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Gurudevo Maheśvara, gurur sākṣāt para brahma, tasmai śrī guruve namaḥ, mannātha śrī jagannātha, madguru śrī jagadguru, māmātmā, sarvabhūtātmā, tasmai śrī guruve namaḥ. Nahaṃ karatā, Prabhupādīpa karatā, Mahāprabhupādīpa karatā hi kevalam. Om śānti, śānti, śānti hi. Salutations to the Cosmic Self. Salutations to Śrī Alakpur Jī Siddha Pīṭh Paramparā. Madan Dutt Pranāms to our beloved Gurū Dev, His Holiness, Viśwa Gurū Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Maheśvarānand Purī Jī. Om Namaḥ Nārāyaṇa to all the sannyāsīs present here. Hari Om, and good evening to everyone present here and watching through Swamiji TV. I apologize for the delay; I was in Brno and have just returned. This morning we were discussing Rudrākṣa and Mālājapa. Today, we will mainly focus on the Pañcamukhī (five-faced) Rudrākṣa, which is the most commonly worn. I will explain the first five types, but focus primarily on the fifth. The Ekamukhī (one-faced) Rudrākṣa is the rarest to find. Due to its rarity, it is difficult to obtain and expensive. There are two variants. The first is the round, golden Rudrākṣa, which is very rare. It is completely round like a normal Rudrākṣa but has only one line. It symbolizes Lord Śiva and greatly aids the spiritual path and the attainment of mokṣa. The second variant is called 'Kaju,' which literally means cashew. It is commonly found in Indonesia and Nepal. It has similar properties, though its power is somewhat weaker. The Dvimukhī (two-faced) Rudrākṣa is dedicated to Lord Śiva and Pārvatī. It helps couples and relationships, strengthening their bond. It also aids with heart problems and similar issues. The Trimukhī (three-faced) Rudrākṣa represents Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa (Śiva). It is beneficial for kidney and other health issues. It can be worn by everyone for good health and spiritual progress. The Caturmukhī (four-faced) Rudrākṣa is for Brahmā, who has four heads (he originally had five, but one was cut off—a story for another day). It is good for students, teachers, and anyone in the field of education—anyone interested in studying, learning, or teaching. The Pañcamukhī (five-faced) Rudrākṣa is the most common and is also very powerful on the spiritual path. It is also dedicated to Lord Śiva and holds all five elements. This is the mālā we use for mantra japa. Rudrākṣa is essentially the tears of Lord Śiva. For ordinary people, it is just a seed. But the power within the Rudrākṣa is activated and consecrated by the blessings of the Guru. There was once a boy named Rajesh who worked very hard. While passing by a street vendor selling Rudrākṣas, he had heard about their benefits from many friends. However, he lacked the feeling, the purity of faith. He thought, "If I get a Rudrākṣa, maybe its magical powers should automatically work." He approached the shopkeeper and asked for a Rudrākṣa. The shopkeeper showed him a Pañcamukhī Rudrākṣa, explaining that 'pañca' means five and 'mukhī' refers to the lines seen on it. Rajesh bought one, took it home, placed it on his office desk, and hoped for a more peaceful mind and good feelings. Feelings are very important in everything—in relationships with parents, partners, and the Guru. Feelings are necessary everywhere. For those wearing sandalwood or redwood mālās, they will not have mokṣa. But anything blessed by Gurudev is powerful. Rajesh placed the Rudrākṣa on his desk and continued with his life. Guess what happened? Absolutely nothing. For him, it was just another artifact. After weeks, he thought, "Nothing changed. Something is wrong; the person cheated me." He returned to the vendor and accused him of cheating. The vendor replied, "No, sir, I did not cheat you. I gave you a proper Rudrākṣa. You don't know how to use it." Rajesh asked, "What should I do? It's not working for me. I just put it on my table." The vendor said, "No, sir, you have to wear it, and you have to wear it after it is blessed by Gurujī." Rajesh said, "Achhā, achhā" (meaning good, okay). In India, we have many 'ācchās'—it's all about expressions and feelings. "Acha" can mean "Oh, really?" "Acha?" can express surprise. "Acha!" can show anger. We Indians are also famous for our head movements. For you, this is yes, this is no. For us, a movement could be a yes or a no; it's up to you to interpret. Do you want to come for satsaṅg? Yes. Do you want to go to a party? That's a no. You just have to know the person and guess what they mean. Rajesh said, "Okay, okay," and went back home. One fine day, he decided to go to the nearest ashram. He went to Gurujī, offered praṇām. There are still spiritual people in India, though it is quite modernized nowadays. Modernization is also good, but we should remember our roots. No matter how high we reach in life, we must remember where we started. This is where I feel very proud to be a disciple of Viśvagurujī. It is very sad to see youngsters in India nowadays, especially in cities, completely changing their clothes and mindset, thinking of kusaṅga (bad company). Most Indians want to go to the US or UK to study. And then I see all of you, disciples of Gurudev, coming to India, coming to Gurudev, experiencing Indian culture and the ashrams. It is funny and sad at the same time to see how Indians are now drawn much more toward Western culture, while Westerners are drawn more toward Indian traditions and culture. Je legrační a zároveň ale smutné, jak Indové jsou teď přitahováni tou západní kulturou a lidé ze západu jsou zase přitahováni tou indickou kulturou a tradicemi. So Rajesh came to the ashram, greeted, and offered praṇām. Gurujī said, "Come, my dear. How may I help you?" Rajesh said, "Gurujī, I bought this Rudrākṣa, but it's not working for me. There is some defect; perhaps you can see what's wrong." Gurujī asked, "What do you do with it?" Rajesh replied, "Nothing. I bought it from a shop and put it on my desk. Nothing happens." Gurujī said, "The first mistake is that you were supposed to wear it, not just place it on the desk. Second, if it is not blessed, if it is just bought from somewhere, it still has essence, but it is not activated. To activate it, we need an open mind, belief, and trust in the Guru—a positive mindset and an open heart." The Guru then blesses the Rudrākṣa, takes it in his hand, places it on his own mālā or his heart. Even his touch to the mālā is more than enough. He imbues it with his power and gives it to you. Then you wear it. It becomes active and works with your inner energies, starting to produce an effect. Otherwise, the table was enjoying the effects. Rajesh realized this, wore the Rudrākṣa, and decided to trust the Guru—a good choice. He started to feel some effects, noticing a difference. After a month, he returned to the Guru and said, "Gurujī, it works." Gurujī said, "I know." Slowly, Rajesh became a disciple, took mantra dīkṣā, and received a whole mālā. More Rudrākṣas mean more effect. It doesn't matter if it is one bead, one mālā, or 27 beads; it must be blessed by the Guru, and that is more than enough. Even the mantra does not need to be 15 letters, 5 letters, or 10 letters. It can be just one letter. But if the mantra is given to you by your Guru, then it works magic. Only bhāva is very necessary—the belief, dedication, and purity. How long or short the mantra is does not matter. That is why the most beautiful thing is that Gurudev gives us a short mantra like "Oṁ" or a long mantra. The effect is always the same if you have love for the Guru and belief in the Guru. Swami Śrī Madhavānanda, Purūjī Sadgurudeva, Jaya Gauraṅga. Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Paramahaṁsa, Svāmī Śrī Maheśvarānanda, Purījī Gurudeva, Kī Jai.