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Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. This beautiful mantra, or bhajan, from our dear Holy Gurujī is dedicated to our Bhagavān Siddhip Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī. Bhagavān Siddhip Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī gave the mantra to our Holy Gurujī, who is known throughout the world, though not yet widely recognized in India. In different parts of India, he is called the Hindu Dharm Samrāṭ Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda Purī Jī Mahārāj. After Mahāprabhujī bestowed the mantras, Holy Gurujī spent a long time serving him. In Mahāprabhujī’s name, there is an āśram in Gujarat that draws many thousands of devotees of Holy Gurujī. There, in the Sabar Maṭhī area, Gurujī established Om Prabhudīp Mādhav Āśram. From that place, Holy Gurujī gave this mantra to our bhaktas and to all who wish for it. The principle is that when a disciple attains higher spiritual knowledge, they come to know it within themselves. For it is: Guru Kṛpāhi Kevalam, Śiṣya Ke Ānanda Maṅgalam. When the blessing of Gurudev falls upon the disciple, that disciple becomes forever divine and deeply happy, steadily rising higher. In the realm of cosmic knowledge, the science is different from our ordinary life in the āśram. The Guru is great there, akin to what we call the Śabda Ṛṣis. These Śabda Ṛṣis still reside in the Himalayas, and they are known also as the seven stars in the sky — the Saptarṣis. This is the ancient wisdom of Sanātana Dharma, which is not confined to one region but permeates the whole world. Sanātana Dharma is not meant only for humans but for all creatures. What does that imply? It means love them, protect them, feed them, and do not eat them. A slogan I wrote some years ago echoes this truth. Similarly, vegetation — whether a tiny blade of grass or a grand tree — possesses value through its fruits and other qualities. Crops provide nourishment to humanity. This is Sanātana Dharma flowing from the knowledge of the Saptarṣis. Hence, we must care for all vegetation, large and small, as Āyurveda teaches. The sage Cārakya Ṛṣi, who compiled a monumental body of work, illustrated this beautifully. It is said that a disciple once approached Cārakyā and said, “I wish to learn Āyurveda and become your disciple.” The master replied, “Very well. Go and bring me any kind of plant from anywhere in the world. It does not matter what kind, as long as it is a poisonous plant — one that has absolutely no use.” The disciple wandered from shore to shore, from one ocean to the other, visiting farmers and asking, “Please tell me the name of this plant, what it is good for, and what it is not good for.” He documented everything, making careful drawings with colors and names, filling countless pages over many years. When he finally returned to his Gurudev, he confessed, “I have failed. Wherever I went — near dams, by great oceans, across deserts — every plant I found served some purpose. There is nothing in the vegetation that is useless.” He presented his illustrated record. Gurudev responded, “You have passed. You have truly learned, and you will be the best in the science of Āyurveda.” That is how the ṛṣis searched, and how true Gurus search. Today, however, people often come to a master and after a few days declare, “I want to become a sannyāsī; I am this and that.” It does not work like that. Such seekers lack perfection. The path unfolds step by step. Thus, Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya outlined four steps, and he himself had four disciples — one older, one a little younger, one younger still, and one very young. This illustrates the first stage: Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya means devoting oneself exclusively to learning. A brahmachārī is one who studies and studies, without drifting into other activities or entering marriage. This deep study, absorbing everything internally, is the first step. The second stage is called Gṛhasthāśrama. It begins after the age of twenty-five, not before. By then, the student has completed intensive study, and the parents may arrange marriage. From twenty-five until fifty, one lives the householder’s life, embracing family and work — earning a livelihood, raising children. During this period, parents educate their children in two kinds of study: the outer, academic learning, and the inner, spiritual education that imparts peace, harmony, and the art of living — how to live with parents, grandparents, spouses, and children. After fifty, the third stage, Vanaprastha, commences. Now the householder has fulfilled family duties and begins to withdraw. They help their children but increasingly turn toward spiritual study. They may reside in a park or forest, still connected with family but detached. This phase continues until seventy-five. After seventy-five, when husband and wife are ready — either together or separately — they may embrace sannyāsa. They can then take formal renunciation, telling