nothing is impossible; where there is a will, there is a way. Decide that you will not take any more alcohol, and if you are very dependent, then go to the doctor. Nowadays, there are many medicines and health methods that can cure these habits or help you overcome them. So make a strong saṅkalpa: you will not even touch or smell the alcohol. Kumbha Melā in Allahabad. Actually, the Kumbha Melā is coming in 2010 in Haridwar—the next Kumbha Melā. It will be somewhere in March and April. We have a team of Karmayogīs. One is our dear Ānandī from Brno, living in Prague. One is Shāntīdevī in Vienna, and Dādā, and another person from another country, and Tiāg Purī from Hungary, Debrecen. These people will find out the flights, and it will be an organized group. Individuals, if you come, will find transportation more difficult, and so on. To enter the Kumbha Melā also takes a long time because all vehicles are prohibited from coming into the city. A few kilometers away, buses have to stop, then you have to carry all your luggage on your back—it’s very difficult. So first, don’t bring too much luggage. Only bring money; whatever you need, you can buy it cheaper than here. That’s all. So, happy are they who have no luggage at all. And unhappy are they who have a lot of luggage and get lost. So we will organize the group journey. All Slovakians, Czechs, ex-Yugoslavians, Hungarians, Americans, Australians, entire Europe and Africa—please contact. Very soon, we will give you the number and contact of the person who is coming. We cannot tell you exactly when the first bath will be. You can come even for only one week, have one bath with us, and then depart. The next group can come for another bath, and something like that. Haridwar has a small space, and it will be very difficult to have a big camp like in Prayagraj. But we will try to find accommodation. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam. For three days, or one week, or one month, the price is like that, because we have to pay for everything. Rozum—after Kumbha Melā Haridwar 2010, most probably at the end of 2013, beginning of 2014, we’ll be in Allāhābād. Thank you. “How often can we do this therapy for purifying our heart vessels with this amṛta?” Thank you. Every second month, take two months off, and then do it again for one month. Then Pushpa is asking. She has been unemployed for a long time, is 50 years old, suffering from this problem, as is her family. She is asking for your help, for your mercy. Well, blessings are there. Mahāprabhujī’s blessing is there. She spoke with me this morning already. I wish I could have a big, big, big company, and I would employ all the unemployed. I wish you—I know what it means to be in a family or to live without any income, it’s a difficult situation. I wish you may find a job in any other field; it must not be in that profession which you learned. That’s why modern education is now very much criticized. Modern education makes humans only one-sided. Our past education was such good education that you could do any kind of job. And that was more with the heart, more with human care for nature. Now modern education says, “I don’t care, it’s not my problem,” and that’s not good. Modern education is only for your stomach—my money, my money, that’s all. Ancient education was for the well-being of the entire planet. So if you are a doctor and there is no work for a doctor, you could also work as a nurse, why not? Purījī, Purījī... It has to do with the heart, and you should go to a cardiologist for a checkup and do this purification of the arteries with the medicine which we told. And there is a question about Svāmījī, who was sometimes speaking about prāṇāyāma, that it can change the shape of the body. Somebody is asking if by this way she or he can change the size of the jaw, because she needs some implantation of new teeth; if she can help like this for this problem. That I don’t think can be changed through prāṇāyāma. This can only be done through mechanical operation. Amrit Kailash is asking if he can be a healer, if he can heal people, and if it is good for his spiritual development or something else. Yes, if you would like to become a healer, or if you are a healer, why not? Then, without expectation and without earning money—just free. Mangalmaṇī from Prague is asking about atopic eczema because of her boyfriend Nārada Purī. Last week, Svāmījī mentioned some healing mantras for this problem. If you can instruct him, or if he can send you a letter with this question, then you will write him instructions. Yes, he should go to sleep early. He should be in bed by nine o’clock. At five o’clock, get up and study. Eat some nice fruits and cereal for breakfast, almonds, and then go to study. Come back, study, relax, and go for a walk in the forest. No clubs, no cinemas, no televisions. This is my advice. Māyā is asking... You will have the first number in your class. No handy, no mobile. It is not only to her or him, but to all who are listening to me: if you would like to be successful in your study, no mobile, no cinema, no nightclubs, no pubs, no gambling, no going out—study, relax, sleep. Go to bed at 9 o’clock, get up at 5 o’clock, study, have a good breakfast, go to the university or school, come back, relax and study, then go into the fresh air for a little walk for one hour, come back, study, have dinner, and sleep. Chidānanda. Pravda? You were doing like this, no? “Dear Svāmījī, among us, your disciples, there are many older people, elderly people. What do you think about how they can have here in the āśram ashes from their body or urns?” Yes, we are thinking that sometimes we will have money, that we can make a very beautiful, exclusive yoga senior āśram, resident, brahmacārī