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The Sole Necessity of Guru's Grace

A spiritual discourse on the absolute necessity of the Guru's grace, illustrated with parables and observations on life.

"Without the grace of the Guru, nothing can be. We may think we can do without it and believe we are okay, but that is not how it is."

"Guru kṛpā hi kevalam. Guru’s grace... When Gurudeva’s blessing is there, then everything is possible."

The speaker, likely a swami, delivers a satsang emphasizing that all spiritual progress and worldly harmony depend solely on the Guru's grace. He expands the concept of Guru to include parents and the supportive community of village life, using anecdotes about street dogs and a detailed parable about a devoted disciple, his wife, and a test of sacrifice to illustrate the depth of true devotion and the singular source of blessing.

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Without the grace of the Guru, nothing can be. We may think we can do without it and believe we are okay, but that is not how it is. Guru kṛpā hi kevalam. Guru’s grace. Guru kṛpā, that is, the blessing of Gurudeva. Guru kṛpā hi kevalam. When Gurudeva’s blessing is there, then everything is possible. My dear, we talk every day. There are many lights in the hall, and I had something in my eyes, which is why I am wearing these dark glasses. I am taking them all because of my eyes. Guru Kṛpāhi Kevalam, Śiṣyaki Ānanda Maṅgalam. Holy Gurujī always used to say, "Guru Kṛpā, the blessing of the Guru. Guru Kṛpā. He is Guru Kṛpā. Hi Kevalam—only that is Gurudeva. Śiṣyake, the disciple's, śiṣyake ānandamaṅgalam." And the disciple has peace, harmony, and blessings. Otherwise, we can do many things, but they will not lead to the Brahmalokas. Guru Kṛpā, the grace of your mother. Guru Kṛpā, your Guru Pitā, your father. Whether you believe it or not, your mother and father have given you your life. It does not matter how it is, but a mother and father will always bless you. Until the end of their life, they will say, "My children." We should be thankful to those who gave us life—more than thankful. Also, what we tell is like all trees. When we give one seed to the earth, a tree will come. These trees give fruit to others, growing and growing, providing beautiful shade. Everyone sits under the trees, and they give us fruit. Similarly, all the people in our city or in our villages, also on our streets, are our protection. They are our helpers, our givers. So that is also on the street of humanity. This street is very good. We should not throw dust onto the street, but now we throw away everything. That is not good. Our people, our street, our village. There are always dogs in the streets. There were dogs in the streets, not in the house. They were all in the street, and everyone was giving them something—food. Some gave milk, some gave yogurt, some gave chapatis, like this. All in the street, and the dogs sleep in front of the house. In the street, they are protecting. They are God. They are very good. God, if our people are in our street and they come, the dog will not say anything, or they will come and love us. The dog will love us. And if someone else comes whom they do not know, then all the dogs get up and talk about that: "What are you going?" The dogs are walking. The dog said, "If someone did not give some bread or chapati or something, they will not tell." The person, why you didn't give me something? Dogs are very great. Similarly, also other animals, like the little cat, and the cat takes other animals away. Similarly, there are cows, buffaloes, elephants, horses. A little village, and how many good lives some of this. That is called life. There are many, many other things. And friends are coming. They come to our city or our village. Then, when the dog is coming, our neighbors will say, "Don't do anything, please sit down, dog." Then they do nothing. So, in that case, it means that we are a life of the life, and you will see that. In all, you can go there. In little villages, there is one temple, little or big, and they are making prayer. The prayer, there are some instruments, singing something, and the dogs all come there, and they are also, how to say, singing. They are like, "Wow!" If you don't believe... Still, come to the little village and see the temple. Then you will see how the dogs there are. We don't know how. So many different lives, and we should respect them, love them, protect them, feed them, and not kill them. So, mother and father, then we have our brothers and sisters, yes. So, how is it that all these many, many people—this is our life. If everybody goes away from the little village and you are the only one in your house, what will you feel? No humans there. We will also run away. So life is that animals know about life. Život je takový a zvířata chápou ten život. They come close to us, and now we see the humans in big places, how they are cheating and fighting. This is a Kali Yuga. In that way, the guru, the spiritual person, and in every street there is someone. It automatically, God gives that, brings that. So, guru kṛpā hī kevalam, śiṣya ke ānanda maṅgalam. So, guru