TV Channel

Part 1: The Path of Yoga: Āsana, Prāṇāyāma and the Grace of the Guru Sadā Śiva Samarambhām Śaṅkarācārya Madhyamām Asmadācārya Paryantām Vande Guru Paramparām. Gurur Brahmā Gurur Viṣṇu Gurur Devo Maheśvaraḥ. Gurur Sākṣāt Parabrahma Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. Mannātha Śrī Jagannātha Madguru Śrī Jagadguru. Māmatmā Sarvabhūtātmā Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Salutations to the Cosmic Self. Salutations to the Śrīla Pūrja Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā. My dhanavād praṇāms to our beloved Gurudev, His Holiness Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Maheśvarānanda Purījī. Om Namaḥ Nārāyaṇa to all the sannyāsīs present here. Hari Om and good evening to all of you who are present here, and to those who are watching through Swamiji TV. Yesterday we began a topic. What was it? We have covered many things, including yama and niyama, the eight limbs of yoga. Now we come to āsana and prāṇāyāma. So now we are at the first—or perhaps the ground floor or the first floor, you could say. Yesterday we laid the foundation. Āsana and prāṇāyāma. Nowadays, āsanas have very much become a form of athleticism, gymnastics, or competition, which is not the true meaning of āsanas. Āsanas are very important, but not as a competition. They should not be taken as an attempt to show off our flexibility or anything. They are for our inner peace. Even in the Yoga Sūtras of Maharṣi Patañjali, he wrote that āsana siddhi is the most important siddhi. Āsana also means the seat we are sitting on; that is also asana. But āsana siddhi is when we sit in a posture that helps us to sit for a longer period of time. There are many āsanas we can do, but the main ones are Padmāsana, Vajrāsana, and Sukhāsana—the one in which most of us are now sitting, which is the most comfortable. There are many types of āsanas, but these are the ones that are good for meditation and for supporting us in our inner journey. Sukhāsana is the easiest. We are all enjoying Sukhāsana, and that is why it is called Sukh—because it is happiness. Sukh means we are happy, we are comfortable, we are okay with sitting in that position. Vajrāsana is the one we sit in after eating; it is good for digestion and many other things. But with āsanas we are not trying to force our body into a certain posture or position. Instead, we work with the breath. We work with our breath. Every asana—even when we are doing Kathāpūrṇa, yes, I like speedy Kathā Praṇām and finish it quickly, but that is a different thing—if we are doing proper exercise, properly performing the āsanas, then it should be done with the breath. When to inhale, when to exhale. The same applies to prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma is something we do for… Prāṇāyāma helps a lot with many things. Prāṇāyāma is good for relaxing. I think prāṇāyāma is good for calming ourselves down, for any kind of rising stress level. Everything related to our mental state of mind can be fixed or healed by Prāṇāyām. There are so many techniques, and we are so grateful that Gurudev created the system in which we are living—Yoga in Daily Life—where he taught us everything about āsanas and about prāṇāyāmas. And in this field, I think you all are much more experienced than me. So, yama, niyama, āsana, and prāṇāyāma. Āsana and prāṇāyāma: you have done much more practice than I have, that I can say very clearly. The sādhanā aspect and these aspects are different. But regarding āsana and prāṇāyāma, I do not need to give a lecture, because you all are much more advanced than me. Yet we can see how much it affects us and how much it changes the things within us. All these techniques that we have were once collected in one book—Yoga Sahita, I think. There are 84 lakh, 840,000—how do you say 84 lakhs? 8.4 million. So 8.4 million āsanas, out of which 84 are in that book, out of which only 8 are used for deep sādhanā. Among those eight are the ones in which muniṛṣis, munīs, sit for thousands and thousands of years in that position. Because once we get into that posture, we feel the energies flowing through us and we become much more calm. It is much easier to sit in a certain position and be concentrated and aligned with our inner self. When we are practising those types of yogic techniques, there are always steps. That is why Gurudev made it easy for us by creating levels in our yoga book—to make it accessible, to make it easy, to make it doable for all types of people: old, young, any kind of person who wants to do it, who can do it, can do it. That is the beauty of our system. Otherwise, if you go to others and read other yogic books, you will not be able to do it. That is why the guidance of a yoga teacher, the guidance of a guru, is very important. Because without a teacher, a student cannot progress properly. It is necessary, it is necessary to have a teacher. That is why we have