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Part 1: The Final Rest: Concluding the Śiva Purāṇa Śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ. Pūrṇī vidyārambha kariṣyāmi siddhir bhavatu me sadā. Oṃ śrī gurur brahmā, śrī gurur viṣṇuḥ, śrī gurur devo maheśvaraḥ, śrī guruḥ sākṣāt parabrahma tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ. Oṃ sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ. Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkha bhāgbhavet. Oṃ asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya. Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. Sahavīryam karavāvahai, tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai. Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. Parama-ātmā, Mahāpuruṣa, Gaṇeśa Bhagavān, Sarasvatī Mātā, sampūrṇa guru-var, sādhu-santa-mahanta, all the people who have come to this earth, all the people who have come to this earth, all the people who have come to this earth, all the people who have come to this earth—pūṇyātmā sabke caraṇa bandanā karte hue, aaj ke isī purāṇa ke ye ākhirī viśrām kā din meṁ, meṁ Paṇḍit Ācārya Rājan Śarmā āp sab logo kā ānandandan kartā hūṁ. Jahan tak ye āvāz ko āp istemāl kar rahe hain, merā satkoṭi namān. Āp ke liye jai bhole bhole bābā kī jai hari om. I would like to welcome you to this session, this end session, and I would like to salute all of the Gods. God is saint, mahāpuruṣ, gurujan, and all the deities. God is, and please accept my humble request. And salutations to all of you, from Acharya Rajan Sharma, from this Basbhit. Jai Bhole Bhole Bābā Kī! Jai! So, while walking, today we have reached the last day of this Śrī Purāṇa, Maa Śrī Purāṇa. You have reached the last day of your life. So, everything where there is a beginning has an end. That is why every beginning comes with an end. So, Śiva Purāṇa also, in this tri-sthāna, in this Sīprā Gaṅgā, near Sīprā Mātā, in the company of the Guru, in the company of saints, we are getting the opportunity to listen to this. This is the opportunity to listen to this. We are getting this opportunity from the past life and the fruits of many lifetimes, from Śivajī’s amṛtamayī vāṇī and from this Triśālā and Kumyā Melā. So today we will dedicate all that is left of this Śiva Purāṇa, and in today’s day and age, it will be complete. Jai Bhole Bhole Baba Kī. So finally we arrived at the end of this Śiva Purāṇa’s endpoint. Whatever starts in this universe must end; that’s nature’s rule. So no one came here forever. Everyone who comes has to go. They have to, in the kalpa, the time. And similarly, Rāma comes, he has to go in one day, and Kṛṣṇa also arrived. For some reason, he has to go, and we also arrived here with the God and Guru’s kṛpā, and the universe invited all of you. But today, we have to say goodbye. We have to say goodbye with a heavy heart, but for a yogī, we are always here, and we will always be here. Like we are a drop of the ocean: sometimes, for the raining time, we will fly with the heat of the sun, evaporating, but finally, we will be in the Brahma. If we are practicing the same thing, the sādhanā, then we will be connected again. The wall is the magnetic field, so wherever we are, we are merging in the ocean. It’s like all the rivers, all the waters, go towards the ocean. In the same way, so today we have got the final chapter, as we mentioned that already. We have how many chapters? How many saṁhitās in Śiva Purāṇa? Seven. Among the seven that we started, and now we are in the... it takes longer and longer time. It has the divine stories, and a lot of research, and a lot of wisdom in it. So in the short time, whatever we can perform, whatever we can read, whatever we can take, we did today. But today, I’d like to explain that yesterday, in the earlier session, we talked about before death: what are the symptoms of the human being? What colors, or what are the symptoms, and what sort of things appear in your body? That was very valuable, and also this is very useful. Medical science also accepts that, thousands and thousands of years before, it has been written, and that we mentioned: sixteen symptoms if somebody is going to die in fifteen days, or one month, or six months, what will happen in the body, so differences. And so later on we find out that we read yesterday in the Umā Saṁhitā that, "What is the best of the best of the best yoga posture, and how can we merge in the Brahma, and we can get that amazing, amazing power?" And that power is not for using for our desire or just where the self is to fulfill our interest. So that is the merging with the Brahma, and amazing that happiness, infinite happiness. So that we tried that five. So, have you tried last night or this morning? Some of you? Yes? That tried Śabda Brahma Yoga? Yes? Many of you. So Mounaṁ Lakṣaṇaṁ Śrīkīrtam. That means if you saw this, you did, I think. So if not, that’s okay. Still, you have time; you can do it. And normally, whatever yoga books we read, that in Patañjali and Gorakṣanāth, they have got mentioned that Haṭha Yoga, other yoga, but the yoga postures, whatever mentioned in Śiva Purāṇa, it has been hardly found. It’s rare outside, so later on you can practice and research, but it’s saying that Śiva says this is the perfect way. In such time, and continuously, to perform, you can create that harmony yourself, and you will find the nectar of your life inside your body. And how can we, the last, can you remember the last Śabda Brahma yoga posture that you sit? You find out a quite nice place, and after light, and after, after light, then slowly you, you sit like in a meditation posture, whatever you do normally. Backbone is straight, shoulder go back and slowly roll back your tongue, rolling back all the way it goes, as far as you can reach. Maybe first, initially, if you are doing that, it might touch only the hard surface of your mouth, and if you practice slowly, slowly, slowly, that will, that can touch the base of the brahmarandhra, the base of the skull, the base of the that’s brahmarandhra. And when you slowly toss that brahmarandhra, and gradually that is start to drop the nectars, and that nectars when you slowly used to drink that is the prāṇadāyī amṛta, and you can live more than 100 years. It has been mentioned in the Umā Saṁhitā, as I told, that in the Umā Saṁhitā, verses 25. That is the evidence of the Śiva Purāṇa. And the Śiva Purāṇa is written not just for superficial research. It is himself. Śiva manifested this one. So Śiva many times reassured. He confirmed to Pārvatī. O Pārvatī, this is the confirmation. So believe it. Practice it. Obviously, if we are practicing, so we will get the Śiva’s feeling, the feeling of Śiva’s appearance, and also get the