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Good evening, dear sisters, brothers, all yogīs and practitioners. Welcome to all of you around the world. Yesterday we celebrated Dīpāvalī, and festivals of the Rāmāyaṇa were observed worldwide. At that time, it is said Bhagavān Rāma was returning, bringing light, peace, and harmony to the entire creation, removing all negativity. People worshipped throughout the day and continue to do so, and tomorrow there will be light again. It is said that when such a great being, like a God, incarnates, a sense of harmony, peace, and understanding awakens in the heart of every creature. Yet, as the yugas cycle, dust slowly accumulates again. We must remove this dust. Consider a beautiful table in our house with a glass on it. We clean it thoroughly and keep all windows and doors closed. Yet, when we return in the evening, we can run a finger over the glass and find dust. Slowly, dust returns, and we must clean again. Similarly, negativity returns again and again and must be cleansed. This is not easy, for we often do not know its source. That God—and we may not even know who God is—does not ask us anything. Great saints and yogīs sit in the Himalayas or other great mountains. Their physical bodies are completely purified. They are present, though we may not see them. We do not ask them, but we can count them among the gods. They take care of the entire globe, not just one place. Just as the sun rises and gives light to all—humans, creatures, and vegetation—so do these great yogīs or God provide that light. When the dust becomes too much and they do not wish to remove it directly, something good arrives to cleanse it again. We clean the dust from our hands, and our palms become clean once more. This is the cycle of the yugas. Now, it is Kali Yuga. Kali Yuga is not ending; you cannot imagine how terrible things may become. Even now, we see and feel the interplay of negative and positive, called dharma and adharma. When there is too much adharma, God comes. Sometimes they are not visible to us, but they know how to cleanse. Those humans who practice yoga, meditation, and worship according to their traditions are now protecting themselves. There are still many good persons who are comfortable and protective. Yet, day by day, darkness also approaches. Therefore, before the sun sets again, we must ourselves make the light. Through this light, we protect ourselves, knowing that dawn will come very soon. When dawn rises, we again find happiness and energy and think, "Now it is okay." It is said that when there is too much negativity, it is called Mahāpralaya—a time of universal disaster. The dust, meaning negativity and adharma, is routed back and purified as if in fire. Those who follow dharma—and what is dharma? To do good for all, to help, help, help—they will go to the Brahmalokas. In this way, we know that our gods, our saints, our yogīs (by whatever name we call them) are meditating day and night. They sit watching, perhaps in front of a cave, whether in sun or night. This is how yogīs can protect us—not merely through the four yogas of āsana and prāṇāyāma. Practicing prāṇāyāma left and right is very good, but it is for the body only. The other path is different; it is called bhakti. Bhakti means devotion. Devotion to whom? If you see an animal being killed or fallen, and you cannot help, that is not it. If we can help, we do our best, even if the outcome is uncertain. That is Seva. That is also Bhakti. Seva is helping. Now, you know the mālā. This is my mālā, given to me by my Gurujī, Svāmī Mādhavānandajī Bhagavān, in 1975. Before that, this mālā belonged to my Gurujī, Bhagavān Mādhavānandajī, from 1965, and it was given at Ādi Guru Śaṅkarācārya’s ashram. My Gurujī was a follower of Śaṅkarācārya. We went to visit the Śaṅkarācārya in South India, and the Śaṅkarācārya gave this mālā to Holy Gurujī. In the evening, when Gurujī went to meditate, he told me, "I have my mālā from my guru, Bhagavān Mahāprabhujī. This one is from the hand of Śaṅkarācārya Jī. I give you this mālā, and you should also practice now with a mālā." I said, "Yes," and was happy, though I did not know how. Gurujī gave me the mālā and a mantra. From that day, when I put it around my neck and the mala touched my heart, it felt as if I were in liberation. Gurujī told me how to hold the mālā. We use five fingers. With the right hand—or if one has only one hand, or if the other hand is undisturbed, one can use the left hand. Do not think we practice only with the right hand; many people use the left hand. They can do so with no problem. The main thing is that we are practicing with the mālā. How do we do it? In the hand, the mala hangs on two fingers: the ring finger and the little finger. With the middle finger and the thumb, we hold one bead, letting it hang between these two fingers. We hold the mālā. The index finger—it always means "do this, do that." If you point at someone like this, it can be very negative. This finger can also be used nicely: we make a tilak with the thumb, or with the ring finger we take color and apply it, or with three fingers we take paste and apply it. But for the mala, it is said, "Do not touch the index finger." Some, speaking according to kuṇḍalinī, the cakras, and jyotiṣa, say this finger is negative, not good. Therefore, either hold the finger like this, or not at all, or let this finger touch your thumb. If your finger gets tired, at the joint of the thumb, we should touch this finger. Then, for example, we do our mantra. Let’s say "OM." With the middle finger, we pull one bead inward, not outward. If you move your middle finger outward, it is very negative and you will have many problems. Therefore, it goes like this: "OM, OM..." We count, and we have 108 beads. 108. Then here, where both threads come through, this is called Sumeru. We make a knot there so it is secure. Why 108? 