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Naham Karata for Yoga teachers

The human journey requires integrating intellect with devotion under a teacher's guidance. Mistakes have significant consequences, pulling one back into cycles of existence. Intellect alone cannot achieve realization; it is like climbing a mountain without oxygen. That essential element is the Guru's grace. Practice is paramount, yet devotion without discernment can mislead. When intellect and devotion conflict, one becomes stuck. Intellect must surrender to genuine devotion, which is willpower. Changing one's promised path after receiving blessings leads to fragmentation, like religions splitting into countless branches. The mind, influenced by the ten senses, is unstable and cannot be followed. True practice requires discipline, vairāgya (dispassion), and viveka (discernment). Social health is foundational for spiritual and mental well-being. A teacher must be a vigilant guide, never closing their eyes to students, and must teach from a place of humility, recognizing the source of instruction beyond themselves. The teacher's role is to liberate others, becoming a conduit of pure wisdom.

"Intellectually we can think we can achieve; we have many good words to speak, but to come to realization is not easy."

"When we practice, we are teaching ourselves. And then we begin to teach others."

Filming locations: Poprad, High Tatras, Slovakia

We are ordinary humans; we can make mistakes. But the mistakes made in human life are not ordinary—they have a very significant effect. It is said that if you make one mistake, you fall back into the cycle of 8.4 million lives. Human consciousness and awareness lie between the intellect, and we often repeat that tons of theory are nothing compared to a single grain of practice. Everyone has freedom; they can develop as they like. But you see that it becomes a wild bush. You have beautiful hair, and if you don’t cut it or wash it, how do you look? So, everyone has the freedom to think, but that thinking must be guided by awareness and alertness. First, one has to understand. Mere thinking will not bring you to your aim. We see the High Tatras from the city of Poprad. It looks very near, and we think of being there, but we are not there. To reach it, we must take a vehicle or walk. Similarly, our intuition and wishes are very high, but when we go to achieve them, it is not easy. Then you see the Himālaya. It is different from the Tatras and the Himālaya. "Oh, it’s a beautiful Himālaya. We will climb." But when we reach three or four thousand meters high, we come to know something is missing. The higher we climb, something is missing. Every step is like walking half a kilometer on flat land. A little higher, and it is like walking one kilometer here below because oxygen is missing. Similarly, intellectually we can think we can achieve; we have many good words to speak, but to come to realization is not easy. That oxygen symbolizes Guru Kṛpā. So, it does not matter how much intellect you have developed; you can do everything in thinking, but not in realizing. It requires a lot of practice. What practice should we do to have a good condition? And what is that good condition? Devotion, bhakti, emotion—that too can misguide us. So, when we are stuck between intellect and bhakti, we are neither here nor there. That intellect must surrender to bhakti, to devotion. And that bhakti means your willpower: "Yes, I will achieve. I will work for that." Otherwise, we change the path and go in the wrong direction. So, when we change the guru bhakti we have already promised and whose blessings we took, that becomes our path. If there is difficulty in understanding and we use intellect, then it splits. Look, there is one religion called Christianity, but into how many branches has it split? Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelicals, and many, many more. In America and other countries, they made so many different branches of Christianity. We do not know which path is right. This happens to disciples. "Should I follow my master, or should I change and go to another master?" That will not match your aim. You may think, "This āśram is good; there’s good food, good accommodation, air conditioning. Nothing to do but sleep and eat. Sometimes I come to the Master’s lecture." That is not the right way. When there is conflict between devotion and intellect, argument with oneself arises. From that develops anger and conflict—uncertainty. Then we are neither here nor there. When we come to the path in the beginning and proceed, we have found the path but have not yet reached the peak. Beside this devotion, there is a call: Vairāgya. That Vairāgya is our strength, our resolve to go on. We must get training and practice; then we can proceed further. If you get a mantra, listen to lectures, and now think you are also a master, it cannot be. When a mother is pregnant and the embryo is in her body, the father cannot say, "Okay, he’s one month old; it doesn’t matter, let’s take it out." No. We need nine months exactly, or a few days more, but not less. That embryo is our bhakti, with intellect, with awareness, and following the Guruvākya. Wait. But the father said, "Why do I imprison my child in the mother’s body? I will take it in my hand." How long until the funeral? This all depends on our mind, and 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 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. The horses are like wild horses, and for these wild horses, there is one that is the mind, and the mind admires each horse. The jñānendriyas, for example: the hearing sense says, "I like music. I go to a concert every day." Others like some good smell. "You want to