āśram. That is called Brahmā āśram, not “old home.” That sound doesn’t sound good. Brahmā āśram—a senior spiritual home or a retreat, a very nice one. Land we have, but we need a name for it. And she was asking whether after death her ashes could be kept there. This is not only a joke, but I’m very serious about this. We have land, and we can make a project here, please. We have nice land here in Strilky Ashram. We can buy more and make a beautiful, nice old home for about 50 or 100 people. So, elderly people, if you have nobody, you can bequeath your last will to that old home, and we will do it. Unfortunately, we have no money. Or if you are a billionaire, then give a few billions so that we can do it. Anyone is welcome to give a donation to the National Union of Yoga in Daily Life—the Czech National Union of Yoga in Daily Life. For more information, you can write to our fellowship address, and we will answer you. Thank you. It’s a very good question. There are many people who are above 70 or 80 years old, unfortunately with no children; the relatives have also died, and they are alone at home. It would be very good for them to have beautiful last years, months, and days of their life. They need more than anybody: small children and elderly people need the same kind of love and care. Thank you for asking this question. But at the present time, we cannot fulfill your desire. In that case, you have to ask the Strilky Ashram if they have facilities to accommodate you. Thank you. “Dear Svāmījī, does growing up in a pathological family influence the wrong function of intellect, memory, and thinking? If yes, please advise me on how to make it better. Thank you.” If growing up in a pathological family, in some bad atmosphere, influences somehow the functions of intellect, memory, and thinking—and if yes, how can he or she help himself or herself? Yes, it does influence our entire being: memory, emotion, thoughts, behaviors, health. If it’s possible—if you are grown—then move from that situation, go to another city, begin your profession there, and start a new life. And there are two similar questions about two persons who do not feel good in their actual jobs. One is called Saṅgam from Zlín. If they should change jobs, or what should they do? One is not satisfied with their relationships, and the second one doesn’t feel satisfied in their job. Well, according to the present situation, take whatever you get. About the jobs, many people are losing their jobs. So be happy that you are there. And why is the situation bad? This morning we were meditating to solve the inner conflict. Definitely, something is in you also; not only are they bad. So, try to change. If you have the opportunity to change jobs and immediately get another one, okay. Partner, you are not satisfied. I can understand you, because he or she is also not satisfied with you. Something is disturbing in you, the other part of the partner, and something from the other part of the partner is disturbing you. So it is called dialogue and understanding to solve the inner conflict. Your partner will also understand. Your partner accepts your yoga life, but he or she doesn’t want to practice; they would like to have another way of life but still would like to be with you. So don’t be against his or her way of life. Support that. That will create understanding and harmony. So, the partner is a personal thing. In this matter, I cannot advise you very much without knowing you and your partner together. And to know what problem is there, why he or she doesn’t like you, or why you don’t like him. Another: we are living in this modern world, and you have possibilities. If you don’t understand it all and have a constant problem, then separate yourself. This is the last of the last options. Icchā Śakti is asking if there is some āsana or some practice in Yoga in Daily Life to help with high eye pressure. Wash your eyes every morning with cold water, a few times. That’s all. Not too many exercises. Kaushal is asking what to do when he is nervous—with nervousness, when he is nervous. When one is nervous, object, object that one is nervous. So, you yourself are nervous, or someone is nervous. And if you are nervous, what is the cause of the nervousness? When you are nervous, take a deep inhale eleven times, then you will be less nervous. If you are angry or nervous, then drink nice cold water. Or wash your face with cold water. So nervousness has many, many causes, and without finding the cause, you cannot treat it. And the last is in German language. I will read it, I hope correctly: Šárovien. Konfirmation? Pram, Lieber Svāmījī, gibt es bei uns im Yoga eine Zeremonie für Kinder, so wie es im Christentum die Konfirmation gibt? Ja, there is, but in Yoga not. In yoga, there is only one: one in all, all in one—blessing and mantra initiation. But according to the Vedic religion, Hinduism, there are sixteen saṃskāras, and these sixteen saṃskāras are the sixteen kinds of ceremonies. First, it begins when a child is born: then with the honey, with the gold or silver—mostly with gold—a kind of needle but not a needle, a stick, a gold stick, touched right on the tongue of the child. Then comes the Mūṇḍana Saṃskāra, the cutting of the hair for the first time. Then comes the eating. So it means the child is drinking milk from the mother, but after a certain months of age or one year, the child is given anna, another kind of food, for the first time. And that’s another ceremony. The first time you cut your hair—that is like in Christianity, they call it baptizing. Yes, then comes for the man, the male, the yajñopavīta saṃskāra—upanayan. Upanayan means the third eye, the wisdom eye, the eye of wisdom. And then you go to school—which is not in