longevity of life, happiness, and the reason we came in this universe. We will get it. That’s the things here in Umā Saṁhitā. And today in the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā, what we are going to talk about is, there’s a long list of things here, but we’ll have only one hour. After this, we have to go for the rituals as well. So it says, "When can you do yoga? When and which is the best time and where?" Can do the place, time, place, and state of your mind. And also, it says, like, now you learn that what’s the symptom of death, and now you learn that how can you avoid and defeat the death. And now here, Kṛṣṇajī is asking to Upamanyu. Kṛṣṇajī is asking to Upamanyu, oh, the Lord, if people wanted to get samādhi, that wants to desire the death, how can you invite? So you can avoid death, that’s also with yoga. But what about if you want to invite death? Samādhi, if you want to go to Brahmā, and what’s the process of that, and after death for Śaiva who is practicing Śiva, what will happen? Do we need to do some rituals in water? Do we need to go find a paṇḍit? Do we need to find some special rituals? So what will be the result? And after that, what will happen? That is talking in a way that is talking in baby samādhi, and it’s, uh, in baby samādhi, it sucks. And also, it gives the chapter 33 to 38 for your reference. And Kṛṣṇajī is asking, "Oh, the Upamanyu, so what is the yoga?" And here, Śivajī also mentioned the same, that aṣṭāṅga yoga. He also mentioned yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, or samādhi. But after this also, this is the aṣṭāṅga yoga. But Satpuruṣ, we be, who is the Satpuruṣ, if you are practicing continuously for a longer time, the puruṣ have got the other ten symptoms, as I mentioned before, that is ahiṃsā, non-violence, truthfulness, and so on. These symptoms are in your mind. That comes the feelings of purity and generosity, and also mentally balanced, emotionally balanced, physically fit. That sort of symptoms it comes in your life. What are the symptoms? You are physically fit, mentally strong, spiritually elevated based on your morality and ready to ceaselessly fight against immorality, that sort of quality comes in a yogī. So, from the physical level, the outer, and the mental level, the inner, and knowing the Brahma and approaching towards the Brahma, that is the quality the Kṛṣṇa Upamanyu is mentioning the Kṛṣṇa? And you might have the queries, "Oh, where is the Kṛṣṇa that is in a Dvāpara Yuga?" This Purāṇa has been talking about sometimes Satya Yuga, sometimes about the Tretā Yuga, so sometimes confusing, but it says, like I mentioned earlier, there is not only this cycle: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali. These types of cycles are many, not only these four we are running. So there are many Kalpas for Brahmā, there are many Satya Yugas, many Dvāpara Yugas, and many Tretā Yugas, that’s why Śiva, the Kṛṣṇa, is asking Upamanyu. So here we are in the last Saṁhitā of Śiva Purāṇa, in the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā, and in the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā you can see 33. In the 33rd to 38th chapter, Lord Kṛṣṇa asks Upamanyu. That is how we can move ahead with yoga. And he asks Upamanyu, "When to do yoga? How to do it?" And if someone wants death, wants to invite death, then how can we do it? What is the procedure for that, and when should we do yoga? What is the benefit of that? What is the power of a Siddha Yogī? All these are changing. So when we first believed that when a human dies, then if someone is dying before six months, what is the color of his body? Does the bird look back or not? And how does he see the star? And in the ghee and oil mirror, how does he see the reflection? So all these were mentioned, and then what did Śivajī do? He taught the way to win over death. In this world, only one person can win over death, and that person is a Yogī. That is why, in yoga, the word Brahma Yog is the best. Yogīrāj says so. We have read the same thing in Umā Saṁhitā. Today, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Do yoga." But where and how to do yoga? Upamanyujī changes Lord Kṛṣṇa. And Upamanyujī is saying that in yoga, there is yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, samādhi, samādhi. But while doing that, what happens is that a divine form comes. What is that divine form? The mind, the brain, the body, all of it, gets enlightened. Jai Bhole Bhole Baba kī Jai. And here it says, like, Upamanyu, so can you leave home for the yoga? Do you need to leave home? Do you need to give up? So he says, "Na jag chhodo, na hari bhulo, karam kar zindagī mein, raho duniyā mein yun jaise." So you just keep doing. You don’t need to leave the universe. But you need to keep remembering the Śabda Brahma. Keep practicing. And remain like a lotus flower, so it remains in the water. But sometimes it looks like it goes dry quickly. And it doesn’t show that it’s in water. So, in the same way, you live in this universe. You practice, but just connect with this. And everything moving, eating, knowing, that is with consciously, and perform your yoga regularly. And also it says, like, morning, evening, or wherever you are. And it says when, where we can do, and there has written that many ideas where you can do, or where you cannot do. The first thing you should not choose is the place where there is a lot of danger, animals, and also close to the fire. And also, if there are lots of snakes or any duṣṭa paśu, if there are harmful animals, that place you do not need to choose for yoga or meditation, it says. And where can you choose? So you need to choose the place where you have no fear for anything. And that needs to be a peaceful place where there are no harmful animals, and also there is not much noise, and also you just feel from inside that there is no danger around there. And what you have to do, you need to make it clean first with water and gobar. So water, and also whatever is available for the purification. And also you can make an incense around there so that the air will be clean, and also put some flowers around there. And if it is a home, is ashram just make one, uh, that says the cover? It’s a cover in your ceiling overhead. That’s a beautiful cover according to the vastu śāstra, feng shui makes the, uh, so that is, I think, in a haven, in our haven house, and also some of the ashram’s room as well, so I think this is because if there is heat, if there is rain, if something that will cover you. And it says, like, when you cannot do that, it says if you have some undigested problems and you have got a lot of food, or you have got some problem in digestion, and also if you