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The Human Path: Family, Culture, and Daily Yoga

An evening satsang on integrating spiritual practice with family life and culture.

"Where is your motherland? Some say father, mother, country, but mostly we say motherland and mother language."

"Yoga is the science of the human being. To a yogī, that is it. You are a yogī. If you want to become a yogī, you have to become a human."

The lecturer addresses a global audience, reflecting on how the pandemic reunited families and highlighted the importance of cultural and religious continuity. He emphasizes that yoga is a holistic science of being human, detailing a daily routine from waking with gratitude to mindful eating and work, all framed as spiritual practice. He concludes with prayers and reverence for the guru lineage.

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Good evening, all dear sisters and brothers. It is a beautiful day and a beautiful satsaṅg. To all yoga teachers and yoga students of Yoga in Daily Life around the whole world, and to all yogīs, dharmas, and yoga centers—I respect all on the path of yoga. I am very happy to see you today. This last year, let us say the past half-year, became a little hard. But in one way, it was very good because all people came to their homes. The whole family gained a good understanding and immense love among them; they realized their family is very happy. In recent years, people went to study and to different countries. They studied very well and got work there, but the family was separated. They would come to their families only from time to time, some from such far distances they could not come every month or even once a year. What, then, is the family? Why did we have children? So that our children would be with us, making our house, our country, and our village beautiful. With all our good friends, that is how we built the country. Our ministers and all were taking care of our country and our people. But we went away. The family, in a sense, went away. We loved our children very much and did everything for them. The children were good and learning, but many do not want to stay in their country. There is a call from the little children. When the family is in other parts, they lose that love for the parents. It was not the parents' love that was lacking. Our culture in our country, and whatever religions we have, made our village, our city, and our country always very happy. In this modern life, it is separated. We gave the children to God, but for how many months do they stay with the children? The parents go to work, and the little children are put in the care of others. At home, our own children become very different from us. Others take care of the children, but it is not with that much love. So, wherever you are in the whole country, if you want to have children, one of the parents should be with them. Of course, they should go to school and play with other children. The way it is now is different and a little bit not good. I would tell you that our children should be with us, and we should give them that culture. That country, that culture is very important. We always say: where is your motherland? Some say father, mother, country, but mostly we say motherland and mother language. The father, of course, is also there, but it goes to the parents, the mother. Both the father and mother know very well, but I am telling you they should always have the same love for the children. We should not leave the children alone, nor your culture and your religion. After about 25 years, you can say you will work somewhere else. But now they have children and do not know how to do it. So, my dears, you should have children, but you have to have very much love for your children. In the families, there should be no fighting, nor should you lead a life that is not good for children, like drinking alcohol or other such things. When the children are there, the mother and father should not fight. Parents are the parents. After, you can go to your work somewhere; that is okay. In this way, we should all live according to our culture and know all our people. This is one point. Now, the second point is that we know last year, and still this year, there is the corona problem. We were at home and were again very good together as a whole family. It was hard. Many people lost their jobs, and some people, elderly or others, lost their lives to corona. Many people around the world were reading about their religions and prayers. Some were not, but I am sure that during that long time, many yoga people were also practicing in their houses. People have learned a lot. But now, still, we should be careful because this disease is still not gone. In this, I would say that our practice of yoga, and life, and other yogas, and also other cultures and religions—I hope you were learning something about culture, your life, and your family. The corona will go away. We are trying very much to get rid of it, but we should not give up our culture, religions, or friends. My point about yoga is that in these years, those in Yoga in Daily Life were all vegetarians. They lived very pure and clean, ate good food, worked, and were very happy. I have many times told