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Part 1: Discovering the Inner Peace Oṁ sukharam kevalaṁ jñānamūrtiṁ gaṇḍātītaṁ gagana-sadṛśaṁ tasmāsyādi lakṣaṇaṁ ekaṁ nityaṁ vivalācalaṁ sarvadhi-sākṣibhūtaṁ bhavātītaṁ triguṇarahitaṁ Satguru taṁ namāmi. Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvara, Guru Sākṣāt Paraṁ Brahma, Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Dhyāna-mūlaṁ gurur-mūrtiṁ, pūjā-mūlaṁ gurur-padaṁ, mantra-mūlaṁ gurur-vākyaṁ, mokṣa-mūlaṁ gurur-kṛpā. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ... Śrī Dīt Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Salutations to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our hearts, Omniscient and Omnipresent. In His Divine Presence, very good evening, dear brothers and sisters. We are joined by many other spiritual seekers, practitioners of yoga, and those applying spiritual techniques in their lives around the world, who are with us through this webcast. This special divine blessing comes to you from the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia. I wish you a good day, good morning, and a good evening. To those celebrating a birthday, I wish you a happy birthday. I would like to pray for and bless dear brother Peter, who gave us the opportunity to be here in this beautiful hall on his property. Thank you, brother Peter. The Gold Coast is known as a spiritual coast. Spirituality is something special; among all metals, gold is distinct. I also bless our dear Tulsi, who teaches yoga in daily life to promote good health, peace of mind, and spiritual inspiration for the harmony of body, mind, and soul. Thank you for your beautiful and hard work here. The subject given for this evening is "discover your inner peace." I was thinking: is that different? Are there two kinds of peace, inner and outer? To understand this, we must come to the origin. Similarly, many ask about the origin of yoga: How old is yoga? Which religion does it come from? Can people of other beliefs practice it? Is yoga good for Western people? You may have had these questions, and perhaps now everything is clear. When someone is ill and goes to a doctor, the doctor must find the cause. If no cause is found, the illness cannot be treated properly. The doctor may give a remedy for the heart, but then the kidneys are destroyed. A remedy for the kidneys may harm the liver, and so on—side effects. But if we know the real cause, the origin, we can treat it effectively. Consider the Anant Brahmāṇḍ, the endless universe. It is limitless, and we are limited. How can we know the limitless? Yet, the consciousness of a yogī can reach 2,100 different solar systems or layers of the universe—Caudhā, Loka, Kiśo, Brahmāṇḍa—but that is still not enough. The Vedas and ancient scriptures, taught as Śruti and Smṛti and passed down for thousands of years, declare an endless universe with thousands of solar systems. This Anant Brahmāṇḍ is like a śūnyākāśa, a space with no light, no elements, no sound—empty, dark, blue space. This is known as the cosmic mother. That space is the body of the mother, and within her body is the cosmic consciousness, known as Hiraṇya Garbha, the golden embryo. In the cosmic mother, that golden egg—and now Easter weekend is coming, or is already here. In Christianity, they distribute eggs, but the origin of this divine idea is the golden egg, Hiraṇya Garbha. The endless universe is completely filled, one with it, called consciousness. Space and consciousness are balanced equally and perfectly; that is called Śakti. That Śakti is called Yoga Śakti. We heard the bhajan "Hey Govind, Hey Gopal." Kṛṣṇa tells in the Bhagavad Gītā, "Arjuna." Arjuna was his disciple; Kṛṣṇa was Arjuna's guru. Kṛṣṇa Janeshā Gītā: those who have realized Kṛṣṇa will understand what the Gītā is. Gītā, Gīthā, Gāthā—the saying of the glory of God from different Upaniṣads becomes the Gītā. Kṛṣṇa Janeshā Gītā: those who realize Kṛṣṇa know what Gītā is. Mata Janeshā Pitā: the mother knows who the father is. So Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, "Arjuna, from time to time I manifest myself on this planet through yoga-māyā." Even the incarnations, the twenty-four incarnations on this planet, all need the help of that supreme power, the cosmic mother. The Upaniṣad said, "Mātṛ deva bhava"—first, God is that mother. That yoga śakti harmonizes, so the entire universe is endlessly, perfectly in harmony. That is called peace. No vikṣepa, no kleśa, no dualities, no conflicts. Through that harmony, there is perfect unity, like cement keeping two bricks together. Space and consciousness, balanced, harmonized, and united by that