have some sickness, if you have got severe pain, and also it says like if you are tired, too much tired, and also it says like if you are in great anxiety and you are suffering, or you have you got a lot of that hunger, or are you in thirst? And also, if you don’t have blessings from anyone, if you don’t have any guidance from a guru or teachers and ācāryas, or whoever is doing, you don’t have. So in that way, you don’t do at that time. So that’s why yoga also has rules. The Śiva Purāṇa talks about when we cannot do. So if you are too tired, also you don’t need to do, so it says. A little bit of freedom, it’s really for you, no? So it says, like, you can do. And when you can do, how you can do, you just stay in any posture, yogic āsana, whatever āsana you can do, and it says every posture’s benefit as well. So it’s like the Patañjali yoga also talks, but in Śivapurāṇa talks in differently, what postures are more important for prāṇa sañcāra? And you need to, if you are done that all, that Halāsana, Sarvāṅgāsana, or the chakras and all those postures, after that you need to cure yourself, prāṇa sañcāra, and you need to connect it with the Brahma. If you are not connecting, you feel there is some mistake going on, so you need to seek a guide. You cannot just practice by watching a CD or reading books. You practice, and if it’s not gaining, you need to have the proper guide. And there are many snakes and mosquitoes, you should not do it there. So what should you do there? Avoid it. And where do you do yoga? Where you have a good place to sit first. Where there are no animals, there is no fear of fire, and there is no fear of snakes. And what is there? You have a good state of health, you can do it there. So, it is saying that it says not only posture. The Upamanyu is telling that you do the posture, but you cross-check as well, time to time, for a yogī. You need to cross-check. And if you are not benefiting with these things, then what you can do is you can ask the well-known masters, teachers, and gurus, and you can cross-verify it. And it gives a lot of ideas. And also, it says, like, you always need to make the āsana at a height, a little bit of height, and slowly you can first, read your mind and read your posture, all those things. And here, Kṛṣṇa is asking, "What about the meditation now?" Okay, so what’s the value of the meditation, and why do we have to do meditation? And Upamanyu said that in this world, there is only one thing. There is no great temple, no pilgrimage spot, or anything. You don’t need to go. If you do meditation, meditation is everything: the deity, God, temple, holy river, pilgrimage, festival. You don’t need to go. Where is that? Where is the evidence? That evidence is in the Śiva Purāṇa, 39th chapter and 28 verses. So what’s the Sanskrit śloka about this? It says, "There is no pilgrimage or temple greater than meditation." There is no great pūjā or anything, so then the meditation. So, meditation is the great thing. Who is telling? Upamanyu is telling to Kṛṣṇa. Where? In Śivapurāṇa, in what chapter? In the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā, Uttarakhaṇḍa, chapter 39 and verse 28, it talks that it is started from that śloka, and it says that if somebody meditates, the person will certainly be close to Śiva. That’s why, first, you can start with the yoga posture, obviously. Wherever you are, the beginning point, but later on, slowly, slowly it’s a meditation, and how you meditate? There’s a variety of techniques it has given, but here the Upamanyu is saying that the first you make a, that’s āsana, obviously the āsana is important, and after, when you choose that. Is that not the case nowadays also? If you go to rescue anything, but first you check the safety of the environment, isn’t it? If you go to help anyone, if there is a fire or something, if you are working for nurses or the medical sector, or, in any sector, first you need to check whether you are safe or not, then you perform your duty. So, in the same way, here it also says that first, before starting meditation or anything, you really need to see the first safety, and after that, you slowly, you can meditate, and you can meditate and start to meditate. And when you meditate, you slowly start from breathing, prāṇāyāma, and from prāṇāyāma, you can put your mind just at the front, the front side of your nose, in the front stage of nose, you can just remember Śiva and Pārvatī. Or, if you are not able to do this one, then slow all the way down to the mūlādhāra cakra, the root energy center. In the root energy center, just visualize the energy of Śiva, and when there, you find the energy of a Śiva, then slowly keep going continuously and continuously, and you will have slowly, slowly that realization comes, and that’s the jñāna yoga. And jñāna yoga is one of the important and jñāna yoga, it says like this is the great, and great, and great than any havana, any dāna, and visiting any temples and doing any puṇya, anuṣṭhāna, or any rituals, this is the great of the great of the great meditation. So that’s why in this world it says, "Either meditation or medication." So if you meditate, you can remove all the sicknesses, diseases. If you would not meditate, then so many. You can hold one pocket of meditation, medications, and you cannot sleep without sleeping tablets. Even though you have a beautiful house and nice beds, no, you cannot sleep. And also, you will always have fear, and you... Part 2: The Path of Śiva Yoga: From Restlessness to Liberation Living like an animal, with a restless mind, there is no happiness. Today you go somewhere else, and still you are not happy. Drinking, involving yourself in activities—whatever you do in this world, that enjoyment comes only temporarily. It finishes. But whatever you do connected with meditation on Śiva, that is long-lasting; it is the nectar-drinking process. That is why Śiva is shown increasing that motivation to meditate. If you see any posture, any image of Śiva, He is mostly in a meditative posture. That is why the Gurus, the learned fellows, the Mahātmas—their pictures are in a meditating posture. What does it mean? They are not saying merely to worship, not merely to offer fruits, money, or whatever you want, and then say, "Oh, I did pūjā." No, they want you to meditate. If you want to follow the Mahāpuruṣa, a god, then receive the godly quality. That comes through divine connection and by closing all your sensational organs and organs of action. These are the things. He keeps talking about meditation. When meditation comes, one gets relaxed. One hour of meditation is said to be worth more than three hours of rest. So if you didn't get a chance to sleep, you can meditate, and