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Part 1: Meditation for Inner Strength Human beings are the most advanced entities living on this planet. Only we have the unique ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles put in our way by destiny and the outside world. Only people are capable of understanding the processes involved, how they interrelate, and feeling compassion as well as understanding for each other. Most people are unaware of the many other potentials that are hidden within each and every one of us. When we activate our inner sources of energy, these powers awaken for our own benefit and as a blessing for the whole world. Swamiji, your guests—some of you already know that these words before were not mine. Indeed, it would be quite unsettling to put forward my humble thoughts, knowing well that they precede a lecture by His Holiness Swamijī. Therefore, I have borrowed, I think, the only suitable words for this event; most fittingly, they are His very own. We all have confidence—I dare predict that with today’s lecture, His Holiness Swamījī, the author of the system Yoga in Daily Life, will find ways to inspire you and invigorate your spiritual path. We will learn more about meditation and how it develops and nurtures our inner strength, just as watering a plant helps it grow into the most powerful tree. Thank you for this wonderful event. Pradhān Swāmījī, Sthāpana Excellency, Mr. Zupan, dear guests, ladies and gentlemen, we hope that our guest today, His Holiness, Vishwaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar, Parama Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, author of the knowledge system Yoga in Daily Life, respected Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of India, respected guests, respected Mayor of Ljubljana—I am very glad that tonight our guest is the respected Holiness Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, the author of the scientific system Yoga in Daily Life. Swamiji, as we like to call him, has developed a system in which we practice in accordance with our physical conditions, with the intention to reach and sustain physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. I am sure in today’s lecture he will reveal to us many secrets of how to develop inner power, with which our life will be happier. Thank you. Thank you, Swāmījī. Thank you very much. I would also like to greet Mr.—dear Mr. and Mrs. Excellencies, dear Ljubljana and Ljubljana people, it is now time for us to greet His Holiness in Ljubljana. There are, of course, friends in Ljubljana. Respected Excellencies, respected guests, I am very glad to greet today, this evening, His Holiness Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda. He obviously became a good friend of Ljubljana. And it is no wonder, because his idea and his theme for his lecture, harmony between people, somehow belongs to the most beautiful town in the world. I am personally very happy that we managed to find the same thought and the same way of thinking, and that is how to help people. I would like you all to think about and find the best in you. We invite two more guests to share with you their thoughts and introduce their esteemed work. First, Primarius Mojtašencar, Doctor of Medicine, President of the Europadona NGO, the Slovenian Breast Cancer Association, whose main goal is to ensure that all women in Slovenia have equal opportunity for early detection and immediate access to effective treatment. They provide expert advice and support, and even organize yoga classes for the ill. She will be followed by Tarkai, our famous rapper, nominated for the Victor Award for Best Musician, who will rap the songs he wrote for UNICEF, entitled “Some of Them” and “My Guru.” Respected all, I wish you a very pleasant and nice evening. Good evening. It is a time ruthlessly ruled by the law of capital, because of which we are losing the values that enrich our lives and inspired us with the joy of life and kept our inner peace in harmony with the near and far environment. In these times of crisis, it is even more important that people step together—that we are aware of other people’s troubles, that we help each other, so that individuals aren’t left alone with their problems, and thus safeguard mental and physical health. We see more and more people looking for help in yoga. This helps them regain their lost inner harmony and stay healthy. Yoga can be of great help to people with chronic diseases, for example, cancer patients. Along with official medicine, yoga helps them become healthy again. Above all, yoga helps to restore the inner harmony that was destroyed by the illness and to build a new self-image. Exactly because of this, the Slovenian Evropa Dona is organizing yoga courses adjusted to women cancer patients to help them overcome numerous troubles after they have overcome the disease. Yoga can, under the guidance of a good teacher, improve the quality of life of everyone who trusts it and frequently surrenders to yoga’s pleasant benefits. Exactly because yoga improves the quality of life, also for patients—for women cancer patients. I wish you a pleasant and educational evening