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Part 1: The Temple of the Body: A Guide to Spiritual Duty Good morning to everyone. Welcome to this weekend retreat dedicated to the development of your spirituality. We gather to explore yoga, death, life, and spirituality: how we understand it and how we can improve it. This blessing comes to all dear brothers, sisters, friends, practitioners, and parents from our holy Gurujī’s ashram in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria. Spirituality means purity: pure thoughts, pure actions, pure, balanced, sattvic nourishment. It means leading a life full of mercy and compassion towards every creature, following non-violence physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Spirituality means to live in harmony with thyself, your family, and society. Spirituality is not merely fasting, meditating, and praying. That is very good, and if you have nothing to do, you can sit and meditate. But we have our dharma, our obligation towards this world, our family, and this environment. Human life is completely different from other creatures. Humans have more responsibilities, and therefore we shall follow, understand, and fulfill our duty. How do we understand our duty? Our duty lies where we do good things for others. It is not that someone employs you in a factory or elsewhere and tells you to do things which are not acceptable. That is not correct; that is not your obligation. You should know what kind of work you are doing. What do you do that is good for the planet, for every creature living on it? What are you doing to harmonize and create a good atmosphere in society? Dharma means obligation. Dharma means duty. Dharma means principle. Dharma rakṣita rakṣita: if you protect your dharma, your dharma will protect you. If you cannot protect your dharma, the dharma will not protect you. For example, the dharma of our eyes is to see. If you cannot protect your eyesight, then it cannot protect you. Similarly, we have our dharma towards our body. Though this body is not immortal, without it our achievement, our sādhanā, is zero. In the astral world, after separating from this physical body, there is no development towards spirituality. You are only aware; you are a witness of everything that happened through your being in a physical body: how often you were friendly, how often you were unfriendly, how often you had mercy in your heart, how often you were cruel. How many times have you spoken harshly to others? How many times were you very kind? How much pain did you cause to others? Which kind of karma you have done now prepares your future journey—what we call destiny—according to your physical life in the body. Good or bad, we can only act as long as we are in this body. We need this body perfectly healthy. Through a healthy body, we can do many good things. With a healthy body, we can do our yogasādhanā. With this healthy body, we can help others. That is why Mother Nature, or God, gave us this physical body. We must try to understand what it means to have this body. This body needs a healthy way of living: healthy nourishment, healthy air, healthy movements, and a healthy environment. Our first dharma is to understand our life. Our first dharma is to understand our physical being. Our first dharma is to take care of our body. This body is not everything, but everything is nothing without this body. Holy Gurujī often mentioned this in his bhajan, as have other great saints. This body is a very precious diamond. You cannot find this diamond anywhere. You cannot sell it, you cannot borrow it, and perhaps you only have this one chance to possess it. Therefore, your spiritual development cannot take place unless you understand your body. You will not take care of your body, and you will not do the sādhanā through this body. This body is an instrument, the tool through which you can perform your sādhanā or self-realization. Whatever you do professionally in this world, whatever you study, it is through this body. So your body is very special, very divine, very beautiful, very precious, and your duty is to take care of it. Some people do not take care of the body, engaging in so-called tapasyā, torturing the body. God will not accept this. God did not give you this body to torture or suffer. Many fast for many days, weeks, or months, sitting near fire, standing on one leg. That is like a strike in front of God, a demonstration in front of Parliament. Of course, God may fulfill something, he may give you something, but that is not the accepted path. Being holy and spiritual does not mean only sitting and praying. That, I call laziness. This body is given to do action, to work. The entire universe is working. Every