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The Three Auspicious Times and the Path of Yoga

A spiritual discourse on auspicious times, the guru principle, and the foundational practices of yoga.

"The first is in the morning, from before sunrise until half an hour after the sun rises. This is known as Brahma-muhūrta."

"Yoga is that balance, harmony, courage, and our consciousness within."

A spiritual teacher addresses a gathering, first explaining the three most auspicious times for prayer (morning, midday, and sunset). He then discusses the omnipresence of the guru principle in all forms of learning and divinity, before guiding the audience through the core elements of yoga practice. This includes the importance of the physical body, a detailed explanation and demonstration of basic prāṇāyāma techniques for purifying the energy channels, and the progression through āsanas, prāṇāyāma, and meditation towards self-realization.

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

There are three times particularly suited for prayer or pūjā. The first is in the morning, from before sunrise until half an hour after the sun rises. This is known as Brahma-muhūrta. This time is powerful, pure, and clean. After this period, its potency diminishes. While prayers can be done at any time, this one is very important. The second time is midday, for about one hour. This is again a time for pūjā, praṭhanā, and prayers. The third time begins at sunset. When the sun sets, we light a dīpak (lamp). It signifies that although the sun has gone, we maintain at least a small flame as a night light, if not for the whole night, then at least for the duration of our prayers. This is the pūjā we perform before going to sleep, and it is the best time for it. Nowadays, in modern times, people often do not accept or understand this. It is said that sleeping before sunrise is acceptable, but if you are still sleeping when the sun has risen, you are losing your spiritual and beneficial prāṇas. The period from 12 to 1, or 12 to 11, is again the best time of the day. And the evening time is for preparing to sleep. It is said that the best time for prayer, prārthanā, is from about one hour or half an hour before sunset until sunset. It is said that in India, when we talk about the cows and goats going to the forest to graze in the morning, that time is called 'go-time'. The dust raised by their movement is very healthy, not bad. Similarly, when they all return to their farm or home in the evening, that dust is also very healthy. This is not the dust from cars, which we create. These are the three auspicious times. If we observe them, our perfection or journey to Brahmaloka becomes very easy, quick, and certain. Now, in some countries, we do not see cows anywhere. People only eat meat, so how will it be there? But it is said that if you have a cow in a little field near your house, your house will not be damaged in an earthquake. The earth may shake, but the house near which there is a stable for a cow will not be damaged. Like the horse, which I spoke about four days ago, four weeks ago, and many times... I will talk more about that later. As for the real male... there is only one. All other animals and humans are not real males. They have both [qualities]. In that context, it is said: Who is a male? One who has no sin of the brood? Perhaps a bull, but it also bears the sign of a goat, and so do all others—except the horse. That is called pūrṇa, complete. We will talk about that later. So, in these times, we should try to be respectful and controlled, knowing what we are doing and what we should not do. There are many things in this way. All creatures are good, very good. But some creatures are of a humble kind. Anyhow, in that way, prārthanā, the prayer. Now, if we can do it in our house—if we have a little temple, or a picture of our holy saints, our gurus—it can be of a male or female form, Śakti. There are about 52 [such forms]. This is our understanding of the many whom we call devīs. These are all forms of the Divine Mother. And then there are also many whom we call Guru. That means many Gurus. Even the one who holds your finger when you are a little child learning to walk is also your guru. The one teaching you to swim is also a guru. The one teaching you to ride a bicycle, a bus, a train, a helicopter, an aeroplane, or a horse—the one teaching you electronic work—all these are our gurus. Všichni ti to jsou naši guruové. There is a great, great saint we call Bhagavān, Dattātreya. Dattātreya means—that is the story—he has three heads, representing Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, all three. He even has a dog. He has everything. So Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva are also our gurus. But they too have a guru. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa had a guru. Bhagavān Rāma had a guru. Every god has their guru. If you believe in Jesus; he also had his guru. He was in the river, and his guru gave him sannyās. And so now we practice putting water on our head—not on the body. Wherever it is, in your altar or somewhere in a church, there is also water. We touch the water, and it heals. This we should follow. That is very important. If we do not follow this, then it is like being a deer in the forest. Now, many, many people, the more educated they become, with more knowledge and science, they just get lost in the name of God. They have no gurus. There is nothing else in it. Only sometimes, for social reasons, we perform some pūjā or something, like Christmas. But the others, who still have [a guru], they are the highest. So there are two kinds. One is the people who have