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Guru Brahma, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvara, Guru Sākṣāt Paraṁ Brahma, Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. Dhyāna-mūlaṁ gurur-mūrtiṁ, pūjā-mūlaṁ gurur-padaṁ, mantra-mūlaṁ gurur-vākyaṁ, mokṣa-mūlaṁ gurur-kṛpāṁ. Oṁ Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ, Śāntiḥ. Light. Our adoration to our holiness. Good evening, dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to our ashram. Also, good evening to all the devotees around the world, the practitioners of yoga in daily life, and other different kinds of yoga or spirituality. Welcome to you. This blessing is coming especially from the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia. And for those who have a birthday, I wish you a happy birthday. This evening, our subject is spirituality in everyday life. What a wonderful subject and what a wonderful thought. How do we imagine spirituality? Spirituality is one of the simplest things, the easiest thing, and the most powerful or effective. The word spirituality for me is purity, pure. Pavitra vichāra, pure thoughts. Pavitra karma, very pure actions. Pavitra bhojanam, pure sattvic nourishment, and so on. Spirituality means purity, crystal clear consciousness. Then it doesn't matter what you are doing. Of course, not the bad things. But God takes upon Himself, Devpurījī said, God takes upon Himself the destiny of the devotee who is spiritual. God doesn't want tricks. God doesn't want any kind of commission, that you give money or this and that. God doesn't want you to build a temple for him. Did he tell you to build a temple for him? Why does he have no house? Did God not tell him to build a church for me? It is we who build a temple, a church, or an ashram from our spiritual feelings, as our devotion and dedication for the sake of all seekers, that we give them the opportunity to think about that particular deity. Ashram or temple of the church, so spirituality purifies. Now, how should we combine this spirituality with our daily actions? Suppose you are walking somewhere, maybe the park, maybe the path for pedestrians, or anywhere, and you see on the way some thorns lying there. And you know that you will not come back. You have to go out; you are going somewhere. It's only the first time you are crossing this path. Now, what you will do is you will stop and pick up these thorns and put them somewhere near a thorny bush, or somewhere that no one will step on them. That's all. That's spirituality. That you did not only for you, but for anyone, either humans or animals. Nowadays, many people throw bottles, broken maybe beer or alcohol or some kind of bottles, in the street, and there are some people who take them. And when you think that in the world there is hunger, you limit your diet. It is said that if the whole world fasted for one day, then the hungry people in many poor countries would have enough to eat for a whole year, just from that one day. Boond boond se ghar bharta hai, one one drop fills the pot. You are walking, going somewhere, some homeless person, or what they call maybe beggar, so beggar is not good words anymore, it is discrimination, so you call them homeless or poor. You put your hand in your pocket, maybe a quarter dollar, half dollar, one dollar, according to your capacity, or according to your money pocket, you give it to them and go. Some people say, "Oh, these poor people, don't give them. They will take it and go and drink. They will go and buy the alcohol." Have you seen that they buy alcohol and drink? And if they drink, okay, let them drink. You also drink every day. Let them also drink one day. Kī hui dān par tumhārā adhikār nahīṁ hai. Kī hui dān par tumhārā adhikār nahīṁ hai. What donation you gave, now you have no right on that. It means also you have no right to think how he or she will utilize this money or the cloth or anything. Now it is in the position of the person to whom you gave. That's called a donation. Give it. And when you give, don't say, "I gave." I gave this person so much money, I gave this person a car, I gave this person clothing, I gave to this person. And don't expect thank you. When you give someone something from the heart, and the other one says thank you, then half of your karmic fruit is given back to you. When you go to India, Indians never say thank you. And then Europeans said, "My God, even he didn't say thank you." Maybe if an elderly person will say, "Bless you." Or Indians will say, "Bhagavān āp kā bhalā kare. Bhagavān āp kā bhalā kare." What does it mean? Śānta. Bhagavān āp kā bhalā kare. It means God may look after you. Or God may give you good things. Not that, thank you. When you give, that person will