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Part 1: The Essence of Oneness: A Discourse from the Śiva Purāṇa Gurur Brahmā, Gurur Viṣṇu, Gurur Devo Maheśvara, Gurur Sākṣāt Parabrahmā, Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Dhyāna mūlaṁ Guru mūrti, Pūjā mūlaṁ Guru pādaṁ, Mantra mūlaṁ Guru vākyaṁ, Mokṣa mūlaṁ Guru kṛpāṁ. Śrī Dev Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Devadeva Śrī Devapurījī Mahādeva Kī Jai. Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Parahaṁsṛī Svāmī Madhavānandajī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Viśva Guru Parahaṁsṛī Sāī Maheśvara Nandajī Gurudeva Kī. Jai Tumma Sabake Dina Dayala Raja Suna Meri. Tumma Sabake Dina Dayala Raja Suna Meri. Raja Suna Meri, kya bhool ga ye Shiva apni jananda leri? Sab khe Dina Dayala Raja Suna Meri. What did Shiva think of me? I am a devotee of Lord Shiva. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva. Chuka kya ye dina na thalagai? Dari raja sunam shimadaya. Raja suname suna kya? Saṅgha janja purabhari Jaya deva di deva śrī deva purīṣ mahā deva. Jaya Rāma samrāt parahaṁsī svāmī Madhava Nānājī Kṛṣṇa bhagavān. Jaya viśva guru parahaṁsī svāmī Maheśvara Nānājī guru deva. Jaya jaya Hari Om, Hari Om, Tat Sat. Śrī Parampitā Parameśvar ke Tathā Gurujan ke Caraṇ Kamal me Merā Mastak Rākhe Me Āj Ke Isse Sipūraṇā Ke Sandhyā Kālin Session Me I request all of you to accept the request of Ācārya Rājan Śarmā. So, in today’s evening session, we are proceeding to the Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. Wherever you are listening to this voice—from the television, from the pandal, from outside—I bow to all of you. I extend a warm-hearted welcome to everyone attending directly or via webcast, television, or outside the pandal. Please accept my welcome from Ācārya Rajan Sharma. This time we are discussing the Śiva Saṁhitā, the Śiva Purāṇa within the Rudra Saṁhitā, and we are just entering. Before we begin, let us remember Parampitā Śiva Bholenāth with Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya eleven times: Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Om Jai Bholenāthī Bhagavān Kī, Jai Śrī Gaṇeśa Bhagavān Kī, Jai Mātā Sarasvatī Kī, Jai Guru Tathā Sant Mahātmā Jan Kī, Jai Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheśvarī Kī, Jai Cāro Vedoṅ Kī, Jai Satī Sanātana Dharma Kī, Jai Sakala Bhakta Janakī, Jai Bholenāthī Pārvatī Pate Mahādeva Kī, Jai Har Har Mahādeva, Har Har Mahādeva. Oh Mahādeva Hara, please defeat all obstacles, all difficulties, all laziness, and all the pains of this material life. Hara, Hara... We always chant "Hara Hara Mahādev," and Mahādev is always listening, connecting you through this divine energy and the magnetic field of the universe. Through God and Guru, you are always connected. That is why your inner strength is your outer foundation. Always strengthen the inside, and that will make your outer foundation strong. We always derive this moral history from the Śiva Purāṇa. We talked about Kārtikeya in the morning session. We explained who Kārtikeya is. Kārtikeya is the son of Śiva. When Bābā was meditating, Kāmadeva came and shot arrows six times. Later, six children emerged from Gaṅgājī, the holy Ganges, who later merged and united into one form: Kārtikeya. When Kārtikeya was born, he was bright, powerful, and intelligent. Everything in this universe happens for a reason, and Kārtikeya also came for a specific purpose. At the time Śivajī was meditating, a demon became active and began destroying all the Āśramas, Dharmaśālās, Ṛṣis, Kutīs, and such places. The divine goddesses began to cry and pleaded with Śiva, "Oh Śiva, please do something." Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa—everyone was pleading. Meanwhile, the demon was Tārakāsura. Tārakāsura had meditated and asked Brahmā for a boon. Brahmā blessed him, saying, "No one in this universe can kill you except the son of Śiva." Tārakāsura thought Śiva would not marry anymore and would have no children, so he believed he would remain forever. But you must know that everything that comes into this universe must go. Birth comes with death; both are predetermined. From birth, death is certain. Therefore, when the Dānava Tārakāsura asked Brahmājī for the boon of immortality, Brahmājī said such a boon is never granted. He then said, "When the son of Śivajī is born, only he will be able to kill you. Otherwise, no one can." Such a boon was given by Brahmā. But in the world, death accompanies everyone. Whoever is born, his death is certain. That is why it is involved in everything. God has never granted anyone the boon of immortality because it contradicts the laws of the universe. Here too, for the Daitya Tārakāsura, Brahmā gave a similar boon: "You cannot become immortal, but ask for a difficult boon." So he said that when Śivjī has a son, only he can kill you; otherwise, no one can. He asked for this boon because he was clever; he thought Śivjī would not marry, as Śivjī was devoted to Satī Devī. After that, he was absorbed in meditation, detached from worldly attractions. Jai Bhūteśa Bhagavān Kī. Now, coming to the point: Kārtikeya has been born. Any great being is born for a reason. Kārtikeya grew stronger. As the son of Śiva, he received blessings from Brahmā and many gods and deities. Kārtikeya came to this universe to subdue the demons. Just as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa came for a purpose, so too did Kārtikeya, the son of Śiva, come to defeat the demon Tārakāsura. Tārakāsura was a very brave demon who started destroying Āśramas and creating obstacles for the Devatās. Meanwhile, Viṣṇu went and... Brahmā asked Nārada, "Oh Nārada, the time of sin and darkness is about to end." Brahmā told Nārada, "Do not worry. When Kārtikeya is young enough, he will kill Tārakāsura." At the same time, Tārakāsura was gathering energy, preparing to fight Kārtikeya. This shows that whenever demons arise, they always want to snatch something from others. The demonic quality is to covet what others have and to destroy whatever good is happening. There is no demon elsewhere. If you possess that quality, if you have such thoughts sometimes, you feel the demon is inside you. Sometimes we do not know when the demon comes—when you are in anger, in a temper, in a difficult situation, when you behave abnormally, that is demonic or evil behavior. In the same way, the Śivapurāṇa speaks about humanity, civilization, energy, practical life, and how it is compatible with modern theory as well. The demon represents the tāmasic quality of the human body. When tamas arises, we do not seek dharma, we do not follow rules and regulations, we do not feel truthfulness, and we simply follow our senses and temptations. But sometimes, Śiva represents the meditative state. When you meditate, thoughts are like children. Thoughts arise, and the thirst (desire) seeks to avoid good thoughts or evil forces. In this way, we understand this story. It is not merely a story; it holds great meaning. So Tārakāsura was ready to fight, and Brahmā and Viṣṇu gave many divine weapons to Kārtikeya. One day, Kārtikeya met Tārakāsura. Tārakāsura said, "Oh, little boy, you want to kill me? You are such a tiny boy. How can you kill me? I can finish you in a minute. You know I can defeat Indra. I have defeated so many divine and powerful goddesses. You are nothing to me. Are you ready? I can fight you alone, and I can finish you and all the deities who came with you. I am strong enough." Tārakāsura said this to Kārtikeya, and Kārtikeya replied that he too was strong. In this world, whenever dharma needs to be established, God always supports it. This time, I am not alone here; dharma is with me. So if you are fighting anywhere with dharma and for dharma, you will definitely... The message of the Śivapurāṇa, the message of the Rāmāyaṇa, the message of the Bhagavad Gītā, the message of the Mahābhārata—all are quite similar: if you have dharma and you are fighting for dharma, if you are taking action, then the goal is in your hands; you never need to be deprived of success. Here too, for Kārtikeya, he is younger, but Tārakāsura is very strong. Still, the Devatās were worried. Tārakāsura is very strong; what will happen to Kārtikeya? But Kārtikeya's answer was, "Gods, do not worry. I am enough for them alone because I have dharma with me." As long as there is dharma, nothing else is needed; you will win every time. Kārtikeya heard these words, and all the Devatās were happy. Tārakāsura was very strong and was about to defeat Kārtikeya, who was growing tired. Again, the gods, Nandi, Śiva's Gaṇas—all were worried. "Oh my God, Tārakāsura is strong enough. What will happen?" At that time, Brahmā advised Kārtikeya, "Please meditate on Śiva whenever you feel weakness, whenever your energy or body feels very weak. You need to take rest. Even if you