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Asato mā sad gamaya. Lead us from ignorance to truth. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Lead us from darkness to light. Nityam amṛtam gamaya. Lead us from death to immortality. Om śānti, śānti, śānti. Om peace, peace, peace. Praṇāmiśwa Gurujī. Dear worldly and religious excellencies, dear yoga friends and guests in this hall and all over the world. In the name of the International Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda Fellowship of Yoga and Daily Life and all its members, I welcome you to this occasion in the town, in the city of Prague, in this beautiful hall. You are all honoring us with your presence, and we are privileged to be here. Thank you. The peace mantra I repeated in the beginning is one of the oldest on this planet, and it is taken from the Upaniṣads. Peace is a condition for which mankind has been longing to reach for thousands of years. We are all humans, we are all one family, and everybody wants to live a happy life in peace. But outer life circumstances are merely a reflection of the inner world of human beings. In this context, everybody has influence on the peace in the world. As long as greed, jealousy, and hate have a strong influence on us, there will be no peace. Like Mahātma Gāndhī pronounced long ago: be the change you want to see. To preach, to give advice, this is one way. To be an example, another way. To be an example and practice in yoga so that others like to imitate you, like children imitate their parents. And who is the best example for us all? Viśva Gurujī. And from his point of view, we are all his children. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a peaceful condition which harmonizes physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. Also, our children should be given the opportunity to grow in a peaceful environment. We should serve every living being. For example, we shall live a vegetarian life and protect our Mother Nature also. Some, I mean spiritual masters and some other people, have already found a way to live in peace in the presence of God. Many try to do us from us. But most people do not have the possibilities because of personal circumstances, illnesses, or even wars. My great respect to those who can still pray to God and do not lose their confidence. The topic of this conference is, "Yoga is the Path to Nonviolence and World Peace." 40 years ago, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Viśvagurujī Māheśvarānanda brought the living light, the light of peace, love, knowledge, tolerance, and understanding from India to Vienna. It represents the life of the holy incarnation of Bhagavān Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī. You can see his picture here on the altar. He was a holy Viṣṇu incarnation. His teaching and message for mankind are given to us through many bhajans and through his golden rules. Through the system of Yoga in Daily Life given to us by Viśwa Gurujī, many thousands of people all over the world develop peace inside through practicing spiritual techniques. Two years ago, the UN declared the International Day of Yoga on the 21st of June. And a few days ago, yoga became a World Heritage Site because it was officially recognized by the UN. Everybody has the possibility to read about yoga, to practice yoga, and to pray with devotion. So one can form the inner and the outer world. And this inner peace in our mind will reflect also in our families and, through our words and activities, to the outer world. An additional support is all the social activities and webcasts from Viśva Gurujī. My gratitude for all of this is going to Viśwa Gurujī and his spiritual ancestors, our Siddhārtha P. Paramparā. Vishwa Gurujī’s master, Hindu Dharm Samrāṭ Swāmī Matā Vananda, was a great example to all of us. Many of us know him personally. His selfless serving, all the satsaṅgs and bhajans he has given to us, testify to his devotion, knowledge, and wisdom. For more than 30 years, he was living with Mahāprabhujī in India. And his knowledge, his devotion is reflected in one simple sentence: one and all, and all in one. Therefore, the Sri Swami Madhavānanda World Peace Council was founded in the year 2002 together with Holī Gurujī. He and many other spiritual leaders give us the knowledge and show us the way to peace. For example, through the planting of the peace trees by the concept of the Swami Mata Vananda World Peace Council, it is remembered to us that a tree gives its fruits, shade, and shelter to all living beings. And so we, as humans, should behave as well. I wish you a happy day and a successful, healthy life. And I wish success to everyone in the efforts to bring peace to the world, so that this World Peace Council will be an inspiration not only for those who are attending this event, but for all mankind. Thank you for your kind attention. Hari Om Tat Sat.