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Why is it rātrī? And why not the day? Rātrī means night. Mahā Śiva Rātri is the darśan when Bhagavān Śiva, Swayambhu, appeared at night to a hunter. The story of the hunter is long. He went hunting but found no animals. He returned home, and his wife was angry because the children had nothing to eat. They waited and waited. So the hunter went out again at night. Some deer came one after the other, and he wanted to kill a deer, but the deer spoke in a human language: "Please don't kill me. I have my family." Then came the male deer, and he wanted to kill him. Then the female deer came and said, "We are only this one male; all others have been killed, so please don't kill him." The hunter was sitting in a tree because he himself was afraid of wild animals. Then Śiva appeared and gave blessings to this hunter as well as to the deer. He provided enough for their families so they had everything. Also, it was a Jyotirliṅga. Śiva appears in twelve Jyotirliṅgas, and one is there. When God appears, that moment, that constellation is counted as a very divine time. That is celebrated once a year as Mahā Śiva Rātri. Rātri means night. These nine days are of the Divine Mother. In short, there was a rākṣasa, a devil. The devil had a blessing from Brahmā because he asked that no one could kill him, and if anyone killed him at night, he would come back to life. Many times it happens, but no one can do this. The Divine Mother appears for both things. Mother is a protector, Mother is the Divine, Mother removes the negative energies. In Hinduism, in the Sanātana Dharma and Indian culture, there are the 24 incarnations of Viṣṇu. The 24th one, who will come, is called the Kalī Avatāra, because this is Kali Yuga, the iron age: Satya Yuga, Dvāpar Yuga, Tretā Yuga, and Kali Yuga. Now, this is the time of the Kali Yuga, and things happen which we can't believe—sin, killing, etc. As Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad Gītā to Arjuna: "Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata / abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham." Time to time, I manifest. I incarnate when the dharma, the righteous path, and the pure soul are in troubles and difficulties, and this negative energy is increasing. Then I come to destroy this negative energy, the rākṣasas, and to support the devotees, the bhaktas. The time when Krishna said this was nearly 7,000 years ago. At that time, there was only one dharma, called Sanātana Dharma. Sanātana Dharma is a universal religion, not a man-made religion. A man-made religion is when one incarnates in form and gives peace, lectures, knowledge, and blessings. The Vedas, the first scriptures, are given by Brahman, not by any man. And the Vedas are Sanātana. Sanātana is that principle, the process or the system. For example, the water from the ocean rises up, becomes fog, then we call it clouds, then rain follows, falls down, water comes to the creeks, then to the river, and then to the ocean. This is a cycle, an automatically sustainable process. The trees, the seeds—how the seed is sprouting, how that little plant is growing into a beautiful tree. In time, then come the flowers, then come the fruits, and then develops in the fruit again the seeds. Again the seeds fall to the earth, and again it grows. This is a sanātana process. Similarly, a mother's child takes nine months to grow perfect in her body, or other creatures. The Sanātana is in one egg. You see the egg, and after some time, from the egg comes the baby out. There is no scientist who can make a bag or an egg. No scientist can create an egg, and out of the egg then will come the chicken. No scientist today can make one drop of blood, which everyone has different—different blood, different genes, different kinds of minerals, and whatever it is, all in the blood we have, all cells and different. There is no scientist today who can make honey; only the bee can make that honey. Yes, they can make a sweet sugar; they will melt it, and that looks like honey. And if not, then they will put some aromas from the flowers, and then it will say, "Oh, it's honey." But no one can make honey. So the God-made world is perfect, and the man-made world is imperfect. Sanātana Dharma is eternal Dharma. It's not a man-made Dharma. It's God's, that Almighty. And His work is very perfect. We see here flowers. Look at the petals. Every petal has the same size and color, and how beautiful. We can