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On this sacred day of Dīpāvalī, the lamp's light itself is Brahman. Deepa jyoti par brahman. The instruction is: Jyot se jyot jagāte chalo—from light, ignite another light. If you encounter someone on the path who has fallen, help them up. Ignite light from light. We have one lamp, and from it, we light another. Similarly, from one heart to another, from one life to another, the light is within all. Every entity is a light of that one supreme reality. There is only one Brahman. If there is a second, it is duality. Thus, light is life, and that life is in every entity—in every plant and all living beings: jalchar, thalchar, and abchar. From that one light, there are two principles. One is called Nitya Avatāra, and the second is for all. Every day, every moment, God is incarnating. That light is coming as Nitya Avatāra. You will not see this avatāra because you are also that avatāra if you have realized yourself. What does self-realization mean? It means you have no negative thoughts, no bad habits, no duality, cruelty, jealousy, or hatred. Then you are that Nityāvatāraḥ. This ātmā, jīvātmā—the individual soul—is a mixture of the Supreme. We perform good or bad karma. We do not weigh our actions or try to see our previous lives. This understanding is present in Yoga as well as in Sanātana Dharma, or Hindu Dharma. Sanātana Dharma is the only one Dharma, not what we now think of as many religions. All these other dharmas—Christian dharma, Muslim dharma, Buddha dharma, Yaudi dharma—developed in the Kali Yuga. But Sanātana Dharma is ādi and anādi (beginningless and eternal). It is not a religion as we conceive of it. What you think of as Hindu dharma or other dharmas you practice is called your sādhanā (spiritual practice). But Sanātana Dharma is not a sādhana like that. Sanātana Dharma is equally for plants, creatures, all jīvas, and all humans. It is not merely about performing worship; it is very hard to understand. Many people form opinions and think Sanātana Dharma can be worshipped in a certain way. No. It simply is. There is unity. After we came, we created religions and then created dualities. Dharma is one; religion is different. Realize your relation to thy Ātmā and Paramātmā. That is called religion. The light, fire, is fire. We can blow out its flames, but the fire element remains everywhere—within yourself, in every cell. Fire is in every tree, plant, and blade of grass; it is everywhere. In water, fire lives within water. Water cannot live without fire, and fire cannot live without water. The water tattva (principle) is one of the greatest. For instance, Viṣṇu—or what we call Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, Rāma—the fire can only be held within the water. Thus, the Viṣṇu tattva is a fire tattva, and Viṣṇu resides in that fire. Life is Dīvālī. But we have another definition: God Rāma, who lived millions of years ago. Kṛṣṇa lived only about 7,000 years ago, but Rāma came before Kṛṣṇa. There is no "semi-God." If a person does not know anything, how can you say something is "semi"? Fire is fire. A small spark of fire is more powerful than the flame you see before you. Everyone supports that which is strongest. In elections, everyone supports the strong party to be with them. A strong country with great power receives support from all countries. But no one supports the weak. A tiny spark of fire is very strong. The air element blows and supports that small fire, making it bigger and bigger until the whole bushland burns. Sabhe sahek sabal ke—everyone supports the strong party. Everyone seeks proximity to the strong, great, and rich. But on the road sits a poor person, walking slowly. No one stops their car to offer a ride or ask if they are hungry. A poor person stands at a red light, saying, "I'm hungry, please give me something." People close their windows or say, "No, go away," assuming, "They will drink alcohol." How do you know? And if they do, why not? Alcohol is for drinking. Where are you going? To a restaurant or pub for a dinner costing 5,000 euros. You will drink, pay the bill plus 200 euros more, and leave drunk. Yet you would not give one euro or one rupee to that poor person. Everyone supports the strong, and no one supports the weak. Sabhe sāyak sabhal kī kohu na nirbala chai—no one supports the person with many problems and troubles. The flame is weak; it has no power. You might say it will blow out. But the fire will spread further. Therefore, have strength within yourself and gather more strength to support weak creatures—animals like dogs, cows, any kind. There was a man who killed many animals. In his next life, he became a stray dog, hungry and searching for food. Someone drove a car over its legs. Another person drove by. The dog, with three broken legs, looked for help, but no one stopped to care for it or take it to a veterinarian. Another truck came and drove over the dog. The difference is when a person comes, moves the dog aside, bandages its legs, gives it water, and helps. Others call that person stupid, saying, "There are so many crazy dogs; it's good they are dying." That person does not have love in their heart. We say, "God is love." If your heart has love, then your heart is God. If you have no love or mercy, you are merely a model of a human, but there is nothing within. God Rāma was a great God, full of mercy; he gave everything to others. He saw life as a God, loving animals, plants, the poor, and the strong alike. The greatest of the great is Bhagavān Śrī Rāma. We know Kṛṣṇa is also great, but do not call God Rāma a semi-God. Anyone who dares say this has realized nothing and cannot see what Kṛṣṇa can or cannot do. This is the day when God Rāma—after a long story of 14 years in the forest—returned to Ayodhyā, his kingdom. When he returned, people made lamps, hanging lights on tree branches. People came from every direction, day and night, to see their beloved God Rāma return. Everywhere, people made oil lamps (there was no petrol or electricity). They also prepared many fruits, sweets, and eatables, placing them on leaves in the trees so that those coming would have food and drink when thirsty and hungry. They hung food for people, and many birds came. When God