go to the park, the forest, for nice smell, nice aroma." But the tongue says, "No, we go to the restaurant." Now the mind does not know where to lead them, and that is confusing. So, mind—do not lead yourself according to your mind. That mind is different every second and minute. It will lead you nowhere. Now, definitely, we all feel we are mentally healthy. Or do you think you are not healthy? No answer is already answered. Everyone feels they are healthy. Yes, we are healthy, but when a doctor comes and talks with you for five minutes, they may say it is a case of psychic problems because we change our mind, change our opinion, change our path. That indicates something is wrong in the mind. So, the devotion, the bhakti, the faith, the belief needs control, and that Vairāgya, Tyāga, and Bhakti which we have. Tyāga, Vairāgya follow the discipline. Now, Yoga in Daily Life, which has been practiced for about six decades by many millions, has a very good beginning. Then it becomes boring. Then you go away. Then you do something extreme, make extreme movements, and break some bones. You go to the physiotherapist, and the physiotherapist will now prescribe Sarvahitāsana. Again, we are there. So, when we think with our intellect that we can achieve more than what we have now, then you will damage yourself and have to come again from the beginning to your master, from the starting point. When we practice yoga āsanas, prāṇāyāma, relaxation, and concentration, what do you feel? Okay, relaxed; the body is relaxed. But our inner self, we are aware of that. This posture is the best for my physical, mental, and social health. Social health is very important. If you are changing your opinions a little, and like this, then Bill said, "This person has no social education. He’s not socialized." Social education is to understand others, to behave properly, to think correctly—to consider whether what you speak harms others or not. Do not say, "I don’t care. I do what I like." That shows no social education. That changes all the time, and if you tell something, it becomes aggressive. So, if we do not have social health, we cannot maintain spiritual health. And when we cannot maintain spiritual health, we are completely out of order in mental health. And who suffers? Physical health, mental problems, social problems, spiritual problems—they all affect our body. The body suffers. We are sitting, five people in a car, but how we drive and handle that car determines whether the car suffers. When we practice our exercises, especially Yoga in Daily Life, then we become one with our body, mind, and soul. We are teaching ourselves. When we practice, we are teaching ourselves. And then we begin to teach others. So, every yoga teacher who thinks, "I am perfect, I am a teacher, I am a master," will not help people become perfect. When you come to a yoga class and sit in front of people, there are certain things to observe. First, you tell people to close their eyes. They do not question why; they have full confidence in who the teacher is. Now, what instruction will you give for meditation, for relaxation, or for imagination? At that time, you are responsible because that person is in front of you with closed eyes, lying down and relaxing. What you feel in the subconscious of that person—do you feed your thoughts? But they will not behave as you do. Your imagination, your dreams cannot be everyone’s. Therefore, what we learn from our Master, who is a Brahmaniṣṭha Śrotriya, comes from authentic, authentic literatures: the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas. All these Granthas, or 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 in front of students, we should feel—I always feel that I am teaching myself. I have a chance, an opportunity to instruct myself. How many mistakes I make, or we cannot speak because we do not know. But if you have knowledge, you speak immediately. So, Yoga in Daily Life teachers should have this quality, and they have the quality. That is why we sing or chant mantra, no? Yes, but then you make a mistake, Swāmījī. First you said, and now you say it is a mistake. Yes. It happens, a mistake. We do stupid things and think, "Nāhaṁ kartā, Mahāprabhujī kartā," and that is why that teacher fails; that teacher has problems. Also, normal students should not always use "Mahāprabhujī," because you might make a mistake and say "Mahāmakartā." You take a gun and shoot someone, and the person says, "No, no, please, that is a mistake." So, mantra is very good, but we should use vivekā. Then, when you shoot someone, you... know what will happen? Then you will call me Swāmījī. "You told us anything we do, 'Nāhaṁkartā, Prabhudīpakartā,' so I was doing according to this. But it happened like this. What should I do?" So, this is that Guru Vākya you must understand. Do not always say, "Swāmījī said, 'Guru Vākya.'" A couple came with me, a young man and girl, and said, "Gurudev, bless us. We would like to marry." What should I do? I said, "Okay, bless you." After a few months, they had problems and wanted to get divorced. They said to Swāmījī, "We believed in your words. We believe in Guruvākya. 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, do not use the words "Guru Vākya" and "Nāhaṁkartā" always. But when you teach, then you should use the Guruvākyā. Now, what is the Guruvākyā? Guruvākyās are the Vedas. The Guruvākyās are the Upaniṣads. That is the Guruvākyā. Now, the Maheśvarānanda who is sitting in front of you is utilizing those words of the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and many other holy books. That is a Guruvākyā. So, when Gurudev has realized the ātmā, at that time, the Guruvākyā has influence. So, when the teacher is sitting there humbly with folded hands, we say, "Mahāprabhujī, I’m not teaching. It’s not me who is giving instruction. Please, you give the instruction and you guide me." Then you will see your classes go very well. There should be no duality and no personal interest, and do not use it for your own benefit financially, socially, or emotionally. To become a teacher is not so easy. But if we think over and use the vivekā above vairāgya... We have the vairāgya, Tyāga (renunciation), bhakti (devotion), jñāna (knowledge), viveka. And there comes that vidyā. That vidyā is called guru-vidyā. Vidyā means knowledge, the wisdom that comes from the master. When we sit and begin to teach, we have to check everything. A simple example: you want to go and drive a car. You take your key, sit in, and check the gear, the mirrors, the safety belt, and then you start the car. A driver should always know all four directions. The driver knows what is happening in front and what is happening behind, what is happening right and what is happening left. That is called Brahmā. Brahmā has four heads, you know. So, then you become Brahmā. Similarly, when you come to a yoga class to teach, take your proper dress, check your proper physical condition, check your mental level. Because when you came from home to the school to teach and your husband was very angry with you, now your mind is disturbed. Or your wife. So, at that time, do not give too many instructions. And teachers should never close their eyes during teaching. When you give instruction to your students for meditation and tell them to close their eyes, and you also close your eyes... "Now, relax. Imagine that you are sitting in this Śrīlīcī āśram," and so on and so forth, and you open your eyes. Half of the students are not here; they are gone. So, students should keep their eyes open while the Master is giving instruction. Then, students have to close their eyes. And the Master should observe if everything is in order. In Vedānta, there is one example. In one dormitory, 25 people were sleeping. Suddenly, a snake came and bit everyone because they were sleeping. All die. Or someone throws a bomb inside, a gas bomb, and, including the teacher, all die. But if one is awakened, then one can awaken everyone. But if that one is also sleeping, then you cannot protect others. So, the teacher has to be alert, aware. Observe each and every movement of the students and give instruction with a clear mind, clear vision. At that time, from you, there is a source of knowledge coming. So, Yoga in Daily Life is a teaching for the teacher itself. And when you practice at home alone, also you should know that I am learning. One day, Ātmā Jñāna will be there. Then it does not matter if you close your eyes or open your eyes, because you are Trikāl Darśī. So, one said to one yogī, "Ask the question: what do you give as an answer to the people when they come to you?" His answer was, "There is no one." There is no one. He said, "What do you mean?" Because all is me. It is my Ātmā. So, I need not become again in duality. So, we instruct; we give the instructions as myself. Bodies are different, but Ātmā is the one. So, check your body. Check your stomach if you did not eat too much. Check your mind. Check your emotion. Check your anger, your jealousy, duality, selfishness. These are all machines you should control. And then we chant Aum. That Aum is the Guruvākya that awakens all the positive energies, and cells in the body become healthy and more happy. At that time we say, "I am not the doer, Mahāprabhujī. Please, you speak in my heart. I am not talking." 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. It is not a picture. He is dwelling in us, and his guidance and blessings are with us. One who does not believe in the guru becomes a self-made master, but sooner or later will fail. So, if you say, "I don’t need a master, and I am the master; we don’t need another master," then the student says, "Dear teacher, then why do you tell us that you are our master?" They have said, "Oh yes," so they will fail. They will use all intellect, but they will not come further. So, humbleness, kindness, understanding, proper behavior, and devotion will make our life happy and healthy, and with high speed we will proceed towards ātmā jñāna. Then we go, you know, then we go high speed. Then our ātmā will say, the soul will say, "Brahma satyaṁ, jagat mithyā." At that time, real knowledge appears: the final truth is the supreme. This world is dualities, and in this duality means ignorance. The māyā is ignorance; it is illusion, and there is nothing. We need practical instructions and practical knowledge. This Jīvātmā, in many lives, suffered or not? We do not know, but life was not good. And now also, and if you see, life is very good. I congratulate you and wait for some time. So, it will come back then. At that time, Vairāgya comes. Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan: "Binā satsaṅg, nai lage bhajan kā raṅg, Vairāgya nai ho vairī, binā satsaṅg." "Dīp Nayan Bhagavān." Mahārāj, Mahāprabhujī said, "Vairāgya you will not achieve without satsaṅg." And satsaṅg—to come to get that color of the satsaṅg—that you cannot achieve; 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, "God bless you." Īśa Guruvara yantar jami mecha Jannamana maraṇa makalankanaya. Īśa me jannamana maraṇa makalankanaya. God bless you. God bless you. So, that is called the call of the soul. At that time, the Jīvātmā becomes free from the prison of karma and becomes one with the Supreme. Sadṛ Siṅghāsana. At that time, you see that Gurudev is sitting on that holy chair, just in the air. So, that is the science of yoga, and we will achieve. We will achieve, and we will change Kali Yuga into the Satya