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Part 1: The Practice and Philosophy of Khaṭu Praṇām and Yogic Discipline Khaṭu Praṇām is a practice known to many of you, though some may not be familiar with it. It is one of the specific exercises within the system of Yoga in Daily Life. This is one of many yoga exercises that can be practiced dynamically, meaning it trains the cardiovascular system. Put simply, it is possible to sweat during this practice. Khaṭu Praṇām is a complex of exercises that influences the entire body. We will discuss the benefits and effects of this exercise, as well as its various positions. If one learns and practices even a few rounds daily, it brings great benefit. This exercise allows you to move and engage all the muscles in the body, all the joints, and especially the spinal column. Some parts focus on strengthening. During Khaṭu Praṇām, we also influence the inner organs, particularly the heart and blood circulation. Through this practice, we influence the hormonal and endocrine systems. It also has a deep effect on the subtle aspects of our being, especially the cakras, training the psychosomatic dimension of our existence. Now we will proceed to the positions. We begin from Vajrāsana, a very stable posture that naturally encourages a straight back. This position relaxes the digestive organs and supports digestion. So from Vajrāsana, we move to the first position: the hands are raised near the ears, as high as possible, and the gaze is directed upward toward the hands. Is Kṛpā from Koper here? Please tell her to remove all her clothes in the veranda down in the yard. Someone from the reception hall, please go. So, let us continue. From the first position, we move into Śaśāṅkāsana with a straight back. This is a forward-bending position. Those who have glaucoma (increased pressure in the eyes) or high blood pressure must be cautious here. In this position, we relax the lower back portion of the spinal column; indeed, the entire spine is relaxed, but the primary focus is on the lower back. Now we move to another, slightly more difficult position. Here the greatest pressure or focus is on the shoulder blades and the muscles between them. We aim to draw the shoulder blades together, bringing them as close as possible. We proceed to another position. Here we take care not to bend backward excessively, avoiding too much hyperlordosis in the lower back. The lower abdomen should remain on the floor. It is not necessary to straighten the elbows; they may remain bent. This is an excellent compensatory posture because in daily life we often bend forward, whether sitting in a car or at a desk. This position counters that forward bending, but we should not overextend backward. Now another position? In this position, both elbows and knees should be straight, as the muscles on the back of the thighs are stretched. Those who are attending the seminar but arrived late should go to the garden, unless they have some duty. Yes, Saddam Shepan. The previous position, which I did not describe, is quite interesting. One should focus on the abdominal muscles; when the focus is on the abdomen, those muscles are strengthened. Sorry, this is yet another position. Hips lower, lower still. Chest up, shoulders up—more, more—and gaze upward toward the ceiling. This is now the ideal position. This position is quite demanding on leg muscle strength and is, of course, a balancing posture—a somewhat more difficult one. In it, the hip flexor muscles are both strengthened and stretched, as these muscles tend to shorten. As mentioned, this position especially strengthens the leg muscles and the spinal column. It is primarily a balancing position, so we move to another. In this position, we again need to be cautious because we are bending forward with the head down. This causes blood to flow strongly toward the head and its organs. On one hand, this is beneficial as it improves circulation in the brain, eyes, and ears. However, those with glaucoma or high blood pressure should be careful, especially if they wish to remain in this position for an extended time. Additionally, we stretch the muscles on the back of the thighs and the lower legs. Now another position. In the backward bend, the focus should be more on the thoracolumbar region—the middle part of the spine—rather than the lower back. This is also a balancing position, and it provides a beautiful stretch to the spinal muscles. Pojďme naspěť. Continue. Now we