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Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Śrī Devapurīṣa Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Dharma Samrāṭ Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandajī Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jaya. Good morning to everybody. Welcome, good morning, and good evening to all other bhaktas and devotees around the world. We have been speaking about Nāḍī Yoga. Today, a little bit about practice. The seat of sound is in the Maṇipūra Cakra, called the Nābhi Kamala—navel lotus. Whenever we speak any word, the first pressure is on the navel. The sound awakens from the navel, ascending to the Viśuddhi Cakra, the Kaṇṭha Kamala. Kaṇṭha means throat. God Śiva’s name is also Nīlakaṇṭha, ‘blue throat’. The sound which awakens from the navel comes to the kaṇṭha kamala, to the vocal cords, where the sound begins to manifest. Then come the lips and tongue; from there, it forms the word. Para is the seat of the sound in the navel, which is dormant sound, like Parabrahma which is not manifested. Paśyantī is the middle; it is in the vocal cords. And Vākarī is loud. When you received your mantra, you were instructed to practice it with five different techniques. If you do not practice systematically with these five techniques, you will not have the benefit, success, or perfection you expect. It has been researched and experienced by the ṛṣis how the sound and mantra should become one with you, one in your consciousness, so that anytime, anywhere, your mantra continues for you. Mantra is like a torchlight, a battery. When you walk through darkness, the torch shows you a clear path. Similarly, when the individual soul travels through the astral world, your guru mantra, your personal mantra, will guide you safely through the divine light to divine union. If you don’t practice properly, there will be some benefit, but not what you expect. The practice of mantra has five steps and should be practiced with discipline, regularly. Four techniques you should practice every day. The fifth one, when you reach it, then you may not need to practice all four, only the third one. The first is called writing, Likhita Japa. Japa means repetition; Likhita means writing. In your own language, write every word very clearly so you see it and know how to pronounce it. Also, it would be good if you could learn these few alphabets to write your mantra in Sanskrit. Then it has more effect because that is the origin. In Devanāgarī, if you write it, it will be easier. Yesterday we spoke about Akṣara Brahma; the alphabet represents the supreme. Every day, write your mantra for five, ten, twenty minutes, as long as you can. Don’t write quickly. Just peacefully. Try to become one with it. Your writing should be like a painter making a portrait. Though you are writing, in your inner self you are already speaking. This is the first step of practicing mantra, Nāda Yoga: Likhita writing. Then comes what is called Vākarī, the sound coming from the navel, ascending to the Viśuddhi, and manifesting, forming the word with the lips. This means you chant your mantra aloud with your own melody. The third is called Upāṃśu, chanting inwardly. It’s like you are chanting and listening to your own voice. The fourth technique is called Mānasika, mental repetition. With a mālā, wherever you are, practice your mantra mentally. It is better to practice your mantra mentally than to have nonsense thoughts. It is prevention against restless, nonsense, negative thoughts. Always repeat your mantra. Spiritual thoughts are very close to us. God’s name is very close to us. In India, anything happens, we say, "Oh Rām, Rām... Hey Rām." They don’t say, "Oh Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," no. Hey Rām. Gandhijī, in his last breath, said, "Hey Rām." It is very clear he was a devotee of God Rāma. You will speak the last sentence of what is dear to you. He didn’t say, "Oh stupid one," but "Hey Rām." So also, when an accident happens, we say, "Oh Rām, Rām, Hey Rām." In Western culture, where Christianity is, when something happens, you say, "Jesus, Maria, Jesus." Suddenly it comes, "Jesus." From where did this word come? That is imprinted in your subconscious existence. At the right time, our inner self knows. The main thing is that you pronounce it correctly. Therefore, the principle of mantra is this: it should become an inner nāda of yourself. The heartbeat should repeat your mantra. You can hear your mantra’s resonance from your heart, in Upāṃśu and Mānasika. While driving a car, you can repeat your mantra. When you stop at a traffic light, you can chant. It’s beautiful. The fifth one is called Ajapā. Oṯ jīva hale nai, bin japyā jap hoi, ajapā