say, "Bhagavān, āp kā bhalā kare." Or Bhagavān āp ko āstikavād de, God bless you. So different between saying, "Thank you and blessing," and leaving it to God. So in that culture, they don't say thank you. Either they will say āstīvād, bless you, or Bhagavān āp kā bhalā kare, acche vichār. That's a spiritual thought. So don't expect from someone who will say, "Thank you." And when you expect the thanks, then it means you didn't give it as a donation or as help. Just you gave it, and you would like to be that. Oh, everyone will say that I gave so much donation, I work for this person so much, and this. That's your expectation and ego, Hari Om, lost. So what you have given now is not your property, nor is it in your position. Therefore, either don't give; it's your decision. The money is still in your hand. But when you see a poor, suffering, or homeless person, or anyone, and you give to them, others will say, "Oh, they will buy alcohol, or go to the pub, or go gambling, or this." Who are you to judge that person whom you are giving just half a dollar, and you are making so many things, "Will go to drink, to gambling, and this and that"? Who are you to judge this? Then you get bad karma, then your spirituality is dimming. Without giving, God said, "I will also not give to the humans," and said, "Oh human, why do you worry?" You know, now is a global economic crisis, and if you ask some yogī, he will say, "No, there is no crisis." Only the crisis is there because you don't trust God. That's all. No creatures are in the crisis of this like humans, because it is said, "Who gave the peak will give the food." So God gave you the mouth and the stomach. Why did he give us the stomach and mouth to eat something? And he knows he has to supply. Kīḍī ko kāna, haṭhī ko māna. A little grain for a small ant, and 50 kilos or 100 kilos for an elephant. It is one supreme God. He is supplying to everyone. This kind of thought, it is spirituality. When you help someone, don't say, "I did this and this," no, no, no. Who are you to do something? God gave you hands, God gave you legs, God gave you the brain, and God gave you this body. And now you are doing something in the name of God. What did you lose? You lose nothing. This is not your body; it is borrowed to us. If it is your body permanently, then you will not die. But one day you have to leave this body here and go. One man, an Imam from Islam, we had in Washington, D.C., a multi-religious conference, a dialogue, at the National Catholic University in D.C. And so, Imam, he was giving some lecture, and he said, "Oh my God, there was a people there and a door, and many people, they were walking in. That was the heaven, or what they call paradise." And whenever the one man—he was a very good man, a rich man—and he comes to the door of heaven, and it closes. He can't enter in. So he went to the messenger of God, to some mahātma, sādhu, guru, or someone, a priest or anybody. He said, "Why do I have no access to heaven?" So many poor, no, look, the poor people, they are walking into heaven. So the master said, "Well, there is one obstacle. What?" Your money. You are rich. So what should I do? He said, "First go and get rid of your money." And then come, and then the door of heaven will be open for you. So he went into the street and gave someone $100. He gave someone $500. He gave $100, and in his pocket came $5,000. He gave $5,000, and it came to $25,000. And he gave the $25,000, and it came to $1,000,000. My God, he became crazy: money, money. He came back and he said, you know, "I give one dollar and God gives me ten dollars." And I give this, and he gives me more and more. Do you think, how will I come to heaven? He said, "Now heaven's door is open for you. Give, give, give." God has given you to give, not that you keep it yourself. Even your body, your thoughts, your energy, your mind, your emotion, your intellect—all God has given to us to look after His divine creation. God doesn't want anything. He is only the giver. And so great Tulsīdās said, the human should always give. Always, your hand should be above, not like this, above. Tulsi Dājī said, "Tulsi kar, par, kar, kar." Okay, clear? Kār is hand, kār is hand. So Tulsī Dājī said, "Tulsī, kar, this hand which is down, par, on it, kar, your hand above." Means giving. Par kar, na kar, ta din par kar kar, ta din maran kar. So, tulsī kar par kar kar, par kar kar na kar, tā din par kar kar, tā din maraṇ kar. It means Tulsīdās said to himself, "Tulsīdās, always be a giver, give." Let your hand be above, so generous. Give, give. Don't become a beggar, don't have your hands down. On the day when you become a beggar and put your hands down, it's better to die. Because you are capable to do it, and God gave you. If you