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Part 1: The Three Types of Seekers and the Purpose of Kāmadeva The Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa describes three types of persons in the world. The first is the great person, the true jñānī. He knows many things and is always ready to learn more, yet he thinks, "I do not know anything." He always bows his head. Whether he is a sādhaka, sādhu, mahātmā, or siddha puruṣa, he is perpetually ready to receive new knowledge. He is a great person. The second type has little knowledge but always claims, "I know everything." The scripture says even a little knowledge is dangerous, like an inexperienced physician (kaccha vaidya) whose prescription can send a patient on a journey to Yamaloka. This is the person who knows little but claims to know much. The third type is the person in suṣupta, a deep sleep of ignorance. He does not know anything, and he does not even know that he needs to know more. Śiva teaches that our knowledge is never enough. We must learn all the time; life is for learning. Even Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, and Śiva Himself engage in meditation to know more. We cannot claim to know everything. The knowledge in scriptures is not final; it updates from era to era. New understandings continually arise. In the Śiva Purāṇa, knowing the story is not the same as possessing divine knowledge. The story can be learned by anyone, but the divine knowledge dwelling within the self is the great thing. Hindi Explanation Śāstra says that no matter who you are—however wise or perfected a being (siddha puruṣa) you may be—from birth to death, the two shores of our life, you must always be prepared to learn. Therefore, knowledge is never complete (pūrṇa). When true knowledge is attained, people never say, "I have understood this; I know." The feeling of "I am," the ego, is why one should never say "I know." Siddha Puruṣas or Gyānīs never say, "I know, I have understood," for those who truly know do not speak of it. The sun never has to announce its brightness; brightness is its very nature. It has no need. Thus, there are three types of people. One is the true jñānī. Being a jñānī, he does not say, "I am a Gyānī." To learn wisdom, from the smallest to the smallest, from dust to dust, the wise Siddha keeps the door of knowledge open for everyone. He remains a student (Vidyārthī) at all times. The second is that suṣupta person, who has a little knowledge but thinks he has understood everything. He says, "I am very wise, I do not need to learn." The third has little knowledge, but even with that knowledge, he understands he must learn more. He never considers his knowledge complete. Therefore, we must always go to the scholar, to the Satpuruṣa, to the Satguru. Otherwise, we go only to the Kaccha Vaidya, and the journey to Matrayampuri (a metaphor for death) happens. In today's Śiva Purāṇa, Śiva says one must always be striving for knowledge (jñāna ke liye āpa sadā tatpar rahanā). Even Brahmā goes for meditation. Sometimes for the world, sometimes He Himself sits in Siddhāsana, Pūrṇāsana, the yogī's posture. The yogī's work is to attain meditation (dhyāna) and knowledge (jñāna) incessantly. This unbroken chain of knowledge never ends. Today we discuss the reason for Kāmadeva's reduction to ashes (bhasma), the pleading of his wife Ratī, its significance in modern life, and thereafter: What is Mahādeva's Gotra? Who is Mahādeva's disciple? Is Mahādeva Ādi-Anādi (without beginning or end) or not? When He was married to the daughter of the Himālaya mountain, He was asked about His Gotra. What was it? We will discuss this. Alongside, in our Dharma Śāstra, what is Brahman? What is Jāti (caste)? Is it written in Jāti Bheda (caste distinction) or not? What do modern theory, Western theory, and Eastern philosophy say about this? We shall reflect on that. Jai Bole Śrī Bhagavān Kī Jai. The Story of Kāmadeva We are all familiar with Kāmadeva. Who is his father? Brahmā. The correct pronunciation is Brahmā (with the visarga). Brahmā is the connection of Brahma Randhra and divine power. Brahmā's son is Kāmadeva. Kāmadeva came to live with his wife Ratī by the blessings of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā. Let us draw back the story. When Satī Devī (Pārvatī's previous birth) died in the holy fire, Śivajī began to travel the world in deep meditation. He was no longer interested in material wealth or worldly pleasure. He renounced the world like a retired person and meditated. This created an imbalance in creation (Sṛṣṭi). If one element is lacking, nothing can be fulfilled. Just as in Newtonian physics, a material cannot function without a proton or electron, similarly, the balance was departed. The remainder (śeṣa) began to be isolated. Then Brahmā and Viṣṇu saw creation was in problem. At that time, demons became active. It is the same in our body. If one element is lacking, we become sick. If truth departs, demonic thoughts enter the mind. My guru used to tell me when I was young: "You have two dogs inside your body. One is the dog of Rāma, the other is the dog of Rāvaṇa. The two dogs are fighting each other." I asked, "Which dog will win?" He said, "Whichever dog gets more food." In the same way, whichever tendency you feed more—the divine or the demonic—will win. When Śiva is absent in your body, the demonic, evil energy becomes active. Similarly, when Śiva began to meditate continuously, the demon Tārakāsura started to fight, killing deities and harming purity and dharma. He traveled across earth, heaven, and the three worlds (Triloka), killing Devatās, obstructing sacrifices (Yajña). The goddesses became fearful, wondering what to do while Mahādeva sat in meditation. Tārakāsura thought, "Mahādevī will not marry again since Satī Devī has died. He is meditating and has no interest in material gold or pleasure. This is a good time for me to meditate and appease Brahmā." Tārakāsura meditated for a long time. Pleased, Brahmā said, "Ask for any boon." The cunning Dānava thought, "Śivajī will never return." He said, "Brahmājī, if you wish to give something, grant me the blessing that I will live here forever, omnipresent. Death cannot touch me." Brahmā said, "No, that is impossible. In creation, everyone must die. But I can tell you how death will touch you. I cannot say you will live forever; you are not eternal. It is against creation." Tārakāsura then asked, "If you truly wish to give such a blessing, tell me that only the son of Śiva can kill me. Otherwise, no one can." He asked this because Śiva was not going to marry and thus would have no children who could kill him. Brahmā granted this boon. With this blessing, Tārakāsura began attacking all the gods. He started destroying everything. Religious injunctions (Agya) were to be destroyed. Brahmins, saints, and Mahāpuruṣas could no longer stay in their ashrams; they were always targeted by Tārakāsura. At that time, Viṣṇu and Brahmā went to Śiva and requested his intervention, but Śiva did not give up his sādhanā. They then devised a trick. Sometimes, for a righteous cause (dharma), if you cannot act directly, the Purāṇas and Śāstras say you may use a twisted idea—provided it is for a good reason. For example, if your child is about to fall into a pond, you must grab and drag him out forcefully, even if it hurts. That is for a good reason. Similarly, one might ask why Brahmā needed to disguise or why Viṣṇu had to trick or betray people. They may receive karma for it, but it is for protecting dharma. For instance, as mentioned yesterday, Rāma hid behind a tree and shot Vālī with an arrow. According to dharma, one should fight face-to-face, not from hiding. But there was a reason. If Rāma fought face-to-face, Vālī had a boon from Brahmā that half the power of any enemy who faced him would transfer to Vālī. That is why Rāma had to hide. It was for a good reason, though he incurred bad karma, which he faced in the next era. The beauty of scripture is that if you do something good, it must not involve vested interest; it must be purely for protecting dharma. Similarly, here Mahādeva was meditating in Kailāśa. He had stopped smoking bhaṅg, was totally detached, and was in deep, severe penance (Ghor Tapasyā). At that time, many things were lacking on Earth. Tārakāsura was disturbing everywhere, and dharma was in crisis. When dharma is in crisis, some trickery is often necessary. As the Bhagavad Gītā says, "Paritrāṇāya Sādhūnāṁ" (for the protection of the righteous). Whenever there is a problem for dharma, God will appear in any form, using any means to save dharma. Dharma is permanent on Earth; there is no time without it. If there is a crisis, they will perform some trick to re-establish it. If you follow dharma, it will always remain. It is temporary only in appearance; dharma is permanent. Therefore, doing something for dharma is acceptable, provided it is purely for dharma. At that time, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and all the goddesses and deities meditated and devised a plan. "What can we do to bring Śivajī back?" They thought of Kāmadeva, the god of love and desire. If Kāmadeva affects Śiva, Śiva might become interested in marriage, have a child, and that child could kill Tārakāsura. Brahmā and Viṣṇu meditated, found Kāmadeva, and requested him: "Oh Kāmadeva, you