practice yoga nidrā, you will gain more power." Yoga nidrā or meditation multiplies your power. At that time, Kārtikeya received this advice from Śiva through Brahmā: "Please meditate on Śiva, and Śiva will bless you." In the same way, Kārtikeya meditated. In his meditation, he said, "Oh Śivajī, I am in crisis. I know Brahmā gave the boon to Tārakāsura that only the son of Śiva can kill him. But I am weak now. You are my only hope. Hey Śivajī, there has been a lot of fighting. Without your power, I cannot become a powerful person. What should I do?" At that time, Śiva appeared and blessed him: "Oh Kārtikeya, do not worry. You are acting for Dharma. You are standing for Dharma. That is why I am with you. Take these divine weapons, the Brahmāstra. You can kill Tārakāsura." Tārakāsura was proud, thinking, "I am brave; no one can kill me." Kārtikeya was growing weaker and weaker. But when he received the Brahmāstra from Śiva, Kārtikeya went to the battlefield. Finally, people were waiting, watching, and anticipating. They waited for the result. Finally, with the Brahmāstra, Tārakāsura was killed. When Tārakāsura was killed, many people began to shout "Jai Jai Kār." They started singing and chanting the glory of Kārtikeya: "Kartikeya kī jai, Bholā Bābā kī jai." There were glories, and everyone chanted Kartikeya's name and Śiva Bholā Bābā's name. There, Karthikeya was worshipped because Tārakāsura was killed when Śivajī gave the Brahmāstra to Karthikeya. When Kārtikeya killed Tārakāsura, he was worshipped. The Devatās showered flowers from heaven, and everyone was happy. After that, amidst the shouts of victory, once again in the world, on earth, the kingdom of Dharma was established. By obeying... the Devatās, Gaṇas, all began to live happily. Thus, the story of this Saṁhitā concludes here. Then I will enter the second chapter. There is a story that when Kārtikeya killed Tārakāsura... Tārakāsura had been happy before, but now he had to go. He was killed. When Tārakāsura died, there was a beautiful kingdom of God, and everyone was happy, everyone was doing well. Therefore, people, you just need to wait. Wait and wait. When the time comes, dharma, satya, and nyāya will be established. This is the moral story of Kārtikeya. You may have many queries. We are talking about the Śiva Purāṇa. We are not listening to the Śiva Purāṇa in modern times? We definitely need to receive the nectar of the Śiva Purāṇa, and we need to find its practical message as well. You might... I have queries, and someone suggested this to me in the morning as well. We have many Purāṇas—18 Purāṇas—and one Purāṇa emphasizes one god, another Purāṇa emphasizes another god. If you read the Devī Bhāgavata, if you read the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, it says Viṣṇu is great. If you read the Devī Bhāgavata, the Devī Purāṇa, it says the Devī is great. And if you read the Śiva Purāṇa, Śiva is great. Sometimes the devotee, sometimes the listener, becomes confused. But if you are confused, you will find the solution. Again, there is Śiva whenever you are confused, because it is said that in this world, everything is all in one, and one is all. We are all a drop of the ocean. When we are separated, we are separate. But when we are together, when we merge in the ocean, we are all the same. In the same way, I would like to tell something here from the Śivapurāṇa. It says that Śivajī says, "No matter Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva—whatever name you take—I am in the three, and the three are in me." So there is no difference. Also, if you read the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, it says the same thing. In conclusion, you can understand: are there three things? There are omnipresent things. The supreme God is one, but according to their duties, we take separate names. For example, if you talk about the hand: a hand doctor specializes in the hand; he needs to study all about the hands, fingers, knobs, and bones of the hand because he needs to specialize in that subject matter. It does not matter; he needs to know the hand is great. If a doctor for the legs, he needs to study more about the legs; he needs to study the leg properly. But in reality, the body is the same. The division is different; it might be different. But when you seek spirituality, all is one, and you do not need to be confused. That is why when we worship the Pañca Devatā, Pañcāyatan—what are the Pañcāyatan Devatā? You might know that. The Pañca in Pañcāyatan Devatā: one is Śiva, another is Viṣṇu, another is Devī, and Sūrya, and also... So the five different Devatā, Pañca Devatā, we worship together. That means all elements are there. There is no difference. Yet human nature, as I mentioned earlier, always seeks barriers and division. This is because of our ego. To prove, to satisfy our ego, we always want to prove that we are supreme, we are different, we are unique, we are better. To show we are better, we are always seeking that division and differentiation. So some people say, "Oh, we are the Śaivas, we are great," and some people say, "Oh, we are Vaiṣṇavas, we are great." But when you go closer, they... you will find another border. If you are from the same group, again they will say, "Oh, I am the senior devotee." Again they will say, "I am from the proper God’s place." So there is always this tendency, this nature in people, to create barriers. But in reality, in spirituality, when you are really deep down, when you are really close to God and Guru, when you are truly connected with the Supreme Lord, you will find there is no discrimination at all—you find that everything is one. No matter whatever name you call, there is no differentiation, and you do not seek power, position, money, or anything. You do not seek there; you just seek that eternity. We are energy; the soul is energy. After death, the body will not be there, but the soul never finishes. As I mentioned before, every energy merges, every energy converts, every energy changes, but does not finish. For example, if you boil water, what happens? It evaporates. It is converted to steam, and steam goes to the clouds, and clouds convert to rain, and it goes to the ocean. Again, that comes in the river. If you mix water in juice or coffee or anything and you throw it, the water evaporates and will be separated—that is the nature of water. In the same way, we are one. No matter where you are from—Hungary, Croatia, Australia, America, India, Nepal—wherever you are, the soul comes from the Supreme, that cosmic source, and that soul is spreading around us, and later we will be there. If you have good saṁskāras, if you connect with good karma, later you will merge with a good group of good energy. If you have a lot of bad karma, then that will be the cause of your rebirth—birth and death again, birth and death. You have the cycle. The energy goes after death, but if you have many unfulfilled desires—maybe you want to earn money, maybe you have to fulfill a big career, maybe you have a quest for something, maybe you want to be a great person with name and fame—if you have those things, that desire brings your soul down, and that will keep going. This has been researched in many areas. If you read about life after death, it has been researched as well. There is research in the Śivapurāṇa also. At the same time, yogīs or saintly Mahātmās discovered this. They wrote this, but in modern times also, many people are practicing and searching for which philosophy is similar and compatible. Why do they read this book? Because this book is a guide for people who want to listen to the story, and through the story, they want to convince us. Through the story, they want to tell us the truth. That is why we are connected. We are all one, and we are like ocean drops. When rain comes, the drops are different, and the shape of the water conforms to the container. The water itself has no shape. If you put it in a steel glass, it takes that shape. If you put it in a plate, the water has a different shape. If you put it in a bottle, it has a different shape. In the same way, we are the human body. We may have different shapes, different colors, but the soul is the same. When we know this truth and reality, then you are an awakened person, and you will have no confusion. The supreme God is that. No matter from where you want to know the same thing—if you want to taste water from the Indian Ocean, or you want to taste water from the Pacific Ocean, or from America—wherever, the taste of the ocean is the same: salty. In the same way, divinity is also the same, no matter the path from which your branch starts. If you are truly awake, if you continue sādhanā... That is why Śiva, as I mentioned to you... "Tridhā bhinno ha ham tridhā." There is no difference; it is three, and Viṣṇu, Brahmā... Bābā here. That is from the