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Mahāprabhujī Karatā He Kevalaṁ Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Sadāśiva Samarambhaṁ Śaṅkarāchārya Madhyamām Asmadāchārya Paryantaṁ Vande Guru Paramparām. Gurur Brahmā, Gurur Viṣṇuḥ, Gurur Devo Maheśvaraḥ. Gurur Sākṣāt Para Brahma Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Mannātha Śrī Jagannātha Madguru Śrī Jagadguru Māmātmā Sarvabhūtātmā Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Oṁ Śrī Alakh Purījī, Mahādeva, Kī Jaya. Devād Deva Deveśvara Mahādeva, Kī Jaya. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jai. Hindu Dharm Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Śrī Madhavānanda Purī Jī, Satguru Dev Bhagavān, Kī Jai. Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Śrī Maheśvarānanda Purī Jī, Gurudeva, Kī Jai. Salutations to the Cosmic Self, salutations to Śrī Alakhpurījī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā. Mā dānvat praṇāms to our beloved Gurudev, His Holiness, Viśvaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Maheśvarānanda Purījī. Oṁ Namaḥ Nārentu, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Svāmī Vivek Purījī and all the Sannyāsīs. Hari Om to all of you who are present here and watching through Swamijī TV. Today we have a very interesting topic: Death. Death can sometimes be very scary, and the thought of it is largely what hurts us. But once we realize it is not as terrible as we imagine and we follow the spiritual path, we see that it is basically a transition from this human body to a higher place. For those who follow the spiritual path, who have Guru Bhakti, who trust in their gods and in their Gurus, the Guru prepares them. Then they know there is nothing to worry about. Death is a universal law. Whoever comes will go. There is not much you can do about it, so why dwell on it? If we follow the path and have the blessings of Guru Deva, we become one with the Supreme Self—that is our ultimate goal. One of my very dear friends, a close friend, passed away last night. So we will chant the Mahāmṛtyu Jaya Mantra five times for his soul. Oṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭi Vardhanam Uravāḥ Rukamyeva Bandhanāt Mṛtyor Mukṣī Mahāmṛtāt Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam Uruvarukam Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam Uruvarukam Yevabandhanāt Mṛtyormukṣīrmahāmṛtāt Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyormukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyormukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt Oṃ Śānti Śānti… I know that his soul is in a better place now. Hopefully he is with Mahāprabhujī, and he is in a better place. Condolences to his family. Once, there was a king named Vidura who had a great fear of death. He had everything in life—money, a kingdom, his people—but occasionally he worried, “What will happen when I die?” So he went to his guru, Swami Parmātmānanda, Padmātmānanda, and he made praṇāms and said, “Gurudev, something is bothering me a lot.” Swamiji asked what, and he replied, “Guruji, I have everything in life, but I still have that fear about death.” The guru said, “This is a universal law: you come, you go. For example, take the story of the elephant Gajendra. He was once stuck in a river with a crocodile holding his leg. No matter how much strength the elephant had, he could not free himself. Then he closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord: ‘O Lord, please save me.’ And he was pulled out by the divine. In the same way, we humans are like that. We also have a lot of strength in the sense that we have whatever we need, but we are still stuck in the cycle of death and rebirth. The Guru is the one who actually frees us from that cycle.” And how do we get free? By Seva Bhāva, by trusting and believing in your Guru, and knowing that He is there to protect us and to help us, even after our passing. He is the bridge who helps us cross from this worldly life to become one with the Divine. That is why Guru Kṛpā is very important for everyone. Another example involves a guru and a disciple. The disciple’s name was Arjuna, and he asked his Guru, Swami Anantanand, “Guru Dev, I am also scared of death. What can I do about it?” The