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Part 1: A Warm Welcome and Reflections on 35 Years of Yoga in Daily Life It is truly wonderful to be here. Honorable Viśvagurujī, it is a humbling experience to have you in our midst; this is my first time, and it is certainly my privilege to welcome you. I have been here for about a year, and from the very beginning, one organization has worked closely with us: Yoga in Daily Life. I have had the privilege of seeing its activities not only in Zagreb but elsewhere, and I know the passion and dedication these events involve. A significant part of this success is thanks to the organizers, Yoga in Daily Life in Croatia, but an equally important part is the participation of all of you. That is why today’s event—the 35th anniversary of Yoga in Daily Life in Croatia—is so important. I am extremely thankful and privileged to be invited and to be present. I convey our best wishes on behalf of the Embassy and the Government of India. I am grateful to be part of this celebration and extend my personal thanks and greetings, as well as those of the Indian Embassy. For a country and civilization like India, 35 years may not sound like much. But let us remember that this beautiful country we live in has not yet celebrated 30 years as an independent nation. So, 35 years is a special milestone. Congratulations. Organizations like Yoga in Daily Life truly embody what Indian spiritualism, culture, and people represent, and they show how India, Croatia, and many other countries come together. I speak of Croatia because I am mandated to do so, but as Viśvagurujī said, this is not about one country; it is about the world. That sums up how we see the benefit of yoga. I am speaking in Croatian because we are here, but as mentioned earlier, yoga is not limited to one country; it is for the world, and that is how it should be considered. This event’s success in Croatia owes much to the work of Yoga in Daily Life, and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration. I live here, and you have heard me talk enough. Tonight is the evening to hear Viśvagurujī. Thank you again for the invitation, and congratulations to Yoga in Daily Life on its 35th year in Croatia. Once again, congratulations on your 35th anniversary, and thank you very much. Millions practice yoga worldwide, making their lives better and more successful. They gather around our centers operating globally. Today, we have with us the president of the head organization of the International Fellowship, and we ask him to address us with a few words. A few words to the guests, yoga friends. In the name of the International Śrīdīp Māda Vānandāśram Fellowship, I send you many greetings. I congratulate you and extend best wishes to continue on your way. It is a great honor to be here, and I thank you for the invitation. For many of you, Croatia is a second home, as my wife Jamuna is from Zagreb and was a foundation member of this yoga society. Today, we celebrate 35 years of Yoga in Daily Life and the eternal life of Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa. We celebrate 35 years of spiritual development and vegetarian life, and 35 years of respect for all religions and cultures through yoga. I am very thankful to Viśvaguru Mahāmaneśvara Paramahaṁsī Svāmījī Māheśvarānanda for bringing this wisdom and light from India to Europe and Croatia. Viśvagurujī planted the seed of the yoga tree here 35 years ago. From this small seed, a big, strong tree has grown, giving us shelter. It is the wisdom of many wonderful seminars and events, and it has witnessed difficulties in the lives of people here. On Sunday, we will plant an alley in Samobor, symbolizing how this big tree of yoga continues in a grove of many trees. I am thankful to those who dedicate their lives to serving others and all creation. First and foremost, this is Viśvagurujī. From Croatia, we are lucky to have Sādhvī Ānandī here, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Vivek Purī here, and a third Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar from Croatia residing in Jaipur, India—you know him as Gyaneshwar Purī. Of course, many have helped along the way with their time, work, and yoga lessons. Without this volunteer help, Yoga in Daily Life could not have grown so big. Thank you again for all your work and help. And Viśvagurujī, thank you for being here with us. Hari Om. Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Che. Thank you once again for your work. Good evening, dear friends. In yoga, there are no guests, only dear friends, brothers and sisters. In Croatian, "gost" sounds like "ghost" in English, which was one of the first anecdotes with Viśvagurujī in Zagreb, but I will not talk about that tonight. These 35 years in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia were extremely beautiful but also very difficult. They were hard for Viśvagurujī, too, because 35–40 years ago, we knew nothing about yoga. From that tabula rasa, from having no knowledge of Indian culture, Viśvagurujī, through hard work, created what we have today. For us, it was also difficult, but every growth is difficult and slow. When a plant grows suddenly, it soon dies. So, Viśvagurujī watered this plant little by little, pruned it, and you saw in our film what happened over these 35 years. One of the most beautiful things is that we should always keep a certain mantra in mind. There is a story about nomads packing their things onto horses and traveling, with a little dog running around barking. The day was long and hot, and the tired dog went under a wagon for shade. Still tired as the caravan moved on, the dog thought, "What kind of people are they? All this heavy burden is on my shoulders. I can’t take it anymore, and they didn’t even thank me." Whining, he said, "I can’t do it anymore," and stopped, but the wagon kept moving. We heard this story years ago, and it is a lesson for all of us: never think you are the one carrying the load. We have the opportunity to do something, and when we can be that instrument, even a little of God’s energy can flow through. For that, thank you, Viśvagurujī. Thank you for the opportunity to do something for ourselves in our lives, because only through work can we change ourselves, as His Excellency said. This evening is dedicated to Viśvagurujī, so I will not take much time. I ask Svāmījī to take the stage. The floor is yours. Gagana Sadṛśyam Tasmāśyādi Lakṣyam Ekam Nityam Vimalāchalam Sarvaddhi Sākṣibhūtam Bhavātītam Triguṇarahitam Satgurutam Namāmyaham. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... His Excellency of the Embassy of India, many sannyāsīs, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Vivekpūrījī, all dear sisters and brothers, I am very happy to see all of you. Whenever I come, there are so many devotees without even a place to sit. Over so many years, I have only one subject: yoga. But yoga is life. Yoga is all 8.4 million different creatures—jalchar, thalchar, nabchar: beings in water, on earth, and in space. They are all with us. Life is only one, and that life is in each and every entity. We think we are the best. Yes, we are the best, but we should show we are the best. We are not alone. We have one soul, but not only one soul in your body. Millions of cells in your body have life, the same as our life, and they all have the same feelings. If you think you are only your soul, that is all, but our soul is included in oneness as God and all entities. There is a beautiful prayer: my life, your life, their life, all one’s life—we are one. Our Gurudev used to say, "One in all and all in one." We are all one life. But humans have different duties from God. Out of 8.4 million, only one is the human. God gave duty to humans and gave us freedom—very free. Do what you want. But God said, "My children, you are free. But two things I have with me for you. Other creatures are free; they have no puṇya and pāp, no sin and no happiness. But, oh human, I gave you everything free, but I have two things for you: sin and happiness. If you do good, you will come to me. If you do bad, you will go to hell." Here in Christianity and this country, you speak of heaven and hell; we say Brahma Loka or Narka Loka. Narka is only suffering, but a human doing good things comes to the supreme, the highest. Therefore, God has given us everything and given everyone this life. But for humans, there are the five principles, the five kośas. First is Annamaya Kośa, the body of nourishment. Our body lives from nourishment. But, oh human, be careful what you eat and what you do not eat. I told you: do good, get good; do bad, get bad. Do not disturb any creatures. Oh, my child, you are free to the Cosmic Self. Out of 8.4 million, when I give you different knowledge, animals have it too, but very limited. Annamaya Kośa means this body is made of water and food. Live happy, live good, eat good, be healthy. He did not say it, but I say: practice yoga. Yes, this is the first step. Second is prāṇa, energy—strength, our second body. Energy is very important; without it, we can do nothing, we fall down, we suffer. Where does energy come from? From nourishment. If you drink alcohol, how do you act? If you drink a cup of milk, how will you act? What kind of energy develops in our body? In yoga, it is said that Annamaya Kośa and Prāṇamaya Kośa, in our heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, movements—everything is only with energy. Therefore, if you have it, it is called sāttvic nourishment, good quality food. When I came to Croatia 35 years ago—and I am still young, only my hair is getting white; the energy is young anyhow—hardly anyone asked for organic food. Maybe there was different food, soy, etc. But now, we are searching where organic food will be destroyed. All this food is poisonous. I think humans do not know what they can do now. They study and study, become highly educated, then do not