Śiva Purāṇa, Rudra Saṁhitā, for reference. I have collected another reference for you from the Nārada Purāṇa, Chapter 6, verse 48, that says: "Hari Śaṅkarayur Madde Brāhmaṇa Syāpi Yo Naraha." It says that those people who want to differentiate Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa—the three divisions—and who claim "I am senior," it says they will achieve only hell, not heaven. That means, like, hell is here; they will be in illusion. And when the illusion is not cleared, you will not attain Svarga. That is in the Nārada Purāṇa, Chapter 6, verse 48 onwards, for your reference. Also, in the Rudra Saṁhitā, Śivajī says these things. Part 2: The Essential Oneness of the Divine In the Rāmcaritmānas, when Śrī Rāma is being married in Janakpur Dhām, even Lord Śiva comes outside the marriage maṇḍap and exclaims in wonder, wishing to see and touch the feet of Nārāyaṇa. There, Rāma is Nārāyaṇa. Conversely, before crossing the ocean, Rāma himself worships a Śiva liṅga. Therefore, it is said that Śiva is supreme, and Nārāyaṇa is the supreme, the foremost Śaiva. There is no difference. Any sense of division arises only from our attachments to group, clan, caste, or sect. Otherwise, we are all the same. This is why God has stated in the Rudra Saṁhitā: where Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa exist, I reside in all three, and my form is threefold. There is no distinction. To say, "I am a Śaiva," or "You are a Vaiṣṇava," or "You are a devotee of Śakti," and to then argue over who is greater or smaller, is to partake of a great sin. As stated in the Nārada Purāṇa, Adhyāya 6, Śloka 48: one who sees a difference between the Vedas, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa falls into hell. We are all like the ocean. The water in the ocean is one. When we take water out in a pot, it appears separate. When we pour it back into the ocean, it becomes one again. Similarly, we are parts of God. As long as the part resides in our individual body, we feel separate. When, through our pious and sincere karma, we reach the same door of God, we realize we are that very part. Hence, there is no difference. This is the conclusion of the Purāṇas, the decree of God. No matter what language you speak—English, Marathi, Hindi, Avadhi, Sanskrit, Nepali, or Bengali—God has only one language: devotion. If you have devotion, you can chant "Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya" or offer any prayer you wish. There is no difference. Only human beings create barriers. For God, there is no barrier. For God, we are all one. You may call water by any name—"water," "aqua," "pāṇī," "jala"—but its quality remains water. In the same way, the Śiva Purāṇa states there is no cause for confusion. Do not be confused. Where there is doubt, cut it out. The moment you receive this inner awakening—which is your Guru's blessing, your inner Guru—and you know the path continues, you may sometimes just need company and reassurance in your satsaṅg. When this knowledge dawns, you keep praying in the name of the Lord. Whether you chant "Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya," "Oṁ Nārāyaṇa," "Oṁ Namo Devāyai Namaḥ," "Nārāyaṇa," "Vidmahe," "Vasudevāya Dhīmahe," it is all the same. Addressing any deity is addressing the One. We give Mahādeva 108 names and a Sahasranāma (thousand names). Viṣṇu has different names. It is not that every name is different; it is due to our roles and work. Sometimes we are meditating and listening, and in that state, we come close to Brahmā. Then we go home and cook, and we become the cook. You are not a cook forever, not a student forever, not a teacher forever. Your role keeps changing. Similarly, the names of God differ based on the aspect of divine energy we seek. For knowledge and intelligence, you need the energy of knowledge, so you worship Sarasvatī Mā. For property, you worship Lakṣmī Mā. The name corresponds to the energy. If you want something with sincerity, it will definitely come. If all of you want the same thing, it will come even sooner. This is why satsaṅg needs to be together. If everyone is seeking the same truth, that collective energy accumulates and leads to the same outcome. This is the power of prayer and devotion. We should pray and meditate together; group meditation is beneficial. Every soul has a different journey, but doing it collectively makes it easier. The Purāṇas describe how all the devīs and devatās go to Mahādeva and pray together, and Mahādeva is easily pleased. Similarly, in worldly life, if everyone joins a movement, it succeeds. The mind is powerful; if a group of people come together wanting peace in an area, peace can be established. This is seen in gatherings like the Kumbha Melā. It is a continuation of the sages' practice: they gather together to appease and discover the truth. When people gather here, chanting, someone is creating truth and vibration that reaches heaven. Someone is meditating, someone is doing yoga. All spiritual activities are happening, meaning divine energy must come here. Even if you are not actively doing anything, if someone else is, you share and receive that energy and benefit. Such wonderful things happen here, especially as we are listening to the Śiva Purāṇa. This is a wonderful opportunity in our life. Those who are listening are also blessed. Wherever you are, if you are listening, that is wonderful. The prayer, this wave, is going towards you. When you see a sādhu’s or guru’s appearance, it gives different reflections. Utilize those reflections no matter where you are. If you come here directly, that is fine. If not, you can still receive. There is no rule that only those at the Kumbha Melā can receive. Wherever you are, you are equally eligible. Now, before chanting, we will chant "Oṁ" 21 times to create vibrations. Wherever you are listening, you can also chant with us. The number 21 has importance. If you chant continuously and are about to stop, your friends will pick it up, and that energy vibrates everywhere. Vibration is immensely powerful. There is a story: when the British ruled India, a British agent was astonished to see a man turn a rope into a pillar, have someone climb it, and then turn it back into a rope. This was the power of vibration. They practiced this in universities too. How could an Indian, not highly literate, do this? If you move a stick or ring very fast, it appears like a solid circle. A bicycle or motorbike stays balanced when moving but falls when still. Let us begin. Let's chant "Oṁ" 21 times continuously, and then we will chant "Namaḥ Śivāya." Oṁ... (21 times) Enjoy the silence. Enjoy the divine energy. What beautiful vibration comes from our Brahma Raṇḍa, activating all our energy centers. Wonderful. Now we chant: Oṁ Namaḥ Nārāyaṇa... Nārāyaṇa... Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa... Naraṁ Nārāyaṇa... Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa... Bolo Nārāyaṇa... Jagga Nārāyaṇa... Bajraṁ Nārāyaṇa... Bolo Nārāyaṇa... Rāma Nārāyaṇa... Jai Bhole Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheśvara kī! Jai Bhole Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheśvara kī! Jai Bhole Brahma Viṣṇu Maheśvara kī! Hari Oṁ. The Narrative from the Śiva Purāṇa Now, let us turn to the Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. After Kārttikeya slew Tārakāsura, what happened? What did his three sons do? What were their names? Why did Brahmā give them boons? After Tārakāsura was slain, there was peace in the world for a long time. When evil is destroyed, dharma is established. But the nature of creation is such that when dharma increases, after a while the daityas (demons) rise again. It is like law and corruption: when the law is strong, corruption is weak; then corruption finds new ways to increase, and the law must be strengthened anew. This is a rule of the world. Thus, after Tārakāsura died and dharma was established, in time the daityas began to awaken again. The purpose of daityas is to be destroyed. Tārakāsura had three sons: Tārakākṣa, Vidyunmālī, and Kamalākṣa. These three princes began to perform intense penance—not for a short time, but for thousands of years. In this world, both devatās and daityas perform penance. We should live in such a way that the lamp of our effort keeps burning. The rule of nature is that when good is established, negativity automatically arises. When it reaches a climax, it must be destroyed again. So, when there was dharma, peace, generosity, and happiness, the three sons of Tārakāsura became very active. Their names were Tārakākṣa (the first), Vidyunmālī (the second), and Kamalākṣa (the third). Their father was killed, but they had to fulfill their daitya duty. They began performing penance, for without penance there is no fruit, whether for a human, daitya, or god. You may see some who do not perform penance