their children, “We are now renouncing; we will go.” They retreat to a forest, dwelling in a simple wooden hut on a riverbank, living under the guidance of a Guru and practicing intense spiritual discipline. It is said that one can continue this way up to a hundred years, deepening meditation and giving up all attachments. This is called sādhanā, and such a one is a sannyāsī, a holy saint. You cannot live carelessly in between — eating meat and indulging in countless distractions — and imagine yourself a sannyāsī. That is not the reality. The distinction is crucial. Then something extraordinary occurred in our tradition when Ādiguru Śaṅkarācārya Jī appeared. Śaṅkarācārya was one of the greatest learners the world has seen. Some Western scholars have said that the finest philosophical writing belongs to Śaṅkarācārya. He did not live long; some say he was poisoned, but we will explore that another time — we will watch videos about Śaṅkarācārya Jī in one and a half hours. Although the general rule is four stages, sannyāsa can actually come at any time. Śaṅkarācārya himself became a sannyāsī as a very young boy, perhaps only seven years of age. He taught that if you possess vairāgya: vairāgya nai śwanī, agni tasāṅg, vairāgya nai vile, satsaṅg triyas kāenge. In essence, Śaṅkarācārya said: “Give up everything — attach and detach.” Detach from one thing and attach yourself to the All. Then you can become a sannyāsī. Otherwise, you remain endlessly entangled. So, study, work, learn, and strive to reach the supreme consciousness, my dear. This journey is within yourself, not dependent on what someone else says. People may say, “Oh, Swāmījī is very good,” but what is their true thought? Inside, there are many calculations. Out of a hundred percent, perhaps only half a percent — or even less — of a guru’s consciousness is truly present. That is, the guru who is Śaṅkara comes through clearly, but others, who offer tea and coffee in comfortable rooms — where is the real Guru? I have spoken of the Guru Śaṅkara’s chariot many times. There is a famous story. Śaṅkarācārya, who had been making distinctions based on caste, once encountered Bhagavān Śiva on the banks of the Gaṅgā in Vārāṇasī (Kāśī). Śiva appeared as a person of so-called lower caste. He approached Śaṅkarācārya and refused to step aside. Śaṅkarācārya said, “Please step aside.” The person replied, “I will not. Who are you? Are you Śaṅkarācārya Jī? Then tell me.” Śaṅkarācārya answered, “Yes.” From that exchange, Śaṅkarācārya came to declare, “All are one.” Brahman — the highest reality — knows no caste. What happened next? On the riverbank, Śaṅkarācārya Jī attempted to touch the feet of that person who was carrying dead bodies. As he did so, the water from Śaṅkarācārya’s hand touched his feet and vanished — the form disappeared instantly, for it was Śiva himself. Deeply moved, Śaṅkarācārya composed many beautiful bhajans dedicated to Śivjī kā, bahut acchā. In this way, Śaṅkarācārya stands as the greatest of the great. And so, Śaṅkarācārya taught that you must give up everything, and the same truth resounds: Ho Na Vairāgya, Vairāgya Nai Ho Vere Bina Satsaṅg, Vairāgya Nai Ho Vere Bina Satsaṅg. We may attend satsaṅg, but what truly lives inside us is what matters. You should not harbor anything negative in your heart or mind. That negativity is there, but it must be removed. Thus, Holy Gurujī and Mahāprabhujī — we will see tomorrow in our Līlāmṛta how Holy Gurujī met Mahāprabhujī. Mahāprabhujī first gave him this mantra: Om Prabhudeep Niranjan Sabdukha Banjan. This makes everything clear and simple. The verse is: Oṁ Namo Oṁ Prabhudipaniranjana Sabadhukamanjana, Prabhudipaniranjana Sabadhukamanjana. Oṁ Di Tau Siddhānām, Oṁ Di Tau Siddhānām... Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya. Through this mantra, purification of all the tattvas occurs — of these five tattvas which we possess: prāṇa, annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya, and jñānamaya. There are many tattvas, and Holy Gurujī has written a very beautiful book that many have still not touched. They should read it. If you study it, the teachings become very simple. Gurujī composed this book in Gujarat, at his Deep Mādhava Āśram. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... My dear ones, all of the past is embraced in this mantra. Our body, our prāṇa, our mind, our intellect, and our peace and spirituality — that is all. Now, today, our dear Swami Premanānjī of the Dip Āśram, Jaipur, Sodala, where he grew up — Premanānjī. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jai, Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān Kī Jai, Viśvagurū Mahāmaleśvara Paramān, Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī Gurudeva Kī Jai. And now the yogīs will come to the stage and sing a bhajan. At every gathering’s end, there is a sweet refrain: Mari Hari Guru Rakhi Lāj, Param Guru Swāmījī Maru Janam Sudhāryo Āj, Dubatī Jag Mein Mari Samrāt Rakhi Lāj. This is not merely a long life; it is the melody of Gurujī and Mahāprabhujī.