in half an hour you will be replenished. This means if normal people utilize 24 hours, you will utilize time as if it were equal to 30 hours. You meditate, and your power increases. It is said that the energy for food, for anything… do not feel, "Oh, I didn’t eat today. I have to eat something. I don’t have any energetic food." Do not feel that. The energy does not come only from worldly food. We are constantly receiving the food of the cosmic world—that is air, cosmic energies, and so many vibrational or planetary energies. When you meditate, you receive them directly. It is like nectar; the worldly nectars will come, which I mentioned already. That is why the place is important, and regularity is also important. If you have heard of Yogī Śivapurī Bābā… Śivapurī Bābā, it is said, lived 180 years. He was from India and traveled as a Parivrājak Sādhu. A parivrājak sādhu always lives only three days in one place so they will not have attachment or problems. For example, if you are living here in a retreat, after the retreat it will be demolished, but we have no worries. Whatever happens is okay. You do not have attachment, and you are not complaining, "Oh, this color needs to be red, this needs to be green." You will not have that because in your mind there is temporariness. You just want to spend seven days, that’s it. In the same way, the parivrājaka yogī also feels they do not connect to this world. Many people come into this world and try to change it, but it does not change; it is as it is. The world is so; change yourself. When you change yourself, that is important. From Brahmā to Śivapurī Bābā, they did the same. He traveled from here all the way: Iraq, Arabia, Afghanistan, London… In London, the queen told him, "Until my death, you need to remain here." He was a parivrājaka sādhu, but because of her request he stayed. After that, he went to Nepal and meditated. He never did any advertisement. He was a simple yogī who lived there for many years. He has books you can read, like Autobiography of a Yogi and the autobiography of Śivapurī Bābā, which contain amazing things. Why I am connecting this is that Kṛṣṇa is asking Upamanyu, "What can a yogī do in this world?" And Upamanyu is telling, "Listen, he can do these amazing things. He can travel wherever he wants without a body. When you remain in strong meditation…" Whatever we talked about, those five yogas yesterday—if you are doing them regularly, it is called Śiva yoga. What is Śiva yoga abhyāsa? If you are practicing Śiva yoga abhyāsa and you become perfect, then you will not have material connection and bhoga, that connectivity. Then, slowly, slowly, bhoga will finish, desire will finish, and you will want whatever you can do. It says that whatever a Siddha Puruṣa wants, he will get here and now, like from a kalpa vṛkṣa. If you want fruits here, they come. If you want water, it comes. Even in a desert, a yogī can create water. What I read in Śivapurī Bābā’s autobiography is very hard to believe. Once he wanted to go somewhere and give a gift to his disciples who were serving there (seva). There was an iron chair, and slowly, in his pyre, he changed it into gold. This looks like a miracle, like magic. But in yoga, it is said there is no magic for spirituality. So many things come, but you do not use them for your desire or your little motive. You need to do it for jñāna and seva. If you use that power for good things, you will always have good things. As the Śrī Purāṇa talks here, whatever you want, you can do. You can change a mountain. You can move wherever you want, travel wherever you want. You can finish your life or start your life; a yogī can do that. I read that once, when Śivapurī Bābā was at his ashram (if you go to Nepal, to a little mountain, maybe you have been—it is called Buddha Nīlakaṇṭha), it was raining. He ordered the people to make tea and food, saying, "I am going somewhere else. You prepare." He went down, and they tried to prepare. There was no matchbox; they used to wrap matchboxes in clothes in the rainy season, but the matchbox was wet and they could not make a fire. For three days they had no fire in the jungle and remained starving, eating only kanda-mūla, roots and fruits. When Śivapurī Bābā returned, he asked his disciple (this was written in his disciple’s notes), "Did you cook something? Did you eat something?" They said, "No, Mahārājī, there was no fire. We could not make any food." Śivapurī Bābā said, "Well, I will make something because I have a guest. He came with a sādhu Mahātma, and I have to feed him. Without feeding, without respecting him, how can I send him away?" That is why it is said that if any saint, guru, or anyone comes to your place, village, or country, you will feed them, offer service, and give whatever you can. That is the ritual. Śivapurī Bābā also wanted to feed him, so there was no fire. He said to bring some wood, and with his yoga śakti, he made the fire. Everyone was surprised. The boy serving did not ask any questions, but he was a great yogī. One day, Śivapurī Bābā became sick and wanted to tell one thing to his disciple. He said, "I have one regret." The disciple asked, "What is your regret, Mahārājī?" He said, "I am not supposed to use my yoga bala just to make a fire. That was for our selfish desire, just to cook something. For that, I need to pay off some karma." That is a yogī. They definitely have power, but a yogī does not need to show it just to attract people, to show off, or to gain material things. They should not show the power. It is said a yogī has amazing power; he can invite Śivajī as well, but he should not misuse the power. These are the amazing things at that level. Anyone can reach it—those who are yogīs, practicing regularly and maintaining all the discipline. That is why they can do it. We have many great saints; they do not want to show it. Sometimes, whenever the time comes, they want to bless you. That is why they also hold powerful capacity. If they show it, there is a connection with karma. That is why Kṛṣṇa says, the Upaniṣads say, "Do not use any power just to attract anything." In Buddha’s time, in the Tripiṭaka, it is related that many monks came to India. One monk did not want to go back to Gayā. Buddha left him there. There was an announcement by a rich man who said there was a golden Kamaṇḍalu hanging on a tree. If anyone could bring it down with yoga bala, he would offer him whatever he wanted—money and gold. Thousands of people came. The yogī, with the yoga bala of the Buddha, said, "Okay, I can do it." Many people came, and he did it. When the message went to Buddha, from that day Buddha gave up the saint. He said, "From today, you are no more with my dharma because