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Part 1: The Light of Devotion: Śiva, Kubera, and the Power of Faith Om Har Har Mahādev, Har Har Mahādev, Har Har Mahādev. I welcome you all once again to this evening’s session as we continue with the Śiva Purāṇa. We are in the second chapter of the second Saṁhitā. I hope you will listen attentively. This Śiva Purāṇa is a wonderful opportunity. We are chanting Śiva’s name, singing Śiva bhajans, listening to Śiva kathās, and receiving Śiva energy, elevating our spiritual upliftment together and closing with God and the gurus. Today, we will read the Rudra Saṁhitā, specifically chapters 17 to 19. In these chapters, we will learn about Śiva’s Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, how we can benefit from mantras, the main purpose of the Śiva Purāṇa, and who Kubera is and how we can worship him. We will explore how to appease Śiva. All these stories revolve around Pārvatī, Śiva, and our spiritual nectar. They contain many valuable scriptures and modern theories, allowing us to differentiate the theory of spirituality from modern science and the various theories that exist today. Before starting, we begin with Śiva’s name. Śiva and Gaṇeśa are the removers of obstacles. We first remember Gaṇeśa Bhagavān. We request you, O Gaṇeśa, O Bhagavān, O Sarasvatī Mātā, please bless us all so we may begin this Śivapurāṇa today. With your blessings, it will proceed. I thank Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Nīleśvara Svāmī, Mahiśvarānanda Svāmī, this Siddhapit Paramparā, all the saints, and everyone for giving us this opportunity. I will begin today’s Śivapurāṇa session with this bhajan: Jai Baliya Śiv Bhagavān Kī, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī, Jai Deva Purīṣa Mahā Deva Kī, Jai Śrī Śrī Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavāne Kī, Jai Viśva Guru Mahā Maṇḍaleśvara Parahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Maheśvara Ānandajī Guru Deva Kī. Pada romere Gaṇapati deva gurasa, pada romere Gaṇapati deva gurasa. romere Gaṇapati deva, kripa karo guru deva. Gajananda hṛida yoni vās, kṛipā karo guru deva. Gajananda hṛida yoni vās, avani, praga, Śaraṇāyakosa dasuka dīja kīja sarva duka nāśa, Śaraṇāyakosa dasuka dīja kīja sarva duka nāśa. Kāla jāla saba kubu da tāla jo, Kāla jāla saba pādarō mere. Gaṇapati Deva, pādarō mere, pālaka kā merī, ekajahē pālaka kā merī. Chara charime apabhi raja vyavya jese akasha. Sri Ganapati dyave sada sukha pave, Ganapati dyave. Padarome Ganapatideva Sri Pujadipadayalu Gananaamisimarushvasa ushvasa. Sri Madhava Nanjini Tarva Nanjini Tapyaas. Padāro Gaṇpatī Deva, padāro mere Gaṇpatī Deva. Guru Akame padāro mere Gaṇpatī Deva. Guru mere Gaṇpatī Deva, guru ambole. Śrī Śrī Dīpna Rambha Gwane Gijai. Śrī Śrīdeva Puruṣa Mahādeva kī jai. Śrī Śrīdhāram. Samrācchatha Guru Svāmī Madhavānanda Jī Bhagavāne Kī Jai, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Parahaṁsī Svāmī Maheśvara Ānanda Jī Guru Deva Kī Jai, Jai Bholā Bholā Nātha Kī, Bholā Śiva Bābā Kī. Let us now begin the Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śrī Purāṇa. It is said that everything is created twice: first in your mind, and second in reality. Everything comes into our mind first. When the mind has feelings and thoughts, they later appear in your actions, and the actions become karma. Karma leads to saṃskāra, and saṃskāra shapes your ultimate goal. That is why everything Śiva tells us is pure; it brings pure purity to your mind: pure thought, pure actions, and pure feelings. In this Rudra Saṃhitā, chapters 17 to 19, it explains the benefits of mantras. This morning we talked about rudrākṣa and the three puṇḍras, and similarly about appeasing Śiva. Śiva is Bholā, simple and easy to appease. To appease him, there is the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra, as described in this Purāṇa. It says the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra is designed for a specific reason: to help those seeking material pleasure, worldly or heavenly salvation, and liberation. For example, if someone chants the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra five lakh (500,000) times, Śiva will appear for darśana. Śiva jī, sākṣa darśana ho saktā hai. Śiva can come and grant you a boon. If you chant one lakh (100,000) mantras, your desire can be fulfilled and your body will become pure. If you chant 200,000 mantras, you will gain awakening knowledge and a sense of your previous life. That much power you can gain from 200,000 mantras. If you chant 300,000 mantras, your desire power will increase, and whatever you wish for will be fulfilled. Śiva will become your friend, and you can always talk to Śiva like a brother: "Hey Śiva, good morning. Hey Śiva, good evening." Śiva is always there. Why am I talking about this Śiva Mahāmantra? We are going to talk about Kubera. How many of you have heard about Kubera Devatā? Yes, many. Kubera is one of the divine gods, the emperor of wealth and assets. Whatever he wishes, he can acquire. Kubera is the greatest god of wealth, and he is a friend of Lord Śiva. How did he become a friend of Lord Śiva, and what was the reason? How can we make Lord Śiva a friend? Both sides of the story are told. If you chant the mantra, you will definitely achieve that. You can remove obstacles and achieve whatever you want. The words of the mantra are designed to activate all the energy centers and also be pleasing to Śiva Bhagavān. You can chant all the mantras. It is said that when Mārkaṇḍeya was about to die—he had a very short life and was supposed to die young—he had no way out. His father requested God, and finally, with the help of a Swāmījī Gurujī, he went to pray to a Śivaliṅga. In front of the Śivaliṅga, he chanted the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Japa. He chanted it continuously. At that time, Kāla, the God of Death, Yamarāj, arrived to take the boy. But he was chanting the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra. The God of Death said, "Oh, he is chanting the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra. I cannot take him because Śiva is the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya, the God of death of death." That is why he could not take him, and his life was prolonged. Later, Mārkaṇḍeya wrote the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Mahāmṛtyuñjaya jīvan datā hai. The Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra gives life. When you chant the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra, you can not only prolong your physical life expectancy but also lengthen your purity and spiritual growth. So, let us chant the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra: Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam. Urvārukam eva vandanāt mṛtyor mokṣir yama mṛtād. Aum trayambakam yajā mahēsū gandhim puṣṭi vardhanam. Urvārukam eva vandanāt mṛtyor mokṣir yama mṛtād. Aum trayambakam yajā mahēsū gandhim puṣṭi vardhanam. Thus, the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya has great power. When you chant it, you can feel the vibration. That vibration heats your body, mind, celestial body, and subconscious mind. That is why it is said that whenever you have a problem, are in difficulties, or are in an uncomfortable situation, you can chant the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra. Here it says that if you chant the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra while offering dhatūra—one of Śivajī’s favorite flowers, along with bilva patra and dūrvā—it multiplies the benefits. It will bring Mokṣa, liberation, to earth. It says you will never be alone; you will be eternally connected with Śiva. When you chant the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, you connect with Śiva. How can you connect in this world? Śiva is everywhere in the cosmic world. When you chant with vibration, you connect instantly. It is wonderful. This text talks about how if you do the mantra with devotion, it will be more beneficial, without a doubt. There is no doubt that it will not give results; it will benefit you greatly. Chanting the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra increases