know what to do. So many pesticides destroy everything. This is not enough; humans want to destroy all developed seeds. There are no real seeds here, including human. Sorry, but I say it: that race is not here. In India, we speak of the caste system; caste means quality. Keep your quality, but now everything is mixed. All vegetables, fruits, seeds—everything is destroyed. It grows only once, then no more. It happens now? Be in a hurry to get two or three children. Very soon, you will not get a child. Don’t worry, only one seed, first or second. Lucky are those who get first a daughter, then a son—then you have two. Why? This is from our nourishment. So, please try to come again as soon as possible to get good seeds from our vegetables, fruits, and so on, and eat organic. It is said many people are now vegan, and the whole world is moving toward veganism. When I came to Croatia, people thought, "What? Vegetarian, what is this?" They said, "Gandhi was so thin, but you have a big stomach, Svāmījī." Almost, but now they all know what it means to be vegan. It is not only for health but to avoid killing any creatures—no honey, no milk or anything from animal milk, no eggs, no chicken. Part 2: The Door to the Divine I was in Fiji, where I have disciples and where I go often. There is a large Indian population there. I visited an ashram at their invitation. There was a yogī, a Swāmījī, who was 140 years old. I went to greet him. He held me with one hand and remained standing. I said, "I will touch your feet." He replied, "My sister-in-law..." I said, "No, no, you are 180 years old, and I am, for you, just a little grand, grand... child." He gave a lecture. I think nobody will listen to such a lecture anymore, and by saying this, perhaps you will not come next time. But we did it, so what to do? He said: How many chickens have you eaten in your life? That many chickens you have to become, and your throat has to be cut. How many fish you eat, you will be hooked out. You will become a fish. How many cows did you eat? You will become a cow, and then you have to give back. I asked, "Swāmījī, then how long will we do this?" He explained that God says, "No problem. I have time. Let it cut your throat many times." Please think it over. We should not kill, and we should not eat those that have been killed. It is our karma, but it is your choice. So I began instructing people to be vegetarian. Because people didn't understand 'vegetarian', I started talking about what they call 'vegan'. They are very healthy, very healthy, and they are getting the sin away from them. Now, the prāṇamaya kośa: prāṇa is your energy, your positive energy. Then comes the manomaya kośa. 'Man' means mind. The mind is mighty and can go anywhere within no time. I can bring you anywhere in a second with the mind, I tell you. Let's say the moon—you are already there. Wherever you think, you are there. The mind can be very good or very bad, and what we do with it determines whether we will suffer or be good. Long, long ago, some ages ago, there was a great ṛṣi living in the Himalayas near a mountain called Annapūrṇā. There was one yogī who had nothing but a bundle of grass. When sleeping, he lay on it. When meditating, he sat on it. When the sun came to one side, he moved the bundle to the other side. He lived very simply; I don't know how. Many disciples came and went, but one disciple was very clever. After some years, he learned everything from Gurujī and said, "I learned everything, I don't need my guru." When people came, he would talk about anything, not giving them a chance to see the master. People said, "The master is too old. He has no brain. I am the one now." Some disciples went to the master and told him. The master said, "I know." One day, the disciple said, "I know more than you, Master." The master said, "You are talking too much." The disciple said, "Because I have more knowledge." The master said, "Become a crow. Crow, go away." So that disciple became a crow. The master told him, "Go far away from here, so many kilometers." In the Himalayas, there are other birds, but no crows. This is a real story, and you can go and see it even now. The crow sat there, and many birds came every day. The other birds were speaking or singing, but the crow had lost knowledge and could only say "gawk, gawk, gawk." One day, the birds were talking about something very good. The crow sat there listening, and tears were falling. One day, a bird asked, "Why are you so sad?" The crow said, "I'm crying because I humiliated my master. I told bad things to my master, and my master gave the curse." That's why tears were falling. There was a lake, and into this lake, the tears fell for years and years. The name of the lake is called Tiličov Lake, Abibi. The birds said, "Can we go to your Gurujī and ask for forgiveness?" They went. Gurujī said, "You will not become human again. You will remain a crow, but I will give you knowledge so that even Brahmā, Śiva, and