you performed your yoga only to attract material gain and to show off to people. That is why, from today, you are not connected. Do not say you are in our sampradāya." This has been mentioned in our dharma as well. Why am I talking about this? This is how a connecting yogī has power, but the ego needs to be cut down. It is saying you can be a yogī, but you do not need to give up your home or anything; you need to give up your ego and pride. If you give that up, you are a yogī. Kṛṣṇa is also saying here, "There is no one like Pāṇi Yog." If anyone comes into the world, Yog can become powerful. Even in the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, Kṛṣṇajī says where to do Yog and how to do it. To do Yog, all powers are given. You will go anywhere; you can travel without a body. After traveling, you get so much strength that you can even lead Śivajī in front of you. This is very powerful knowledge, but you have to practice it regularly. You can even win against death. But you should not misuse it. If you misuse it, then what happens? The power of yoga, if used for position, fame, wealth, and show, gets destroyed in a moment. This is what we are saying here. Jai Bholē Bholē Bābā Kī Jai. Who can do this? Who can be a yogī? Sometimes we feel only the santapuruṣa who is doing it can do it, and other people cannot. Sometimes that hesitation comes. But here, anyone, any jīva, any living human being with a physical body, can practice; he deserves to practice this yoga and achieve that amazing power. For example, you need to have an intention. With intention, you can do it. I read about Satyānanda. He has an ashram in Australia as well; they claim it is the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest yoga school. Many people come from around the world to take a degree there; it is an accredited yoga ashram. In his story, he was a very lazy boy. Satyānanda, in his biography, was very lazy. He used to wake up only at breakfast time, eight or nine o’clock. One day he saw that even a small, poor guy always practiced in the morning, and he later became a saint in the tradition of Śivānanda and Nirañjanānanda. When Satyānanda found out about this normal man, he asked, "Oh, Swāmījī, what time do you wake up? What can you do?" That struck his mind: "Oh my God, that simple guy wakes up early and practices this. I am not doing this?" From that day, he decided, "From tomorrow, 4:30 to 6:30, I wake up and I challenge myself." He challenged himself and made an intention. In his ashram also, he made rules like here: waking at 4:30 early morning and starting yoga. From that day, that awakening mind, waking at 4:30, became the tradition he made. He always became a powerful yogī, popular and practicing. That is why many yogīs, sants, are doing it in that way, with commitment and intention. Anybody can do it. There is one person, Dr. Vikāsānanda Yogī in Nepal. He did a PhD on yoga and medicine. He was formerly a Buddhist saint monk, and later he came as a Sanātani-style saint. Why did he become a saint? He used to go to Russia to learn art. In Russia, there was a long queue, and he stood in it. He thought, "What is this? Why are people standing?" He went and saw there was a dead body. People were waiting and paying money just to see a dead body—Lenin’s dead body. He thought, "Oh my God, people are waiting to look at a dead body. I am alive here, but no one comes to see me. Okay, I promise one day people will come to see me as well." From that point, he awoke and changed his mind. That is why sometimes we need a trigger to awaken. Sometimes a guru or saint can make the trigger; sometimes it is our surroundings; sometimes, inside, your eternal guru, with the blessings of the guru and God, awakens. He said, "Make a commitment. From today, I am alive, but no one comes to see me. I am paying money just to see a dead body. I want to be that sort of person." From that day, he gave up, studied research, yoga, meditation, and practiced so many things. Now he has proven many techniques and has great followers. Even nowadays, he performed walking on fire, which looked like an unbelievable miracle. But he did it in a public ceremony, not just for show-off; he wanted to prove something in a ceremony. Many people, his disciples—I talked yesterday—remained for 60 days without any food, with just meditation. Many cameramen and journalists came and found nothing. That is a yoga that has amazing miracles. Who can do it? Anyone can do it. When we can do it, we always can do it. This is the time; it is not late. Now, the minute you awake, you can start from today. Your journey starts. Tomorrow does not come. Even in the Rāmāyaṇa, what happened? Rāvaṇa said to Lakṣmaṇa, "There is no tomorrow, Lakṣmaṇa." Lakṣmaṇa asked, "Can you tell me some knowledge?" And Rāvaṇa said, "Lakṣmaṇa, you need to start anything today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes." In this way, for a yogī also, there is no tomorrow. Do not think, "Let’s finish the retreat, enjoy India now, and we’ll start Śiva yoga at home." No, tomorrow never comes at home when you go back. We just hang over from the retreat a couple of days, rest because of suffering from plane or train travel, and in a couple of days you have to join your duty. And duty, and again the same thing—nothing changes. That is why not tomorrow? Now you can practice. This is Upamanyu telling Kṛṣṇajī. For the last final portion, we need to conclude in one hour, yes. We are going back for the rituals, and you can also join that punahoti. In the final stage, it talks about many yogīs and mentions who are the disciples of Śiva and who are the followers. Finally, one important thing I would like to tell you is about samādhi. What the Śiva Purāṇa talks about is samādhi. Samādhi, at times, is where you can invite death yourself. That means yesterday we talked about how you can defeat death; you can live more than 100 years. But today, it is not suicide; with yogic practice, with Brahmā, with Śivajī… If that day you do not feel attachment to the body, not attachment to husband or wife or your things, and you think, "Now enough, my duty is enough; now I want to merge with Śiva," at that time it says the same thing: when you practice that Śiva meditation and have that realization, when you feel all those… the sub-Brahmā… If you are practicing and doing that Śiva Yoga, closing the eyes and all those five items, slowly, slowly you realize you are nothing. You are just the connection of this Brahma. What do you do? Remain sitting and finish taking all material things inside; so do not eat anything. It says to give up food, but not forcefully. You need to understand knowingly. You are going to give up