its power. We will now see in this Purāṇa how Kubera became an avatāra and how Śivajī became his friend. He was given the opportunity. Jai Bholē Bhagavān Śivjī Kī. Many have heard about Kubera. We always say he is the god of wealth and property. Kubera and Lakṣmī are both associated with wealth, but Lakṣmī is the goddess of fortune, not just property. Kubera is the god of property. Whatever he wishes, he can give you. With Śiva’s grace, he became the owner of the north direction, one of the ten directions. That is why we always worship Kubera in the north direction. If you know Vāstu knowledge, the Vedic Feng Shui, the harmony of energy—if you are opening a shop or anything, if you want to place your wealth, it should be placed in the north corner according to Kubera, because Kubera is the owner of the north direction. Anything you want to place, like jewelry or assets, your money counter should be on the north side. How did Kubera become a friend of Śiva? This is a long story, but I will summarize it. I will beautify how we can understand and interpret the real meaning of Kubera and these meaningful stories. There was a king in ancient times named Egyadatta. He was a great king, and his son, Kubera, became a friend of Lord Śiva. How could he become a friend? An innocent person, a lord, and a friend of Devādidev Mahādev. Can we also become a friend of Lord Śiva? What is the method? For sure, we now know that even a simple layman can become Śiva’s friend. That opportunity is equally given to everyone. Śiva never differentiates, distinguishes, or discriminates. There was a renowned and virtuous king who always worshiped Śiva Bhagavān. He had a son named Guṇanidhi. Guṇanidhi means "one who has a treasure of qualities." But in this material world, sometimes there is a contrast: people who are not rich are named "rich man," like Dhana Prasad or Dhana Bahadur. Those who are weak are named "powerful man." Similarly, Guṇanidhi was supposed to be qualitative, but he was a notorious, silly person who always caused trouble and difficulties for others. Guṇanidhi was a very miserable person in his family. Guṇanidhi caused so many difficulties, betraying his father Egyadatta’s trust. The Śiva Purāṇa says that Egyadatta eventually gave up on his son. Guṇanidhi left home and wandered here and there for food. Egyadatta was very sad. He thought, "Oh my God, my son is like this. I am a devotee of Śiva, but how can my son be like this?" Guṇanidhi cheated and wanted to rob temples. One day, Guṇanidhi felt very hungry. He thought, "I am very hungry. Where can I find food?" He decided to go to a temple, as temple people offer prasāda, mahāprasāda foods. He went to the temple, but there were many people. He waited outside until people left. He waited and waited. It became dark. Guṇanidhi waited behind the temple, seeking food. Later, when it was dark, he slowly entered inside, but it was too dark to see any food. Then he had an idea. He found a matchbox, took a piece of his cloth, lit it to make a light, and saw the prasāda. At that time, he saw the Śivaliṅga. Śiva, being very naive and simple, thought someone was lighting a lamp for him. Guṇanidhi was there with a different intention, but he found the food. After eating, he tried to leave but was trapped by the temple guards. Guṇanidhi was caught, crying and trying to escape, but he could not. He was punished and executed. When he was executed, the Yamadūtas came to take him. At the same time, the Śiva Gaṇas also arrived. Surprisingly, even though he spent his life robbing, cheating, torturing, and doing bad, illegal things, the Śiva Gaṇas came. When Śiva’s Gaṇas arrived, the Yamadūtas were defeated and left. The Śiva Gaṇas took Guṇanidhi to Śivaloka. He went there and enjoyed with Śiva and Pārvatī. He was there just because of the robbery; his intention was not to give light to Śiva. But Śiva is so nice that whoever makes a light for him, he always loves them. That is why it is said that early in the morning and evening, if you light a ghee lamp for Bhagavān Śiva, he becomes very pleased. Bahut prasanna ho jāte hai, jab Gunī Nidhī chorī karne ke liye mandir meṅ gayā thā, aur usne apne kapde ke ek tukṛe nikāl ke jalā kar Śiva-liṅga ko dekhā. Yā to Śiva-jī prasanna ho gaye, unko lāgā ki kisī ne dīyā jalā rahā hai. To isī liye kyā hai ki uskā prasāda to mil gayā, when someone caught him and gave him the dhan and told him about the death dhan. But even after death, he was resurrected and reached Śivaloka. That is why if you want to burn, then light the lamp. Don’t burn anyone’s mind. By lighting the lamp, God becomes happy. It is said that in science, how can we convince people in modern times? The communication of human beings and any animals is sound. If we don’t make sound, it is very hard to communicate. Nowadays, we also use sign language, non-verbal language, but proper language is sound. For God, for the divine divinity, the language is light. That is why they understand and connect through light. So if you give light, that is why we always begin prayers with light and always give āratī with light. Light is the source of the soul and the connection. When light comes, all ignorance goes away. God is light. God is consciousness; when knowledge comes, all ignorance goes away. That is why in the celestial world, light is always important. In modern times, when you celebrate a birthday, you sing "Happy Birthday" and light candles. Blowing out the candles is not a good sign. If you are celebrating your birthday, start by lighting the candles and saying "Happy Birthday," but don’t blow them out. Just put them aside. This is for longevity and connection with God. When you blow out the light, how can you celebrate? That is turning off into darkness. Śiva always wants light. So in the morning and evening, lighting a lamp has a great scientific reason: if you light a lamp every day regularly in your home with ghee, all bacteria and negative vibes will go away. That is why in your shrine, every morning and evening, light a lamp. That light reminds you of the awakening of your soul spiritually. Environmentally, it maintains cleanliness and purity and gives good vibes. Lighting a lamp is wonderful. In the Śiva Purāṇa, he was just lighting for robbery, but he went to Śivaloka. The light is still burning there. This is a wonderful reason. The story does not end there. When he reached Śivaloka, he enjoyed the heavenly pleasures and stayed there for many years. After a long time, he became a king of a place called Kalinga. He came down to Kalinga and became a king. He became kind and a Śiva bhakta. He started praying to Śiva, and Śiva gave him a boon because of the light. He became a Śiva bhakta and announced everywhere in his kingdom that no matter where you are, make one Śivalaya and light a lamp for Śiva morning and evening. He made it a rule in the kingdom and became a great Śiva devotee. Śiva jī ke liye dīyā jalanā to ādhyātmika ojas hai or bhautika. Because of the unhappiness, what is there? According to everyone, happiness prevails. When Guṇanidhi became the king on earth in the second era, in the Kalinga country, he also declared to light lamps. He started everywhere, telling everyone to make one Śivalaya. He became such a great Śiva Bhakta. He died and again went to Śivaloka. Later, after another birth, he arrived in Kāśī and wanted to meditate on Śiva. This continuation shows that the connection with God and Guru is not only for one life; there might be a connection from many, many lives. That is why Guṇānidhi also had a connection with Śiva, and Śiva connected with him. He went down to meditate in Kāśī. Śiva is always happy when you meditate. In Kāśī, he meditated and meditated. It is said not only in this Śiva Purāṇa but in different Purāṇas and scriptures that the same story is repeated. He, the Yama, the king of Kashi, meditated. He meditated until he had no flesh left in his body. Only bone and skin remained. Jab hū dhyāna kar rahā thā, dhyāna kar rahā thā, uske śarīra se sab māṁsa gir gaye. Aur meditation karte karte uske śarīra me śṛṅga chhala aur haḍī baj gayā thā. Lekin hū uska dhyān kabhī nahī ṭūṭā. Akhaṇḍ dhyān hū kar rahā thā. He was continuously