Guru gave the example of a bird named Chirpī. Chirpī lived in a beautiful, lush forest full of trees and flowers. He could fly anywhere, but he never dared to cross the border of the forest to explore other places. Do you know who is the guru of the birds? Garuḍa. Garuḍa is the vehicle of Lord Viṣṇu. Garuḍa was meditating in a cave up in the mountains. Somehow, Chirpī got that energy and strength to fly out of the forest and go to Garuḍa. In the same way, when we are stuck, we come to Strilky or to Jadan to be in the presence of Gurū Dev. So Chirpī flew from Vienna to Strilky and met his guru, Garuḍa. He said, “How can you help me? I’m stuck. I fear that if I fly outside the boundaries of the forest, I will be killed.” Gurujī said, “Do you trust me?” That is what Vishwagurujī always asks: “Do you trust me?” We say, “Yes,” but do we? So Gurujī said, “Okay, then fly with me.” Then Gurujī flew very high, above the clouds and mountains. There he asked Chirpī, “Look around. What do you see? Is there anyone here you are afraid of, who can harm you?” Chirpī said, “No. Nothing here. Beautiful light.” This is what enlightenment is. You have to cross the boundaries of the forest, of the mountains, of the clouds, and then you fly in Śūnyākāśa. When you have the blessings of Gurudev and are one with Him, when you realize He is not only sitting here but is also sitting within us—He is in this glass, He is everywhere you look—and you have trust in Him without any expectations, without any ego, without any jealousy, when you surrender to Him, then and only then do the doors of your heart open. That is when you become one with Him and one with the Supreme. We should try not to have within us any kind of karma: no anger, no jealousy, no ego, no envy towards anyone. When we are free from all this, there is nothing to stop us. But we must not give up and fall back. I mentioned last week that our spiritual growth is like climbing stairs or climbing a mountain. Climbing up is hard; you get body pain, knee pain, all sorts of pains. If in the middle we think we cannot go on, it is better not to give up but to sit there, breathe in and out, relax your body, do some meditation, do your mālā. Then the Guru will give you that push; you will get your strength back and continue climbing up. But if you give up and try to go back down, it is a very quick process compared to going up, and then you have to do all that work again. The same in life. My friend was twenty-three, one year younger than me. You never know what happens with life, when it happens, or what happens. So do not give up in life; keep on climbing. When you need it, ask for help. He will guide you; He will help you climb further. But if you are finished, it is finished. That is why we have “Guru Kṛpā Kevalam, Śrī Śaṅkarānanda Maṅgalam.” When Gurudev is protecting us, there is nothing to worry about. Even if death comes, we know we are at peace because we are one with Him. That is how you develop Guru Bhakti, devotion towards Him; that is how you get liberated and, hopefully, attain mokṣa and liberation. We should always have Him in our hearts. Believe in Him, trust in Him, and everything will be good. Satguru is there to protect you; do not worry. Nirbhay Raho, which means be without bhai, be without any fear. Kabhi Matadharana—never be scared. And there is the second verse: “Jo Sumire Satguru Nām,” those who chant the Satguru’s name. Sahajabhāvataraṇa means they will easily swim in that ultimate. Eventually, they will achieve mukti, Harijī se milenā, and become one with the Supreme. That is why we should not worry. Happiness and sadness come and go. As I always say, if happiness comes, do not be too happy, because it will pass; and if sadness comes, do not be too sad, because it will also pass, and happiness will come again. That is how life works. So what happened, happened; what will happen, will happen. Be now, enjoy satsaṅg, be happy. What happened, what happened, what will happen, what will happen. So be happy now, in this moment, and rejoice in satsaṅg. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jai. (Whose bhajan book was this?) Vidur and his guru had this discussion about death. The guru told the story of Gajendra and the crocodile, and the summary is that this is how we are in life. This is what happens when you chant His name. That was the answer from the guru to Vidur. Sahasra Padākṣī Śiro Ruhā Sahasra Koṭī Yogadhāriṇe Namaḥ. Namo ’nantaṁ sahasramūrtaye—this is a prayer to Lord Viṣṇu. They are talking about a thousand śāstras. So the meaning is: Salutations to the Infinite One who has a thousand forms. Sahasra means thousand. As we know, Guru is Brahmā, Guru is Viṣṇu, and Guru is Śiva. So through this chant, the first śloka is for Viṣṇu, but for us, Viṣṇu is Gurudev. He has a thousand feet, eyes, heads, and arms. Sahastrapāda means thousand legs; akṣi means eyes; śīrṣa means head; bahave means arms. So: Salutations to the Infinite One who has a thousand forms, sahasra mūrtaye—mūrtaye means forms. Sahasra pāda, a thousand feet; sahasra akṣi, a thousand eyes; sahasra śīrṣa, a thousand heads; and bahave, arms. Next: Sahasranāmni means a thousand names. Puruṣāya Śāśvatī, the eternal being. Sahasra Koṭī Yogadhāriṇī Namaha—who sustains thousands of millions of ages, one who lives forever through all the yugas. Namaha means I bow to thee. So I repeat: Salutations to the Infinite One who has a thousand forms, who has thousands of feet, eyes, heads, and arms; who has thousands of names, the eternal being; who sustains thousands of millions of ages—I bow to thee. Namo ’stu anantāya sahasramūrtaye sahasrapādākṣi śiroruhāve Sahasra Koṭī Yogadhāriṇe Namaḥ. Namaḥ Kamalanābhāya Namaste Jalasaṅhāriṇe Namaḥ Kamalanābhāya Namaste Jalasaṅhāriṇe… Namah Kamalanābhāya Namaste Jalāsāhin, Namah Kamalanābhāya Namaste Jalāsāhin, Namah Kamalanābhāya Namaste Keśavānanda, Namaste Keśavānanda,… Namaste Keśavānanda Vāsudeva Namostute Vāsudeva Namostu Te Namaste Keśavānanda Vāsudeva Namostu Te Namaste Keśavānanda Vāsudeva Namostu Te Namaste Keśavānanda Vāsudevo Namostute. Na Karmaṇā Na Prajāyā Dhanena Na Tyāgenaike Amṛtatvaṁ Ānaśuḥ. Pare Nānākaṁ Nihitaṁ Guhāyāṁ Vibhrājate Tadyatayo Viśante. Vedānta Vijñāna Suniścitārtha Sannyāsa Yogāt Yatāyaḥ Śuddhasattvāḥ Te Brahma Loke Tu Parāntakāle Paramṛtāḥ Parimucyante Sarve. Dharmaṁ vipāpaṁ parameśam abhūtaṁ yat pāṇḍarīkaṁ puram ādyasatkṛṣṭam Śrī Oṁ Śānti Śānti Oṁ Śrī Alakhpur Jī Mahādeva Kī Jai Devād Deva Deva Īśvara Mahādeva Kī Jai Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsvāmī Śrī Madhavānanda Purī Jī, Satgurudeva Bhagavān Kī Jai, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsvāmī Śrī Maheśvara Nanda Purījī, Gurudeva Kī Jai. Namaste. Astagfirullah. Viśveśvarāya, Mahādevāya, Trāṁbakāya, Tripurāntakāya, Trikāgni Kālāya, Kālāgni Rudrāya, Nīlakaṇṭhāya, Mṛtyuñjayāya, Sarveśvarāya, Sadāśivāya, Śrīman Mahādevāya, Namaḥ. Śrī Guru Caraṇakamalābhyo, Namaḥ. There is another one for Swāmījī: Sahasra Pādākṣiśiro Ruhave. Sahasra Koṭī Yogadhāriṇe Namaḥ. Namaḥ Kamalānābhāya Namaste Jalāsāhiṇe Namaste Keśavānanda Vāsudeva Namostute Vāsanaḥād Vāsudevasya. This we will chant in the evening. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Svastī Prajābhyāṁ Paripālayanṁ Tāṁ Nyāye Nāmarge Namahin Mahiṣagau Brāhmaṇe Bhyo Śavamastu Nityaṁ Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ… Hari Om Śrī Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā Kī Jai, Haraṇaṁava Pārvatī Pādaye, Harahara Mahādeva Śambhava. Now the floor is all yours, Gurudev. Hari Om, dear brothers and sisters. With this satsaṅg, the first part is finishing. This first part of the summer seminar is ending. Others will stay and enjoy. And what is the energy around you? You just need to listen to your heart. That is the beauty of meditation, ātmā-cintan, yoga, and daily life. I always come to that part of the meditation because it is really amazing. When you try to observe images, you visualize the people around you—your family, your friends, a few friends—and you try to feel your body. With the brain, you can cheat yourself; it is very easy, we cheat ourselves because people say we must feel this. But that is what the brain tells us. So we think, “I have love,” but is that eternal love, the love at first impression? Look at your body, feel your body. Where do you feel something? Do you feel it in the Svādhiṣṭhāna Chakra, like a butterfly, or in the heart, like an expansion? If it is in the Svādhiṣṭhāna cakra, a butterfly, and