will not give, then your hands will be empty. It means you are a beggar now. Rich are they who do not desire anything. And poor are they who want to have more and more. Day and night, sitting at the computer and looking at all these shares—how to multiply my money? I have five billion, my God! This share, that share, coffee, this and that, coffee, cola, chips. You know, stress, workaholic, only to multiply the money. What a life? It will come to you if it is meant for you, or it will go from you if it's meant for that. Spiritual life means give, give understanding. Someone makes a mistake, and God gave. You have the heart and intellect to understand the need, position, or mistake of the person. Understand. I eat chocolate, and the doctor said, "Don't eat." And you are angry. Why is Swamijī eating chocolate when the doctor said not to eat it? Then you will go to Meera and shout at her. Why did you put the chocolate open on Swamiji's table? But you should understand that sometimes Swamiji also likes a chocolate. Okay? Understand. You understand me? Understand? So give understanding. If you give the understanding, then the conflict will be solved. Give way. Give them their rights. Give them forgiveness. Give them love. Give them your support. Give cloth if someone needs it and if you can. Give money if someone needs it and if you can. And give food to the hungry ones. It doesn't matter, animals or humans, if you can. Hunger for the stomach is that fire, and that fire is equal for all creatures, whether it is a crocodile, an elephant, a human, a cow, a bird, or any creature. That is something which God didn't give so good, I think. But God gave the stomach, otherwise all will be lazy, just lying like a stone. "I don't want to work anymore, no drinking, no eating." Why? So, through eating we also create karma. So, give understanding. If someone is drinking alcohol, don't tell them why not to drink alcohol. But ask, did you ask why you drink alcohol? Or why you take this drug? Because one tries to forget a certain situation in life. And at that time, when one is intoxicated, one forgets. Did you try to give the hand your understanding? Did you try to give the support? Did you try to give the love? That is spirituality. Not that I am sitting in front of the altar and, "Om Gurudev, Om Gurudev, Om Jesus Mariyas, Om Gurudev, Om Jesus Mariyas, Om Krishna, Krishna." He didn't come. And sitting and meditation, Gurudev, dayā karo, Gurudev, dayā. Gurudev, mere hirde mein dayā deo. Please, Gurudev, bless me with mercy, and in my heart, bless the mercy. A mosquito comes and bites you; that is not dayā. That's it. So, spirituality needs to give. So, you know, there was one pocket of the chocolate, the chocolate-covered almonds. I was drinking tea, and you were all waiting. My self didn't accept this. So I said, "Why not? You also have something in the mouth instead of chocolate." But there were only two little pockets. But because I gave from the heart, however much came, it became a supermarket. So I understood that story of that man, that you want to get rid of his money to give, give, and God gave him so much, more than that. So he became happy also. He said, "My God, even if I would have done business, I would not get so much money. So give, my dear." And the farmer goes in the field in the season, when the season comes for crops, to put the seeds. He goes and he cleans the field and pulls out, and so, but he doesn't take the seeds with him. And he comes home. After one month, he goes and nothing is grown. He is disappointed. What can grow? You didn't take the seeds with you. So put seeds in the ground, and they will grow. When they grow, then you should look after them, the gentle plants. And when they are grown, take care that some other animals don't destroy them. And then, at the right time, you will harvest a lot. From one kilo of wheat, you can harvest a hundred kilos. That's it. So this is God, and Mother Nature tells you, "Give me one, and I give you a handful." That is not like that. You plant one tree seed, or a plant from an apple, and continuously that tree gives you hundreds of apples every year. Because you gave, now you get back. If you give your bad thoughts, hundreds of bad thoughts will attack you, and it will darken your energy, bio-energy, and your inner energy. Prāṇa will be dimmed. We had one devotee, she was about 80 years old, a very simple person, hardly able to write and read, an Indian lady, living in Wellington. And she was always, whenever I go to Vancouver, she is coming in a completely snow-white dress, completely. And always she used to cook, and her daughter-in-law, and they all were cooking, and you know, the masters are spoiled by the kitchen ladies, cooking and cooking