TV Channel

Part 1: The Yoga Name as a Second Mantra Good morning, and welcome to Strilky Ashram for the morning lecture. Today’s gathering is a little smaller because many are attending the fellowship meeting, so we can begin our satsaṅg right away – and we have exciting news. Vishwagurujī’s autobiography, Yoga in My Daily Life, has just arrived at the ashram. This very special book, published by Viśvagurujī Publishing House, is the first English edition of his autobiography, and many of you have already pre-ordered it. For those who haven’t, or who would like to pick up a copy, a van is parked in the yard where after this programme you can both collect pre-orders and buy a book. You might be thinking that you should wait for a Czech translation, but there are good reasons to consider this original English edition now. The book is only a few days old, yet things we can call miracles are already connected with this physical object. As you will hear in more detail this evening, it is blessed with the touch of Viśvagurujī and Mahāprabhujī. It not only carries living light inside; the book itself is life. Moreover, the content is written in such simple English that you could even use it to start learning the language. Part one of the autobiography covers Vishwagurujī’s life from the very beginning to 1984, with the subtitle “My Life in India and First Twelve Years in Europe.” It captures his childhood, his time with Holī Gurujī, the first journey to Europe, and the start of his work in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the former Yugoslavia, and Greece. A final chapter touches the very beginning of the Om Āśram project. Along with many photographs, the heart of the book is Vishwagurujī’s life told in his own words. The main introduction will be given this evening, and then I plan to read an excerpt about Swāmījī’s birth, because today we celebrate his birthday. Right now, however, I have chosen a short paragraph about a dream of his. “So, in the dream, it was a beautiful warm June afternoon, and I was sitting inside the house on the sofa in a room full of people who had gathered for satsaṅg. I was thinking about what I was going to talk about, and suddenly I saw Mahāprabhujī sitting next to me. Of course, I jumped up right away and respectfully greeted him with folded hands. ‘Sit down,’ he gestured, adding, ‘I came for satsaṅg.’ ‘What luck!’ I rejoiced. ‘I wouldn’t know what to talk about, but we have you here to share your wisdom with us.’ Unfortunately, I don’t remember what Mahāprabhujī talked about. However, the essential thing was to happen at the end of the satsaṅg, after the prayer. This was the time for prasāda. Mahāprabhujī had with him a small white bag, which he now opened, and in it I saw beautiful big rudrākṣa beads. ‘This is today’s prasāda, Maheśa, distribute it,’ he invited me and poured the entire contents of the bag into my shirt, which I held for him. I started to distribute the beads one by one. And everyone who got it was overjoyed. Seeing how many of us were there in the packed room, I thought maybe there wouldn’t be enough beads for all. What if there wasn’t one left for me? I would so much love to have a Rudrākṣa bead directly from Mahāprabhujī. I would put it on my mālā. It occurred to me that I could keep one bead aside for myself in my pocket. In that moment, Mahāprabhujī called me back to him and told me, ‘Don’t be greedy, Mahesh. Whatever I gave you, you must pass on. You are here to give, not to take. Give away all you have.’ I gave away everything down to the last bead and came back to Mahāprabhujī. ‘Good,’ he nodded in approval and said, before disappearing, ‘Don’t be afraid. The more you give, the more you get. You have me, and I am always here for you.’ My task is to give utterly and completely, and this I have followed ever since. I have given away countless mantras and mālās, as my dream symbolically showed me. And the more I give, the more I truly get. It is a general principle, however, that it does not apply only to me, but works for everyone.” This short excerpt shows how Vishwagurujī’s life flows, and indeed that is what he does – he distributes all he has. Though today is his birthday, he is the one bringing a great gift to us. You will learn more during the evening satsaṅg; in the meantime, you can buy the book or collect your pre-ordered copy at the yard. Thank you for your attention, and now Swāmījī Gajānandjī will continue with the lecture. Try to obtain your own copy, either by purchase or by borrowing, and observe how it affects your body and mind – perhaps you will share your experience this evening. Hari Om. Hari Om. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jāya. Viśvagurū Jī, Mahārāja, Kī Jāya. Now we will speak about a certain type of mantra. In our bhajans, you know, the word “mantra” actually never appears; it is always Hari Nāma – the name of Hari, the name of God. So let us sing exactly that bhajan: “Hari nāma sumira sukha pāigari.” (You can play.) Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jai. I have a question. Who among you has received a mantra? Perhaps a full mantra from Swāmījī, or a bīja mantra – a short mantra – or maybe both. Usually a person first gets a bīja mantra when very young, and later a longer mantra. If you have one mantra, please raise your hand. If you have both, raise both hands. Thank you – I think nearly everyone. Now another question: who has received a second mantra from Swāmījī? No one? Well, I did, and I tell you that most of you have also received it, though you are not aware of that. That is the point of today’s lecture. What could this second mantra be? Guru Vākya – you got this from Swāmījī, and you are meant to use it very often. What else? Is it a yoga name? The whole purpose of a yoga name is to use it. Most of us want a yoga name, and we have received one from Swāmījī. It is his blessing. How I got mine was a little funny. It was 1987, and I had just received my mantra from Swāmījī. I had heard about yoga names and I wanted one, but I also knew of Swāmī Nārāyaṇānanda – such a very complicated name. I thought, “I want a yoga name, but it should be short.” I always had a tendency to become a monk, even before coming to Swāmījī, and I knew the typical ending for swāmīs is “Ānanda.” So I said to myself, “I would like my yoga name to end with ‘Ānanda.’” But it was only in my mind; I told no one. At that time we were in a village, and everyone was supposed to wear orange. Swāmījī had spoken with a tailor who had orange cloth, and it was announced that all who wished could come: the tailor would take your measurements, and you could order one or two dresses. I went and said, “Yes, I want two dresses,” and went away. Then I realised I had forgotten to give my name. Later, others told me that Swāmījī had spoken my name – he said “Gajānand.” So without my speaking to him directly, he fulfilled my wish. It was short, ending with Ānand: Gajānand. And since that time I am Gajānand, or at least I try to be. In our yoga society, I observe very different attitudes towards the yoga name. When someone who does not know you asks “Who are you?”, how do you answer? Let’s imagine a girl whose name is Natasha receives the yoga name Nārāyaṇī. She could say, “I’m Natasha,” or “I’m Nārāyaṇī,” or “I’m Natasha, and my yoga name is Nārāyaṇī.” Each way expresses a different relationship to the name. Saying “I’m Natasha” shows full identification with the familiar name. Saying “I’m Natasha, my yoga name is Nārāyaṇī” suggests that the second name is secondary, the main name still Natasha. But if someone says “I’m Nārāyaṇī,” they are identified with the spiritual name. Not using the yoga name at all is like receiving a mantra from Swāmījī, putting the paper in a drawer, and forgetting it – it has no value for you. This reminds me of a story Swāmījī often told. Two disciples came to a master to receive a mantra. The master said, “I will test you; you will get it later, not now.” He gave each of them a seed and said, “Take care of this seed, and when I return – perhaps in a year, or two or three – then give this seed back to me.” One disciple thought, “I must protect this,” so he put the seed in a box, which he locked in a cupboard to keep it safe. The other disciple thought, “It is a seed for a plant,” so he planted it. Plants grew, and new seeds came. The master didn’t return soon, so he planted again and again, until his store became larger and larger. After four or five years the master finally came. The first disciple said, “One moment, I will bring it,” but when he opened the box, he saw that a small moth had gotten inside and eaten the seed. We can say this moth is the moth of time, destroying – we simply forget our mantra; it holds no value for us. The second disciple said, “Oh Swāmījī, unfortunately it is too heavy.” The master asked, “Why, it is just one small seed?” The disciple brought him to his farm and showed him a whole storage room full of millions of seeds. The master was very happy and said, “You understood: what is the point of having a seed?” And he gave him the mantra. The mantra is not something to have, but something to use. For us, using means repeating it. When we think of the yoga name, how often in daily life are we using that name? You introduce yourself with the name others call you, and they speak to you with that name. Reflect for a moment: how important is a name in daily life? It is practically our identification. When you are born you get a birth certificate with your name. All contracts, your identity card, passport, visa – everything runs on your name. But the yoga name is not just a label; it is a mantra. It is given by your guru as a powerful tool for spiritual growth. If you use your yoga name, you constantly invoke that blessing. If you keep it hidden, you are like the first disciple with the seed in the box. So I encourage you: embrace your yoga name as a second mantra, and let it grow. Hari Om. Part 2: The Power of the Divine Name: Overcoming Ignorance through Spiritual Identity And that is a problem, because what is the root of ignorance? It is our wrong identification—the simple fact that we do not know the answer to the basic question: “Who are you?” All our practices, our meditations, aim at the answer to this one question: “Who am I?” Our ignorant identification is, “I am this body.” Consider: when did you get your name? When you were born. No—not when you were born, but when your body was born. So the name is directly connected with your physical body. The soul is eternal, but the body is not. Identification