kṛpā hī kevalam, guru dīv, and uske ānanda maṅgalam. Then, in our streets, with our life, everywhere, it is God that we are all very happy and joyful. This is very... This thing we have to understand very much. When they are going mostly to church in little villages, everyone is going. And in this, mostly the females, the females, they know that's my life. Sometimes they say, "Oh my God, I have so much work. I am working this." Having children, taking care of the children, and the husband is angry and tells you, "Go bring vegetables, bring this, cook something," and then go to the church or temple or there. So why do females mostly come to the satsaṅgs? To the mandir, temples, church, etc. Why are the females coming? Because many times, in dead times, they say, "Oh God, don't give me this life again." Yes, the boys are sitting outside the house, but what are the women doing? But of course, the men are very good. Without men, there is nothing. So that is both the wife and husband. When they are married... Then they have emotional: "How was my wife?" and this and that and everything, and enjoy. But suddenly God says, "Now your duty." Before was your joy, and how? Husband and wife got a child, so the mother takes more love and more work and everything than the husband. So our life is now different. Work, work, give, protect. Second child. Husband said. At that time, in those times, only wives were at home, having children. The husband goes working very hard, coming at home, bringing vegetables, bringing water. Now we have water in our room, in our toilet. We have the water beside us. We have water. Otherwise, you know how we were going with the waters. But the husband had to bring. The mother is now taking three children. One is on the throne, on the shoulder. The other is in one hand. And third one, with the finger holding. The mother has to do it, but with love. We are happy with our children. And when the husband comes, then he brings something good. Life is life, and not only you. Humans, animals, also everything, life is life. And so it comes then, guru kṛpā, guru. When something happens, this, that, then guru and guru kṛpā. When anything happens, guru says, "Don't worry, peaceful, please. It is okay. That will everything." Because I am sitting in the temple or the church, why am I there? We are working for you. If we are praying for you, for all workers and everything, whatever is happening, we are praying for them, we worship for them. It's not that we think, oh, this is one good saint, and inside he gets everything, and this, no, no. Early morning coming, doing all pūjā, everything. Satguru, Guru Kṛpā. So Guru Kṛpā, he gave love. Everything is because of the Gurudeva. Gurudeva is you have in your village, and then, if not, then your husband is the guru. Yes, but when he takes alcohol and this and that, it's finished. Life is that. And therefore, these people in there are best for their life. Guru Kripa. He gave them śiṣyakī ānand maṅgalam ānand, good peace, no any negative, no fighting, and you can go in the farm work. I am praying for this. When you make a mālā, for whom you are making mālā? For all of you. And now you are also making the prayer and the mala. Your mala is not only for you. For your whole family, for the whole world. The whole village knows that Mala is in our hands. And when we have a mala around our neck, everyone says, "Oh, that's a spiritual person." Yes, that's what. The Mala is great. Mala. Mala is only that which is protecting us all. Many things happen. There are beautiful stories of Gurujī's, so I will one day give this story, very nice. Because one family, husband and wife, they had only one boy. And then they were rich, but the boy became very spiritual, very spiritual. And always he goes to the ashram. The ashram is out of the street, in a little village. So he comes to the ashram in the morning, and he is with Swamijī and with all the bhaktas and people, and they are helping the people. Then he was coming at 10 o'clock in the evening. Because when many bhaktas, people were there, he was giving them chai, or eating and cleaning and everything. Every day coming, every day going, every day coming. Parents said, "Why do you go there all day?" He said, "There are so many bhaktas, and I have seva." Seva is a great well. Again, it's coming, no, coming one day. They said, "Now you are so big." And we will give Mary's yoke for your very nice girl will come. He said, "I don't need." But they said, "You have to marry in this." He said, "Okay." He brought a very nice woman, and he's coming sometimes; he doesn't come. Then he's coming at home, and he comes about eleven o'clock, and he has a cloth like this, and outside he's sleeping. She said to her husband, "Please come in the room. We should sleep here." And the wife said to him, "Please come to the room, we should sleep here together." He said, "On the street, it's very good." Well, the parents said, "My son, you are married, your wife is here, she is very sad. If there will be children..." He said, "I am going to Swamījī." One said, "Neighbors." So the parents of this boy said to the neighbors, "Please, can you tell our child that