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Part 1: The Divine Dance and the Wisdom of the Ājñā Chakra Ghanaṃ Gurudev. Welcome, yoga brothers and sisters, to our program in Machasam. Tonight’s program will begin with a special performance by Bhakti Devī. Bhakti Devī is a disciple of Gurudev. She studied classical Indian dance at the University of Vienna and received further training under great Indian teachers. She is also the owner of the Indian Dance Academy in Vienna, where she educates new dancers. For many years, she has been a practitioner of the Yoga in Daily Life system and a disciple of Paramahaṁsa Swāmī Māheśvarānanda. With great joy, she has brought the classical Indian temple dance to almost every continent. She has cooperated on several movies and television productions, and she has been acknowledged by a number of experts in Indian classical temple dance. We are very pleased and joyful to welcome her here in Manchester. I would also like to tell you a little about temple dance. Indian classical dance, temple dance, Bharatanāṭyam, is a cultural heritage of humanity. The first written mention of this dance was 5,000 years ago. However, its message is pertinent forever and surpasses religion and nations. In the Indian language, the word dance is a conglomeration of many types of art, spirituality, philosophy, and the wisdom of yoga. The music and each beat of the dance step are mathematically calculated and exactly defined. Each eye and finger position has a special meaning. So, Indian dance is a symbolic language. It elucidates through metaphor that there is not only a material world, but also a higher power. Bharatanāṭyam is composed of the following terms: bhāva, expression; rāga, melody; tāla, rhythm; and nāṭyam, dance. Two essential components characterize the temple dance: the abstract, pure, rhythmic dance, nṛtta, and the narrative, expressive dance, nṛtya, abhinaya. So with that, let’s please welcome Bhakti Devījī to the podium. Gaṇeśa Loka, he rides on a mouse, his hands are always ready to give. Kari is the Brahmin’s string, the symbol of purity. All problems he eliminates, and I bow to him. Sarasvatī Sloka: I greet Devī Sarasvatī, Goddess of Wisdom. Please give me the correct understanding. Mahālakṣmī Sloka: I adore the Goddess of Wealth, Mahālakṣmī, and she rules the Śaṅkar Koṇj. Chakra and Gaḍā adorn in her hand. I bow down in front of Devī Mahālakṣmī. Śiva Śloka: His body is the whole universe. He is decorated with the moon and the stars. He is the purity, and I bow down in front of the great Śiva Liṅga. Stotram, no? Oh, music please. Liṅgāṣṭakam is going to be our next performance. It is an ancient poem in Sanskrit about the Śiva Liṅga, a symbol of unity between the highest consciousness and cosmic power. All living beings are part of this unity, and each of us is, too. This dance expresses the endless greatness and glory of the Śiva Liṅga. I bow before that Sadāśivaliṅgam, which destroys sorrows arising out of the chain of birth and death. I bow before that Sadāśivaliṅgam, the destroyer of karma, god of passion, and which destroyed the pride of the mighty demon king Rāvaṇa. I bow before that Sadā Śiva Liṅgam, which is well anointed with all fragrances, and which has the king of serpents coiled around him. I bow before that Sadā Śiva Liṅgaṃ, which is smeared with sandal paste and saffron, which is decorated with a garland of lotus flowers, and which can destroy accumulated sins. I bow before that Sadā Śivaliṅgam whose splendor is like millions of suns, the one who destroys eight types of poverty, and which is the ultimate truth. Anyone who chants the holy octet of the liṅgam in the holy presence of Lord Śiva would, in the end, reach the world of Śiva and keep him company. Our next performance is going to be a Mīrā Bhajan, “Pyāre Darśana.” Mīrā Bāī was a princess who lived in India in the 14th century. She renounced and abandoned royal wealth and became an enlightened saint. She wrote heart-wrenching songs about her love for God Kṛṣṇa, and her songs, bhajans, are respected throughout India and throughout the world until today. So we will see one of such songs in the dance. O my beloved, without you I cannot live. Please come and let me behold you. Without seeing you, I feel like the lotus flower without water. Like the dark night without a moon, that’s how I feel day and night. I walk around restlessly; my heart is breaking. I cannot eat, I cannot sleep. And for months I cannot speak. What should I say, O beloved one? Be merciful and come to me. Mīrā is your servant from life to life. This was a very nice cultural program, and our dear Bhakti Devī, she was dancing a very ancient dance from South India, and it was very, very nice. So thank you, Bhakti, everybody. We are here today as we continue our program on the Ājñā Chakra. That’s according to the chakras, the Kuṇḍalinī, it’s very important. The Kuṇḍalinī, we have to understand, kuṇḍa has different meanings. Kuṇḍa means a water pond, also the moon. And this Kuṇḍalinī is mostly connected with Śiva. And Śiva is in every position. So, the moon. Now we know that always the God Śiva has a crescent moon. And these are the two parts of what we call the month. The fifteen days or fourteen days is the moon night, and fourteen days is the dark night. The two which are called moon, full moon, that is the 14th, and dark night, which is also on the 14th night. To understand this Kuṇḍalinī and this procession of the effect of the moon on our planet, and especially on us, on humans. But the moon, the moon is the lord of the water. So in