jisko kyā japāy, ajapā jisko kyā japāy, oṯ jīva hale nai, bin japyā jap hoi. Neither tongue moves, nor the lips. Without your effort, your mantra is going on in repetition. That’s called Ajapā. These are the five steps of mantra practice. When you practice in this way, you get Saṅkalpa Siddhi—what you wish comes true. But be sure, if it is only a selfish wish and against someone else, it will not come true. Don’t be disappointed. God protects you. That mantra protects you for the future. It prevents your selfishness, your greed, your ignorance. The mantra knows the result would be bad, and therefore it is protecting you. So wish something positive, something good for all. We have the golden preaching of Mahāprabhujī for the upliftment of human consciousness. In the morning, read one word, one slogan of what Mahāprabhujī said, and let it work the whole day in your consciousness. When you come to Ajapā, Gurujī said that at that time your Saṅkalpa Prasiddhi will be strong, your wish comes true, and that mantra will lead you safely in this world and in the astral world. So Nāda, its seat is in Maṇipūra. From there, sound ascends to Viśuddhi. From there, the sound departs into three streams. Through the Suṣumṇā, it goes to the Sahasrāra Cakra. That resonates in your whole head; you hear your own sound there, and it sends further into space. The second stream, through the Iḍā Nāḍī, goes to the Anāhata Cakra, to the heart. The third, resonating in the world as well as in your body, is that every cell recharges with that cosmic energy, like recharging a battery. This is a kind of kriyā, one part of a kriyā. We have to add a few more things, which we will speak of in the next seminar. But until then, you have to work on this. The awakening of sound comes from the navel through the Suṣumṇā, reaches the Viśuddhi Cakra, and divides into three parts. Suṣumṇā carries the sound to the Sahasrāra Cakra and to space. Iḍā directs that sound towards the heart, towards the self. And Piṅgalā transfers the sound into the whole body, as well as into the outer world. During chanting, when the sound from the Viśuddhi Cakra comes to the separation point, and through the yogī’s prāṇa kriyā, it pulls the sound first to the Ājñā Cakra. At that time, your japa practice will help you. In the Ājñā Cakra, the center of the eyebrows, that sound changes into three forms: color, light, and resonance. At that time, the strong energy consciousness from the Anāhata Cakra, where the seat of the self is, comes to your Ājñā Cakra. This is how the kriyās—where mantra, concentration, mudrās, postures, and breathing all come together—constitute the highest meditation kriyās. Those kriyās can free you from karma and bring you to your ultimate aim. Now we will practice the first part. Sit in a good posture. In meditation, close your eyes, relax your body, and sit straight and upright. Keep your body motionless. Bring your awareness to the Maṇipūra Cakra, the navel. Observe your abdomen. During inhalation, your stomach expands; during exhalation, it contracts. Concentrate on your breath, the incoming and outgoing breath. Listen to the sound of the breath at the Maṇipūra Cakra. Now, take a few deep inhalations and exhalations. We will chant Oṁ all together. At that time, concentrate on that sound, away from your breath. [Instructions for collective Oṁ chanting are repeated.] Now we will chant Oṁ again, but a little differently. Concentrate on the navel and follow the whole path of the sound which I explained before. We will chant not too long, not too short. I will chant five times, then you will join me. Now, inwardly chant. Concentrate on the sound; listen inwardly to your chanting of Oṁ. Concentrate on these different parts in the direction of the sound: from the navel, to the throat, and from the throat to the Sahasrāra Cakra, to the Anāhata, and to the whole body. The resonance of the Aum creates a beautiful light, protection, and energy around your whole body. Be relaxed. It’s like a bell ringing, your Oṁ chanting continuously. Inwardly chant, inwardly listen, like a continuous bell. Slowly move your fingers. Close your fist, open the palms. Rotate your ankle joints, the wrists. Move shoulders up and down. Bend your elbows and stretch the hands again. Fold the palms together and rub them. Place your palms on your face. Practice this technique. Think this over, learn it. This evening we will see again, according to the weather. Tomorrow morning will be a 9 o’clock program because of the other countries in Europe. It is already late for them, but still, they can survive. Now they are very late, and they are sleepy. I wish you all the best and a very good day. Have a nice practice. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya.