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Part 1: The Essence of Satsaṅg Welcome to all of you. Good evening. A good evening and morning also to the friends, brothers, and sisters around the world who are with us via webcast. This blessing comes to you from Vancouver, Canada. This evening’s program is dedicated to satsaṅg. Satsaṅg: Sat means the truth; saṅg means to be with. We have two directions in life. One direction is called pātan, which means distraction. The other direction is called utthān, which means development or achievement. The root of both begins from one place, and that place is called saṅgha. Saṅgha means companion: with whom you are, where you are going, what kind of society with whom you are spending or investing your time—that is called Saṅgha. Now, according to the Hindi and Sanskrit language, if we put ku before saṅga, it becomes kusaṅga. And kuśaṅga means bad society, where we learn bad habits. It is easy to become free from an enemy, but it is very hard to become free from the bad habits we learn from bad companions and bad society. That leads us toward distraction. It may be drugs, it may be criminalities, it may be different things which are not according to ethical and moral principles, which are not in harmony and balance with nature, and which are not accepted by societies. So, Kushaṅga is the way to destruction, the way to, you may call it, hell. And if we put sat before the Saṅgha, it means truth. What does that mean? It means good society, good friends, good companions. Where is spoken about truth, about love, about protection of the environment, protection of our globe, protection of human qualities? And where is spoken about God? God in that way where there is no discrimination. God does not want us to make differences between religions, because God is God. There is only one God, whom we all believe in with different names, different forms, different places, and different times, according to culture, traditions, language, and climates. The name of God and the form of God is given by humans; otherwise, God is only one, and there is no duality. If the fighting between different religions, the conflict among different religions, can be solved, then be sure that humans will be very happy and live in harmony, in peace. There will be no wars, there will be no discrimination, there will be no criminality, there will be no terrorists. Humans will be happy and live in harmony. Humans are divided by negative thinking and by discriminating against different cultures and also the names of religions. So, satsaṅg is the place where one should speak about tolerance, respect, harmony, understanding, and oneness. It is spoken about the truth. Maybe someone translates a poem. Maybe someone translates some holy book or other holy scriptures. Maybe someone speaks about human qualities: how to develop human qualities, how to be a good human. Where there is spoken something which is the truth, and for all that, it is called satsaṅg. It is said heaven is easy to find, but it is hard to find a satsaṅg. Many people, in the name of satsaṅg, begin to discriminate against cultures and different religions. They read many holy books, but they criticize other holy books. That is not a satsaṅg; that is a kuṣaṅga. So, for the satsaṅg, what we call the spiritual place is designed where everyone can go and pray, everyone can go and meditate, everyone can go and speak about truth and God. That is called very natural and open. Like we are sitting here in this center, a Jewish center, and they try very hard to be open, to be free. And they gave this place for yoga or for other activities which are good activities. And that is the right way of living in harmony. You may follow what you like. You may follow the Jewish religion, you may follow the Hindu religion, you may follow the Christians, you may follow Islam, and you may follow any other religion, or you may not follow any. It is your decision, but why should we fight? In the satsaṅg, it is spoken about the sense of human life, the meaning of other lives. And it is spoken: what is God, and how to realize God? Or about those spiritual practices we call sādhanā. And that sādhanā, different kinds of sādhanā, that shows us an indication, or some poem, some bhajan. So, there is a poor example, but you speak in the satsaṅg. When you sit there and someone