TV Channel

Today embodies our beloved Satguru Dev, Holy Gurujī, in the form of Dharmasamrat Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandajī. According to Vedic astrology and the lunar calendar, this is the first new moon day of this month after Rakṣā Bandhan. It may be visible today or tomorrow. Today is Tuesday as well as the first moon day, and the constellation matches very auspiciously. The life of our beloved Satguru Deva is indescribable. One could only hear about the incarnation of our Holy Gurujī from his parents, whom I never met, as they passed away before I met Gurujī. However, Holy Gurujī had elderly sisters and an elderly brother. It is said that every truly spiritual saint comes to this earth bearing certain signs in their life, which we may consider extraordinary. For instance, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa was small, he was eating earth. His mother, Yaśodā, told him not to eat it and to spit it out. When he opened his mouth, she saw the entire universe—first our globe, the Earth, and then all the suns, moons, and stars. Such are incarnations. There are two kinds of incarnations: Nimit Avatāra and Nitya Avatāra. A Nimit Avatāra comes for a special purpose, while Nitya Avatāra means saints incarnate somewhere on earth every day. They bring their blessings and bless this earth, its creatures, and humans through their words and satsaṅg. Our Holy Gurujī is the light of our life. The resonance of divine Brahmajñāna, of Brahman, is present in the form of his bhajans. Each and every word Holy Gurujī placed in his bhajans is like a pearl or a diamond in a crown. Anyone can write poetry or compose bhajans, but there are rare saints whose bhajans touch the heart. Others may only awaken emotion, making one dance and move excessively. But words that come from Brahmaloka go directly into our heart, like the bhajans of Mīrābāī or Sūradāsa. What beautiful words. In his bhajans, Prabhujī, such as "Mere Auguṇa Citta Dharo" or "Dṛṣṭi Hai Nāma Tihāro, Cāhe To Para Karo," we learn so much from our Holy Gurujī. And "Citta Citta Abhijīva Jñānī"—you know how beautiful that world is. He brings the glory of his gurus, and his guru brings the glory of his own guru. When that Brahmajñāna awakens in the disciple's heart, then one can write those bhajans, which are the words of the Vedas. Holy Gurujī said in his last satsaṅg in Bhakti Sāgar, Jardhan, on a holy day: "The bhajans we are singing are the words of the Vedas." They are Sanskrit words, rendered so everyone can understand in Hindi. For example, Holy Gurujī's bhajan towards his Gurudev—who could conceive such profound meaning in each word? It goes directly into the heart and into the awareness, into consciousness. "Prakāśa puñja." Prakāśa is light; puñja is the source of that light, like the sun. For how many yugas has one mantra sustained it? The sun is still there. How much energy is there? Some scientists say it is a burning gas, but it is not merely gas, for what we call gas is limited, whereas the sun's energy is different. "Prakāśa puñja amṛta ke sāgara." Amṛta means nectar; sāgara is ocean. "Prakāśa puñja amṛta ke sāgara, Śrī Dīpa Harī Mahādānī." That is Śrī Bhagavān Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī. Dīpa Harī Mahādānī: He is the greatest of the great givers. For ages and ages, the sun gives this light endlessly. It is endless. "Amṛta ke sāgara Śrī Dīpa Harī." That is Bhagavān Viṣṇu Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī. "Amṛta ke sāgara Śrī Dīpa Harī Mahādānī hai"—the greatest giver. It is said that from the tiniest creature to the largest elephant, who feeds them? If humans claim they can feed them, it is a mistake. It is God who feeds all. O man, do not be proud of your wealth and limited knowledge. It is that Gurudev who gives endlessly. "Prakāśa puñja amṛta ke sāgara, Śrī Dīpa Harī Mahādānī hai, sāre viśva meṁ gūñj rahī Prabhukī amar kathā hai." In the whole world and the entire universe, it resonates. Prabhupāda's story is the story, or glory, of the Lord. His miracles, his very being here—his glory is endless. It is not only here on earth but everywhere. Who can write something like this? Who is a Brahmajñānī? When we write a little letter or article, how many times do we correct it? Yet, Gurujī was simply writing: "Prakāśa puñja amṛta ke sāgara Śrī Dīpa Harī Mahādānī hai. Sāre viśvameṁ gūñj rahī Prabhukī amar kathā hai." The eternal, immortal glory of Bhagavān Śrī Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī. This means it was he, Holy Gurujī himself. Holy Gurujī said that once Mahāprabhujī told him, "On this one sentence, compose a bhajan. Write the whole bhajan. Write about satsaṅg, how beautiful satsaṅg is. Write it down." So Gurujī said, "If you speak through me, you will write. Not me; only my hand will move. This pencil, or pen, will move by your power. It is not that I write when you write this." We call this the