rice, pizza, water, milk, beer, anything. Whatever you eat, you are eating—finished. From today, be like a stone, a paśāṇa, as if you are not receiving anything. And meditate only. How do you meditate? Feel Brahma all the time here, in the front part of your nose. Meditate and meditate and meditate. Put your tongue behind, and slowly, slowly… then you will have only bone and skin in your body. And slowly, you will happily merge into Brahma Samādhi and connect with your Brahma Raṇḍa. When you die, what will happen then? Normally, in Sanātana, in many scriptures, it is said that after death, what will happen? It is written for the devotee: if you die while meditating and take samādhi, then here the Upaniṣads say that Kṛṣṇajī is telling how you can win death. Only yogīs can win by doing yoga. If someone wins Kāla, then he wants to go to samādhi. He has lost his mind. You do not want to listen to him, and you want to surrender to God. How can you do that? So, get distracted. And stop eating rice and water, but do not stop doing Yoga. Keep doing Yoga. If you stop doing Yoga, then you are not an animal. Keep doing Yoga. When you die, you are dead. So what will happen? What will you do? You will have to do śrāddha. You will have to do piṇḍadāna for liberation. What will you have to do? Call the priest? Do the rituals? What will you have to do? But Upamanyu says if a person dies after becoming a Śiva bhakta, he will not have to do anything. If he throws his body in water and burns it in symmetry, and if he throws his dead body, and if he eats cow dung, he will go to Brahmā. So what about the funeral things? Part 3: The Liberating Path of Śiva: Freedom in Life and Death In the Western world, one must pay for funeral insurance. Furthermore, after the funeral, one must invite the sampannit and perform Śrāddha and rituals for thirteen days, involving payments and donations. For one year, your son and daughter remain engaged in these rituals. So, how can you reach Śivaloka? Upamanyu says in the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā, chapter 39: if you die while meditating, or when you merge with Brahma, do not worry at all. Whether someone throws your body into the water, cremates you in fire, or vultures, eagles, and birds come to eat it, do not worry. You will still be with Śiva in Śiva-loka, and no one needs to perform śrāddha or anything. What an easy way, isn't it? That is why merging with Śiva is helpful not only before death but after death as well. You will have no regrets, no matter what; you are free, without tension. Sometimes we worry: "Oh my God, if we die, what will happen? Who will look after our dead body? Who will bring this one, or who will cremate us? What will happen? Maybe we will be in hell." Such thoughts come. But it is said: if you meditate on Śiva, if you merge with Śiva and attain samādhi, do not worry about your body. It is like clothes, like hair. When your hair is cut, do you worry about it? When you go to the barber in the salon for a haircut, you do not worry about the hair. You come back easily and happily, thinking, "Oh, look at this. I'm a hero. My hairstyle is good." You feel that. It means you do not feel that existence. In the same way, when your Chaitanya (consciousness) is connected with Brahma, you feel your body is also okay. After that, it is all right. That is why nowadays, before death, people donate their bodies to hospitals. It does not matter. They donate their eyes, their kidneys, all those things. I even heard that in China, before executing people, before giving the death penalty, they utilize all parts of the body—the kidneys, lungs, everything—so indifferently. So it is saying that. And here is another thing: when people die, they cremate and put the ashes, the powder, into the river. Why is that tradition? Because the human body, human life, has come from the other. Serve the other people, serve the universe, serve. When you die, after death you can still be useful. The human bone is very fertile; if somebody puts it in the farm, crops grow very nicely. In ancestors' time, they used to bring water from the river. So, if somebody puts the ashes, the powder, in the river and it is used for irrigation, what happens? It can help the fruit and plants. Crops come better; it is for good things. They decided to commit and put your ashes in the river. So what happens after death? After being a devotee of Lord Śiva, after death you reach Lord Śiva. Neither do you have to pray, nor do you have to do penance, nor do you have to do anything. Where is this from? Who told you? What is its proof? Is there any proof? Where is it written? It is written. Who asked? Who told? Kṛṣṇa asked. Bāṇyu told that after death you should stop worrying. Who will pray? And whose son? He will do. The work for you is included in Śiva. So, Śiva will do all your work. After death, why do we burn or leave your body in the river? Because our human body, human life has come for purification. So, it has come for purification. After death, even our body, which becomes khāg (ashes), that khāg also comes for the use of someone. That is why we put it in the river. If you put it in the river, a farmer will harvest it. What happens by harvesting? Wheat, grains come out well. So, after death, if it comes in a festival, that is why it is kept here. Jai Bholē Bholē Bābā Kī! Jai! It is said here that you can never leave this world. So, what is it? You have to do it today. So, who can do it? It says, like, anyone can be a statue. Every stone can be a statue of a temple. So we are the raw stones. Anyone can be a statue. When you practice, when you have art, when somebody applies the art, then you will be worshipped. One day, the marbles, the little pebbles, asked the statue: "You became the statue. Everyone came to worship you, and I am from the same source, the same source of stone. People cross me, they walk over me because I am on the floor. You became the statue, but we are from the same part of the marbles." So the marble pieces act as the statue, and instead you told that, well, when people choose stone, I was there and you were also there. But when the architect started hammering to make the statue, you broke down into many pieces, but I stayed. I stayed. I received the pain, I tolerated the pain, and I did not break down. That is why I stayed here, and you broke down with the pain, with the hammer. Then you are under the feet. That is in life also. If you break down with small, small problems, you will not be worshipped. If you remain in strength, you will be the statue, and all the time you will be happy. So, "jo toot gaye o kankar, o nai toote o sankar." Because the marble in pieces asked the statue: "They worship