and cooking. But that is for her or them also a way of spirituality. She was a very simple person, and two months ago, healthy, everything. She made a samosa and brought it to the ashram in Wellington, and we had a satsaṅg like this. After satsaṅg, she spoke very little. She was always sitting behind, very peaceful. Hardly one can see that she is there. And in the evening, after the satsaṅg—this is a satsaṅg—when everyone was going home, she went to the altar as usual and greeted Mahāprabhujī, Gurudev, and she went home. This time she sat in front of the altar with her head down, bowed, and she sat there for five minutes. And her daughter-in-law, and they always say, "The grandmum, how long will she make praṇām?" She sat there and she made a praṇām, and in a funny way she greeted everybody, said, "I wish you all the best, good night." She went home, she climbed the staircase to the second floor, she went into her room and she sat there and she ate something, spoke with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, and then she went to her bed and she said, called her daughter-in-law, she said, "Now I am going, that's all." No pain anywhere in the body. Completely healthy, conscious, and everything. And she said her mantra, gave her mantra, and very calmly, peacefully, she passed away. Is that true or not? Because he is our president of our yoga and the life of Wellington. Mukti, is that true? She is the caretaker of our president. Hey, don't put the electric wire in your mouth, boy. Okay, thank you. Now, what kind of spiritual life did she have? She was not doing yoga exercises. She was not meditating for hours and hours. But her way of life was very pure, excellent. And one thing I must tell you, we never saw her sad or angry. Geeta, did you ever see her sad or angry? She was ready to help, ready to give. I wish for all of us such a wonderful goodbye from this world in that wonderful way. Her grandchildren were there, her daughter-in-law was there, her brother-in-law was there, everyone. And so we all, our old people were very sad, ashram people and this and that. Second story, which I told you this morning, but I will tell you again, not so long. I also visited in Auckland with one of my Indian family disciples, and they had a 14-day-old boy, a grandson. And grandmother, they invited me, always they invite me for food or something, and she had a nice cotton, pure cotton blanket, and she made a little cushion, very nice, and brought it in her hand, because it was so soft, something is inside. A fourteen-day-old boy, no? And she came and she said, "Swamiji, here's your grandson. So bless him, please." So I said, okay. And as soon as I came near this boy, fourteen days old, his eyes were slightly open, and he looked at me, and then he closed his eyes again, and with both hands he folded them in front of me like this. Not like there are not like this, you know, that can be folded hands, but very properly, like you stand in front of God. And then he looked to me, and he put his left hand on his head and the right hand on his heart, indicating, "Bless me, Gurudev. Children have more memories than we." How did that newborn child, 14 days, recognize me? Who am I, or what am I? What relation did he have to me? My hair was standing. And I said to Mahāprabhujī, bless him, please. Thank you. And I remember our beloved Gurudeva, Holy Gurujī, what he was telling me always and what he writes in the Līlāmṛt. In a spiritual family, the spiritual soul incarnates. We wish all like this. So, give your hands. Suppose three persons are eating, and now one person gets up, an elderly one, and wants to bring the eating plate into the kitchen. Any youngest one sitting here will jump off and say, "No, no... you sit down, give me, please, please, please give me," pull from the hand, and brings to clean the kitchen. Those who were in the India ashram, is that true? Nobody was in the India ashram. That is the spirituality, that you have the love to do something, to give hands to someone. Very simple. Everyone is sitting after eating and looking, but someone goes and cleans the kitchen. Fruits will go more to that person who is working in the kitchen than to one who is just sitting in front of Gurudev and saying, "Gurudev, I love you. My Gurudev, thank you." But Gurudev will say, "Go in the kitchen and clean the plate." Okay, Gurudev. Spirituality cannot be introduced in any way. Spirituality is the way of life for the human. To understand humans and other creatures, to understand human weakness, to understand human life and the situations, to give. Like when a small child begins to walk and you give your finger, and the child is holding the finger and walking. It's not beautiful? That's it. You help the child