asks you, "Please talk something," what will you talk? I will give some examples. For example, someone may say this poem: "Paṭṭā ṭūṭā ḍāl se, le gāyī pavan uḍāī." A leaf of the tree broke from the branch, separated; it is broken. Paṭṭā ṭūṭā ḍāl se, le gāyī pavan uḍāī—and the wind took it away, blew it away. Can you imagine this picture? In autumn, when the fall season comes, the wind blows and you see the leaves falling from the tree, and the wind takes them away. Paṭṭā ṭūṭā ḍāl se le gāyī pavan uḍāī. Pavan is air or wind. "Ab ke bichre kab mileṅgī?" This separation which took place between what? The leaf and the tree. When will we come together again? Will this separation bring us together or not? Who said the leaf? "Dūr paḍeṅge jāye," the wind has blown so far away and it will fall in a far, far distance, and that means the destiny. So, it means we are all the leaves of that global tree. All creatures are the leaves, the branches, and the fruits, and so on. And the trunk itself is that Sanātana, or this Mother Earth. Yes, one day we will go away from this world. And who knows where our destiny will take us. Therefore, find out the sense of this life. And do something so that you will come to the cosmic union one day, where there will be no more separation, where there will be no birth and no death. How shall we achieve this? Through some practice: prayers, mantras, meditation, service, helping. There are many different ways to help, or something different. Practicing your āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, in order to be healthy. But to achieve that consciousness, we need the support of divine conscience. And that comes through prayers. That comes through meditation. And prayer—universal prayer, not one-sided prayers. That is it. Your heart knows. It is called the call of the soul from your heart to the universal one. That is a prayer. But we cannot pray and we cannot call if love is not awakened in the heart. And therefore, it is all kinds of love—feelings which you have: physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual—concentrate on one thing. Do not tear yourself here and there and there. Prayer from the heart is such a way that not that you come to God, but God comes to you. God comes to you. He will come, and he will take you to the cosmic consciousness. He will come, and he will embrace you, and he will give you the place in his heart. Not that you give the place to God in your heart, but God will give the place in His heart, and He does have a place for you. But your or our prayer should be that kind of prayer. It is said, even the mighty Himalaya can move, can shake. But my decision, my confidence, my belief, and my saṅkalpa will never shake. That is called divine love for God. Without conditions, without doubts, then God is all the time with you. All the time, He takes care of our every step. He takes care of our every thought. But we have to surrender, to give in to His hands. So likewise, satsaṅg is that. There is no higher sādhanā than satsaṅg. No higher prayers than satsaṅg. And therefore, it is said, heaven is easy to achieve, but the satsaṅg is very hard. In satsaṅg, where there is an ātmā-jñānī, a mahātmā, a śānta, a realized soul, he or she speaks his or her experiences of the truth. And that is bestowing the grace, or mercy, or the blessing through his or her words to the listeners. Anyone can speak about satsaṅg. Anyone can give the satsaṅg. There should be the truth. The truth, either you have realized, or you have read, and you have the books. Many, many divine holy books are in this world. Many holy saints incarnated around the world. This world is full of saints. This world is full of truth and love. Only some handsome people, they are a little naughty. They will be okay. Sometimes we should be like good parents. When the children are naughty, we know they are children. So we should have understanding for everyone. If someone is bad, we should not say, "You are bad, you are bad, you are bad." Then this person inside is so wounded; so much pain is there. Someone who will say, "It is okay, it will be okay. My son, my dear son, come. I understand you." Giving such kind words is a healing remedy for those people, what we call the criminals or the thieves or something like this, or alcoholics or drug abusers. Why is one drinking alcohol? Why did one begin