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Gurur Brahmā, Gurur Viṣṇu, Gurur Devo Maheśvara, Gurur Sākṣāt Parabrahma, Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ, Dhyāna Mūlam Guru Mūrti, Pūjā Mūlam Guru Pādam, Mantra Mūlam Guru Vākyam, Mokṣa Mūlam Guru Kṛpā, Om. Good evening to all dear sisters and brothers, to all students and teachers of Yoga in Daily Life around the world. I also welcome with respect all yoga teachers from other countries, ashrams, and programs. And because we are all one—as our Gurudev, Swami Mādhavānandajī Bhagavān, said— One in all, and all in one. So we respect all from every country, as fellow humans, whether they follow a religion or none; they are great souls. We should remember that we are human, and God has given knowledge to humans as well as to other creatures, but animals do not have that same depth of knowledge. They only know sleeping, waking, eating, and so on. But they do know pain—every kind of pain. If we walk on the earth, stones, thorns, scorching sand or icy ground, all creatures feel these things. So they know they also experience pain. But humans know that all animals and even trees have pain, so we humans should help them, not kill them. Of course, we humans everywhere, even in faraway places, are eating and killing animals. Not everyone will heed what I say. But if we understand that Mother Earth provides everything, this is a very simple truth I am sharing. And I will say until the end of my life that I love you all. First, love and respect humans, and also feel love for all other creatures. That is why, in my satsaṅg, I always speak of this holy place, the holy seat—the seat where we are sitting, the holy chair. You know from many religions that the head of that tradition, for many, many years, has a special chair. That chair is very spiritual and very holy; one should not simply sit there—only one person may sit. Others should feel reverence and offer praṇām to that chair. So, regarding this holy chair, we all respect the one who sits there, and everyone agrees that this is spiritual and good. We orient our entire spiritual life around that chair. For example, as many of you know, since I am here in Europe and elsewhere, let us speak about Jesus. They have a different kind of religion, yet they are not different from Jesus. Among Christians, different denominations have a Pope, and other Christian groups have leaders similar to a Pope. Whatever the name, they all respect and venerate a chair of authority. And we, in India—all Buddhists, all Hindus, and others—call this a Gāḍī. And this Gāḍī belongs to the holy masters, the Gurus, the Śaṅkarācāryas. And it is called the Gāḍī. There are also other names: Vyāsa Gāḍīs, Śaṅkara Gāḍīs, Guru Gāḍī—those are other designations. So everyone who comes there respects it, and only that one person may sit on it. And many people do not even wish to come close; they keep their distance. But on the other hand, take for example a holy chair or holy gāḍī. A small child may come running quickly to the Gurujī, or Śaṅkarācārya, or Jesus, or others. They will not push the child away. They will hug and kiss the child, showing so much love, how much they smile, those who sit on that holy seat. Yet, when we grow older—after ten, twenty, or thirty years—they may say, “Please keep a little distance.” Why this difference? Because little children are very pure; they have no negativity, and that is why it is said, “Little children are like God.” This is very important. But afterwards, they develop in other directions influenced by the world. Of course, we respect them greatly, and those who sit on the gāḍī or the chair also respect you very much. And we respect whoever sits on that gāḍī or chair. But the one who sits there should not say, “I am higher, I am the best.” If they do, it means they are not fit for that gāḍī. Instead, we should be more humble, more respectful, and more loving toward one another. When you leave the presence of the holy chair and go out, many will fold their hands, many will hug us, and some may show respect by touching a ring or hand. These are different traditions in different countries. But we must truly feel that same humbleness, kindness, and love for every creature. If a holy person sits on that chair and a tiny, beautiful bird comes and perches there, they will not kill it. No, they say, “Oh, what a beautiful bird.” Yes, we all have feelings, no matter the country or religion. So, in this way, I always say, “Protect them, feed them, but do not kill them and do not eat them.” This is the balance: on one hand, non-killing; on the other, love. And in our house we have many small animals—a dog, a cat, and others. I have seen so many people, in my programs here and on Swāmījī’s television programs, who say, “My cat, my doggie,” and they hold it in their arms, and the doggie licks their chest or even their mouth. Yes, you love that. Some may think it is not hygienic, but it is also a life. Yet others kill them. We have seen, you know, someone holding a dog with a chain and burning its mouth with gas, or burning its hindquarters. Where is that same dog we cherish at home? Yet some are tortured. And such things happen, yet we often turn away. How can we progress spiritually? We must feel for others too. This is the first step. If you want to go for meditation, practice yoga or other techniques, visit a temple or church, then consider: how do we feel? First, we should embrace all creatures in our heart, and all humans. After that, it