learned in school, college, university, etc., and studied science, etc. But they go no further into that which we call God. They do not even want to think about God because they do not know, and they think, "Now I am God." And saints are the guru, the supreme, or the highest. Ale ti nejvyšší, ti guruové, to jsou ti svědci. So there are two things here. So finally, in our worship or saying praṇām, etc., it must not depend on whether you have studied or not. A tak toho, koho my uctíváme, komu děláme praṇām, koho si vážíme, nezáleží na tom, jaké má vzdělání, jestli má školu nebo nemá. But their guru gives you the blessings. Ale je to o tom, že dostali požehnání svého gurua a iṇīṭů. Oṁ Karvindusa Yuktaṁ Manityadayanti Yogina Kaṁdambokṣadaṁcheva Oṁ Karayinamo Namaḥ. Blessed self, dear sisters and brothers, yogis and all practitioners, I am very happy to see all of you, and especially for the invitation given to me. I am very happy and would like to give you some glimpse of yoga. Yoga is the very broad time of Bhagavān Śiva. Before Śiva, there were three principles, because there was just space and consciousness. But we do not know what we understand by consciousness. Within them was what is called balance, the harmonious balancing between the conscious and space. From there emerged Śiva, which we call the light, the light or the heat. So these are the five essences, the five principles: space, light, air, water, and earth. From their coming together emerged what is called Śiva. Śiva came, vanished from—we do not know—because there was no father and no mother. And so, as a yogic power, that came out from the principle of Śiva. After that came many different kinds of creation, and what we call the three principles: water, earth, and fire. Likewise, it is a long story; I do not want to take time. So, first is the yogī. And this is not only exercises, not just like a breath or some kind of exercises, but it is the principle within on this earth. That is called Jalchar, Thalchar, and Nabchar. Jalchar are creatures in the water, the ocean. Thalchar are creatures on the earth. And Nābchar are those creatures in the sky. Between them, what we call, there are 8.4 million, 8.5 million different creatures. From all these 8.5 million creatures, one is the human. The human has all kinds of power, energy, knowledge, etc., but they need that kind of person, or ourselves, or what you call a guru, etc. So, there are three: Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā. These further bring about creation, from time to time, age to age. And one is called the Guru principle. Now, if we are coming to yoga, then we have to come to the guru. Now, what and how many gurus can there be? Let's say the first guru is the mother, the father. Brothers, friends, they are our gurus. Then someone who is giving us, for example, cycling lessons, that is our guru. Who is teaching about the train or aeroplane, etc.? Our teachers, in primary school, middle school, college, etc. These are all gurus. It means those who give us knowledge. After this, there is Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā. But even they are coming to the point of the Guru. And that is the fourth point. Therefore, it is "Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvara," and Śiva. Parabrahma Paramātmā, they are the highest of that. So therefore, Dhyāna Mūlam Guru Mūrti. So meditation, if we want to do, is based on the principle of the Guru. Dhyāna mūlaṁ guru-mūrti, pūjā mūlaṁ guru-padam. And at that time, if we want to achieve everything—not from this knowledge and all this, but the highest consciousness—then we are coming further. In that, we have two [paths]. We have doctors, we have scientists, we have many other differences. They have given us a lot, a lot. Universities, everything. But this is on the surface, only on this earth. They have done a lot, and a lot. But as a guru, maybe not in your college or university or somewhere, but they have given a guru's blessing. And the blessing is that, then, different. And that is the teaching in which we call a yogī. So yoga, yoga is that balance, harmony, courage, and our consciousness within. Now, yoga is coming more and more and more. So we know that yoga has become, yoga is a science of the humans. From this we have the eighteen kinds of yoga in the book called the Bhagavad Gītā. So, what is in the Bhagavad Gītā? There are all, each chapter is one-one yoga. And before that, and now also, more than this, but what we are coming to is how to begin. So, it is said, the body is nothing, but without the body, everything is nothing. So first we have to come into our body, and our body is that health. Health is the wealth, and that wealth, what kind of wealth is that? For the yogīs, not that physical thing or properties, money, etc., but the qualities of the inner body. So that our body is very healthy and has a long life, etc. Of course, sometimes there are some, something happens, an accident, that time one will be killed, die, etc. Otherwise, that yogī should, and every yogī can be, healthy, happy, and forever. Of course, it has given the time, and that time, so it is called either we call dharma and adharma or hell and heaven. So it is who is in the heaven and what is in the hell, or different things about that. Talking in that way, that it is within ourself, for our body positive good in that way. So, yogī, now yogī means not that we will go somewhere in Himālaya or in forest somewhere, no. You are all, my dear sisters and brothers, you are also yogīs. And you are coming to this thinking about the yogīs, and so it can be at home, we can anywhere. We should have the principle within ourself. So what do we