to drink? Because one is so unhappy. All people who abuse drugs are somehow disappointed and unhappy. They are searching for love. And they think when they are drunk or they have taken the drug, that for this much time they forget everything else. And they try to find inner peace. But unfortunately, that peace is not what they wanted to find. So we need warm hands, we need helping hands, we need praying hands, we need a heart—a warm heart, we need a loving heart, we need a heart full of mercy, and we need the intellect. The intellect full of wisdom, the intellect full of understanding, the intellect full of kindness and light, that we can lead the people. So, around the whole world, there is enough wisdom. One day, for example, a little story, a real story. It was the summertime, and I was on a walk in the morning, 10 o’clock. And with me, there were about 400 to 500 people walking in our programs. And we walked along some fields. And there was a very big field, maybe 500 or 1,000 hectares, a big field. And in that field were sunflowers. The whole field was full of sunflowers. And one man who was walking beside me, also my disciple, he said to me, "Swāmījī, these sunflowers that you see, there is tons and tons of honey inside." Unfortunately, with this rain and with all this, it will flow into the water. He said, "We need the bees." And you see, there are many bees sitting on the sunflowers, and they collect the nectar. And so, my dear, the whole world is that: a field full of those beautiful sunflowers. And these sunflowers, they are the holy saints, wise men and women, great. Even now, do not think that the world is changed like before, in Satyuga, and now in Kali Yuga. No, it is not changed. It is the same sun rising which was in Satyuga. Mahāprabhujī said the same moon, the same stars, and the same planets, the same earth, the same water element, and the fire element. What is changed? Only the human attitude is changed, because humans did not go to the satsaṅg. Humans did not go to those great saints. Humans are the bees, and they should come to that blossom. They will get... So, in the world, my dear brothers and sisters, there is a lot of wisdom, immortality, the joy, the happiness, the contentment. The beauty of this world is indescribable. And this beauty is created by one God, not two gods. You cannot say that Canada was designed and created by what you call the Canadian, original Canadian Indians, or that India was created by some other ṛṣis, or that Europe was created by some other, what they call the Celtic saints. There were the Celts, then came the Romans, and then came the Christians, and now there can be all oneness. So it is one God, one principle, one element everywhere: fire, water, or equal equality. The duality is only in human minds, and where there is duality, there is ignorance. And where there is ignorance, there is suffering. And where there is love, there is unity, and where there is unity, there is happiness. So, satsaṅg—but I am telling you, this is a satsaṅg. So, try to find a satsaṅg. If you cannot meditate every day, it does not matter. Forget it, go and sleep. Your good, deep sleep is your best meditation. In the morning, you wake up very fresh. But never miss the satsaṅg. Never miss the satsaṅg. That will liberate you, that will show you the right path, that will enlighten you, and that will remove the doubts and the darkness of the ego and ignorance. And therefore, we call this meeting satsaṅg. In different languages, maybe there are different names. In English, you may call it a spiritual meeting, you may call it good society, you may call it a prayer group. But one thing again: in satsaṅg there is no grouping. That is something beautiful again. Not this group and that group, no. We are not a group. We are all disciples of one guru, okay? We are all one. Anyone can come, and anyone can go. Four on this planet manifested it for the sake of all: the server, the lake, the ocean. The ocean or the lake does not drink its own water. The lake is keeping water for all. It does not matter who is going there to get water, or drink water, or bathe, or swim, and whatever. The lake never said, "Hey, do not swim in me." Even the crocodile is swimming there, and the snake is swimming, the turtle is swimming, the fish is swimming, the grizzly bear is swimming, and some yogīs are also swimming