you, the statue. They do not worship me, even though I came from the same stone. Why don't they worship me?" It said, "Kyunki aapko jab hammer marā thā, to kyā hai, ki aap to tukṛe tukṛe ho gaye the, lekin hame to sārī pīḍā sah lī, isī liye kyā hai, mūrti ban gaye, to jīvan." So that is the summary in the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā. After death, what will happen? You will reach Śiva Loka. Can you invite death? Yes, you can. Can you defeat death? Yes, you can do. Can you find out the symptoms of death? Yes, you can do. And what is the main motive? What is the greatest of the great of the great things for achieving dharma? That is meditation. And meditation, how can you do it? You can start many ways: with prānāyāma, chanting the Gāyatrī mantra three times, and blocking the breath. Later on, there are various Śiva yogas. You can also put your mind at the tip of your nose, or your mind in your Brahma-randra. So you can meditate in this way. Whatever story we read here, in the seven Saṁhitās, there are more than 354 stories, more than 354. And how many verses? 24,000 verses. In Śiva Purāṇa, so much expanding, so much history, case studies. So what do all the stories talk about? They talk about: do meditation. Even demon-quality people, through meditation, invite godly quality. That is why we are the raw container; whatever we want to put, we can put. That is up to you. So anything, whatever you want, that can be possible in these worlds. It says that you want, you can. So who did that? Are there any examples in this universe? Yes, many examples. For a yogī, if you have everything, then you become a yogastha. In Śiva Purāṇa, there are 24,000 ślokas. How many ślokas? 24,000. How many saṁhitās? 7 Saṁhitās. How many Kathās? More than 394 Kathās. All the kathās are divided into the form of dānavas, who can also become devas by doing tapas. So this is a wonderful story. You take this Amrit Bani. What do you do with this Amrit Bani? You take it. It is very good. Listen to the glory of Śrī Bhūraṇā. Listen to the glory of Śrī Bhūraṇā. If you just let the words enter your ears, then you will be free with the blessings of Śrī Śiva. Your whole body will be pure. Jai Boli Boli Bābā Kī. Jai Hari Om. Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, Kījai, Viśvaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Parahaṁsī, Svāvimāheśvara, Ānandjī, Gurudeva, Kījai, Mānavādīre, Dīre, Chalgā, Gaganagāra, Caraṇare, Bhāī, Mānavādīre, Dīre, Chalgā, Gaganagāra, Caraṇare, Bhāī, Mānavādi chala gagana gāra chaḍanā rebāī. Manavādi chal gagana gar chadana rebāī, Sahasrāra kośa gagana kī upara vahāpara herā gorāī. Sahasrāra gagana upara herā gorāī, chalāgana gana chadana rebāī. Mana chadana gana gana chadana rebāī. Sona Śiva Parparaṁha Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānandī Gurudeva Kī Jaya Śrī Ājāyājī Śarmā Jī Kī Jai, Sakala Bhakta Janakī Jai. Sir, aiśā kush karo ki dono hi chaltā rahe, aiśā kush karo ki dono hi chaltā rahe. So today is the time of rest, Śiva Purāṇa. Even the river rests in the sea. That is why we have come from mountains and valleys. We have eaten so much food, so now we have to go to the sea and meet. Only then can we really rest. In the same way, we have come here as human beings because of our karma. We have met here by the grace of God. We got the good fortune to listen to this Śrī Purāṇas. Now we have to unite in Brahma, and we are all one. We do not go anywhere. That is why wherever you are, however you are, every day, every moment, celebrate it as your celebration. Remember the Supreme Brahma. And use this precious moment. Keep on laughing, keep on living while laughing, and keep on laughing while going. Live, be dharma-yukta, go and be mukta. That is why be mukta and go. It is like water. We came from different mountains. Some of you came from the Himalayas, some of you come just from a close-by pond. All are running towards meeting the ocean. So no matter: some have to make a long journey, some may finish your journey in a short time. We are reaching the oceans, and we are there, we are merging. That is why, until we are making the journey, do not track your change and go towards the desert. Any river can disappear in the desert. Just make a path continuously toward the ocean. The ocean is Śiva, the ocean of the spiritual path. So we are human beings in the form of spirituality, spiritual soul. So no matter wherever we came from, we are the same part of Brahma. That is why always feel that and change your thought, not change your body, not the appearance. Then one man went to a meeting, and in this satsaṅg, it is like a meeting satsaṅg all the time. When he came, people used to close their nose. Why did they used to close their nose? Because he always had smelly socks. Every time he entered, everyone started to close their nose. Oh, look at this. The guy came, then he thought, "Well, everyone is hating me. So, better go to the market and find new socks." And he came the next day with new socks, just pulled his pants up, and he wanted to show. And he said... and still, people started to close their nose. Oh, what happened? Then he asked, "Why are all of you guys stopping that? That your nose is... that you are closing your nose?" And he told that time, "I have already changed my socks," and everyone is still smiling. And he again said, "Well... you don't even believe me? Look at these old socks in my pocket." And if you think I am not changing, that means he changed the socks, but still, in the pocket, the old ones. In the same way, we came here, we listen, we practice, but still, if you are not changing... New socks and the old ones are not thrown away, and putting them in the hair, the smell is the same. The nature of saṃskāra is the same. So that is why it is saying to follow those things and celebrate every day. Celebrate every breath, and smile, and we need to merge with the ocean, as I mentioned, the river. We are the river from the many shores, and we need to end. The destination is the ocean. No matter whatever mountain comes, whatever hard surface comes, whatever dirty surface comes, whatever situation comes, the river does not stop. It makes its way itself. In the same way, we also can go continuously, and we will meet there and merge. There we will unite, and this is our ultimate goal. That is why we came in this human form, and this is the wonderful, precious human form. Every time when you say "Om Namah Śivāya" or "Hari Om," then in your mind, this guy is also going to die. So keep in your mind, not say outside, "Om Namah Śivāya, oh, he is also going to die." Just smile, and "Om Namah Śivāya, oh, he is also going to die. Om Namah Śivāya." So just meet people; it