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A Spiritual Journey: Lessons from the Himalayan Lakes and Caves

A satsang sharing spiritual lessons from Himalayan pilgrimage.

"I never give up. You also should never give up." "When things should be, they will be. You must agree with this."

Swami Shantipuri addresses the gathering on his Sannyasa birthday, recounting his journey to the Satopant Lake in the Himalayas after his Guruji's Mahasamadhi. He describes a profound meditation experience there, from which he received three core spiritual lessons symbolized by the lake: to accept life's events like the shore accepts waves, to cultivate inner calm by having no expectations, and to give freely from one's inner reservoir of wisdom like a flowing stream.

Filming location: Vép, Hungary

Om Siddhipūrṇa Rāmbhagavān Kī Jaya, Śrī Alagpurījī Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Śrī Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Śrī Madhukṛṣṇabhagavān Kī Jaya, Niḥsvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṃsa Svāmīmaheśvarānandjī Gurudeva Kī Jaya. Thank you for allowing me to be here in this beautiful family with Swāmījī. Yesterday was a spiritual birthday for me—my Sannyāsa birthday. Thirty-one years ago, Swāmījī initiated me. I especially thank him for his passion and love in supporting me all these 31 years. You know the color orange and its meaning. But what does fire mean? Fire means transformation. Repeat: what does it mean? That's it. So, everyone here also has an orange heart because you are present. You also wish to transform yourself into a better, into the best possible version of yourself. I would like to share a little story, if Swāmījī permits. I have been with Swāmījī for 41 years now. Many things happened in that time, which I cannot fully recount now, but I will write about them someday. However, I received a great blessing from holy Gurujī. He blessed me to go to the Himalayas, where many extraordinary things occurred. I wish to tell you one such incident. After the Mahāsamādhi of holy Gurujī—I was with him in his final three months, an experience that changes you—I decided to travel alone through India as a sādhu, with only a kamandalu in hand, to have my own experiences. I told Swāmījī, and he said, "Śānti, that's not a good idea. Hurry on Gurubhakya." I replied, "But I have one trait: I never give up." Repeat: "I never give up." You also should never give up. So, I pondered how to convince Swāmījī to let me go alone. I decided to go to Mount Kailāśa, as no guru can forbid a pilgrimage there. Swāmījī agreed, saying, "Yes, very good." I then considered where to train for this. Premanājī helped me, suggesting I go to the Indian Himalayas. To make a long story short, I arrived in Badrināth. It attracted me profoundly, like my home—it still feels more like home than any other place. I returned there every year. Once, Swāmījī told me, "Go now and search for the cave of Śrī Devarājī." As a European who didn't speak Hindi and had no knowledge of mountains or caves, this was daunting. But when things are meant to be, they will be. Can you repeat that? When things should be, they will be. You must agree with this. Indeed, they sent sādhus who showed me the way. I journeyed up to Satopant Lake. A sādhu who had lived for many years in the caves there led me. Today, I will tell you this story from my first visit. Normally, one goes with two people, but I had about seven porters—living in abundance meant one for cooking, others for various tasks. I planned to stay a week to meditate. We arrived, I had my tent, and the others were in another area. They were so noisy that I called the guide and said, "I came here to meditate, but it's impossible. Please move the people behind the next mountain." He replied, "Behind the next mountain is a glacier." I said, "Oh, my goodness." Anyway, I managed to have them relocate. That night was Amāvasyā. It is said that once a month, on Amāvasyā, Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu come to bathe in Satopant Lake. That was exactly the day I had aimed for. During my meditation that night, I heard sounds like someone diving into the water. I believe they were truly present. I also saw something like a chakra—a light moving along the side of the lake. But that is just the introduction. The next morning, during meditation, I received a kind of message, which I believe was from Śrī Devapurījī, as I was searching for his cave. He gave me three lessons. The lake of Satopant is like a triangle with three corners. On one side, there was a small glacier (now melted). The wind would come, creating waves that traveled to the shore. Are there more waves on the shore? No. The message is: whatever happens in life, accept it. Understand? Just as Mother Earth accepts everything. This aligns with Swāmījī's words: we must accept. For instance, Swāmījī is the leader here, so we accept without any resistance. When you conduct a workshop, people must follow your rules and regulations. You are here, so we must accept and follow immediately. It is good to do as Swāmījī says. I share this story because it was the first lesson I understood from Purījī, seen in meditation. The waves coming and going represent my mind, constantly judging, up and down. But you must accept whatever is; then you are safe. This is why you practice yoga—to go into your inner heart and, with wisdom, accept things because God always gives them for a reason. That reason is our growth. Would you like to hear the other two corners? The second corner was opposite, where people typically take the holy bath. There, the water was completely calm. The lesson is: have no expectations. If you have expectations, you will be disappointed. If you are calm inside, with no expectations or wishes, you are completely peaceful and balanced. Use this image: if the water is calm, you can see to the bottom, you can understand what is in the depths. But if you have expectations, jumping up and down with "I want this," you will see nothing and will not progress. So, the second lesson is: do not have expectations. Strive to be calm inside on all levels. Now, for the third corner, and then I will finish. A little river from the glacier was flowing into Satopant Lake (though now, with melting glaciers, it may not). What does it mean, flowing into the lake? It means: give. Give whatever you have. Water nourishes others and is a symbol of love, humility, and thankfulness. So, give whatever you have realized from Swāmījī, from me, from anyone. It doesn't matter if you understand one word or one sentence from three days or ten. It is important for you. Perhaps you speak to others: tell them to be vegetarian, speak softly, and not be aggressive. Whatever you understand, give from your inner reservoir. Inside you is a reservoir of wisdom. Everyone here is connected to higher wisdom. You are not merely your body sitting here; you are connected to the upper level, to Brahma Loka. You can try to get in touch with this through Swāmījī's meditation technique, which you learn here. Through this, you can give your best qualities to nourish others. I thank you very much. Excuse me, Swāmījī, that was a little longer. Thank you. Hari Om.

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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