Kṛṣṇa will all come and listen to the satsaṅg from you. After some other yugas, you will become human again and then come as my disciple." Now, that lake is so pure. There is not a little piece of grass. If some grass or dust falls in, many birds come and take all the grass away. It is very high up, some 5,000 meters or more, but it never freezes; it is always pure water. If you don't believe me, go. I give you the address. I give you a helicopter, or you can walk. From Nepal, Pokhara, after Pokhara, take a taxi, and then you have to walk. You should go and see that lake, how beautiful it is. There you feel suddenly something happened. So, do not think, "I am high. I know everything. I don't need to see my master." That is a curse from yourself. Annamaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa. Control your mind. Therefore, we need guru kṛpā, the guru's blessing. Ānandamaya kośa, Prāṇamaya kośa, Vijñānamaya kośa. 'Vijñāna' means knowledge. Humans have knowledge, but what kind of knowledge do we have? Should we destroy the seeds? Did we destroy the fruits? Do we destroy the grass? Where is our knowledge? This knowledge is not knowledge anymore. Of course, there are great learned people; they do good things. Many doctors are doing good things. Sometimes I'm flying 12 hours over the ocean, and I say, "I will not tell negative to this scientist." Aeroplanes are good, please let me go. So there are many things that are very good, but we are destroying them through these chemical things. The five kośas are a body, and there is our soul. That soul will, afterward, proceed to the Cosmic Self. It is a door. It doesn't matter which religion you are from or which country you are from. There is only one door to enter to God. So, what have you done in your religions? Your master, your parents—that is very important. Yoga is not only this physical body, but the body is also very important. It is said that health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health. We should practice every day. Don't think that you get Self-realization today. You will not get Self-realization your whole life. God gives us, in the last minutes of our life, mokṣa. If God gives us mokṣa today, and tomorrow I do stupid things, what will God say? God will say nothing. Delete. That's it. Therefore, practice, practice, practice. Follow your master. Living God is yoga. And the other is only one God and has no other. That's it. So the Master is God. And who is that? First God. First God is Mother. Yes, Mother is the first God. Pitṛ Devo Bhavaḥ. The father is the second. Mother, Ācārya, Bhāvahā, and the teacher, master. And then guru, the ṛṣi. So these are the steps, step by step. All are our Guru. Without the Guru, you can't live. It doesn't matter if you are in Croatia or in Africa. Anywhere, you have to have a Guru. In Western countries, together with the guru, Indians can do something. Indians will take a screw and make the electric, okay? But in Europe, no one can make electric in your house. You have learned electronics, and then you can become that which you are, an electrician. So it means now you are the master. You want to have a car and drive? You can get a car, sit in it, and then move. Your thighs will be like... No, no, we cannot drive. But we need a driving teacher; that's called a driving guru. So in Europe, everything, even the little children in what we call kindergarten, that is also guru. So never neglect that there is a guru. Not. Only different. We call Guru, and you call teacher. That's it. Therefore, our yogic science is for our body. And within ourself, we have our Guru, and outside, our Guru. So, our dear brothers and sisters here—and it's not only these ones here—millions have learned yoga in daily life. And if they are here or not, they have this knowledge of that Master. You have to say that, yes, my Master was this. Otherwise, you will become a crow. So you can say many times, "Wow, wow... wow." But the crow said, "Kovans, Kovans..." Kovans means the not-good generators. So, my dear, practice and live a good life. Do not criticize. Whatever negative word you say will be a black spot in your brain. And from the brain, that black spot will attack some organs. Nowadays there are a lot of diseases. Of course, there are many different causes also, but that is negative from within our mind. Therefore, better, if you don't want to say good, at least don't say bad. But the ego of that crow—"I am strong, I will do this"—then finished, that's all. Now, this is the technique. I would like to give you today something very good: Kriyā Yoga. Whether you are beginners or advanced, I thought 35 years is something. I would like... do you, you would like to learn this? I didn't say it nicely. Okay, because time is going. You have read "The Hidden Powers in Humans." In that book, there are many chakras. Very powerful and important are the five chakras. I did not teach too many, but today I will teach you. I teach in Slovakia, in Croatia, Austria, etc. So I will say to you, not more stories, but I will teach you this. The Sanskrit language is the mother of all languages, mostly. In the Croatian language, about 20% is Sanskrit. So it's the mother of that language. 