about this, because many yogīs also practice yoga, but many students are not given that knowledge: do not eat meat, eggs, alcohol, etc. Many people come from different countries to teach yoga. They are learning yoga, but they will give only yoga, āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, concentrations, etc., like this. I have seen that many who come from India to other countries do not tell them about meat and eggs, etc. That means they did not teach them what God should be, the highest, the best. Yoga in Daily Life in Western countries is now nearly 52 years old. They all have their children, and children have children. They learn very much, and whole families awaken to the understanding that yes, we should not kill animals. It can happen by accident, like when driving a car, and sometimes we can hurt some animals. There we say to God, "Please, God, please, God." Yoga is the science of the human being. To a yogī, that is it. You are a yogī. If you want to become a yogī, you have to become a human. In this way, awakening many, many people in many countries, Yoga in Daily Life—now you know from many, many of our books and everything. First, as I would say, when we wake up in the morning—I have told this many times—our eyes are opening. What do we do? We should see your children, maybe in your sleeping room, or your parents, or your children. This is the first thing. Or see some picture of your religion: maybe you have a picture of Jesus, Holy Mother, or Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Gurudeva, etc. Then, I have told many times, in the mind we say, "I am human." Only this one word: I am human. This morning, when it comes to our brain that I am a human, not an animal, we should say, "Yes, I am a human." When one knows "I am the human," immediately it will ask, "What is a human, and how is a human? What should I do, and what should I not do?" Then we wake up, stand up from the bed, and we say to the mother—the first mother they say is the mother earth, and second, my mother who gave me birth—"Mother, I step on you, forgive me." That much feeling you have when you have love for your children, or for your father, your mother, your grandparents, your uncles, all of them. Then, generally, we all go to the bathroom and we touch the water. You will feel, my dears—tomorrow morning you should do what I tell you. First, we touch the water, washing hands, washing eyes, washing face. But touching the first water in the morning is like touching the prāṇa in the whole body. That's why in many countries you also say, "Voda je život." My dears, because I am now in the Czech country, they say "voda a život." Yes, water is life. In our India, it is said: jala jaha jagadīś. Jala means water, and jagadīś is God. So it is said, water is God. We should not destroy water or spill it here and there. The father water gives us everything; we can use it, but we should take care. We should not spill it anywhere just like this. There are some people who go to the bathroom, take the brush and toothpaste, open the water tap, and let the water flow while they are brushing and looking here and there. That should not be so. Water is voda život, jala jaha jagadīś. Jala jahā jagadīś: where there is water, there is God. Jagadīś means God. In this way, then we come and look after our neighbors, our animals, etc. When we go from home to work, we put our foot in the shoes. It is said, please do not step on a jīva, a life. Take care, because you are a human now. The human is coming to the last point, and then comes to God, to the Cosmic. But if we think we are humans and "I can do anything I want," then it means we will go again back down. Also, after we go to the bathroom, wash, and dress, first we go to the altar. We go down to the altar, and some people, mostly, they make a little prayer. Then again, they light a little lamp: Jyoti. Sūrya. Light. This is very important. We make our prayer according to your culture, your religion, etc. Then you behave at home, maybe at a little place on the wall where you have some photos. That is your God, awakened. God is the living God. After prayer, we bow down, and then maybe we have prasāda. In other countries like India and many places, they have a tilaka. Tilak was always for all, but they didn't want it. Once a year, Christians give the tilak of the ash. We also have the ash, because after all, we will become again like ash. But the ātmā, the jīvā, will go further. After that, whatever breakfast you have, again we bow down to the breakfast—water, milk, bread, butter, etc. This is the life. We are living from that. Therefore, we should eat peacefully, not eat too much, and not take food on your plate only to eat a little and throw the rest away. That is not good. Therefore, it is said the food is God. There is a seed, and the seed is the father. So this is the father, and likewise we should not waste anything. Those who are in the family are always together having breakfast. Or maybe there is a young boy or girl alone in a one-room house. Also, before going, if you have a dog, a cat, some birds, or something, feed them water and something to eat. When we go out of the house, we see our people. We are human, and we always say, "Hari Om." Like in Vienna they say, "Grüß Gott"—oh God, I bow to you. That is so. We also say, "Rām Rām," to God. Other countries have different greetings. Now, people are just going; if someone says hello, they don't even respond. But when we meet a human, we should be so happy and say, "Hello, my brother, my sister," etc. Then we go to work, and there, where you are working, is now like your family. Consider how long you are in your house and how many hours you are in the office. That is also our family. In that way, humans live life. And then, of course, there are techniques, practicing, and we practice yoga. Others go to football, and so many have what they want to learn or do. Why not? It's good. Human life—live the human life. This is my thought and meaning as a yogī in daily life. And not only you, but your other brothers or family will be going with you to the cosmic self. Maybe one or two in the family do not want to practice yoga and will do different things. But still, you are like a dīpak, a lamp, and in this light your family is living. It means one day they will lead you there, so go in that way. Of course, Guru Kṛpā—you should have a Guru Mantra. But many people are doing the same for everybody, giving many, many mantras. My dear, mother is only one mother. But all women, all girls, they are like our sisters, our friends, etc. So when you have your guru, the guru should be a real guru, a little bit of a guru. Not everybody who says, "Oh, I'll give you the guru." There are many gurus: someone gives you a bike to ride, someone teaches you how to drive a car. That is your guru for car driving. That is many, but finally it is this: it is called that our ātmā and Gurudev's ātmā. Therefore, it is said: Śrī Guru Ātmā Paramātmā Ho Mātmā Puruṣottama Sakal Jagake Antaryāmī Living, and all is living, movable and non-movable, like all trees and this. That guru is the real guru. Then we are on the path, the light going in. You will one day, with your eyes closed, have the light go up inside. It does not matter if your religion is this or that. But I want to tell you to give up the dead path. That is very important. With this, my dears, I was here for about eight months, from the Czech country. From here, every day I had lectures that went through the whole world. I am very happy that I could give that nice eight-month sādhanā. I have been giving lectures all my life, but this was not like this, exactly on the same time in all different countries. This is only the blessing of our Mahāprabhujī, Devpurījī, Alakpurījī, and our Satguru Swāmī Madhavānandajī, Holy Gurujī. I always pray to our Gurujīs for you and for me. I do what I can. But I only say, Mahāprabhujī or Gurujī, please, I have made so many mistakes, but please, you forgive me. Because finally, we have to go somewhere. Holy Gurujī wrote bhajans and said many times. Holy Gurujī said to Mahāprabhujī, "Please let me be in the cosmic with you. But if you will send me back again to this world, then Gurujī, to your praṇām, your mantras, and at your holy feet, I don't need anything." Holy Gurujī said, "Only the holy dust from your holy feet, that is the Guru, that is..." Guru. So we have from Śiva, Alak Purījī, Dev Purījī, Mahāprabhujī, and our Holy Gurujī. The Alakpurījī was in Satya Yuga, Dvāpara Yuga, Tretā Yuga, and Kali Yuga. All the time, it's Alakpurījī with us. I don't know how it happens or how Gurudev made this, that I could come to Alakpurījī's cave at first. There is a very big rock in Alakpurījī's cave. The first time I was there, it was very small, so I was sleeping there. You couldn't get up properly; one part was little, so you could stand up. Badrināth temple is a very, very holy temple. They said that at midnight, don't sleep; stay awake and look at the stars. Even if there are only clouds, just look there and you will see something. At certain times of the month, nobody should make any fire. There are no trees, only little bushes. Twice Alakpurījī gave darśan in the clouds, and three times he was seen in the rock. Now we have made something, the picture of the viṣal of Alakpurījī. I try very hard that it will come and all of you will get it. But for holy people, one should not make too many photos and such things. And do not cut the photo in half. So we have Devpurījī, and always Devpurījī's pictures are big, holy. Mahāprabhujī, Holy Gurujī. Like Jesus. When born with Jesus' picture, then we must have the whole picture, from the cross. So you should have Ālakpurījī in your house, or maybe one in your pocket, but not always putting it down. My dears, I wish you all the best. Tomorrow I am here, and then I am going to Austria or other countries. Thank you all very much, and I am looking forward to seeing you again in Czechoslovakia and here in our ashram. Thank you. And to all my friends all around the world, everywhere, I fold my hands in front of Mahāprabhujī, Gurujī, and in front of you. Om Śānti. Hari Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhu Dīp Nārāyaṇam. Nām Kartā Prabhu Dīp Kartā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Kartā Hī Kevalam Ho. Oṁ Amāgaleśvasi Svameśvaram Jī. Gurudev Kī Caitanya.

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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