meditating. No matter that he had only skin and bone, his meditation was strong. This story is in various Purāṇas and Kathās. What does it mean? If you put one hundred percent faith in anything, you will definitely get it. If you put one hundred percent faith that it will come, it will. Always put faith, and faith always brings fruit. It is said that if you worship Mahādeva with sand, he will also appear. In ancient times, Pārvatī worshipped Mahādeva with sand and received the darśana of Śiva. That is why nothing is impossible with faith. You can see so many miracles in spirituality. When you put faith, miracles happen. Another thing is, when you attract the universe, it will come. It has to come because of the law of attraction; you will get it. For a simple example: we are sitting here. After this Śiva Purāṇa, we are going to the dining hall for nice pickle, food, and special sweets for today’s Bandarā. Many of you have started mouth-watering, haven’t you? Even though we are just talking hypothetically, the watering starts from the mouth. That means our enzymes, cells, and tissues are ready to digest it. In the same way, when you create something positive, the universe is liable to give it to you. What you think will come. If you have faith in something, it will definitely come. For example, have you heard of Victor Frankl, a popular writer? He lived during Hitler’s time. He was a great writer and a yogī. When Hitler killed many Jews, Frankl was in jail, but he had great faith that he would come out and protect himself. Through meditation—even though he was a Westerner—he meditated inside Hitler’s jail. There were many armies and bullets, but surprisingly, because of his meditation and the law of attraction, he was able to come out. When he came out, he started giving inspirational talks and wrote a beautiful book called "Man’s Search for Meaning." If you get a chance, you can read it. It is a very inspiring book. You can find many things about Victor Frankl online. Victor Frankl is one example: if you put one hundred percent faith, it will come. In the same way, you can hear that many yogīs and siddha puruṣas can be in one place and then another. How can it happen in this material world? Sometimes energy moves from here to there. Nothing is impossible in this world if you put one hundred percent faith. That is why in your spiritual progress, if you have faith, you will get it. If you have doubt, you will have problems and difficulties. Here also, Yama meditated and meditated. As mentioned before, Nārada meditated. Meditation has many varieties. Yama meditated all the time in Kāśī, waiting for Śiva Darśana. He waited and waited. One year passed, two years, a hundred years, ten thousand years—finally, Śiva arrived. That is why it is said that when you attentively worship anything, when you pay attention, God will definitely come. Your prayer never goes in vain; it definitely gives fruit. That is another lesson here. He meditated and meditated. At that time, Śiva arrived. Śiva said, "Oh, Dharmā, you are meditating here. Now I am here." When Yama opened his eyes, because of Śiva’s light, he became blind. Look at this. That is why when we meditate, after finishing, we rub our palms and open our eyes slowly in the dark space to adjust our vision. Yama had been meditating for 10,000 years and had amazing power. When you meditate, there is power. If you have read the Mahābhārata, do you know about Gāndhārī? She always closed her eyes because her husband was blind, and she wanted to be like him, so she closed her eyes continuously. One day, she wanted to use the power of her meditation to protect her son. When she opened her eyes, her son’s entire body became like iron metal because of the power. It is said that meditation has great power. When you meditate, you connect amazingly. How can you prove that meditation is power in today’s world and current society? For example, if meditation is not power, then consider if you think only food is power. If you eat continuously, all day, the next day, the third day—very hygienic food—but do not sleep, what will happen? Will your body function properly? No. So food is not the only power we need; we need celestial power as well. That is why many people say we can... Part 2: The Power of Faith and the Nature of the World Many yogīs stay without food, sustaining themselves only through breath. At the Kumbha Melā, you can see yogīs who live on only phalahāra (fruit). In Nepal, there is Dudāhārī Bābā, who consumes nothing but milk. Through meditation, a yogī creates hormones. With regular practice, these hormones help one adjust to society and can even challenge medical science. There are amazing miracles as well. In Nepal, a yogī stayed underground for 60 days. People were astonished—how could he survive without oxygen? Some things science cannot prove; he survived and emerged, with many cameras and researchers documenting it. In spirituality, when you have faith, amazing things happen. Dharma was also meditating. When he opened his eyes, he found he had been blinded by Śiva's gaze (netra). Afterwards, Śiva asked, "Oh Dharmā, what do you want? Tell me, Dharmā. I have come before you, pleased with your 10,000 years of penance. I am ready to grant blessings." Dharmā replied, "Lord, I need nothing for myself. There is only one thing you should give me: my eyes." The innocent Śiva gave him his eyes. Dharma explained, "Śiva, I do not need anything else at this time. I just want my eyes back because I wish to see you. I want your darśana. Please give me my eyes; that is my only desire." Śiva blessed him instantly, and he regained his sight. He looked around and saw beautiful things. But surprisingly, when he opened his eyes, he saw Umā, Pārvatī, sitting with Śiva. He did not know who Umā was. He saw her amazing beauty and thought, "Oh, my God, what a beautiful lady! How is she so beautiful? What sort of prayer did she perform? How can I worship this lady? Who is she?" He became curious and surprised. Rather than focusing on Śiva Jī, he continuously watched her. Pārvatī was staring at Pārvatī, and at that time, Pārvatī felt uncomfortable. She asked Śiva, "Oh Śiva, what sort of devotee (bhakta) do you have? He is staring at me all the time. I do not know his intention. Perhaps he is putting the evil eye on me." He did not stop; he kept watching Pārvatī in his mind. He was surprised by her amazing beauty, wondering what prayer or meditation she had done, and how he had forgotten to worship her. What sort of deity was she? That was his mind. But Pārvatī was a little uncomfortable and thought, "Why is he staring at me?" Instantly, she—thinking he was putting the evil eye on her—caused his own eye to be cut off. At that time, Mahādeva arrived and said, "Oh my God, his eye is gone." The left eye was gone because Pārvatī was on the left side and Mahādeva on the right; he had been watching Pārvatī on the left side. Pārvatī had cut off that one eye. He was left with no vision, crying and surprised. Mahādeva said to Pārvatī, "Oh Pārvatī, why did you do this? He is actually your son. He was watching you attentively with a motherly feeling (bhāva), not for any other reason, nor with an evil eye. He was thinking, 'What sort of deity are you? How did I forget to worship you? How can I worship this beautiful goddess?' That was his mind, but you misunderstood." At that time, Pārvatī went close to Dharma and said, "Oh Dharma, I thought you were putting evil eyes on me. I thought it was the wrong kind of gaze, which is why I took out one eye. Do not worry. Śiva has already blessed you. You will be the owner of the northern direction. You will have plenty of wealth and property. You will have fame, a name, ownership, and everything in this world. You will be a popular person. I also bless you: your eye will return slowly, slowly, but not immediately." That is why it is said that staring at a person is offensive even in modern times. Our human rights are offended if you stare continuously at someone you do not know, which in the Western world especially is counted as offensive. In his mind, there was something else, but that was the result. Later, Pārvatī and Śiva blessed him. That