pencil of Vidhātā. Vidhātā is destiny. When a child is born, with its first breath, Vidhātā writes the destiny of that child—for all creatures, animals, and so on. No one has the power to delete what Vidhātā writes. Even God Himself cannot delete it. Destiny—Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa also said this; Rāma also said it. All went through it. Many Rāmas were incarnated. They played their game and departed. No one can dance forever on this earthly stage. They stay for a while in this world. O man, why do you show your pride, thinking you are great? "I am a great singer, I am a great dancer." This dance is only like a mosquito dancing. They all come and go, but the written destiny remains. So Mahāprabhujī, Holy Gurujī said, "The pencil, this pen, is in your hands. That will move, not my hands. The fingers and words—you will design it like an artist painting. I will listen." The resonance of your writing—and Gurujī said, "Then he wrote the bhajan." So Gurujī wrote that bhajan, but who was inside writing? Mahāprabhujī. So that we can understand: What does the oneness of master and disciple mean? Then you can come to Brahmajñāna. Then you become one with Brahman. It is not easy, my dear. Holy Gurujī underwent many, many tests from Mahāprabhujī. But wherever he went, he saw Mahāprabhujī. So those words Gurujī spoke came because he saw his Guru like that. Otherwise, one might only speak good words for conversation, but in reality, the heart is empty. According to Kuṇḍalinī science, the Anāhata Cakra is the heart. When the Anāhata Cakra is reopened, that person becomes a poet. They can sing that song, write such poetry. And those whose Ājñā Cakra is open can paint what does not exist on earth. That is that poetry. So it is said there is one poem: "Jāna Pause Ravi." Ravi means sun. How far does the sunlight go? The artist goes beyond where sunlight cannot reach. So far can that artist work miraculously, because the Ājñā Cakra and the heart are open. So, whatever poem one is singing or writing—sorry, singing—a poet can paint. And an artist who is painting, the poet can write poetry. From the sound of his brush, he is painting. But such beings are rare. There are many gurus, no doubt, but very soon they are gone from this loka. They go to the Pitṛloka and will come again. But a Sadgurudev like ours, in the form of Dharmasāmrat Sadguru Svāmī Mādhavānanda Bābājī—his being was understood by only a few people. Gurujī said, "How many understood Jesus?" Very rare. Perhaps his parents, or one disciple. But now, the whole world venerates him. Everyone places the cross on their head because they did not understand him then. Similarly, those who understood Kṛṣṇa can understand what the Bhagavad Gītā is. The Bhagavad Gītā was not written by Kṛṣṇa; it is from Vedavyāsa, from the Upaniṣads—the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, with Bhakti Yoga at the end of the chapter. It is a great book, no doubt. Perhaps there was no battlefield of Mahābhārata as such, but Mahābhārata—many stories are created by some great beings. Who has seen that Jesus was crucified? But his life was like that; perhaps he was nearly crucified. And what was the end of Kṛṣṇa? How was Rāma? How was the Buddha? We do not know all. But they came for us, lived for us, and departed for us. Therefore, Gurujī said, "Among hundreds, thousands, you cannot find anyone. Among millions, perhaps. And among billions, maybe one or two such disciples can be found." So I realized, I saw, I know that Gurujī was so great. He was one with Mahāprabhujī; he was the embodiment of Mahāprabhujī, and very simple. He never saw his own ego. Whenever something happened, he always said, "It is Mahāprabhujī's blessing." Gurujī brought forth so many bhajans. Some books were not printed; people stole the bhajans. Gurujī said, "No problem. They should sing. Give the words, the knowledge." So today is the day of our Holy Gurujī's incarnation. We adore his parents, his mother, and his tapasyā. His being here, his blessings to us—he is always with us in our heart. Gurujī also told me, because after two or three years of being with him, I wanted to become a sannyāsī. Gurujī said no. Again after some months, I told him I wanted to become a sannyāsī. He said no. I then decided and said, "Gurujī, then I will go somewhere and become a sannyāsī." Gurujī told me, "To put orange robes on your body is not to be a real sannyāsī. You have to live life as a sannyāsī. If you live, live like a tiger, not like a fox stealing chickens here and there. And if you die, die like a tiger. Do not die hungry, wandering about." This was the mahāmantra. He also said, "Do not go to any coffee house or hotel and sit there. No, if it must be, then okay, no problem. But do not waste your time in coffee houses, tea houses, and gossiping here and there. When you have nothing to do, do not gossip. Do japa-mālā, meditate, awaken your heart. That