between the crocodiles. The lake is for all. Sarvar tarvar—a tree. The tree does not say that, "Hey, you cannot take my fruits. Hey, do not inhale my oxygen." Trees are for all. It does not matter who comes there: birds, animals, humans, insects, anyone. If you give water every day to a tree, the tree is not attached to you. And if you chip off the branch of the tree, the tree is never angry with you. Sarvar, tarvar, śāntajan—and then the holy saint. The holy saint does not speak only for some particular people. The holy saint never speaks with narrow thinking. The holy one will preach for all. And not only for humans, but even for the animals and all. Sarvar, tarvar, śāntajan, cothā barṣe me. And the fourth one is the rain. When it rains here, it will rain here equally. If there is a rock or some dirt lying, rain will not—God never said, "I will not rain there because it is a dirty place." It is equal. So, a dirty place means a sinner. So God said, "The saint even loves the sinner." Mahatma Gandhījī said, "We hate the sin, not the sinner." That is the main point. Open your heart for everyone. Part 2: The Blessing of Satsaṅg Blessed and fortunate are those who can attend satsaṅg. It is a divine opportunity and the greatest sādhanā one can undertake. What you learn and hear in satsaṅg, you should follow, share with others, and even give satsaṅg yourself. You are wise and possess much knowledge. When an unhappy, crying person comes to you for advice, you have the wisdom to calm them. The problem is we often fail to utilize this knowledge for ourselves. Use it for your own benefit and to help others. This is the essence of satsaṅg. This evening we have satsaṅg here. Relax and enjoy. If you wish to speak, you are welcome. In satsaṅg, there is no argument. It is said: when the wise meet the wise, they speak of wisdom. When a donkey meets another donkey, they fight with their legs. The one who is ignorant, full of jealousy and conflict in mind, culture, or religion, is a poor, suffering, and ill person. The greatest illness is to harbor religious or cultural conflict, or conflict between countries. God did not create this conflict; He gave everyone freedom. To be free means to give freedom. Conflict is a poisonous cobra. If you hold this cobra, it is not free from you, and you are not free from it. If you try to sleep while holding it, you will eventually release your hand and be bitten. You must carefully release the cobra somewhere so it can go away, and you can be free. Free yourself from the cobra of jealousy, conflict, duality, and doubt. I wish you all the best. I must stop now, as Gāzānand is constantly thinking, "When will Swāmījī stop so I can sing?" That is what I wanted to tell you about satsaṅg. Now, Swami Gajānandajī will translate what he was singing. When you sing, you should be capable of translating. It is good to know what we are singing. Listen, satsaṅga upakāra means the greatness and glory of satsaṅg. A worm is transformed into a bee, a flying being. This symbolizes that our view is material, but through satsaṅg we are transformed to see everything from a higher perspective. It also symbolizes our energies rising. From a higher point, we develop spiritual consciousness. We become less stuck in worldly matters and open ourselves to the real value of human life, starting to realize its mission. Jai Satsaṅg, Chandan—this means sandalwood. Sandalwood is precious because everyone likes its beautiful fragrance. Other woods and plants are not so precious as they lack this smell. Some flowers or trees grow among sandalwood and, by being near it, absorb its fragrance. Later, when all the trees are cut, these other trees carry the same smell. In the market, people pay the same price for them as for original sandalwood because they accept the beautiful smell. This means a spiritual person, a saint like Swamiji, attracts everyone with the fragrance, radiance, and love of his teaching and wisdom. Those who are not saints but are around them slowly become involved in the same way of thinking, dealing, and activities. They start to think, "How would Swamiji do this?" and begin to act, speak, and behave similarly. People start to appreciate them in the same way. Thus, being with a saint transforms us. Similarly, consider the Gaṅgā, the holy river. People come, especially during occasions like Kumbhamelā, to