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Oṃ yuktaṁ nityadayanti yogīṁ kāṇḍaṁ mokṣadaṁ ca. Oṁ kārayāṇam oṁ namaḥ brahmānandaṁ paramaṁ sukhadāṁ kevalaṁ jñānamūrtiṁ dvandvātītaṁ gaganasadṛśyaṁ tasmādhyadilakṣyaṁ ekaṁ nityaṁ vimalācalaṁ sarvādhiṣakṣibhūtaṁ bhavātītaṁ triguṇarahitaṁ ṣaṭgurutāṁ namāmy aham. Om Śānti Śānti... Blessings to all devotees, spiritual seekers, and practitioners of yoga. I bless you in the name of Om Śrī Alak Purījī of the Siddhāpīṭha Paramparā. These blessings reach you across the world through this webcast. I wish you a blessed and divine time of Dīpāvalī. The blessing of Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Rāma, the festival of lights, continues throughout this month. Bhārata, India, is the land that gave birth to all twenty-four incarnations. It gave us all the saints, the ṛṣis, and the hermits. Bhārata gave birth to great poets, artists, yogīs, and heroes. India is a cradle of culture. Its ancient influence touches souls in Australia, Perth, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, and beyond, where the Dīpāvalī of Bhagavān Rāma is still worshipped. Its reach extends to parts of China, Nepal, and as far as Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq. India, Bhārata, was once one of the largest territories on Earth. I do not say this merely because I was born and am a citizen of India; everyone glorifies their own country. All countries are the best; none are worse. Every country has its culture, and we should protect that culture. Yet, consider the seven oceans: no ocean bears the name of a country, but we have the Indian Ocean—Mahāhiṅda Sāgara. "Mahā" means great, the Great Indian Ocean. The translation "Mahāhiṅda Sāgara" signifies it was all the territory of the Hindus. This is not my personal claim; it is written in the śāstras, histories, and many scriptures. In libraries, in histories, even Tashkent in Russia is connected to yogīs and Indian lore. The largest mountain range is the Himalaya, though it is one of the youngest. The Darawali range, extending through Afghanistan, is named Hindu Kush. This mountain range stretches to Turkey. An article from around 1978, when I was teaching yoga in the Soviet Union, defined Russia as "Ṛṣi Land," a land where ṛṣis lived. What more need be said? Scientists now declare the first human was in Tibet. This is no wonder, for the first manifested being is Svayambhū, Śiva. Modern scientists say there is only one human race. There is no racism—no Chinese, Asian, European, Mexican, Mughal, etc. Human is human. Therefore, it is said there is only one. In Indian philosophy and the śāstras, the 8.4 million different life forms are all lights of the Supreme God. Out of those 8.4 million creatures—including little mosquitoes—one is the human. There are not two types of human; the mathematics would fail. It does not matter if you are American, Eastern, Western, Chinese, Japanese, or African. Human is human. Therefore, there was no caste system, neither in India nor anywhere in the world. Somehow, humans created divisions based on language and differences, inventing caste, touchability, and untouchability. Previously, this did not exist. Yes, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad Gītā that there are four castes, analogous to the body: the head (Brāhmaṇa), the arms (Kṣatriya), the trunk (Vaiśya), and the legs (Śūdra). These four types are defined. "Brāhmaṇa" does not refer to human skin but to knowledge—Brahma Jñāna. There are many kinds of knowledge, but ultimately, Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithyā: Brahman is the truth; the rest is unreal. A brāhmaṇa is one who has understood and realized Brahman. All else is just a joke, merely for filling the belly, earning money, and eating. Knowledge is light; there is no darkness in it. Life is life; life never dies. Even the five elements in this body do not die. Air merges into air, fire into fire, water into water, earth into earth, and space into space. We know the ātmā is eternal and indestructible. Now, in this Kali Yuga, another immortal has appeared that we cannot destroy: plastic. We cannot destroy plastic. It may burn and smell, but plastic remains. No water, fire, or weapon can destroy it; plastic is already in our blood. This is the immortality of Kali Yuga—Āsurī Śakti, in contrast to Devī Śakti, which is eternal and everlasting. The arm, representing the Kṣatriya, is for protection, not destruction—to help, work, and protect. Our hands and arms are the kṣatriya. The Vaiśya is the one who distributes nourishment, like a farmer. Everything in our life begins from one spot, the