yet are happy. Ask why. It is because they are connected to some dharma performed by others. The world continues because, amidst much negativity and sin, some people maintain dharma and truth. Through their power, the world runs. Otherwise, it would have been destroyed many times. There is dharma in the name of many good souls. From time to time, great beings appear—Buddha, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, Mahāpuruṣa, Mahāguru—to maintain purity. They are sent by the great divine energy. This energy is invited by our collective energy. Before the universe began, there was only void, sand, and swell. There was no greenery, just empty space. The sand and dust desired greenery. That energy connected, that energy was invited, and all greenery, plants, and grass came. When vegetation came, after many years, the plants desired birds and animals to help spread their seeds and enjoy their fruits. Through their meditation, their sent energy brought animals. Still, for complete creation (sṛṣṭi), something more was needed: someone to protect, understand, and manage the forest. They desired a sensible being—the human. Then humans came. When humans engage in wrongdoing (atyācār, duracār, pāpa), injustice, and difficulty, the collective intention of good people invites holy persons. These holy persons come from time to time to establish dharma, spread it, and thus creation evolves. Intelligent human beings spread knowledge and the glory of God and Guru. That is why this place has a powerful divine presence. Even if someone simply sits here, they receive benefits. That is why lakhs of people come without invitation, not just here but to any pilgrimage spot. Wherever you go on pilgrimage, you will find that energy. It is not that going to the Kumbha Melā or any devī devatā pīṭha grants liberation. You receive energy, and if you have an awakening within, it boosts you. If you have already planted the tree of spirituality, pilgrimage fertilizes and irrigates it, giving it a chance to flourish and bear good fruit. But if you cannot come, do not feel you are lacking. You must first arrange the Kumbha Melā inside yourself. If you have that inner awakening, then an external pilgrimage is helpful. The Penance of Tārakāsura's Sons After Tārakāsura was slain, his three sons—Tārakākṣa, Vidyunmālī, and Kamalākṣa—began to meditate intensely. They were Śiva bhaktas, but they meditated to Brahmā, as Śiva was already pleased. They needed power from Brahmā. They performed amazing penance, tolering winds, showers, winters, rains, and many difficulties without giving up. Eventually, Brahmā appeared and asked, "What do you want, my children?" The sons replied, "Lord, we do not want gold or such things." Brahmā said no one could get immortality and asked them to choose something else. They requested time to think. After further meditation, they returned. Tārakākṣa asked Brahmā for a beautiful town made entirely of gold, complete with a Śiva temple (Śivālaya), and all the most luxurious pleasures of this world. Vidyunmālī asked for everything made of silver—a silver town—and all worldly and heavenly pleasures. Kamalākṣa asked for an immensely strong town made of iron that no one could destroy, along with all material pleasures. They set one condition: each town must be in a different space—one in heaven, one in the netherworld, and one on earth (Martya Loka). Furthermore, these towns must remain invisible, becoming visible only for one day each year during the Abhijit Nakṣatra. You may know about nakṣatras (constellations). There are 27 constellations, groups of stellar energy around Earth's belt. The constellation under which you are born influences the energy your brain, bones, and being receive. It is like a pizza: the base is the same, but the toppings differ—tomato, margherita, avocado, cheese. Similarly, we start as a blank base, and the energy we receive from planets like Jupiter or Mars shapes us. Some become strong devotees, some gnostics, others something else. That is why even brothers from the same parents can be different: one wants to explore the world, another wants to stay home chanting. The parents, family, food, culture, and upbringing are the same, so why the difference? Because of the time of birth and, fundamentally, because of karma. The constellations and planets are agents of your karma. Part 3: The Symbolic Destruction of Tripura In the same way, it is said that Tārakākṣa, Kamalākṣa, and Vidyunmālī approached Brahmājī for the three Tripuras. These three cities become visible only at one specific time: during the Abhijit Nakṣatra. Abhijit Nakṣatra is the last constellation in the circle, and also when the moon is in the Puṣya Nakṣatra. Among the 27 constellations, it is the Puṣya Nakṣatra. When the moon (candramā) is in Puṣya, our three cities can become visible. Grant us Tripuras of silver and iron—the Tripura that is invisible in the sky and in the air. Let us see it in a single moment. To see it in a single moment, when the Abhijit Nakṣatra and the moon are in the Puṣya Nakṣatra, let us see this Tripura at that time. For the rest of the time, let it remain in that invisible form so that no one can attack that city. Brahmājī also said, "Tathāstu" (so be it). There are many Śivalayas. Somebody is chanting, doing śivas like this at the Kumbha Melā. Then in some temple, they are performing havan. Somewhere else, they are doing pūjā. Somebody is applying tripuṇḍa, and there are luxurious things, mostly. Nowadays, if you compare that to a five-star hotel, such things are more than luxurious. Every house is like a five-star hotel for them. They attained that sort of luxurious life, made the arrangements, enjoyed there, and started to live there. All of them entered into Tripura. They all went and requested Brahmājī to make Tripura for them. They made a golden Tripura, an iron Tripura, and a silver Tripura. But what is that Tripura? It is invisible all the time. It becomes visible only when the invisible nakṣatra appears. It is visible at the same time when the moon enters Puṣya. They made another further demand of Brahmā: that there is the one word Puṣkara Bhārata. What is it? Puṣkara Bhārata. That Puṣkara birth comes once in a thousand years. In that way, you can see that sometimes a tsunami, like you saw in Japan, or a massive earthquake in Nepal, does not come all the time. We have counted that geology finds out that every 90 years in Nepal that sort of massive earthquake comes. That is the rule of the universe. Also, 90 years ago there was a massive earthquake, and before that there is no record, but now we find out. So every 90 years that eruption comes, which is related to modern times as well. So everything happens at a certain time, and we might not face that. We only live 60 or 70 years, so how can we know all those things? Only history, only the resources, only all the scriptures will tell about it. At that time, the three demons asked that in only one thousand years, our three towns can be merged into one. And in one thousand years, at that time, if somebody can destroy, they can destroy; otherwise, they cannot. That also is marked for one nimeṣa. One nimeṣa is that one moment—the moment you blink, only that much time. So if, in that much time, somebody attacks in our time zone, then they can destroy; otherwise, they cannot. And our town will last forever? That sort of trick they asked, and Brahmā said, "All right, this is a very good thing. Whatever you ask, anyway you are not going to live forever. My duty is to give blessings. Thank you, goodbye, all the best." That is what Brahmā said, and they went to the town and started to live there. So, what is there is that, as Brahmā has given a boon, Tripura was established. And in a thousand years, such a time comes—Puṣkara Bhārata—at that time, for one nimeṣa, the three Tripuras become one. At that time, if someone puts a bond (arrow), then Tripura gets destroyed; otherwise, it does not get destroyed, and that too only for one nimeṣa. It happens in one place. One nimeṣa means the time it takes to put an eye on a palak (blink), that is one nimeṣa. What happened after that? The devotees were saved with happiness. But you see, no one gets immortality in the world. If immortality were found in the world, then how many kingdoms of the devotees used to be here? Whether of wealth, or of humans, or of deities, no one would have a chance. But the rules of the world are not like that. Everything has to be known. The important thing here is the meaning of the cities of gold, silver, and iron, which is that people are attracted to gold and silver in the Kali Yuga. And what is that? That is also a Kāla (Time/Death). It is said that in the Kali Kāla, Sura (liquor), Sundarī (women), and Sona (gold) are the three Kālas. Sura and Madhira (wine) also give you the benefit of the Kāla. They drink Madhira, they enjoy it for some time, but what that Madhira does slowly, slowly... it kills you; it brings you nearer to Kāla like this. Sundarī, the attraction, that too slowly, slowly, will make you like this. Sura, Sundarī, and gold—in the greed of gold, in the greed of wealth, people are dying; competition is happening for wealth. You see, there is a war in many places for land. This war is happening for Bhogol (geography/land). This is all the newness of Kāla. Like this is why it is called Navtā for Kāla. There was a sādhu in Kali Yuga who was doing a lot of dharma. The king gave him Navta and went to the king. The king said that he is a sādhu, and we will donate gold to him; it will be a lot of dharma. The king gave him a lot of gold. He used to sit in a hut. He didn’t have a pocket, a container, or a bank account. He took the gold and put it in the room. Then at night, when the gold was there, he could not sleep because if a thief comes through the window, or someone comes from somewhere, he will take the gold. He did not get sleep all night. First, he slept comfortably when there was no gold. So the next day he went to the king and said, "King, take your gold. As long as you gave gold, my sleep became haram (forbidden/lost)." That’s why he returned the gold. But now in Kali Yuga, people die for gold. They walk with gold. There is attraction for gold. That’s why when the Dvāpara Yuga ends and you listen to the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, there is Kali Yuga in gold. That’s what is written. So here also in the Śivapurāṇa, the meaning of the city of gold is that people are attracted to gold, but there is Kāla in gold. How we interpret the Śivapurāṇa in modern times is: the town of gold means the people attracted to gold, and people attracted to silver, people attracted to metal, the material things. It has nothing to do with you; you can’t take it after death. But still, in the name of material pleasure, you are fighting. You are fighting for the border, you are fighting for the house, you are fighting for property, and in the name of nationality, in the name of caste, in the name of culture, in the name of groupism, there is a lot of fight in it. That is also attraction, and that is what the Śivapurāṇa wants to show. This is the symbolic meaning of the Śivapurāṇa. The Tripura, also there is a Tripura with the metal silver and gold, so that means the three metals each connect with death. They explained one story: that one sādhu was used to living peacefully in a forest. He didn’t have any palace or anything; he was just simply living a simple life. You know, a sādhu is nothing. He goes wherever he wants to go. So what is a true sādhu? He wants to go to Paramatmā. He doesn’t want a post for that. He doesn’t want a post either. He doesn’t want a sūra, he doesn’t want a sundarī, he doesn’t want a sonā. For that, he wants Paramatmā. He wants to be close to Paramatmā. When he is attracted to three things, he will go to the dark. So that’s the thing. There was a sādhu. He was meditating all the time, and he was a very knowledge-less person. He wanted to seek enlightenment. Only enlightenment, self-realization, is his motto. But what happened is, one day the king gave him a gift. The king gave him a gift, so he had to go to the sage and went to the royal court. The king met the sage, gave a lot of gold, so the king handed over many gifts with gold. At that time he became confused. "Oh, I am the sage, I am Bhairagī, I am not Gṛhasthī. I don’t need gold. What is gold for me? I don’t have a wife, I don’t have children, I don’t wear jewelry." So he told the tradition that if somebody gives a donation, you need to receive that, isn’t it? For respect, the sādhu also took the gold and brought it back to his kuṭī (hut). In that small hut, there was no strong window, no door, nothing. There was no safe, no bank account for a sādhu. He put that just under the pillow, whatever. Normally, he used to go freely to take a snān (bath) here and there. But because of that gold, he thought, "Oh, if I go to take a bath in a river, what will happen? Somebody will come and take it. The window is not locked. There is no lock in the window for a sādhu. Who will buy that lock? An expensive key." And he thought, "Well, okay, today I’m not going to take a shower. Okay, leave it." He stayed there, and he used to go out here and there, stretching, yoga, and he thought, "Well, if I go outside for yoga posture, what will happen here? This gold will be taken by somebody." The day was spent doing nothing, just moving around the gold. Then night time happened, and he was just about to sleep. He thought, "Well, it’s getting dark. What happens if some thief comes? The window, if somebody, looters come from the window." And he could not sleep. It became midnight, it became dawn in the morning; he could not sleep. Oh my God. Then he carried all this gold and went back to the king’s place. "Oh king, please receive this. The minute I received gold, I lost my sleep, so... That’s why, take your gold yourself. Since I took gold, you gave me gold, my sleep has become free, so you take it, Rājā. This gold is of no use to me; this is of no use to the sages." If the current sages will do this, then it is very good. Then you are a sādhu in reality, because you have no profit in your material wealth; you have no greed. For you, there is greed for the Lord. What do you need to go into the lap of the Lord? There is no pocket in the pocket. There is no bag or baggage with the coffin, so there is nothing. If there is baggage in the coffin, then many people will collect so many things, but it is not. Perhaps you need to leave anything, so why should you need to bother? You just attentively perform your devotion towards God and Guru, or the eternal seeking. That’s why maintain always generosity, integrity, truthfulness, accountability. That needs to be your asset. Spirituality is, what is it? After death, there is nothing left. So what is eternal? In your life, always be engaged in the search for Paramātmā. Whether you receive an education or not, whether you receive honor and respect or not, whether you receive wealth or not, you are poor. You are from India, Pakistan, America. You are from anywhere. You are the only one for God. They don’t see your account, passport, visa. For God, there is no difference. Yet He doesn’t check visa, if you have visa or not. He doesn’t check your money. He doesn’t check your travel check. For God, all are equal. Sometimes people ask me in Australia, "Well, you don’t drink," you said, "and you don’t eat meat. You said you don’t go for gambling. So, don’t you think something is missing in your life? How do you enjoy, then?" I said, "Well, yes, I miss one thing." And they say, "What is that?" "Problem. I miss problem, because if you don’t have these habits, you will not have problems. So you’re not missing anything, you’re missing only problems." So if you sometimes... that’s why many people, friends invite me for dinner, not for the dinner because it’s easy for them when they are drunk. And drink driving is not allowed, and I need to drive, so they will have a free driver, so they always invite, "Well, let’s go. If you are vegetarian, don’t worry, we’ll arrange something. Let’s go." And in the middle of the night, I need to drive back home. In the same way, if you have nothing, that’s a problem also. Nothing? If you want to accumulate more, it’s more. For a simple example, you are flying back to Europe or your destination, but if you have more luggage, the travel will be difficult, complex, isn’t it? In the same way, here also we are going to travel to that infinite destination one day. That we are living in this body for sure; one day we are listening, talking here, but that will be history one day, definitely for sure. That all of we know, but we are in illusion that we have got a lot of connection. We are connected with organization, connection of this and connection of that. So, the more you have connection, more attachment, and our duty is to cut the connection slowly, slowly... Be free, be light. Plan for your light travel. Travel light, and more luggage, more problems. That’s a little luggage. If you have to do something, maybe responsibility for your friends and family, wives, partner, you just do it now, and better leave it free. Don’t decide for. Give your will for the later, near to your death, so everything you give now and finalize, and try to be free, and free from your mind. That one sādhu told me, "I’m free and well," and later on he said, "Well, do you know something? What do you have? Have some mantra? You know, I have got some problem, because there is one competitor with me. He wants to be greater in my akhāḍā, but I am doing that for so many years, but I’m not getting chance. Do you have some mantra, please, and that you can do that sādhanā? I heard, can you do this?" And I asked, you told that before, "You are free," but you are not free, that you have still that attachment with the position rather than the Paramātmā. And he just smiled, yeah. So that is... That bondage is not outside; bondage is inside. So if you want to be free, try to be free from inside. So you don’t need any mantras, any sādhanās, any tantras, any mohanī, any jāl, any jādu, any spirit, any spells, any hypnotism. You don’t need, just you surrender to God, and then seek that position, and that position is great. Like Bhaktapradar, Bhaktapradar, what did he say? That when his brother was playing in his father’s lap, so his brother, his stepbrother, was playing in his father’s lap. He went with his father. So, what happened? His mother said, "You are not fit to sit in the lap of your father. Come when you are fit, then sit." Then he became sad. When he became sad and went home, his mother explained to him, "Son, why are you sad?" "Mother, today I went to sit in the lap of my father. So, there was a stepbrother in the lap of my father. I have tried, but my mother-in-law said that you are not worthy to be in the lap of your father." So Mother said, "Don’t worry. God’s lap is the biggest. It is open for everyone. You just have to meditate, do yoga, and do penance. You never have to come back from the lap of God. But you have to come back from the lap of your father again and again. So, why do you want to live in the lap of this world?" So, there was a story about the position. The position goes back to King Uttānapāda. King Uttānapāda is the son of Brahmā. And he is one of the brothers of the Dakṣa Prajāpati in ancient times. And he has got two wives. King Uttānapāda has got two wives. That time, it was alright to keep two or three wives. For kings, especially, that’s no rule. They still here in India, you might see so. And there were the two wives, and Dhruva was the son from the first wife. And Dhruva went to that father’s place, but there was his stepbrother. He was in the father’s lap, and he wants to sit with the father, but his stepmother came and said, "That’s the Balak Durbā, you are not allowed to sit on your father’s lap. You don’t deserve to stay." The tone is for a brother, and she became so unhappy and sorry that he became so unhappy, and he was trying to cry, and he went back to his mom, Durba. He went to Durba, and Durba said, "Like mom, what can I do? My father told that I’m not eligible. My mother also told the same. The thing is the same, mother. I’m not eligible to stay in his lap." And mother reminded him, "Well, don’t worry, my son. We need to seek the lap of God, not the person. If you seek God’s lap, you never need to come back again. There is no competition. And God always looks at you as equal, and in the father’s lap, your brother is there. One day you have to come out, and there is always jealousy, don’t worry." And from that point, Dhruva started to meditate, and it is said that the start in the morning, whatever brightest star that is called is the Dhruva, Dhruva tārā, the Dhruva star. So, Dhruva sought and meditated, and after thousands and thousands of years, he got a blessing, and one day he did not need the father’s lap. That material lap he didn’t need, and he finally got the position that never destroyed with God’s place and God’s position. That is also what we need to seek nowadays. The problem nowadays is if we have this understanding. Power and position, if this philosophy, this theory, we can implement that, and we can remind it, then definitely they will have no problem. There will be no problem. That’s why it is saying that before becoming the minister or prime minister... they need to listen at least once. If they don’t, also, then all spiritual seekers, you can give the message. We can send the message. We are the messenger of God anyway. We are the messenger of Śiva. We are the messenger of the spirituality that brings peace and the ultimate goal; there will not be fight. So this is the Śiva Purāṇa, śrīya. And here, the three demons, they meditate. They find out, and they have got this. And after that, what will happen, we will talk later. Now, one version we will enjoy with the version we are singing and clapping, and also enjoying with the rhythm of the music. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo Bolo Śiva Śiva Bolo. Bolo Śiva Bolo. Bolo Śiva Śiva Bolo. Bolo Śiva. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo bolo oṁ nama, oṁ nama śiva Oṁ nama śivāya bolo, oṁ nama śiva Oṁ nama śivāya bolo, oṁ nama śiva Kailāsa vāsī śiva bolo, bolo bābā śiva Kailāsa vāsī śiva bolo, bolo bābā śiva Oṁ nama śivāya bolo, oṁ nama śiva Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bhālo Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Jai Bhūle Bhūle Bābā Kī. Jai Bhūle Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheś. Rākī Śivjī has said that Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheś’s form is in me. It is in me, and when you remember me and meditate, you will get me. When Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa had a doubt about who is big and who is small, three in one, one in three. That’s why there is a trident in the Triśūla. And the trident has three qualities, different qualities. And also neutron, proton, electron. So there are three Devas according to duty, and according to the karma, they have got this one. And here, that Pārvatī is asking, keep asking the Satya, "What is the Satya? What is the Nyāya?" And here the story goes back to here, the Himālaya Parvat. And now I’d like to explain about the Pārvatī. Pārvatī’s mother is asking and telling to the Pārvatī is about the woman’s life, how she needs to remain a married woman, how she needs to remain in her home. So you might ask, "What about the man? Where is that tone for the man? How the husband needs to remain?" That also comes, but... Whatever is mentioned here in the Purāṇa, I have to tell you honestly, and later on we will find what is the indication, what is the significance of this one. And here in the Śiva Purāṇa, that through Pārvatī, Menakā, the wife of Himālaya—Himālaya, Pārvatī’s father—is telling that how one woman needs to stay at home, and after marriage, then she said that, "Well, Pārvatī, when you get married, you have to go home, and when you go home, at that time you have to maintain and follow the pati dharma." Pati dharma is, there is a variety of dharma, among them this pati dharma is respecting, honoring your pati, that’s husband, and the Mahādev is pati. Mahādev is husband. So you need to have that respect, and there are some rules. And she is telling that the first rule is, she is telling, always you don’t need to decorate if your husband is away. You just need to be simple. Don’t make up, and don’t go to the beauty parlor or do makeup or anything. Maybe at that time there was no beauty parlor, but she said that maybe you should just maintain that simplicity. Don’t decorate it. Pārvatī, what is it that her mother is teaching her about household life here? That Pārvatī’s mother is saying, Himālaya Parvat’s wife is saying, "Pārvatī, you do this. Give education to the daughter. How does a wife have to live in the household?" So what is it? At this time, for the education of the household, and for a pregnant woman, for the mother, that how, what has to be done, so here Menakājī is teaching. And we are giving education in this Purāṇa. But there is education for men as well as for women. And how do men have to live? What are the rules in the marital life? There are different rules in the Purāṇa. Part 4: The Dharma of Husband and Wife in Scripture and Life In the Śivapurāṇa, Pārvatī’s mother instructs her: "Pārvatī, you will marry and go. After going, you have to follow the dharma." That dharma is the Pativratā Dharma for a married woman. First, it is said that when the husband is away from home, you should not adorn yourself (śṛṅgāra karnā nahīṁ chāhiye) and should remain simple. You should not wear adornments until your husband returns, so that you may present yourself to him. You must not speak any falsehood (jhūṭh nahīṁ bolnā). This is what is taught. Pārvatī’s mother tells her that when her husband is not present, her duty is to look after the household. She must prepare whatever he desires—food and everything. Furthermore, a wife should never appear before her husband half-naked or naked. She should always come before him with proper adornment (Śṛṅgār). This is written in the Śivapurāṇa. If you wish to be with your husband, never come naked; wear full clothes. It is also written that one should not go out and indulge in unnecessary things. In Patnīdharma, it is said that when married, if your husband is not there, do not go out and do not involve yourself with anything. Similarly, Pārvatī’s