bathe and feel not just refreshed but purified. This water is seen as holy. Now, if dirty water flows into the Gaṅgā, it too becomes purified. No one can tell where it came from; it is no longer a separate channel. It becomes part of the holy Gaṅgā and is respected as such. When it merges, it becomes one. This is the process of spiritual union, where we overcome inner antagonism and, by controlling and absorbing the same qualities, develop them within ourselves. The presence of saints has a transforming effect on our personality, exactly as Swamījī explained in his lectures on satsaṅg. This bhajan was composed by Sudeep Nārāyaṇa Prabhujī, dedicated to his master: "My Iṣṭadev, my Gurudev, my beloved Lord is Śrīdev Purī. He is an incarnation of the divine, from Parabrahman, the highest Self. He is the one to whom I surrender, my Iṣṭadev." Mahāprabhujī speaks of the greatness of satsaṅg, referring first to the satsaṅgs with his master, Śrīdeva Purī, but then generalizing: every satsaṅg, like Śrīdeva, has the same qualities to transform our lives, inspire us, and help us develop these qualities simply by being in that presence. Very good. Not just okay—it is the best. What is in your mind? Next bhajan? All bhajans are good. Anything, but first explain a little about it so we can enjoy it more. We enjoy the words; they will say, "You sing very well," and it is a good rendition. But if we know more about it, we understand better. This is a bhajan about satsaṅg, but not about the one who gives it; it is about the satsaṅgīs, those who attend. It says: "I have so much longing in my heart. My eyes are full of tears, longing for my brothers and sisters, my guru brothers and sisters, for those who attend the satsaṅg." It is a longing to come together with them, a feeling of oneness and harmony, as we are a satsaṅg family. It continues the idea from the previous discussion: we are transformed by attending satsaṅg, and the same happens to others. Perhaps we were quarreling before, had controversies, or even come from nations currently at war. We come to satsaṅg, sit together, sing together, are happy, and become friends. We love each other. This is the bhajan's message: it transforms us as a group so much that we long to be with our brothers and sisters who also attend. The message continues... and then: Śrī Rāma, Jai Rāma, Jai Vāsudeva. I will explain as I go through. This kīrtan goes: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Govinda Hare Murāri. He Nāta Nārāyaṇa Vāsudeva. Okay, complete grammatically. It is very nice, thank you. You have been sitting here since nine o'clock in the morning, and now it is nine at night—twelve hours. My God. That's a record worthy of an Olympic medal. I think our weekend retreat, or seminar, is over. I wish you all the best, all blessings, good health, and happiness. We have something for Swāmī Gajānand. Swami Gajanand put great effort, energy, and concentration into organizing and bringing you together. Here is a beautiful blanket so that in cold Vancouver he will not feel cold. It is one hundred percent natural material, a nice blanket with a nice color. All the best and many blessings. Also, many blessings to our president, Nirvāṇ Purī, and his wife, Nārāyaṇī, and all other bhaktas who worked together—a very nice teamwork. That is also part of satsaṅg. It is not just about organizing something, but doing it so everyone can benefit. For this, thank you also to Catherine—is she not here? Ah, she is sitting outside. Here she is, bhajans. Also, Catherine and Purnānand, and especially our children. They were very nice and kind, not disturbing at all, playing very nicely. I have some prasāda, some chocolate for the children. Where are the children? Nowadays everything is packed so well. Is it safe for children? They can see but cannot eat. How do you open this? Maybe here. Oh, for you. Where is your brother? Call him. Sophie, come. Anna, come. Two pieces for Anna. By walking, everybody forgot her near the water, and she was standing alone. Gajarān, what do you say? We were all walking, and she was there looking at the ducks, and we all went away and left her alone near the water. Our satsaṅg will now finish with prayer. Please sit comfortably. Do not stretch your legs left, right, or front. Fold your legs nicely. Discipline your legs. Tell them, "Be good, okay?" If you do not