you think, “Oh, that is eternal love,” you smile because you know the answer. And you are all laughing, so you know the answer: that is just hormonal love. Sometimes it will pass away, or it will grow into something that touches your heart. And that is what will happen next: either it fades, or it grows into something that touches your heart. Why am I talking about this? Because when you are here, in the presence of Gurudeva, try to feel what you feel in your body. You do not need to force yourself, but try to feel your body. Sometimes people force themselves too much: “I must feel this; everybody feels this, so I must also feel it.” But I remember one story we heard from Viśvagurujī. There was a farmer who became a disciple. A fresh disciple. The Guru asked him, “What do you think about me?” The man said, “Gurujī, you are strong. You have power. You are like a bull on my farm.” Imagine that someone said this to Viśvagurujī. We would say, “Oh my God, how dare you say that!” But Gurujī said, “No, no, it’s okay. He gave me a compliment. I am strong like a bull. That is important. You need strength. If you don’t have strength, how will you do anything?” He was completely right. A few years passed. In those days, it was not so often that you had the opportunity to be with Gurudev. Now we can sit in a plane for seven hours and be in India; everything is seven or eight hours. Maybe during the summer you are nearer to India than to Strilky. And after a few years, Gurujī asked again—the disciple was still young—“What do you think about me?” The man said, “Gurujī, you are very, very wise. You are wiser than me. I am working, I am sweating, but you nicely talk and live very pleasantly, and people listen to you.” Again, the other disciples were disturbed, but Gurujī said, “No, no. Look, a few years ago I was a bull; now I am a wise person. That is excellent. You need strength, you need knowledge, and you must be wise.” After a few more years, Gurujī returned to that village, and after satsaṅg he asked the same disciple, “What do you think about me?” The man stood and began to chant, “Guru Brahma, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Deva Maheśvarānanda.” What this means is that everything in our life is also growing, like a fruit. The flower slowly becomes a nice apple, ripe and ready to eat. That is our life too. If you want to eat an apple before it is ripe, it will not be tasteful. We need to give ourselves time, not force. Do not be discouraged, but always have practice, always have our sādhanā. That is not only on weekends, Friday and Sunday early morning, but now we have a little more time. Also, what we learned from Vishwagurujī—another excellent story—is about a beggar. A Mahārājā passed by and saw a beggar in his kingdom; he was disturbed that such poverty existed. He gave the beggar one or two hectares of sandalwood forest and went away. After a few years, the king passed through again and saw the same man begging. He stopped and asked, “For God’s sake, how is it possible that you are again a beggar? What did you do with those two hectares of sandalwood forest?” The man answered, “Mahārājī, nothing. I cut all the wood and sold it.” The king said, “Oh, you stupid one! If every year you cut only one or two branches, you would have been rich enough to live a normal life.” That is like darśan, being with the Guru Dev: we got a sandalwood forest. What will we do? Cut down the whole forest, make it into ash, and carry it like a donkey, or will we utilize what we gained by keeping the forest in good condition and cutting only a few branches? Then we will have enough not just for one life but for the whole existence. That is what is important: what we do when we go home, when we come home—continuing with our sādhanā, continuing with that nice, pleasant, warm feeling in our heart, and letting this sandalwood forest flourish. Or we can immediately cut it all and destroy everything. That is the importance of what we will do. And for receiving this sandalwood forest, thank you Gurū Dev. I know that each of us will make an effort to take care of it. But please also bless us to be wise enough not to destroy it and become beggars again. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jai.