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Harmony of Body, Mind, and Soul

A morning satsang on achieving harmony in life.

"Feelings, especially in human beings, are always changeable. Thus, the harmony of body, mind, and soul is our destiny."

"Harmony—it is much easier said. You feel well, well-being. Such harmony."

Swami Ji addresses the seminar in Salzburg, exploring the causes of disharmony in modern life, from illness and societal pressures to personal attachments and the fear of death. He prescribes the integrated practices of Yoga in Daily Life—āsana, meditation, mantra, and ethical living—as the path to harmonizing body, mind, and soul, using anecdotes and analogies from nature and daily life.

Filming location: Salzburg, Austria

Good morning, everyone. Welcome. It is a beautiful day with sunshine. Salzburg is always beautiful, and today the weather is perfectly clear. Yesterday it was very foggy and unclear. Do you know why? Because yesterday we meditated so beautifully and chanted together, and today the weather has become lovely. It will continue to be good. Thank you, and thank you for our seminar program in Salzburg. It is always nice, but I miss some people, especially two. The Anubhavi, she is in India now—Hilde, right? I hope she is with us through the webcast. The second is her sister, Prembrakas, who has unfortunately departed from this world, as we know, several years ago. Yes, but the spirit is here. Salzburg is beautiful, and we like coming here. People are from other countries, so far away: Hamburg, London, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic. It is so international; we always have an international seminar. The theme is always harmony for mind, soul, and body. Yes, we have it, but it is possible that we lose it. Feelings, especially in human beings, are always changeable. Thus, the harmony of body, mind, and soul is our destiny. Yesterday we spoke about Karma and Śikṣā. Discipline is a product of our karma. Karma is a product of our mind. The mind acts because of our indriyas, our sense organs, or our feelings. The feelings and senses are present throughout the entire body. The cause of everything is birth. Birth is given in order to progress further. So the earth, the foundation, is being dug. There is an earth-breaking ceremony for the foundation, then various types of materials are gathered, and a house is built. Nothing is eternal. One day it will be demolished. So it is with our body. No matter how much we care for it—with healthy food, healthy drink, healthy life—one day life will come to an end. In Āyurveda and in Yoga, Āyurveda is nature. It is nourishment; everything we swallow is nourishment. The natural approach, nature therapy, says that the best healing for our body is, for example, if we take the example of a house. A healthy house that lasts longer is made entirely of natural materials. These are the five elements in the house, in the wall. The bricks come from the earth, and so do our various knuckles. We also have water elements in our body. Fire elements are also present in the material. So when a wall breaks, we repair it again with the same material, from the earth. Our body is also from the earth. How wonderful it would be if we could heal our body with nature. All animals, even now, when they are sick, know what they should do. First, they give up food for a while—one, two days, three days, or a week. They know when they should drink and when they should not. Many animals know what they are supposed to do, except for pets. Pets have developed habits alongside our human habits. Pets have all the diseases that humans have. Wild animals living in nature have a completely different experience. They will also die, but we find that animals in nature do not suffer for too long. They die within two, three days, or at most a week. But pets and humans can suffer for a long, long, long time. That is a difference. Such a natural life is very important. Now, according to our age and nature, we have our way, food, and drink, but we have manipulated all of that. So some illness will always come. Yes, we try to repair, but still, like cars, many parts of our bodies get broken. Then society comes into play. Society is also very important and has a great influence on our health, including the sexual aspect. Because we live in a civilized world with modern technology, we have many worries, and because of that, we lose our harmony. One is happy when one becomes wealthy, but when suddenly everything is lost, one becomes very sorrowful. If someone has money and loses 20 euros, it is not such great pain. Well, someone stole 20 euros. But when 20 trillion disappear, then our worries drain all the blood from the body. It presses all the buttons, and many commit suicide. There is a lack of harmony right now. That is where yoga becomes important. There, prayer is important. Meditation is very