understand, just feel in your heart. You can close your eyes or keep them open. Satsaṅg... Sabaku Prabhujī samajharī. Om jaya jaya... Gurujī Deva Ṛṣikarī Pura Darśave. Swami Ananda Darsha Prabhu satan man se sridipa dayalu nija man se gudhidhi dayal kriyal Mahāprabhu praj hama hari hai dinanatayanatake nata Prabhu Pabrahma Yavatari Dinanatayanatkenat Prabhu. Yāvatāri hai padāyāla kṛpālāma vyāpaka viśvācāracārame prabhu vyāpaka svācāracārame hari cetan jota tumase surana bhāna āyā. Śrī Śrī Dīp Dayā Lakṣmī Prabhu, āp kī śaraṇ mẽ āye paḍe. Ham dūr bal dās dukhyārī, Prabhu āp kī śaraṇ mẽ āye paḍe. Ham dūr bal dās dukhyārī. Apayī āpho nitya chetan kari Śirḍī paḍāyāl kṛipāl mahā prakla Pāpī anekoṅ āgeyubaryā abke meva Śrī Pūjya Dīpā Dayāl Kṛipāl Mahāprabhū. Shri Pujya Deepa Dayal, daya karo aapka naam shubha kari Prabhu. Khanda jī, aap ke charan kamal balihārī. Prabhu kahe, mātā Dāvā jī, aap ke charan kamal balihārī. Shri Namaste Shri Gurudev Purī Dayālam Nijananda Ānanda Maya Ke Ālam. Śarīraṁ mayā-khaṇḍaṁ hari-rūpa-jāse, atītaṁ anādhi-jāse, agamma-joṇī-apāra-aliptaṁ, sarūpaṁ suṣūtaṁ sadaḥ. Namo Sarva Vyāpī Guṇātīta Deva Prabhu Dīpa Deva Vighna Haran Maṅgal Karṇam Dharan Phara Svar Pāṇī Pārvatī Nandan. Namo Śrīya Jai Jai Deva Dayāl Śiva Karṇās Maṅgalam. Śrī Dīpa Gyānam Raghya Bhāṭa Sadam Vandau Śaraṇa Gurudevake Śrī Deva Purīṣa Sukudai Yogayugati Jai Smarati Prabhu Śarīra Bāla Timira Gaye Ārudhata Ravi Bhai Gyāle Ujyāla Dīpa Prabhu Śrī Vīṇā Dīpa Namo Namo Gurudev Jī Koti koti palaka palaka nāmali aśhab yubare ānanda ho tayāpā āpa satguru main śiṣya hoon paramahaṁsa gurudeva jī tīn loka ke nāma dharmuni savasanta jananī dhotā kartā se satguru śamdatā nahi, sab jaga maṅganā hara. Kya rājā kā bhadusar be Rām Kṛṣṇa se kaun bade? Usne bhī guru kī. Teen loka ke nātho hai Satguru ke āy. Satguru Purāṇa Brahmā hai, Jove Śūr Narvaat, Nogarani Cha Jāne Nani, Yuga Yuga Keli Tā Eetan Viṣki Veladi, Guru Yama Dikthi Khān, Śiṣ Diye Satguru Miritas. Guru Mūrati Mukha Candra Mā, Sevaka Nena Cakor, Aṣṭa Pahara Nirā Kāṭara O Brahma, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Viśvara, Guru Sākṣāk, Paraṁ Brahma, Tasmai Śrī, Dhyāna Mūlaṁ, Guru Mūrati, Pūjā Mūlaṁ, Guru Padaṁ, Mantra Mūlaṁ, Guru Ākhyāṁ, Om, Dīpa Jyoti Parabrahma, Dīpam Sarve Mohanam, Dīpanam Sajjate Sarvam, Sandhyā Dīpam Sarva Sandhyā. Om, Namo Prabhu Dīpa Vināsi, Api Brahma, Api Viṣṇu, Apo Kailāsa, Apo Nāradī, Apo Śāradī, Apo Śeṣukraśī, Apo Dhyānī, Apo Jñānī, Apo Deva-Savādevī, Apo Śūra-Prakāśī, Apo Brahma-Nirvāṇī, Apo Cauhāna. Apo Vedo-ke-gyatā, Apo Bhak-pūrvāsī, Apo Śhat-nām-ke-dhātā, Apo Niśhā-rūp-ke-gyatā, Om Namo Prabhu-dīp-praṇāmā, Brahmānanda-nirāśā. We also have a very beautiful teamwork handling the technology, bringing my voice and your beautiful faces around the world via webcast. Thank you very much. Come here—your yoga name is Hanuman Purī, thank you. And come, like a husband—what is his name? Tilo Turo, okay. And you were standing all day Saturday? Come. Thank you also for guiding and helping with the technology. Is there someone I have forgotten, sitting on the bookshelves? Who was this? Come here, Sarah? Sarah Flucht. Thank you. In German, Sarah means driver—the driving force. And her name is Connie. Oh, very nice. Thank you, Connie. All the best. Thank you. Yes, open all treasure, do not hide. Very good. Now, this is the blessed holy prasāda for the prayers. The general, come here. If you want to distribute prasāda from the French side, that's it. Take our glass more to this side. Yes, from the French side. Taking prasad, so Catherine, you go to everyone and give prasad. Sing after me. Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa... Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa... Śrīman Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa... Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa... Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa,... Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Dīp Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa Dīp Nārāyaṇa, Dīp Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa Dīp Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa Dīp Nārāyaṇa,... Nārāyaṇ Deep Nārāyaṇ, Nārāyaṇ Deep Nārāyaṇ,... Nārāyaṇ Deep Nārāyaṇ Yāna bhajamāna nara yāna nara yāna bhajamāna nara yāna nara yāna nara bhajamāna nara yāna nara yāna nara yāna... nara yāna bhajamāna nara yāna nara yāna... nara.