have to think about the body? There are many, many principles, but one is that what we call... That physical, our physical body, and then the mental, our mind, that is within ourself and outside. The mind is very quick. For example, I can tell you something, and it will bring you very far, just in my mind. That mental, and that mental is just like, I tell you, let's say, the moon. We are all on the moon, as Jupiter. We are all later Jupiter, so this is what... We call it the mental, and that mental, the mind, is within our body for everything, and then it is called social health. So this social health, social everything, is nowadays what we call, for the yogīs. You will not be home, or we are in the Himalayas or anywhere. We are human, and we have all the same things God can give or our practitioners can give us. In this practice, we become first of the body, body movements. And if we really do every day, for example, it's called the āsanas, and that is called Sarvahitāsana. Now, Sarvahitāsana, many yogīs, every master, give different names, everything. So, this asana which we have is very simple. If, for example, please don't mind, but it is like that, someone has about 150 kilos. Now, how to do to bring slowly, slowly back and good in the body, good position, posture, and that is Sarvahitāsana. And Sarvahitāsana means from the toes till the top of the head and from the top of the head till the toes, each and every joint in the body, each and any muscles of the body, anything, and this is the best which our programs are making. That's called Sarvittāsana. My sister, she's always making your yoga classes, not Namṛtsāgar, but Kailās. Kailāsjī, so Kailās is my sister, and Kailās is my disciple, or my sister, because my grandmaster's disciple and my guru's disciple, and now she has accepted me also as a disciple. And in this, they are coming, and though so, now they told me something about how to go further. So, movements we know everything. We are coming to the prāṇa. So, we say in body: physical, then mental, then the energy, prāṇa. These are all five principles which we have, and that is prāṇa. Prāṇa means energy. Energy means for me in yoga, and of course there may be many doctors there, scientists may be there, of course. They have a different, and I'm sure they are better than me in their way. My way is the yogī, and yogī is different. So these five principles: annamaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, vijñānamaya kośa, and ānandamaya kośa, these are... Five particles in the body, so prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma means breath, inhalation and exhalation, ascending and descending the breath. Now, this breath is the life, life. And in yoga, it is said, how many thousands or how many months? And how many breaths you will live. After that, you don't have any finish. So, the yogī said that through the pranayama science, the practice of pranayama, we can make our life longer than it is now. How? This is also, so there are in our body, and in our body, we have those 8.4 million different creatures and different parts in the body. And from this, we have the Nāḍī systems. Nāḍī is the nerve system. And there is that we first clean our nervous systems. Now, we cannot clean with water. We cannot do it with a cloth, we cannot do it with something, but only through the prāṇāyāma, the breath, the breath. In this, we have many, many different prāṇāyāmas, but generally, first is called, there are three nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. Ida is the left nostril, right nostril, and middle nostril, which we are taking in yoga; we are counting. The left nostril is mostly attacking or coming to the left part of the brain, and the right nostril, the right. These both hammer in the body. So, left nostril, first we have to begin with the prānāyāma. And that prāṇāyāma is first inhale and exhale. Now, if you may see, by these two fingers, we are calling like a victory. So, victory, okay? So, but these are two nostrils, index finger and middle finger. These two fingers, the index finger and middle finger, these two fingers should come to the between, on the middle of our forehead. And this is why it has meaning. First, it is that we shall keep balance for our prāṇāyāma and nerve systems and our neck, because the neck should be straight; otherwise, we go like that, or you are holding like this. So there is one āsana and a stick we have here controlling. So these are the two nerves, these two nāḍīs, the index finger and middle finger. The second is the left nostril, or right, sorry, right nostril, and that is the thumb. So we close our right nostril with the thumb, slightly from the side, giving a little pressure, not very strong, slowly. And inhale and exhale with the left nostril. These two fingers are here, and when we close the left nostril, then the ring finger blocking the left nostril, these two fingers are still there. First, we remove the thumb so that we can inhale and exhale with the left and right nostrils. So, inhale and exhale with the left nostril, inhale and exhale with the middle, and inhale and exhale with the right nostrils. So, why is it there? There are three points. The first is the cause of purification, cleaning the left nostril and the right nostril that we... We are doing with our in yoga, and that's called the Hatha yogī. Hatha yogī is one of the best, and part of all other yogīs you can do, but Hatha yoga is the best, and we are all in doing Hatha yoga now. So first we inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale with a lot left nostril. Let's say, for example, 25 times: inhale left, exhale through left. One, inhale through the left