perform these ten positions in reverse order. This complex of exercises—the word “complex” here meaning a combination—can be practiced for many rounds as a complete practice, or used as a warm-up before other exercises or physical activities. Thus, from the perspective of joints and muscles, this practice serves well. When performed dynamically with many repetitions, it becomes a cardiovascular practice, supporting the heart and blood flow. This illustrates that yoga is not merely static; there are practices that can be done very dynamically. Many people do not follow discipline. When the program is scheduled for seven, why do you come at 7:30? You have nothing else to do; everything is prepared and served for you. Next time, we will tolerate only five minutes’ delay. If you are later than that, you must go to the vegetable garden for karma yoga. If it is late and dark, then you will chase away mosquitoes. But you will not be allowed to enter. Some thought it was half past seven, Swamiji. But I was informed it was seven o’clock. When I asked just now, they all said seven. That is why I was angry. And still, they were late. You have been practicing Khaṭu Praṇām for many years, months, or weeks—every movement, every posture rooted in ancient yoga literature. Āsanas, Prāṇāyāmas, Mudrās, Bandhas, concentration, meditation, Pratyāhāra, and so on. Sometimes we combine elements, and it is true that in many ancient texts, the practices are not laid out systematically; we must piece together the general rules. Yoga in Daily Life is nothing other than simply yoga. But to understand that there is a systematic practice, we call it “yoga in daily life.” It means practicing yoga in everyday life, leading a yogic life twenty-four hours a day. When the program begins at seven, why do you arrive later? If a plane or train leaves at seven, you would not come ten minutes late. No one would need to tell you to go back; your inner self would tell you. So why do we delay here? Atha Yogānuśāsanam: Yoga is successful through discipline... Discipline makes a country great. Discipline makes an individual successful. Discipline is the key to success. Those who consistently come late—I mean those who have been participating here all week—should take note. Those who traveled from afar just for satsaṅg are an exception, due to weather and traffic conditions. If we live according to yogic principles, we will be happy and become a yogī. Otherwise, I have told you, and you have heard. Since you know me, I keep talking and talking, and you remain like an unmovable rock, pushing and pushing. That is not good. It shows you lack love. If someone pushed you underwater, you would fight for your life to come out as quickly as possible. Similarly, you should strive to be in the program as soon as possible. Next time, not only will we refuse you entry, but we will kindly ask you to leave and go home. We will not refund you; instead, the punishment will be $20,000, because you broke the discipline. So next time, keep $20,000 in your pocket so you can pay. That is all. Yoga is, first and foremost, a universal principle that balances the entire universe—space, consciousness, creation—through yoga śakti and prāṇa. This morning we spoke briefly about prāṇa and Prāṇa Sañcāraṇa Kriyā. But when you lack discipline, I will also not follow the sequences of Prāṇa Sañcāraṇa. It may take twelve years to come to Prāṇa Sañcāraṇa Kriyā. I will speak at length, show you chocolates and ice creams, but I will not give you any. That’s it—because you are not disciplined. It is called Svayambhū—no one created him; he manifested himself. He then creates Viṣṇu from his third eye and fire. He tells Viṣṇu to go and perform tapasyā, after which he creates water. Thus, fire resides within water. That is why Viṣṇu dwells in the elements of fire and water. He also brings forth Brahmā from the navel of Viṣṇu. So, billions of years ago, creation took place through Lord Śiva. After this planet was created, He is the Lord who blessed it with yoga vidyā—the knowledge of yoga. All mantras, yantras, and spirituality came through Śiva. We have fifty-two alphabets, and these fifty-two Sanskrit letters, called Devanāgarī, serve as the protectors and guardians in the universe as resonant sounds. Thus, language originates from resonance, and the seed of that resonance is located in our navel. After that, many Ṛṣis came—it is a long story. You should read the Purāṇas and the ancient Indian literature. Then