does not matter whether you do āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, concentration, meditation, football, or any sport. It is all good: swimming, running—all good. When we reach another level, another height of human consciousness, then we turn to meditation, concentration, closing our eyes. And those who are only running or doing vigorous activity, they too afterwards come and relax. They will relax and say, “Ah, very nice.” Very good running, good friends, and now we are all relaxed. We were playing football, kicking the ball this way and that. Then all these football players, eleven against eleven, afterwards come together and drink water, milk, or eat fruit. Or those who practice yoga—āsanas, prāṇāyāmas—then lie down. That is relaxation, or yoga nidrā. Mahāprabhujī has given a beautiful bhajan about this. One day we will translate it again. Then, after that, another step: we move from our own body, not just ourselves, toward others, feeling relaxed and comfortable. But we try to extend our relaxation or meditation to the energy of other people’s bodies. First we go to our friends and families. But then something else happens. There is an earthquake, many people die. Then all of us, whether yogīs or athletes, everyone says, “Oh my God, the poor people, my fellow human beings.” That feeling is in our heart. You open the door of your heart to other people—my God, how it is! At that moment, you know that in your heart, mind, and brain there is humbleness toward everyone. Then this is another level of development, our spiritual height. After reaching that level, we can understand everything above—from the whole earth and then toward God. When such feelings are present, through prayers, meditations, concentration, and helping, there are many levels in yoga: Haṭha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, and so on. After that comes the highest. Then, at that time, we go within ourselves and expand outward to embrace all. Then it is like a beautiful tree, a big, old, ancient tree, covered with beautiful flowers, blossoms, and fruits, and so many creatures are enjoying it. That kind of person is the one fit to sit on the holy seat. In many religions and traditions, only a male is placed on such a chair, not a female. I do not know why. But there are many, many holy ones, and they too sit on a high seat—for example, Śiva and Pārvatī, Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī, Brahmā and Sarasvatī. And what we call Śiva’s Śakti. You know, when Śakti (Satī) died, Śiva took her body and wandered into space; for how many long years or months, Śiva and the dead body of Satī were only there. But Śiva was not in his normal state; he was absorbed in his own space. So the devas went to Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and all others, saying, “Please bring Śiva back.” Who could do this? Viṣṇu then sent his Sudarśana. And the Sudarśana went. The Sudarśana Cakra cut the Śakti’s body into fifty-two parts. And wherever those parts fell, holy places arose—in the Himalayas and in many parts of India. And there they are known as very, very holy temples, because that is the holy mother, the Śakti. We go there and worship. So we should not say that only women cannot sit on the holy seat, or only men can. It is not like that. And we worship the divine feminine on many, many days. How do we worship, respect, and adore the Holy Mother of Jesus? And others also. So how do we go further? At that time you will say, “Yes, now I am on a seat.” And about that seat, it is said, in every religion there is a holy chair. The one who sits on that chair represents the whole range of their religion; that one exists. And we can all come together. So, when one comes to the holiest chair, sometimes one may think, “Oh, now I am like a god.” At that time, that person says, “It is not that I am on the chair as a god. No. Now, the responsibility is from God. He gave it to me, and therefore I should embrace all as one.” It is not only about your own children. In some religions, the holy person may marry and have children. But when you come home, maybe you attend to your children; otherwise, it is your house, yet it is not truly yours. You belong to the whole world, with its different religions and traditions, and we must respect that—not to control, not to be lax, but we should come together, pray, and give to them. And that is why the next state then comes. Now, one does not have to be a holy person sitting on a chair. That is only for a few. But there are many more highly spiritually developed beings everywhere. That is why in different temples, churches, or ashrams, spirituality sprouts everywhere. They all help, take care, and guide people to the Supreme Highest. Then you will see, “Yes, now I am going higher.” And if I or we say, “I am great, I did it, I do it, and this is only for me and not for you,” then it is just empty talk. And one day, it will be like birds; when I wave my hand, all fly away—pat, pat… Chal Gagan Ghar Chadnare Bhai Manva, Dheere Dheere Chal Gagan Ghar Chadnare Bhai. Like climbing a rock in the Himalayas. Climb the Himalayas, but slowly, slowly, slowly. Do not hurry, otherwise you will fall down. Nitya Hari Om. What does that mean? How far are you going in your consciousness? Will I go or not? And there are many saints, many others, not only those who sit on the chair. So in Yoga in Daily Life, you are always receiving this kind of knowledge, lectures, and so on. Holy Gurujī once told a very nice story. There