center of the universe, which is also the center of thyself. From there begins our first intense time. The human's intense time is 8.5 meters long. Our earth is 8 meters long. Therefore, it is said jīva-jīva-bhakṣate: life eats life, but not for humans. Humans have been given the knowledge that they must become one with Brahman. Hence, humans are not counted among the 8.4 million creatures, which are all animals (jīva-jīva bhakṣate). The human is the last milestone, the final opportunity to come to Brahman. Otherwise, we will re-enter the cycle of 8.4 million lives (chaurāsī lakh). As Vāṇarṣi said in a bhajan, even Brahmā one day may become a little ant, and a little ant may come to Brahmā. It is a cycle of coming and going. But a Brahma-jñānī, through yoga-agni (the fire of yoga), can burn all karmas (karma-dagdha) and proceed. Śiva means yoga. You become Śiva. We are like holding a drop of water in our palm over the ocean. This drop (boond) is the jīva, and the ocean (samundar) is Śiva. When the drop falls into the ocean, it becomes Śiva itself. Animals do not have this knowledge or capacity. Therefore, humans, through yoga practice, can purify all karmas and impurities. We have vikāra (distortions). There are different kinds: physical, emotional, mental, social, intellectual, and karmic. First are the three coverings: mala (impurities), vikṣepa (distraction), and āvaraṇa (veiling). This jīva, this body, intellect, and actions are covered by these three principles. Then we come to the vikāra māl, the impurities in your blood, body, energy, hormones—everything transmitted through touch. That energy flows like electricity. Hence, there is a distinction between animal culture and devic culture, between animal impurities and human impurities. Long ago, marriage was between one man and one woman only. If the husband died, the wife would not remarry; if the wife died, the husband would not remarry another woman, because there was only one quality, one energy there. Therefore, in sādhanā, it is said one should not sit together and touch. In that culture, people said "Namaskar," "Namaste," "Pranām." As soon as you touch hands, the impurity of one person can transfer to the other. Shaking hands was not allowed even in British culture. They would not offer a hand first. They would say, "How do you do?" The other would reply, "How do you do?" One would say, "Thank you, very good." In proper British English culture, a man should never offer to shake hands first. If a woman says, "How do you do?" she may first offer her hand. Now, all this has changed. European culture is a perfect, beautiful culture with great respect for everyone. Morality in European culture was very strong. Now, morality has diminished, and that decline has begun to influence India. But the Bhārata I speak of is here, though perhaps only 35 or 45 percent of people on the ground in India retain Indian culture. Many have lost it. They fight over political problems, perpetuate caste systems, and create religious divisions. The quality we receive through words... We must consider all impurities entering our body. Otherwise, your spirituality will not develop properly. You may meditate and practice yamala, but soon it can be undone. It is not easy to become a great self-realized ṛṣi. One may think, "I will go to the Himalayas and sit." It becomes minus twenty degrees in the evening, with no wood, nothing. One thinks, "My God, I want to go home." Sādhanā is not easy. When impure energy attacks you, you become completely polluted—mentally, socially. This is called vikāra. You can read much about vikāra in Patañjali's writings and the Bhagavad Gītā. By thinking alone, you can create vikāras. You may think, "Physically I am not doing anything wrong," but mentally thinking intensely about something or someone is like a flood entering your body, making every blood cell tremble. Therefore, through yoga, sādhanā, and kriyā yoga, we can protect ourselves. Across this range—the Hindu Kush, Russia, the Middle East—there was once great sense. Slowly, it has diminished, but nothing is impossible. As Gandhijī said, "Be the change you want to see." We can achieve what we desire, but we need great willpower. Siddharam... Rāmacandra Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Kanayālālaki Alakpurījī Mahādevaki Devādedeva Śiva-svarūpa Devapurīṣa Mahādevaki Ārādhe Bhagavān Śrī Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhokī Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Satguru Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavānaki Satya Sanātana Dharma kī Bhārata Mātā kī Jaya. Om Śānti Śānti... Ravvatu.