planet is working. Our planet, Earth, is also working. This building where we are sitting, made of concrete, is also working. Every season, with heat expanding and cold contracting, we experience how many stones fall from between these pillars. Everything is working, and if a human does not work, it is very abnormal. That is why in yoga we have to begin with our body. Do you understand your body? Often, we do not know; we do not understand our body. But as soon as you begin to do yoga in daily life—very gentle, very beautiful movements—then you feel your whole body. You know you have two hands and two legs. You know you have muscles; they are very stiff. You know whether your body is flexible, and you know whether your digestion is in order or not. So, working on the body means to know something very special, dormant or hidden within it. Mokun kaha tu dhunde bandhe, main to tere paas mein. Where are you searching me, my friend? I am with you. Seher se baar kutiya hamari, dera mera swāś mein. Out of the city is my hut, and my residence is in your breath. Khojoge to abhi milunga pal bhar ki talas mein. If you will search me, you will find me immediately in this way. Mouku kaha tu dhunde bandhe, main to tere paas mein. Oh my friend, where are you searching me, I am with you. Out of the city is my hut, and my residence is in your breath. "Khojoge to abhī milūṅgā," if you will search, you will find me now, immediately. "Pal bhar kī talāś meṅ," within no time. One palbh means just closing the eyelids and opening them. So quick is he there, so near is he, but are you searching really or not? We do not understand our body. Therefore, asanas, every posture, is done like a cosmic dance. Cosmic dance means that you are forever and ever free. You have no limitation, and you are full of joy. So when you practice, as I told you yesterday, you shall feel your body and you will feel the energy centers, the cakras. It begins to give you more energy, more beautiful feelings. Then these three forces, Iḍā, Piṅgalā and Suṣumnā, will join you to search for that divine Self within you, with the torch of your intellect, the torch of your knowledge. Holy Gurujī said in a beautiful bhajan: "O my brothers, my this coach is a wondrous one, sādhavāī ajab raṭ hamārā." This coach of the body is a very wondrous one. Till today, no one was able to make this body exactly like this, with all perfect functioning. Only Mother Nature can do it, or God, whatever we call it. Never try to compare yourself with God. It doesn’t matter which science; until now science has not reached this point, and it will never reach this point. The mystery of creation, no one will ever come to know how it is. Yes, we can say it is made of five elements; that is very easy. But which engineer is sitting in the mother’s body preparing, constructing these embryos? There must be some electricians clipping the wires, the nerves; there must be plumbers; there must be machinists—many, many things. Sadabhai, ajab rāt hamārā, bethā barambārā. Often I travelled in this coach. Ten horses are pulling this coach, which is running at night with a strange, unparalleled gait. These ten horses are the ten indriyas, the Jñāna Indriyas and Karma Indriyas. Often, Patañjali speaks about indriyas, sayam and niyam, discipline. Control your senses. Withdraw your senses from external objects. Observe your senses. Can you control your senses? It is not easy. Senses are like wild horses. My God, they have such wonderful movements, a wonderful walk. If they are not under control, they will destroy your coach very soon. People who fall into drugs, bad habits, bad thoughts, bad societies—it means the horses are out of control, and they will destroy your social life, your spiritual life, your physical life, and you will achieve nothing. So these ten horses, the five Karmendriyas and five Jñānendriyas, are pulling this coach from here to there. Budhi kī lagām lagāī—the buddhi, the intellect. It is the intellect which is controlling the horses. Hakat man husyāra—and the alertness, the mind as alertness, is controlling these horses, letting them go. Vivek mantrī rahe sāth mein—the viveka. Viveka is the cream of our intellect, the best part of our knowledge. Like cream, that is viveka. Those who have developed viveka will not make a mistake. Whenever a mistake happens, it means your viveka was not present. Viveka means you overthink and you overthink—manthan, manthan, overthinking. Like while churning, you get butter out of the yogurt or buttermilk. Similarly, from your buddhi, from your intellect, you get the best part, and that is called wisdom, knowledge. Always use viveka. If you are a vivekī, if you have good viveka, then you will not be offended or angry like