yoga śakti. Now you can tell me: how old is yoga? To which religion does yoga belong? No modern religion is so old. The religions we speak of today number in the hundreds, each with hundreds of branches. That is yoga. That entire space, consciousness, and Śakti, the energy within them, is known as Swayambhū. No one creates Him. He manifests Himself out of this space, consciousness, and energy. Svayaṁ bho śiva. With this feeling, eko’haṁ bahu syām: "I am one, and now I will multiply myself." Through what? Through sound. The form of the Supreme is that resonance. That resonance is the embodiment of the Swayambhū. The first resonance that awoke in the endless universe is called Aum. A-U-M. Akār, Ukār, Makār. That sound, Śiva—the highest principle in the universe—is Śiva. Śiva means consciousness, liberation, beauty, and the universe. Satyam, Śiva, Sundaram: the truth, Śiva, the beauty, ultimate truth. Through that Oṁkāra, the resonance, in no time the entire endless universe begins to vibrate. For example, if an ant bites our small toe, immediately the whole body knows. The center of the universe is where consciousness begins to manifest as Śiva, which then begins the creation: the element fire from the resonance, then air, water, and earth. The fifth is what we call ether or space. Ānanda, Brahmāṇḍa, Śāstra, Sūrya: in this endless universe with thousands of solar systems, all that is visible and invisible, all elements are created and balanced by that universal Śakti, the Divine Mother. Whenever we speak of the Divine Mother, Cosmic Mother, it means that Cosmic Mother Principle, which is in every feminine power. Every female represents that. In every mother, that conscious space begins to manifest an embryo, a baby. Swayambhū Śiva, through His third eye, creates the fire, the Viṣṇu Śakti. Śiva tells Viṣṇu, "Go and do the tapasyā, the tapa." That is fire. Viṣṇu means the fire, the agni principle, and fire cannot exist without water. Where Viṣṇu begins His tapasyā, akṣa-jal was created. Akṣa-jal means everlasting water, nectar, divine. That Viṣṇu Śakti begins to reside in the Kṣīrsāgara, the ocean of nectar, and creates Brahmā, placing Him on a beautiful lotus, as we see in pictures. Brahmā emerges from the navel of Viṣṇu. When Brahmā was set there, He wanted to know, "Who is my father? Who is my creator?" Brahmā dives deep through the stem of the lotus. Yogās and yogās of time passed, but He could not reach where Viṣṇu is. So Brahmā comes back again, searching for His creator and for Śiva. Śiva is the yogī who brings the science of yoga, mantras, and everything. So our peace, what we call inner peace, is there from the cosmic Self. We are all part of that cosmic Self—not only humans, but all creatures, all entities. Prāṇī mātrā merī ātmā hai. Ātmā, sohī paramātmā. And what is ātmā? Ātmā is paramātmā, the supreme one. The creator of our planet created 8.4 million different creatures, one of which is human. These creatures are divided into three categories: Jalchar, Thalchar, and Navachar—creatures in water, on earth, and in space. Every living creature, day and night, searches for happiness. Even a small ant is busy searching for happiness. We humans also search day and night for happiness to be happy. Some search for money, thinking it will make them happy. Some search for a partner. There are many desires. But finally, who wants to be happy? Our inner self. Why? Because it is a part of cosmic happiness, and we want to return to our origin. If I throw a rose petal up, it falls back to earth. Why? Modern science says gravity. In spirituality, we say it is because this tiny atom is part of that big earth, and therefore the petal wants to return to its origin. Similarly, dear brothers and sisters, we want to come to our origin. That is called Brahman. Svarga, what you may call heaven or Vaikuṇṭha, is limited. Where heaven begins, hell may end, and where hell ends, heaven may begin. But the yogī wants to come out of all these borders. Consciousness is equal, whether in hell or in heaven. As ātmā, you, me, all little ants and mosquitoes and creatures, we are only one. There is no two. One is the reality; one is the supreme, the Brahman. Where there is two, there is duality, which is not reality. The non-changeable, everlasting, immortal is called Brahman, the supreme. What is changing is not reality. So, to find that peace which is within us and outside, it is the same. We have the ether element, but it is outside too. Ether means sky, space. Space is the form of our Ātmā. God Kṛṣṇa said: I am that immortal soul which is not cut by weapons, which fire cannot burn, which no elements can