was one Gurujī who lived just outside a village. For example, Strilky is a little village. And there is a road. On the other side of the road, there are yogīs or maybe the guru sits there, because it is more peaceful. One day, a man came and said, “Swāmījī, I want to become your disciple. Please, can you teach me? Can you give me mokṣa?” The guru said, “We are in this together, you and me. Bring your water, I will bring the vegetables, and you should cook the vegetables, and so on.” And the disciple said, “Gurujī, you should sit down. I will do everything.” In the evening, Gurujī would give satsaṅg and bhajans. This went on for some months, maybe years. But one day the disciple said, “I have been five years with Gurujī, working, cleaning, and so on, but my kuṇḍalinī has not risen.” So one day, early in the morning, he left and went away. The guru asked people, “Where is my bhakta, my disciple? He was here. What happened?” Some people said, “Yes, I saw him leave.” Others said, “He was going to another village.” So he had gone. After a few days, weeks, or months, there was another Gurujī somewhere, and the disciple went to him. “I think you are very holy, and you are the best one.” The new guru asked, “What do you want?” He replied, “I want to become your disciple, and I want to become very spiritual…” “Have you been with a guru?” “Yes, but he was not a real guru. You look to me very much like a true guru.” Well, the guru gave him a mantra, and he stayed with him, helping. This guru also had a few disciples. Time passed—maybe days, months, or years. One day he would run away again, thinking, “This Gurujī is also not good.” In this way, he went from one to another. He went to about seven different Mahārāj Gurus. He became a disciple who wanted to become a disciple of everyone. But he was just a serial disciple. And one day he became very angry. At some ashram, with the twelfth sādhu or guru, he said, “They just use us for work and other things. They are nothing. I have wasted my life. I had hoped to become something, but nothing. I wish I could have married, had children, and they would help me. But now I cannot marry, cannot have a child. I am old; no one will take me as a husband now. Oh my God!” So he threw away his ochre robes and spoke very negatively to this master. Then he went to all twelve sādhus or gurus he had been with. Everywhere he went, he shouted insults. Finally, he came to the first guru, who was also the last one he now visited. He arrived at the door of that ashram. His guru said, “Oh my dear! How…? Where have you been? You are so old now! But I am so happy you are here.” He said, “I do not want to tell you anything. You told me, ‘I will bring you to mokṣa,’ and all that. And nowhere did I get anything. So I will tell everyone negative things about you. You know, if there are a thousand people and one says something negative, it can divide the whole group—like splitting dough. What is it like? When someone says negative things, it is like when we wave our hand and all the birds fly away. Everything disperses.” Then he said, “Gurujī, I worked so long for you, and I tell you that you are not a real guru. I worked very hard; you should give me money. You could not give me mokṣa?” The guru said, “Now I can give you mokṣa.” “Will you?” “Yes.” “I will now give you the path.” “How long?” “About twelve days. Then you will be on the very good way.” “Thank you, Gurujī. Thank you, Gurujī. You have taken me to your heart. What can I do, Gurujī? What can I do?” Gurujī said, “In my āśram, there is about 500 square meters of land. And there is no water at all. Please, can you dig a well?” “Yes, Gurujī.” So the next day, he got tools and started digging a well, working very hard all day. He dug about one and a half meters deep, two meters by two meters. In the evening, he came to Gurujī. The disciple said, “I am tired.” Gurujī said, “No, come, eat, drink, and sleep.” In the morning, they had breakfast. Gurujī said to the disciple, “Where you were digging yesterday, it will be very rocky and hard. So dig somewhere else.” And the next day he dug in another spot. On the third day, Gurujī said, “There is very bitter, salty water there.” So he went to a third spot to dig. He came back in the evening and said there was no water at all. Gurujī said, “Tomorrow, dig over there.” So he kept digging and digging. He dug twelve holes. Still no water. On the seventeenth day, Gurujī said there was no water. The disciple said, “Do not talk to me. Take your tools. You do not know where water is; there is no water. All my hands are swollen. And you say there is no water. If, during those twelve days, you had dug continuously in one place, you would have brought me water here.” The disciple said, “That is right.” “What do you mean, right? Yes, I told you: twelve gurus, and no one gave you anything. And if you had stayed here all those years, you would have attained mokṣa.” “Mokṣa? I would have died?” Gurujī said, “No, no, you will get samādhi. I will do it.” So he said, “Now I give you the next step of mantras.” So, chakra by chakra, every day he began to impart very, very divine consciousness. So the point is, do not wander here and there; stay where you are and go deep. We shall go ahead, practice, practice. Every day something new. Therefore, Gurujī said, “Do not run here and there.” It means you are only chasing the desire to be great and have everything. Good. Gurur Brahmā, Gurur Viṣṇu, Gurur Devo Maheśvara, Gurur Sākṣāt, Parabrahma, Tasmai, Śrī Gurur Veda.