this, we have water, which means emotion and the mind. The second part of our life we call the mind, the physical body, the mental body, and subtle bodies. So our mind and master, the principle or devatā, the god of the mind, is the moon. The moon is changing, and so our mind is also changing. So the principle of our mind is the god or goddess, which is called the moon. And the principle is, from the moon is the water, the ocean. And so the water is emotion. So mind, moon, and emotion. Every day, everyone, animals, vegetation, as well as humans. The vegetation is very balanced. All our trees, plants, flowers, etc., are very balanced; they know exactly when and when not. But we humans are manipulating even our plants. And that has a negative effect on the vegetation and on all creatures. Also, the effect is greater on humans. All these traits, all the fear, the restlessness, the anger, all these points go to the moon, to the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra. From Maṇipūra, Mūlādhāra, and then comes the Svādhiṣṭhāna, the second chakra from the lower chakras. And that is affecting the emotion. And in Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra, we have six principles there: hate, jealousy, anger, greed, and the emotions. These are the six chakras’ petals. And there is a moon, and that moon is affecting this chakra very much. But there is creation, Brahmā, and the knowledge is Sarasvatī. But still, either you go down or you go up. From there, the effect of the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra is immediately at the Ājñā Cakra. And that Ājñā Chakra, where there is our knowledge, viveka, all this intellect—all is there in the Ājñā Chakra. And that again, in the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra or the Viśuddhi Cakra, there will again be the symbol of Brahmā and Sarasvatī. So, if we have weakness and we are caught—when we are caught by greed, with the greed comes anger, with the anger comes hate, with the hate come desires, etc. These are the six petals, these are the six centers, affecting very much and purifying or taking back as the Ājñā Chakra. And so, because the mind is a mighty power, it can be negative, it can be positive. And it is our mind that leads us. What you said, “I changed my mind. I will go swimming.” The other one said, “I changed my mind. I will go to the Yoga in Daily Life seminar, or what you call a retreat.” So that is a power from the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra and the Ājñā Cakra. And this we have to control and purify; we can get the highest level. Now, what is the highest level? The intellect, the emotion, the stress—these are all qualities. But for what you are struggling, it will not go with you. You have a house, you have money, now more safety in the bank, or you have some different jewelry, properties, many houses, a company, and all is in your hands, you are the boss. But the Ājñā Chakra said, “It is not yours. You are the slave of it all.” When we have some money or something, that means we have some property, a little, which we are having: a small house, some little farm for eating. This is under. But when it is very much, then you are the slave of the property. We are slaves of property. And that one, mostly people in some countries, not every country, you have the gun under your pillow. Number one. Number two, you have the lock, which is the number lock of your house. Then you have the guard, and after that guard, still you are afraid. So we are the slave. We have the guard, we have the properties, we have the door locked, we have a dog, we have everything. So those persons are, in reality, not happy. The rich one will not give the donation, and the people who have little money, they give the donation. They are sitting on that, your treasure, your money; no one can take it away. But suddenly, a heart attack—your intellect is gone, your power is gone, your property is gone, nothing is in your hands. And we were only there as slaves. In that time, this jīva, the soul, it also tells you, “Nothing was yours.” And what we said, we didn’t take anything with us. Nothing we can take with us. So the wise person, a saint, a holy person will tell you that not a single penny can you take with you. But what you can take is your knowledge, your spirituality. Your, this kind of intellect as your knowledge, it will remain here. Whatever you have, even the best knowledge, you should give further. If you have good knowledge and you do not want to share it further with others, then it is lost forever. You have some good knowledge, some good scientific knowledge, but you don’t want to give it to others because, otherwise, all will become like me, take my knowledge, and I am nothing. But when one suddenly dies, this knowledge is gone forever. So when and how, where are you going to give? And so a wise person will give you, but maybe he is in a little bit of greed. And that greed, he will not give. What will he say for his children? So, at least you are giving to your family. Many times, parents don’t give anything to children, and they died somewhere and everything is... But it’s a good... America has very nice banks, and they can use the money very nicely. So there’s one story in this. One businessman, and he had one very nice spiritual friend, a good friend. So the businessman was a very, very rich man, and he had only one child. Now, when you have more money, your child is spoiled. When you have more property, then your child is spoiled. Or you should be more strict. Do not give everything into