are Brahmā's son. Creation is in problem; can you please help us?" Kāmadeva replied, "What must I do? Please order me." Brahmā said, "Oh Kāmadeva, now is the time to perform your highest duty. You must take up the challenge: go and shoot your arrow at Mahādeva." Shooting an arrow here means not a physical attack, but awakening Mahādeva and inciting in him a desire for material pleasure and conjugal life. That is your duty now. Kāmadeva was scared. "I cannot do this to Mahādeva. Mahādeva is the only one who can defeat Kāmadeva." For Mahādeva means meditation. When a yogī meditates, desire vanishes. The only way to remove desire is concentration, connecting with the divine. When one connects with God, Kāmadeva departs. That is why brahmacarya (celibacy) begins. In celibacy, there is great power. If one truly maintains celibacy, it is said sexual energy evolves and converts into creativity. Energy never finishes; as science says, it changes from one form to another but is never destroyed. The energy we produce, our hormones, if not utilized in one way, convert into another form of creation. That is brahmacarya, sannyāsa. Yes, desire exists, but if you maintain celibacy, the bīrya (semen) converts into creativity and connection with divine divinity. That is the formula. Only Śiva, the meditative yogī, can do this. The meditative yogī can defeat desire and Kāmadeva. Kāmadeva agreed but said, "Śiva has always defeated Kāmadeva. What if something happens?" Brahmā replied, "My son, this is the time. I need you to contribute to creation. This is the high time. Your work has come now. Mahādev is a meditator with no worldly desire. You must go and interrupt his meditation. By doing so, his interest and enthusiasm for the world will reawaken. Otherwise, Tārakāsura will not die, for he can only be killed by Śivajī's son." Kāmadeva went to Śiva, first offered salutations, and then shot his arrows—the arrows of desire, sex, and love, made of flowers. He shot six times at Śiva. At that moment, Śiva's mind changed, and He suddenly opened His eyes. "Oh, what has happened to me?" He saw Kāmadeva there. "You are disturbing my meditation! I sit here in deep meditation, and you have poisoned me. I cannot tolerate this; I must finish you." He opened His third eye, and from it emerged a great flame of fire. The flame began to burn Kāmadeva, who started to cry. All the gods and deities began to cry and tremble. An amazing situation occurred. This was not Kāmadeva's own desire; he was ordered by Brahmā and Viṣṇu. Innocently, Kāmadeva was reduced to ashes and dust. His wife Ratī began to cry, "Oh my lord, what has happened? He was so innocent; he did not do this deliberately. How can I survive without Kāmadeva?" She wept bitterly as Kāmadeva perished. The Moral and Psychological Significance What is the moral of this story? Śiva can finish Kāmadeva. Karma, desire, can be destroyed through the Śaiva element, the principle of Śiva. This story conveys great psychological truths. Our body is like the earth. Within it are water, flesh, and bones which are like stone. The yogī can discover the Śaiva tattva (principle). There are Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā—three channels (nāḍīs) connected to our sixth energy center. This energy rises from our Mūlādhāra Chakra (root energy center) up to the pituitary gland at the third eye. When the third eye opens, one gains supreme knowledge and sees Kāmadeva, desire, for what it is. Therefore, when a yogī meditates deeply and completes the meditation, the suggestions of desire arise and can be mastered. This can only be done by a yogī, by Śiva. Pārvatī is the daughter of Himālaya. Himālaya is the high mountain, the king of the earth. The earth is connected from ocean to mountain. The combination of earth is our body. When you meditate, you become Śiva. When you reach that transcendental stage, you can finish Kāmadeva. This is a beautiful correspondence in our anatomy; you can convert that knowledge spiritually and understand what will happen. The Aftermath and Revival Kāmadeva died. His wife Ratī cried and pleaded, "Oh Mahādeva, why did you do this? He was totally innocent. Please do something. I cannot live without him." She appealed to all the deities, Brahmā, and Viṣṇu. They, too, said, "We must request Mahādeva." Mahādeva is very merciful, not rude, strong, or stubborn. They went to pray to Him and explain the reality. Simultaneously, when Kāmadeva shot his arrows six times, his essence (bīrya) fell into a river, into the Gaṅgā. From it, six children were born. Later, these six children merged into one, whose name is Kārttikeya. That is why Kārttikeya is Śiva's son. If you go to a Kārttikeya temple, you may see a picture of six children with Kārttikeya in the middle. This signifies that when Kāmadeva shot Mahādeva, his essence fell into the Gaṅgā, giving birth to six children who merged to become Kārttikeya. Therefore, only Kārttikeya could kill Tārakāsura. The demon's story will come later. We learn that everything happens for a reason in this world; nothing is in vain. Then Brahmā and Viṣṇu began to appeal to Śivajī. "Oh Śivajī, please do something. Kāmadeva is innocent. Ratī is crying, and all the gods are in mourning. We need to help her, otherwise it will be terrible. Creation will face difficulties." Śivajī was meditating. Everyone came to appease Him. To appease Śivajī is easy—"Om Namaḥ Śivāya." You are listening to the Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. While the story is known, it has a different spiritual meaning (adhyātmik artha). The spiritual meaning is this: When Śrī Bhagavān reduced Kāmadeva to ashes, there was a reason. When Śivajī was in meditation, Tārakāsura's tyranny increased. To control him, it was necessary for Śivajī to have a son. Therefore, by the order of Brahmā and Viṣṇu, Kāmadeva shot his arrow six times. Because of that arrow, Śivajī's essence fell into the ocean. Afterwards, six children were born, and those six children later joined to become Kārttikeya. And only Kārttikeya killed Tārakāsura. So, whatever happens in the world happens for some reason. Thus, Śivajī was a meditator. But it happened that Ratī was left alone. Because Ratī was alone, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and all the Devādhi Devas meditated and prayed to Śiva. "Oh Dev, Kāmadeva is innocent. Please do good for him. Give him life." At that time, when they all meditated to Śiva, Śiva said, "I am happy you have all requested, but at this time I cannot do anything directly. However, I will suggest something: From now until the Dvāpara Yuga, until Kṛṣṇa arrives, Kāmadeva will remain invisible. When Kṛṣṇa marries Rukmiṇī, Kāmadeva will be reborn in the form of Pradyumna. At that time, Ratī and Pradyumna will live together. So, in the Dvāpara Yuga, when Kṛṣṇa marries Rukmiṇī, Kāmadeva will return. But until then, Kāmadeva must stay invisible." This is what Śivajī declared. Everyone was still crying but said, "Okay, that is at least something good." Still, the Devatās were not fully happy. They said, "Please, if you can, do something now. Otherwise, Ratī is in a bodily form and Kāmadeva is invisible. How can they match each other?" All the godheads pleaded further. At that time, Mahādeva said, "Well, in that case, I will grace you one more time. Kāmadeva will reside in all of your minds and bodies. He can be present whenever you wish." Part 2: The Nature of Desire, the Lesson of Kāma, and the Wisdom of Śiva He blesses. That is why everyone in this world, whoever is born, comes with Kāmadeva. That is, with the energy that comes with that desire. That is why desire (Kāma) is everywhere for creation (sṛṣṭi), and so one cannot be free from it. You can only be free from Kāmadeva if you meditate, if you connect with God, if you do sādhanā, if you do spiritual practice. Otherwise, that desire, Kāmadeva, is always present, reciting, along with all the goddesses, deities, and all of creation. Now we approach the end of this session. Rati is a little happy, but not completely happy. Viṣṇu advised Rati, "Well, Rati, Mahādeva said he will come in Dvāpara Yuga, not in this era: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara." So, in Dvāpara Yuga, Kṛṣṇa arrives, and Kṛṣṇa is also a form of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu said, "Well, I will come in a Dvāpara Yuga." That is a different case, but you must always keep one thing. What is that, my lord? You always need to keep the rakṣā, the powder—the ash, the leftover from the fire—of Kāmadeva whenever he is born. At that time, the powder, the ash from the fire, needs to be collected. Please collect it. One day it might work, and one day, who knows? Śiva may be very happy. From there, your husband will be alive. Then keep it that way, secretly and safely." This is what Viṣṇu Bhagavān advises Rati Devī. Rati was waiting for that day, that beautiful day, with just her husband's powder. What a beautiful day, isn't it? Nowadays, if a husband did that, what would happen? They go to court. Where is the will? First, we need to transfer property. But in ancient times, in this moral story, it is not attached to such things. We always connect prakṛti and puruṣa. Rati is the happiness of conjugal life, and Kāmadeva is desire, so they cannot remain alone. They should remain together; otherwise, it will not be