manipulate a little bit so that it will come out yellow, or it will come out this and that. It is a manipulation, but in reality, we see how these leaves from one mighty tree, which have very small leaves, are all the same size and same design. How many workers did God have with the scissors that were cutting, exactly the same? So, oh man, you compare yourself to God. Forget, forget. Someone says, "I don't believe in God. I am a human, and I am capable. I will do all. His eye is nothing. His eye means a blind." This eye. So, Sanātana Dharma. After this, when these incarnations came—24 incarnations—there is also God. But still they came as humans, and sometimes they came in different forms. Why did God come in different forms? For example, there was a king, and he wanted to become immortal. He went into the forest and performed austerity, tapasyā, for many, many years. Then Brahmā came and asked, "My son, child, what do you want?" He said, "Are you God?" "Yes." "Then why do you ask me what I want? You know what I want." Brahmā said, "I know that, but I want to hear from your mouth." So he said, "Bless me with immortality. That I never die." Brahmā said, "I cannot give you that; it's out of the cosmic law, and also I cannot do this." Then he said, "Okay, go. I will continue my tapasyā. You have to come and give me immortality." Brahmā knew what he wanted. He said, "Okay, I can't give you directly immortality, but, for example, I can grant that nobody can kill you, or this and that." He said, "Okay, will you give me the blessings? Give me your word?" Brahmā said, "Yes." "All right. Then listen, Brahmā." He said, "Yes, I am listening." "I should not die during the daytime." Brahmā said, "Yes. Okay." "I should not die in the day. Okay. Neither day, nor night. No animals can kill me, okay? And no human can kill me, okay? No elements can destroy me, okay? And there should be no natural death, okay? So I should not die in the night or the day, neither by human nor animals, nor with some illness. And I should not die outside of my house, and I should not die inside my house." Brahmā said, "Okay." He said, "Then all right." Brahmā said, "Bless you," and Brahmā disappeared. Now he was laughing and laughing, looking and saying, "God, you can't kill me anymore." You see, this is the ego of man. It was in that time, and now also there are people, but they are not so clever to ask for such a blessing, and before they get such a blessing, they are gone. Not anymore. He came home and announced to the kingdom: "No one should pray to God. No temple, no church." There was no mosque and church then. There was no church, only temple. "And no one should sing the divine songs, no mantras. No pūjās, nothing. I am the god." And this god's name was Hiraṇyakaśipu. "All the teachers of the school, call them tomorrow here. They should never teach any religion or anything spiritual. All about me and me and me, I and I"—that is ego. When power comes, then one becomes blind. He had one son. His name was Prahlāda, a very nice name. This Prahlāda, when he was little and began to speak, he used to speak "Hari Om. Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat.... Japa kar, japa kar, yahī mahāmantra hai: Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat." Hari is Viṣṇu, and Har is Śiva, so Hari is Viṣṇu. Om, Hari Om. That is the Om. Hari is the Om. Tat means "this," and Tat and Sat means "the truth." So the mahāmantra is Hari Hi Om. Hari Hi Om, Om Hi Hari. He heard that his child was chanting the name of God. He told him, "Don't speak these stupid things. Don't sing like this." Need not hurry. Hear him. Rāśi is always coming together, so Hari and Hiraṇyakaśipu. The boy said, "No, I will do it." Now he is his son. So he told his soldiers, "Take him and throw him in the jungle, in the forest, where the wildlife is." After two days, this little boy came home. Then he said, "Throw him somewhere in the wild elephant jungle." So they went and put him somewhere where the elephants are. He came home. Nothing happened. Then they said, "Take him to the peak of the mountains and leave him there." He will fall down. So he was sliding down, falling down from the mountain, and there was a beautiful, green, nice tree. He landed on the tree branches and was swinging there for a while, and there were fruits, nice fruits to eat because he was hungry. And slowly, then he got up and came home. The king said, "Go and throw him in the lake where there are crocodiles." So