in the name of Europa Dona, Slovenia. Hvala lepa. Thank you. Pozdravljeni. His Excellency, welcome. Ambassador of the Republic of India, please, your words. Thank you. His Holiness Swamījī Maheśvarānand. Vaša Sveto, Swami Maheśvarānand. And the very distinguished guests that we have, who have packed this hall—good evening. I would like to thank the Swamijī and Yoga in Daily Life for inviting me and my wife to this evening’s function. We are about two years and a few months old here. This is probably the fourth occasion that we have had the benefit of listening to the Swāmījī. Every time, it’s a unique experience when we hear him speak about life and spirituality, about yoga. In India, we attach special importance to a guru, a teacher. You can have knowledge which is all around—it is in books, in various volumes, and these days it is even on the internet. But it’s a guru who assesses the student, knows what he or she is able to absorb, and then dispenses that knowledge as per requirement, just as perhaps a doctor does. In fact, this was brought home to me starkly this afternoon when I thought I was smart. I said I was going to come to a speech by the Swāmījī on meditation. In India, of course, we know what meditation is—we can feel it, but to define it is difficult. So I decided, why not Google meditation? I googled meditation, and I got any number of entries—several million. One of which I opened, and it said there are two techniques of meditation. One was concentrative meditation. Another was Zen-type meditation. And then it went on to define them further: concentrative meditation is based on Hinduism—it depends on sounds, on the recitation of mantras, on energy, and so on. On the other hand, the Zen type of meditation was meant to be insightful meditation, where you let things pass even as you concentrate very calmly. So at this point, I simply closed Google and decided to attend this evening’s lecture. Thus it amply demonstrates how important it is, on the one hand, to certainly have knowledge, but on the other hand, to hear some wise people, experienced people, convey that knowledge to you. So I am certainly looking forward to this evening’s lecture, and I am sure all of you do. Thank you. We believe something in meditation, and that the experienced person who has experienced this can mediate knowledge in it. I wish you all a pleasant evening, and thank you very much. That was a short introduction. Now, the next song is dedicated to our dear Guru, Maheśvara Nandī Swāmījī. This song, the next song, is dedicated to our Guru, Swamiji, and it’s time to party. Please, play. Thank you, Rok Trkai, thank you, thank you, Your Excellency. Swamiji once wrote, “Yoga empowers us to achieve whatever we most desire: a meaningful, harmonious, peaceful, and happy existence.” Yoga will connect us with the spiritual forces in the universe and help us realize our divine nature, our true inner self. It is now my pleasure to invite His Holiness Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Paramahaṁswāmī Maheśwarānanda to present this evening’s topic, Meditation for Inner Strength. Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent, in His Divine Presence, very good evening, dear brothers and sisters. Your Excellency, Ambassador of India, the Consul of Nepal, and dear Dr. Mojsa, thank you for your beautiful words. Indeed, today is a beautiful constellation that we are here together in this beautiful hall. This hall reminds me of many, many beautiful hours with many of you, and some are new now. Also, I would like to express my thankfulness to the city mayor of Ljubljana. From his very busy schedule, he came for a few minutes here. All dear ones, Slovenia is a special country. Every country is special, but in Slovenia, I am observing over the last few decades that spirituality is growing more and more, and the consciousness has awakened toward the healthy way of life. In Āyurveda, it is said, pehlā sukha nīrogī kāyā: the first happiness is a healthy body. Some philosopher said, “Health is not everything, but without health, everything is nothing.” We yogīs say health is not only the expression of your physical body; we have five different bodies, and these five different bodies are influenced by the environment in which we grow and live. The imbalance begins with the environment of the soul. The soul is individual. The soul is a victim of destiny. And destiny is born out of our actions, the karma. Every action has a reaction, and every reaction will again have an action. Every excellent reaction is creating destiny. Now we don’t know, in the mother womb of the future, what kind of destiny is lying there. And that destiny will influence and lead our life further. It is the eternal truth that no one can escape from destiny. Time waits for no one. Even the Lord of the Universe will incarnate here. And karma will not leave anyone free. It doesn’t matter who is who. Even the giver of the law of karma is bound by karma. The president of the country has the same rights to follow the law of the country. This individual soul is fluttering on the waves of time. The individual soul flows through the endless universe, experiencing