popcorn on a hot pan. You put the corn, and it explodes. That means there is no vivekā. Vivek hīna paśu samāna: those who have no viveka are nearly like an animal. So Viveka is the cream of your intellect, the best knowledge, which you will use in the best way for everyone, not only for yourself. Viveka will not be selfish. Viveka will be for all that is good for others also. Vivek Mantrī Rehe Sāṭme, the minister of Viveka, is sitting in this coach. Rājā Ātmā Bethā Rātmāī, Vivek Mantrī Rehe Sāṭme Anubhav Karat Vichārā—the Viveka is talking and deciding about the experiences. Viveka will put in front of you the experience of what will happen and what has happened. God Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad Gītā: "Arjuna, before you do your karma, you should know the form of your deeds." When you know the form of your deeds, then you will know very clearly the fruits of your deeds. And when you know very clearly what is coming to you, the fruits, you will decide if you should do it or not. Because intellect and emotion, these two, can put you in trouble. So the minister of Viveka is sitting and having beautiful thoughts. Rājā Ātam Betharatmai Nijcetan Nirākārā—the king. The king of the ātmā, your Self—not your soul, for the soul is individual, but the Ātmā is universal. Rājā Ātam Betha Rathmai. Yes, the Self is sitting in this coach, in this body. "Out of the city, a peaceful place in the forest is my hut, and my residence is in your breath. If you search, you will find me within no time." So, from every different bhajan, from every great saint, we know that the Self is within this body. Therefore, this body is a temple of your Self. This body is your permanent residence in this life. This body is given to you as your house. This body is where you are living. Rājā ātmā bēṭhāra ātmāī—that ātmā, the king of that ātmā, is sitting in this body. Nij-chetana-nirākāra—itself, but formless. Nirākāra, ākāra, nirākāra. Ākāra is form, which you can see, touch, smell, hold. That is called sākāra. Nirākāra is like the sky, and that is your Ātmā within yourself. Rājā, ātmā, baitā, ratnā, nija cetanā, nirākāra jñāna kī bhakti rath mein lagāī. Yes, in this coach, there is a light, there is a lamp. Like we have this light here. And that light, or the lamp, is the lamp of knowledge. The knowledge is not like this physical light that we see, but knowledge is beyond everything. So a realized person who practices yoga in daily life systematically will become like a guideline, a torch light to guide the soul, the way to everyone. The great saints who lived thousands of years before, who spoke in the Vedas or in the Upaniṣads, in holy books, yogīs—they are not here physically, but still their guidance is with us. That is called immortality. Can you do something so that you will become a guideline for all, for generations and generations, as long as this planet will exist? You can. You can. If you renounce your negative thoughts, negative qualities, and selfishness; if you understand your body, mind, intellect, soul, and ātmā; and if you turn on, switch on your light in this coach—the vivekā, the jñāna—you will become the guideline. Do not give up your principle. Do not give up your way, your decision. Mahāprabhujī said: make your Saṅkalpa, your regulation, with great confidence; success is yours. Success does not come immediately. It is like putting a seed in the ground; it will grow slowly, slowly into a large tree. Not from one day to the other is the tree there. That means renounce your life, dedicate your life to that path which you would like to realize. Nowadays, people are changing. Every year, different systems: now I practice yoga, then I practice that, and then I practice this. All the times are changing, changing; they are nowhere. Keep on that one trek, and you will come through. It is a life-long work. If you understand your body, if you understand the system in the body, if you understand the value of your body, if you understand the value of your being human on this planet, then you can. Otherwise not. Part 2: The Human Body and the Path of Satsaṅg Though the body is not everything, and though the body will soon die, you are nowhere without it. You cannot do anything without it. Yet, you pray again and again, "Lord, give me again the human body." But you must know, God offers no protection through money or anything else. Only your karma, your deeds, count. So, reflect: How many times have you disappointed others? How many times have you shown your temperament? How many times were you angry? All of this will come back to you. How many times were you kind, helpful, full of love, forgiveness, and mercy? That is spirituality. It is not about going every day to a spiritual