important. And knowledge is very important. It is said: your wealth, your money, is like dirt on the hands. It becomes dirty. Take soap and wash your hands; they become clear again, pure and clean. Impurity is where one has lied a great deal—this and that and that. Making a business out of it is a kind of lying. I believe it is written in the Qur’ān, and many Muslims do not take interest. They have money; they can put it in the bank or lend it to someone, but they do not borrow money with interest. This is a very, very honest matter. But I do not know how many people are following this. I remember a Momedaler who came, always from the vicinity of Kāṭu, and sold some pots, beautifully handmade. He came to our village and sold there. Many did not have any money. He said, “No problem, I will come next year; then you can give me money.” Next year came, and they said, “We still don’t have any money.” He said, “If you have no problem, I will come again next year.” They asked, “How will we pay with the interest?” Then he said, “No, Allāh has given me enough. I am content, and if you have no money, let it be. Someday it will come; you can give it back to me.” That is how the feelings of people were. But now we do not know what it is. So harmony—it is much easier said. Harmony; now they have introduced other words, and they say “wellness.” Wellness comes from harmony. You feel well, well-being. Such harmony. There are two or three types of harmony. One is social: your profession, your money, your relationships, your friends, your house—everything. Many, many worries. If there are worries, then there is no harmony. The second is illness. Illness is a message for us. It is a sign that now you should pack your travel bags. But we can carry all of this, yet take nothing with us. At customs, they will say, “Everything off, go alone.” The customs control is gone; all our luggage stays behind. So we still have these worries because illness takes away what once made us happy, and now it brings concerns. You have lived your entire life very consciously, spent very little money, and so on, but you have saved. Now, in the last moments, you know nothing: to whom should you pass on your burdens and hard-earned money? There is no harmony there. One does not die happily; one does not die peacefully. “Mine, mine, mine”—that is it. We all have these worries. Many children, many worries. Well, I am not that old, but to tell the truth, now I often think day and night: what will happen to my students? Yes, so, what will happen to your children, you think, when the children are still small and so on. I often think, because my prosperity and my happiness are my students. Students—and in Austria one must also say female students, female teachers. So one must close a series in this regard, teachers. Thus, nothing is solely the students. I come to the causes of disharmony. How much easier it is for us, in bliss, in harmony, in peace, to surrender our lives. And those who have none at all, nothing—a small rented apartment that also does not belong to you. Someone will open the door and say, “Aha, he is no longer here.” It does not matter whether this person lies in a grave or in a dwelling. She is herself, because reality has already departed; the soul has already departed. As I said, worldwide we have a yoga center, an ashram, and students. Do not think that we do not care about that. I do care about that. Many are jealous, many argue, many are happy, and so on. I have given my words and blessings in the name of Mahāprabhujī, for self-realization. That is it. I have given my word. So what will happen with my word? That makes me restless, and because of that, there is no harmony there anymore. Some masters say that it does not matter. Once there was one who did not allow himself. Even now, he says so. Someone asked, “What will happen to your disciples when you die?” He said, “I don’t care; it’s their Karma. It’s their karma; they suffer or not.” But for me, I do care. Just like me, you too have your concerns about grandparents, parents, partners, your children, friends—just like you, Lord, like a human. And so, this is only harmony, such harmony within. The next point is the fear of dying. Perhaps not about dying itself, but about the process. How will I die? What kind of pain? Suddenly, you can no longer breathe. It is terrible. There are many things: accidents and so on and so forth. One wants to be free, but one cannot do anything. There was an elderly lady here, from near Hallein. They were acquainted, and it was like Prāmanent and his mother. So in the work with the parents, she was in the living room, cold as winter. She had an oil radiator. Somehow she wanted to get a little closer, and the radiator fell onto her legs. She was so weak she couldn’t move away. She couldn’t move her legs, and she died from this radiator heat. She screamed, but no one heard. That was a painful death. One does not know how the last days will be, the final breath. That is important. Not only has he died, but he was not good. Why do you worry about others? First, tell us how you make your path clear. Our clear path is that we understand everyone, forgive, and help as much as we can, bring them onto the spiritual path, retain them, and take nothing away from the path. That is a different harmony. There are many things that God has given a person’s intellect to understand, but at the same time, nothing is more pleasant. So it is called Harmony of Body, Mind, and Soul. There everything has come together—from our birth, our life, material life, family life, etc., and in the mind, in the thoughts. And with what pains the soul continues to wander into this endless space. This is it. And for that, we need harmony of the body, mind, and soul. Sometimes we try too hard. We care too much about certain people, and the remnants are neglected. That is not right, and it is also not easier to satisfy everyone. So, meditation. Meditation is the path to liberation from all these things. Remain beyond all these worries. Yes, then it says it is cruel, unkind, inhuman. No, we should not abandon anyone; we should not bring anyone into trouble; we should help as much as we can, but inwardly we ourselves should not suffer. That is an art; it is a way by which one can accomplish everything. So, harmony of the body: steadfastness, Āsanas, Yoga. As we all know, our system, Yoga in Daily Life, is a beautiful system. As long as our body is flexible, healthy, and young, yes, we want to do this and do that. But then, when therapy comes, physiotherapy comes after the surgeries, then your doctor and your physiotherapist say, “Please move very slowly.” And now we do it like this: one, two, three, yes, and then the operation in the shoulder. Why does this happen? Because you have not practiced anything properly. You have done too much like that; you have ruined everything. As we knew, Yoga in Daily Life is so beautiful. It has a long life. A crow or a dove, when it flies, flies like that, but it cannot fly for long. It flies from one roof to at most three roofs beyond. This is the yoga that people are practicing nowadays. But true yoga is like a swan. I stretch out my entire wings and a little like this. Once he does this, and then he falls asleep. He hovers and sleeps. The digestion is while flying high into the sky. All eagles need cold, more cold, and good air. Do you see how the swan flies? Or those other birds that fly away in winter. Yes, there, right? And they say we need the eagle bird. They go like this. In India, one sees these eagle-birds. They fly approximately 200, 300 together, and they fly like an arrow. They make something like, how do you say, a used engineer’s triangle. And that is what a Yogi is. Yoga in Daily Life is like a Paramhaṁsa—not just a swan, but a Paramhaṁsa. So our practices—one thinks they are too slow, boring. It is not boring. It is indeed long paths. Boredom is wild until the long life, beautiful life, harmony. So be fully aware; feel every part of the body, every muscle, every joint, every nerve, and every breath that I am alive. Enjoy your life, your body. Feel your body. Only you can feel that yourself; no one else. Then comes the calm: meditation. Meditation means let go of all thoughts. Stay only with your own breath. Meditation is a life in harmony. This harmony then leads us to our goal of self-realization. It is so extreme that eventually it will be lacking. Then the fear, the deeper it goes, and suddenly he says, “Oh God, I don’t know, where was I?” I say, “Okay, open your eyes; you are here. You were nowhere here, okay?” He says, “I was like this, yes, nowhere and alone and such.” Now relax; it is happening. That is how important mantra is. When you take mantra again and again, you are protected. Always this energy from your mantra. But if you practice occasionally now and then, please do not let it be like that. You have lost the harmony and must practice for a long time. So, harmony of the body, mind, and soul. To the sun belongs the swan, and this swan has two wings: one is knowledge, and the second is devotion—Bhakti and Jñāna. This lets the breath soar into the world of freedom, Mokṣa, Brahmaloka, and so on. But look into your face, into your inner mirror: how much negative energy or stains you have—imprint, imprint. So many imprints one after another: negative, negative, negative; positive, positive, negative. Tell me, where is there more balance? Or where is there negativity? All that you have spoken about, complained about, and pondered with your colleagues. You have hidden your anger and only smiled outwardly, but inside it was bitter. It all comes up in the reckoning in the end. Then they say, “Well, Lord, but that was—it’s already been 30 years; I haven’t even seen that person. I did not think so.” But God said, “Yet at that time you thought otherwise.” It is still here. All records are there. This is the Karma. So, through meditation and mantra, we can purify—but not only meditation and mantra. Rather, make a great inner effort now: pray and forgive others for what you have thought, spoken, or done negatively. This is the instruction as a teacher or master to the students. Then you will definitely come to me quite comfortably. Yes, perhaps you also sometimes wonder, “What will happen without Swāmījī?” And I also think of all of you—so many. But sometimes it is difficult. The Umbrikas, yes? Where is the Umbrikas? Yes. And your Jogadame? Kṛṣṇapurī. Om Prakāś says, “I do not like Kṛṣṇapurī at all. He always brings restlessness and so on. That is not good. Can you not leave it in the way?” And Kṛṣṇapurī says, “No, Om Prakāś, that is not true.” Now I am in the middle. What do I do now? This is a very important question. It was India and Pakistan, foreigners who divided them, and Gandhi said, “They are my two eyes; which eye should I remove?” So now, Om Prakāś does not want this and Kṛṣṇa Purī does not want that. I want something in between, and I suffer because there is no harmony. I am making an effort with my own technique. I will not tell you that yet. So my master or parents have these, or the boss, the director, has such situations. Creating harmony is not easy. Where there is harmony, there is great purity, and it is like an ocean: beautiful water lies on top, and all the sharks are below. We are swimming on the top. Our boat crosses the ocean to the other shore, which is called Mokṣa Brahmaloka. So harmony in your body, mind, and soul does not come merely from thoughts and lectures. It is our thoughts, our nourishment, our company, our practice, our prayer, our mantra, our meditation—it all requires time. Nothing is ever enough. “Oh, you holy ones, only at Christmas time—just a few days, only one day. And what about the other 364 days? The saint is once again confined in a box.” So Jesus says, “Yes, okay, I will also come just once and listen. Ultimately, I leave your destiny to you.” It is so important to lead our life in positivity. Someone comes hungry and has nothing to eat, and we just have food, and you say, “No, you are not invited; you don’t get any food.” This is not good. It is meant to convey all of this to us. Then there is harmony. Everyone wants to eat everything, including different things. So, five people: one has oranges, another has melon—what kind of melon? Sugar melon. The third has an apple, the fourth has pears, and the fifth has mango. Those are the five; that’s it. Then a person comes along and wants to have something as well. What do they do in such a case? Everyone gives a piece to the one who has come. So now, one has all five, but the others have more. Then one more person comes—that makes four in total. How much are five and four? How much? And all nine shared. How many pieces did it become? Everyone received five. So how much is five times five? Twenty-five. Yes, and that in the 25, 25,... 25. Do you know what Rāga is? A beautiful sound, but the sound that Mohinī endures against material life. Rāga will sing to me; mantra will sing, and they will sing so beautifully for you, and they will catch you: “Rāga sunāi mohe manterō.” Through this rāga, they will take your mind in time—attachment, aversion, delusion, mantra, path, place, forgetfulness. Then they will guide you like that. Is it called seduction? Yes, a wrong path. Why? Because you have lost harmony; that is correct. One was “dhīrī dhīrī, oh my girl, go slowly, slowly, slowly.” So all these indriyas and multiplying all, and so many sensations in the body, and only the mind—the harmony of the body, the harmony of the mind, and the harmony of the soul: body, mind, and soul. So the soul is there; the soul is like a football, yes, and now this ball is being passed back and forth. How many football players are there? 22 plus. The door pine is included, such a duo. And then, those are the 25 that are there. This is a play within the realm of human lives. Rest, afternoon. Practicing yoga like this is not just physical movement. Yoga practice is not just about closing the nostrils and breathing in and out, and feeling the breath going in and out. Yoga practice is not just the consistent practice and saying, “Ah, that was nice.” You can also do that in the sauna. After the third, in August, he comes out of the cold water, and then he is finished. That is nothing. And so the soul comes; what happens? So harmony of body, mind, and soul: physical exercise, breath control, relaxation, meditation, and mantra. Then we have harmony, and then we will see how we continue to play the harmonium. That is harmony. This afternoon, this evening, we will take up the next topic. I wish you all the best.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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