to make the steps, and the child is falling like this and like that, and you take care. And you walk so slowly, like that little one is walking—over one step, his three steps. That means giving: give, give, give, give. There are many ways to give, not only money, but many things to give. That is the way of spirituality. Eat consciously; eat less. Go to sleep. Before going to sleep, say: "Lord, thank you for this beautiful day. God, we thank you for guiding my senses, my limbs, my thoughts, my intellect, and my emotions. Now, Lord, take care of me. I surrender to you my body, my senses, my mind, my intellect. Protect me in my sleep." And you go to sleep. When you wake up, it doesn't take so long to have such a thought: "Lord, thank you for your divine protection. Sleeping, going to sleep is in your hands, but to wake up from the sleep is not in your hands. It is the divine grace, blessing that you can get up again." Many people have a fear of sleeping because they think they will not wake up. And many people have a fear of waking up. They say, "Oh God, again I woke up in this terrible world." Yes, people come to me with different problems. "Lord, thank you for your divine protection in my sleep and that you have made me awaken again. I offer my body, mind, consciousness, and soul. My thoughts, my emotions, everything in Thy hands, Lord. Guide my every step toward you. Guide my every feeling towards you, my Lord. And guide my every thought toward Thee, my Lord. Whatever I do, my Lord, it is for you. I do it in the name of God." That becomes niṣkāma-karma-sevā. Sevā bhāva. Bhāva means feeling. Bhāva means devotion. If you have the Sevā bhāva, then no one can harm you. You will be ever and ever happy. Don't suffer for any attachment. Don't long for anything because God gave and He will give. Who gave the peak will give the food, who gave you the feelings of hunger or thirst, He will give. If He meant to give you a good friend or a partner, He will give. If he meant to give you good disciples, he will give. There are, you see, how many? You are my family, and in a family there is conflict sometimes, you know. That is their ignorance. Don't say that Swāmījī loves only Meera and Swāmījī doesn't love Santa. No. In Swāmījī's consciousness, there is no duality of anyone. Samdṛṣṭi. Samdṛṣṭi. In the consciousness of father and mother, there is no duality in their children. It doesn't matter if one is ill, one is healthy, or one is disabled. Parents love them, and Gurudev loves them like this. Get up. First, when you open your eyes, look at the beautiful divine picture of the Lord, any God you believe in, and place the picture in the direction in which you mostly sleep, or your mother or father. The whole day will go with this kind of feeling. Always, when I wake up, and if I sleep, I turn myself to this side, and then I wake up. Mahāprabhujī is on this side, and I keep my eyes closed and make it like this. And sometimes someone puts a picture on this side, and I'm doing like that and opened my eyes. And I say, "Mahāprabhujī." He said, "Yes, this side." Or you open your eyes and look to the beautiful sky, nature. Oh God, beautiful. Do not keep aggressive photos in your sleeping room. Don't put in children's rooms aggressive animal photos, and perhaps we will show after 10-15 minutes one presentation. I don't know if they brought it or not. How harmful is the radiance of this telephone, even when it is turned off? Near your bed, someone told me, and so the presentation in Vancouver, when I was here this time before, 10 days, 15 days, 10 days. My God, I said, now I will not do anymore. Then about microwaves, oh God, I was frightened. Microwaves were like a hurricane. And then the computer. And more dangerous was the cordless telephone. So in children's rooms, in your sleeping rooms, don't put them near to the sleeping place, or have a bioprotector. So they tested this bioprotector, and they brought it near, and 85% of the waves' radiance was neutralized. So, anyhow, everyone doesn't have a bioprotector, but I have one, and I have one which you will have, and you can have, and if you don't have one, you should have one. Similarly, either a picture only, or a statue, or some symbol, it has the radiance when you wake up first. India goes to the water, and when you touch it the first time, the water is a thank you. God, thank you. You know how important is the water? Jal jaha jagadīś, where the water is, there is God. Water is life, vodha, jīva. That's it. And from that comes the Vodafone. Yes. And Vodafone has the symbol of the one drop. Anyhow, you wash yourself, say some mantra. If you don't know the mantra, then say, "Har Har Gaṅgī, Namaḥ Śivāy," and then you eat. So for every action, there are beautiful