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Mahashivaratri satsang from Fiji

A spiritual discourse and storytelling session for Mahāśivarātri.

"Sanātana Dharma is the highway, the main road. Other paths are like small sticks you walk on with your feet; they will leave you in the forest after some time."

"Lord Śiva said, 'You are such a great bhakta, you offer yourself to me. What can be a greater bhakta than you?'"

A spiritual teacher addresses a gathering at a resort in Fiji on the holy night of Mahāśivarātri. He praises the devotion of the resort staff and the assembled diaspora for preserving Sanātana Dharma. He shares two traditional stories illustrating Lord Shiva's compassionate nature: one of a thief who accidentally worships while trying to steal, and another of a hunter whose unintentional offerings and act of mercy lead to divine grace and liberation.

Filming location: Fiji Islands

Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ. Oṁ Har Har Bholē Namaḥ. Oṁ Har Har Bholē Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ... Namah Om, Namah Har Har Gaṅgī. Namah Om, Har Har Gaṅgī. Namah Om, Har Har Gaṅgī.... Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya. Om Hara Hara Gaṅgā Nama Śaṅkar Bhagavān Kī Devādhi Dev, Deveśvar Mahādev Kī Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Alak Purī Jī Mahādev Kī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Syaāvara Rāmacandra Bhagavān Kī. We are all very fortunate. We are blessed by the great grace of Brahma Paramātmā, Devadideva, Devaīśvara Mahādeva, Śyāvara Rāmacandra Bhagavān, Pavan Śvetanumanjī, and Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. On this holy day and night of Mahāśivarātri, we are especially fortunate. Lord Śiva has said, "To save this night from such a cruel creature, to save such a poor person, I have done a favor on it. So, this will be my worship for the rest of the ages, of Śivarātri." Today, on this auspicious day, I am here for the fourth or fifth time at this Dream View Resort. There are many resorts, but the workers here—the manager, Jay Ram, Prakash, his brother, all his family, and the men who live here—have infinite devotion and love. They have great faith, just like in India. The owner of this Dream View, Sudhā Sāhib, is also a great devotee. I met him and have come here again and again because of my love for him. Reddy Sahib's love, Reddy Sahib's simplicity, truthfulness, his wife Lakshmi, his family... we feel that although Mr. Reddy is not here today due to special work, he is present in our hearts and in this webcast. All of you have come from different villages, but you are all from India. Your soul is there. You always say that you are inhabitants of the country where Gaṅgā flows, where Gāyā Mātā is. I am very proud that you have come here from so many generations but have not left your culture for so many years. You should not leave it, because there is no other religion like Sanātana Dharma. Sanātana Dharma is the highway, the main road. Other paths are like small sticks you walk on with your feet; they will leave you in the forest after some time. But Sanātana Dharma, our Hindu Dharma, has been a religion for a long time. You have come here and, based on that Dharma, you have accomplished a lot. There are also difficulties, but still you have accepted Sanātana Dharma. Some people distort their own Dharma out of greed, but think of how many Mahāniśvarī Vibhūti we have had, how many Avatāras, how many saints and Mahātmās, how many good parents. The power and love of parents... they stay at home and live so happily. I congratulate you a lot, and please keep coming. We have come from nearby. A temple has been established for Lord Shiva. So, whenever you get time, come and offer water to God. Lord Shiva does not want anything else. Give fruits, keep fruits, or some flowers. He is Bholā Bhakt, Bholā Bhagavān, Bholā Nāth. Now, I will speak in English, as you all know it as well. We are fortunate, we are lucky, we are blessed. This divine blessing is especially felt here on the top of Fiji. It is a very divine, miraculous place, especially as it is Bhagavān Śiva's, or Bhagavān Śiva's Śeṣanāg, Viṣṇu Bhagavān's... sometimes Fiji. So this island is where Bhagavān Śiva mostly resides, either in Kailāśa Parvata or in Fiji. You can feel it. If not, then you should feel it. I think I am on my fifth time here, especially at Dream View. There are many beautiful resorts in Fiji, one after another, all very beautiful. But the people taking care of this resort are very devoted, spiritual, and humble. That's why my devotees