teachers in schools and colleges. Why? Because we can read as much as we want. We can go through those books as much as we want, but it will not be fruitful until it is properly dealt with. You cannot properly learn and understand if you do not experience it or learn it with a teacher. That is why gurus are most important. The same applies to our spiritual journey, to our spiritual path: to progress or to ascend, to reach other levels of consciousness, in our living being we need an enlightened master. Without that, all this yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, samādhi—we will not reach those levels. To reach any level, even the ground level, we need to be guided. And in all these complex things, we can read as much as we want, we can go through as many books as we want—Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā… and everyone used to come to him for advice. But even Janaka was not content, was not happy, was not at peace. He also needed to find peace somewhere else, and where was that? In the lotus feet of Gurudev. He called a sabhā, a meeting. He called a gathering. And he announced that he wanted an enlightened guru, someone who knows what he says and who can show him the right path—someone who can guide him in his journey, someone who can bring him inner peace and make him happy again. Many ṛṣis, many munīs, many sādhus, many paṇḍits came; they all walked by, they all came, yet he was not satisfied. But one was unique. Who was that? Aṣṭa Vakra. What is Aṣṭa Vakra? It is like Aṣṭāṅga Yoga. What does Aṣṭa mean? Eight. Aṣṭa means eight. There are many—in Croatian you have three, which in Sanskrit is also three. Chetri, Chatvār, Pīṭh Pañch, Ṣeṣṭ, Ṣaṣṭ, Sedam, Saptam. So in many languages you will find Sanskrit here and there. Because Sanskrit is the Janani, the mother of all languages. Brata, brother, is also Sanskrit. So there will be so many words that you find here and there. So Aṣṭ means eight. Aṣṭāvakra means he was deformed in eight different places of his body. So he arrived, and when he arrived, all the ministers and the whole gathering started making fun: “Oh, what will he do? How can he even preach to such a great, great yogī, the king who knows absolutely everything? And this kid, he was very young. This kid, he doesn’t know anything. What will he do? Nothing.” That is why we say, don’t judge a book by its cover. We read the cover, we see the book, we judge it, we make our conclusions already. Until we actually read it, until we know a person, until we get to know that person or that book individually, we cannot judge what the views or the perspective of that person are going to be. I mean, one person can; Gurudev, because he is the one who is Trikāla Darśī, not us. So let us not judge. So he came there, he sat, “Mahārāj, what will you teach us?” And the knowledge which Aṣṭāvakra gave King Janaka was so profound that from that day onwards, Janaka renounced everything and said, “From today, he is my Guru.” And he listened to him for everything. And when your wife or your husband stops listening to you and starts listening to their best friend, then what happens? Jealousy, right? Same thing. All his ministers felt jealous. Now he doesn’t even take our advice anymore. Now the king doesn’t listen to us anymore. He’s completely devoted, and in that circle, stuck with this Aṣṭāvakra. What does he know? What are they talking about? They tried everything. “Your kingdom is on fire, Mahārāj. You need to protect it.” He was just sitting in his dhyāna. He was inside, completely in peace, so that he couldn’t care less what was going on outside. He said, “For me, what is most important, I got my Guru.” They even said, “Your wife is kidnapped.” It didn’t work. Then Aṣṭāvakra had to come and say, “King, you are still a king. You were always a king, but inside you were not a king. But now inside, you are also developed. You are also a king, inside and outside, so now go and rule.” In the same way, there was another king once upon a time whose name was Rāmānand. It is a fictional story. There was a king in the kingdom of Strīlakī, and he also sought a guru. This is an example of how anyone who teaches us anything can teach, and we can learn from that person. No matter the age, no matter what he is or what he does, anyone can teach us anything. There is always something to learn from each other. There is always something to gain from each other. We all can learn something from each other. That is why I like to—even Gurudev wanted other people to speak also. Why? Because we can also learn something from them. If a doctor is talking about some scientific facts, why not? I do not know those things. I am happy to listen and I am happy to gain those things. Anyone who gives you any type of knowledge is, in a certain way, a Guru. So the king decided that he wanted… he was very restless, he couldn’t sit in one place. And he heard