you will understand that India is that holy land, that sacred country, where thousands or millions of holy incarnations took place. One man said, “In my garden, one cherry fruit appeared on my tree.” No trees can give that. The neighbor said, “Look at my garden.” Just as in Strilky, one tree might have five thousand fruits, India is that tree where there are millions of holy incarnations. Every village has a historical past; there have been holy saints. So read those ancient texts. It is wondrous. Our minds will be overwhelmed. We will say, “What?” A poor man opens the lid of a large pot and finds kilos and kilos of jewelry and diamonds. He will exclaim, “What?” There is a story of a man playing the lottery in a country that was behind the Iron Curtain, compared to Czechoslovakia. We were inside, they were behind. It was a poor man—can you imagine?—he won 150 million Deutschmarks. When he received the news, he had a heart attack. He never saw the money. He died out of happiness. At least it was good that he died in happiness. That holy land of India, however, is not the same today. Now Indians hunger for the materialistic lifestyle that the West has rejected and India has embraced. When you practice yoga, Indians ask, “What?” You say, “I am vegetarian,” and they say, “What? You are vegetarian? But you are European! You don’t eat meat? No alcohol?” They imagine Europeans are always sitting in a tank of alcohol and eating meat—that is their image. So they will pay the price; they are already suffering. Unfortunately, the Indian government also has a constitution that does not support religion or ancient wisdom. That is how it is. Nevertheless, there is still the possibility to read and visit libraries to access those literatures. If you read or even hear about them, just from listening, you will feel young and wish to live long. You will realize that until now you were in kindergarten regarding that wisdom. You know, the Slovakians have a very nice dish called halušky. And when someone in Rajasthan makes dahlia with yogurt and calls it halušky and brinjal, a Slovakian will smile. A Slovakian will think, “One day I should show this person real halušky and brinja.” So when we speak about creation, incarnations, spirituality, siddhis, God, sometimes I have to smile. So yoga is universal, but many yoga masters, teachers, and gurus in India and the West, as well as many doctors, have put together certain exercises for a particular purpose and given them names. For example, hot and cold water treatment dates back to the time of Dhanvantari in Satya Yuga. It is an Āyurvedic treatment: hot water, cold water, hot water, cold water. Now there is some other name I have forgotten—something about a knife, and a priest? How did the Ayurvedic technique become known? And that is how yoga turned into physiotherapy or a sport. So things are changing; humans try to change things. Therefore, every yoga teacher around the world, regardless of country or style, is good. Every yoga teacher contributes to health and world peace. It does not matter which school or teacher they follow; it is all good. Some focus on therapeutic progress, others solely on spirituality, and so on. Yet Yoga in Daily Life is unique, with many, many techniques. It is spiritual, physical, mental, social, and more. There is also an exercise called Sūrya Namaskār, which means salutation to the sun. It was developed in Benares, where the sunrise is particularly beautiful. It was then adopted, further developed, and practiced by Swami Sivananda in Ṛṣikeśa, who wrote about it in his book Sūrya Namaskāra. However, the adoration of the sun had long existed in Benares. Part 2: Khaṭū Praṇām and the Blessings of Faith This practice also involves very beautiful dynamic movements. Similarly, now, Khaṭū Praṇām. Khaṭū is the holy place where Mahāprabhujī incarnated and lived. A beautiful large banyan tree stands there, and that tree is many hundreds of years old—I think more than five or six hundred years. Mahāprabhujī lived under this tree and had a small room, unfortunately. It is very pitiful, and out of my ignorance, when I reconstructed this āśram, I removed that room of Mahāprabhujī, because it was in the middle. After Mahāprabhujī left this world, many people did not take care of it. People were just sitting there playing cards and things like that. They spoiled the atmosphere. They carved bad words on the stones inside. So I said, “Now it is better to remove it.” But now, many