thoughts. Make your coffee or your tea or juice or bread or toast with the beautiful thinking that you are preparing for the divine, not for you. A mother who gave birth to the child, after breastfeeding, when she begins to cook for this child, with which kind of feeling is she cooking? That is love. There is a spirituality inside. Fortunate are those children whose mothers cooked for them a long, long time. And you see, I never told anyone, and I still didn't say it to my mother. She's 95 already, nearly. But I hope this time I will tell her. I have one wish: this time, mother cooks me one vegetable and one chapātī. It doesn't matter how. Really, I have my... And this time, I'm coming to Jodan, and I will tell her. It will be too late if she's not here. Mother is mother, my dear, and father is father. But my father is not here anymore. Otherwise, I will ask my father, once more, please pull my ears. You know, that's it. And blessed are they, lucky are they, that they have such a partner, husband or wife, who cooks for them and serves them with love. While cooking, you say your mantra and play some bhajan cassette, some beautiful music. So your cooking is not anymore that food, but it is a divine prasād filled with the energy. Don't cook and look at the television, and don't cook and look at the mobile or the computer, you know, while cooking. And putting salt, and you've forgotten, and once more salt. Oh God! Cook with love and also eat with love. Not that you are looking at the shares, how it is, of that, the coffee. And then you were born again, cake, and your dog took away, you don't even know. Conscious life, aware life. You know so much wisdom. You know so much. Holy Gurujī came first time to Europe, and in Prague people asked him, "Gurujī, would you like to go for sightseeing?" Guruji said, "Well, I don't like to have a side-sink. Sing. I would like to have straight sings, not side." Then he understood. Then Gurujī said, "Well, I saw many things in the world, but I want to see that which I still haven't seen for a long time: the divine face of my beloved Gurudev, Mahāprabhu. And that I can only see Him when I close my eyes. I see Him alive." Unnecessary looking to the computers, looking to the televisions, is not an act of their spirituality. But even the computer, there is a good program coming. Around the whole world, this webcasting is going, and people are looking. I bless all. In Jordan, they don't work anymore; they are sitting and looking. And also, many disciples in the office, because in Europe it is office time, they are looking to Swāmījī, and when the boss comes, they just turn a little bit and they are working. But so, on television, there are many times very, very good films, information, or some news, okay? But watching all midnight and after late midnight and watching some television is not a spiritual way of life. It doesn't matter if you are a swāmī or a yogī practitioner or a householder or anyone else. Because God said, "I made a night for you to sleep." Morning, get up in Brahmamuhūrta, but in the morning he said, "No, I don't want to get up," and closed my window. Get up in Brahmamuhūrta again. So, unnecessarily, don't spend your time on things which are not so important. But if something is very necessary and important, even don't sleep the whole night, work on it, do it, see it. So, in thinking, always have pure thoughts. You should be the person who has a clear mirror, so that you see your actions in your heart in a clear mirror. And you should be like the wind and the sun, which remove the fogs or the clouds. Anyone who has made a mistake, your consciousness is called Brahmā. Divine, Buddhi. Buddhi is the knowledge of Brahma itself, the Saraswati. You are able to forgive, forget, and support. Even if someone made a mistake, and yes, it is a mistake, then Mahātmā Gandhījī said, "We don't hate the sinner, but we hate the sin." That's it. If you hate the sinner, then he or she will become more sad, more depressed, and will do more bad things. We have to be angry with me. But the food which is cooked in the restaurant is very good, very tasty. But you know that love is missing, the love of your mother or the love of your wife. Your wife cooks for you with great love. And on the day when your wife is angry, or you made her angry, then tell her, "Please don't cook, because he will cook the anger." That's it. And today in Ayurveda, one Ayurvedic doctor from India said something very nice: that in India, there is a tradition that all sit together and eat. That makes them happy, and that atmosphere is a healing power for them. In many cultures, it was a family. Now, why do people go to a restaurant? Because at home there is no family, and they go to the restaurant where many people are sitting, and there you feel like maybe it is family or something, but everyone is looking to see who is coming and who is going. So try to create a happy family, happy friends, cook nicely, and sit together to eat, you know. Often, you invite your friends for a birthday or something; how happy they are, the happy atmosphere. And he also told one of the very good things: that all young people, without saying, without telling, they will go and massage the feet or the body of the elderly people. Didn't he say today? Who was there? Who was in the conference? Did he say? Because you will get a blessing, because you will get the spiritual energy from the elderly people. When you are in India, when the master comes or the guru comes and sits, he is sitting and people run to sit and massage his feet. And you don't understand, you basically say, "What's happening? What?" They are not doing massage; maybe that master is tired or not, but they get that energy, which is healthy in their body. It's flowing, the touch. Elderly persons give you blessings. I always say, if you have any problem, go to the elderly people. They can suggest to you what to do, because they have many experiences in life. When you go to the young one, they have no experiences to tell. Family tradition is a spiritual tradition. So try to build a spiritual, joyful, happy, healthy family. But if every night goes away, today to this disco and tomorrow to that gambling place, and there and there, then where is the family? And in those places, nobody is yours. They can do what they want. They can talk with you about whatever they want. They can think what they want about you. They want only one thing: your money. That's all. But in a family, everyone cares about you. You give them love, and they give you love. They are yours. We belong to each other. It doesn't matter if you made a mistake or I made a mistake. We have understanding, and we belong to each other. And if someone is creating negative, bad elements, then try to close the window. Say, "Thank you, here you cannot." Speak about this, we went 14 days ago to a very spiritual place in New Zealand on the coast, to the Māori people's spiritual center. And they are welcoming, and they accepted me as their family member. And they said it's not, they don't accept so easily anybody. I don't know why, me. And they organized traditional ceremonies, like in India. You go slowly, and someone tells you who you are, and this, and the beautiful ceremonies. And then it's called honing. They touch the nose and then the head and close their eyes. They accepted you now, and so there were about ten people, no? And everyone, I had to go and hang them. Hang them or hung them? Honk them. Honk them. And then, number-wise, everywhere, about 35 people were with me, or 40. All honk them, and they were... we were sitting there, and he explained very nicely. But one day before, in my lecture, I told all what he was explaining, no? And that's why they said Swāmījī belongs to us, and he understands our culture and his culture about ancestors. And he explained this house: the beam which was going from one part to the other part is called the spine of the ancestors, and the beams which were moving like this are the ribs of the ancestors. And we are in their body; they are our protectors. And then he said, "Here, when you come in, if one is speaking, no one should interrupt." And no one should talk about negativity, arguments, or criticism. If you do, immediately they will say, "Please walk out." There is one corner, I had forgotten the name, what was the name of that corner? That is dedicated to the god of war, the quarrels. So you can go in that corner and then talk. So you will get all the energy of the quarreling and negative energy. So in the family, in the ashram, never talk about these negative things. In your house, when someone comes, they say it also: one should come with pure thoughts and pure feelings. And in that house, they welcome them with salt and bread. Is there someone from that culture here? True? From where are you? Paul, and yes. So they bring the bread, a whole lot of the bread and the salt. And you, as a guest, have to take a piece of bread, dip it in the salt, and eat it. They accept you as their friend, not their enemy. They accept you as the dearest guest, not an enemy. And they accept you because you accepted their bread and salt, and they will say, "Please, walk in." What a beautiful thought, said our ancestor. Definitely something, everywhere we are connected. That is a spiritual way, my dear. And the guest is God in every culture, it is said. "Atithi devo bhava" in the Upaniṣad is written. The guest is God. But atithī, who is atithī? Atithī is that one who comes