simple man who went to the temple just for a robe and mithāī prasāda became the beautiful Kubera, the owner of the universe, the owner of assets and property. Furthermore, Śiva blessed him: "Oh Kubera, I will always be your friend. Whenever you want, I will be there. The world will know that I am your friend, Kubera." That is why Kubera is the richest person in this world. That is why during Dīpāvalī and other times, Kubera is worshipped along with Lakṣmī Mātā. Kubera is the God of wealth, which is why on Diwali and other occasions we ask. So, whenever you have faith—the meaning that comes from this story is that knowingly or unknowingly, if you do something good, Śiva does not discriminate. He always blesses you. Whether you have intention or not, if you worship with devotion, Śiva will be happy. That is the moral of the story. Also, no matter what anyone says, you must always maintain your faith continuously. Nowadays, people rely on others; they are not independent. For a simple example: when you buy a t-shirt or suit and wear it, you think it is beautiful, yet you ask others, "How do I look?" You rely on other people. If they say, "It does not look nice," you take off the clothes. Similarly, if you plan to go to India, you ask your neighbor, "I am planning to go to India. How is that?" They may have no vested interest yet say, "This is not a good time. I do not think you should go." You are always relying. When you rely on other people, they may have their own interests. That is why in your faith and spiritual practice, no matter what anyone says, you must always maintain your faith and practice attentively. That is the moral story from the Śiva Purāṇa. It is said that in the material world, people gossip and talk. They keep on talking and never leave you alone. Whatever you do, good or bad, people in the world do not leave you; they keep talking. But in your spiritual duty, in your meditation, you must keep moving forward so you will achieve success. Śiva said that if you always practice and practice, you will attain success. Jai Boleśī Bhagavān Kī Jai. We take Lord Śiva's name five times. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. One day Pārvatī asked Śivajī, "Oh Śiva, you always say that people gossip in the material world, that they always talk about each other. I cannot believe it. They might not be talking about us; they do not have time. How can they gossip behind our backs?" Śiva Jī said, "Well, Pārvatī, if you do not believe, I will show you." Pārvatī could not believe it, thinking, "Why should people bother? Why should they indulge in others' business?" Śiva said, "No, people have that sort of mind. It is very hard to remain focused on your own path, and it is very hard for a devotee." Pārvatī requested, "Can you prove it to me, please, oh my Swāmī?" Śivajī, unable to refuse his wife's request, agreed. "Okay, let's go." He went with his vehicle, the bull Nandi. They came to the world because of Pārvatī's request. Pārvatī had said, "Go to my world, the world of people. You said they gossip; I do not believe it." They came together to the material world in human form, Pārvatī and Śivajī, riding the bull Nandi, one of Śiva's vehicles. Pārvatī sat behind, and Mahādev sat in front as the bull walked. They passed through many villages. Villagers gathered and said, "Look at this! What a silly guy—the two of them are riding the bull. They have no mercy or kindness. The bull is struggling to walk, and they are riding it." Śiva asked Pārvatī, "Look, people always have something to say. Okay, you ride; I will drag the bull." Śiva came down, and Pārvatī rode the bull while Śiva dragged it. When they passed another village, people gathered again. "Oh, look at this! What a silly woman! The husband is walking, and she is riding the bull. What a woman! She has no respect for her husband." People started to talk. Pārvatī asked, "What do we have to do now?" Mahādev said, "Let's both come down and walk on our bare feet, and we will just drag Nandi." They crossed another village, and people gathered and started to gossip. "Look at these stupid people. They do not know how to use the bull. They are walking, and the bull is walking without any load." They had so many things to say. Pārvatī and Mahādev asked, "What do we have to do now to appease them?" Mahādev said, "Let's carry the bull," and they arranged to carry the bull from both sides. In other villages, villagers gathered again. "Look at these silly guys! The bull is supposed to carry them, but they are carrying the bull. What nonsense people!" Then Mahādeva told Pārvatī, "Look, people are like that. They always have to say something." That is why, always, if you are making your journey, do not stop. Do not listen here and there. Go continuously. Pārvatī was convinced. Similarly, in your life, for a simple example: if you are unmarried, people ask, "Oh, when are you going to marry?" When you are married, they ask, "Where is your husband? Where is your boyfriend?" They always ask something. Maybe in Europe it is less, but here people ask, "If you are alone, where is your wife? Are you married? Do you have kids? What is your job? Do you want money?" They always have to ask something. If you say yes, when you get married, they ask, "Do you have kids?" If you are married, they ask, "Where is your wife from?" They always say something. If you have kids, they ask, "You have only one kid? When will the next one be?" If you have many kids, they say, "Oh, silly guy, you are only making kids in your life. You have nothing else to do. Even when you are old, you are making kids." They always have to say something; they never stop. That is why in our lives also, when you put your faith and devotion in one sampradāya or one guru, another sampradāya or guru will always ask, "Are you sure you will have salvation? Are you sure you are following the right path?" They always put a question mark, do they not? That is the situation of the world. There is a story of an intelligent dog and a young dog. The young dog was proud, thinking, "I am young and very powerful." The two dogs started to find food in a village. In India, you know dogs are free and can be found on the street, not like in Europe where dogs are in cars and homes, looked after with their own hospitals and medical treatment. Here, dogs are around in the street. The two dogs decided, "In this village, there is not much food. The food is insufficient. Let's go to another village." But the village was far away—more than 100 kilometers. Before reaching there, they needed to cross three or four villages. In those villages, they needed to be very careful and continue their journey, the intelligent dog said. The young dog agreed, "Okay, all right, then we will go." When they passed one village, there were many local dogs who started barking. The young dog also started to bark at them, and they started to fight. The old dog said, "No, no, I am not going to bark." The young dog said, "Why not? They are teaching us, insulting us. We must fight with them." The old dog said, "Well, you keep fighting, but I will continue my journey. No matter who insults me, my major concern is reaching my destination." He kept walking and walking. But the young dog, in the next village, found local dogs and started to fight. In three villages, he could not reach the destination, and he died from the attack of other dogs. The old dog reached the destination. In the same way, in our journey there are so many obstacles here and there. If we cannot stay on our path continuously, we will become indulged and distracted. That is why it is said that if you lose your path, make your own path, like a river. A river makes no path; no matter if it is a cliff, a jungle, or any difficult terrain, it always goes ahead until it meets the ocean. That is why in spirituality also, devotion and continuation are simple in concept but really challenging in practice. The Śiva Purāṇa always inspires us: how can we make inspiring things? How can we continuously advance our devotion? That is the main motto of Śiva. Jai Bole Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Bhagavān. Śiva is very beautiful—not physically beautiful, but