mother keeps instructing, and Pārvatī responds: "Mother, whatever you have said, I will definitely do, because Mahādeva is my lord, the Deva of devas, not merely a husband. He is divine, he is a blessed person, and he is the bestower of blessings. That is why I will definitely follow." The instructions for Pārvatī are very lengthy. It is said that until the husband returns... and furthermore, it says not to spend or do anything without joint confirmation. If decisions are not made together, do not do anything. She keeps telling Pārvatī: "Oh Pārvatī, you must always listen to him. Patnī Dharma is to appease him, and when he is happy, you will be blessed." That was Pārvatī in the Satya Yuga. How practical is it in the present time? We need to think, but there is obviously a practical aspect. If there is a husband, he also has the same obligations. Some Purāṇas speak about the husband's dharma (pati dharma) as well. In the Rāmāyaṇa also, pati dharma is described; it explains what a husband should be like. There is an example: after the wedding, on the Suhāgrāt (wedding night), Śrī Rāmajī gave a gift to Sītā Mātā. He said, "Sītā, today I have brought a gift for you." When Rāmajī was giving the gift—a diamond necklace—Sītājī said, "This is a material thing, my lord. Please give me something that no one has been able to give me." So he said, "I promise to observe dharma for my wife's vow (vrata)." From that day, Rāma observed the vow of having one wife (ekapatnīvrata). He never looked at another woman. He never cast his eye upon another wife. That is why the husband's dharma and the wife's dharma are both present in our scriptures. We can have a beautiful life in this world, and we do not need to seek paradise elsewhere; we can bring paradise here. You might have queries: "The Purāṇas talk about the married woman; what about the man?" There is definitely a solution. The Purāṇas and the Rāmāyaṇa also talk about it. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Rāma gave a beautiful gift during the honeymoon—a beautiful diamond necklace. In this age, people might be happy and dance, saying, "This is beautiful!" But Sītā did not enjoy it. Sītā said, "Oh Rāma, you are a great person. I know you have brought this precious gift, but for me it is not that valuable. Can you do something great?" And Rāma gave a wonderful gift. That gift was his word: that from that day forward, he would never look at other women and would always remain in Patnī Dharma. He would always be with her—no girlfriend outside, no affair, no marital affair, no adultery. Rāma said, "From today, I will respect you. I give this word. I am an ek nārī brahmacārī—a brahmacārī for one woman." What did Rāma give Sītā on their Suhāgrāt? "Sītā, I have given you a diamond necklace as a gift, but you did not like the diamond necklace. Very well, I shall give you today what no one has given before. I give you a beautiful gift. That gift is a vow (vrata), that offering is for you: to be devoted to my wife (patnī parāyaṇ). From today, I will not look at any other woman with a conjugal gaze. I will only look upon them with a maternal feeling. I will not behave like a lustful man." That is why in scripture, both sides are present. If you read only one book, you might say, "This book is biased; that Purāṇa is biased. It talks about only one side of life." But when you go to other scriptures, when you read other Purāṇas, they give many lessons. That is why Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa, in the Rāmacaritamānasa, said that you need to read all the granthas and then you have to preach. If you are studying one grantha and preaching from it, you need to be very careful. If you are a paṇḍita, a saint, a jñānī, and you have studied one grantha and are speaking about it, remember this. Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa says in the Maṅgalācaraṇa of the Rāmacaritamānasa that you have to act by knowing all the principles and rules. Then you must do the preaching (prabhācāraṇa). Then it will be balanced. Otherwise, it becomes one-sided. Otherwise, it becomes the language of the blind men and the elephant. Blind men went to see an elephant. They were all blind and they touched the elephant. Some blind men touched the trunk, some the tail, some the neck, some the feet. Then someone came and asked them about the elephant. In the same way, when we do not have full knowledge, we should not be dogmatic. That is why Mahātmā Gandhi said, "Whatever you do, do that. Tell that, say that. Whatever you say, do that. Whatever you do, say that. Preach your practice." That is Mahātmā Gandhi's teaching. If you do not practice and only preach, that is cheating. So, a preacher's practice is what we need nowadays; it is very essential in life. That is why our Purāṇas also say there is a balance. In every Purāṇa, emphasis is given for man, woman, deity, God Viṣṇu, Śiva, Śakti—everyone. But when you combine them, you will find the gist. That is the churning of the ocean. What does churning the ocean mean? It means finding the nectar (amṛta). You cannot find nectar on the river bank or the ocean beach. You need to churn the ocean; then you will find the butter, then you will find the nectar. Similarly, there is a story about six blind men who went to visit an elephant. One touched the elephant's leg, another the trunk, another the ear, another the body. When they were asked, "How is the elephant?" one said, "An elephant is like a pillar." Another said, "An elephant is like a rubber hose." Another said, "No, an elephant is like a big mouth." They gave different answers. They were each telling their truth, but it was not the aggregate truth, not the macro-level truth. The truth is different. That is why you have to study the whole to learn the truth. You have to study the entire thing, not just the raw material. Otherwise, you will travel to Yampuri (the city of the god of death). That is why our Vedic knowledge says, "You have got knowledge, but you need to follow carefully." There is knowledge definitely in different Purāṇas and different situations. Here I am talking about Pārvatī's instruction. Pārvatī is like us, seeking knowledge. Pārvatī's mother is saying, "What is Patnī Dharma?" If, at that level, a wife helps her husband and the husband also helps to the same degree, there will be no problem. How do we practice this? How is it possible in practical life? The Purāṇas say one thing, the Rāmāyaṇa says different things. How do we compare? How can we reconcile this? What does modern research and science say? There is a lot of research on why people have conflict, mostly in conjugal life, and why they become upset. On the first day of marriage, they are very happy: "Oh my God, I cannot live without you. I love you, darling." After one or two years, it becomes: "So what do you have to say? Okay, tell me quick..." They don't want to talk or listen for long. Before marriage, they spend one or two hours talking. Why is the level different? Why is the attraction different? It is because of understanding. If you have spirituality, if you see the husband not only as an object, if you see the wife not as an object of pleasure or an object of life, then we will not have these problems. How do we manage? What does research say? Research says that those who are happily married live longer because they have the chance to share emotions, share their problems—it is a golden opportunity. Those who are married and live without conflict, happily, can live longer. This is recent research from an American university involving 300 married couples. Those couples who don't have many problems live longer. So that is modern research, and the Purāṇa also says, "Help each other." Sometimes we feel, "It's excessive, it's too much, it cannot be done." But it can happen. So how can we manage? The first thing is not to see your spouse as your asset. The minute you marry, you feel the need to control: "You are not allowed to go without me... without my permission." That is why power imbalance and conflict arise. Human beings are naturally freedom-loving; they are free souls and do not want to be controlled by anyone. With social and family pressure, they might have to stay, but conflict arises. For a spiritual couple, Swami Ānandamūrti, Swami Vivekānanda, and Swami Rāmatīrtha have given beautiful ideas on how to live happily in married life. He has given that in our Purāṇas, whatever is written in the Śāstras—according to that, even an American university has reported that those who do not fight, husband and wife, have a long life. So, our Vedas and Purāṇas say: follow your husband's dharma, follow your wife's dharma. By doing that, your home will be happy. Modern research also says the same. See how much it is related to science. When we get married, we should never consider our wife or