times during the day, I think I made a mistake. We could have replaced some stones but kept that room. I understand why the Czech authorities want to preserve this castle. Though we are a little unhappy that we can’t change the rooms, we can’t add an extra toilet, and so on, origin is origin. The first-hand message is better. So what I am teaching you, yoga is called first-hand yoga. And you will be the second hand. Or one of my left hand and one of my right hand. So you will say, “No, I am also right hand, first hand.” Because I am Swamiji’s right hand, and I am Swamiji’s left hand. If you represent and will teach yoga further, this quality of yoga and the life divine. But as long as you don’t follow the discipline and Guruvākya, my situation is different. Rabindranath Tagore, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Poetry, was looking at the sunset, and he was sad because the sun seemed very sad. The sun said, “My time is gone. I gave so much light and prāṇa to this creation. But now, the sun, my time to go, sunset. Who will take my place?” Then there was a small lamp lit on the altar, and a bell was ringing. He looked to the temple and saw a tiny flame making āratī. And the flame said to the sun, “I will try. I cannot be like you, but I will try to give light to these creatures.” So sometimes I’m also thinking, when you do not follow the discipline, understand the Guruvākya, what will be better? I should not die, so for a long time I will continue to push you. So Khaṭū, where Mahāprabhujī also dictated these bhajans, and 98% of the bhajans of Mahāprabhujī. When Mahāprabhujī was dictating, Gurujī was writing. And Holy Gurujī’s memory was so good, Gurujī said that sometimes he could learn by heart twenty-five bhajans. Pravda, Bim, that was his memory. And we can’t even remember one telephone number. There are only six or seven numbers. Yes, please, what is your number? Three, six, nine, eight, four. Once more, three. Three, nine, no, no, that’s our memory. Gurujī said, “Mahāprabhujī said, ‘Bhajan complete,’ and said, ‘Go and write down.’” And that was the most joyful work for Gurujī. Gurujī said, “When Mahāprabhujī gave me a duty and told me, ‘Do this work,’ there was nothing more joyful than this. It doesn’t matter if it’s sweeping the whole ashram yard, cleaning, washing, cooking, sweeping, cooking. And he said the most beautiful, the most divine, was… Sometimes, because they had no bathroom, they had to sit somewhere on the stone and wash with a bucket. And sometimes Mahāprabhujī said to Gurujī, ‘Come and wash my back.’ Oh, Gurujī said that was, for me, I was somewhere else. That’s Seva.” So, at least, in memory and in honor of our Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī, we salute him through this name, that holy place. As physiotherapists and yoga teachers, how beautiful is also dynamic movement, stretching, and influencing our energy centers and developing the immunity in the body. So, you just imagine. Khaṭū Praṇām, and you are there. Through this name, you receive the energy. Only through the name can it happen. When Lord Rāma had to go for fourteen years in the forest, before that, there was a saint called Viśvāmitra. He wanted to perform a yajña, but negative energies, the devils, didn’t let success come. And the principle was that if you become angry, your yajña will not be successful. So if you become angry, your sādhanā will not be successful. The devils were coming. They were throwing the bones of animals into the yajña fire. They were pouring the blood of animals and humans into the fire. They were disturbing, and Viśvāmitra should not have become angry. Otherwise, he was one of the angriest ones. And you know how many thousands of years of tapasyā he had. He just gave away his 72,000 years of tapasyā’s power as a donation. So, for 72,000 years, who is meditating and thinking of God? Can you imagine how much power is there? We also meditate for half an hour. And when Swamiji makes like this, there are many things. Oh, now he will sing Oṃ. So I am making purposely, you know. And now, feel the whole body and prāṇa together. Again, no. So, that is the condition of a few minutes of meditation when we are doing it. 72,000 years. He just gave it. Like you have many cherry trees, and you pick one basket full of cherries and just give it to the neighbors. That was the ṛṣis. Only through his look could he burn them, all rākṣasas, but they knew he should not be angry. Do not use your temperament and anger against anyone; otherwise, your sādhanā is not successful. So Viśvāmitra went to the king to ask King Daśaratha to send his two sons, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, to guard that yajña. So the king was very sad. But Viśvāmitra asked Daśaratha to send his two sons, who were very young boys. And Daśaratha was afraid. They were seventeen, eighteen-year-old young boys. “I can’t feel that I should send them with you.” Viśvāmitra said, “Okay, I will go.” That also he did not want, because when he is angry or not satisfied, it is like a curse, so he sent Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. You know, God doesn’t incarnate for one thing. For many, many things. So some hundreds of years before, there was a ṛṣi living in a hut with his wife. One day, the ṛṣi went for bathing somewhere in the lake or river, and the King of Heaven, Indra, came to his hut to his wife. He changed his form to look like the ṛṣi, but at the same time, the ṛṣi came back. So, Indra came out of the door and ran away, having fear of the ṛṣi. But, you know, sometimes men cannot endure jealousy. Women may suffer, but they will wait. That’s why they are women. So the ṛṣi was angry, and he cursed his wife. She became a rock. But thanks to God, no man has such power now. So, girls, you need not be afraid. That ṛṣi, those men were different. When someone becomes angry with you, you can just say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Yes, yes, yes. That’s it. He has no power, nor do you. Now she is there as a rock. And it is said, God Rāma will incarnate. When he blesses her, then she will wake up from the rock again as a human. So they were passing through the ṛṣi’s āśram, and Viśvāmitra said to Rāma, “This is the poor lady Ahalyā, her name was Ahalyā.” And Rāma was so sad. And he touched his feet to the rock. And she, again, from the rock, got up as a woman. And he liberated her. So, what can happen through such a great sense? In their name, there is a lot of power. So now, Rāma has to cross the river. Rama, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā, the three of them, when they had to go to the forest. Of course, Rāma protected the yajña; the yajña was successful. Everything was happy. Happy ending. Now they had to cross the river, so there was one boat seller. And he asked Rama, “Brother, can you let us cross this river with your boat?” And he asked, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am the son of Daśaratha, Rāma. My brother Lakṣmaṇa and my wife Sītā.” He said no. Sorry. Rāma said why. “You know, I heard that you touched a rock, and the rock became a woman. You touch my boat, and it will become a woman. I have one at home. What will I do with the second one? No, no, no.” So Rāma said, “It will not happen.” He said, “What security do you give me?” He said, “I tell you.” But the bhakta, he knew it is God. He said, “First I will wash your feet, then I will drink this water. I will see if I become a woman. If nothing happens to me, then of course you can sit in my boat.” So now, happily, he is washing the feet of Rāma and drinking. He knew what he was doing, and now they sit in the boat. They had nothing to pay. Now, for Rāma, it was a very unpleasant situation. You should pay the fare. Looking left, looking right, Sītā had one ring. She took the ring and said, “Brother, we pay you this ring as a fare.” Rāma said, “Please take it.” Then he said with folded hands, “No, that’s too little. What do you think? But I have one wish. I let you cross this river. Please let me cross the ocean of ignorance to come to heaven.” Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān kī jaya, what a great thought. So even in the name, there’s a lot of power. So when we remember Mahāprabhujī Khaṭū, the bhakta’s hair stands on end. But only a bhakta can understand who is who. Therefore, I offer my praṇāma to Khaṭū. While practicing Khaṭū Praṇām, if you think of Khaṭū or Mahāprabhujī, half of your disease will disappear by itself. That’s why I gave the name Khaṭū Praṇām. Many of you have been there. Many were not there. Mahāprabhujī met Devpurījī in Khaṭū Hills, and Devpurījī was residing in Khaṭū sometimes. That was one bhakta’s house. And even still today, there is a fireplace where Devpurījī used to sit and live in that small room. It’s on the rock up in the village. And down was this field of sand, and there was a banyan tree. So Devpurījī said, “Here is your tapasyā.” And