is directly tied to this body. Therefore, the fact that we identify with our old name is basically the root of our ignorance. This is not at all a small or insignificant topic. Let us try to think about the quality of our name when we are born—first name and second name. The first name is given after birth by your parents. They choose according to their liking, according to their feeling. And there are certain fashions: which names are in style. Now, with the Olympic Games, I guess many parents will give their children names according to some sportsman. Or maybe music, some pop star—“Oh, this name, our child should have this name.” Maybe the child doesn’t like that music at all. Or some famous person, or some model, or whatever. So definitely, not a spiritual vibration—unless you are born as the child of a saint. Is there someone? Not so often. So that is the quality of the feelings and the fashion that existed at the time when you were born. And what is the quality of your second name, your family name? Very often, it indicates a certain karma from your lineage, from your ancestors. It is very common, for example, certain professions: like the tailor, the carpenter, and so on. So this is also not so spiritual, not giving us a really positive identification. Now, what the Master does when he gives you a yoga name is he replaces this name with low energy through a divine name. And this is not only that the name is always with a lower worldly vibration—sometimes the name can be like a curse. When I was in India, I was once invited for programs by Mr. Money. I think the vibration of this name is very clear: everyone thinks of money when they meet this person. And he had a high position. So then, one of our yoga brothers or sisters—I will not say who—had also a very doubtful German family name: Aitel Booth. “Aitel” means something like arrogant, and “Booth” is something like bad or malicious. So definitely, it is not good karma to have such a name. And this person now has received, of course, from Swāmījī a beautiful name, and you all know this person. The worst thing I ever experienced was the curse of a name. I had to read the names, and they said, “Yes, here, here... here.” And one girl had the name Beate Fick. As you may guess already, “Fick” in English means “fuck.” Can you imagine? They knew each other, of course. They lived together, were in one class. Every morning. Can you imagine how it is to be in her skin? What a blessing it would be to get another name. So the name can really be a curse. But definitely, it is not something spiritual, usually. So now Swamijī will give names just opposite to that—often, for example, the names of some gods or goddesses. Look at my name, Gajānand Gaṇeś, or Śiva, or Śivānī, or all the different names which you have; many of you have these types of names. And you know, for example, Śiva and Śivānī, and many of you have a name that refers to some God. Sometimes, there are divine qualities. And sometimes that name describes a divine property—for example, Satya, truthfulness. Satya Nanda or Satya Dev, such names are also very beautiful. Satya, truthfulness, that is a beautiful name. We had one girl in Hamburg who died, unfortunately: Ahiṃsā. Prem, Premānand, Prempurī, such names. So there are all these qualities, Santoṣa, Santoṣānanda, and so on. Especially those which we have in the Yamas and Niyamas from Patañjali—those are beautiful yoga names. And also those qualities that are described in Yama and Niyama from Patañjali, those are beautiful yoga names. To be honest, I would have preferred the name Satyānand, because I always want to speak the truth. This is really in my heart. I would, for example, prefer the name Satyānand, because I would always like to speak the truth; that is in my heart. But sometimes these yoga names which Swamijī gives are a little bit like... For example, in Hamburg, we had two times: one girl died, and the other is there as a yoga teacher, a girl named Sarita. Sarita means the river, so it feels first more like neutral. You have to think deeper about the meaning of what the river really means. So it’s then you can say maybe the river of life, the river of divine love, or whatever. In this way, you have a little bit to go deeper: “What does the river mean for me?” Or one girl came to me when she got the name Kāyā. Kāyā means simply the body. So for a while I was also irritated and thought, “What? That’s a strange yoga name.” Basically, we want just to overcome the identification with the body. And then I was thinking, yes, it’s a girl, Divine Mother. Yes, this whole universe is actually the body of God. So the Divine Father is like the formless consciousness, and the Divine Mother is this universe. In this way, the yoga name is also something to explore, to go deeper. It means slowly you go deeper in your consciousness, and you may experience or explore different levels of understanding your mantra. We only try to identify with this mantra and go deeper and deeper. The essence of the mantra is the name of God. That’s why we sing the bhajan, Harināma. And it is said, the name of God is more powerful than God. It is said that the name of God is even stronger than God itself. And so we get a divine name with a yoga name. And remember this story which Swāmījī told about the power of the name? There was one quite worldly person, a selfish person. When he got a child, a boy, he loved him, as everyone usually does, and gave him the name Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is one name for Lord Viṣṇu. So in India, it’s quite common, actually, also for normal worldly people to give such names to their child. So it’s quite a blessing, because you get a yoga name already from the beginning, from your parents in India—but not so much here. So he really loved his son. Then he grew older, and it came time to die. Now, in this moment, his son was not close. And he was longing to see his son one last time. He was calling him: “Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa,” and then he died. So then when he died, immediately the angels of death came to take him to hell because he had been such a selfish person; there was basically nothing positive in his life. But then the angels of heaven came and interfered: “No, no... he called Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa... so he has to go to heaven.” So that was the one good thing which he did in this life: to call Nārāyaṇa. So this is the power of God’s name. So for those who do not yet have a name and are thinking about that, I would say, please, take the name only when you really want to use it. When you don’t use it, it has no value, like a paper in the cupboard that you forget. You really identify with this name, and others identify and call you with this name, and this becomes your real name. So that is your second mantra, which most of you have received. Okay? Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, Kī Jai. Some question about that? No. No. Of course, one has, maybe just an addition, a little bit: use common sense also. It’s not everywhere—for example, in your profession, so maybe not everywhere you can use the yoga name, but here, for example, definitely. What should we sing? Ah, yes, I know. Because officially we have the celebration of Swamiji’s birthday today, I’d like to sing one song from the heart. Not by heart, by intellect, but really by heart. Vishwaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Paramahaṁsī Swāmī Maheśvarānandajī, Gurujī, Devakī. The many years which I lived in India, I always came to Germany, to Hamburg, in the summer for holidays and then also for yoga seminars. And one day I was in a public park in Hamburg, sitting and meditating. Maybe an hour or so, and when I got up, an old lady came to me. She was really old. Later I found out she was 83 years old. And very politely she asked me, “Can I ask you a question?” I said, of course. “You see, I saw you meditating here in the park, and I wanted to ask if you can tell me something about meditation.” I was quite astonished because it’s so common for old people to ask such a question. So I started to explain to her a little bit about meditation. And then I came to the important point: how important is mantra. And then she astonished me a second time, by saying, “Actually, you know, I got a mantra.” And she told me, “In fact, I have a mantra.” And I asked, “From whom?” What was his name? The guru of the Beatles. What was his name? Maharishi Yogesh, no? Or Yogi. And it was the guru of the Beatles, Maharishi Yogeś. And I said, “That’s wonderful.” And she said, “No, there’s a problem.” And she said, “No, there’s a problem. You know, when I got the mantra, my family was not so happy. So I had a little bit of a problem with the mantra. And then I, actually, first I practiced it, but then I stopped. But somehow it was still in my mind, but then later I even forgot it. And now I have some trouble with my brother, and I know the mantra would help me, but I don’t remember my mantra.” And now I was in trouble. What should I tell her? I don’t know her mantra. I cannot say, “Oh, this is a mantra.” I cannot give her a mantra. And, I mean, it was in Hamburg, and Swāmījī was, I think, in Vienna. I cannot say to this really old lady, “Just travel to Vienna and go to Swamiji.” Or wait until Swāmījī may come, maybe in one or two years to Hamburg. So I was really in trouble, and inwardly, I called, “Swamiji, Swamiji, what should I do?” And then something happened. She started smiling. I asked, “What happened?” “I remembered my mantra.” In that moment, she remembered her mantra, and this is really interesting. I mean, the mantra was Śrī Rām. And I told her, “Please immediately write it down so that you don’t forget it again.” And she was so happy. Actually, yes, and I invited her to our ashram. I invited her to our ashram, and she really came and spoke in the ashram about this experience. But when we think about that, there is really something profound, very similar to the bhajan of Swamījī. So what actually happened? This lady has a problem, contacts me, I cannot help her. I connect inwardly to Swamījī, but I don’t get an answer from him. But in a shortcut, it goes straight to her. What happened? This is something really deep to understand about the Guru. Swamiji, you are my inner self. That is the point. In the end, the Guru is in each one of us. So in the end, she connected to her inner self, and on that level she could reconnect to her mantra. It was a great experience for me also, teaching something deeper and understanding the Guru.