place like a temple, a stupa, or a mosque. No. Going there every day does not help you. How you behave inwardly—that is what matters. Jñānī bhakti rat meṅ lagāī, anāda bhaya ujārā. Now, the light—endless light—has no border. Where there is knowledge, there is no border. Where there is ignorance, there is a border. O my brothers, this is very wonderful. My coach, in which I often sit, has so many tools and instruments playing music, the tunes, the rāgas in this body. Anhadbhaja—if you dive deep within thyself, you will hear so many different sounds. Nāḍīyoga—every cell in the body has its resonance. Can you imagine how many billions of resonances we have in this body? You are nothing but this resonance, this sound. And that resonance is the form of the Supreme. Therefore, make the inner journey. Sometimes people talk about astral traveling. That astral traveling is within. So, though we are inside, we do not know where we are. What is happening inside? There are so many sounds, like drums. The Brahmāṇḍa, the fourteen different worlds and the 2,100 different universes—Ratme sakalpasara—are all within this body, like this one solar system where we are living. So the yogī, at the time of self-realization, realizes these two thousand one hundred solar systems within no time; one becomes aware or realizes this at once. One without second. Sādhavaī ajabrat hamārā, bethā barambara. Se puje Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇ, bhed batāyā sāra. Holy Gurujī said—my beloved Gurujī, Bhagavān Deep Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī—he explained to me all the secrets of this body, all the beauty and glories of this body. I had no troubles in this body. Therefore, spirituality—do not think it is something far away, that you will only do this, that you will only meditate, that you will not eat, that you will beat yourself in cold water. What nonsense! God gave you a beautiful body. Yes, keep this body healthy and comfortable. Every day you keep nice cream, nice oil, and nice nails—everything, no? Humans understand what the body is. Spirituality. So, being a human, this body is already spiritual, but you are searching somewhere else. It is like you are looking in a mirror to see how you look. But in this mirror—look here—how you look within, this you do not see. You want to see somewhere else, outside. You are projecting yourself somewhere outside. So come, go within thyself and become aware of what you are doing with your body and what you are not doing with this body. Do you understand your body? How kind are you with this body? Then you will practice or begin to do your very beautiful, wonderful exercises, and you will understand your family, society, colleagues, and friends, and you will understand this world. Then your spirituality will blossom beautifully, sparkling, lightening, and at the end of this life, you will come to that divine consciousness, merge into the Brahman, and become one with the cosmic self. So spirituality is something which is great. Now we will have a little interval, and then we will continue with the last part. It is very hard to know who is spiritual and who is not. Often we do not realize, and when a person passes away, then we say, "Oh God, this person was really great and spiritual." Now, the development of spirituality is best achieved by going to satsaṅg. Lucky are they who can go to satsaṅg. Lost are they who do not go to satsaṅg. I know many people do not like to go. Even here in Vienna, where we are sitting, when I am here there are about 70–80 people, and when I am not here but there is a satsaṅg, there are 80 people sitting. So now I can see how many people are searching for realization, spirituality, higher consciousness, or the way to happiness. Never think that satsaṅg is not good. Even if the same talks are given every day, even if the same bhajan is sung or the same video is played every day, your benefit is there. Suppose you take the Bhagavad Gītā. The Bhagavad Gītā is more than 5,000 years old. Read the Bhagavad Gītā every day, and you will, from the same mantra or śloka, get new knowledge every time. You read the same thing the whole year, and again you read the translation, and you will get new knowledge, more knowledge. That is called kāmadhenu, the cow which ever gives milk. Or you take the Bible; it is about 2,000 years old, or a little more. Now you say, "Well, every day they are reading in the church the same Bible, so you need not go." That means your ignorance. Thanks to God that every day the same Bible is read in the church. Though every day the same thing is read, you get more and more belief, confidence, and knowledge. Similarly, in the satsaṅg, maybe every day the same bhajan is sung, the