Yuga. So, every teacher should be very active. Do not lose your confidence. Do not lose your motivation. Do not fall into tiredness and laziness. Because you become the liberator, so you are not liberating yourself, but you liberate others. And that is called puṇya. You become a pure soul. A pure soul means completely clean and free from karma. The time you look so pure, it is called innocent. Now, it does not matter how many dirty hands you touch, but no spot will be there because you have given all your wisdom and whatever you have to others. And that is called real humanitarian help. So, every teacher should teach yoga in their life with this bhāva. Do not add your own intellect inside. Many people are changing. Then you are nowhere. There is a condition like Catholics, Protestants, the Orthodox, the Franciscans; everything is split. In Islam too, Islam is such a nice, beautiful religion, but they fight because they are split. 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 the Brahmaloka, to God. As healthy you came, that healthy you will go. In one bhajan, Kabīr Dās said, "How to come as clean as it was?" And if we think, how many spots do we have on our emotion, on our body, on our intellect? How is our character? But when we do the sādhanās and kriyā yoga, never give up, never change. And so, Kabīr Dās Povadau: "Chattatvakī Pūṇī Aṣṭakam Ācārakabāṇa Chattatvakī Pūṇī Chattatvakī Pūra Dāsma Jījī Jab Merī Cāl Ejā Koḍī Jab Mīrī Chattatāśaṅkam Doti Chattatana." It is about the body and about humans, and what is the duty of the human. You got this body, but what to do now with it? You came in the body, surprised. Now, what should I do and what should I not do? And how is this body prepared, developed? Symbolically, it is called the chādar. Chādar means the shawl over our whole body. And this one is colored in the name of God, of Rāma. How is it created? There are eight cakras in the body: Mūlādhāra, Svādhiṣṭhāna, Maṇipūra, Anāhata, Viśuddhi, Ājñā, Bindu, and Sahasrāra. So, first came the energy into existence, into the mother’s body, in the form of a cakra, which brought all the powers into the mother’s body. And to knit this soul, which material? The five elements. From the five elements, they made these threads. And then, this mass takes nine to ten months to complete this shawl. 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. So, it is the mother who gives comfort, gives more and more space. So, we feel comfortable. Five elements together, nine to ten months took time to become a whole, complete human being. When this, 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 cuts the navel the first time, mostly 90% of mothers are both 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 with the child. So, when birth is there, then we give this shawl to the master. What kind of color? All kinds of good qualities, all kinds of knowledge. So, that master, that person who is coloring the fabrics, gave such a beautiful color red into the red. Red into red; salt is salty, and we give more salt to its side so that salt becomes more salty. So, he colored it in 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—that’s it. But the foolish ones do not know the value of human life. Dindin melikini, every day by day, made dirty. Dirty means all negative spots in our consciousness: our anger, our jealousy, our hate, our ego. But Mūrak, Mūrak means the foolish one. How long did it take to make this shawl, this body? And beautiful color was given, and now you brought the vodka and put it in this body. This body was not made for vodka. Great saints like Sudāma, what was the first name also? Śukadeva. This great saint, you can say Mahāprabhujī Devpurījī Gurujī, they gave it back to God as pure as it is. And now, what about us? Sometimes I am teary, and I am making quick repairs because I have to come there quickly now. It is not easy to get a spot. Do not touch bodies. Your energy goes to others, and other energy comes into you. Therefore, it is said, when you go to the church, you kneel down and put your hands on your chest—not with Jesus’s hand. "Take my hand, Jesus." It is too much now, hugging: one kiss here, one kiss here, one kiss here. All colors are black, and yellow, and green. Everything is finished. So, Kabīr Dās said, "He gave his body as pure as it is." But now Swāmījī did not tell all 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: "Ava guṇa chitana dārśī, dārśī tena samdarśī namati āro chahe to pa. Katha ikhara badhika pariyo, ikhlo bha pucha mera katha chitta vata kancha natha." Thank you for watching. So, whatever happened, it has happened. What to do now? So, we ask Mahāprabhujī, please do not notice our mistakes, however we are, but we are yours, and please liberate us. So, we will translate in summer. Wish you all the best. Nice to have you tomorrow. I am stretching my wings towards Mother India. Victory of Mother India, we call "Bhārat Mātā kī Jaya." What do you say? Bhārat? Jaya. Yes, because that is the holy land that gives the incarnations—twenty-four incarnations and more—and that also gives many ṛṣis and yogīs. Mahāprabhujī’s bhajan from his disciple, I think Brahmanānjī or Lalanānjī, that we will sing in summer: "What a fortunate country that is, Satguru Līlāvatār, where the Satguru took incarnation." And we adore the mother and father. So, that we will do this summer. So, without any doubt, that soil is holy. Do not look at the people, but we are talking about the soil, that energy, the Himālayas, those holy rivers, yes. Therefore, we say, "Bhāratmātā kī Jaya!" So, we add our "Jaya" to the Bhāratmātā, no? So, what do we say? Yes.

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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