somewhere that yoga, meditation, and all these things are very good for calming. He said, “Okay.” He sat, he couldn’t. He couldn’t sit for more than two or three minutes. So his wife said, “He… you have too many obligations, you have too many duties. So you should detox, go into cognitive mode for a month, go into the city as a commoner, find a true Guru, learn from him, then maybe some things will change and you will come back a changed man.” For us, Guru Āgyā Avichāranīya; for husbands, the wife’s Āgyā Avichāranīya, because when she says something, it is easier just to listen and follow, not to get into any arguments. And the same for the husband; even if the husband says something, the wife should also listen. So then, at her suggestion, he agreed. He changed into a normal get-up so that no one would notice who he really was. He went into the kingdom, visited a few temples and a few ashrams, but he was not satisfied. One day, as he was walking, he came across a man sitting in full padmāsana, meditating, not moving—nothing was affecting him—sitting on a rock. He went near him and poked him. “Don’t tickle me, otherwise your karmas will tickle you.” It was a joke. (I see my jokes are not the best.) So he poked him and he said, “Your karmas—don’t tickle me, otherwise your karmas will tickle you.” After which the king said, “How are you so still?” Curiosity arises within all of us. We are all curious to learn something. We are all curious to get to know something. So he said, “How can you be so still?” “Because I am in peace.” “How are you in peace? I also want to be in peace.” The man said, “Come, come, I’ll teach you.” “Sure.” For ten days straight, the man—who was a taxi driver—made the king clean his taxi and the whole taxi stand. Why? Any guesses? To remove the ego, because the king thought, “I have everything. I have the castle. I have…” We also have a castle, you see, and he is the king. “I have everything. I have a wife. I have kids. I have luxury. I have all the materialistic things I want in my life.” But he lacked peace. So for reducing his ego, the taxi driver made him, for ten days, clean his taxi, clean the taxi stand, make everything neat and clean. In that way he somehow digested all his ego. He somehow managed to overcome and pass that test, and he managed those ten days. After that, the driver said, “Now you are okay. Now try to sit.” “I cannot. I need a throne.” “No, no. Sit on the floor on a kuśāsana.” You know what a kuśāsana is? What? Kusha grass—an asana made out of grass. “Sit on this.” “I can’t. It’s hurting. My legs are hurting. This is hurting. That is hurting.” You know, when we freshly start doing yoga, when we freshly go with the youth and play flags, or when we do something out of the blue that we are not used to doing, then our muscles start aching. Part 2: Practice Makes the Master: Insights from Yoga and the Rāmāyaṇa The speaker emphasises that patience and practice are the keys to mastery. He recounts a story of someone who struggled to sit in a particular position. The guru acknowledged the difficulty, saying, “Everything is aching,” yet encouraged with, “Patience. Practice makes a man a master, or a woman.” Every day they sat together, with the guru guiding him, and slowly, slowly, he managed to hold the posture. This is why, the speaker notes, newcomers to yoga classes do not immediately attempt the eighth level; they begin with Sarvahitāsana from the start and gradually, step by step, ascend. The same principle applies: practice, practice, practice. Giving up is not a solution. Neither the disciple nor the guru gave up. In India, the speaker adds, there is a saying, “Jiskā Gurū Pehalvān.” It means that if the guru is very generous and very patient, the disciple becomes very strong—like all of us. We are strong, we are one united family, we move together, we know things—all by the grace of Gurudev. So, the guru was patient and taught him all the techniques. After one and a half months, the man became completely calm and peaceful. He returned to his kingdom, and his wife was so shocked and surprised she wondered who this new person was. The speaker draws a parallel: sometimes people are shocked to see him speaking here and then see him in normal life, thinking he has two personalities. But actually, it is the same—here he is flowing, there he is just being himself. It is always him. Deśa Kāla, Yathā Kāle Tathā Parastati. In the same way, we all can be in peace, but practice, practice, practice. Practice makes the master. We can all feel the change, see the calmness within ourselves—when we are at home, when we are working, when we move in the chaotic world. Recall how you felt then, and see how you feel now. You will notice the difference. Someone told the speaker that in Vienna, people go for walks in the park thinking they get fresh air, but when they come out of Strilky, they realise what true fresh air is. It is