they took him and threw him in the water, and many, many crocodiles were there, hundreds of them, and every crocodile just became a lotus flower. He was jumping, walking on the lotus flowers, coming home while saying, "Hari Om Tat Sat, Hari Om Tat Sat,... Hari Om Tat Sat. Japa karo, japa karo, yahī mahā mantra hai, Hari Om Tat Sat, Hari Om Tat Sat," coming home. He was surprised. Then he called the teacher from the school and told the teacher, "Teach him my name, because all children are singing 'Hari Om Tat Sat' in the school." So the teacher was teaching him, "Don't sing this name. Don't sing this. It is not good. Sing your father's name." He said, "What? This is not a good name?" So, all the school children, they were singing, coming home with their backpack. They didn't have a backpack at that time, but let's say, a slate and a little bag, and coming home, all were singing, ringing the bells. The father, the rākṣasa devil, can't see God, can't feel God. He is completely opposite. In politics also, opposite parties, and when who have been the opposite party, okay, they will go and say, "Hello, how are you? Thank you. Congratulations," but at home he said, "No, that's it." At night, riding on horseback and going village to village, if anyone was singing the name of God and bhajans, like "Madhuram," in the village, anyone who was singing God's name and bhajans, he would punish them, burn them immediately alive. So at night, he was going alone. One day, he came to a small village with about 30 or 40 houses. There was one family, one elderly woman. She used to make pots, pottery, from clay. When the pots were ready, let's say about 40, 50, or 100, she put grass or some kind of fuel and set the fire so it burns, and then the clay pot becomes solid. She put nicely about nearly 100 pots. She had a cat, a beautiful cat. These pots, which she was drying, first, the cat gave five babies in one pot. She put this pot in that kiln. Babies inside. After noon, at five o'clock, she lit the fire. Then the cat came, meow, meow, meow. Oh, God, all these kids were in the pot, and the fire was lit. She said, "Oh, God, what a sin I did. Definitely the babies died. The kids died." She sat there and was thinking of God to help her. Oh, God. The lady was about the age of 75 or 80. At that time, people were very strong, you know. 80 was just middle-aged. Or more than that, they were living about 100 or 200 years. Our food is like this. They made it so that people should not live long. They will die. And now, like in your country, after 80, 85, there's not any more value. It's not more commercial, so let them die. That's not a good law. Anyhow, she was sitting and she said, "Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat.... O Bhagavān, hurry, hurry, hurry. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry." What happens? Hiraṇyakaśipu came with his horse. He got off the horse, listening. He said, "Hey, old lady, why are you chanting the name of God?" She said, "Oh Hiraṇya Kaśyapa, oh Hiraṇya Kaśyapa." She was afraid. He said, "No, no... no. You were singing Hari Hari Om, not Hiraṇyakaśipu. Why? Where was the necessity that you chant the name of Viṣṇu?" She told the story. He said, "You believe that?" She said, "I hope." He said, "Okay, then go ahead chanting. I will sit here till the pots become cool, and if the baby is inside, alive, I will free you. Otherwise, I will burn you here in this fire." Now she was singing really from her heart, for her life and the life of the kids. She was chanting. He was waiting there. After three to five hours, the fire became cool and calm, and she was opening, taking the pots out: one, two, three, four. He was sitting there and watching. She said the pot which was in the middle, like this, facing each other, and this little baby jumped out, and like they are singing also, "Hari Om," and the cat was so happy. He said, "I can't trust and believe this, but I will leave you free." He went home. He came to his palace. His son was dancing there in the yard of his palace, and they were all singing. Little, little children, just like our Mila and all children, what were they singing? Look at what they were singing: Hari Om Tat Sat, Hari Om Tat Sat. Mila, sing. Hari Om Tat Sat, Hari Om Tat Sat. Hari Om Tat Sat, Hari Om Tat Sat. He went into his palace and called the blacksmith to make a very big one from iron: one pipe, big, about two meters, and wide also, like two humans can go in. Then he put the