husband as our property. They have rights, but they are also free souls. They are also children of God. And for attaining Bhagavān, He is a friend; He is just a friend. You help your wife to attain Bhagavat, to help her, to help the devotee (bhakta), and you help your husband too. Then what happens? There is no fight between the two. What is the other aspect? There is a mixture. Because you are seeing from the point of view: "I am helping her to attain dharma. I am researching for spiritual attainment (partner prāpti ke liye śodh karatā hūṁ)." That is why, if you are listening now, you keep asking your husband, "Have you eaten?" But from today, do not ask like that. Food is available anywhere, brother. Instead of asking about food, ask, "Did you meditate today? Did you understand God today? What did you do today for dharma?" If the wife asks like this and the husband also asks like this, what will happen? They will help each other increase their dharma. That is why, when we connect each other's spiritual souls in our physical life, we become happy. In conjugal life with spirituality, you just see the person. He or she is not your object to enjoy. Just see that he or she is a partner for spiritual liberation (mokṣa), and you are helping each other. Do not ask, "Did you take coffee or tea, darling?" Ask, "Did you finish your meditation, darling? Can we join together? Can we do together tonight?" Do not ask, "Take me to dinner on my birthday." Do not ask, "Take me to dinner at an expensive restaurant." Do not ask that. Let us go for meditation in the ashram. Let us go for satsaṅg. Let us read together. Let us explore something good together. That is Kuṇḍalinī meditation. It says the same thing: every householder (gṛhastha) needs to follow meditation. After eight o'clock, there is not only individual meditation but group meditation. You need to do it with your kids, your family. Whoever is in your family, if you sit together and share your blessings at the end of the day in the blessing ceremony of Kuṇḍalinī meditation—you might have already explored this—and at that time, after meditation and the blessing ceremony, you share your blessing with your wife: "Oh, my dearest wife, whatever happened knowingly or unknowingly today, please forgive me. And whatever you did knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive you." Every day after meditation, when you share this with your partner, then before going to bed you are at peace. Then you can go within, and your night will be peaceful. Otherwise, there is blaming, and we forget God. It is better that you started listening to this Purāṇa. Better bring something new, change after this retreat, after visiting God, after visiting the Guru, after visiting this Kumbha Melā. You must bring some changes. If not, then it is like the buffalo kept on playing in front of the buffalo. The buffalo didn't dance or listen, so the buffalo is good for itself, or for the serpent who understands. That is why, having heard the Śivapurāṇa, come to the Guru, come to this fair. You should have some change. Change is the rule of religion. When you go from tomorrow to today, elevation is the rule of spirituality. If you are stuck somewhere... the Guru, the satsaṅg, the retreat, these types of melās, the Kumbha Melā, the pilgrimage spot, meeting with a sādhu, saint, jñānī—knowledgeable people help to elevate your spiritual quality. Here also we come to the conclusion, after listening to this, that we will follow meditation. No matter whatever sampradāya, whatever practice you are doing every day, you can keep continuing. But after the session, you must sit together and start the blessing ceremony. The blessing ceremony is a suggestion for dissolving the ego. You can seize the ego; you can finish the difficulties between husband and wife. Because sometimes the wife has ego: "No, why should I ask for excuse? I didn't make any mistake." Sometimes the husband has it. "No, that's you. I haven't made any error." That creates conflict. That is why, when you have a blessing ceremony in meditation—like Śiva and Pārvatī, they have no ego—because whatever Śiva does, Pārvatī knows it is for her good. That is why Pārvatī's mother tells this story: whatever the husband does, whatever Mahādeva does, he does it for your good. That is why keeping him happy is the wife's duty. The wife of Himālaya (Pārvatī's mother) tells her daughter: for the husband's duty, when you go to your husband's house, do everything to make him happy. As I just told you: when the husband goes out, then reduce adornment. If the husband is outside, take care of the house. Do not be involved in unnecessary things outside. That means if you have to talk, if you have to backbite, if you have to say something, say it in front of the person. In front of the husband and wife, do not tell the neighbors. Do not tell neighbors or friends. That creates separation. If you want to praise someone, do it behind their back. If you want to talk to someone, do it in front of them. If you want to please someone, do it in front of them. If you want to complain about someone, saying "he is like this, he is like that," then he comes back... So that is why, after dharma, if you want to please someone, then praise them behind their back. Go out and tell others he is a good man. If someone has complaints, then go and tell him directly: "You should correct this." So, what is correction? If there is a view, then it becomes very good. That is why you need to admire people behind their back. And if you have to give feedback or criticism, you can say in front of him: "Oh, you need to correct this." But it is said: not outside. Also, in various scriptures (bāḍū śicyā), there is variety. Not only the Śivapurāṇa; if we want to compare Sanātana Dharma scriptures about husband-wife relationships, you can go to the Cāṇakya Nīti, you can read the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā, and also the Rāmāyaṇa and Rāmacaritamānasa. They give amazing rules and formulas for how to live as a householder (gṛhastha), how to live in the forest-dweller stage (vānaprastha), how to live in renunciation (sannyāsa)—all stages of life. That is why our Śāstras are made for living in harmony, where there is no bigotry. So what is the matter here? There is a story: a man went somewhere and asked a temple priest, "Hey, Paṇḍitjī, you are great. Tell me, who is the greatest in the world?" The priest said, "Paṇḍitjī, this is the biggest temple I am living in." The man said, "This is not a temple, Paṇḍitjī, you don't know. If the temple is big, then why is the temple on the earth?" The priest said, "Yes, if you are listening, then it is right. Okay, the earth is big." Still, the man started saying, "No, no, the earth is not big, Paṇḍitjī. The earth is big, so why is it on the earth? Why is it lying on the ground?" So the thing is, right? Okay, the earth is big. So Śeṣanāga is big. Then he started saying, "If Śeṣanāga is big, then why is it lying on the neck of Śivajī?" Then he started asking. So the priest said, "Okay, Śeṣanāga is big. It is not big; Śivajī is big." The man had gone there after drinking a little alcohol and wanted to show his cleverness. He said again, "If Śeṣanāga is big, then why is it lying on the neck of Śivajī?" So the priest said, "Okay, what is big? You tell yourself." He started saying, "If you discuss, if you give reasons, you can give thousands of reasons, but there is no God. God is above all the reasons of all the things that whatever you talk." I just talk one story: Who is great? One man was very... a drunk man went to the temple and asked the priest, "Which is great? What is the greatest in this universe?" The priest said, "The temple is great." The drunk man said, "No, it can't be possible. If the temple is great, how come it's on the earth?" The priest said, "Well, the earth is great, then." But still he's not happy, and he keeps saying, "Well, the earth is great. How come it's staying on the middle of the Śeṣanāga, the king of snakes?" The priest said, "Well, then the snake is great." He again keeps asking, "If the snake is great, how come it's on Śivajī's neck?" The priest said, "Well, Śivajī is great." The man said, "If Śivajī is great, how come he's staying in Kailāsa?" "Well, Kailāsa is great." Later on he asked, "No, no, great is me, because I am drunk, still I'm standing on my legs." That was his logic. So that is why practice, practice, practice. Now we are going to complete tomorrow, and we'll have a couple of stories here, but we don't take it as merely a story. Obviously, we are taking some nectar from this, and we need to compare, we need to tune, we need to understand with different eyes. I hope you enjoyed this satsaṅg. I think it is time to take rest. So, everyone who came for the Purāṇa today, we were at the last moment of the Rudra Saṃhitā.