perfect. Rati would be alone, Kāmadeva would be alone, and so this carries a great message for civilization as well. Pratikṣārthī baṅke rahanā, japtak Pradyumna nahī̃ ā jāyegā, taptak Kāmadeva abhi adṛśya rūp meṅ raheṅge. Phir devatā loka roṇe lage, karāne lage uske bāta meṅ. Śrī Bhūle Mahādeva ne bolā ki, "Calo, ṭhīk hai, tā aisā hai to āpa sab loko mastiṣkame hṛdaya meṅ." Kāmadeva kā bāsa hogā, ta phir bhī Viṣṇu ne bhole, "He Rati Devī, āp cintā mat. Pradyumna nām karke to Dvāpar yug mẽ ā jāyegā. Phir bhī āpke jo rākh hai, śarīra ko bhasma huā, jo kharānī hai, āp usko suracit rakh lenā. Kisī bhī din phir mauka paḍ jāyegā, to Śiva jī isko jīvit karā denge." To aisā karke. Rati ko śalla de diya, Rati nī kyā kyā bhasma āpne pāsa rakha liyā, surachita. Jaya bole bhale bābā kī jaya. Isliye ye sansāra mein asambhava kuch bhī nahīṁ hai. Aur ye to kathā kā hai, lekin bhrama kyā hai? What our Śiva Purāṇa wants to show is that if you want to suppress the desire for work and sexual desire, you should practice Śiva. Śiva's practice means you should become a meditator. Only a meditator can defeat this work desire. The rest cannot be done. And what is work desire? It moves forward in the body toward another energy. Ke tarap aage bada jata hai, isi liye aap sharir me dekh lijiye ki hamare sharir me muladhara se lekar brahma randhra tak sat chakra hai. And in the brahmarandhra, see: by practicing, the ājñā chakra will be heated, and in the jñāna chakra, there the Śakti can be destroyed. Therefore, all this science is in samādhi. The story of Śiva, even children know it. But its meaning is to know and practice—that is the importance of performing Śiva's worship. Our śāstra has written it. Vedavyāsa Ṛṣi Muni has written it. Everything comes for some reason. There is always some cause. Therefore, one should join for the benefit of others. Helping others is meritorious. Paropakār puṇyāya. Pāpāya parāpīrṇāṇam. Aṣṭādaśa purāṇam. Asya abhyāsa śāḍī vāchanam. After writing the 18 Purāṇas, Vyāsa has said two words: if you do good deeds, then it will be good; if you hurt others, then it will be a sin. That is why the Daitya people work to hurt others. What is that? They are against Dharma. So, for the establishment of Dharma, we have to play all kinds of games. Hail Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān! Hail Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara! Hail! So, after finishing, after completing all 18 Purāṇas—the Śiva Purāṇa, the Devī Purāṇa, the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, all the Purāṇas—how many Purāṇas are there? 18. After completing the 18 Purāṇas, Vedavyāsa was not happy. Then he creates two. One verse says one thing. So there is one verse; after 18 verses, he wrote one. After the 18 Purāṇas, he wrote verses that say: if you hurt anyone, that is pāpa. If you help, if you save anyone a little, that is Dharma. He defined it that way. No matter if you don't get a chance to read all the 18 Purāṇas, just remember two things: if you hurt anyone, that's a pāpa, and if you love, if you share your love, kindness, and help other people, that's the dharma. That's the summarization. 18 Purāṇas—now you complete 18 Purāṇas. Okay, all right. So now we're going to do another section of the Rudra Saṁhitā. In the Rudra Saṁhitā, it says that when Mahādeva is ready, he wakes up and now has the desire to get married. He already blessed Pārvatī, the Himālaya Putrī Pārvatī, yesterday. He married, but the story is repeated here. When he went to Mahādeva's house—that is, Himālaya Pārvatī's house—at that time, Mahādeva was a little bit... you know, Mahādeva's form appears ugly, but inside it is beauty. It's like a coconut with hair. That's why now we always worship with a coconut in a pot (lota). The meaning is the coconut is ugly; it has a lot of hair, but inside, if you break the coconut, what happens? There is very sweet nectar water and a very soft part. So Mahādeva is like that. The jaṭā, the matted hair, is there. They say, "Never judge a book by its cover." Isn't it? So they say, never just compare the envelope; just read the letters. What is inside? But Mahādeva is like that, and Mahādeva went with Nandī. So, to such a Yoginī, all the gods and goddesses went to Himālaya Parvata's house to ask for Pārvatī's hand. But at that time, what happened? Menakā, the mother of Pārvatī, said, "Where is Mahādeva? Where is Mahādeva? He must be a very handsome guy. He must be a beautiful person." And she looked around. All are beautiful. Viṣṇu is handsome, Brahmā is handsome, all gods are handsome. But Mahādeva appears with the ṣaḍ damaru, triśūla, bull, and that's a tiger skin. He looks like a clumsy boy. And Menakā said, "Oh, he is Mahādeva! Oh, my God, my... My daughter is beautiful. I cannot, I do not agree to marry her. So, no matter what you do, I want to cancel this marriage. I am not happy. I thought Mahādeva was a very handsome and very nice person. He looks at this ugly and even... His snake, he's hanging his snake on his neck. Oh, my, yucky!" So she started to cry, Menakā. And then Mahādeva, everyone said, Nārada and everyone, they discussed, "What is going to happen now? She's not happy." And then they requested... "Oh, Mahādeva, look at this. I think you need to change your form, so she's not happy. And before going to the wedding maṇḍapa, I think, can you show the real form of your beautiful form?" And Mahādeva became happy, and he showed the beautiful, most beautiful, handsome person, and then Menakā (Renukā) is happy. Pārvatī's mother is happy, and they get... they started to marry. At the marrying time, one thing happened. That's the important thing, a lesson for civilization, a lesson for modern philosophy. What happened is, normally in Sanātana marriage, when you are going to do saṅkalpa, kanyādāna—the intention by giving the hand—at that time the husband, the bride and groom need to tell their lineage name, the guru's name, the clan's name, the gotra. And at that time, Himālaya Parvata asked Mahādeva, "Who is your guru? Where is your lineage, and which caste are you? And can you please tell, because before in the saṅkalpa we need to tell the name. There's a need to be explained: gotra, your name of the clan. It's not a surname, it's gotra. For example, my gotra is Kauṇḍinya. Somebody else is called Kāśyapa. They came, whatever the lineage, the ṛṣis started their generation." At that time, Śiva was omnipresent. He is the first person of this world, and he doesn't have any father. He is the guru of the guru. He is the god of the gods, and how can he have a lineage? But at that time, Himālaya Parvata asks, "What's your caste? How, without your caste, can I give?" So at that time, what happened? There were many people who started to discuss with each other. Pārvatī's mother said that her daughter can't get married to such an innocent man because he is not very beautiful; her daughter is very beautiful, she can't get married to him. When he insisted, Nārada, Bhagavān, and everyone suggested, "Prabhu, you show your real form." Then he had to show his real form. But in the case of Kanyādāna, when Kanyādāna started, the time of marriage and decision came. So at that time, Himālaya Parvata asked Mahādeva, Devādideva, "What is your name? Who is your guru? What is your caste? What is your surname? Where did you come from?" He started asking Devādideva, Mahādeva. See, now what happens? Who creates the world? Whose half and half? Nothing is known. What will be the caste of the half-soul, half-soul, half-yogī? What will be the caste of the half-soul, half-yogī? What will be the pride of the half-soul, half-soul, half-yogī? So, whoever is a devotee of Lord Śiva, he is not of any caste. The caste is one, the caste of Lord Śiva. Hari kā bhaje to hari ke ho hī, jātī pātī na pūche koī. Jātī pātī na pūche koī, jātī pātī na pūche koī. To hari kā ho hī, hari ko bhaje to hari kā ho hī. Jātī pātī na pūche koī, jātī pātī na pūche koī. If you are a devotee of Śiva, then his caste will be Śiva. And there is no caste in this. Śiva does not say; Śiva Purāṇa... You go to the Bhagavad Gītā. In the 4th and 5th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, it is written that caste is done on the basis of karma. Lord Kṛṣṇa himself is saying that there is no caste in this world. Because of caste, you are saying that you are younger than me, I am older. By doing this, you are bringing differences. Because of these same differences, today there is a little attack on the Hindu religion. And other elements are taking advantage of it, saying that in your religion, there is caste. That is why the process of converting is also increasing. But this is a wrong message. From every place, from every corner, every saint, wise man, and scholar should give this real knowledge. It should be given, that you have decided for your selfishness: I am elder, I am a scholar, I am a great scholar. You should not say like this, because caste is not a division. Brother, caste is a division? Whose is it? One is a demon caste, one is a god caste. When you get a feeling of difference in your mind, you are of a demon caste. And when you get a feeling of a true man... When you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, when you get a feeling of a true man, everyone looks like each other. They don't look big or small. Everyone looks like Brahmā. So now it is the caste of God. It is the caste of Devatā. That is why it is said, "Brahma jāyati, brāhmaṇa, janmanā jāyati śūdra, karmaṇā dvijo ucyate." Karma becomes powerful. So we go anywhere, in any way, in Sanātana Dharma, with caste, then we go. So that is not the knowledge of our Sanātana Dharma. That is why caste is nothing. Since you know this, then you will never be able to speak of this great caste. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. This is the nature of the saint. It is only the caste of God, the caste of good thoughts. So, that is why, if that is not there, then you can read it. When you say paṇḍita and jñānī, then you see the world as one. If you are a chāṇḍāla, a dog, a cow, you see everyone as one. Then you are a Brahmin. Then you are of a higher caste. Otherwise, what is it that you are doing? In the name of caste, going against our Sanātana Dharma, they are bringing up a riot. Our Sanātana Dharma never says like this, that everything is equal. So, we are the sons of God. So, the portion of God is never small or big. That's why, saints, wise men, in today's world, with this message, everything should go on. Knowledge is there, but when we say big or small in business, then there is a difference. So, I would like to explain to you here: When Nārada asks the verse, the gotra of Śiva, Śiva is the Ādideva, Devādideva. He doesn't have any guru. He doesn't have any disciple? He has got disciples. He is not generated by anyone. He is the omnipresent, Svayambhū, the self-generated person. So he doesn't have any gotra, no caste. He is equal. If you are the follower of Śiva, there is no differentiation. You are not the higher caste. There is no division of higher caste and lower caste. So in the Bhagavad Gītā it says... It is saying that Kṛṣṇa himself manifested, "I just divide the caste according to your karma, your actions." Sometimes, early in the morning, what do you do? You clean your house. At that time, you are a Śūdra. And when you wake up, you do the Brahma Sādhanā, study. At that time, you are Brahmā, Brahmā. And when you go to work as a salesman or businessman, you are the Vaiśya. And when you protect your family, at that time you are Kṣatriya. And whenever you started to give knowledge, meditate, you are doing the Brahmā karma. So there is no division of caste. And if there is somebody saying there is a caste division, he is not carrying the actual spiritual meaning, the actual meaning of the Sanātana Dharma or our scriptures. Śiva is equal; Śiva never says so. That is why, "Jāti pati na pūcho sādhukī, pūch lije gyān kisī ko bhī." Koi bhī jñāna mil jāye to usko pahle jāti nahīṁ pūchnā, bhāī. Us kā jñāna pūch lenā. U kahāṁ se āyā, parvān nahīṁ ye. Kyā kapṛā lagā rahā hai, u parvān nahīṁ ye. Jāti pati na pūcho sādhukī, pūch līje jñāna. Mūl karo taravār kī, pada r̥hando jñāna, pada r̥hando miyāṁ." Kabīr's speech also, I also tell this, that if you see any saint, monk... Any funny? Don't ask where he's come from, and don't ask how beautiful a necklace he's wearing. Don't ask. So, your origination—just ask what knowledge, what wisdom is with him. And we need to concern ourselves with the knowledge, not with the caste, color, nationality, group, or origination. Śiva is omnipresent, and this is the divine message from this Purāṇa: that Nārada replied that Śiva is casteless, formless, and he is motherless. He is himself, Svayambhū. So that's why when he explained to Himālaya Parvata, he became happy, and he got the chance to marry Pārvatī. And when they got married, they came back to Kailāśa Parvata. And in Kailāśa Parvata, they start to remain there for a longer, longer, longer time. And whenever there is a problem with creation (sṛṣṭi), jab jab Sṛṣṭi mein pralaya hotā hai aur samasyā hotī hai, to Devādhi Dev Mahādev ke pās mein jāte hain. And every time, whenever there is a problem, all the Devatās, all of them, go to Mahādeva to appeal. And here, there is another section. Another section is saying that in chapter 20 to 21, Brahmājī, when Śiva's flame goes to Kāmadeva to burn him, the flame is spreading continuously, spreading. It didn't stop when he opened his third eye. The flame of the fire is spreading around the world, and it started to burn everywhere, the Triloka. At that time, it is a terrible situation, and then Brahmā is scared, "Oh my god, what will happen? The fire is spreading." It's like a bush fire, and he just creates one idea. In that idea, what happened is the fire is running. It's like a horse, that rampant horse, and everywhere here and there. And he went to, he asked for help from the ocean, and Brahmā went to the ocean. And when he stood on the ocean beach, then the ocean came in the form of a very nice person, a sādhu saint, and he asked, "Well, how can I help you, Brahmā? Why have you come here?" And at that time, Brahmā told, "Well, you need to help now. Your help is essential now." "So what's the problem? What help can I provide you, my Lord? Because the anger, the fire of the anger, is spreading now, so we need to stop it. So, can you do this?" So, it is saying that in your home also, if any anger is going, it is saying one needs to be far. If there is one which is fire, another needs to be water. So the fire's remedy is water. That's why the anger's remedy is water. Water means kindness, purity, emotion, that nurturing mother nature. Fire is aggression, and only kindness can solve anger. That is the element here that I would like to explain. And Brahmājī says that, "Well, let's go, let's pray to the ocean." And the ocean appeared as a beautiful form of a sādhu and saint, and he told... "Oh, Brahmā. Well, I am ready to help, but what will happen? Śivajī, what will Śivajī say? And if I stop it, Śivajī might be unhappy with me." And Brahmā told, "Don't worry. At that time, the horse, the fire horse, will come. That time, I will be with you." That's why Brahmā remains in the water. So if you have anger, go and dip down. So if you have something in difficulty, go and take a shower. The water has got that healing power; it can wipe off not only the dust of your body, not only difficulties, the dirtiness of your body, but also the pain. That's why when you meditate, it is another method of meditation. If you have some wound in your body and you are in severe pain, and the pain is going intense, then you can heal through meditation or hypnotherapy, hypnotization. That's why many in the Western world, not only the Western world, various places, hypnotism is increasing just for healing. Just close your eyes and just remember that you are in the shower room, and the water is coming from your head and touches your wound, and slowly, slowly... feel that the pain is going away, just feel that, and later on you feel relaxed while you meditate. In that way, the pain will go away, so that's a psychological treatment as well, and water is the solution. Well, as we mentioned already, water has got healing power. That's why, any time, whatever the problem, you go and dip down into the water. And that's why many people come and celebrate the Kumbha Melā. Not only Kumbha Melā, but any pilgrimage, and going to visit the holy Gaṅgā just to take a bath. That means that whatever the situation in your body, that is going to be healed. The fire is going to be healed. The negativity is going to be healed. So whenever we start the prayer, that is what we do: sprinkle water for purity. And not only in our ancient Vedic tradition—many of you from Australia as well, if you go to the native Australians, you are not allowed to go directly into their village. They will come and then they will sprinkle water on your body first and give some smoke on your body so that no external spirit will go into their village. So that's why here also āratī—āratī means the light when the guru, saint, or any person, normally not only the guru, any person, everyone who is coming to your home, the traditional Vedic tradition was first doing āratī, first water and āratī. Āratī flame—in our body there are seven layers, obviously you might know already, and the external layer might carry negativity and spirits as well. And when you do the fire āratī, all the spirits will go away, and the pure body can enter. That's the provision, and that's why the samudra snāna, you can go and take a bath, is a different thing. And knowing Purāṇa is one thing, but knowing all the philosophies and histories and converting and mixing and tuning and bringing the nature of the Purāṇa is the best idea. And here also, you are told that when Śivajī's fire came out of the trinetra, then that fire became a horse, and all the trinetra started burning, and in every place he started going and walking and walking... And all the hākāras were stirred. So what did Brahmājī do to save the universe? He ran to the shore of the ocean and said to the ocean Lord, "You stop this fire-like fire, or else this Triloka will be destroyed." So, what did he do? To save Triloka, what did he do? He prayed, and the sea accepted. "When the fire-like horse of Śiva will come, then I will be in water." That's why we pray in water, in the pot, saying Brahmā's residence, saying Viṣṇu's residence. It has got healing power. So that we go all the time and take bath in pilgrimage in the holy river Gaṅgā and ocean as well. This is our ancient scientific law, which starts the worship by