destroy, and which death cannot take away. I am that immortal one. So you are that immortal one, and you find immortality within yourself. There is a little story. Should I tell it? Yes. To find peace, who should give you peace? Where will you find it? There was a master, and many disciples came to him. The master would speak and give lectures. Disciples would ask questions, and the master always answered correctly. There was one disciple, perhaps like me (not like you—you are the best), who felt a little jealous of the master. "How is it possible the master knows everything? Anything I ask, he answers. I will do something. I will ask a question he cannot answer because he doesn't know it. Then I can say, 'Dear Master, excuse me, but there is also something you don't know.'" From his garden, where he fed birds, he caught a small bird, took it in his hands—nobody knew—held his hands behind his back, and walked into the satsaṅg hall. Many disciples were sitting. He entered and said, "Dear Master, my salutation to thee. Master, I love you because you know everything. I am so stupid that I always ask you questions. I know you know, Master, but still I would like to ask a question." The master said, "Okay, go ahead." "Master, can you tell me what is in my hands now?" The master smiled and said, "My child, you have a bird in your hand." "How does he know everything? I am just standing near the door. Nobody has told him; only I know, and my hands are behind my back. How should he know that?" The disciple smiled and said, "Yes, my master, I am proud of you. I know you know everything, but how stupid I am, asking again and again." Now he thought, "This time I will ask a question. No matter what he says, he will be wrong. I will prove him wrong." He said, "Yes, my master, I am proud to be your disciple. Beautiful. But you know, sometimes disciples cannot rest until they are convinced 100%. Dear master, you said correctly I have a bird in my hands. Can you tell me, is the bird alive or dead? If he says it is alive, I will squeeze it and say, 'Sir, you are wrong; it is a dead bird.' If the master says, 'The bird is dead in your hand,' I will let it fly and say, 'Master, you are wrong.' Yes, sir, you are right, I have a bird. But can you tell me if it is alive or dead?" The master smiled and said, "My son, this I cannot answer you." "Why? Master, you know everything." "I know everything, but this question I cannot answer." "Then answer me, please, why you can't answer. You are the knower of everything." He said, "Yes. Whether the bird is alive or dead does not depend on my answer. It depends on your hands." The disciple let the bird fly, came and bowed down, and said, "My adoration to thee, my Lord." So peace is not something a master can simply answer for you to find within or somewhere. Peace is in your hands. Only you can gain it, realize it, or ignore it. Around the world, there are many spiritual paths and thousands of spiritual masters. The beauty of spirituality is that it is a still-living tradition where the master still teaches the disciple. Even in nursery school or kindergarten, there is a teacher and children. It begins there; actually, it begins with mother and father and friends. In primary school, again you have a guru. Then middle school, high school, university—everywhere you have a guru. Without that guru, you cannot be perfect. Similarly, spirituality is a living tradition, and you can gain that through those masters or teachers. There is one holy river in India. There are many holy rivers, and all rivers are holy. But I am talking about Gaṅgā. Who hasn't heard the name of Gaṅgā? Oh, my God, all know. You don't know? Then I will tell you next time. Gaṅgā is very holy, and we take its holy water and put it on our head. Part 2: The Path to Union: From Ritual to Realization We bathe. It is said that if you bathe in the Gaṅgā, your sins will be washed away. It does not matter what the water of the Gaṅgā is like; it is holy. This means any water that enters into the Gaṅgā becomes known as Gaṅgā water. And if that water flows out again into other channels, after some meters or a hundred meters, nobody will see the Gaṅgā water in those channels. Similarly, those disciples who enter into the spiritual consciousness of the master will become holy and find inner peace. And so, yoga practice. All this practicing that we are doing is not yoga itself, but is a way to yoga. For yoga means union: the union of the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. Practicing yoga means reunion, because we are already part of the cosmic Self. All these