beautiful in his mind and heart. So let us chant Śiva's beautifulness. Let us chant the glory of Śiva. Let us chant the beautiful, eternal beauty of Śiva. Madhuram madhuradīpate rakṣe, madhuram madhuradīpate rakṣe. Madhuram adharaṃ, madhuram vadanaṃ, madhuraṃ adharaṃ, madhuram vadanaṃ, madhuram nayanaṃ, madhuram hasitaṃ, madhuram nayanaṃ, madhuram... Madhura Madhura... Madhuram madhuram... Ādhāraṃ madhuraṃ, vadanaṃ madhuraṃ, venu madhuro, venu madhuro, gīta madhuraṃ, pīta madhuraṃ, gīta madhuraṃ, pīta madhuraṃ, bhūṣitaṃ madhuraṃ, sūtaṃ madhuraṃ, ādaraṃ māduram, vādanaṃ māduram, ādaraṃ māduram, vādanaṃ māduram, nāyānāṃ māduram, mahāsītaṃ māduram, vādaraṃ māduram, vādanaṃ māduram, nāyānāṃ māduram, mahāsītaṃ māduram, nāyānāṃ māduram, mahāsītaṃ māduram. Rūpaṃ māduram, Tilakaṃ aduram, Rūpam aduram, Tilakam aduram, Ādāram aduram, Aduram, Bhadanam aduram, Aduram... Bhadanam Nayanam hasidam adharam, adharam bhadanam adharam. Adharam bhadanam adharam, adharam nayanam adharam. Hasitaṃ adhanaṃ nayanaṃ, adharam hasitaṃ mayanaṃ. Mayanaṃ adharam hasitaṃ, mayanaṃ. Jai Bhūliyā Śiva Bhagavān kī, Bhūliyā Bābā kī, Jai Bhūliyā Pārvatī Mātā kī. So Śiva Jī is beautiful. It is said, "Nayanaṃ Madhuraṃ"—the eye is beautiful, the eye's look is beautiful. Similarly, beauty is in the beholder's eye. That is why, if you see with beautiful eyes, Śiva is beautiful. If you see through the eyes of Prajāpati Dakṣa, Śiva is ugly. He always remains in symmetry. Beauty is in the beholder's eyes. Always see the beauty in Śiva. It is always said to put down your ego. Now I will start another story. It says, how can you cut down ego? Kubera became very rich and a friend of Śiva. You know that when people become rich and powerful, they forget everything: dharma, spirituality. That is why they always need to calm down. It is said that first, when a devotee earns a lot of spiritual enlightenment and happiness, they become like a king. When they become a king, they forget everything and must calm down again. The cycle always moves. Now, here, Kubera became a very rich person and wanted to show something to Śiva and Pārvatī because he had become very rich. You know that nowadays also, what happens when you buy a new house? In Australia and other places, if people buy a new house, they want to invite people in the name of dinner. They want to show the house, actually. When people come, they start to ask, "Oh, do you have a house? What sort of car do you have? Do you still ride a Toyota? You do not have a BMW? No Mercedes?" "We just bought a Mercedes yesterday." They just want to tell something, which is why they invite for dinner. Here also, Kubera wanted to show something to Śiva and Pārvatī. He had become rich in this world—an amazing, infinite world—with a lot of jewelry and assets. He wanted to invite Śiva and Pārvatī to show how much wealth he had. One day he invited them: "Oh Śiva, Oh Pārvatī, I want to give you a special treat. Can you come to my home for dinner?" Śiva and Pārvatī are very intelligent. They knew the intention behind it. "Why did Kubera invite us?" They said, "Well, we are not able to come because we are not so hungry, but our kids are always hungry. Can you feed our kids? Then we can send them." "Who are your kids?" "Oh, Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa will come." Kubera thought, "Okay, Gaṇeśa? I can feed thousands like Gaṇeśa; it is in my hands because I have so much wealth. I have a lot of anna (food grains), seeds, foods, mithāī, mewā, desserts—a variety of foods. I can feed him whatever he wants. Do not worry, Śiva. Please send your son." With the permission of Pārvatī and Śiva, Gaṇeśa was sent to Kubera's house. Gaṇeśa sat there waiting. Whatever food they gave, he kept eating. Kubera's servants started to bring food, and he kept eating. Normally, whatever people eat—maybe one kilo, half a kilo, or less—they already gave, but Gaṇeśa said, "No, I am still hungry. Do you have something more?" The servant went and brought whatever they had. They kept bringing, and Gaṇeśa said they had finished everything, yet he said, "I am still hungry." Then, whatever they had cooked in their kitchen, they brought everything. Gaṇeśa ate everything. Kubera came and asked, "Gaṇeśa, how are you? How was the food? Are you happy now?" Gaṇeśa said, "Well, the food was nice, but I am still hungry." "But the food is finished." He said, "No, well, you promised my parents that you were going to fulfill my hunger, that you would satisfy me. How come you are not satisfying my hunger now? You said the kitchen is empty." Kubera was in a problem now, in great trouble. He went outside to the neighbor's house, asking, "Do you have something, please? Today we have a special guest in our home." The neighbor was surprised: "Oh my God, Kubera came to beg in our home!" What a surprise! They gave, and he cooked and gave to Gaṇeśa. He asked, "Are you happy now?" "No, still not happy. I want to eat." He went all around the kingdom, brought whatever food he found, cooked it, and gave it to Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa said he was still not happy. Gaṇeśa was still not happy, and Kubera wandered here and there to ask and find food around the market city. At that time, maybe not a supermarket, he asked at neighbors' houses. Gaṇeśa, feeling really hungry, started to eat even the wood, some beans, plates, and glasses—everything—because he was not satisfied. When Kubera came back, there was not even a plate left. The plate, glass, nothing—the seat, cushion, everything was finished by Gaṇeśa. Kubera was surprised: "What sort of child are you? I have given many things." Gaṇeśa said, "Well, you promised me that you were going to feed me and satisfy my hunger. So now you are in a problem." He was wandering here and there, and Kubera went to Śiva's place. "Oh Śiva, sorry that I could not feed your child. He is going to finish my house. Please help me." At that time, Gaṇeśa said, "If you are not going to feed me, I have to eat you, because you told me you were going to give me plenty of food." At that time, he was in terrible distress, crying, "Trahi māṃ, Trahi māṃ—Oh Prabhu, save me, save me, save me! Your Gaṇeśa ate everything." When he was there, Kubera went to Śivajī. Śiva told him, "Well, I cannot help you with anything. Just go and worship Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa is not like that. If you give a handful of rice, he will be happy. But how come he ate that much today? There must be some reason. Better go and worship and appease him, Gaṇeśa." He went with a handful of rice and gave it to Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa became so happy. "Thank you very much. If you give in a polite, humble way, then even less than one handful of rice is enough for me. I am satisfied. But you had pride, thinking, 'I can feed anyone; I can show off.' That is why you wanted to invite my mom and dad. That is why we wanted to give you a lesson. That is why the māyā, the illusion—that was not my hunger; that was an illusionary hunger from Śivajī. That is why Śiva always gives you bliss from one hand and from the other hand, he will slap as well. That is why you better be careful with asking." So that is saying that we human beings are very greedy. That is why Mahātmā Gāndhī said in India that people have got everything in this world. They can have everything, except greedy people. Greedy people never say, "I am satisfied." They always have to say something, always something. That is why human beings, from the time of their birth, ask God, "Oh God, can you give me the certificate? I have to pass HSC or Year 12." They pass. After that, "Oh God, can you give me a good job?" They get the job. After that, they keep asking, "Oh God, can you give me a beautiful spouse or partner?" That happens. Again, asking, "Oh God, can you give me a beautiful house?" That also happens. They keep asking, keep asking. What happens if your child keeps begging you? "Oh Dad, give me a TV. Oh God, give me this." They give this, and then you might not tolerate it; you might slam or say something. But God is so merciful, still giving. Look at this: people are not stopping begging and begging until late in