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Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Five times we will all chant one mantra. Today is a day for adoration, devotion, and love for our ancestors, and also for our adoration and thankfulness to Holy Gurujī. This is the day, especially in Christianity, when everyone respectfully goes to their graveyard. This has its meaning. It means we all need to support our ancestors to come to mokṣa. Mokṣa has different meanings. In Christianity, mokṣa is to come to heaven. You can say heaven or Brahmaloka. Heaven means free from birth and death. Hell means repeating again and again. It is a different language; the definition is different, but the reality is one. We have this in Sanātana Dharma, or what you call Hindu Dharma. There was no name 'Hindu Dharma' and there was no word called 'Hindu'. This was given by the British and at the time of the Turks who were in Asia and India. As Dr. Shanti spoke yesterday about the Himalayas and glaciers, many of us know from history how much land was under snow. Only the highest peaks of the mountains had snow, but because the snow was melting, there was more water down below, and so people climbed to the highest points. One of the biggest rivers in the world, very wide and big, starting from the Himalayas, is called Sarasvatī. There was a very big earthquake; nearly the whole world was affected by that. What we call the dinosaurs and many other animals, they all went under the earth, including humans too. But some survived. That Sarasvatī River was also submerged under the earth. It is still flowing. They made photographs from the satellite and saw exactly how the Sarasvatī River flows through the X-ray of the earth. Nowadays there are many instruments to know where something is. There was what we call a valley, where the Sarasvatī River was flowing, and another river was parallel. That valley was called the Sindhu valley. People were living on the bank of the Sarasvatī. The people called themselves Āryas. This was one family, like, let's say, the family of the Müllers. At that time, there was no cross-marriage; they were particular. Those who were on that Sindhu valley, on the western side, slowly immigrated to the west, and others to the east, north, and so on. We still have some people who moved after the division of Hindustan and Pakistan. There were special people they called who came from Sindhu. They are known as Sindhis. This community of Sindhis around the world, now in India also, includes some of the richest business people. Many have petroleum companies and so on, in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Arabian countries, Dubai, and so on. They are very spiritual, religious people, and devotees of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, and so on—Hindu. They had a great saint at that time, when Pakistan and Bhārat were one. Afghanistan was all one. There was a great saint named Teurāmjī. Teurāmjī’s ashram, their Śirdi ashram, is called Amrapur. 'Amar' means immortal; 'pur' is the place, the city. You could say that bhajan is very similar: Amrapur or Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan. Guruvar me chalūsā un desh. So there is no death and no birth. In Jaipur, we have a very big ashram called Amrapur. When we didn't have this ashram in Jaipur, and when we were coming from Pali to Jaipur, Holī Gurujī had many bhaktas going to Kailāśa; we had to go through Jaipur, so Gurujī was always staying in that ashram, the Amrapura ashram. It is a very nice, disciplined ashram. Morning prayer is at four o'clock. Anyone can stay there; you have to go for prayer and meditation. There is satsaṅg every day. Any sādhu coming and staying there, like Holī Gurujī, also had to give a lecture, a satsaṅg. So that Sindhu... through this, they gave the word "Hindu." The word 'Hindu' means: 'hiṃsā' is violence, and 'do' means to take away. So, remove the hiṃsā and follow ahiṃsā, non-violence. Those who follow non-violence are Hindus. So, the British and the Mughals gave the name Hindu; otherwise, they were all Ārya, and their culture was called the Sarasvatī culture because they were all living on the bank of the river Sarasvatī. In yoga, we speak of Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumnā—these three nāḍīs: Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī. The Iḍā is the Gaṅgā, the Piṅgalā is the Yamunā, and the Suṣumnā is the Sarasvatī. The Vedas, which were written and brought forth, were from the Sarasvatī River culture. The teaching of the Vedas, or anything, was passed from master to disciple. It is called Śruti and Smṛti. Śruti is what you have heard. Smṛti is what you remember. The Vedas were chanted for so long that they could remember all of them. That was the tradition: on the beautiful bank of the Sarasvatī River, the ṛṣis were sitting and reciting the Vedas. It followed the Gaṅgā to Ilāhābād. At the last Kumbh Melā in Ilāhābād, we were going to some āśram. We were inside—me and Ācārya, who died unfortunately, and Svāmī Brahmātmānandjī—we were driving in one car, and it was so beautiful. Old trees on the bank of the river, there where we had our camp in Ilāhābād. From there we cross and go further, where Gaṅgā and Yamunā are uniting. It’s about 10 kilometers away. There are such beautiful old trees, thousands of years old. Ācārya was looking there and said to me, "Swāmījī, there must have been Satyuga time, or there are ṛṣis doing yajñas here." It looks like a ṛṣi jungle. The ṛṣis were here on the bank of the river Gaṅgā. Suddenly there was one tree, a very thick trunk, and the roots were across the earth, so they were exposed, about five meters. The roots were open. He said, "Stop the car," and he was looking there. I said, okay, I will take a photo, but it was sunset. Next time we go there, I must take a photo for him. He has passed away, but for him, I would like to take a photo. The Vedas, the ṛta, the chantings, were through all the flow of the rivers, the spiritual rivers. That time was not Hindu culture. The Christians, Muslims, they were not existing at that time. These are new religions: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, many. All were of the Sarasvatī culture, and they were called Āryans. Then, somewhere on the south side, they were either in the forest, called the tribes, or on tapas, on the islands, or the shore of the ocean. There are two kinds of people. Some were only involved in spirituality, meditation, and research. That yoga was caused through yajñas. All four yugas are divided, and the Kali Yuga is through bhakti. Bhakti is the measure because this is a little easier. We have no knowledge, and we know not the capacities to make the yajñas or other tapasyās, vairāgyas, and tyāgas, the knowledge, the chantings. This is the history of how humans were always connected with their ancestors, and they were always known by their ancestors. Now the population is too big, so we have another idea to know that we have a country: that you are Czech, that is Slovak, that is Hungarian, Austrian, Polish, German. All together is Europe, and all together, Europe and the Earth, and human. Their identity was their family lineage. When they had a great yajña, I think they had to give invitations two years, three years before. The ṛṣis who were living behind the Himalayas somewhere came to Ilāhābād. Ilāhābād is known as Prayāgarāj. Ilāhābād came after, when the Mughals came. Priyag, actually, Priyag is the meeting of three rivers: Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī. That’s called Priyag, the meeting. So someone from there came to take and gave the name also Priyag. Prah... I think there is also river meetings. So Priyag Rāj: "Rāj" means the king. Priyag Rāj is the king of all holy places. The great yajñas at that time, when Śiva was in the Yuga time, took place in Ilāhābād. There is still that ashram there where they had this yajña. What was the name? I forgot. You know, Gajadamjī? Okay, someone will come. This is a place which has very much spiritual energy. This energy you cannot make dirty. It doesn’t matter what is there now, pollution or no pollution. Nothing can destroy that energy, that knowledge, that wisdom. Their generation, their families, their lineage—by that, you knew from where you are coming, who you are. What is your name? In India, we are still keeping this. For example, if I see my previous family’s names, he is coming from the great saint Mahāṛṣi Gārgyaṛṣi. Gārgyaṛṣi was performing the marriage of Śiva and Pārvatī. Gārgyaṛṣi was the family guru of Kṛṣṇa, and that Gārgyaṛṣi gave the name to Kṛṣṇa, and he wrote his horoscope, or what about his life? It’s going like that. So still, this family where I was born, around the whole world wherever they are, and in whole India, there is called Gārgyaṛṣi. In the time of Kṛṣṇa, there was a king, and that king... was the father of Kṛṣṇa’s mother known as Agra Sen? Agra Sen was the disciple of Gārgācārya, and that’s why those merchants gave the name of their families, like Linnis, also they call Garga. So there are the business people, Agarwal, you know, we have Agarwal. We had this Kapil, Agarwal was here in our conference. They are followers of Agra Sen, and Agra Sen was the disciple of Gārgācārya. So still they are maintaining. Every Indian is maintaining, and even in India, those who became Muslim after the Mughals, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, in the Middle East, they don’t accept them as Muslims. They have to ask, "Which kind of Muslim are you?" So they said, "We are Hindu-Muslims." Because before they were Hindu, and they were converted to Islam. But still, their ancestors’ name is what they have to write on it. It is a very interesting thing. It means maybe it was in Satya Yuga, your family line, but still this thread is connected to you, so don’t break that thread. Then you are lost. According to this, it resists all that time. Every child, every new generation, has a duty to worship and perform the ceremonies for their death, for their parents. That day you make them free, and you take duty over. That’s called karmic relation, and so you have to do this. Otherwise, there can be many disturbances. If you want to have a happy family, a family that doesn’t divorce, children who are happy, your business goes well, you get healthy children, you have peace and harmony at home, that is from the ancestors’ blessings or Gurudev’s blessings. If you become a sannyāsī, then you have to perform a yajña. In that yajña you are offering everything, your obligations, and you are praying for them. Now, they are free from you and you are free. But still you have an obligation. Your spiritual achievement will support you until the seventh generation. If you attain self-realization, then your being a sādhu or a monk is successful. Otherwise, it has no sense, and you lost both. You lost your roots, and you have no more access. That’s it. So you should be a liberator. Holī Gurujī used to say, "When you become an ātmā jñānī, you liberate 14 generations: 7 from the past and 7 from the coming generations." The children of your brother are your uncle’s children. This is declared by the ṛṣis. The research they went through, and therefore they made the ceremonies, and what we call the funeral. There are different ideas, different philosophies on how to give the pohřeb (funeral rites). One is interment, that’s called bhū-samādhi; 'bhū' is the earth. Or Jal Samādhi, they leave the body in the water so that water animals will eat it. Agni Samādhi, that is with fire, cremation. Or the vāyu samādhi, air. It means they leave the body somewhere in the forest so the wild animals and birds eat them. These are the four traditions. There is a very old religion called Parsi. I think Parsi is coming from, what is the name of their god, Zoroastra, and so they are Parsi coming from Persia. Humans were always making wars. When they are a little peaceful and happy, then some stupid person makes some problem to destroy the group. Like now, the refugees. In my opinion, no one wants to leave their village and their house. It’s not a joy for them. Everyone loves their country, their house, their family, their neighbors. It’s not easy to leave the house. Definitely, when peace comes, many will go back home. They are not happy that they have to leave home and go like refugees. They are not beggars. They are respectful. They have good professions, they have their money and everything, they have very respected families, their house is beautiful, but what to do? What brought them to leave the house? We are not able even to leave our small room for someone in our house. So don’t say, "Oh God, why are so many refugees coming?" Thanks to the German Chancellor. She has the heart of a mother. She said, "I will give shelter to all." Politics is different. I don’t know what politics is, but I can only understand, and this is the time to support someone when no one is yours. There is only one chance you have, or only one thing you have, one decision you have. One choice you have: life or death. At that time, if someone supports you, that is the real friend. Otherwise, they will throw stones at you. It will be the friend who tells you, "You are great, I love you, you are my sweet one, you are the best one." And when someone... throws the stone in the dirt, everybody jumps away. So Tulsīdāsjī said in the Rāmāyaṇa: Dharma, dhīraja, friends, and your partner—you know only at that time when they will support you in the most critical time. And now, with little, little things, you divorce. You leave your children away, blaming, going to court: "My wife did this and this," "My husband did this." Where is your friendship? Where is your love? Where is your kindness? Where is the human heart? Therefore, Tulsīdās was great. He said, "Don’t think that all... are yours." So he said, "Then who is mine?" He said that I cannot tell you now. I tell, but that will be my wrong. Only time will come, and that will show who is your friend. So what the great people said, that is the truth. Can we not live together in harmony and peace? Anyhow, these Parsis from Persia had to leave the country or die. So, with big ships, they came to the shore of Gujarat because they had nowhere to shelter. In India, Gujarat, the head of the refugees got out and went to the king. He told him that we are so many hundreds of thousands, we seek shelter here. The king welcomed him and respected him. When the time came where he was asking for what he came, the king ordered half a glass of water and half a glass of milk and told him, "Please, can you put this milk in this water?" So milk and water became one. The king said, "If you live with us like one family, then you have a place here." And they said, "Yes, we will do so." In India, these Persian people kept their words, and they never tried to change any religions or anything. The Persians also have the light on the altar. We have many, many Parsis in Mumbai, mostly. Like all people in the world, they are also very nice, very intelligent, great business people. And still they keep their word. They have a tradition to give the samādhi, a funeral, the air samādhi. So even in Mumbai, in the middle of Mumbai, the government gave them big land and very big, high buildings which have big roofs, and they just go and put the dead body there. Many vultures and birds come and eat them. Yes, they have it daily also. Wherever they