108 is for counting. But if there were one hundred, there is only one "1"; we do not count the two zeros. So there is only one. Therefore, there are eight more. One and eight. That becomes nine. So, it should be good numbers according to yogīs or jyotiṣīs. When it is one hundred eight, it becomes nine, and that count is complete at the Sumeru. It is one hundred eight beads rolling, and because it becomes nine, with no zeros when one hundred eight is counted, one zero is missing. So, we come here, and then? It is mostly said to hold your mālā near your heart. The mala should not touch our legs or feet, nor be placed on the floor. But sometimes our hand becomes tired, or there is tension, etc. Then, place a clean cloth—one that does not touch the floor—on your thigh. Place the mālā on this cloth, rest your hand on your thigh, and do your mālā. Another method many people use is a small stick. For example, a piece of wood held like this, with the mala hanging from it, so your shoulder is not strained. That is why many yogīs always carry such a little stick; whenever they sit, they begin to practice. That stick can also be propped somewhere. Mantra is very, very powerful. Let’s say a negative mantra: "You are stupid." That is negative. If we say, "You are humble, you are great," that is good. This is how our tongue can do wrong or good. It is said that one person... I had a very painful tooth, and my tongue kept going there, trying to make it better. Something was stuck from eating, and my tongue said, "I’ll take it out," but I said, "No, it’s painful again after." The tongue kept trying to clean. Then the teeth said, "We are 32. Do not disturb us with this tongue." But again, the tongue went. So the tongue said, "We are a group. Do not think I am alone. If you again and again take my... the others will chew you completely." No. Tongue, you are very flexible. You do not know what to do. We are always saying, "Thank you, okay, you are good, they are good." The tongue needs to be peaceful. Otherwise, in no time... Then the tongue said, "You are 32, that’s all. I am only one." But you know, if I say one negative word, they will all take it out from your teeth. When one is angry, you know, you put here. All teeth go out. If it’s good, then okay, thank you very much. So negative and positive, good or bad, good person or bad person. This also relates to how we use mantras. After practice, we can wear the mala around our neck, outside or inside our clothes, or keep it at home or in a bag. But do not put it where animals or dogs might go. This mala is the power of our whole life. For as many years as you are here, this power is unimaginable. If you want to... Still, someone might say it will all go back to the person who is using it. But let’s say some of your friends have died and their mala remains. You can put it in the Gaṅgā or some river, leave it in the earth, or keep it in your house. Then this mala remains in your room, and it will emanate positive energy all the time. If you lost your mala and someone returns it, you should make praṇām to the person and say, "Please, this is your mala." When you sleep, place your mala on a table or somewhere safe. When washing with water, take the mala off. This is how a yogī should care for it. Some people say, "We don’t need a Mālā." That means you are lost, adrift in darkness. This practice is not only in Hinduism. In Christianity they also have a mala. Muslims also have a mala. Buddhists also have a Mālā, and others do as well. But there are different numbers. The Chinese, for instance, avoid the number four. They will not use it. House numbers go one, two, three, then five—no four. In an elevator, you press the button and there is no fourth floor. This is Chinese knowledge. Many such traditions exist, and they are good. Everything they say is right. Also, there is something: if you give something that people consider negative, it can become very negative for them. For instance, if someone speaks of magic, doing dark things, black magic—it does not matter, this or that. What happens is that person becomes sad and nervous. Nothing may actually happen, but because we are very... I would say we are very susceptible, everyone becomes afraid. But those who cast such negativity upon others will one day face terrible consequences themselves. We do not talk much about this. If someone tells you such things, say, "I have no problem," or "My guru... my Bhagavān, my Allāh, or Jesus, or anyone... they will give you power again." They will say, "No, nothing is there, don’t worry." So, the mala we are discussing is very powerful. You need not clean it with soap. If it gets wet with water, it is okay. But there is prāṇa and a lot of energy here. If someone has bad dreams, leave your mālā nearby. In Germany, I had a disciple who passed away long ago. She was undergoing an operation for a disease, and they wanted to take something away. She said, "No, my mālā should be near my bed." So, we will continue more tomorrow. Many people do not know how to use a mala, what a mala is, or how your guru instructs you about it. This remains here. This goes with. This also I can take with. Namo Śiva. Om Namo Śiva Har Har. My dear all, we have Mahāprabhujī, as today was Mahāprabhujī’s incarnation. Consider how many miracles occurred when Mahāprabhujī was just born, and how great his mother was. In our book Līlā Amṛt, read again. You see, you read one book, any book, twenty times, and on the twenty-first time, you look at a page and something new appears. Something is different. Holy books are not rewritten; we buy new prints, but it is that same book. So, the guru from the south, in our Punjabi... and there he said in the holy book, at the end of the book. From Guru Nānak... Rāzī, not Nanak Rāzī, the Punjabi, sorry, it will come, yes? At the end of that, Guru Granth, who smelled its seed... and he said, "Guru Granth, you should know what is the Guru Granth." Guru Granth ko jāniye. It will be in your heart. Do not think it is a book; it is Guru Dev himself. There are very holy words, but I have forgotten the next two words. In time I will tell you; I am very sorry. I have written it in my book, Gurujī’s book. I would sing today, I know in front of me, but I cannot recall some poem. So Mahāprabhujī is here, Mahāprabhujī’s bhajans, Mahāprabhujī’s words, Holī, Gurujī’s Devapurījī. Bhagavān Dev Purījī and Alak Purījī, from there till Śiva, all the best. Hari Om. Dīp Nama Bhagavān Nikkījī.