life, even when the end is near tomorrow. There is constant asking. That is why this is human desire. Desire is infinite. It says, "Do not ask in front of God. Just go and give thanks to God for whatever He has given, whatever we have gotten up to now. Just thank Him." He wants that. It does not mean He does not know what you have, what you deserve, and what you do not deserve. If whatever you ask you would get, people would ask for this whole universe, and there would be no place for other people. That is why God knows what you deserve, what you need, and what you do not need. That is why whenever you have pain, stay in front of God and Guru, remember them, worship them, but do not say, "Please remove my pain." They cannot remove your pain. They are not the responsible persons. You made a mistake, and you are blaming God and Guru to remove your pain. You are the mistake-maker; should they be responsible? It is not fair. That is why just ask, "Please give me strength to avoid, to tolerate this pain." God and Guru bless you with strength for your every pain. This is the situation here, and you can always ask God and Guru for your devotion and for merciful guidance. We will do one bhajan, and then we will continue in this Saṃsipṭa Purāṇa, Saṃsipṭa Purāṇa Rudra Saṃhitā. We will finalize chapters 17 to 19, and here we have some more stories: how Kāmadeva and how Vasiṣṭhajī married. Part 3: The Fearless Abode of Śiva Nandjī Gurudeva kī jai. Hameṁ he kāma satsaṅg se jagata bāke to bākane de. Hameṁ he kāma satsaṅg se jagata bāke to bākane de. Pitā, pitā se agara mitāne dhyāna karaṇe se agara mitāne de. Śiva is Sundar. Śiva is the happiest person, and Śiva is merciful. Śiva always gives whatever you ask. The way a Bhakta begs in front of him, Śiva cannot tolerate it; he is always merciful. That is why Śiva always remains in the cremation ground (śmaśāna). Symmetry is the symbol of fear. The cremation ground is the most fearful place, which is why people do not want to go there. Yet, Śiva can live there. How come Śiva does not have fear? There is no fear for Śivajī because he sits in this shrine. Śivajī can sit in the biggest place of fear in the world, so Śivajī is the owner of fear. Whenever you see that the cemetery is the most dangerous place where people do not want to go, that is why Śivajī is residing there. Śivajī is the owner of fear. How can you defeat fear? If you know the full form of fear, it is False Evidence Appearing Real. So it is not real, but false evidence appears as real. That is why fear is just an illusion. You might have the fear of life, so many things—tensions, worries, anxieties. It is said that 90 percent of worries and tension do not exist in this world. People are just worried for tomorrow, but 90 percent of worries do not exist at all. Just for nothing, you are eating here, you are enjoying spirituality, but still there is worry: "What will happen? What about the plane tickets? What about the arrangements? What about my job and family?" Everything that comes to mind—do not worry, everything will be all right. This is a simple example in our life: we are eating a beautiful dessert here, but we are not able to enjoy the taste of the food because we are very worried about tomorrow. "Will we have food or not? Will we get it tomorrow or not?" We are always happy today, but we worry about tomorrow. Be in the moment. Śiva is in the present. When you are happy in this moment, then you are happy. Do not worry; tomorrow is not now, and the past is gone already. So be in the moment. Śiva is fearless. He always teaches for free. He wants to make us free from all fears and difficulties. So whenever you are, just remember you will not be alone. You will be connected directly or indirectly. That is why Śiva is the person who removes all fears and obstacles. If you see Śiva’s body, there is a snake around his neck. What a surprise, isn’t it, that somebody wears a snake as an ornament, as jewelry? In Australia, one student asked me, "Do you know one thing? Everyone explained that there is a snake around his neck. But can we explain why it is a cobra? Why a cobra snake, not other snakes?" That was a very genuine question. The cobra is the king of the snakes, so that is why Śiva’s neck is precious; only a precious snake can stay there. The king of snakes gets the chance. When a snake sits, there is poison in its neck. That means it is free from fear. There is no fear in keeping a snake on one’s neck. The meaning of the snake in the idol is to be free from fear. When you go to the refuge of Lord Śiva, when you remember Lord Śiva, then you will not have any pain from material difficulties, and you will always be free. Difficulties come and go. Every pain has to go. Every difficulty has to go. Whatever comes in the world will have to go. Whatever difficulty it is, it will have to go. You just surrender to God and Guru and God’s Īśvara. Then all your sorrows will be gone. This is the name of meditation: Śivajī and Bholē Vāle and Śivajī. You must have heard that Kapālī meditation is done in the cremation ground. It has been done every Amāvasyā, on the dark moon day. Where? In the cremation ground. At what time? At midnight, after 12 to 3. Can you do it? Yes, definitely. We will do it one day. In Kapālī meditation, on the new moon day—that is the dark moon time—in the cremation ground, and not in a group, but alone, single. We can go as a group till the gate, but after the gate, you need to stay so that you can spread out, and then you can stay maybe 500 meters or one kilometer far away. That is the Kapālī meditation. In Australia, many of the sādhus are practicing that. You can go there. The first day you will have difficulties, and the second day, third day, you will feel the energy of Śiva. And when you have the energy, then nothing is wrong. You can meditate. You will find that it is the safest place in the world. No cheaters, no rubber duckways, or any person will go there. No one can disturb you when you meditate. So it is one of the most safe places. No noise; anyone’s noise, maybe from a five-kilometer distance, the people want to walk. There is not even a security guard or anyone; they do not want to stay there at night time. So it is a beautiful place to meditate. That is why the Kāpālī meditation: Śiva is always remaining in the cremation ground, which means free from fear. Also, he always puts the ash (bhasma) from the cremation ground here, which also reminds us that one day we have to be there, we have to remain there in the cremation ground. We have to go there one day, and to remind himself of that, he wears bhasma on his body. That is why he says so. Those who do with śṛṅgāra, aṅgāra, then what will be spoiled to him, right? So who does not need anything? Then no one can destroy him, no one can hurt him. So that is Śiva. Śiva says that when you always surrender to God and Guru, when you have the grace of the Guru, then you will be free from fear. That is the stress healing thing. That is why in the material world, people are panicked. They commit suicide; they have a lot of stress. But when they come to spirituality, they are happy because the stress will go away, the fear will go away. The Kumbha Melā is also one of the spiritual fairs. In this spiritual fair, no matter how many kilometers far away you are from the Ganges, still you will receive that spiritual energy. How does that spiritual energy help us? You might ask. It says that when you are in Kumbha Melā, you know that Jupiter is in Leo and the Sun is in... At this time, both are making one heavenly energy, and their energy is radiating in the water. From the water, that reflection goes 45 kilometers from the Cipra River. That is why, no matter if you are 45 kilometers away, still the energy is surrounding, and the spiritual energy is activating because this earth is a magnetic field. That is why if you take the holy water from here, it can have the power to resist those holy things. It becomes Amṛta nectar for many, many years. It has been experimented in Canada. Somebody took water from a normal river, and somebody took water from the Ganges, and they put it in a refrigerator for two or three years. After three