Rāma came, you cannot imagine—from far distances in the forest, the trees seemed to come alive. At sunset, as Rāma approached, the birds sang. Even now, at sunset, birds sing a song for God Rāma. Not only that, early morning before sunrise, during the Brahma Muhūrta (the time of Brahman), they sang bhajans and mantras—not only birds but other animals and humans too. It is said to get up at Brahma-muhūrta, the time of the Supreme, and remember God. What do you remember in the morning? "Who will give me a ticket? A voice to become a minister?" Many rich people forget, but the poor think very much about God. Upon waking, before rising, they greet Mother Earth: "Mother Earth, please forgive me for stepping on you." Do you greet Mother Earth? Very few do, but some spiritual people do. We bend down to God, touching our head to the Earth. God is there when you touch your head to the Earth. First is the Mother, then you get up and see the Father. There are many meanings to such a festival. Regarding the light, after many years—perhaps 2,000 or 3,000—people began making Christmas trees. Have you seen a Christmas tree? It is full of light and color; light is green, and light is everything—life. Every religion is coming together to one God. This Dīvālī is not only about Rāma but also Lakṣmī and Sītā. Lakṣmī is prosperity, health, happiness, and the beauty of our life. First, we worship Lakṣmī. Mātṛ Devo Bhava—the mother is first, so we worship the mother first. She gives you so much and gave you birth. Then, of course, we greet everyone. The festival of Dīvālī has great spiritual meaning. It is symbolic. Nowadays, people create pollution. At that time, there was no pollution. They made music with guitars, sitārs, mañjirās, and ḍholaks all night, creating beautiful sounds and bhajans. People have forgotten this, now creating fire, pollution, and wasting money on crackers costing thousands of euros, creating colors in the sky for three seconds, then the money is gone. Why not give to your neighbor who has little? In the whole world, during festivals, they create pollution and noise—not good noise. It should bring happiness, oneness, brotherhood, sisterhood, and motherhood. This is the day Bhagavān Śrī Mahāprabhujī, Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī, took incarnation early in the Brahma-muhūrta. That day, there was so much light everywhere. Slowly, the oil lamps were dimming, but when Mahāprabhujī was born, every lamp burned brightly again. Not only that, it was a dry time with no flowers, yet flowers fell. Many miracles happened at Mahāprabhujī's birth. For us, Dīvālī is a great day. Do not call anyone a semi-god. There is no semi-god, big god, or high god. God is only one God. The Ātmā is only the Ātmā. The soul, jīvā, is yours or other creatures'. A soul is a soul, but the creature has done something. In our brain, humans have more capacities and knowledge. In this age, Kali Yuga, we humans have developed greatly. Our brains are brilliant; we can do many things. An airplane takes off from India, flies over the ocean at 14,000 meters to Europe, America, or Australia. Small planes cannot reach that height due to gravity. Humans have achieved this. At such heights, we would lack oxygen, but how does a big airplane carry oxygen for 200-300 people on a 12-hour flight? Humans have created technology to generate oxygen onboard, making us comfortable enough to sleep. This is human technology. We must acknowledge that even in Kali Yuga, humans are at a high peak technologically. But in spirituality, they are at a low point. That is the difference, though it does not mean all are like that. Millions worldwide are spiritual, close to God, with love for religion in their hearts. Some people do things that are not good. Otherwise, people support each other in believing in God, performing prayers (praṭhanā), and living simply. Christianity developed missionaries for God, but now some do it for power and majority, which is no longer devotion. Still, worldwide, there are very nice people. According to their culture and capacities, they have belief. Therefore, one should not criticize other religions. Do not try to confuse or take away religion. My motto is: we don't convert, but we convince. We convince in every aspect that God is there. In India, there are many gods, all in oneness. In Christianity, there are more denominations than in Hindu traditions. In America, see how many churches are everywhere. In Islam, see how many factions fight. Everyone should believe they are believing in God, or Allah. Allah is for all. We surrender, bowing our foreheads down. We perform Vajrāsana and Baḍikhaṭu Praṇām postures, which are similar to the postures in Islamic prayer. Christians stand on their knees; in our exercises, we also stand on our knees. Everywhere, it is similar. My dear, today is Dīvālī. It has many other beautiful stories, knowledge, and dramas. It is beautiful. Some like this, I like that. They do very good; I do what I can. But in reality, we are all coming to oneness. We will all fall to the earth, and the Ātmā will go up. All prāṇas and elements will merge into the elements. The body does not die because there is no body; this body is only from the five elements. The elements return: water to water, fire to fire, air to air, earth to earth, and ether to ether. It is a holy, great day. We worship God Rāma. His Ayodhyā is still there, with statues and remnants of his palace (his father was king). When Muslims came, they destroyed it and built a mosque. Everyone tries to do everything; this is how it is. My dear, I wish you a happy Dīvālī. Tomorrow, what will we say? We say, "Rām Rām." Rām Rām Sā. What will you say? So tomorrow, when you greet everybody, don't say "good morning." Say, "Rām Rām Sā." God came to me in my heart; my both hands forget. So we say, "Rām Rām Sā." Tell me nicely once. If you are hungry, go and eat. So say once more: Rām Rām Sā. Again once more: Rām Rām Sā. Śrī Rām Jaya Rām Jaya Rām Śrī Rām Jaya Rām Śrī Rām Śrī Rām, Rām, Jaya, Jaya, Rām Śrī Rām, Śrī Rām, Jaya, Jaya, Rām Śrī Rām, Śrī Rām, Jaya, Jaya, Rām Siddharām, Siddharām, Siddharām Siddharām, Siddharām, Siddharām... Siddharam, Siddharam,... Sita Ram, Sita Ram,... Sita, Sita,... Om Śhāntiḥ, Śhāntiḥ...