looks like your last day meeting. That is why on the last day, what can you do? You do not do anything. Say "Hari Om." You are going to die, but do not say it outside. So that is the reality, reminding you constantly that you will feel the impermanency of this universe. So that is the thing, and that is why. King Janak, he is the Maharṣi. He always used to salute, "Musko Merahi Namaskar." So I salute myself, for me, because when he realized Brahma, you and me, everyone is same. So when I salute you, I am saluting you, me, and when you are saluting me, you are saluting you because we are the same. So that is why the osterbocker, who was the great saint, and so Janak, the king, Janak, he told all the saints, "Can you please let me know? Can you please teach me how I can be free, liberated from this universe?" And he told, well, when the time comes, I will tell you. And after a second day, what happened is he came outside and he himself tied himself to a pole, to a pillar. And he said, and he himself holding the pillars, and asked to Janak, "Oh, Janak, can you come and liberate me? Can you come and separate me from the pole?" And Janak said, "Well, you are yourself grabbing the poles, and you are saying, 'Come and separate me from the pole.'" And Janak said, "It is like the same thing. You are attaching yourself to many things, and you are asking me to liberate you. So just slowly, slowly, cut off your connections, and slowly make your path. And just understand: Guru, God, scriptures, whatever you said, Brahma, whatever you..." Sometimes there is misunderstanding, which also makes it a problem. One guy went to Australia, to a swimming pool, and he is from Europe. You know, in that swimming pool, if somebody pees inside, there will be a great fine. Somebody did that, urination inside the pool, and everyone is running away. The guy did not know that much English. People came, the police force came, and they said, "Did you pee?" And he thought, "Are you European? Are you European?" And he thought, "Oh yes, yes, are you European? I'm European, I'm European." And he proudly says, and then they captured him. Okay, you paid, and now you have to pay. So misunderstanding, miscommunication also comes. The scripture is saying one thing, the guru is saying something, knowledge says something, but you simply twisted that idea also, so that does not get the benefits. So this is the final stage. Anyway, we love to see and we love to come here. Thank you very much for coming all the way, listening attentively, and becoming part of this Śiva Purāṇa. And Śiva definitely will look after you. It is said that, as I mentioned yesterday, if you listen even half means 22 minutes. If you listen, not only one 11 minutes, 11 means also half. That means around 6 or 7 minutes. If you listen interestingly, you will have perfection, and Śiva will look after you. The journey already started, and you always smile. You have something to give. You never feel, "I don't have anything to give?" Yes, you have got a smile to give. So whoever meets, smile and say, "Hari Om Tat Sat." You are going to die soon, yeah, but inside, yeah. So when you feel this one life is to enjoy, and there is nothing to sorrow and pain, so let's chant the final version, and we will go outside. We will stand up, and we clap. Clapping is one of the wonderful medicines, therapeutically. The more you clap, the more you will have benefit, acupuncture way. And you can stand up. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Bholē Bholē Bholē, Om Namah Śivāya. Hara Hara Bholē, Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Hara Hara Bhola, Om Namah Śivāya. Hara Hara Bhola, Om Namah Śivāya. Śiva, Śiva,... Śiva Bhola, Bhola,... Bhola Śiva, Śiva,... Śiva Bhola, Bhola,... Bhola Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya... Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. Chant loudly. So, this opportunity will come or not next time? So, this is the wonderful opportunity. Do not miss out. Clap nicely. Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. Bhalle Bhalle Śivāya Śiva Śiva Śivāya Om Namaḥ Śivāya Om Namaḥ Śivāya Pinnāka Hastāya, Jaṭādharāya, Sanātanāya Bhalle Bhalle Śivāya, Bhalle Bhalle Śivāya, Bhalle Bhalle Śivāya Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya Bolo, bolo,... bolo Om Namaḥ Śivāya Om Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Namaḥ Siddhāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Siddhāya Jachadharāya Milakantāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Jāṭā Ādhārāya Ekākṣarūpāya Pināka Hastāya Sanātanāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.... Śiva Śiva Bhole. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Jaya Jaya Śaṅkara. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Nīla Kaṇṭhāya Rudra Dārāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Bolo Bolo Shivaya Om Namah Shivaya.... Śiva, Rudra. Rudra means what? What is this? Rudra means misery, so Rudra, that he is avoided. Dravayati, Rudra plus Dravayati, that is the avoider, the defeater, obstacle remover, Rudra. That is when you worship, all miserable situations will go away. So that is the summary of the Śiva Purāṇa: if you want to be free from all the sufferings of birth and death, the solution is Śiva, Śiva,... Śiva. So, those are the wonderful things, and thank you very much for making this journey. May Śiva bless you for your beautiful life and every path, no matter wherever you are in the world. It is very small and round, also we can meet, and Śiva can arrange again this sort of situation. And if not also, that is all right. We are merging into the universe. When you meditate, wherever you are—maybe Hungary, Cuba, Australia, America—when we meditate, our energy is with Śiva, and we will be together. We are not going any far away, so it is not saying goodbye. It is starting to stay together, and our journey will be together now. And we will have the bliss of God, and gurus, and the universe, and Śiva. Yuktena patram, puṣpam, phalam, jalam niveditam, sanaiḥ bhedyam, tad gīhāno kampya awanam, na jānāmi, na jānāmi tabarchanam, pūjā chaiva na jānāmi, śamaś parameśvarī, anyathā śaraṇam na asti, tumeva śaraṇam mama, tasmāt kāruṇya bhavena rakṣhamam parameśvara. Kara-charana-kṛtaṁ vā karma-jaṁ kāya-jaṁ vā śramaṇa, nayana-jaṁ vā manasaṁ vā aparādhaṁ. Bhītaṁ bhītaṁ vāparādhaṁ sarvaṁ etat kṣamāsvā. Jaya jaya karuṇābdhe Śrī Mahādevaśyāṁ. Hari Om Om. Yo aśvaṁ veda aśvaṁ prajāvān aśvaṁ bhavati, evaṁ veda. Yo bam mayātanam veda āyatanavān bhavati, āyatanavān bhavati. Chandra mā vapām, puṣpam puṣmān, pājavān puṣmān bhavati. Evam medhā yo pam mayātanam medhā āyatanavān bhavati, āyatanavān bhavati, āyatanavān bhavati. Hari Om Tat Sat.