pain and pleasure, light and darkness. Finally, we manifested ourselves and the body of the five elements on this mortal world. One thing we have in common, and that is called the Ātmā, the Self. The soul is not the Ātmā, the soul is not the Self. The Self is the Ātmā, eternal, eternal... eternal. Eternal, Immortal, Undying, Everlasting, Perpetually Enduring, Unborn, Uncreated, The Ultimate Truth, The Final Reality, The Cosmic Consciousness, Cosmic Awareness. Everything is played in that consciousness; everything unfolds within it. Tej zavesti, our life is a play in the consciousness. The final judgment is this: to know thyself, to be liberated, or to be free from this cycle of coming and going, rebirth and death. The reality cannot change. Evidence will never die. Whether we believe it or not, it is so. The Creator has created 8.4 million different creatures on this planet. All of them represent the light of God. Out of 8.4 million, one is the human. And humans have got a powerful tool, and that is the intellect. And humans got the endless ocean of love, and that is the heart. The human heart and human consciousness are given to humans to be on this planet as protectors. Follow your dharma. This means follow your obligation, your duty. Every day, think, “I am a human.” When we think or become aware that I am a human, then we cannot do something which is inhuman. What makes me human? The human qualities. What are these qualities? The hidden treasures within thyself, the hidden powers. To know, awake, and utilize inner power through meditation. What does it mean for me to be a human? Do I know the value? If we know the value of human life, then we will understand what human rights mean. And what is my mission in this life? Be a protector and find your Self-Realization. These principles do not apply to a particular religion or belief. This divine science is given to us by great saints and designed for humanity. But humans create barriers in front of themselves by emphasizing different religions, cultures, and nations. There is one point in the Rajasthani language. Everyone is fighting for their belief or religion. Everyone is acting only within their beliefs. But there is an eternal place where this person cannot reach. We have to break all the barriers and realize that I am a human, and my prime duty is to protect this beautiful nature, planet, and all creatures, and to love them. Love them, feed them, don’t eat them, because you are human. Jīva jīva bhakṣaṭāya, it is said life will eat life, but the human is above this. All this global suffering—maybe this is what we call the economic crisis. Economic crisis only exists because there is too much manufacturing and too few consumers. It is said in the Testaments, “Those shall not carry.” Don’t carry with you so many things; don’t collect things. Believe in God, that Father will give you everything you need. But humans lost trust in God, and that’s why we are suffering. So the answer has to be searched within ourselves. Compare ourselves with others. Suppose someone makes a mistake and you are very angry. Emotions break out. How to overcome? Without shouting, without becoming angry. Imagine that you are the one who made the mistake, and the other one will shout at you. How will you feel? So, understand, forgive, give love, give understanding, give support, give a hand, give them their rights, give them knowledge, give, give, give. Giving makes us happy. Part 2: Atha Yoga Anuśāsanam: The Discipline of Meditation When the Christmas time comes, or the birthday comes, or a holy or Dīvalī festival comes, we give the people something, and we are happy that we could give. Happiness is in giving, not in receiving—giving without expectation. Don’t expect that someone will say thank you to you. When you say thank you, then you have paid him or her something back. So, in India we don’t say "thank you" very often. We don’t teach our children to say thank you. When I came to Europe forty years ago, I heard so many times, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I thought, what kind of mantra is this? So don’t expect thank you; it is a kind of humbleness and respect. But keep it in your heart and respect others. Anyhow, after all this, this evening is designed for meditation. But I want to tell you, His Excellency took all my words through Google. So we have to create something more in the Google. Meditation. Great Ṛṣi Patañjali, who lived 2,500 years before Christ, is known as the father of psychology. He understood human life and the life of other creatures. Haṭha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti, Rāja, and Jñāna Yoga. Rāja Yoga means the yoga of discipline. Rājā means king. A king has to be disciplined. And the king must find his own way. A king should not become the slave of his slaves. If the king is a slave of the slaves, he is not a king. Our body is our kingdom. And the minister of the king is called Viveka. Very fine intellect, the cream of the intellect, which is ever ready to give the message of the Ātmā. So he designed out of this field what we call Rāja Yoga. First, what he is writing, the first sentence, "Atha Yogānuśāsanam." Yoga