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Twenty-five years ago, we began teaching Yoga in Daily Life in Ptuj. The first teacher is here with us. Yoga in Daily Life is the authentic school of yoga from India. We, the teachers—there are 45 of us in our center—carry this out as our mission. We do this voluntarily; we do not make a business of yoga. It took time, but we eventually found and prepared our own halls here in Ptuj, our own space. Today, it will become an ashram as our founder will bless it. We have been working here for 23 years, spreading the wisdom of yoga in life. We are very happy that today this system has been created for us. Over these years, we have been present in schools, in the classes we have prepared for you, in elementary schools, and in kindergartens. We work in primary schools in Ptuj and the surrounding area, in high schools where they also teach some subjects. We work throughout the country, everywhere in Ptuj. Through the Ljudske univerze Ptuj, through the Ptuj kindergarten, through the education of students, through classes for teachers, and finally, in the Ivana Podrča Ptuj bookshop and in the Šentilj library, we have offered yoga for children for many, many years. We work with Liljana Klemendžić, who works in the library and is very helpful. We try to offer yoga everywhere and to people of all ages. I believe that in these 25 years, we have all worked heart and soul. We worked very hard to bring yoga to everyone. All of you have contributed through your own experience. I would also like to thank all the instructors who have helped us, all of you who have looked after us and supported us in thought, word, or deed. We are always very happy when a new activity begins or when a long-standing activity gains new spaces, as is the case with you. I admit I did not know Jovan has been here for 25 years. Congratulations on this beautiful anniversary. I also congratulate you on acquiring these spaces, which have served their purpose well. We support every activity in the city that serves our citizens, particularly those supporting mental and physical health. Han Yoga is ready. Once again, congratulations. Yoga is part of ancient Indian culture, a very important part. We have an old saying in India: "Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam," which means the whole world is one family. I see the opening of ashrams by Swami Jaya as pearls in the garland of universal brotherhood, strung together by the thread of yoga, which unites everybody. Thank you, Swāmījī, and I truly hope this will grow and the universal message of yoga will spread. The strength of yoga is signaled by the fact that the International Yoga Day resolution in the United Nations was passed with the maximum number of votes ever. We are already three years into the observance of the International Day of Yoga. I look forward to visiting your beautiful city again during that time. I wish you all the best and congratulate you once again. First, I will chant a mantra and translate its meaning: "Asato mā sad gamaya, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya." O Merciful Lord, lead us from unreality to reality, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. Salutations to the Cosmic Light, the Lord of our hearts, Omniscient and Omnipresent. In His Divine Presence, a very good morning, dear sisters, brothers, Your Excellency the Ambassador of India, our Mayor, the President of Yoga in Daily Life, our dear brother the President of this district of Slovenia, our dear Swagat Purī, and the many bhaktas, devotees, yogīs, and teachers present. Today is a very beautiful constellation astrologically, and at just the right time, we open this yoga center. I have been nearly 20 years in this city but did not know it is one of the oldest in Slovenia. I am sure our dear Mayor will tell us more about it. His Excellency has offered beautiful Indian cultural programs. As stated on international platforms, India is a cradle of culture. The Sanskrit language is the mother of almost all languages. Indian culture is vast, and one of its aspects is what we call yoga. Yoga is ancient, dating to the dawn of mankind. Scientists say the first human was in Tibet, near Mount Kailash, where Śiva himself manifested. Yoga is the science of body, mind, and soul. Two very important things to know are yoga and Āyurveda. Āyur means life; Veda means knowledge. It is the knowledge of good health, which leads toward nourishment. Even medicine is a form of nourishment—it is a quantity, not a quality. The ancient time is more than 150,000 years ago, the time of the god Rāma. I will not tell his whole story, but he is a dear figure. During a war in India, his brother Lakṣmaṇa became unconscious. Rāma asked, "Why? How can I help my brother?" They called an Āyurvedic doctor, who read the pulse. Even now, India has many Āyurvedic doctors who can diagnose your entire body in a minute and a half—problems with the liver, kidneys, heart, blood, etc. The doctor said Lakṣmaṇa would die at sunrise; he had only about seven hours of life left. The Āyurvedic remedy was a specific herb on a particular peak in the Himalayas. If they could get it, he could heal him; otherwise, he would die at sunrise. They were in Sri Lanka, and the Himalayas were a five-hour flight away. You know Lord Hanumān, known as the Monkey God. Rāma asked Hanumān what to do. Hanumān said, "Don’t worry, I will bring it before sunrise. Just give me permission." Hanumān is the lord of the wind. He jumped—in children's videos, they sometimes call him Superman. Hanumānjī went and returned with the herb... but there is more to the story. Since the universe began, there have been two powers: Devī śakti and Asurī śakti. Devī śakti is the positive, divine power. Asurī śakti is