is all. Mahāprabhujī will give you everything. All that is mine is yours. I know who you are, but I am warning you." There were many, many things from Gurujī to understand, and many hard tests. Once, Gurujī sent me from Ahmedabad to Mumbai—a journey of about six or seven hours. I had only yoga clothes; I was not a sannyāsī yet. He gave me a ticket, that is all, to go to Mumbai, see a certain person, and bring something back. Only one ticket, no money at all, no handbag, no luggage. I was hungry; I had not eaten. Young people get hungry easily. When children eat and wash their hands, by the time their hands are dry, they are hungry again. I was so hungry, so hungry. I was angry. Why did Gurujī send me like this? No clothes, no shawl, only one shirt and one wisdom. I was experiencing real hunger for the first time in my life. I thought, if I had money somewhere—but there was only one pocket here and one there, nothing else. In one pocket was the train ticket, that is all. Then the train stopped at a station. I looked out; people were buying samosas and other food. I put my hand in my pocket again, and there were ten paise, like ten cents. I said, "Good." I bought a banana, and with that ten paise I got thirteen bananas—more than enough. Where did those ten paise come from? I do not know to this day. Gurudev gives everything. There are many, many such things. Our Gurujī is all these miracles. My being here in this world, outside India, is Gurujī's blessing. One day, it is said, in Udaipur, a devotee named Harisiṅhajī had Gurujī at his house. Gurujī had a very high fever, yet he was still sitting and making a mālā. Harisiṅhajī said, "Gurujī, please rest; you have such a high fever." Gurujī said, "Do not worry. I am making a mālā because Mahāprabhujī is in a little difficulty, so I am doing this mālā for him." Gurujī often said such things. So you have to trust; you have to become one with the Master. And of course, the master must be a true Master. Our spiritual lineage goes from Ālakapurījī to Śiva. Ālakapurījī definitely had many disciples, many siddhas. One of his siddhas was Devapurījī. Devapurījī brought Gurujī, Omaprabhujī, Gurujī, and now those seeds are spread. We will go to Ālakapurījī's cave. He lived in many places in the Himalayas, but in this particular cave, he would come, reside, and depart. The cave is not very big, perhaps four square meters maximum. In one spot, you can stand up—six feet two inches—and on the other side, you can only crouch. It is a big rock. I was lucky; I slept there two nights. Someone gave prasāda, nuts. At night, a mouse came. I said, "I did not expect a mouse or anything moving here." I said, "Ālakapurījī, please, if you wish, I can go sleep outside." Then the sound stopped, so I slept again. Later, I slowly took a torchlight, and there was the prasāda coconut. A little round mouse was biting the coconut. This evening we will see a video, about seven minutes long, of the area. Somebody made a video, though we asked them not to. People do not respect. That is it. People take a little photo and send it out into the world, but okay. If you go alone, you might be disappointed, because there are only rocks. No road, no footpath. No drinking water. The Alaknandā River flows with muddy water, but you can drink it. Why not? It is muddy water from the Himalayas. Those who are going with me, I think, will experience something good. But do not blame anybody for your health. If you cannot walk, or have problems, we have announced that your doctor should confirm you are fit to go. We cannot accommodate if you cannot walk, as you will block everyone else. That is not good. And it is cold. There is no heater, because there is nothing to heat. All you can do is get out of the tent and jump until you sweat, but you cannot jump much because oxygen is scarce, and there are not many horses. You might think you will ride; there are only five or eight horses, so two or three are occupied, and the others are for loading our luggage. You should bring something good for these poor horses and mules who will carry hundreds of kilos on their backs. Next time, when we return, we will go straight to Haridwar, Rishikesh. So you must be ready regarding your luggage. I mention this because many people are listening via webcast. When we arrive at the airport, we will immediately board the bus. So forget everything else, but do not forget to use the toilet at the airport. Then there will be no need for five-hour stops for toilets. It is not like Rajasthan or Jadon, where you can stop anywhere. I come from this tradition of ṛṣis and yogīs. How did they survive there? It is tapasyā. If we need to endure, that is called tapasyā: cold, heat, snow, frozen conditions, and no wood to make a dhūnī. There are no trees, maybe only little bushes. But I have ordered for you, from Haridwar, five cubic meters of wood to make a dhūnī for the five hours we will be there.