begins with discipline. Your practice will be only successful if you have self-discipline. So in English they used to say the key to success is self-discipline. Patañjali said. After that, "Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ," through the practice of yoga, purify, calm down, and harmonize your thoughts. You cannot stop the thoughts. We should not block the river, but we can give a direction to the river. No one can stop the thoughts. If you try, then you will be a victim of a psychiatric clinic. God gave us a thinking system to load and unload the daily stress. A yogī should be like a turtle. Anytime, it can become passive or extrovert. And so, a yogī should have the indriyas, the senses, under his or her control. Not that you don’t use them, but use them with viveka. That is a story, a small story, as His Excellency spoke about the Guru. Always, the Guru tells, God is in everyone. Light of God is in everyone. Trust God. We believe in God. We believe His words. Everyone is God. So he had one disciple. The disciple went shopping in a small village. And people were shouting to this young swāmī, "Swāmījī, Swāmījī, run away!" He said, "Why? A mad elephant is coming." He was thinking, when my guru said, "Everyone is God," then I see God in everything, and God cannot do bad things to me. People say, "It doesn’t matter what you think, go away." I said, you people have no trust. I said, you people have no trust. And meanwhile, the elephant became very angry, took him in the trunk, and he fell into the swimming pool. He went back to his master with broken ribs, saying, "Master, there must be something wrong in your teaching." Why, sir? Why, my dear? Why, sir? Why, my dear? You told me that everyone is God. And people were warning me against one mad elephant. But I trust in your words, Master, and everyone is God. So I just ran peacefully. People said, "Run away," but I didn’t listen. You see, I trust you, Master. And that’s my condition now, you see. Can you answer me, Master? Master said, "Yes." You didn’t follow my words. How can you say? I went peacefully towards the mad elephant. Because you said, Master, in everyone is God. The Master said, but you didn’t believe. People who were warning you, you didn’t think in them is also God? Don’t you think God was warning you? Yes, that I didn’t think, and so it’s how we must trust and believe. And so, it’s how must we trust, believe. So Patañjali said, "Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ." You can control, you can neutralize, calm down, purify, relax your thoughts. So meditation, meditation is the inner way, the answer to your life, the answer to your question about God. Mahatma Gandhījī said, "When I am praying, I have a consultation with God. But when I am meditating, I am sitting in the lap of God, like a child in the lap of a mother or father." There are two kinds of meditation. The active meditation and passive meditation. Active meditation is according to our activities. My work is my worship. Therefore, in every major religion, there is always an emphasis on helping. Even the system of the hospital, the system of the humanitarian societies, and non-profit organizations, is created by religious groups. There are many hospitals, and many nuns are working. Hardly do they have time for their prayers. But they believe in helping. Helping hands have more value than just folded hands. Helping hands have more value than just folded hands. Help, help, help. Where help is needed, there is no argument needed. Help without conditioning. Help someone, but don’t take away from someone. If you work in the forest, you help the nature, the trees, you help the birds, Pramagate Pticam, Beers, Rabbits, Srnam, Zajcem, that is called an active meditation. If you go to clean a church or ashram or some public place, it’s like a meditation. And that’s why Patañjali gave one particular part of the yoga, it’s called Karma Yoga. God Kṛṣṇa said in the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, "Yoga, karma śu poṣlama," your yoga practice will be successful through doing śiva, service, karma yoga. "Yoga agni karma dakdhani," through the fire of yoga, you can burn out all the seeds of karma. Blessed are they who have the opportunity, the chance to do the Seva and help. Human life is given to help, so active meditation has the same effect as passive meditation. Then comes the passive meditation. Very clearly, Patañjali is dividing. Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma. Yama and Niyama, these are the ten principles. Niyama, Niyama... Niyama. It is said two persons cannot sleep: one who is longing for God, or someone who has fallen in love with someone and has so much longing they can’t sleep. Or someone is very ill, has a lot of pain, and cannot sleep. So two persons are awakened, the yogī and the rogī, the yogī and the ill person, because there is an intensive longing for God. So, āsana means comfort of the body. I will tell you, sit peacefully straight. But you have immense pain in your back. For me, it’s very easy to tell you, "Sit straight, motionless, and you are looking to watch." When Swamiji tells you, relax. So first is the physical comfort. Do not torture your body. God gave you this beautiful body to take care of and help others. God gave you this beautiful body to take care of and help others. Prāṇāyāma, the energy, the life energy, Prāṇa, is a cosmic energy, not only oxygen.... Last Sunday we planted one peace tree in Linz, Austria. And there were multi-religious meetings. Also, there was one Catholic priest, and he spoke from some holy saint. I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten the name, which saint it was. But he said, the saint said, God said, "I breathe in the vegetation, in the trees, plants, herbs." And they give you forever as oxygen, as my energy, and you breathe that. God Kṛṣṇa said, "Arjuna, through the moonlight, I enter into the vegetation as a nectar." That holy saint said, "It doesn’t matter through which technique or where you will go, finally I will be at the door." And exactly, Krishna said, "It doesn’t matter through which religion or way you will go, finally you will come to Me." How are we meeting together? Through prāṇa. Prāṇa is very difficult to translate. Sometimes we say, "Pran Nāth, you are the lord of my prāṇa." When the husband is ill or dies, the wife is calling, "My Prāṇ Nāth is gone." The husband doesn’t care when she dies. Men have a very hard heart, but women have a very fine heart; it’s melting, flowing. When someone dies, we say prāṇa choddhyā, "give up the prāṇa," or prāṇa chalegye, "the prāṇa left." Prāṇa is soul, soul is prāṇa, prāṇa is life, life is prāṇa, life is prāṇa... life is prāṇa. The science of prāṇāyāma is great. Pratyāhāra. Pratyāhāra means withdraw thyself from the external world. Not easy. You think you are meditating, but in meditation you are thinking. After meditation, I will go with my child to buy ice cream. So you are in that ice cream shop, not here. So withdraw means whenever you wish, you can become calm and you can separate yourself from the external world. This is the Pāla Caraṇa, this is the first step of meditation. It means now you collect your energy. You block all the vents, you close all the vents. And the cosmic energy is more concentrated on you and within thyself. And that is exactly, I would say, if you want to help ill persons, and especially those who have cancer, because the dear doctor was talking about this, this is the technique of prāṇa. In the body, prāṇa is missing. If you can supply the prāṇa, cancer will disappear. What is immunity? Immunity is the power of prāṇa. When you have little prāṇa, then you will become ill. Prāṇa comes through nourishment, liquid or solid nourishment. The society is also nourishment, thinking is a nourishment, no thinking is a nourishment, movement is a nourishment, and no movement is a nourishment, breathing is a nourishment, and no breathing is a nourishment. So know how. That is the science of the prāṇa. As long as prāṇa is there, this plant will be very fresh and nice. In the Vedas it is said, peace on this earth, peace in the atmosphere, peace in the water, peace in the earth, peace in the herbs, and peace in the trees. Peace in the Cosmic Self, where you call Holy Father or Brahman, and that peace should be in me. And you unite thyself with the entire universe. And you become the center point of the universe, and all the cosmic energies concentrate on you. That’s meditation, the first step. But it can happen that you get lost. You can get lost, and when you are lost, you can’t find yourself. How funny it is, the self is searching for the self. Therefore, the next step, Patañjali said, Dhāraṇā is concentration. How? Like a rope dancer who’s dancing on the rope. We are all happy, and we say, "Oh, oh, how nice it is." But he or she who is walking on the road is also looking at us, smiling, but their concentration is on the balance. So, live in this world, but be alert, be aware of your concentration. If you miss the concentration, what they call micro-sleep, an accident happens. Therefore, concentration: the mother is working, cleaning, cooking, and so on, but her attention is all the time on what the small child is doing. Therefore, Patañjali said, "Dhāraṇā: decide, dhariyate—take over, accept it, and then don’t lose it." How good is your concentration? No one can say. Only you know. Try it, really. Put one foot on the right, left foot on the right thigh, and stand on one leg. Like a kingfisher, boom, with one leg, motionless. Why is he putting one leg up and standing on only one leg? No moving. He is very clever because when the fish comes and he has to make a state where he takes his legs out of the water, the fish will run away. So ever ready to stay, but most of the time... So we should be ever ready to help, to work, to do something. But our concentration should be on our personal interest, meditation, achievement of spirituality, and God Realization. But our personal concentration must always remain on our personal spiritual development in order to reach God. When concentration is mastered, then meditation becomes. You become one-pointed. There are three different states of meditation: either you sleep, which is also meditation, or you lose yourself. Nothing is there. That’s called