not only about the air or the atmosphere; it is also about our community, what we hold together—that connection, that love, that bond we share. We all sit under the same roof, no matter where we came from or what our age, we are all still here. Śrī Śrī… Dhyān. A suggestion was placed in the box, so we will follow it: Om chanting 108 times. It was a very good suggestion, whoever made it. So we will chant Oṁ 108 times with full dhyāna. What is dhyāna? Dhyāna towards what? You can look at Gurudev, you can have Gurudev inside you. Enter that meditative state and feel that energy, feel that vibration of Oṃ, feel the chant of Oṃ flowing through your ears, through yourself, through the inside of you, and you will see how the energy of the mantra works. You do not need a whole long book of mantras; you can simply chant Aum, and even that is so powerful that you will feel it. That is why Gurudev made Aum Ashram. First, three times Om, and then Om again, but 108 times. Śānti, Śānti,… Oṁ Śalāk Purījī Mahādeva Kī Jai, Devādū Devadeva Īśvara Mahādeva Kī Jai, Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Śrī Mādhavānanda Purījī Sadgurudeva Bhagavān Kī Jai, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Śrī Maheśvarānanda Purījī Gurudeva Kī Jai, Svasti prajābhyām paripālayantām nyāyena mārgeṇa mahīṃ mahīśāḥ. Gobrāhmaṇebhyaḥ śubham astu nityaṃ lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu. Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. He Haraṇām Akhāṛā Parvatī Pate Har Har Mahādeva Śambhu O Brahmanandam, Paramasukhadam, Kevalam Jñānamūrti, Dvandvātītam, Trigunarahitam, Śraddhāgurum Tāṁ Namāmi. Śrī Alakhpurīśa Mahādevakī, Śrī Devpurīśa Mahādevakī, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavānakī, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ. Madhavānandjī Bhagvānkī, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar, Yogīrāj Parampitā Parameśvar, Parampūjā Śrī Satgurudevkī, Satyasanātan Dharma Kī Jai. Salutation to Alakhpurījī, Siddha Pīṭh Paramparā, my adoration to Viśvagurujī’s Holy Lotus Feet. Respected Brother, Dear Brother Swāmī Avatārapurījī Mahārāj, all the Divine Sannyāsīs and Devotees, Yoga and Daily Life followers present here, the Living Light Mahāprabhudīp Satsaṅg Foundation Āśram, Strilky, and through the webcast around the world, many blessings to all of you from Alakhpurījī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, and as well from Viśvagurujī. This is a very great opportunity we have, this divine day and divine cosmic light that is always offering us such an opportunity for the divine path, satsaṅg. Satsaṅg is part of a human’s aim, one part of a human’s life. Just as we need economic support for ourselves, similarly, spiritual support is also required for human life. Around the world, everywhere, bhaktas, devotees, and people of different religions organise such seminars, many, many programmes to learn spirituality and gain spiritual knowledge. And whom do they remember? The ancient yogīs and the guru-paramparā. Like we have Alakhpurī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, the gurus—how many bhajans, how many systems they have given us to learn, repeat, and receive inner joy. Because there is only one way, especially in this Kali Yuga: satsaṅg is bhakti. This is a poem or slogan called Chopāī from the Rāmāyaṇa. The original Rāmāyaṇa was written by Vālmīkījī in Sanskrit, but after many, many years, for the sake of devotees, Tulsīdājī wrote it in Avadhī, so this is Avadhī. Māyā bharosā he Hanumanta. It means, “I believe, Gurudev,” or, “My friends, I believe”—that without the blessing of cosmic light, without the saint or yogī, we are not capable of meeting them. It is only blessing, only blessing. The cosmic light, the universal God light, it is His blessing that we got the opportunity to meet our Swamijī or our Holy Gurujī. And now we are on His divine path, day and night, thinking about the Gurus, about spirituality, about the anuṣṭhāna, about the mantra, and about the bhajan. Beginning with Rāma—today especially it is Hanumānjī day—so I am remembering the Rāmāyaṇa, Hanumān Rāmāyaṇa, Hanumān… and as well our Gurudevs also, all are one. Ekam Sada Vipraha Bahuda Vajanti. The truth is, all the cosmic light is a different form playing on the coming earth, but finally they are one. So, the first slogan from the Rāmāyaṇa. I also want to mention what the word means: Rāma means Rāma, Yāṇa means the journey of Rāma. The entire Rāmāyaṇa is written in this scripture, describing Rāma’s journey from birth until his ascent to Brahmaloka. This entire journey of Rāma, written one way we call the Rāmāyaṇa—it is like the glory of Lord Rāma, and second, it is the journey of Rāma. The description of Bhagavān Rām’s journey is the Rāmāyaṇa, this holy book. And second, that beginning: when they wrote the Rāmāyaṇa, on that day, Vālmīkījī was meditating somewhere near the Tamasā River. Sṛiṅu was