touching the water, starts the auspicious work. Then there are seven levels in the body, and in the first level, any feeling comes and the negative thing comes, it gets removed. That is why the worship has also come. Before working, before the guests come to the house, what do we do? We do the worship. The fire, we talk about the importance of the fire, and the flame was increasing—the flame of anger. So that's why you know that anger cannot be suppressed. Suppressing is not the solution. So if you have anger—obviously every human has it—now we come to know there is karma, so karma energy as well, anger energy as well. So every energy we have got, but the balancing energy is wisdom. Otherwise, that energy always wants to fulfill the sensational desire, always wants to bring yourself... but if you make balance, then you can be a pure yogī and always tathastha... Let's know any seconds or moments that you have got blindness. So, "Tata Samudra," it is saying, "So, all right, I can do, Brahmā. So, I can control the fire of Śeṣa." So, Samudra was ready there to finish the fire of Śeṣa's anger. So, that's why anger—if you can't control anger, it spreads. And the best way to control anger? Try to limit it. If there is a fire in your home or on any land, what can we do? Better we give it limited space so that the fire... That's why in places where there's more bushfire, like in Australia and other countries, they do deliberate bushfire control. They deliberately control bushfire. Is this just to make a border? So they do the fire so that, later on, if there is a wildfire, it cannot enter. So, in the same way here also, the controlling of your anger—and in anger, controlling is not suppressing. The solution is observing the anger while the anger comes. Just observe your body, and if you remember things, definitely you will win. Part 3: The Path of Observation and the Nature of Fire When anger arises, you become very unhappy. At that moment, your energy dissipates. Conversely, when you laugh or smile, you gain energy. Anger drains energy. Consider short-tempered people; they often become very weak. Test yourself: after becoming very angry, try to lift something—you cannot. After anger passes, you feel weak. Your hands may shake, your eyes turn red, and your breathing becomes faster. This is why anger is problematic. To control anger, suppression is not the way. Similarly, to control karma, suppression is not the method. The key is observation. When you observe, simply note, "Oh, this is anger." Observe it, and slowly it will disappear. The next time you feel temper, just observe. If you forget and later realize, "Oh, that was anger," the principle remains: when any negativity enters your mind, simply observe. The science of the Bhagavad-gītā speaks of vitarāga. This is a unique word found in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is vitarāga? In Saṃskṛt, vitarāga means indifference—neither rāga (attachment) nor vairāgya (detachment). Vairāgya involves running from an object, while rāga involves being connected to it. Both are connected to the object, but tathasta (equanimity) is not connected. For example, if you feel you cannot pass the day without coffee, that is attachment. If you say, "If there is coffee, I’ll drink; if not, it’s also fine," that creates no difficulty. You may consume it if available, but without addiction. This is the state described: a yogī remains in the world like a lotus leaf in water. The leaf remains in water but does not become wet; it stays dry. Similarly, in the world, remain like a lotus leaf. If you receive something, enjoy it; if not, still enjoy. This is how to control anger as well—through observation. Always seek to gain positive energy. The key to gaining positive energy is with you: your smile. Can you smile now? Good, wonderful. When you smile, you gain energy. A man once approached Swāmījī and said, "Gurujī, I am very poor. Can you give me some advice?" Swāmījī asked, "What advice do you seek?" The man replied, "I am very poor and have nothing." Gurujī said, "So you are not giving to others? Give to others, and you will receive." The man said, "I have nothing to give. How can I give? I have no money, no property." Gurujī responded, "You have many things, but you are stingy. You are not giving. What do you have? God has given you beautiful lips and teeth. Even if your teeth have fallen, you can still smile. Share your beauty, and when you share, others will give to you. Whatever you give, you will receive." There was once a bet. One man claimed, "The prime minister will salute me." Another said, "I don’t believe you." They placed a bet of a thousand dollars. The man went to the prime minister and said, "Good morning, salute!" The prime minister replied, "Salute!" Thus, the man saluted first, and the prime minister saluted back. In the same way, if you give respect to others, you will receive respect in return. If you think, "I am a great person, a ṛṣi, a big saint, or a gnānī," and refuse to bow your head, listen to others, or pay attention, you err. People are equal. Merely standing at a height does not make one great; even a donkey sometimes goes to the top of a mountain. Staying at a height is not greatness. Greatness lies in the heart. If you hold greatness in your heart, wherever you are, you are great. Climbing a mountain does not make one grow; even a donkey goes up to eat grass. No one is greater simply for sitting at a height. The greatness of the mind is true greatness, and the greatness of knowledge is greater still. When we give to someone, we receive respect in return. This science is present in our Bhāgavatam and scriptures. Your greatness does not diminish; rather, it is reflected in humility. A tree that bears fruit bends its branches low. A tree without fruit stands straight. Bending signifies flexibility. When a storm comes, a tree that can bend survives; one that cannot breaks. We should be people who bend. There is amazing science in bending: when you bow, your two thumbs point toward your Ājñā Chakra. This action directs energy to the Ājñā Chakra, opening your inner eye. Bowing connects your heart center, and your thumbs act as antennas, drawing energy. When you bow to the feet of great gurus, you receive energy. Every human body has north and south magnetic poles. When you touch feet, you receive energy. The person being bowed to may think, "I am great," but the benefit flows to the one bowing. Physically and psychologically, bowing brings benefit and cultivates humility. Only those who can cut the ego can bow; others remain stiff. These teachings are connected to fire and water. When the ocean god (samudra) is happy, Śiva’s fire god stops, and creation (sṛṣṭi) remains happy. Jai Bhole! Bhagavad Gītā kī jai! Jai Bhole! Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara kī jai! Jai Bhole! Śiva Purāṇa kī jai! Now, we will sing a bhajan. Anyone can participate by clapping hands. Clapping energizes you. When making juice, if you add sugar but forget to stir, it does not dissolve properly. Clapping is like stirring—it energizes you. Let us begin. Jai Viśvaguru Parahaṁsī Sāī Maheśvarānāj Guru Deva Kī Jai. Jai Maheśvarānāj Guru Deva Kī Jai. In the Śiva Purāṇa, it is said that these are not mere stories but the art of life—how to live happily. Fire symbolizes purity. Before going to the forest, Rāma surrendered Sītā Mātā to the fire god. You may know the story: Sītā took shelter with the fire god, representing purity. The Sītā kidnapped by Rāvaṇa was a false Sītā. After the divine play (līlā) ended, Rāma asked the fire god to return Sītā. In the Rāmāyaṇa, when Sītā lifts a stick, it turns to fire, creating a barrier none can cross. The divine meaning is that Sītā represents the ātmā (soul), purity itself, which can never be spoiled. Fire burns negativity and maintains purity. Thus, Sītā was entrusted to the fire god. Before going to the forest, Rāma told Sītā, "You and I must separate now, for you will be safe only with the fire god." Fire is pure and protects until death. Fire exists within our bodies as well. Do you know where? When we are angry, it arises from here. Among the seven types of fire (agni), one is in our stomach: jāṭharāgni. The final fire is citāgni, the funeral pyre fire. The main fire we can perceive is jāṭharāgni. We do not put anything there; it is amazing. This fire digests what we consume. If you eat ice cream, the fire melts it and passes it through. We do nothing; it operates at different temperatures. There is no petrol or gas station inside us, yet this fire exists. Contemplate the amazing creativity of the universe. This inner fire represents purity. From birth to death, we are always close to fire. In rituals, we offer svāhā into the fire. Svāhā represents so’ham: "you are that" and "I am here"—we are the same. When you say svāhā, you give up negativity and invite auspiciousness. We always say svāhā. From birth, for purification, we need fire for rituals like the naming ceremony. As we grow, every auspicious moment involves havan (fire offering). In marriage, the sacred fire (holy fire) is central. While alive, fire resides within us; when it leaves the body, we depart. Thus, fire is purity, and we worship the fire god, Agni Devā. If misused, fire becomes a devastating destroyer; if used properly, it is a helper, assistant, and medicine. Among the deities, the fire god is one. We revere fire because we derive many benefits from it; it gives us energy. Similarly, we suffer from water, so we honor the water god (jala devatā). We breathe air, so we honor the wind god (vāyu devatā). We receive free vitamin D from the sun god (Sūrya Devatā). We often think, "I am giving a beautiful mango to God, or clothes, or money; I am performing great pūjā." But are you really doing pūjā? The universe has given you everything. You are merely transferring what nature provides. You pick a fruit from one place and give it elsewhere, claiming, "I am giving." Thus, it is said: The universe has given us this world. What can we worship? Worship is done on earth. Worship is done in nature. Nature gives us beautiful fruits, air, fire, and the freshness of trees. What have we given? We pluck flowers from trees without thanking the giver. We take fruits without gratitude. Then, placing God before us, we say we have worshipped. Worship is action on earth. Worship is action in this world. We should give thanks. We should be grateful. Worship is giving thanks. When you take something without thanking, you accumulate bad karma. One day, you must pay. No karma in this universe goes unpaid. Meditation and rituals are also processes of payment for what we receive. We cannot truly offer anything in pūjā. For example, if your father gives you 100 rupees and you ask for 100 rupees, then use 90 for yourself and buy a 10-rupee gift for your father, that money was his to begin with. Similarly, we have nothing in this universe that did not come from the universe. We give what we have received and claim, "I gave this," even feeling proud. We want recognition—like in a temple, where a fan may bear three generations' names, indicating donation for fame, not for genuine giving. As Swāmījī said, true donation is without expectation. We must always be careful with karma, avoiding the accumulation of bad karma. Our speech, suggestions, and actions should align. Whatever work we do, we should ensure it does not create karmic burden. Wherever we step, whatever words we speak, whatever thoughts we entertain, we must avoid becoming victims of bad karma. Bad karma can arise in a moment. After 84 lakh births, we have obtained this human body to remove the karma of many lifetimes. Therefore, always act carefully. With ego, think, "I am an ordinary person, simple, and I am nothing." When you hold this mindset, karmic bondage lessens. The moment you feel, "I am a great person," you expect respect from others. If others do not respect you, you feel hurt, leading to mental instability and bad karma. This is why we must maintain positivity and connection with God. If someone speaks ill of you in front of God, it does not matter; simply smile. This is perfection, as discussed yesterday. Always be truthful. There is a story of Akbar and Birbal. Once, an intellectual man came from overseas (another region) who could speak 13 languages. When asked where he was from, he would reply with pride, "I speak 13 languages; you guess where I am from. If you know from my accent, you are wise. It is not my duty to tell you." He had pride in his knowledge. Birbal, known for his wit, was asked by Akbar to determine the man's origin. Birbal said he would find out the next day. He arranged to stay in the same building as the pandit, next door. At night, Birbal took a bird's feather and tickled the pandit's ear while he slept. Half-asleep, the pandit yelled out in his native language, using an abusive word. In the subconscious, people curse in their native tongue. The next day, Birbal revealed in the court that the pandit was from Abadpur. The pandit's pride was shattered. Similarly, all pride falls. There are over 354 stories in the Śiva Purāṇa. In each, individuals start poor and weak, gain power, misuse it, and are corrected by Śiva. A demon may be ordinary initially but meditates intensely, receives a boon from Brahmā, and then misuses it. There is always a clue or condition in divine boons; they are never absolute. For example, in the Śiva Purāṇa, Tārakāsura misuses his power. Later, Śiva marries, and Kārttikeya is born, who kills Tripurāsura. How did the Guru of the Daityas (demons) fall into disfavor? What did Lord Śiva do for truth? The Guru of the Daityas, Śukrācārya, is essential, for without a guru, there is no knowledge. How did Lord Śiva and Nandīśvara come to abhor him? We will discuss this in detail. Today, we will also enter the sūtra of Pāṇini. Jai Bhole Baba ki Jai! We are near the end of the Rudra Saṁhitā, covering chapters 44 to 47. I will explain how Nandīśvara (Nandī plus Īśvara) kidnapped Śukrācārya. What was the reason for this act? There was a great war between demons (dānavas) and gods (devatās). In our body, too, good thoughts represent deva tattva, and bad thoughts represent dhanava tattva. When they fight, if you have the sight of Śiva and meditate, knowledge can defeat negativity and demons. In the war, whenever demons were wounded or in difficulty, they sought shelter with Śukrācārya. Śukrācārya upheld Śaraṇa Gata Dharma—the duty to protect those who surrender. Thus, he protected the dānavas. He would chant the Amṛtamai Mantra (likely the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra) and revive them. The demons would be restored, while the deities suffered. The deities then prayed to Nandīśvara and Śiva (Bhūle Bābā). All the gods went to Śiva's court on Mount Kailash and pleaded, "Bhūle Bābā, do something, for Daitya Guru Śukrācārya is reviving all the demons." Jai Bhole Bhole Baba Ki! Jai! Even when killed, demons would go to Śukrācārya for revival. Śukrācārya would sprinkle holy water and chant the divine Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, bringing them back to life. Part 4: The Power of Faith and the Story of Pāṇini At that time, all the demons returned and began to fight with the gods. The gods were being constantly defeated, and there was no way to overcome this. All the gods and goddesses went to Śivajī and pleaded, "Oh Śiva, please do something. Rescue us. This is a critical time; the demons are resurgent, and we have no one else to appeal to except you." Śivajī blessed them and said, "Okay, Nandi, you can go and kidnap Śukrācārya." Sometimes, for the protection of Dharma, Nandīśvara went to kidnap Śukrācārya. As you know, in the Rāmāyaṇa, Hanumānjī also had to kidnap Dhanvantari. When the body needs a doctor, or a robber needs a doctor, it must be done. To protect dharma, sometimes you need to perform such an act; sometimes you need to twist the rules. When Śivajī acts, it is always for the ultimate good. Now, we come to know of a time when there was a saint named Pāṇini. He was not a very intellectual person; he was dull-minded. Pāṇini was a student in a Gurukul who was a little less intelligent. It is mentioned that the one who had the least knowledge in the Gurukul and was not good in studies was Pāṇini. Everyone used to mock him. So what was done at that time? The Guru Mata said, "Pāṇini, what is it that everyone does to you? Go and do penance. Make Śivajī happy, and then you can come back as a Jñānī." The Guru Māta advised Pāṇini, "Oh Pāṇini, don't worry that you are a dull boy. Everyone mocks you, but don't worry. There is always a solution. When there is a problem, there is a solution. When there is illness, there is medicine. When there is difficulty, there is a solution. That's why don't worry. Always seek the solution, and the source of the solution is Śivajī, is meditation. It always comes. Meditation is sādhanā. Sādhanā means connecting God and Guru closely. When you connect God and Guru, nothing is impossible. You can do everything possible. You can make everything possible. You just need two blessings, two graces. The first thing we need is purity. When you have continued sādhanā and purity, then you can get the blessings and grace from the connection with God and Guru. When you have the blessings from God and Guru, then your connection will elevate. The spiritual level, the power, will elevate, and you can uplift all your situations. You can move in positive directions." In the same way, here, Pāṇini found the way out. Gurū Mātā told him, "Go, Pāṇini. Go to the Himalaya Parvat and meditate. When any knowledge comes, then learn and come back." When he got this blessing, he went to meditate. Pāṇini became one of the founders of Sanskrit phonetics—the 14 formulas. If you are a student of Sanskrit, you might already know that one. How many of you know Pāṇini’s sūtras? Wonderful. So, Pāṇini went into meditation. That meditation was deep and dedicated. For many years—it is not like in the Kali Yuga where a small meditation gives salvation—at that time, meditation required very long dedication and devotion. It was a very long endeavor. Pāṇini sat in the Himalayas doing Ghor Tapasyā. While Pāṇini was meditating, many times he did not get the darśana of Śivajī. He was almost upset. But it is said that even at the last minute, you need to seek. Do not give up. Even at the very last point, there is something waiting for your lock. That is why, before closing the door, do not close it. Maybe the lock is waiting outside your door. If you are about to close that door, the lock will remain outside. It was the same with Pāṇini; he was also about to give up the meditation. But at that time, Nārada came. Nārada is communication, sañcār, the voice, the message, or the cosmic divine message that comes from the universe. Nārada came and said, "Oh, Pāṇini, don’t worry. Don’t be scared yet. There is always a solution. Keep meditating. One day, you can fulfill your meditation." The Śiva Purāṇa tells us to continue whatever sādhanā you are doing. Don’t give up, don’t block your way. Just go continuously ahead until you find the goal. After getting the goal, what happens? You get everything. So, until you reach the final stage, keep doing your work. Pāṇini also kept meditating there. One day, Śiva came. But Pāṇini was asking for knowledge, not for any boon or blessings. Śiva is very merciful. When he arrived, he played the ḍamaru. The ḍamaru is the cosmic drum, small and moving. You might have seen it already, especially in many temples, Śiva temples, Śivālaya. He played it how many times? Fourteen times. He played fourteen times. The cosmic drum's sound, whatever came from those fourteen times, made the formula, the foundation of the Sanskrit Ṛg Veda. That is called the Maheśvarāṇī Sūtrāṇi. When Pāṇini’s meditation was completed, Śiva Bholā Bhagavān came but said nothing. He came, stood up, and played the ḍamaru: Dum Dum... What is ḍamaru playing? How many times? The ḍamaru played fourteen times, and from those fourteen times, fourteen sūtras came out. From the same basis, Pāṇini made fourteen sūtras. That is what we call the Pāṇini Sūtra, the Sanskrit Sūtra. In the Ṛg Veda also there is a nīti; this is called Pāṇini’s Maheśvarāṇī Sūtrāṇī Śānti. Where will it start? It will start with 'A'. So A, U, Ma, Oṁ, which is the first letter of Sṛṣṭi. Śivajī also used it in the Sanskrit language: A, U, Ma, like this. Pāṇini’s Sūtra remained. The cosmic drums remain, but from the drums He generated the formula. What a creative idea! What an intellectual person! That was fourteen formulas. When you chant them properly, it is said to be a healing mantra, a healing way. It is yoga for your tongue, yoga for your throat. That’s why... that was the fourteenth formula. If you chant it properly, and when you stretch your body—stretching means you are giving strength to your nervous system—in the same way, when you stretch your tongue, that is a phonetic yoga, and that’s a healing yoga. That’s a Vedic mantra designed to heal, not only for worshiping just for the sake of prayer. It is healing power. That’s why every word, if you chant properly, if you chant any Sanskrit mantra, then it will work in your body—not just for God, not just to make God happy, but also for your body. That’s why mantra has vibrational energy. It has already been explored, experienced, and practiced for thousands of years; it has been experimented with. That’s why the mantras, if you chant properly... Mantra is 'man' plus 'tantra'. So, manasā, whatever you chant, that can be healed. Śa, ṣa, sa—there are three different pronunciations. Śa, inside. Ṣa, anti-ṣa. Sa, hal. That was the formula of Pāṇini. Look at this. Śiva’s ḍamaru, what a beautiful formula he created for human beings. What beautiful things for our linguistic civilization! All the ancient scriptures have been written in Sanskrit. The Ṛg Veda is the oldest Sanskrit scripture book. The normal Sanskrit formula might not be included, but mostly all Sanskrit has got that formula. If you practice that one, it will definitely come in. Jai Bholē Bholē Bābā Kī. Jai. Now we would like to go chanting one bhajan, and then we’ll go ahead. You sit in a meditative form, and always that energizing style is clapping, clapping, supporting, and energizing your body as well. They will receive a key. Now we start for them. Oṁ namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ, Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Mere tan mein Śiva hai, mere man mein Śiva. Mere tan mein Śiva hai, mere man mein Śiva. Mere rom rom mein Śiva hai, mere man mein Śiva. Kā nām hai mere rom rom, mere man mein Śiva kā nām hai. Mere tan mein Śiva hai, mere man mein Śiva hai. I have Śiva in my mind, I have Śiva in my body, I have the name of Oṁ in my body, I have the name of Śiva in my body. Oṁ Namah Śivāya, Oṁ Namah Śivāya, Bolo Namah Śivāya, Oṁ Namah Śivāya, Oṁ... Namah Śivāya, Bolo Namah Śivāya, Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Mere tan mein Śiv hai, mere man mein Śiv hai. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Bholo Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Bholo Namaḥ Śivāya. Mere rom rom me Śiv kā nām hai. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Bholo Namaḥ Śivāya. Har Har Bholē, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Har Har Holī, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bolo Namah Śivāya. Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Bolo Namah Śivāya. Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Har Har Holi. Oṁ Namah Śivāya. Har Har Holi. Oṁ Namah Śivāya. This is a time that Bholā is very kind—kindness and mercifulness. Whenever in your mind the chemical of mercy comes, just feel that Holī is coming. The yogī always meditates. Meditation is the status of mind, a transcendental mind, coming closer towards Śiva and coming closer towards the truth. There might be obstacles that come. Many obstacles come. But you need to keep doing and keep doing and keep doing. As I mentioned to you, positivity brings you amazing awareness. Just, I would like to add one more story from South America. In South America, there is a group of people called the Sinua. In their history of 300 years of civilization, they have never fought each other. There hasn't been any violence incident, and they haven't any divisions of caste and culture or anything. It was an amazing, unique civilization. People went to research there: what is the reason for that utmost positivity? People went there and found out that they have got positivity. They always practice from day to morning the positivity. When the scientists went there, they did research, a lot of questionnaires. The villagers, the members of the society, told them, "Well, there is one cause for why we are keeping this continuous positivity. When we wake up early in the morning, we gather under the tree in the village. When we gather under the tree, the old person, the senior guy of the village, he starts to listen, 'What have you dreamt last night?'" The person, everyone, they want to share dreams, isn't it? Sometimes you also want to share dreams. Dreams have got amazing science as well. The other guy shared the dreams, and the senior person listened to the dreams. "Well, I saw a buffalo at night time." "Oh, I saw a snake at night time in my dream." "Oh, I saw this thing. I was being chased by a tiger. Oh, I had some bitter experience in my dream." And the old guy, the senior guy, he used to interpret that: "Well, if you have seen those things, you finish your negativity. Now this is the time to turn towards the positivity. You finish your difficulties and danger. That’s why you saw the danger in your dream. Don’t worry." He used to intervene that way. And whatever you see, the positive things—sometimes you see, "Oh, I saw Brahmā. Oh, I see the guru"—and so that is the asking. At that time, what happened is always, "Well, you finish the negativity, then I’ll turn for the positivity." That’s why you start the positive thinking, positive drinks. You always interpret in that way. People are very happy, and they started their day with a smile and positive thoughts. Well, we have got some hope, we have got energy. Life is energy and motivation, isn’t it? If you have the motivation, if you have the energy, if you have good quality, if you have the grace of God and Guru, definitely you can go ahead, and nothing can obstruct you—even a ghost, even a spirit, even any obstacles. That’s why it is said that if you are in a problem, if you are on a cliff, if you are in danger, always connect with the eternal. You will not be alone, and the Guru and God will bless you through their blessings, through their vibe. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be close. You need not be all the time in an ashram. You need not be all the time closed by your Guru or God. There might be the energy, and that energy helps you, not even in this world. If you are even traveling in space, if you are traveling on the moon as well, there is always blessings there. It is always that energy; energy is protecting you, and that is Śiva. That’s why Śiva says, "Don’t worry, whenever you are worshiping me, then I’ll be there." And just if you don’t believe me, if you want to see in saguṇa, saguṇa rūp me aap dekhna chāhte ho. Bhagvān Śiva ko āp kyā hai ki pratyakṣet dekhna cāhte ho. Aur āpko dhyānast ho kar Paramātmā ke āpke ājñā cakram me, āpko either piṅgalā aur suṣumnā ke bīch me rakar jñāna cakram me, Śivjī ko tattva jñāna nahī̃ ātā hai, to āp saguṇa rūp me dhyān kar sakte hai. Śvagunā bhakti karne ke liye Śivjī ne kyā hai, Śivaliṅga kī racanā kyā hai. And you can meditate on Śiva Liṅga. Like Brahmā and Viṣṇu, to meditate on Śiva Liṅga, what he did, he never got it, but when he was meditating, he got the darśana of Śiva. Similarly, you can meditate on Śiva Liṅga. In the form of Śāgund, if you walk in Śāgund, in the form of Param Bhakti, if you become a Baudhyānī, then it is not necessary for you, so you can just meditate. The inside, your inside, is beauty. That beauty will come, and you don’t need anything. As I mentioned before, what you need to meditate, what you need to perform your devotion, your duty—just you need two things. Yes, so what is that? That is your mind and body. Those two things. You need only two things for devotion. You don’t need money. You don’t need anything. You say, "I am poor." You say, "I don’t have any wealth." You can say, "I am not in a good place. You are far." No, no. You don’t need anything. When the disciple is ready, the Guru appears in any form. That’s why you just need to be ready. When the disciple is ready, the Guru appears in any form. When the Guru is blessed, the Guru calls you. You just need to put faith. That’s why it is said in our scripture: if you have faith for anything, if you have faith 100%, then you will get the outcomes whatever you are expecting. That’s why just you need to change your mind and vision, then you will have everything. It will come, my pleasure. Thank you very much, and I would just like to continue today’s, in the Rudra Saṁhitā, the things here. When Brahmā created all the elements, he created water, he created directions, he created fire, energy—all the energies he created. That means, if that is created by Brahmā, if that came from Brahmā, Viṣṇu, that must be some good things there, and we see we need to honor everything, every element, each and every jīva. Ahiṁsā paramo dharma. So then, when you start to respect all those things, then you are worshipping. So that’s why you don’t need the golden temple. You don’t need the golden statue of Śiva. You don’t need golden Siṅgās. You can see that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, they worship Śiva. They collect sand and make a holy Śiva Liṅga, and they worship there. And Śiva appeared. So it is just channeling. The mūrti is nothing. The mūrti is not everything. The statue is not everything. The mūrti is not everything, and whatever is not everything, the biggest belief is Bhakti. If Bhakti is in you, then you will get Gaṇeśa in Gopar. If Bhakti is in you, then you can establish Śiva Liṅga anywhere. In every stone, you can see the presence of Devatā. That’s why the biggest, your vision, that means whatever you see, that might not be the truth. The truth is not whatever you see. Can you see here? You can explain here in this hall. You might tell, "Oh, maybe there are only the disciples here," no. There might be many spirits, the spirit of the guru, the spirit of the holy man, saint, or monks, or many, many people from the past life. Also, they are staying here, but we are so limited, only that—indriya, jo pañca karmendriya, pañca indriya, mein simit hai. Ham, ham usse bahar nahī̃ jā sakte hai, jab yogastha. Nahīṁ to aap abhi iss hāl mein aap insān ke śarīra nahīṁ dekhte hai. You can’t see the spirit, you can’t read the x-ray with your eyes, you can’t read the x-ray, and how many waves are going on here? You receive the mobile, someone calls from far away. But there is no wave in it, but still the mobile is ringing. So this means there is a magnetic field in our world. There is a cosmic world, there is an all-magnetic field. We cannot see anything, but when you receive a mobile phone, what happens? The wave comes. And similarly, that in the internet, so many things, and television channels, so many waves are running here, but we cannot see it. So we cannot say simply, "Oh, there is no God." Oh, we cannot say that anything that’s... that’s presence obviously. That’s why it is saying that if you do Rāmāyaṇa Kathā, there is the presence of Hanumān. When you see a Purāṇa, when you do the Śiva Purāṇa, you have devotion, Śiva is there. So that’s why Śiva is here in the form. We might not see; we are very limited persons. So we have got five sensational organs, five organs for actions, karmendriya and jñānendriya. So they are so limited, we cannot read even X-ray, and even if there is a fly that came and sits behind your head, you cannot see that. But the jīva has God has amazing power. That’s why Jīva, Kālī, Śiva. Śiva for Jīva, they are connected. So when the Jīva comes, then Śiva starts to protect in this universe. Then you will get the blessings. Śiva is wonderful, and that’s why he created. Here he is saying why he has got the ḍamaru and the trident, triśūla, and also he always remains in symmetry. And just I would like to add one story. There was a saint; he had a small heart. There was a small hut of a saint in a village, and in that village there was a small hut where the saints and great people... He used to sit... What do you need for a saint? Let’s go to the temple. There was a little blanket, and there was a kamaṇḍalu. He used to sit with a triśūla, chimṭā, and eat whatever he got. So what happened in that village was that a thief came. And the thief came, and after the thief came, he took all the blankets. Oh brother, the sadhus were sitting in the jungle, leaving their houses, and they stole from the jungle and took the blanket. So the villagers told the sadhu Mahātma to catch the thief. "Mahatma, let’s try to catch this thief." So, Mahatma did not say no, but still, at the request of the villagers, he took them. Where did he take them? Walking, walking... He took them to Masan Ghat. Mahārāj said, "We brought you to catch thieves. You have come to Masan Ghat." He said, "Brother, this thief will surely come to Masan Ghat one day, so no one can go out from here." So they went there. So he had to give a lesson to the world that whoever steals, snatches anything, that they will not be able to take it from the world. Say that means when the Mahātma was meditating in a village, in a small hut, and there was a blanket and some commodities, some little parts, and they don’t want to keep many things. And one day, the robber came, the thief came to steal the blanket, and the thief robbed the blanket. They took it away, and the villagers became unhappy. "The poor sadhu, he has got only one blanket, that also stolen. So now, time to chase the robber, that we need to follow the thief." And everyone requested the Mahānta, and Mahānta told, "Well, I didn’t need, that’s okay." But the villagers told, "No, no... We have to find him and need to give punishment." And he could not—the mahanta could not ignore them, and everyone followed the sadhu, that mahātma. And the mahātma took them in the name of finding the thief, and he took them to the samādhi. And they asked, "Why in the cemetery?" And he told, "This is the last point. No one can run away from here. One day, he will come here, so let’s wait for him there." So that’s the moral of the story: that the cemetery is the last point of this physical body. No matter how many kilometers you run, how fast you run, or wherever you’re running, whatever money you’re making, wherever you are doing that, that’s the last point. From that, beyond that border, you cannot cross it. So this, that is in the Śiva Purāṇa. Also, I want to give you this moral story: material pleasure, material goals, will always remain here. You can enjoy the material goals, you can buy, you can enjoy, you can sing, you can earn money, you can go, you can dance, but always put in your mind the connection to the eternal truth, the eternal goal, and that is Śiva. And Śiva appears when you ask him to come. So, without calling, even a dog doesn’t come, is it not? So, if you put sometimes... in, you go in Europe in... In some Western world, the trained dog, if you give food, it doesn’t come and eat. They are already trained. You need to call them, you need to invite them. That’s why Jīvo hi Īśvaraḥ. So, for today, we will rest here. Let’s move forward. And for tomorrow, for us, what is better in the evening? The deep penance of Śukrācārya, how did it fail? And in that, a guru like Śukrācārya, a guru, a great guru, how did he get rid of Śivjī’s gaṇa? How did he get rid of the gang in Kenya? How can we learn from this in today’s world? After this next session, we will talk about Śukrācārya. He was also the guru, but no matter the guru or saint, people, if they do something wrong, they are also liable to be punished in the court of God. So that will be tonight’s story, and definitely, that you can, you might read already Mahābhārata Kathā, and in Mahābhārata Kathā also, when Arjuna asks that Droṇācārya is my guru, how can I attack him? But Krishna told that time, the guru is guru until he followed the good things, and the śukṛt, the kicker, means to... The Arjuna, but we know that always we respect the divinity, the eternity that comes from the Sadguru, and we respect, and we will find the Jñāna. That’s why it is saying that on the agenda, Timir on the sya Jñāna and Janice a la caja check children militum. In a tasmān guru vena mahā hariuṁ tassad, I believe a wonky J. Oh, poor in a mother who will not meet them who don’t fool a mudax yet a pool asya who namada ya una me vavas is yet a home serve away for an ass war. Oh me and my jalam niveditam ca naivedyam tad gihandukampaya. Awa, nam na janāmi, na janāmi tavārchanam, pūjā chaiva na janāmi, kṣamasva parameśvari. Anyathā śraddāṁ na’sti to mevaṁ śraddāṁ mama, tasmāt kāruṇya bhavena rakṣhamāṁ parameśvara. Kar charaṇa kīrtanaṁ vā, kar bhajana śravaṇaṁ vā, nayanaṁ vā, manasaṁ vā, pāradhāṁ. Vihitam vihitam vā saram etadakhyam asva, jai jai karuṇābde śrī mahādeva śambho arihi oṁ.