same person is speaking, or the same video is playing. You will always get an answer. You will always get inspiration. If you are spiritual, then yes. If you are not spiritual, then you are lost. Every day you are eating, many times eating every day. You are drinking water or alcohol every day. Every minute you are breathing. Say, "I do not want to breathe anymore, I have enough." Always the air goes in my nostril, in and out. I do not want it? Then you will die. So the satsaṅg is even more important than the breath. But if you are not developed so far spiritually, if you are not developed in your vivekā, if you are not developed in your intellect positively, you cannot go to satsaṅg. So the best way to develop spirituality is the satsaṅg. If there is a problem—you are ill, you are in the hospital—of course, then you cannot go to the satsaṅg. And it is very interesting: people come to the satsaṅg here and sit in the other room chatting, gossiping, and laughing. It means they do not understand. When you go to satsaṅg, then you should ask your ātmā, what do you get? The nourishment of the ātmā is the satsaṅg. It is the satsaṅg which can make you enlightened, because there is a guru-vākya. So in this world, there are many ways to kuśaṅgas and to distraction, but very few ways to perfection. And luckily, we have round-the-world satsaṅgs in our Yoga in Daily Life centers. Rosni, how many times do you go to satsaṅg? In the ashram, in Navis, Navisat? Lost one. Because you are lost. Only the thirsty person goes to the water. If you like or you do not like people there, it is your problem, not people's problem. You think the people are not good there; it means you are not good. And therefore, you must go there to surrender and tell them, "Please forgive my ignorance." That is it. Otherwise, you are lost. I am talking every day so much, no? Do you go to the satsaṅg? Where? Where? Ashram? Okay, then you... You have a good day today. Guru Mahāprabhujī said in one bhajan, "So bhāvo sata saṅgarī." What a glory! What a glory of the satsaṅg. So it means you do not follow Mahāprabhujī's Vākya. It is not that Swamījī is telling you to go to satsaṅg, but Mahāprabhujī's Vākya. And even in one bhajan, Mahāprabhujī said, "Satguru satsaṅgī ori onu avere." I am longing for my guru brothers and sisters of satsaṅg. So much I am longing; when I think of them, my eyes are full of tears. There are some people who, by profession, went to a far distance, and they are longing for satsaṅg. You know how much they are longing. Some went to Japan, China, South America, and South Africa. We have many disciples around the world. Someone is married somewhere, luckily or unluckily, missing satsaṅg. They telephone, write me emails saying, "Swāmījī, we thank you that this webcast has saved my life." Because through the webcast, we have a satsaṅg. So next door to you there is a satsaṅg, and you do not go. Who can be more unlucky than you? What a glory of this satsaṅg. Fortunate ones can have the chance to go to satsaṅg. You know, that water becomes holy water which enters into the Gaṅgā river. If water will say, "I do not like this Gaṅgā," then you cannot become holy water. That is right. So if you want to develop your spirituality, then go to satsaṅg. And if you want to go back again to the darkness and suffering, then go to the kuśaṅgas. It is said again and again, the desires awaken in your mind and body. This is called the eternal illness. The biggest illness is desires, and to cure this illness, only the satsaṅg. Vāsanā hi duḥkhāṅka kāraṇa hai. The desires are the cause of all troubles, and the knowledge is the cause of all happiness, love, light, and beauty. So that knowledge you will get in satsaṅg, and you will get guru-kṛpā. I received two or three letters from the Lynch group last week. They were writing about how happy they are in satsaṅg. But I will see how long they will carry on. That is it. You have satsaṅg in Lynch? Prem Prakash has. Okay. Good. So now, if you have any questions, you are welcome to ask. Every satsaṅg is my satsaṅg. This is this. Yes. Yes. But my instruction is original. There is also my voice, and there are also my photos. I speak in everyone. Aisā merā Satguru andar bole. There is a bhajan of Mahāprabhujī. "Aisā merā Satguru andar bole." My Gurudev is talking in me. Too little. You can have a big one. It is said that one who is searching is the Self. The three become one, and the one becomes three: knowledge, knower, and object. These three are one but seem separate. So when it will become clear to you in this present intellect, then all is answered. And that you have to find within thyself. O my mind, give up your hatred, come with me. This means you are saying to yourself, within