'Maikā' is a mother. Yes. And you know what is Maikā? When a girl is married, she's going to another person somewhere. But they say, "From where are you? My Maikā." Yes, Maikā, mother. Mother is a mother. We have 52 letters, 52 alphabets. You have about 27, maybe. English has 26. Now, each letter is in the body. From Mūlādhāra Cakra to Sahasrāra Cakra, there are 52 letters. Each chakra has its different alphabet, and there is a vibration, and that's energy. Each petal has one letter, and then one is the bīja mantra that is in the center. Each chakra has a letter in it. So each chakra and the alphabet—it is the specialty of the Sanskrit language. It is said that whoever reads and learns Sanskrit will have a brilliant mind because both hemispheres should vibrate equally balanced. When you are sleeping, dreaming, talking in your sleep, singing, reading, speaking, or writing—in all these times, both hemispheres are equally functioning. We are not like that. The Hindi language has only about 60%. Because that is a disruption, we should learn it. I am already old. No, I am not old. Anyhow. Each letter or alphabet, when we speak, we know where we are. Another point: our origin is in the navel. Our life seed comes in the form of the navel, and then everything is developing from here. It is going from there first and touches the mind. So from the navel it's coming. In humans it's different; in animals it's different. You can check it. Flies cannot, but birds give eggs. I will not go so far. Now we have to do something. Put your left hand on your navel. One hand on the navel, the other hand after. Whenever we speak something, the first movement of pressure is from the navel. I will tell something, and you will speak the same thing. If you can sit a little straight, you will feel better. Touch your finger, if the stomach is not too big. That's why I have a small one, so I do like this, like this. Okay. You will say whatever I tell you. Okay. Dobri. Krvesia. Water. Voda. Majka. Everything you like. You are my master. You are the master? No. I am the disciple. Always, I am moving. Now there are a few seed mantras. First, in Sanskrit or in Hindi language, the alphabet, and that is called: "navel did not move, and tongue did not move." When some child cannot speak, then we shall go to this prāṇāyāma which I am telling: tongue is relaxed, stomach is not moving, no vibrating—first element. Second, it comes up to the Anāhata Cakra. So, first we said, and then we said, "Ah, so ah, ah..." Still, there is a peaceful feeling, then it's coming to the vocal cord: "Ah, ah, oh, ooh, ah." Your tongue is completely relaxed, yes, in the vocal. Then, coming from the Ājñā Cakra, we will, from the vocal cord, send the sound through the pilot. The singers, they are going through these nostrils. Using this is wrong? No, this is not. Yes, I know, I know. So, how much we are balancing the Ājñā Cakra? That's final. Perfect. Now, one, two, three, four, five. Now, put your hand here. Yes. Then, one hand here and the second hand here. This is that yogic science to purify, and many, many knowledges and siddhis can come. Some people say, "We don't want Aum." That is stupid. Aum or Amen is the same. Yes, Amen—A, M—yes, same, but it is half. You couldn't come further. Yoga is complete. Once in the morning and once in the evening. If you can do it three times, very good. The tension will go away. The headaches will go away. Relaxation will come, and worries go away. Eleven times, and then a few minutes of peaceful sitting, and then inhale deeply, and we are chanting. This resonance, Aum, that's called pañcakośa: annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya, and ānandamaya, mokṣamaya. When you've forgotten something, come to our Yoga in Daily Life centers, and you will get this. So, this is also Kriyā Yoga, from the navel to the sahasrāra. Further, next time. So, yoga in daily life. Yoga in daily life means practice yoga every day. One day you did not practice, then it's nothing. You have done so, practice every day. Thank you very much, and Vivek Purījī, thank you, and all others. I will be two days more still, so we will practice further. Wish you all the best, and follow the guru: mother guru, father guru, school teacher, guru, and spiritual gurus. You have to follow exactly. You have your mother. You can tell everyone as your mother, but real mother is real mother. Maikā is Maikā, that's it. Thank you. Hari Om. Om Nam Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Kartā Hi Kevalam. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... He is Nipunaraṇ Bhagavān, Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva, Alak Puruṣa Mahādeva, Śrīguru Svāmī Mādhāvanājī Bhagavān, Hari Om.