nostril and with left exhale. Two, inhale left, exhale left. Three, likewise, 25 times, or 15 times, or 10 times. It depends on your time. After this, we block the left nostril. These two fingers are still in the forehead, and the thumb is separate. Inhale through the right nostril, exhale through the left. Right nostril, five times, and then again for one minute rest. This is called the purification of both nostrils. That's... Called Siddhi, so Ida and Piṅgalā purification. Now we are going to clean other sides. This is like a canalization. So, inhale through left nostril and close the left nostril, and exhale through right nostril. Again, block the right nostril and inhale through left nostril. And exhale through the right again. Close. Inhale through the left, exhale through the right. Also, 10 times, 15 times, 20 times—it's your time, please. Then, first, block the left nostril and, with the right nostril, inhale and close the right nostril. And exhale through left, inhale through right, exhale through left. That's called the Bhūbhedan, Śodhan Bhedan. It means now we are giving the whole cleaning, this side, this side, and from this side, and from this. The third, that's called Anuloma Viloma. Inhale through the left nostril, exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Anuloma below. Now, these three techniques of the prāṇāyāma, then there are many other techniques. There are many, many techniques. One is called the Vastrika or Prāṇāyām, Vastrika or Udāsī, many, many numbers according to the book which you have. I have this science of the yoga, what you have, the hidden powers in the human, Kuṇḍalinī, and this very. Beautiful. Our Kailash, she has very good, all these books like that. So, this is after, because prāṇāyāma means purifying the nerve systems and the spinal column, the muscles. And then, the coming, the next time we can talk about the chakras. We have to go through the chakras. It doesn't matter, other chakras purified and cleaned, you will be happy, healthy, and everything. You will have that. So, this prāṇāyāma is a physical exercise and prāṇāyāmas, and then, so now, generally, we you shall do three programs every day. When you are going to your master, your teacher will give you exercises, and that is the first: physical exercises. And in exercises, there are two things. First, body warming. And body warming, there are only five minutes. Then you do your exercises, asanas, which you did, how many? I have about eight different kinds of exercises you can have. First is Sarabhita Āsana. There is a yoga system, and in the system, a yogī, you want to become a yogī. Then it takes you a minimum of five years, my dear. And after five years, then you will say, "Please, can you give me now a teacher, so that I can become a teacher?" So, this is the yoga. It is a science also, from the Saravitasan till the, that will, Kailash will tell you. I don't know, people will wait for five years. It is like you want to go to school, primary school, middle school, high school, college, university, and then you become the highest, a very great doctor or anything. Yes, my dear. So become the master, become the guru, become the holy, and that yoga is the greatest. Slowly, for ten days, for one year, and then I am a yoga teacher. I cannot believe that someone is saying that I want to get down a yoga teacher. So my science of yoga is different. So in this way, it comes to them in prāṇāyāms and this, but many things. So first, the body. After that body, then we are making prāṇas, the prāṇāyāma. After the prānāyāms, we come to concentration, and then meditation. Now, meditation is two. Either you want to go to the outer side, or you want to go inside. So, inside, you have everything. Outside, you are just taking something from. But then you have to give back again, but you have within thyself. And you are so wide and broad, like a whole universe is within thyself. That is a yogī. You are a yogī, my dear. You will be, so slowly, don't hurry. So these are three: the āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, and meditation. Meditation is twofold, and these two, many of our teachers will tell or further. So, I think our dear Kailash was giving these programs, and he asked, and I'm very happy, and I'm very happy that Kailash brought you all, and I don't know how you understood me, my language. In American language, it's difficult, but I'm sure, slowly, slowly, you will understand in one or two weeks what this yogī was talking about or telling us. So, and Dinesh, Kailash and her husband, Dinesh, both are disciples, and they are very great. Yoga is many, many things, not only physical bodies, not only physical bodies. We have to go higher, very high, slowly. Prāṇāyāma and mantra, without mantra, nothing is there. Definition very short: mantra. "Man" means mind, "tra" means liberation. So, my dear sisters and brothers, all in front of me, I am very happy to see you. God bless you. I pray to God that you will have good health, peace, harmony, and that day by day, you will develop your body and your mind fully, and everything goes well. And we will see, maybe one day. Otherwise, I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I wish you all the best. God bless you. Kailash, thank you very much. Dinesh, thank you very much for giving me the invitation. I am here in Europe now for 52 years. I have been many times in America, and now I am in Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic. And it is already mid, nearly coming midnight, or 14? No, no, sorry, excuse me, 10:30. So, thank you.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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