meditation—that is right. You will find. Then he will say, "Oh, that is I am." Okay? Yes, of course you are, but it is ego. Ātmā? No, no, that is jīvātmā, desires. No, not from ātmā. Now it is too late to ask why we are here, but we are here. True, no? Yeah. Yes, we are here, and we are not here. Yes, yes, follow Guru Vakya, satsaṅg. Come to satsaṅg and practice. Karat karat abhyās pyāre, jaḍmatī hota sujān. While practicing and practicing, even a foolish one can become a great wise. So go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. I am self, so 'ham, so 'ham. It will come, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. How many mahāvākyas are there? Four, no? Hey, yoga teachers, you must know, today will be a question: how many mahāvākyas are there? Oh God! No, no, no. God never plays. It is your body. How does hunger come? You are hungry? Never? Of course, yes. You do not need to stop desire. Desire will stop you. Yes. It is having the strength to say to thyself, no. Okay. Any more questions? Yes. There is a difference. At home, you are alone, and in a yoga center, you are many. Many make a better atmosphere. At home, you make compromises. Now I am tired, now I am thirsty. I can drink something, yellow liquid also. That is it. There is a lot of compromising. Okay? Yes. But yes, he tried to keep his kingdom. That is it. Sometimes Indra wants to rule the kingdom, the Devas, and sometimes the Asuras. So he is not the final one. But which Indra do you mean? Indra, is she sitting here? Okay. He is the king of heaven, and we are above the heaven, okay? Heaven is a limited space. You saw there was Mahāśiva Purāṇa, yeah? So you see how many times Indra had to run away and hide, and come and hide, okay? So Indra is our ambition. Our ambition is Indra. So, yes, get up. Yes, webcasting—when life is there, it is okay. Otherwise, it is conserved food, and satsaṅg is live, fresh. Yes, at home, of course, every day. But once in the ashram, you have to go. But still, there are more people all the time. You do not have to do webcasting every day. You can talk. Listen, everybody has knowledge. It does not matter who is speaking; we can always learn something from someone. To be modest, yeah, it depends in which way. Are you damaging yourself to be modest, or are you taking care of thyself and others to be modest? At that time, you have to use your viveka. You are very modest, and you are going to the railway station. Someone is asking for money, and you take your purse and give everything. Then you go to buy the ticket, and you do not have any more money. You were very modest, but now you have to stand there to ask for money. Okay? Modest, I think, saikh, nah, nicht be saikh, grosschugig. When somebody comes to you, come to him and tell him to take out the pair of gold coins. Okay, that is it. And now he comes to you and tells you to take out the card. Yes, you are correct, and that is why she told you to use Viveka. Of course, I am talking about people, you know. A rabbit will not ask you for money. He will ask you for a carrot. Yes, Mangalpurī. Well, the first thing is that you keep your discipline. One day they will learn from you. You will change them. Suddenly, you put some thought. You see, I had liver problems, and since I changed my diet and such, now I do not. Out of twenty, definitely three have liver problems because they drink a lot of alcohol. Yes? And they will say yes, and they will ask you, "What have you done?" So you become somehow an inspiration for them. And if your business is more important to you, then try to endure these smells. When I fly long distance, then in the aeroplane they are serving fish, they are serving meat, they are serving alcohol, which is very stinky, and many people—those who do not eat meat—they are vomiting nearly. So Mahāprabhujī did something so that I do not smell anything, and that is one of the best protections for me. I know why Mahāprabhujī did this, that I do not smell anything good or bad, so for me it does not matter, but when I see, of course, it is very unpleasant. Now, if I want to avoid this, then I have only two options: not to travel anymore, or buy my own aeroplane. That is it. So either you give up this kind of business, or you become such a good businessman with money that they come to your party, and you organize very sāttvic parties. No, Chidharan? So you are rich enough that they will come to you. You organize a party, and you always say the healthy way. People are more or less forced to eat this and that, but many do not want to eat. Many want to do like this, but they think, "Oh, high society, I will do it." This is a kind of phobia. Something more? Okay, then wish you all the best and good appetite.