years, they took that water to the laboratory for testing. They found that the normal water was contaminated; obviously, there was a lot of bacteria. But the Ganges water was more pure; there was not any bacteria. Look at this amazing thing. That is why no matter if you carry a bottle of water from here to Europe, Hungary, Portugal, Australia, America, wherever, put it away for years and years, and you can keep it. That is the wonderful thing. That is why in pūjā, in any worshipping, before worshipping, you can just put your holy water three times in your mouth and then chant: "Oṁ Mādhāvāya Namaḥ, Oṁ Govindāya Namaḥ, Oṁ Keśavāya Namaḥ, Oṁ Nārāyaṇāya Namaḥ, Hastar Prakṣālāya Namaḥ, Ahaṁ." So what do we do? We do Āchaman, right? Before the puja, be purified by the water of the Gaṅgā. That means the Ganges water is holy water that can purify not only externally, but internally as well. In Kumbh Melā also, when we come here, the water is radiating from there, and the energy from heaven, from Jupiter, from the sun, is accumulating and coming here. If you know about astronomy, that is proven by cosmology, by cosmologists as well. Astronomers have also researched why people are coming here without any invitation, without any advertisement, and without any achievement. They are spending thousands and thousands of dollars just for coming here from far away, around the world. No invitation, and a lot of queue there, and still they are coming. That is a continuous tradition of this world and these planets, which is wonderful. When the sādhus and meditative persons come closer, it brings the energy. When the energetic place, if we stay here, will be more energetic. So it is really good and amazing. If you know a little bit about astronomy, Jupiter is the planet of knowledge and intelligence, so that is why guru. If you stay here without doing anything, that affects your chaitanya, your chitta. It says that chitta śakti, Kumbha Melā brings it; it uplifts the chitta śakti. That is an inner beauty, inner chaitanya. You will be uplifted. If you read, if you do, you can feel yourself. Your mind will be free this time and more capable due to the Jupiterian energy. In astrology, if you are born under the influence of Jupiter, they say about you being born... In Hungary, in the sky of Hungary, there was a Jupiter rising star, and you are supposed to be a spiritual person, and also you are liable to receive some intellectual things. Similarly, if you are under the influence of the Mars planet, you might be connected with the medical sector, or the army or security; your mind will go there. Similarly, if there is Venus, you might be a writer, a fashion designer, a singer, or a creative person. That happens. So it is saying, "As above, so below." In astrology, there is a slogan: "As above, so below." That is why we are the body, which is like a sandwich. The sandwich, on one side, is your birth; the other side is your death. Whatever you put inside, according to that you have a taste. So that is why life is yours. What sort of sandwich you want to make, you can make it. It is a beautiful sandwich, tasty, spicy. That is up to you. So there is life, and death is always for sure, but in the middle, what are we going to put? A spiritual sandwich, or some other tāmasic sandwich, or some Ericsson, or marijuana sandwich, or whatever? We can make it according to our choice. That is why it is saying that you always have the choice to make a beautiful life. And God will help you, and stress will go away. We are talking about this Kumbh Melā, and how can it be useful? Even though you go and dip down there, the river is carrying a healing capacity. So if you dip down there, it can heal you. In astrology also, it says that if you are born under a certain yoga, that is a mūla, or any specific planetary situation—a mūla nakṣatra or kāla sarpa or caṇḍāla yoga—at that time, if you collect water from nine different places (not one source), maybe you need to collect from a river, a different river, an ocean, water from your neighbor’s place, water from a lake... If you collect nine different waters and take a bath, then all the radiation and negativity will go away. That is the Ayurvedic healing tradition in astrology. If you have difficulties or some sort of a mūla yoga, that is why it is saying that mūla śānti puja is done. Similarly, the celestial bodies have got big power. That is why in Kumbha Melā you arrived here. When you dip down, that is the healing capacity, and it heals not only your physical body, but also your mental and eternal pain, and you will uplift your chaitanya chitta. When you operate the chitta, then you are close to your path of goal, self-realization. How can we attain the goal? The first thing is purity. What are the symptoms of purity? There are ten indicators of dharma. If you are a dharmic person, a spiritual person, there are ten indicators. First, we have got little anger. You just measure from now to five years’ time; if you have similar anger, then you are not evolving. Also, the desire for cheating: if you have the same desire 10 years before, still now is the same, that is not an indication. That is why in dharma it is saying that no matter how long you have been starting your devotion—maybe you started 20 years before, 30 years before, or you just started one month before—if you have the dedication from inside, you cannot compare with the devotee. Spirituality has these differences. So practice and faith are beautiful things. In humanity, what happens is that our nature is such that when the time comes, when the opportunity comes, we become a gentle person, a nice person. And when the opportunity is gone, then we show our natural nature, isn’t it? In India, here, there is one old story I always love to share. In one village, a person used to always recite the Rāmāyaṇa before sleeping, before going to bed. He used to read one chapter of the Rāmāyaṇa. When he started to read the Rāmāyaṇa, he had a cat, and always the cat would come and stay close by. So when he started to read the Rāmāyaṇa, the cat would always come there, and he used to put a candle light on the top of the billy goat, and the cat would not move. He stays, and then he reads, and he finishes, and then he takes the light off, and the cat also goes the other way, and then he also goes to bed. That happens many days, and the neighbor shows, "Oh my god, such a spiritual cat! He is reading the Rāmāyaṇa, and he is putting a candle on the top of the cat." What a surprise. You know that here the rumor goes quickly. One person, another person, many persons come. "Oh my God, look at this. Maybe the cat is the guru." And they came with money, and somebody came with fruits, somebody brings clothes, and then heaps of fruits, clothes, and money. That happens. Then, people started to make a statue of the cat also, and so many crowds were there. People are one after another, and they want to see the darśan of the spiritual cat. One day, what happened is there was one intelligent, intellectual person there, and he thought, "How can the cat be a guru and sit there? There must be some reason." Okay, let me check. He came to that house. In the evening, he started to read the Rāmāyaṇa. The cat came, the light was put there, and he read the Rāmāyaṇa. The wise man did not come alone; he had a mouse in his pocket. While he was reading the Rāmāyaṇa, and the rat was inside the pocket, the wise man’s pocket, there was a rat. He was reading Rāmāyaṇa, and he just threw the rat in front of the cat, and the cat jumped out there and ran away. That means the cat was gentle until he found the rat. So when he found the rat, he did not care about the light or anything. In the same way, for example, in our life also, human beings, until we get the opportunity—people are most opportunist. It is said that the human being is the most dangerous and opportunist animal on this planet, so we need to correct those. Śiva, spirituality, is very helpful. That is why spiritual practice is our asset. After the great blessings and mercy from the great Guru, Satguru, and God, we get this opportunity. That is why in human life, with the grace of Guru and the grace of Bhagavān, we get this opportunity. For that opportunity, we stay here. Jai Bhalie Shri Shiv Bhagwan Ki Jai, Jai Bhalie Shri Bhagwan Ki Jai. At the same time, here in the Śivapurāṇa, it says that one day Pārvatī asked Śiva, "Oh Swāmījī, I have one question for you." What is the question? Śiva told, "Well, if you promise me, I can tell; otherwise, I cannot tell you." Pārvatī promised to Śiva, and Śiva said, "Well, you can ask now." "Well, you know that you are wearing a mālā around your neck, that is a kind of garland which is beautiful, and that mālā is amazing. What is the reason for that mālā? What about this mālā?" She asked, and Śivajī was surprised, "How come you asked this suddenly?" Because Nārada advised, "Go to Pārvatī when she is alone." Nārada went and told her, "Oh Pārvatī, do you know that Śivajī is wearing a special mālā, but you do not know? That is some sacred thing. Up to now you do not know. You need to ask; you deserve to ask." Nārada is talkative, and he told Pārvatī, and Pārvatī had got suffocation. Whenever Śiva came, she asked, "What is the reason?" Śiva told, "Well, we are not supposed to tell you, but I already promised you, I have to tell you. So this is Mundamālā, and it has a great mystery. We need to tell you when there is no one there, and no other people are supposed to listen. There is an amazing, great story behind it." Śivajī took her to the middle of the jungle. He played the ḍamaru, the cosmic ḍamaru, so that no one could listen, and then he told the secrecy. But later on, somebody listened to the secrecy. That is a long story, but now I can tell that. Śiva told, "Well, this is the mystery of the mālā. There are many times you are born, many times you died. One life, one bead. So that is why, how many times you are born and died, that many beats, that many times that counts the beats. And I put them in my mālā." That was the reason he told. She started crying, "Oh Swamiji, I have to be born and die. I have got many births, many deaths, but how come you are living always? Can you tell me something special? What is the mystery?" Later on, he will explain about that. So after that, that is started with Sukadeva and the bedbasa; that is a long story. So it is saying that Pārvatī comes and goes, Śiva always remains there. That means Śiva is omnipresent. I explained yesterday also the Advaita philosophy. Advaita philosophy is just the supreme God. Supreme consciousness is one, the Mahādeva, and all that is helping. That is why there are branches. That is the branches, the beauty of the Dharma, the many gods and goddesses and Sampradāyas. But in the middle, there is Śiva. Only the omnipresent, and he rules. That is why, if you make Śiva happy, always we can have the blessings from Śiva. Jai Bholam. Shiv Bhagavān ko jai. Shiv jī ke saṅg sat ne bahut bhagavān he, lekin sāre to kya sevā karne vāle he? Shiva to ek he. Advaita, he. Now, time to chant with the vibe and great vibe. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. We can stand, and we can stretch, and we can put our devotion, and we can chant. Even you can dance, or you can make your beautiful sound, and we can chant Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. We will sing "Om Namah Śivāya" and wake up and do it with our meditation. We will do the bhajan with the full devotion of Bhagavān, so that with the bhajan of Bhagavān our mind and heart will remain high. And to join with the Lord, we will get the best opportunity. Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. Hara hara bhūle om namah śivāya. Hara hara bhūle namah namah śivāya. Om namah śivāya. Hara hara bhūle om namah śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya.... Bholē Bholē... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Bholē Bholē... Bhole Bhole... Hara Hara... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Hara Hara Bholā. Nama Nama Śivāya. Bholā Bholā. Nama Nama Śivāya. Oṁ Nama Śivāya. Oṁ Nama Śivāya. Jai Bholā Bholā. Nama Śivāya. Hara Hara Bholā. Nama Śivāya. Nama Nama Śivāya. Hari Oṁ Śivāya. Hari Oṁ Śivāya.... Bhole Bhole Śivāya. Hari Śivāya. Śivāya Śivāya Hari Hari Śivāya Hari Śivāya Bholē Bholē Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bholē Bholē... Om Om... Namaḥ Śivāya Om Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bholē Bhālē Śivāya Gaurī Mātā Śivāya Bholō Namaḥ Śivāya Śiva Śiva Śivāya Kailāśa Pati Śivāya Nīla Kaṇṭha Śivāya Bholē Bhālē Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bholō Bholō... Hara Hara Śiva, Hara Hara Śiva, Hara Hara Śiva. Om Namaḥ Śivāya. Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Śivāya Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo bolo Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya. Sundaram Siddhāya, Madhuram Śivāya. Bolo bolo Śivāya, Jolo bolo Śivāya. Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo bolo Śivāya, Bolo bolo Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Bolo bolo Śiva har har Śiva. Bolo bolo Śiva. Oṁ Namaḥ Śiva. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... This auspicious time, let us chant the Mahā Mṛtyuñjaya mantra and bring auspiciousness within ourselves. Let us chant the Mahā Mṛtyuñjaya mantra continuously, and we appease Bholā Bābā, and he can help us remove any obstacles to connect with himself. This is the wonderful divine mantra in this Kali Yuga. Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭi Vardhanam, Urvārukamiva Bandhanāt Mṛtyor Mukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt. Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭi Vardhanam, Urvārukamiva Bandhanāt Mṛtyor Mukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt. Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭi Vardhanam. Uruvārukamiva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam. Uruvārukamiva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam. Uruvārukamiva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Aum̐ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Aum̐ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Aum̐ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam. Urvārukam eva bandhanāt mṛtyor mokṣir yamāmṛtāt. Oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭivardhanam. With Śiva’s divine grace, we are able to finish, we are able to complete today’s session. Without his grace, we cannot complete it. It is saying that wherever Śiva Purāṇa is holding the holy ceremony, Śiva himself comes in different various forms. Obviously, Shiva Jī is here, and we sell it to Shiva, the divine power, divinity. The people are wondering for peace, pleasures, and the peace and pleasures give us the omnipresence. The happy god, Shiva, is within ourself, and may we ask to the gods, oh the God, we do not need anything. Just offer us devotions, and just give us until our death, so we can perform our devotions continuously like this, with the divine instruction of our guru and the divine blessings from God. We will have the opportunity to connect with you in this form, in this holy mela, holy fear. Please bless us. We will be able to chant the energy continuously until the last minute of our life. We can remember you, O Śiva. We ask with your blessings, we always enjoy, we are happy, and we are the messengers of peace. In our actions, in our words, and in our thoughts, we will carry your spirit, and we always spread the message of divinity, of spirituality. We came in a human form, and we are lucky that we are connecting with you with this Śiva Purāṇa. Thank you very much. We put our head to your lotus feet. Oh, the Śiva, oh, the divine Guru, Satguru. Thank you. We have no word to thank you. You have got a lot of mercy on us. We cannot offer you anything, just our devotion. Yad pūjitam mayā deva paripūrṇa tadastu me, anyathā śaraṇam nāsti to mevaṁ śaraṇam mama. Tasmat kāruṇya bhavena rakṣhamāṁ parameśvara, kāracaraṇa kṛtam vā karmajam kāyajam vā, śravaṇa nayana jam vā mānasam vā. Parādham bhītam bhītam vā sarvam etad akṣyam asva jai jai karuṇām de śrī mahādeva śambhu. Oṁ Pūrṇamadaḥ Pūrṇamedham Pūrṇād Pūrṇamudakṣyate Pūrṇasya Pūrṇamādāya Pūrṇameva Vaśiṣyate. Oṁ Sarvavai Pūrṇaha svāhā, Sarvavai Pūrṇaha svāhā. Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ...