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Part 1: From Intellect to Realization through Bhakti and Viveka We are just normal humans; we can make mistakes. But the mistake that occurs in human life is not ordinary—it has a very great effect. It is said, if you make one mistake, you fall down again into the cycle of 8.4 million births. Human consciousness and awareness must be brought between the intellect and our actions. Often we repeat: tons of theory are nothing compared to a grain of practice. Everyone has the freedom to think, but that thinking must be guided by awareness, by alertness. First, one must understand that mere thinking will not bring you to your goal. We see the High Tatras from the city of Poprad. No, not Poprad—Poprad. And they look very near. We imagine ourselves being there, but we are not. To get there, we need a vehicle or we must walk. Similarly, our intuitions and wishes are lofty, but when we set out to achieve them and walk the path, it is not easy. Then you see the Himalaya—quite different from the Tatras. “Oh, it’s a beautiful Himalaya! We will climb.” But when we reach three or four thousand meters, then we realize: something is missing. The higher we go, something is missing. Every step feels like walking half a kilometer. Go a little higher, and it’s like walking a kilometer. Down here on the flat land, it’s because the oxygen is missing. Similarly, intellectually we can think we can achieve, we have many fine words to speak, but to come to realization is not easy. And that oxygen symbolizes Guru Kṛpā. It doesn’t matter how much intellect you have already developed—you can do everything in thinking, but not in realization. Therefore, a great deal of practice is needed. So what practice should we cultivate to attain a good condition? And what is that good condition? It is bhakti, devotion. Yet devotion, bhakti, emotion—these can also misguide us. When we are stuck between intellect and bhakti, neither here nor there, that intellect must surrender to bhakti, to devotion. And that bhakti means your willpower, that “Yes, I will achieve; I will work for it.” Otherwise, we have to change the path, and then we go in the wrong direction. So when we change the Guru Bhakti that we have already promised and from which we took blessings, that very promise becomes our path. If there is a difficulty in understanding and using the intellect, then it splits. Look at Christianity: one religion, but into how many branches does it split? Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelicals, and many, many more in America and other countries—so many different branches of Christianity that we no longer know which path is right. The same happens to disciples: “Should I follow my master, or should I change and go to another master?” That will not match your aim. Yes, you can think: “This ashram is good; there is good food, good accommodation, air conditioning, nothing to do—just sleep and eat.” Sometimes, merely coming to the Master’s lecture is not the right way. When there is a conflict between devotion and intellect, an argument with oneself arises. From that, anger develops, conflict develops, and uncertainty. Then we are neither here nor there. When we come to the path at the beginning and we walk on that path—you have found it, but still you have not reached the peak—beside this devotion, there is a quality called Vairāgya. Vairāgya is our strength, the strength that says, “We will go.” We must undergo training, we must practice; then we can proceed further. If you receive a mantra, listen to a few lectures, and now think you are also a master—that cannot be. When a mother is pregnant and the embryo is in her body, and the father says, “Okay, it’s one month old—doesn’t matter, take it out.” No, we need exactly nine months, or a few days more, but not less. That embryo is our bhakti. With intellect and awareness, follow the Guruvākya. Wait. But the father said, “Why would I imprison my child in the mother’s body? I will take it in my hand. How long? Naako dlho? Until the funeral.” So all this depends on our mind. The mind is something we cannot understand. The mind changes with the jñānendriyas as well as with the karmendriyas. These are the ten indriyas, the senses, and each of them shows us a different path. It is like ten horses: when you free them, oh my God, you know how they run in different directions. So the horses are like wild horses. And beside these wild horses, there is one that is the mind. The mind admires each horse. For example, the jñānendriyas: the hearing sense says, “I like music. I go to the concert every day.” Others like some good smell, wanting to go to the park or the forest—nice smell, nice aroma. But the tongue says, “No, we go to the restaurant.” So now the mind does not know where to lead them, and that creates confusion. So, mind, do not lead yourself. Live according to your mind. That mind is always different in every second and minute. It will lead you nowhere. Now, definitely, we are all mentally healthy. Or do you think you are not healthy? No answer is already answered. Everyone feels we are healthy. Yes, we are healthy. But when a doctor comes and speaks with you for five minutes, then we will hear that it is a case of psychic problems. Because we change our mind, change our opinion, change our path—and that is something wrong in the mind. So devotion, bhakti, faith, belief—these need control, along with vairāgya and tyāga. Tyāga, vairāgya—follow the discipline. Now, Yoga in Daily Life, which is about six decades old, has been practiced by many, many people—millions. The beginning is very good; then it becomes boring; then you go away. Then you do something with extreme movements, break some bones, and go to a physiotherapist. And the physiotherapist will now teach you Sarvahitāsa—the physiotherapist will start to teach you Sarvahitā Āsana. Again, we are back there. So when we think with our intellect that we will achieve more than what we have now, then you will be damaged. And you have to return to your master from the beginning, from the starting point. When we practice yoga āsanas, prāṇāyāma, relaxation, and concentration, what do you feel? Okay, relax the body. But our inner self, and we are aware of that, knows: this posture is the best for my physical, mental, and social health. You know, social health is very important. If you keep changing your opinions just a little, then Bill said, “Ah, this person has no social education. He is not socialized.” Social education means to understand others, behave properly, think correctly, and consider whether what you speak, your words, will harm others or not. Do not say, “I do not care. I do what I like.” That has no social education. That changes all the time, and if you say something, it becomes aggressive. If we lack social health, we cannot maintain spiritual health. And when we cannot keep spiritual health, we are completely out of order in mental health. And who suffers? Physical health. Mental problems, social problems, and spiritual problems affect our body; the body suffers. We are sitting five people in a car, but how we drive and handle that car—the car suffers. When we practice our exercises, especially Yoga in Daily Life, then we become one with our body, mind, and soul, and we are teaching ourselves. When we practice, we teach ourselves. And then we begin to teach others. Therefore, every yoga teacher, if he thinks, “I am perfect, I am a teacher, I am a master,” then people will not become perfect. When you come to a yoga class and sit in front of the people, there are certain things to observe. First, you tell the people, “Close your eyes.” They don’t ask, “Why?” They have full confidence—the students do. Now, what instruction will you give? For meditation or for relaxation? Whether you give instructions for meditation or for imagination, at that time you are responsible, because that person is in front of you with closed eyes, lying down and relaxing. Now, what are you feeding into the subconscious of that person? Do you feed your thoughts? But they will not behave like you. Your imagination, your dreams cannot be everyone’s. Therefore, what we learn from our Master, who is a Brahmaniṣṭha Śrotriya, is authentic. The authentic literatures—the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas—all the scriptures are full of knowledge. Did you understand? Did you study? And then, did you practice? Did you experience? Yes. Now you become a teacher. But at that time, when you come before the students, we should feel—I always feel—that I am teaching myself. I have a chance, an opportunity to instruct myself. And how many mistakes I make, or we can’t speak because we don’t know. But if you have knowledge, you speak immediately. So, Yoga in Daily Life teachers should have this quality. And they do have the quality; that is why we sing or chant the mantra: “Nāhaṁ kartā Prabhudīp kartā Mahāprabhudīp kartā he kevalam, no?” Yes, but then you make a mistake. “Swamiji, first you said, and now you said it’s a mistake.” Yes. It happens, a mistake. We do stupid things. And thinking, “Nāhaṁ Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā.” That is why that teacher fails; that teacher has problems. Also, normal students should not always use Mahāprabhujī. Because you make a mistake and say, “Nāhaṁ kartā.” You take a gun and shoot someone: “Na'ham kartā Prabhuḥ kartā.” And the person says, “No, no, please, no.” “Mahāprabhujī karatā hai kevalam. Only Mahāprabhujī is doing everything.” That is a mistake. So, the mantra is very good, but we should use viveka. Then, when you shoot someone, you will know what will happen. Then, you will call me, Swāmījī. “Swamiji, you told, ‘Anything we do, Nāhaṁ Karatā, Prabhudip Karatā,’ so I was doing according to this. But it happened like this. What should I do?” This is that Guru Vakya; you must understand. Don’t say always, “Swamijī said Guru Vakya.” A couple came to me—a young man and a girl, boy and girl—and said, “Guru Dev, bless us, we would like to marry.” So what should I do? I said, “Okay, bless you, be happy.” And after a few months, they have a problem, they want to get divorced, and they said to Swāmījī, “We believed in your words, we believe in Guru Vākya, and what is the situation?” Therefore, we have to understand with intellect, with our bhakti and viveka—the knowledge—and then awareness; then nothing will happen. So don’t use the words “Guru Vakya” and “Nahāṁ kartā” always. But when you teach, then you should use the Guru Vākya. Now, what is Guru Vākya? Guru Vākyas are the Vedas. The Guruvādyas are the Upaniṣads. That is the Guruvākyā. Now, the Maheśvarānanda who is sitting in front of you—He is utilizing those words of the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and many other holy books. That is the Guruvākyā. So when Gurudev has realized the Ātmā, at that time the Guruvākya has influence. So when the teacher is sitting there humbly with folded hands, we say, “Mahāprabhujī, I am not teaching. It is not me who is giving instruction. Please, you give the instruction and you guide me. Nāhaṁ karatā prabhu dīpa karatā.” Then you will see your classes go very good. There should be no duality and no personal interest, and do not use it for your own benefit financially, socially, or emotionally. So to become a teacher is not so easy. But if we think over and use the Viveka above Vairāgya—we have Vairāgya, Tyāga, Renunciation, Bhakti, Devotion, Jñāna, the knowledge, Viveka—then that vidyā arises. That vidyā is called Guru Vidyā. Vidyā means knowledge, wisdom. That comes from the Master. So when we sit down and begin to teach, and when we sit down and start to learn, we have to check everything. Part 2: The Teacher’s Awareness and the Path to Ātmā Jñāna A simple example: you wish to drive your car. So you take your key, sit inside, and check the gear. You adjust the mirrors, fasten the safety belt, and then you start the car. A driver should always be aware of all four directions. The driver knows what is happening in the front, what is happening behind, what is happening on the right, and what is happening on the left. That awareness is called Brahmā — Brahmā has four heads, as you know. Thus, you become Brahmā. Similarly, when you come to a yoga class to teach, then check your proper dress. Check your proper physical condition. Check your mental level. For suppose you have come from home to the school to teach, but at home your husband was very angry with you — now your mind is disturbed. At such a time, do not give too many instructions. And teachers should never close their eyes during the teaching when you give instruction to your students for meditation. If you tell them to close their eyes and you also close your eyes — “Now relax. Imagine that you are sitting in this Śrīlakṣmī Āśram…” and so on — and you open your eyes, half the students are not there. They have gone. So students should keep their eyes open until the Master has finished giving instructions. Only then should the students close their eyes. And the Master should observe whether everything is in order. In Vedānta there is an example: in a dormitory twenty-five people are sleeping. Suddenly a snake enters and bites everyone. Because they were sleeping, all died. Or someone throws a gas bomb inside, and including the teacher, all die. But if one person is awake, that one can awaken everyone. If that one is also sleeping, then you cannot protect others. So the teacher must be alert, aware. Observe each and every movement of the students and give instructions with a clear mind and clear vision — with a pure mind and a clear vision. At that time, from you a source of knowledge flows. Thus, Yoga in Daily Life is a teaching for the teacher as well. And when you practice alone at home, you should also know that “I am learning.” One day, ātmā jñāna will be there. Then it does not matter whether you close your eyes or open your eyes, because you are Trikāla Darśī — a seer of the three times. Once, someone said to a yogī, “Ask the question: What do you answer when people come to you?” And his answer was, “There is no one, there is no one.” He was asked, “What do you mean?” He replied, “Because all is me. All beings are with me, all of this is my ātmā, so I need not fall again into duality.” So we instruct, we give the instructions as myself. Bodies are different, but the ātmā is one. Therefore, check your body, check your stomach that you have not eaten too much; check your mind, check your emotion; check your anger, your jealousy, duality, selfishness. All these machines you should control, and then we chant Oṃ. That Oṃ is the Guruvākya, the Guru’s word, which awakens all positive energies. And he will. That is why it is always very important that the Master’s presence is there. As long as you are alive, you are a student. The Guru is there — not a picture; He is dwelling in us. And His guidance and His blessings are with us. One who does not believe in the Guru becomes a self-made master. But sooner or later, that will fail. For if you say, “I don’t need a master,” or if we say, “I am the master; we don’t need other masters,” then the students will ask, “Dear teacher, then why do you tell us that you are our master?” They will say, “Oh yes!” So they will fail; they will use all their intellect, but they will not progress further. Thus, humility, kindness, understanding, proper behavior, and devotion will make our life happy and healthy. And with high speed we will proceed towards Ātmā Jñāna. At high speed our ātmā will say, the soul will say: “Brahma satyaṁ, jagat mithyā.” In that moment real knowledge appears: the ultimate truth is the Supreme. This world is duality, and duality means ignorance. Māyā is ignorance, an illusion — there is nothing. We need practical instructions and practical knowledge. This jīvātmā, in many lives, has suffered. Or hasn’t it? We do not know, but life was not good, and it is not good now either. And if you see that life is very good, I congratulate you, and wait for some time — it will return then. At that time, vairāgya comes. Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan: “Vairāgya nahīṁ hove binā satsaṅg.” Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Mahārāj, Mahāprabhujī said, “Vairāgya you will not achieve without satsaṅg.” And to get the color of that satsaṅg, that cannot simply be achieved or received. “Nahīṁ lāge bhajan kā raṅg” — you do not get the color of singing bhajans. Bhajan means singing, listening, talking, and remembering God. Repeating mantra is also bhajan. At that time, this jīvātmā says… that is called the call of the soul. Then the jīvātmā becomes free from the prison of karma and becomes one with the Supreme. “Saddhara Śṛṅgāsana Āpa Virajaya” — at that moment you see that Gurudeva is seated on that holy chair, simply in the air. So that is the science of yoga, and we will achieve it. We will achieve it, and we will change Kali Yuga into Satya Yuga. Therefore, every teacher should be very active. Do not lose your confidence. Do not lose your motivation. Do not fall into tiredness and laziness. For you become the liberator — you are not merely liberating yourself, you liberate others, and that is called Puṇya. You become a pure soul. A pure soul means completely clean and free from karma. Then you appear so pure — it is called innocent. At that stage, it does not matter how many dirty hands you touch; no spot will remain on you. Because you have given all your wisdom and whatever you have to others — all the knowledge, all the wisdom — and that is called real humanitarian help. Every teacher should teach yoga in daily life with this bhāva. Do not add your own intellect inside. Many people change things, but you were not there at the origin. Then the condition arises like Catholics, Protestants, the Orthodox, the Franciscans — everything is split. All is divided. In Islam, too. Islam is a very nice, beautiful religion, but they fight because they split it. Therefore, Yoga in Daily Life teachers are uniting; they are not splitting. Then you have perfect mental, social, intellectual, and spiritual health. Then you come to Brahmaloka, to God. As healthy as you came, that healthy you will go. In one bhajan, Kabīr Dās said, “How to come as clean as it was?” And when we think how many spots we have on our emotion, on our body, our intellect — what is the state of our character? But when we do the sādhanās and Kriyā Yoga, never give up, never change. And so Kabīr Dās said — Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kabīr Dājī Mahārāj, it is about the body and about the human. What is the duty of the human? You received this body, but what to do now with it? You came into the body, surprised. Now, what should I do and what should I not do? And how is this body prepared and developed? Symbolically, it is called the chadar. Chadar means the shawl. That shawl is our skin over our whole body. And it is colored in the name of God, Rāma. How was it created? There are eight chakras in the body: Mūlādhāra, Svādhiṣṭhāna, Maṇipūra, Anāhata, Viśuddhi, Ājñā, Bindu, and Sahasrāra. First, the energy came into existence in the mother’s body in the form of chakras, which brought all the powers. And to knit this shawl … “Pāṁc tattva kī puni banāī” — from the five elements they made the threads. From the five elements this cord, this shawl, was made, and then it was finished. It took nine to ten months for the shawl to be finished. Yes, when it was complete — nine months, ten months in a small room, thanks to God, God made women so they can expand and contract; it is the mother who gives comfort, gives more and more space. So we feel comfortable. The five elements are together. “Pāṁc tattve kī puni banāī, nau das mās banan ko lāge.” Nine to ten months it took to become a whole, complete human being. When my shawl was completed, it came home — the mother gave birth. For nine to ten months the mother was working with it. And you know, for a mother, when she gives birth and the navel cord is cut for the first time, mostly ninety percent of mothers are sad and happy: now my child is separated from my body, from myself. That knot is cut, but an invisible thread remains forever. The mother is tied to the child. There exists a Navjdi. She has become my chadar, the home, the color of my days. So when birth is there, then we give this shawl to the Master to be colored. What kind of color? All kinds of good qualities, all kinds of knowledge. That Master, that person who colors the fabrics, gave such a beautiful color. “Lālo lāl kardīnī” — red into deep red. Salt is salty, and we add more salt to it; that salt becomes saltier. So he colored it in the red color, and it was so red — red into red, blood in the body. That blood, complete inside — and education, and knowledge, and good health, and everything. “Mūrakh log bhed na jāne, din-din mail kīne.” The foolish ones do not know the secret; day by day they make it dirty. Dirty means all the negative spots in our consciousness: our anger, our jealousy, our hate, our ego. But mūrakh — the foolish one — how long did it take to make this shawl, this body, and a beautiful color was given, and now you bring the vodka. “Prinesyete vodka,” and you pour vodka into this body. This body was not made for vodka. Great saints like Sudāmā, what was the other first name also? Sukhdev. These great saints, you can say Mahāprabhujī, Devpurījī, Gurujī — they gave the body back to God as pure as it was. And now, what about us? You know, sometimes I am tired and I am making quick repairs because I have to get there quickly. It is not easy to remove a spot. Do not touch bodies, and your energy goes to others, and other energy comes into you. Therefore, it is said, when you go to church, you kneel down and you put your hands on your chest — not shaking hands with Jesus. Now it is too much: hugging, one kiss here, one kiss there. All colors become black, yellow, and green; everything is finished. And so Kabīr Dās said that he gave his body as pure as it was. But now, Swamiji did not tell all of this before. Now we are angry with him. Why did he tell us? What is the solution? We feel guilty. We feel guilty, but the solution is there. “Prabhujī mere avaguṇa citana dhāro.” Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, I give you this. So whatever happened, it has happened. What to do now? We ask Mahāprabhujī, “Please do not notice our mistakes. Whatever and however we are, we are Yours, and please liberate us.” We will translate this in summer. Wish you all the best. Nice to have you. Tomorrow I am stretching my wings towards Mother India. Victory to Mother India! We say “Bharat Mātā kī Jai.” What do you say? Bharat? Jai! Yes, because that is the holy land. That land gives incarnations — twenty-four incarnations and more — and it also gives many ṛṣis and yogīs. Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan from his disciple — I think Brahmānandjī or Lalānandjī — that we will sing in summer. “Baḍā ho bhāgyoṁ deś kā” — what a fortunate country, where the Satguru took incarnation as an avatāra, and we adore the mother and father, so that we will do this sādhanā. Without any doubt, that soil is holy. Do not look at the people; we are talking about the soil, that energy, the Himalayas, those holy rivers, yes. Therefore, we say “Bharat Mātā kī Jai,” and so we add our “Jai” to the “Bharat Mātā kī.” So what do we say?