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Shrī Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān kī Jai, Ārādhī Bhagavān Shrī Alak Purījī, Devpurījī, Ārādhī Bhagavān Shrī Deep Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī, and our Sadgurudev Shrī Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān. All my dear sisters, brothers, yogīs in life, yoga teachers, and yoga students. I also always like to include all other kinds of yoga colleges, universities, schools, ashrams, and all the different techniques of yoga they are practicing and teaching. I respect them very much and greet them all with "Oṃ Namo Nārāyaṇa," as well as everyone around the whole world where yoga and spiritual life exists, across different religions, gods, devas, and mothers. And I also adore those who are not oriented toward religion but are doing great work. My dears, I am very happy to see you in my mind and heart. I salute and respect all of you who are engaged in learning yoga, whether at universities, in various groups, yoga centers, or ashrams. I respect your work for the benefit of others. I greet you all around the world, whether you practice yoga in daily life or not. I am glad you can hear me. Now, this year, according to the Western calendar we use and according to Jyotiṣa, Sūrya is about to turn north. This time is approaching; in about a fortnight, Sūrya Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān—the sun—will begin its northward journey. My dears, I wish you all the best. For those oriented toward spirituality and yoga, there are many techniques. Today, most people practice yoga more for physical exercise, good health, knowledge, and concentration. They perform physical exercises and then develop an interest in meditation. Nowadays, more or less everyone knows they want to meditate. You close your eyes and think of different things; that is meditation. It is good, but it is not as deep as yoga. We have different techniques: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, and Rāja Yoga. These four yogas have been with us for about 3,000 years. We can also trace yoga back 5,000 years, from the time of the Vedas and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. From there, the Vedas brought forth the 18 yogas described in the Bhagavad Gītā. Every chapter of the Gītā is a yoga. Other Ṛṣis conducted further research, and yoga is even more expansive. Often we wonder, "What should I accept? Is it true?" We run here and there. It is the Guru who gives us one technique. That technique is for reaching the Brahmalokas. Many other techniques are for our knowledge, health, and spiritual learning. But to go very deep inside, there is only one technique the Guru gives: one word or mantra. The Guru gives the first mantra, and later another may come. To delve deeper into our consciousness, we have our mālā and mantra. Many people only recite mantra with the mālā and then go deep into meditation. That is not the complete path. When you use your mālā and become tired, you may fall asleep, the mālā drops, and you sleep. Then you wake up and take the mālā again. The mālā itself is the path. Many religions also have a mālā. Many perform a kind of meditation, like prayers, and then place their hands together to meditate. In yoga books, they often depict meditation with a very straight sitting posture, body erect, just for a photo. But then our elbows bend again; it is not good to remain overly stretched and stiff. That is not the path. It does not matter how you sit. This physical posture is secondary. You can also lie down and sleep while using your mālā. The mālā is for counting one hundred beads. There are eight additional beads, and one more bead at the top is called the Sumeru. So it is one hundred and one. There are two zeros to make one hundred, but what we call the two zeros is not valid; it is only one circle. This is very important. A great Indian professor created the concept of zero. With zeros, we can count as much as we want. The numbers are only nine, because after ten, one zero returns, leaving nine. That becomes the head, the Sumeru. This numerology greatly influences our consciousness, bringing vibration into our body. It is always only nine, and with this zero, we can proceed further. That is why there are 108 beads, including the Sumeru. It returns from ten. Some who use a mālā, like the one I wear around my neck, use it for practicing mantra. After pūjā, we use the mālā, which should be near our chest. The index finger should be separate. The small finger, ring finger, middle finger, and index finger: this index finger should always be up, not touching. The thumb and middle finger are very powerful. There are two fingers on one side and two on the other, with only one, the middle finger, in the center. We do this. Then, with the mālā, we recite the mantra using the middle finger and thumb. The ring finger and small finger hold the hanging mālā, and the middle finger holds one bead. We should bring the bead toward our heart. The thumb stands, holding the ring finger, and then rolls the middle finger inward. This finger should rest on the thumb. This method is given by Ṛṣis and Yogīs. Do not pull outward; it should go inward. Our mālā is our passport. Just as you have a passport for your country, and if lost, you must go to your ambassador or the police, we should hold the mālā in this way. It is very important to learn how to handle the bead. The index finger can be on the thumb or separate. Now, it is said there is Guru Pūrṇimā. Pūrṇimā means the full moon. There are twelve full moons, but after three years, there are thirteen moons in one year. When there is an extra moon within a year, it is counted as thirteen moons, meaning an additional month in Jyotiṣa. So, we should have counted with our