suddenly. Atithi means we don't know the time and day when one can come. That is a guest, atithi, a guest. But before, who is telephoning, writing a letter, sending a telegram, or now is coming email and fax, that I am coming and please fetch me from the airport or somewhere, that is not a guest, that is a visitor. Of course, with a visitor you have to be also nice and good, but the real guest is the one who suddenly comes, and then you have to give whatever you have. So, spirituality in daily life, we can talk days and days. So give forgiveness, give understanding, give way, give food, give cloth, give what they need if you can, and give their rights, give love, give support. That way, you can do something. You have no money, but you are strong in the body, and someone has a suitcase to put in the car, and you are walking. You can stop and say, "Sir, I help you." That's what you give. God gave you the strength in your arms, and you gave it. That means to give. Giving means not only money. Many things we can give. That is a way of spirituality. So, try to change a little bit in your life, and you will see. When someone is turning their car to come into the road or street, and you are driving, you can stop for half a second, five seconds, that will make them very happy, and they will say thank you. And you just drive, and you drive. And not only that, you are driving, boom, my God, the crazy one doesn't want to take care of it. It could have caused an accident. How quickly we are thinking. So calm down yourself, please. Calm down, speed in this world, calm down. Dheere, dheere, but slowly, slowly. Manvā dheere, dheere, calagā, gaṇagā, caḍanare, bhaya. So this is spirituality. Practice your mantra. We should have a mantra and do everyday pūjā. And do āratī and whatever you can. Simple, simple life. Love, that is giving. In the Mahābhārata, there is one story about God Kṛṣṇa. God Kṛṣṇa went to the Kauravas many times, saying, "Don't fight. The Pāṇḍavas are your cousin brothers. Don't fight. Give them their rights." Their father was a king, but it doesn't matter, give them one village. But the Kauravas said, "Duryodhana, I am not ready to give them even space like the tip of a needle in my kingdom." They have to go out of it. Cousin brothers, war, battle, war began, the Mahābhārata. Again, Krishna went to make peace as a peace messenger. And Duryodhana invited Kṛṣṇa for dinner. And Duryodhana would like very much that Kṛṣṇa is on his side. So he prepared a beautiful dinner, with many, many varieties. Krishna came with the message of peace, that was a condition. And Duryodhana said, "No, that I will never do," and so on, "and you should be on my side." Krishna said, "I am not on your side, and I am not on Arjuna's side." I am on the side of the dharma, not adharma. And Krishna, he refused to have dinner there. He denied the dinner, and he went to the one bhakta, who was also cousin of the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas, the Vidura. And Vidur's wife, she was also a great bhakta of Kṛṣṇa. And he came suddenly, and he said, "I am hungry," Krishna said. And they said, "Okay, we will," and they were sitting, and she said, "Have your first fruit." So Krishna was sitting, and she was so overwhelmed, and she brought a banana, and she peeled the banana, and the fruit of the banana she began to eat and gave the skin to Krishna. And Krishna began to eat the skin of the banana, and Vidura said, "Lord, what are you doing?" He said to his wife, "What are you doing?" She said, "Oh God, I forgot it." So God accepts your love. If it is a pure love, it doesn't matter how it is. And then she just made a green spinach called bhājī and some chapātī, dry chapātīs. And he ate this spinach and this chapati like a delicious dish, which would have, because that was a love. Prabhu prema bina nahi aave, God doesn't come without love, and not a selfish love. The love without condition, love without any doubts, or love without any limitations. If he does this, I will do this then. And if he didn't do this, then he will say, "Ah, we gave so many eatings and this and that, and he didn't do for us even this little work." No condition. Love has no condition, and you give, then you have no more rights. What you have donated or given, there is no more your power or your authority on it. So that is spirituality, in my opinion. Of course, I will say you practice one hour of meditation and one hour of mantras, and then take a cold bath and sit down and do the prayers. Of course, also love all creatures, don't kill them, and so on. But very simple, because in everyday life, everyday life, very simple. That's all. Thank you. Devakīranda Bhagavānakī, Deveśvara Mahādeva kī, Mādhavakṛṣṇa Bhagavānakī, Sanātana Dharma.