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The next bhajan we will chant is from Mīrābāī Jī: “Tuma Binā Yoṅ Na Jāī.” This longing is immanent in us—we are always searching for that everlasting joy, for safety, for peace, and not in ignorance. Yet somehow the world keeps pulling us outward, where everything is constantly changing. Even though we know this, we still hope to find it there. But the saints tell us, “No, go inside. You will find everything in yourself.” Mīrābāī was saying, “I cannot live without you. You are my beloved one. Please come to me and give me your darśana. When I cannot see you, I am like a lotus without water, or a dark night without a moon. I have so much longing. Only you can solve my problem. You are the beloved one of my heart. Please, do not hide yourself. Be so merciful and come to me. I am your servant from life to life. Grant me this mercy that I may bow down before you.” Now there is a beautiful bhajan written by Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Madhavānandajī, Holy Gurujī. The bhajan is “Om Kāra Rāchanāsārīra.” Holy Gurujī explains that the whole creation came out of Om. The saints know this secret of Aum, and because they know it they are always living in bliss, in Ānanda. It is not just intellectual knowledge; they are that in their inner being. And that inner being is this Oṃ, this bliss. It is in consciousness. Oṃ is the sound, the form of God. This knowledge, this information—now we are listening, and because we are so fortunate to be disciples of a master, of our guru, and we have mantra, āsanas and prāṇāyāma, and we know that we are eating healthy and pure food, we are somehow able to understand. Not only with the instruments of intellect or thoughts, but by our practice. It is revealing in our self because, with all our practices, we are purifying our kośas, this living form, and then automatically we will be more in contact with this higher self. And this is eternal, independent, and it is consciousness. From this Aum there is division into the guṇas—sattva, rajas, tamas. Out of these guṇas māyā, the world, develops. We are, as Svāmījī often says, like a fish thirsty in the water. All living beings live in this Om as embodied beings. And all knowledge comes through this Aum. Aum is this divine knowledge, and the Vedas were written out of Om. So Om is the highest symbol of God. Then Holy Gurujī says, “Practice. Repeat all together: Om.” With the repetition of Aum the divine light will awaken. Therefore we should constantly meditate on Oṃ, and all your worldly sorrows will be destroyed. I was thinking that in the Western world we still have this word in our Christian heritage. For a very big church, in German we say “Dom”—the great church, the house of God. And the “Amen” we say in church also has its source in Auṃ. This is the basis of all, and all saints, all yogīs, keep this Auṃ in their heart. Without Aum your spiritual practice is senseless. And Viśvagurujī used to tell us that when you repeat or listen to a mantra that does not begin with Aum, it is not complete. This also shows that we are disciples of a real divine master, because he can give us this knowledge, this information. He knows it because he is one with that. Now we put it into practice. Holy Gurujī says: through Aum you come into ānanda. This is this divine vibration. All karmas will be purified through it. What is karma? It is something stored in me. Maybe I am not so conscious of it, but it is like a shadow. Something is closed in me; my energy is not free, it is blocked. When we chant mantras, because this is the highest divine energy, it will purify that, it will open these blocked energies. It is very practical; we just have to do it. Through the chanting of Aum you will cross the ocean of the world. And my adoration to you. Now Holy Gurujī is speaking to Mahāprabhujī: “You are my personalized form of Om.” And in Hindi it is written: “Kāī mātāvanand, Oṃ ko vandana hamārī.” That means, I bow down to you. Now we will chant “Yuga Yuga Jīvo Maheśvarānanda.” Our Gurudev’s guru, Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Madhavānanda, wrote this bhajan. He explains that our guru has been incarnating for many lives in order to bring us the teaching of God. He showers upon us the immortal blessings of Mahāprabhujī. Holy Gurujī says it is a great fortune for the land of India, Bhārat, that such a powerful, mighty soul incarnated. He removes all bad karmas, which are the source of the three kinds of sorrows—the three tāpas. As the full moon cools down the heat, he develops bhakti within us, devotion to God, this connection to the Divine. I think this is a very important thing, the main thing we have been learning from our Gurū Dev. In the Western world we always think we are separated from God—God is somewhere and we are here, not one with that. But our Guru told us, “No, it is not like that.” He gives us the knowledge that we can realize this; we call it self‑realization or, at the same time, God‑realization. He gives us this knowledge and the practice, and with that we can reach the highest. He is above the world, and He is able to give us everything we need. What do we need? Knowledge. We have this knowledge, and now it is more and more up to us to use it, to take this responsibility back to ourselves. Of course we are connected—our good is that Dev is everywhere. But now we must practice with this knowledge, observe ourselves, and realize that. He shows us this path. And while He does so, He needs nothing for Himself. Thus He shows us our real nature, and at the same time, in our daily worldly life, it makes us independent. Holy Gurujī says Mahāprabhujī is always with our Guru Dev, and He also says: please, let us overcome all circumstances. Here I have a short translation from Viśvagurujī: “Listen, my dear friend, my inner friend. Today my Gurudeva came to my house, to my door. And all my inner flowers, lotuses, are opening. Each cell of my blood is full of bliss, full of love, because my Satguru has come. Blessed are those where the Satguru came for darśan and for satsaṅg. The worm will become a bee, and He offered us this. And that which was before is gone. If there is a bamboo tree growing in the sandalwood forest, it will take on this fragrance. When water flows into the Gaṅgā River, it will also become Gaṅgā water. You will let go of your past karmas. Also, you will not identify anymore with your previous wishes. When you do like this, you will become free from birth and death.” Lālānandjī, who wrote this bhajan, has offered his life to his master, Svāmī Dīp Mahāprabhujī. And like all saints, they explain to us that we should not lose time. Repeat the name of the Lord. Time is passing. That is why your mind should repeat the name of God—and we know that it is a form of our mantra. If we wish to come out of the circle of birth and death, or if we wish to live a better life with more consciousness, more balanced, healthy in mind, thoughts, feelings, intellect, in our whole being, then we should not lose time. Perhaps you remember that a few days ago Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Svāmī Gyāneśvara Purī told us that it is written in the Mahāśiv Purāṇa: a human being needs a thousand good lives, and only after that does he begin to long for something more. Then he starts searching for something beyond mere life. Already a thousand good lives have been lived, and then the search begins—whether there is something more than just to live daily and come and go. I think we are steps further because we could find a master. We found our guru—or, rather, as it is said, the guru found us. Perhaps it was like small birds in the nest: they open their beaks when they are hungry, and the mother or father comes and gives them food. I believe it was in you, too. We were searching, and then our Guru Dev found us. Guru Nānak tells us in this bhajan: without the name of God, it is like a bird without wings, or an elephant without its trunk, or a wife without her beloved husband, or a father without a son. Such is a human without the name of God. Like a waterfall without water, or a cow without milk, or dry earth without rain, or a fruit tree without fruits—such is a human without the name of God. Or like a body without eyes, and the night without a moon, a church without light, or a learned one without the Vedas—such would we be without the name of God. And then the essence is this: passion, anger, pride, greed—look at these, give them up. Also jealousy, give that up. You are holy, and this we can do. When we feel this inside, we can say, “No, this I do not want.” Nothing can happen that makes me proud, full of anger, or jealous. This I do not want. I let that go. I will purify myself and liberate myself from it. Then we will reach that place, for in this world nothing belongs to us. Renunciate of the spiritual seat.