are, they have the facilities provided by the government. The great Kabīr Dās said, "Best is to die there where nobody knows you, so that nobody will cry and the animals will have something to eat." So no one will fight for the property. This is where the idea is, thinking of great people: who are we to change the tradition? This is how human roots are, and that you should know according to your culture and tradition. If I have this orange dress, I don’t know anything, maybe, but if I go with an orange dress... they will say, "Namaste, respected," and give salutation or praṇām to this orange dress. This uniform represents Śiva, the highest, the monks and sannyāsīs, dīkṣā. If you become a sannyāsī and there is no family member who can perform the funeral for the parents, you can do it. You have permission to do it for mother and father. But for mother, you have to go. Your uncles and this and that, they are your family members. Until seven generations, they will profit from your spiritual achievement. Otherwise, you know, there is one story Gurujī used to tell: One man came and said, "I will give satsaṅg, read holy books." The king said, "Yes, please. But what will happen? What will I get from this?" He said to the king, "You will get liberation, mokṣa." So that Brahmin, or whatever you call a priest who reads holy books, said, "Okay." The king organized everything, and he was reading holy books for 10 days, 20 days. When his reading finished, he said, "Now whatever you want to give me as dakṣiṇā, please give." The king said, "For what? For reading holy books? What was the promise? I will get mokṣa. Still, I have no mokṣa. So, why should I give you? Keep on reading. On the day when I get mokṣa, then I will give good dakṣiṇā." Oh God, that Brahmin, I left my home with some bad constellation. So the king said, "Give him one good room in the prison, give him good food every day, everything that he needs, and let him read for one year." Then came some saint, Gurudeva. He stayed with the king. After five days, the king asked a question: "Gurudeva, I am in some complication, in trouble. I don’t want to do it, but I have to do it." He said, "What?" So he tells the story. Gurujī said, "Do you want the answer theoretically or practically?" He said, "Practical would be the best." The king thought, "Now I will get mokṣa, practical. I will have mokṣa." Swāmījī said, "For a while, please, king, don’t be angry, don’t be offended. I am giving you the answer to your question, practical. So call the paṇḍit here." He came. When he saw Gurujī, he had tears in his eyes, the Paṇḍit. "Gurudeva, liberate me." Gurujī said, "It will take a few minutes." Gurujī said, "Bring some ropes like this, and King, please get up." And Gurujī tells one of the king’s soldiers, "Tie the king to this pillar." So he was standing like this, and he tied him. "With the second rope, tie the Paṇḍitjī." So Gurujī said to the Paṇḍit, "Please, can you free our king? I can’t see him tied to the pillar like that. So hurry up, please." Paṇḍitjī said, "I am also tied. How can I liberate him?" "Okay. King, this Paṇḍit is poor and very weak. You are a king, and he is strong. Can you free him? Please, free him." The king said, "I am also tied. How can I free him?" Then he said, "This is the answer. The Paṇḍit himself is in the tie of saṁsāra. It is his business, profession, to live, to survive. His profession is to read holy books, and our duty is to give him something. So please, open the king’s..." So they removed the rope. They untied him and also the paṇḍit. "King, please, can you now free him?" So the king freed him, and Gurujī said, "Anyhow, doesn’t matter what it is. He’s a paṇḍit. So you must touch his holy feet and say, 'I’m sorry.' And give him something for one year, not only for one year." So he got a lot. Then the king was sitting. Gurujī said to the paṇḍit, "OK, sit down." He said, "Please give me permission, I want to go home. I don’t know, maybe the king will bring some complications." So, if we are tied by karma, we cannot liberate others. We have to purify our antaḥkaraṇa. When you think once negative, you have a black color on your antaḥkaraṇa. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to be spotless. Not what you did, and what you eat, and what this, but your inner quality. You drink alcohol, and when others drink, you are angry. That’s it. So what? You have done something, and others are doing it. You put the dirt on that. This is the saṃsāra, how they tie each other. So, one who renounced to become a monk and cannot achieve has to go again and again. There is one bhajan from Holī Gurujī: God has given birth to the people or creatures, and he has tied them by the tie of karma. And Gurudev came to cut off the tie of the creature. How is that bhajan? Yes. So, for ancestors and our Gurujī’s blessings. This is the time when Holy Gurujī just left this mortal world and became one with our immortal world. Five times we will chant the mantra. Hold your hands and think of your ancestors, Gurujī, and all. Satya Sanātana Kīcayā Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Bhāī Mahiśvanātha Purī Kīcayā Vibhek Purī Kīcayā.