their hands. It’s very difficult to educate children. And especially when you have good wealth, then be sure that your health will not be good. If not physical, then mental. If one is not mental, then sorrows. And the sorrows, if your child says, “No, I need this, I need this, I need that, everything,” then he is spoiled. So that businessman had about 20 tons of gold. How much? Twenty tons of gold. And he made a temple, a Śiva temple, a beautiful Śiva temple. And he put all the gold in the tower of the temple. Part 2: The Testament of the Wise Merchant: A Tale of Inner Treasure A wealthy merchant, sensing his end was near, wrote a testament for his son. In it, he left five instructions: 1. Always eat the best food — delicious, appetizing, of the highest quality. Avoid junk food. 2. When going to your office, do not walk in the sun; go in the shade, and return in the shade. 3. If anyone asks for a loan, give it freely and do not ask for repayment. 4. When you have no money left, know that a vast treasure is there for you: tons of gold hidden in the tower of the Śiva temple, on the 15th of August at 11 o’clock. 5. If you ever need advice or help, go to my best friend and advisor, the Paṇḍitjī. Soon after, the merchant died, and the son found himself with full responsibility. He read the testament and took his father’s words literally. For the first point, he began importing luxurious foods from Austria, China, Australia, and India — ordering delicacies by airplane, hosting banquets for friends. His wealth poured out. For the second point, he covered entire streets with the finest curtains to shield himself from the sun. Angry neighbours protested, so he paid them off. He erected canopies wherever he went in the city, spending a fortune. For the third point, he put a sign on his shop: “Anyone needing money, come and take a loan; I will not ask you to return it.” People flocked to him, took large sums, and vanished. They never showed their faces again. Soon, his money was gone. Destitute, he remembered the fourth point: twenty tons of gold. Gathering his friends, he went to the Śiva temple on the appointed date and time, attacked the tower, and tore it apart — only to find nothing but dust and spiders. In despair he cried, “Father, you were my worst enemy! You have destroyed me utterly.” Finally, he went to the Paṇḍitjī, weeping. He showed the testament. The wise man read it and smiled, “Your father was perfectly wise; every word was for your benefit.” The son protested: “But I followed his words — and I am ruined!” The Paṇḍitjī explained: “When your father said ‘eat the best food,’ he meant eat when you are truly hungry, nourishing meals at proper times — not constant snacking on junk. Your health and money both suffered. When he said ‘walk in the shadow,’ he did not mean cover the streets. He meant leave for your shop before sunrise and return only after sunset — staying diligently at your work, not roaming. That is the shadow that shelters your business. And regarding loans, he meant give with a written pledge and hold some security. Then people will run to repay you to reclaim their property. You need not chase them.” The son’s eyes opened. “But the gold? I destroyed the temple and found nothing!” The Paṇḍitjī said, “Let us go.” He gave money to repair the temple immediately, and on the next 15th of August, at 11 o’clock, he took the young man there. They worshipped Śivajī with flowers, mālā, fruits, and donations. Then, on the sunlit steps, the Paṇḍitjī stopped at the 15th step. The tower’s shadow fell exactly upon it. He asked for a tool, the stone was opened, and there lay the twenty tons of gold. “Close it,” he said. “A wise person gives only the indication, not the direct service. Your father wrote that date and time because only then does the shadow point to the treasure. You destroyed the temple because you lacked the living guidance.” The son bowed, and from that moment began to follow true instruction. In the same way, our body is the temple, and the inner treasure lies within our cakras. One must come to the Viśuddhi Cakra, then to the Ājñā Cakra. Ājñā means “order,” the command of the master. In this cakra there are two bīja mantras. The Om we are learning — not the casual repetition, but the real practice — will open the treasure. In the Maṇipūra, the navel center, great wealth is stored, but if you simply cut open the body, you will find only blood. The treasure is in your kismat (destiny), and that kismat is unlocked by correct practice. The bīja mantras in the Ājñā Cakra are Ha and Tha. Together they form Ha-Tha, which becomes Haṭha Yoga. Ultimately, one must reach this point, where wisdom awakens — the third eye opens. This is the science of kuṇḍalinī. Do not imagine that kuṇḍalinī rises like a physical object; many who teach such things have missed the truth. A true master does not give unrealistic techniques. Every step is an indication, and through these indications you must discover the reality within. Otherwise, all the master’s guidance is lost. Your treasure is within you. Don’t run to external temples, mosques, or dargāhs. In reality, it is here, in your kismat — a gift from your parents and your master. But sometimes even teachers forget the key, and disciples wander aimlessly. This is the Agni of the Ājñā Cakra. We will continue this journey. May you receive the blessing: Aiśikarī Gurudeva Rājamacandana Toḍā. Aiśikarī Gurudeva Dai Mere Mohakabandhana Toḍā. Oṁ Mohakabandhanāthoṭ Ayashikarī Guṭṭe Vaḍayam Mohakabandhanāthoṭ. (With the grace of the Guru, the bondage of delusion is broken.)