the devil's power. They are always fighting. The devils fought for their power, and the devas fought for theirs. Rāma was a god born on the side of the devas. The story involves a demon, a Rākṣasa named Rāvaṇa. He was a magician with great power, even power over the nine constellations. He sent his spies to that Himalayan hill to cast a magic spell making all vegetation look identical. The Āyurvedic doctor had told Hanumān the herb sparkles at night. By the time Hanumānjī arrived, the magic was already in effect; everything was glowing. Hanumān did not know what to do. He could not wait long, or the sun would rise and Lakṣmaṇa would die. There is a little poem in Hindi that His Excellency will understand: "Śaśi dharaḥ śaśi dharaḥ..." So, Hanumān took the entire hill in one hand, flew, and brought it to Nepal. There were, and still are, beings waiting to see what modern science will do; things will change afterward. So, Āyurveda is the first medicine. This occurred in Satya Yuga. During that age, the Rākṣasas and Devas, the negative and positive powers, were churning the ocean in search of the nectar of immortality. From the ocean came fourteen good things, including the nectar, which took the form of Āyurveda. Therefore, the Lord of Āyurveda is God Dhanvantari. Yoga and Āyurveda are ancient sciences. Yoga is not merely closing one's eyes and meditating. Meditation should have an aim; otherwise, it is laziness—just sitting and not wanting to work. If a man sits at home "meditating" and his wife asks him to get milk, he might say, "Don't disturb my work." That is laziness. Yoga and Āyurveda prolong life, giving us health, good concentration, peace of mind, and Divine Consciousness. But health comes first. Both concentrate on our health, and this knowledge is returning. We know allopathic medicine is also good; it can save lives in emergencies. But Āyurveda is natural, and our body is natural. We are composed of five elements: fire, air, earth, water, and space—as is all vegetation. Therefore, naturopathy, what we call Āyurveda, is very natural. When it enters our body as medicine or nourishment, the body accepts it. Chemicals may suppress pain for a while, but no part of the body truly accepts them. Over time, chemicals have negative effects. If we can, we should practice yoga: physical exercises, breath exercises, relaxation, and concentration, which lead to anti-stress practice. Yoga has no competition; it is solely for being healthy. I am happy that in Slovenia, many people are already practicing Āyurveda. We have the Yoga in Daily Life Āyurveda Academy in Vienna, and the Academy of Yoga in Daily Life Āyurveda in Delhi. We have three Āyurveda teachers here. We are working on Āyurveda and yoga to promote, as His Excellency said, "Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam"—we are all one family under one God. Yoga has become international, declared by the United Nations, and the Government of India supports Āyurveda and yoga immensely. There are many conferences. I returned from India twelve days ago, but was called to South India for a major conference. Our honorable Prime Minister Modi sent a message that Swāmījī must be there. So, Sundays are spent flying. It is unbelievable how much work is being done on Āyurveda and yoga. We must return to nature. Yoga is good for body, mind, and soul. I am very happy you have Yoga in Daily Life. It is a system, like a school system, from kindergarten practice to university level. I am delighted that in this beautiful, ancient city, we have opened this yoga center. I wish you all the best and wish for the city to practice yoga, Āyurveda, and host many cultural programs. India will bring its culture, but I am sure your country also has many good cultural offerings. When we arrived, you offered us bread and salt. The Bible says, "You are the salt of the earth." And do not throw away bread, for bread is God. Similarly, in India we say if you eat salt in someone's home, you should never do anything bad to that family. In Hindi we say, "Namak harām nahīṁ honā chāhiye." It means having eaten their salt, you should be loyal to that family. Your culture and ours—all cultures are one culture. One saying goes: "Every culture is a good culture, but the best culture is agriculture." We must concentrate on agriculture, but we have manipulated everything; pesticides destroy not only agriculture but other cultures too. We must return to a natural way of life, which involves doing good and having a good diet. I first came to Slovenia, I think, in 1978, to Pohorje. That was my first experience: minus twenty-three degrees. At midnight we went for a walk under the moon on the snow, and my nose froze. Nevertheless, every culture is good. Where there is culture, there is a human, and where there is a human, there is culture. Every human brings their culture with them. His Excellency, the Ambassador of India, came here and brought Indian culture. He said, "We will bring an Indian cultural program," not a Slovenian one. That means everyone likes to give good things. That is why the Master said, "One in all and all in one." We are all God’s children. I wish you all the best and all the best for this ashram. May those who come under this roof find peace, harmony, and happiness. God bless you all. Best wishes from the Doleńska, Novo Mesto Society. God bless you all. Of course, first I wish you good health—the Ambassador of India in Slovenia, the Mayor of Ptuj, and all our brothers and sisters of Yoga in Daily Life. I would like to ask our Viśva Gurujī for permission and his blessing to present this Śiva Liṅgam to this ashram, to this yoga center. May it be a channel through which masters can continuously come to this ashram, and may the blessings of our teachers flow here. Thank you.