the sixteen saṃskāras, but also when you go to school on the first day, there is a beautiful ceremony too. Then comes, yes—you see, everybody understands without translation. Then comes the marriage ceremony, and so on, up to the sixteenth ceremony. But for the practice of yoga and for this brahmajñāna, self-realization, you don’t need any ceremonies except the blessing of a good master, the spiritual lineage, and you follow every word of the master. Because it is said, dhyāna mūlaṁ guru mūrti—meditate on the Gurudeva’s form. Mantra Mūlaṁ Guruvākyam, Pūjā Mūlaṁ Guru Padam, and Mantra Mūlaṁ Guruvākyam—for you, the best mantra is to follow Gurudev’s instructions. If Gurudev says, “Don’t do this,” finished, you don’t do it. If Gurudev says, “Don’t go there,” finished, you will not go. Do not go there. For that, you must have trust and confidence. Then you are successful. Every religion, according to that, has culture, traditions, and ceremonies. Yoga is above all religions. All religions are under the umbrella of yoga, you can see, because nothing is older than yoga. Well, we are here in a good mood. First of all, the brothers and sisters who are listening: if you have a birthday or some special day in your life, I wish you all the best. With a lot of chocolate—all belongs to you for your happy birthday. Thank you. Boring? Then, sit down. Today’s birthday among our Pakṣas is Jarmila Kubicova Yamuna from Koprivnice. Welcome. Om Gurudev Namaḥ. Exactly number Dobrý? Drahý? Hari Om. She got a chocolate 70, and she is exactly 70. Open my windows. Hari Om. Thank you, Katya Brunken Kamladevi from Buchholz, Germany. Veera Galbowa from Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia. Why are you from Buchholz? I’m from Hamburg. Then why are you giving this here? Also good, accepted. Veera Galbowa, from Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia. Poš, poš... Melada is my very, very faithful, old, old disciple—not in years, but in practice. Hari Om, and one agarbatti also. Prasham. Hari Om. Śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ. Next one, Aleš Bodsy Dalik from Strilky Ashram. And on Monday—so these are tomorrow’s birthdays, okay? Mari, Yarka, and Alice were from the Sunday birthdays. And Monday, Libu Sam Nasova, Meera—oh my God. Meera is the first disciple in Czechoslovakia. In 1973, when I came the first time, the first mantra was given to Meera and her husband Hari. Thank you. That means 76 years, 36 years. Yes. We are getting old, girl. Hanka Sindhlova, Harṣā Devī from Strilky Āśram. Puran Devi from Prague finished her studies at Charles University, Faculty of Social Studies. No more study, okay? And Jana Nebarovka Prakash from Ostrava, studying Economics at Ostrava University. Really? So quickly? How did you manage? Five years. Thank you. It was the best. Donations were given for a certain purpose. We pray to Mahāprabhujī and ask for his blessings and good wishes for which they gave the donation. Ganga and Vasant, who made a donation, asked for a prayer for their deceased grandmother, Mother, who was 99 years old. We ask Mahāprabhujī for his divine mercy. Thank you. Mārtā Pūrṇimā, who made a donation, asked for a prayer for her deceased parents. Veronica Kaslich gave 40 Great Britain pounds on her behalf. We pray for the ancestors. We pray for them. The two persons, Tamarta and Vashant and Ganga, gave donations, but no sum was mentioned. So therefore I couldn’t say the amount. Thank you very much. That is called family life. So we had this family life hour for the Yoga in Daily Life family. Maybe there is someone who had a birthday yesterday, or today, or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Four days we can compromise, and who was not mentioned here now, and who had a birthday or will have a birthday tomorrow, day after tomorrow, please come. Hari Om. Okay, her birthday will be on Tuesday, but she has a Tuesday golden jubilee. She will see all of them now. And he has a birthday—or you? Me. When? When will he have a birthday? Je těra? Or today? Jitra. Jitra. Ano, dobře. Milka chocolate. Very good. Hari Om. Bless you. He is also getting 90. He was born on 19 February 1967. He is also a very old and very faithful disciple from Kopná, yes? Yes, yes, I know. Om Karan Pochke Pochke... Om Karan is a very good Yoga in Daily Life teacher, a very faithful person. A person without anger—I never saw him with anger, except with his wife. So, anyone more? You see, every creature is searching for the family’s warmth. Every bird flies back to the nest in the evening. So every human is longing for a harmonious, happy family where they care about you, who love you, who respect you, and whom you can trust. You love them, you respect them, and you feel a sense of belonging. We know that we are alone; we came alone into this world, and we will go alone from this world. But still, here on this planet we have life that we should live together and feel oneness and belonging. Here is someone who has a very loud speaker on the earphone. Tell that person to put it low or go to the translator. Thank you. Who is this? Don’t you hear people? I hear. Who is there? So tell them to go near the translator. Please, turn the volume down. The people are sitting near them. Can’t you tell them, please? It’s not okay, I hear. Go there and tell that person to put it on low. Thank you. So it’s already nine o’clock. I answered your questions. We congratulated you on your birthdays and on your studies. For prayers and everything, now we will have a nice meditation. Fifteen minutes, but before the fifteen minutes of meditation, there will be prayer. After the prayer, children will get prasāda, and then the children have to go, and we will meditate. Okay? So we will have prayer.