coal inside and put the fire in there, like a chimney. It took time till the coal became red, glowing fire. You couldn't sit about 30 meters near, it was so hot. Afternoon, after sunset time, about four o'clock, five o'clock, he sat there in the yard, and he called his son: "My son, I love you, but you are against me. You act like my enemy. So either you stop chanting 'Hari Om Tat Sat,' and if you believe... then hug the pillar. If you will not do it, with my own hands I will chop off your head." There was a long discussion. Finally, my child said, "Rākṣasa, devil, it is better to die in the fire than be killed by you." Then he said, "Then go and show me." It was 7 o'clock, 7:30, and he's walking towards the hot iron pillar. He came near and said, "Hot, very hot." He thought, "I will burn today." And what he sees with his own eyes: little ants are crawling on, walking, and climbing on the pillar. And he got confidence and willpower. "When this little ant can't die and burn, how will I? No." He jumped to hug the pillar, and the pillar broke into two parts. And from the fire, it came in some form. That was the lion, half lion and half human. And he took in his hands whom? Hiraṇyakaśipu. And then the Rākṣasa came to know. The lion took Prahlāda in his lap. At that time, Hiraṇyakaśipu noticed something was wrong. We in India say, "Dāl me kālā." In these lentils, there is something black. He got up, Hiraṇyakaśipu got up from his chair to run away. And the lion jumped on him and caught him in the middle of the door. Where? In the middle of the door of his house, and sat on his stomach. And now he's saying, "Hiraṇyakaśipu, where are you? Inside your house or outside of the house?" He said, "No, inside or out, number one. Is it night or day?" He said, "Neither night, neither day, just the sun setting. Am I some illness?" He said, "No. Is it a natural death? Am I an animal?" He said, "I can't understand." Half body is a human, and half body is a lion. "Okay, any wish? Anything wrong? Did I fulfill all your wishes? Now is your time. Come, what is this? The claws are not a weapon? Say no, then your end has come." And the lion killed him for the sake of the bhakta. So time takes it, comes to time, but God will never forget us. Always He's there, and He's looking for such cruelties. And so now the Kali Yuga, the iron age, we know what is happening. So it's not very far. Kalī Avatāra will come, and then you will see. They can't hide anywhere, neither in the caves, nor in the bulletproof cars, nor in the house. Because He knows where we are, here or there, all is in His vision and near to Him. Prahlāda was saved, and that Prahlāda was a great saint. Prahlāda had a son, and his son was called... I've forgotten who grows only, oh, Dhruva, I know, but not Dhruva, Chhotarāyatana, anyhow, okay. So, sometimes the norm goes out, but it will come back. Vāmanāvatāra. Thank you, Mātājī. Vāmanāvatāra. And there was another devil there. So, the story goes on. In God's kingdom, there is no darkness, there is only light. Sooner or later, He will come and will take all of us in His lap. So bhajan, kīrtan, satsaṅg; satsaṅg means the good society, and kuṣaṅga means the bad society. So, satsaṅg. Jāne vad bhāgire jan pāye sobhavo sata saṅgharī. Jaise braṅgī, jaise braṅgī mile vo śabda guñjār sunā. Jaise lat braṅgī mile vo śabda guñjār sunā. There is a wasp, a particular wasp which makes a little house, a nest, out of clay, sometimes on some branch of a tree, or mostly in the corner of a house. It has many, many little holes. From that comes the air-conditioned system from the termites and from the wasps. That particular wasp doesn't lay its own eggs, but it gets from another wasp a worm, something like a caterpillar. The caterpillar is a different one. There is another one which becomes like a wasp. So if you tell that this caterpillar will become one day a butterfly, what? A joke: it is a worm, but it will get wings, it will fly. Don't make a joke, but one day a beautiful, beautiful butterfly comes out of this worm. Even the ants can fly; they will get wings. So this wasp comes and is searching. There are three kinds of worms: uttam, madhyam, and kaniṣṭha. These are three worms: uttam, madhyam, and kaniṣṭha—the best one, the middle one, and the last one. When the wasp comes, she's singing, and from that it's called brahmrī prāṇāyāma. In yoga, yes, brahmrī. There is one worm, and when it hears this sound, then the wasp stops the sound and searches for