exercises—āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, meditations, relaxations, prayers, singing, and mantras—are for that purpose: to realize that yoga. Kṛṣṇa asks again and again of Arjuna, "Practice yoga." According to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā, there are eighteen different kinds of yoga. According to Patañjali, there are four kinds of yoga: karma, bhakti, rāja, and jñāna yoga. But the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā begins and ends with yoga: bhakti yoga, jñāna yoga, sannyāsa yoga, puruṣottama yoga, and so on. Arjuna asks, "Lord, what will happen when I practice yoga?" You will get Brahma jñāna; you will become one with Brahman, okay? But Kṛṣṇa has such a disciple, Arjuna, always asking questions, like that other fellow, you know, with the birds in the air. "Suppose, Master, I am practicing yoga for a hundred years, but still I have not realized Brahman, and I will die. My body will die. What is the use of practicing yoga?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, that’s correct. But then your soul will travel through the universe comfortably and will be born again into a spiritual family." From childhood, you will have spiritual feelings, and you will find a master. You will begin your sādhanā yoga, and the spirituality from your past life will join you, and you will continue your journey. The soul is not the Self. The soul is not the ātmā. The soul is individual. The ātmā is universal. And the soul has a destiny, not the ātmā. Destiny is created by our acts and our karma. Pralabdha pehle rachā, piseh rasa śarīra. First, destiny is created in this life. And then, according to this karma—what you did—your destiny will be, and it will lead you in that direction for your next life. Who knows your destiny? There is one story again. Should I tell it, or is my time finished? How long should I talk, Bhakti Śilījī? There was a man searching for God, wanting to see God. I’m talking about God, she’s talking about God, he’s talking about God. We all talk about God. We tell others to meditate, pray—God, God, God. Did you see that? Yes. Well, every creature is a light of God. "Still, I’m not content with your answer. I want to see with my own eyes, in this physical body, God standing in front of me, and He will tell me that I am that God. Then I will be happy. It doesn’t matter what price I have to pay." He went around asking, "Have you seen God? Can you help me to see God? Can you help me to see God, please?" One man said, "My dear brother, you will see God with your own eyes. But not in the city. Go into the forest, and God will come to you." "Will He come?" "Yes." "Will I see?" "Yes. But always be aware. You never know when He will come, and you might be sleeping." "I will not sleep." He went to the forest for three, four, or five days. Days passed. He didn’t sleep. He had nothing to eat, nothing to drink; he became very, very weak and cold. So he found a rock that was warm from the sun. He lay down on the rock, but his eyes were wide open. "My God will come, I will see. My God will come." I will see. Love is that kind of love without any conditions, without any disturbances. There’s only one. Night came, and still he was lying there. The next day, he was alive again but very weak; he couldn’t move his hand. There was a big crow. The crow was waiting for this man to die so it could eat him. Everyone has different desires. And the crow was saying, "Die, crow, crow... die, die." That man was lying with his eyes wide open. The crow was sure this man had no more energy. "He can’t do anything to me. I will sit on his ribs and take his intestines out." My dear, can you imagine? Sometimes love brings suffering. If you go through that suffering, that love will be the real love. The crow came carefully and sat on his hips—not on his ribs—carefully, ready to fly at any time because it knew the man might catch it. And with its very sharp beak, it took a bite on the stomach and pulled the skin and a piece of flesh. The man was looking for God. The second time, it bit again. The third time, the crow suddenly felt mercy and pain, a feeling towards this man. The crow said, "It’s painful." Again, eating. "It’s painful." The man said to the crow, "One point is saying one point." You see, what love is: to find inner peace and union with the Supreme. "Eat my whole body. Eat each and every piece of my flesh. Don’t worry. Go ahead, but my dear friend"—still he tells his friend—"please do not eat my two eyeballs. Still, I have a hope to see my beloved one, my love." The crow dropped the piece of flesh away and said to the man again, "Are you stupid? Crazy? Who is your