he should marry and that he should be here?" They said, "Everybody, please, this, then," but he's not going. Many things happen. Then one day, she said, "My parents, they are in the other room." And he said, "Yes, no problem." People said, "You should stay here, you should do this." That's called that feeling of God. But then people said, "No, she's there, and she's there," so... And then he comes at midnight, and his wife is crying in the room. And he said, "Why are you crying?" She said, "Your parents are gone. I am alone, and you are always somewhere in the ashram. And nobody is there; I am alone. And I am very angry, very afraid." He said, "It will not," but she was crying. He said, "Why?" She said, "I am suffering. I am this, I am this, and your guru is there. Some people have... you should be here." Then he said something, he said, "It's like this, yes, I am like this." Well, one day he came there and said, "If anybody will tell, they will not give you God." So one day, his Gurujī didn't come. So Gurujī came there in his house, and Gurujī said to his bhakta, "You didn't come, you don't come, what's happening?" He said, "All the time in the ashram, everything, and nobody said to me something humble, kind, or loving. And you know, my wife, if I go away, she will die." He said, "It will not lie. It is, she will die for you. Nobody dies for you." Well, she said, "Tell your guru and give him something. I will tell you." The guru said, "You can see that you die. And when I die, you will see what your wife will tell. She will be alright. She will be fine. She is angry—not angry, but very sad. I don't know. You will see." He said, "OK. I will come after some minutes, and you die. Just lie down, and put your legs against the pillar." Twelve morning, he was sitting there near the pillar, and she was bringing good fruit. She was making breakfast, and he fell down and put his legs like this, and she came, "What are you doing? Don't make jokes, don't practice yoga, go out," but he is not there. You are dying, she said. She went, door closed, and she went, eat good vegetables and everything, and make very nice chapatis so that, because when they die. They will sit, she will sit in one place, and people will say, "Look, she's eating, and this and that." She doesn't want to think like this. So she ate, made very nice parāṭhā, like Umāpurī. So they take the parotta, and so she put it there. Then she opened the door, and, "My son, my husband died. My husband died, please." All people came, and now they try. "Cry, she's crying," they said. "Now, anyhow, the dead body we have to take." But he was so quiet, so they could not close him. Open him, and it is time to go and take him out. Somebody said, "Break the pillar." His wife said, "Please don't break the pillar." Again, I cannot make it. But they said, "What to do?" He said we can cut his leg. Yes, good. So everybody, so they went to bring some, some, no, no, sock. And they come here, and suddenly they were doing. And he gets up. He said, "Oh," This is my wife, and these are the people. He cut my tie, and he was... she was telling many negative things to him, and then his Gurujī came. So Gurujī said, "I will give a little milk, and he will live again. Life will come." So, his wife, I can wake up your husband. But you have to drink milk. She said, "Bābājī, I was suffering for many years, and now I will drink this milk for him, and he will wake up, and I die? No." Better that he die, so people came. They said, "Okay, drink milk, your parents." No, they cannot. Neighbors, have you some good friend? Your give them. No, we don't drink. And then Gurujī came again. Well, I will awake him, and I will drink milk, and I will die for you. His wife said, "Yes, please, you are great. My Gurujī is so nice, Gurujī. Please quickly drink the milk." People said, "Yes, Babaji, drink milk." He said, "Not like this. Bring hot milk, and inside some nice net fruits, something very nice." Did it also. And then he said, he drank, Gurujī drank it, there was no poison, nothing. He drank the whole cup, and he said to his disciples, "Now your samādhi went out. Let nobody drink for you—not your parents, not your wife, not your friends. Not nobody drink for me something." Everybody said, "We will not drink." So parents cannot, wife cannot. Now it is your duty, you want. I go, Gurujī said. And that bhakta also went away. So this is, that is said, it's not reality that one has to die, but it is said, yes, how are you? If somebody tells us sometimes, we will say, "No, we can't do." So in the world, humans are also not like that. That's why one goes, that's called yogīs or gurus. And they are sitting in the Himalayas or somewhere, and they are giving for others. And that's why there are yogīs and gurus in the world who sit somewhere in the Himalayas or somewhere else and actually work for others. So it doesn't matter how it is, but our Ātmā, that is different. And for that we have to work, next to many others. Therefore, guru-kṛpāhi kevalaṁ śiṣyake ānanda-maṅgalam. Siddhī Upananda Bhagavān Kī Jaya!

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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