come here from many different countries: Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Czech, Slovakia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Australia—the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Perth—everywhere. So many from America, they all came here to enjoy such peace and spirituality, sādhanā. There is one word people used to say, and this is one of the biggest problems in the world: stress. As soon as people came here to Fiji, their stress was gone. Of course, our yoga sādhanā, Yoga in Daily Life, is a scientific system for the harmony of body, mind, and soul. We had a special sādhanā with techniques that, without feeling or trying very hard, everyone got, and your stress is gone. Everyone is very happy and very nice. So lucky are you. Another most beautiful day is the day of Mahāśivarātri. That's every day's night, but the great night dedicated to Bhagavān Śiva is Mahā Śivarātri. You may or may not know the story. First, we call Bhagavān Śiva Bholenāth. Bholenath is not innocent in a foolish way, but in the way of being very happy and very innocent. There was a thief who went to a Śiva temple. He had no shoes, and the path was muddy. He went to steal something, money or whatever, but there was nothing. Only one water pot, a Jalārī or Jaladhārī, was hanging there. The thief tried to reach the pot, but it was about 15 centimeters higher. He looked left and right, worried someone would see him. So he climbed on the Śivaliṅga with his muddy feet. As he was taking the water pot out, Lord Śiva appeared. The man was so afraid and said, "Please, please." But Lord Śiva said, "No, no, my son, what can I give you? You see, when people come to my temple, they give me donations, fruits, flowers. But you are such a great bhakta, you offer yourself to me. What can be a greater bhakta than you?" The thief said, "My Lord, I give my word that I will never do like this." Śiva said, "No problem. I'm not angry. Like a little child climbs on the mother's shoulders or the father's head, innocent children... you are innocent, my son, and I bless you for mokṣa." Namo Seva Om, Nama Seva Om, Nama Seva Om. Om Hara Hara Bode, Nama Seva Om, Hara Hara Bode, Shankar Bhagavān Kī, Bholē Nāth Kī. There was a time when the human population was less. Many ṛṣis and others lived in the forest. Some people were poor and hunted animals, not knowing agriculture. One hunter went to get an animal to kill. The whole day, he didn't get any animal. He came home empty-handed. He had two little hungry children. His wife had cleaned the pot, waiting to cook what he would bring. She was so angry. The man was unhappy, thinking his wife was not good to him. He decided to go out again and not return empty-handed. He took a bamboo filled with water. He found nothing. At sunset, fearing jungle animals, he climbed a tree. His bamboo water bottle fell down. Below was a Śiva liṅga, and the water fell directly on it as an abhiṣeka. He waited, tired from searching all day and his wife's anger. From the tree, he plucked some leaves, and they fell slowly onto the Śiva Liṅgam. The tree was a Bilva (Bhil Patra) tree, whose leaves are very dear to Lord Śiva. Around 11 o'clock at night, a deer came. The man took his arrow and bow to shoot it. The deer saw him and said, "Please don't kill me. I have a little child, and I came to bring some fresh leaves. I will feed my child and I am sure I will come back." The hunter said, "I will not let you go." Then a male deer came. The female deer pleaded, "Please, there is only one male in our group. We are a more modern generation. Please don't kill him. Kill me." The male deer went away but returned, saying, "Please kill me, don't do this to the innocent female deer." The hunter sent him away. Then the first deer returned and said, "I have fed my child with fresh leaves. Now you can kill me." The hunter said, "I can't kill you. You are so honest. I will not kill." And he went home. Then Śiva appeared. Śiva said, "Bring your wife and your children." Śiva gave them everything. All the deer and the male deer came and said, "We are all here. You can kill us all." The hunter said, "No." Now Śiva was there. So Śiva liberated all the deer and liberated the hunter, giving great prosperity to the hunter's wife and children. They had everything. That night is called Mahāśivarātri, and today is that night. Namah Śivāya. Om Namah. Om Namah Śivāya. Om. Om Namah Śivāya. Om. Om Hara Hara Bodh. Namaḥ Śivāya. Om Hara Hara Bodh. Namaḥ.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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