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O Mahārāj Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Devādhi Deva, Deveśvara Mahādevakī, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān, Satyāśāntānanda, Devakīśana. This time, this week, is the period when Jesus was crucified. Many call it Good Friday, but that is a misunderstanding. It cannot be Good Friday; it is a Sad Friday. It signifies that in the name of God, Jesus accepted suffering on the cross. Similarly, long before Jesus, across many ages, our great ṛṣis and saints have suffered persecution, torture, burning, and crucifixion. Just yesterday we heard of a great Ṛṣi who donated his bones and spine for the sake of dharma and bhaktas while still living, not after death. This morning I spoke of Aṇṇal Huck and his suffering. There have been many such witnesses. What we commonly call yoga—āsana, prāṇāyāma, concentration, relaxation—is a science for the well-being of body and mind, or at most, an anti-stress technique. This anti-stress technique is like a mother's or father's natural method to calm a frightened, crying child. It is innate; parents need not learn it. As children grow, they may understand their parents more, but a time comes when they no longer listen. Today, many young people turn to drugs and alcohol without consulting their parents, and if parents object, they are seen as enemies. Yet there is hope, and that remedy often lies with grandparents, whose love the child may better understand. This type of yoga or meditation is a kind of child's contentment. Beyond this, there is a higher technique of meditation. If you are fortunate, your parents and grandparents may have educated you spiritually, with mutual tolerance between different beliefs. Without this tolerance, people become one-sided and fight in the name of God, which is against God's sense. Jesus never said to kill those who do not believe in him. There are two paths: satsaṅg and kusaṅg. Satsaṅg inspires us, changes negative thinking, and calms disappointments through knowledge, bhajans, and good poetry. Those not yet awakened may find contentment in modern music and songs, but such sound can be an addiction, lingering in the ears for days. In some European countries, there are strict laws against noise pollution. In India, laws exist but are often disregarded by a generation that feels entitled. This sound pollution, along with drugs and gambling, is kusaṅg. Satsaṅg is the opposite. The second practice is to read about all the saints of the world and ancient literature. Few know of the Ṛṣi who donated his body while living, showing no pain or emotion. All holy saints act for the benefit of all, not for one person, village, or religion. Modern religions are only a few thousand years old; before that, there was only dharma. Dharma means rightness—the dharma of humans, animals, nature, seasons, husband, wife, children, friends, and neighbors. It is not about worshipping separate gods. In Sanātana Dharma, there is one God, Brahman. In Christianity, there is one Holy Father, with prophets. In Islam, there is only Allāh. Allāh, Holy Father, and Brahman are the same. We create divisions and thus suffer. The first sādhānā for a yogī seeking siddhi is satsaṅg. If you miss a yoga class one day, do not miss your satsaṅg. This is niyama, discipline. The second is to read about great saints, not merely to praise them, but to understand their process, life, and situation—how they achieved such consciousness. Consider the ṛṣi who gave all his bones; it is not easy. His spine, the most sensitive part, was removed while he remained alive. Compare this to our difficulty when a dentist extracts one wisdom tooth. That ṛṣi was ready to die through willpower. When the Mughals came to India, they gave Hindus a choice: convert or die. In Punjab, Guru Gobind Singh's two sons were tortured. One was crushed between wheels, yet he did not give up dharma. The other, a child, was entombed in a wall but also refused to abandon dharma. Once you promise, you must follow dharma. Marriage is a dharma relation. How often do we change our dharma now? Without dharma, only karma remains, and it tortures us. If you give your word to a friend, that is your dharma. If your friend turns to adharma, you may distance yourself but should not harm them. Dharma is being lost. Every being has a dharma to protect. A mother's dharma is to protect the embryo for nine months and give birth. In this life, we are in the womb of spiritual dharma and must follow it to be born perfect, or we are lost. The Upaniṣad says, "Matṛ Devo Bhava"—the first God is your mother. A mother suffers greatly, even if a husband is neglectful. She knows her struggle, just as we all struggle with the dharma in our consciousness, hoping to achieve something beautiful. A father is twice happy: first when he marries, feeling he has become a man, and second when he has a child, feeling proud. A mother has love; a father has pride. Pride has a touch of ego but can be positive. As we grow, we are in the view of others. In Europe, they say "big brother is watching." After fifty-five years, I still do not understand who this big brother is. I know of great beings like Vasiṣṭha, but the phrase is unclear. Ultimately, Īśvara, Paramātmā, God, the Supreme, is watching our karmas. When we read books, we must read wisely. Otherwise, we become like a library worm, agreeing with every new author and changing our view each time. This means we are nowhere. Every woman is good and beautiful, but that does not mean you should divorce your wife. Every man is also the same. I wish to say more but will not before the camera. Om Namah Śivāya. When thirsty, we can drink from any river, well, or tap, but we must filter polluted water. Similarly, when reading biographies of ṛṣis and saints, we filter the information for inspiration. We learn that if they achieved their goal, we too can achieve ours. The great ṛṣis have given us 108 Purāṇas, of which 18 are principal, along with the six philosophies and four Vedas. My Gurujī said the essence of all these scriptures is contained in just two words: "Śuk diyā śuk hot hai, aur duk diyā duk hoī." If you give pleasure (sukha) to others, you will receive pleasure. If you give trouble (duḥkha) to others, you will receive trouble. This applies to animals and humans alike. Every holy book teaches: "Do good. Be good. Do not cause pain. Do not steal." No book advocates torture or theft. This knowledge is within us; it is our inner inspiration, called Svādhyāya. Svādhyāya in Rāja Yoga means study. Read books to learn what you wish to achieve. But the real meaning of svādhyāya is: sva means the self, adhyāya means the chapter. Read the chapter of your own life. How many chapters have you begun? How many remain empty or incomplete? Look within yourself. Where is your story? Do not look at others, blame others, or call anyone bad. Examine your own will and feelings. There is a story of a person searching for God, believing he would see Him tomorrow. But tomorrow is always tomorrow; we only have today. Yesterday was today, and today will be tomorrow. We must understand this and avoid arguments. Once, a man had an oil mill for cold-pressed oil, using a wooden mechanism powered by an ox. To prevent the ox from becoming dizzy, they covered its eyes with cloth. A master and his disciple, the latter having studied Vedas and Upaniṣads in Kāśī for 25 years, passed by. The disciple saw a bell around the ox's neck. The master explained that when the owner was inside eating, if the bell stopped, he would know the ox had stopped and would come to prod it with a stick. The disciple, despite his long study, had never learned this. The master remarked that the ox was not clever like him, having not studied in Banāras, and thus needed the stick (daṇḍa). The lesson is: no arguments. When you read books or listen to lectures, do not argue. If you do not understand, try again or ask your teacher. Take the positive. If you find something you like from another book or master, do not immediately discard your current understanding. When I lecture, I may not cite every author. You cannot say you wrote the Bhagavad Gītā or the Bible. We must purify our inner doubts and weaknesses, for achievement varies. Research is not easy; that is why we have few true scientists. Claiming another's research as your own is not good. Once, a person came to my Gurujī and said, "Gurujī, all the best bhajans and literature have already been written by great saints. They have taken the cream. We have only buttermilk left." Gurujī replied, "Yes, they have eaten all the butter and cream, but they did not eat the cow. Only the milk. Feed the cow with love, milk it day and night, and you will have fresh butter again." This means deṇu—our intellect is the milky cow. From within, you can produce anew. What is inside, you will get. Abhyāsa, abhyāsa, kaunteya abhyāsa—practice, practice, practice. There is a bhajan my Gurujī spoke of; I will tell you tomorrow.