mālā. Guru Pūrṇimā: Pūrṇimā, from pūraṇa, means complete. This completeness is the full moon. It is a powerful and very balanced force in our bodies. The Moon balances the Earth. When the Moon moves, it causes differences on Earth, affecting it as well. To understand quickly, consider a fish in the ocean, like a shark. The shark has a fin on its back that balances it, allowing it to move quickly. Similarly, a large airplane flies constantly for 12 or 13 hours. Sometimes there is balance, sometimes strong wind. On the back of the airplane, there is a small part, about one foot, that balances the wind, making the flight comfortable and straight. Similarly, we have this in the Shrī Mahālā. How does it go? Balancing is very important. When the hundred beads are counted, there are two rings, then comes the Sumeru. This Sumeru is our achievement. Then we begin again from that side. When your Guru gives you a mantra, you should know its name. Do not tell anybody, but if someone tells, it is no problem. Mostly, Gurus say, "This is your mantra, and do not tell anyone." My Guru said, "If anybody knows your mantra, why not? They will also get something." For example, the master may tell us, "You should recite five mālās." Why five mālās? The five mālās correspond to Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya, and Ānandamaya. These are the five kośas (sheaths) of the body, and we are purifying all of them. Annamaya kośa is the physical body. Prāṇamaya kośa is our breath. Manomaya is our mind. Vijñānamaya is our intellect. Ānandamaya kośa is peace and bliss. For this mālā, Rudrākṣa is the best. Some people do not use Rudrākṣa. Those more devoted to God Rāma use Tulasī Mālā. Because Tulsīdās had no name; he left home and did not know what happened. When asked his name, he said, "I do not know my name," so he was called Anami, meaning "I have no name." Then a teacher told him, "Go and work in the garden, in the Tulasī garden." So they gave him the name Tulsī Dās. "Dās" means one who works and does everything. Tulasī is the plant used in Āyurveda and is very spiritual. In Kṛṣṇa’s garden, there was a tulasī plant. That is why many worship Kṛṣṇa’s tulasī. In every house in India, after this yuga, other religions came, like Judaism, then Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Some did not want this plant due to religious differences. But this tulasī is just a plant. Everyone can take medicine, but sometimes people refuse, saying, "No, we do not want to touch tulasī." That is not necessary; it is nothing. When a doctor gives an injection, some refuse certain medicines. Some people think, "This plant cannot be holy." We do not need this attitude. So people began watering it daily and keeping it as a holy plant. There are two kinds of tulasī. One is more green, called Tulsī Dās. The other is slightly black, called Kṛṣṇa Tulasī. Both are very beneficial. Many believe that when tulasī is in our garden or in front of our house, and we water it for years, it grows bigger and nicer. People respect it greatly. When the tulasī grows large, some very spiritual Indians say, "Because the tulasī is alone, we should marry it now." They hold a big procession with many people. This slightly black one resembles Kṛṣṇa, so they marry it. This is done for the people, whether they understand or not. It is about confidence. Otherwise, this plant might be neglected. We know tulasī is very powerful in Āyurveda and medicine. We should have one or two leaves in the mouth daily. But do not bite or chew them with your teeth; otherwise, your teeth may not remain good. I do not know why they say it is not good for the teeth. So, take a little bite and then swallow it. We should know how to use tulasī. There is a tulasī seed and a wild tulasī. In our garden ashram, we also have white tulasī. People collect the seeds. The seed is also very medicinal. Take a teaspoon of seeds in half a glass of water. Within half an hour, it will become nice and white, opening up. If someone has burning during urination, male or female, take the seed of wild tulasī (others can also work), put it in water, drink it, and chew the seed inside. You will see that within two hours, it calms down. This is very important. You should know what tulasī is. There are many uses for tulasī; consult your books. It is very well-known and important. Many people have tulasī mālās. They make mālās from the stems. When we go to Badrinath, where Alakpurījī is, because of Kṛṣṇa and Brahmā, there are tulasī mālās. Many people bring offerings to the temple, and they give them back. Like Dr. Shanti, who goes there nearly every year, brings prasāda mālās for everybody. They are very nice and beautiful. There is another mālā made from kamal (lotus) seeds, upon which Brahmā sits. They are very nice; they can be fried and eaten or used in a vegetable meal. There are many other mālās, including crystal mālās and different kinds of stones. These are for health, but a Jyotiṣa practitioner may advise which to use. Rudrākṣa, associated with Śiva, is the highest medium. After this, we have Sumāraṇī. The Sumeru should have no obstruction; it should allow constant movement. In your mālā, do not place it like this. This mālā can be used five times, ten times, two times, or a hundred times, depending on your meditation and mantra practice. On the other side, we could do this all the time. This is called sumaraṇ, meaning constantly, all the time, like our breath going in and out. Tomorrow I will continue. I wish you all the best and Hari Om. Devadhī Dev Deveśvar Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī kī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva kī Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān kī Satya Sanātana Dharma kī Oṃ Viśva Guru Parmānaśrī Svayamī Vaiśvāra Nanda Gurudeva kī Jai.