so, Mahāprabhujī stayed there. Also, Holy Gurujī stayed with him. Then, Devpurījī said to Mahāprabhujī, “Go and reside on that other place we call Devdungrī.” It was a small sandy hill. Because people were afraid, they were thinking that there was a ghost, a rākṣasa. “Now you go and make it devas.” And that’s why the ashram was called Devdungrī. So, Khaṭū Praṇām and the Yoga in Daily Life have a special divine blessing. You try, you practice, and you accept. Don’t say no. It is beautiful. So Gurujī said, for him it was the nectar, the amṛta, and from the big toe of Mahāprabhujī’s nails, every day Gurujī would wash and drink. And many, many bhaktas have got the nails of Śrī Mahāprabhujī’s toes and fingers. Every day before they drink anything, water in the morning, they dip it in the nail of Mahāprabhujī and then they drink. Prakāśa Puñja, there is a Prakāśa, Amṛt ke Sāgar, ocean of the nectar. Only the bhakta knows. Others don’t know. The others do not. That’s it. Only a baby knows what mother’s milk is. All prāṇāyāms, āsanas, meditations, lectures, everything. And you are the fortunate one, that you can get this. And I’m sure that we know each other from many lives. Otherwise, you will not survive in front of my temperament. Therefore, sometimes it is said, when the master is not angry, then he is not a master. If the master is not strict, they are not a master. Like the story of that snake. Outside, it is frightening. But inside, he doesn’t want to bite. The ocean on the surface has many waves. On the bottom, it is motionless. That’s it. Therefore, it is said, “Va la la ge sa me hi ja.” What is that? You have definitely read in Līlā Amṛt one story, beautiful. Often Mahāprabhujī was invited to give a satsaṅg at the palace in Jodhpur at the Mahārājā’s. At that time, this palace, Umedvavan, was not there. It was built afterwards. And in the service of the Mahārāja, there was one man who was taking care of the kitchen management and so on. His name was Devī Siṅghjī. His old man was still living, and he was in sevā to Mahāprabhujī. So one day, Mahāprabhujī said, “Well, today I should have a bath.” So there was a bathtub, a mobile bathtub. You could sit inside. So he filled the water and told Mahāprabhujī, “Please, bath is ready.” Mahāprabhujī came, he took his shirt out, and so, and now that man begins to think. And now the man started to think. The tub is small, Mahāprabhujī’s body was heavy, and when he would sit in, water will flow all out. He’s thinking, and Mahāprabhujī smiled and held his hand and stepped with one foot in the bathroom. And told him, “Hold the towel.” And what he sees is that he was paralyzed. Mahāprabhujī changed his body like a three- or four-year-old boy. He takes a deep breath in, out. Playing with the water, washing, he was fixed. And then Mahāprabhujī stood up as a normal body and stepped one foot out. Said, “Give me a towel. You have no trust. You should have trust in Gurudev.” “How much water is spilled out?” He said, “Mahāprabhujī, your līlā, you know.” So, like that, many things happened. Now, as evidence, Chidānand made a video interview with that man. And he tells the same story that I tell. So we will collect all the stories, as much as we have evidence, and give the CD with Līlā Amṛt. Good idea? So, Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān kī jaya. Unfortunately, tomorrow is the end of the seminar. So the program begins tomorrow at 9 o’clock. You have breakfast at 8. And at 9 o’clock, at 8 o’clock, we begin to pack the things. And we will be here about quarter to ten, ten, a one-hour program to say goodbye. People who would like to stay longer are welcome. Enjoy the garden, fresh air, and evening satsaṅg. If you have long holidays, no problem. Stay here. That’s it. Next webcasting will be Guru Pūrṇimā. There will be many, many hours, and according to the hour, 9 o’clock time, I will send a message of Guru Pūrṇimā in English. So it means, is it 12:30 in India? So from 12:30 to 1:00 in the night, the message for Guru Pūrṇimā will be for this part of the world. And for Australia and New Zealand, another part of Japan, China, and Korea, it will be a different time. So, it will be two times Guru Pūrṇimā message for you in English. And in all of August we will be here. How nice. Beautiful. So now we will have prayer. And all dear brothers and sisters around the world, who is with us through webcast, I wish you all the best. I wish you all the best: good health, happiness, and a long life.