tantra-vāstu, half-sleep. Or, you are aware, you are gaining the knowledge. His Excellency mentioned two meditations: concentration, or Hindu, or the saints, and Buddhist, Jain, Buddhist. The Prince Siddhartha left his kingdom and meditated. In his meditation, he was lost; he attained self-realization, but he lost that consciousness. He could register nothing. Therefore, after meditation and enlightenment, he came back to his body consciously. He couldn’t give any message. Only one, Nirākāra. Formless, and that is the truth. Because the ātmā, the Self, is formless. God has no form. We give the name, and we celebrate and adore the form. When Buddha got enlightenment, then he was known as a Bodhisattva, Bodha. Bodha means wisdom. Bodha means knowledge. And Bodha means enlightened intellect. So, because he was enlightened, therefore it’s called Bodha, Buddha. But Buddha, what he taught and practiced, is the same as what the Hindus said, because Buddha was a Hindu too. And then, in Buddhism, they developed some techniques called Tantra. Now, not that Tantra which you think in Europe. This is not the same Tantra that is known here in Europe. Whenever we speak about Tantra, people understand sex. This is the difference between Asians and Europeans. Europeans immediately go first to the lower chakra. And as it is, it will go to the higher chakras to search for the reason, the cause. Tantra means, tan means to expand, and tra means liberation. Expand your consciousness. Positive Consciousness, Clean Consciousness, Pure Consciousness, and liberate thyself is Tantra. That meditation, dhyāna, means be careful, be alert, take care. When the child goes to school, the Indian parent says. When you cross the street, dhyān se dekhna, left and right, dayā māyā. With dhyāna, with alertness, clear mind, look left and right, no cars coming, then cross the road. So, realize, accept dhyāna, the meditation. Then Patañjali is saying, finally, the highest state of meditation. Part 3: The Journey from Meditation to Cosmic Union: Understanding Consciousness and the Inner Path The highest consciousness, which Buddha also attained, is called samādhi. Samādhi means the highest consciousness. The levels of consciousness are unconscious, subconscious, conscious, higher conscious, and cosmic consciousness. We generally travel through three levels of consciousness in twenty-four hours—unconscious, subconscious, and conscious—sleep, dream, and waking. But through concentration, dhāraṇā, and dhyāna, through meditation, we come to the higher consciousness. That means we now are aware of all three levels at the same time. That is called Turīyā, the state of Turīyā. Turīyā encompasses the three levels. Past, present, and future. That is known as Trikāl Darśī, the knower of the three times. Buddha said, "I went through meditation to my origin, from stone consciousness to the highest consciousness. When I came back, I didn’t find anything." So, Trikāl Darśī—higher consciousness. Now, this higher level of consciousness is again divided by Patañjali into two parts: Savikalpa samādhi and Nirvikalpa samādhi, or Sabīja samādhi and Nirbīja samādhi. Bīja means the seed. Sabīja Samādhi means you have such a higher consciousness, but still the seed—the self-consciousness—is existing. "I am. I am meditating." Everything is crystallized in a very small form; that is called the seed. Then the seed is hidden in the mighty trees. So it is Sabīja Samādhi; at any time again you can go to your indriyas and fall back into the world. And then there is Nirbīja Samādhi, Nirvikalpa Samādhi. Vikalpa, kalpa—vikalpa means deciding, dissolving, the thinking process. Kalpa vikalpa means decision, dissolving, thinking process. Savikalpa means there are still some concrete thoughts. And Nirvikalpa samādhi means no vikalpa, nothing exists. So on the final level, what does Buddha say? Nothing. Je nī. This is what is said in the Vedas, in the Upaniṣads—the Vedas have existed in written form for more than eight thousand years. And the essence of the Vedas is the Vedānta philosophy. That Vedānta philosophy, the essence of the Vedas, is the teaching of the Ṛṣis, the great saints. That is called Śruti and Smṛti. Śruti means what you have heard, and Smṛti means memory. What you heard, out of memory, you speak to your disciples. That we call Upaniṣad: Upa means near, ṣad means to sit, a disciple. It is the dialogue or the gospel of master and disciple. That is the translation of Upaniṣad. Now, the final, highest level of consciousness is called Nirvikalpa Samādhi. There, three become one. That is the final stage. Then this body will dissolve; karma is finished; the soul dissolves. Ātmā unites with Paramātmā. That is called cosmic union. So yoga means union—the union of the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. And that is the aim of practicing the highest level of yoga or meditation. Now three become one: the knower, the knowledge, and the object. You are the knower. You would like to know. So you are the knower, and what you would like to know is the knowledge, and what you would like to know is the object—either God or whatever you think. So it is said, "Prem galī ati