lover?" He said, "God. Where is God? He let you suffer like this. Go and find someone else. If not Him, then there will be many." Then again the man answered the crow, "My dear friend, if it is some letter or book, I can read it to you. Why? But my destiny, I cannot read to you, my dear brother. If it is a piece of wood, I will break it in two parts. But love, I cannot." The crow breathed deep in and out. It flew and jumped down. And the man was looking at the crow. And suddenly the crow manifested into God: four hands, and blessing, and Sudarśana Cakra in hand. "My dear, your search has ended. I love you." And He took him in His arms and touched his body, and he became completely healthy. And he said, "Who are you?" He said, "I am that one whom you are searching for." "Then let me merge into you." And with his whole body just dematerialized, his body became one with that light. That means we are searching for something. That means we would like to achieve something. Otherwise, we pray quickly, quickly, whatever it is. Prayer we call: Brahmārpaṇaṁ Brahma Haviḥ Brahmāgnau Brahmaṇā Hutam, Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyaṁ Brahmakarmasamādhinā. Gaṇṭāvāyam Brahma Karma Samādhi Rāṇāmā Pārvatī Pate Hari Om. Begin to eat. "Thank you, holy father, for giving this food and this and this and that." Go ahead. That is too little weight. And therefore, last time at Sunshine Coast, I gave you five points to practice. 1. When you get up, tell yourself, "I am a human." Only these words to thyself will help you to avoid many negative karmas and negative deeds in this world. 2. What makes me human? Those human qualities. 3. How to find that quality and develop it through some sādhanās. 4. What does it mean for me to be a human? Do we really know what it means for us to be human? If we know this, we will not do many, many things. And we will never be unhappy. We will never cry. We will never be disappointed. We will have inner peace within ourselves. But we don’t trust ourselves. That is in our hands, but we don’t know now what to do. 5. And what is the mission of my life, the aim of my life? Ātmā jñāna, self-realization, becoming one with Brahman. So: I am a human. What makes me human? How to develop those human qualities? What does it mean for me to be a human? And what’s my duty, my mission in this life? Who am I? From where do I come? What is the purpose of my life here? Eating, drinking, and creating children—animals are also very active and expert. If you do only that much, my dear, then where is the difference? So, the human heart has that mercy towards every creature. Ahiṁsā paramodharma: the highest principle in this universe is non-violence. Mansevasa karmana: through mind, through actions, and through words. No one should be tortured. Towards no one should we do something harmful. Any creature, her or his suffering, the pain will reflect back on you, and then you will be the next one. How to come out from this? As Hari was singing bhajan, he explained nicely how to cross this ocean of ignorance, how to become free from this pain. So, my dear brothers and sisters, best yoga. Yoga means union of the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. But we don’t know how the next life will be. Better to do all in this life. And therefore, keep this life healthy and long. Therefore, let me develop one another thing. That’s also God: Dhanvantari brought Āyurveda. Yoga and Āyurveda are just two wings for your soul to fly into the Brahmaloka. Good food, healthy food, sāttvic food, balanced food, that will give you good health. And practice exercises: walking, swimming, movements, and some postures also, and then have a meditation. To find inner peace, now we will have meditation for 10 minutes. Good? Okay. So, how to meditate? Well, there are many techniques, but these many techniques are concentration techniques. If you ask a great yogī, a self-realized yogī, a monk in the monastery or in the Himalayas in the caves, they will ask, "How do you meditate? What are you doing in meditation?" They will say, if you do something in meditation, there is no meditation. Then what to do? They will say, "Nothing to do." That’s meditation? Yes. Just one thing: remember the name of that supreme Brahman. Oṁ Sohaṁ: that I am, I am that. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi: I am Ātmā. That’s so. But, you know, we are very restless. We would like to see the sun rising, the water waves, and the skies, and to keep busy over this restless mind. So I will, of course, make you a little restless, and then I will try to make you very peaceful. Okay? No answer is a good answer. Understand? Well, the postures cannot give us liberation. Liberation is through knowledge and Guru Kṛpā. Mokṣa nūlaṁ Guru Kṛpā. Therefore, sit as you like. It must not be lotus sitting. Must not be head standing. Be comfortable. No torturing of life. Must be happy, eat prasāda and sing the bhajan songs, and Hari Om. So, therefore, please sit comfortably. Such a comfortable posture that you will not change after three or four minutes? You are not comfortable. Like when you are very tired and go to sleep, six or seven hours you are sleeping on the same side without movement. How do you manage that? So, 10, 20 minutes, okay? So, make yourself comfortable. And in this hall, whatever you want to see, do it now. Because when we close our eyes, then we should not open them. So, whatever you want to see, look, please, here and there. Those who have a mantra, a guru mantra, should be comfortable, with the body straight and upright. Adjust yourself in such a comfortable way that you will not feel discomfort. And slowly, gently close your eyes, and deeply inhale and exhale. Withdraw yourself from the external world and just be aware of your being here in this hall. All our spiritual brothers and sisters, make your body comfortable and just relax. Be aware of your being here, physically and mentally. Once more, deep inhale and exhale, and relax. Relax the whole body from the toes to the top of the head and from the top of the head to the toes. Feel that your body is relaxed, your body is comfortable, and you are one with thyself. No concentration, no imagination, only the reality and no expectations. Just say that I’m here, I’m relaxed and one with myself. Feel the motionlessness of the body. Yes, your body is motionless, but relaxed. We know as soon as we relax and feel the motionlessness of the body, then we are more aware of our bioenergy, prāṇa energy within and outside of the body. Relax your elbows, shoulders, and stomach muscles; no tensions. And now, bring your awareness towards your natural and normal breath process. Do not change the breath rhythm. No body movement. Be relaxed. Be comfortable. Just know that I know I’m inhaling, and I know that I’m exhaling. Relax. Breath is life. Life is breath. Thank you, merciful Lord, that I can breathe so freely. At the time of inhalation, your body is breathing cosmic energy, prāṇa śakti. That’s the reality. It’s not imagination. At the time of inhalation, you are inhaling the cosmic energy, and at the time of exhalation, your whole body is exhaling all kinds of toxins. You feel the purification, and you feel the relaxation. Relax. At the time of inhalation, the life force, prāṇa śakti, enters the body from the cosmic mother, and the trunk of the body expands slightly. At the time of exhalation, all the negative energies are exhaled. You feel very light and relaxed. The trunk of the body is slightly contracted. Relax. And now, observe your breath from inside. This means the ingoing and outgoing breath inwardly. It’s touching the center of the chest inside, which touches your anāhata cakra, where peace, contentment, love, and happiness develop. Just observe with closed eyes the flow of the breath. Internally, breath is moving from the navel to the nostrils, and from the nostrils to the navel. Descending and ascending breath, feel it in the center of the chest. Repeat your mantra with the feelings in the heart, with visions in the inner space. Any one thought which you would like to have very much—what can be more than God? Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord of my heart. Pranāth, these minutes I could think of you and feel you in my heart. As my being one is with me, relax. Relax, be one with thyself. And the name of God, your mantra: "Just be, that’s all." Inner peace, contentment, happiness, and love. Only you, my Lord. With some thoughts, send prayers or energy from your heart for all needy people in the world and for peace. And three times deep inhale and exhale. Inhale and chant Oṁ. We will chant all together three times. And three times Śānti Mantra. Inhale, inhale. Being here in this hall, feel your whole body and try to become more extrovert. Be aware of this hall and slowly move your fingers. Close the fists and open the palms. Close the fists and rotate your wrists in both directions, clockwise and anti-clockwise. Open your palms, fold your palms together, and rub your palms. Then place the palms on the face, slightly on your eyelids, and open your eyes. Move the hands. Adieu. So that’s all for today. Wish you all the best. Good health, harmony, happiness, long life, spiritual development, peace, love, and contentment.