that kaniṣṭha, which is of not good quality, tamas guṇa, that hides under the bush or grass or sticks on the earth. So that wasp can't take it away. Then the wasp sees this is not, this will not become a wasp. Then it comes to the second one, and the second one, when it hears, "Oh," that worm comes and stands on its tail and listens for a while, and then goes down and runs away. So is the bhakta, the people, they are spiritual. They come to the master, they hear one day satsaṅg, and then they just disappear forever. Or someone, for some months or some years, gets rid of everything—mantras and kriyās—and then disappears. That cannot be. Then the uttam, the best pure one, and then the wasp goes. After a few times, a few minutes, the wasp goes away, and that worm, turning and watching, looking, "Where is it gone? Where is that wasp flown?" She may go somewhere two meters far, and this worm walks this side again. She makes a sound, and then it stands on its tail. The wasp takes him and puts him in that mud house. Sometimes a few of them, sometimes only one, depends how many there are, and then she puts them in. And she closes it, leaving a little hole for oxygen. Now, it's closed in. "This master closed me. I was free. I wanted to eat nice flowers and this." And in this mud house, then wasps come. Rāga. Virāga. And then wasps go from the backside and give an injection, stuck into that worm. Oh, injection! And then she goes away and again comes. Then it's, "Oh, God, she's coming back," or, "He's coming back? No, master is coming." So switch inside. "Can't I? I can't run away. I can't go." And again she comes and bites. A few days, then she doesn't come for a few hours or two hours, and it comes without making sound, and she's listening so that worm, which was a worm, now wants to listen to that sound. "And when will it come? And when it comes, then I was awake." So when the wasp was coming home, and then I was awakened, so... Through these hormones and through this training, that develops into the wasp. Then the wasp comes and flies around and around the mud house, listening inside. Who is inside? These babies. And what are they doing? Then she said, "Now they have turned, changed from worm to wasp." And then she opens the house, and she flies, and all from the house fly behind her. She was one, and four were more; they became five. All five guṇas went to fly away. So, this is said in satsaṅg. Like that worm comes and listens to the sound from the verse. Guñjā vedake śabda vijake bheda sevo braṅghī toho ye yudha jāye sobhavo sata saṅgharī śabda bheda. Śabda is the word. Bheda is the sound, or the knowledge, or the effect, the mantra. Śabda vedake guñjī se. Guñjī means that humming sound. Braṅgī to hoī uḍ jāī. These worms become wasps, and they fly behind you. So the master comes and gives the mantra. The master gives the disciplines. The master gives the guru akhyā. The master tells, "Don't go there, don't do this, this." And the time will come that you will become the wasp. And if it is a half-knowledge, one who can't learn and be there, then this will, again, what will happen? The other wasp comes, a little bird will come and say, "Oh, this is here inside sitting," and go to the little babies. And there are other babies, bird babies, and they feed them. So they are searching for worms, such as worms, but which is the sāttvik worm that no one dares to touch? That is called... The guru bhakta, that is, this guru bhakta jagat me na rahe, guru bhakta jagat me na rahe. Therefore, the nara, nara means the male, and here means the humans. So, bhaktas are the humans. Others are like animals. They will eat animals, they will kill animals, they will behave like animals. That is called animal culture, so human culture, animal culture. So Sanātana Dharma is the ādi, and ādi eternal, and other dharma is also good, is not bad, but created by a human. The preaching of Bhagavān Rāma, Rāmāyaṇa, and so on, that is a preaching of the human. Krishna's words, though he was a Viṣṇu, but still he was a human. Jesus's words, still he was a human. Krishna's words, still he was a human. That's different. So today, all the best wishes to you and this group. It was the blessing of Mahāprabhujī that we got this beautiful satsaṅg. Oṁ Tat Sat, Oṁ Tat Sat, Oṁ Tat Sat. Alak Purījī, Mahādevakī, Devādidev Deveśwar Mahādevakī, Satguru Swāmī Madhavānanjī, Bhagavānakī, Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhu kī, Sanātana Dharma kī. Om Śānti Śānti.