saṅkarī, jisme do na samāye." The street of love is so narrow, two cannot walk together. Two have to become one. When I was here, He was not there; now He is there, but I am not here. "Prem Gali Atisakari Jisme Dhona Svayi," because that street of love is so narrow too, duality cannot exist. And that word is translated into English: marriage. Marriage means two things merge into oneness. Two rivers flow together, they merge; it is the marriage of the rivers. Similarly, when you marry someone, then you are one—one soul in the bird with two wings: husband and wife, these are the two wings. If one wing is broken, that bird cannot fly. Therefore, before getting married, you should know that you should not divorce. And if you divorce, be sure there will be no marriage again. And that is why I very much understand that in church you cannot marry a second time. We don’t understand human love, and we don’t understand the human body. But we are talking not about marriage, but about meditation. So, this soul dissolves or merges into the Cosmic One. That is the meditation. This was a glimpse of the definition of meditation. Now let’s come to the second point. Mother Nature, or Creator, or God—whatever you believe, or you don’t believe, at least you believe one thing: that you don’t believe. This is also a belief. God or Mother Nature has given immense energy as kuṇḍalinī, cakras, and prāṇas in the human body. Animals have them too, but they don’t have these abilities to realize and awaken. In Yoga in Daily Life, meditation is known as a self-inquiry meditation—but how am I? How many chapters have you begun in your life, and how many chapters have you closed unfinished? How many difficulties do you have in this world? Problems will solve themselves. So, my master said, there is a tailor who is making a dress. He has a machine, taking the cloth, ironing, cutting, and it’s knitting. Listening to the radio, talking with people, looking at how beautiful the cloth is, looking at how many cars are going—but still, his machine is continuing to function. And in no time, the dress is ready. Therefore, worldly problems will never end. If you think you will run into the Himalayan caves to become free from problems—where? I will ask His Excellency to give you a visa. But you come to the trees, you see it’s very cold. No electricity, no wood, high up in the mountain. Anyhow, you are sleeping, and in the night come the snow bears. Somehow you manage, and he goes away. Then comes some other creature. If you are lower, come mosquitoes. Adi Bodhik, Adi Devik, Adi Atnik—these three tapas are constantly torturing us. Therefore, stay in Slovenia, in your comfortable home, sweet home. Go to India; it’s a holy land. How many thousands of holy incarnations, holy rivers, and holy mountains have we seen and come back from? Practice yoga here; this will be better. So meditation. When we meditate, we dive within ourselves. And we concentrate all the streams of the prāṇas. It is concentrated towards us, like a very strong light concentrated on me, and my energy is concentrated on that light. So that energy which comes from outside will regenerate your energy centers. Each cell of the body will be charged, recharged by that cosmic energy. And what we call immunity begins to be strong. First, the result will be good health. Then you will have a second mental willpower. For what? To endure worldly troubles, to understand the world, and to withdraw your self-based safety from these worldly troubles. To concentrate to be successful in your business, your health, your spiritual life, or your family life. Every thought which goes out of the human brain will, sooner or later, be realized—good or bad, therefore never think bad. In Australia, they have one weapon they use—it’s called a boomerang. A boomerang, when you throw it, comes back to you. I was throwing, it didn’t come back. Then they taught me how to throw. So don’t throw it like this; you must throw the boomerang like that. And then with the air, it turns back and makes a beautiful circle, comes to you, you hold again and throw again. So every thought will go and come back to you. Positive thoughts will activate your energy centers. It will begin to develop some siddhis, perfections, but don’t use them. Still remain there, and the inner treasure will be open to you. The richness in your life, the hidden jewels of wisdom, will be opened for you. Unfoldment of the consciousness will lift up to Cosmic Consciousness. Not to get lost in meditation, and not to lose the way, you have to repeat the mantra. Without mantra, meditation is like a body without a soul. Mantra is like a torchlight to walk through the darkness. Don’t change mantra. Once you got it from your master, that is called Mantra Mūlaṁ Guruvākyaṁ; the essence of the mantra is the instruction of the master. Dhanamūlam Guru Mūrti, Pūjāmūlam Guru Padam, Mantramūlam Guruvākyaṁ, Mokṣamūlam Guru Kṛpā. Liberation follows through the mercy of the Gurudeva, which in the testament Jesus said to His disciples as their Master: "I am the way to the Holy Father." These are Upanishadic words: "I am the master," which will lead you to Parameśvara. So meditation