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Oṁ Namaḥ Śrī Prabhu Dīpa Nārāyaṇa. Hama Sabadāsa Prabho Śaraṇa Pārāyaṇa. First, I offer praṇām to our beloved Gurudev, Viśvaguru Mahāmaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Maharṣi Ānanda Purījī Mahārāj. It is because of Him that we are all here and that I can translate what you just said. From my early age, when I had many questions, Swāmījī would say, "If you don’t understand, just listen to what I will tell you, and then you will understand." Now I am lucky enough to understand some things, not all. This is a very beautiful mantra. We sing it in Hindi, but we can also sing it in Sanskrit; it is very similar. Like all mantras, it begins with Oṁ. Oṁ is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the universe. It is written about in the Upaniṣads; there is a whole Upaniṣad dedicated to Oṁ. No matter how many books people write about Oṁ, when you write about the unlimited, it remains unlimited. Oṁ is traditionally used to start a mantra. This mantra is essentially a prayer, glorifying our Grandmaster Śrī Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī and requesting him to take us into his shelter. "Oṁ namaḥ" means greetings or salutations; "namaha" is an offering of respect. In singing, the "ha" sound can be difficult, so it often becomes "namo," meaning "I greet you." We are paying our respects. "Śrī" is the universal mother; it means "sir" but also signifies Lakṣmī and has many meanings, including wealth. Here, it means "respected." We greet respectfully. Whom do we greet respectfully? Dīpa. In our culture, especially in India, it is not nice to call someone older by their name alone. That is why we say Swāmījī or Viśvagurujī. But for a mantra, you need the name. The composer of this mantra, Swāmījī, when putting the name, uses many words to express gratitude and feeling. The person is Dīpa, but we call him "Śrī Prabhu"—respected God. "Prabhu" itself means God. So it is "respected God Dīpa." Then "Nārāyaṇa." Dīpa means light—the universal light from which Mahāprabhujī came and to which he returned. We adore him in that universal light. Nārāyaṇa is one of the most famous names of God, specifically for Viṣṇu. Gods have thousands of names out of respect and to show their limitless qualities. Here, the author says, "Dīpa, Mahāprabhujī, he is Viṣṇu himself." He is Nārāyaṇa. Even "Mahāprabhujī" is a title, not a name. "Mahā" means great, "Prabhu" means God, and "jī" is a respectful suffix. You do not dare say the person's name directly because you hold them so highly. So, "Oṁ Śrī Prabhu Dīpa Nārāyaṇa" means: "Oṁ. Salutations to the respected God, the light, Nārāyaṇa, my master Dīpa." Now the greeting part is finished, and the request part begins. We always come to satsaṅg because we want something. What do we want from Mahāprabhujī? "Hama" means we. "Hama saba" means we all. In many cultures, using "we" is more polite than "I." Here, it refers to everybody—whoever is singing, whoever is a follower or disciple of Swāmījī, Gurujī, or Mahāprabhujī. "Dāsa" means servant. "Hama saba dāsa" means we are all servants. We are the servants of God. Serving the master means not just physical service but serving all creatures, especially those weaker than us. "Prabho" means God; we are addressing Him personally now. What do we want? "Śaraṇa pārāyaṇa." There are two words: "caraṇa" means feet, and "śaraṇa" means shelter. They mean essentially the same thing. When a small baby walks with its mother, it stays by the mother's feet. Similarly, we are always at our Guru's feet, holding onto him because we are so small compared to him. "Śaraṇa pārāyaṇa" means: we come to your shelter, we are in your shelter, we ask to be taken into your shelter. It encompasses past, present, and future. This mantra requests Mahāprabhujī to keep us in his shelter, to bring us to him, protect us, keep us satisfied, and grant us everything. Holy Gurujī wrote this mantra. Sometimes you see "Śirī" instead of "Śrī," with an extra "i." This extra vowel appears when pronunciation is difficult; the meaning remains the same. It is like "kṛpā" being pronounced as "kripa," "krupa," or "kirpa" in different regions. Swāmījī is very tolerant of such variations. Now we have two more lines of this kīrtan: Oṁ namo mahāprabhu dīpa nirañjana, mahā sukha dātā saba duḥkha bhañjana. "Oṁ namo" is again "greetings." To whom? Mahāprabhu. In the first line it was Śrī Prabhu; here it is Mahāprabhu. "Mahā" means "the great," and "prabhu" means "God." These are all respectful words of adoration. For us, this is the truth. Swāmījī is our master and guru. As Swāmījī said, there are many mothers, but there is only one real mother for us in this life. As disciples, we sing this as praise to express our thankfulness and gratitude. "Mahāprabhujī Dīpa Nirañjana." Nirañjana means the purest of the pure, unstained. "Mahā sukha dātā" means the giver of great happiness. What is the greatest happiness? Self-realization, mokṣa, knowing ourselves—or simply being content. He is the giver. "Saba duḥkha bhañjana" means the destroyer of all unhappiness and suffering. "Saba" means all, "duḥkha" means suffering. He nullifies all unhappiness and grants the highest happiness. There is a saying in India: a small frog living in a pond formed by a cow's hoof thinks it is in the ocean and is safe forever. We are like that. We think temporary pleasures are happiness. You go to a shopping mall and feel happy, but it does not last. We need the highest happiness, which is permanent—being happy with ourselves, knowing ourselves. Holy Gurujī says, "I greet Dīpa." In our guru paramparā, when we give our bhajans to others, they might not understand "Dīpa" as Mahāprabhujī; they might understand it simply as "light." If Gurujī had not put "Dīpa" in the mantra, someone might substitute "Kṛṣṇa," as everyone follows their own thoughts and gurus. "Oṁ namo Mahāprabhu Dīpa" means: I greet this Mahāprabhujī, Dīpa Nārāyaṇa, who is so merciful (dayālu). He is so merciful that he helps us emerge from the mess we create with our hundreds of thousands of desires. "Bhakti jan" refers to all devotees. "Pratipāla" means protector. Like a gardener tends a garden, Swāmījī takes care of us. In the broader sense, Viṣṇu is the protector of the whole world. But in our paramparā, Gurujī is asking Mahāprabhujī specifically to protect his devotees—those who follow the teachings. This is not blind following; it is yoga in daily life: practicing āsanas, prāṇāyāma, mindful eating, and proper behavior. To be Swāmījī's bhakta, you must follow his teachings. So we say, "Oṁ namo Prabhu Dīpa." He is so merciful, and he protects his devotees. He does that. Most of you have had some experience to prove that true.