will help you to discover your inner strength. Yes, good question. How many days should we meditate? One weekend, or one month, or one year? That I cannot tell you. It is individual. In Rajasthan, we are struggling for water. We drill a hole in the earth. Sometimes, at fifty feet deep, good water comes; and sometimes two thousand feet, no water. So it depends on your destiny and past karma. So meditation doesn’t matter in which religion you do it. In Slovenia, there are some monasteries. And you ask them how many hours they are praying and meditating. How many hours every day, standing on the knee in the cold hole, with no air conditioning. Or yogīs in the Himalayas, or in the desert in the heat, and we sit comfortably with nice pillows and air conditioning—that’s not meditation. Endure something, simple living. And meditation. Meditation for the inner strength to awaken and utilize it for good things. Now, we will have meditation. Would you like to do it, or should we be finished? Finished? No. Okay, thank you. Well, if you take off your shoes, you will feel more energy. You may lean on your chair because we are not in the key. Index finger and thumb together. Symbol of this mudra: the thumb is the supreme. The aim is that individual consciousness becomes one with cosmic consciousness. Here are the energy centers connected directly to the brain, which will calm down our vṛttis, the thoughts. Three fingers are the three guṇas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—many of you don’t know, many don’t know. Pure quality, passionate quality, or dark negative quality. Above three, you should remain one with Brahman. Very short. Now, if you have your palms looking upward, you feel more energy. But you can also put your palms touching your thighs and knees; it means your bio-energy will circulate in the body. Elbows should be relaxed, so don’t sit like this. In yoga books, we always make nice photos, and we tell the cameraman quickly; after the photo shoot, the reality is different. Therefore, be comfortable. Be relaxed, and whatever you want to see, now look at it; after, there will be nothing to see. So, close your eyes and withdraw yourself from the external world. Once, deep inhale and exhale. Relax. Become aware of your being here. Feel your whole body. From the toes to the top of the head... and from the top of the head to the toes. Relax. No tensions at all, physically or mentally. Just relax. No concentration. No imagination. Just relax. The whole day has passed; you were working hard physically and mentally. But now it is time to relax. Say to thyself mentally, "Relax, my friend, relax." Just relax. Let me be one with myself. And those who have a mantra may, with a relaxed mind, repeat it. Feel your both legs; they are relaxed. Relax the hip joints. Relax the hip joints. Relax your stomach muscles. Relax your stomach muscles. Relax your shoulders, elbows, and fingers. Relax your arms. Elbows and fingers, arms. And relax your knees. Relax your face muscles. No tensions at all, physically or mentally. And now, feel the motionlessness of the body. Your body is relaxed. Telo je sproščeno, the body is comfortable, udobno, and motionless. And now, feel your breath. Do not change the breath rhythm. Feel. You know that you are inhaling, and you know that you are exhaling. The body is relaxed. During inhalation, the trunk of the body expands, and during exhalation, the trunk of the body contracts. Relax. I know that I am inhaling, and I know that I am exhaling. Time of the inhalation, my body is inhaling the cosmic energy, prāṇa śakti. And at the time of exhalation, all the toxins are exhaled from the body. I know that I am inhaling life force, life energy. It collects in the center of my chest, inside. And channeling towards my navel, Maṇipūra Cakra. During the time of exhalation, this prāṇa śakti, through the solar plexus, divides into the whole body, and all the toxins are used; cells are transferred out of the body. And at the time of the exhalation, every limb of the body is relaxed. Relax. Concentrate on the inner organs and transfer, try to transfer or imagine that this prāṇa, cosmic energy, is directed towards that organ which is weaker or feels pain or ill. You breathe in there, and you exhale from there. It is a matter of practice; it will become reality, sometimes. My limbs of the body are becoming strong. Organs of the body are functioning properly, and my mental strength is improving. Just relax. Prāṇa, prāṇa, only the prāṇa, the energy, energy, only the energy. And now, consciously breathe deep in and out. And we will chant "Om" one time and three times "Śānti" mantra. Inhale deep, sit a little straight so that you can have more air. Breathe in, hold it, you can. Move your fingers, close your fist, open your palm, hold your palms, and rub your palms. Place the palms on the face and gently massage and warm your face muscles. Now, slowly open your eyes. Well, this was the first step of meditation. Your yoga teacher will guide you further. It’s becoming very late, and you are tired. Thank you for coming. I wish you all the best. God bless you with good health, long life, and a happy life.