in Ayodhyā; near the Tamsā River he was meditating. The yogīs are always meditating where they are completely in the forest—like Swāmījī, like this forest, and our Pārvatī Jī thinks that he got the environment peacefully, no pollution, no noise, and under the sky we are all meditating here. So similarly, he was meditating there, Vālmīkījī, and what happened? There was some crunch, like a crane—one bird, you call it a crane also. We call this one bird, the two male and female. They were near the river, just enjoying nature. Suddenly, one hunter came, and he shot his bow at them, the deer. And when he shot the arrow, one of them was killed. Vālmīkījī was looking; the scent was suddenly… Actually, he could not control himself at that time, nor now. The ṛṣis only have two things in their heart: blessing or curse. One, they give blessing; or second, they curse. The ṛṣi was so unhappy that the birds—two birds—one of them he killed. So he cursed him: “Mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvam agamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ, yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam.” This is the first śloka from the Rāmāyaṇa. The Rāmāyaṇa begins from there. What does it mean? Vālmīkījī gave a curse to the hunter. Niṣāda means the hunter. Pratiṣṭhā Ātmā—you will not get peace because you killed one out of two birds. It is a very big sin to kill any creature. If we do not give life, then who are we to kill? So he gave a curse. Afterwards he was a little sad, went to his disciple, and told him this story: that he was not happy. Then Brahmā appeared there and told him that he would write the Rāmāyaṇa; Lord Rāma’s glory would begin from that day, and he would write the whole Rāmāyaṇa. Thus the Ramayana began. Now only five minutes are left for me. So now a second slogan—actually, it is a lesson for Bharata, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. They were in the forest, near a river. Bharata went to bring Rāma back home. Actually, these are brothers. The brothers were living together; they did not have a dispute, but other people made some confusion and created a dispute between the brothers. But the brothers themselves did not even know what had happened. When Bharata got to know that Rāma had gone to the forest, Bharata took his whole army and family—his mother and his three mothers—carrying them along different ways into the forest. The soldiers, carrying mothers and families and elephants, all went to bring Rāma back home. Without Rāma, the kingdom would be empty. So, when Lakṣmaṇa got to know that Bharata was coming, he noticed and thought: his mother sent us to the forest, and now Bharata has come here to kill us so that after fourteen years we will not return. He became suspicious. Now that Bharata was coming, Lakṣmaṇa went to Rāma and said, “God, give me permission, please give me your blessing—let me go. Allow me, I will kill Bharata today with my arrow.” Rāma said, “Calm down, please. What happened?” “No, no… I will not let him come here. He is coming with his whole army and will kill us.” Even as Rāma explained, “Please calm down, it’s nothing. Bharata is not like that; he is our friend,” Lakṣmaṇa remained stubborn. “His brother is not like that.” But Lakṣmaṇa is Lakṣmaṇa. He became too aggressive and was ready to shoot. At that time, only Avatārpuri Jī knew—maybe you also know—that India had the Ākāśavānī. Akashvani, this radio was there many years before the telephone system and before any internet system. Akashvani—Ākāśa means sky, Vāṇī means the words or the message that comes. So, Ākāśavānī came at that time: “Tat Pratāp Prabhāv Tumhārā, Kau Kai Sakein Kaun Jānana Hārā.” This Ākāśavānī came. And Lakṣmaṇa, listening, asked, “Rāma, what happened?” Rāma said, “I was planning; please be calm. Bharata will do nothing. Bharata is our Bharata. He is our brother, my brother. He will do nothing.” Now the explanation of the Ākāśavānī: Taat means son. Pratāp means your ability. Prabhāv, your heroism. “Kau Kai Sakein Kaun Jānana Hārā”—who is telling? Everyone says you are able to do this work, you will kill him, but afterwards, can you give life to him? No. You are not capable of giving life; you only have the ability to kill. So when you take any decision, first think—socho, samjo—then take a step. Think, take advice, and then consider: is it good for me? But it should also be good for my family, for my neighbours, for my country, for the world. If we always think about the third point, the fourth point, if we think in our life, disturbance will never happen in the world. Now time is over. Oṁ Śānti. So please fold your hands; I will take one extra minute. We follow this, okay. So, the Rāmāyaṇa, today, gives a two- or three-slogan lesson for our listening. Whether we follow it or not, that is for our conscience to decide, but it is the Rāmāyaṇa giving a lesson for humans. Rāma, Bharata, Lakṣmaṇa, and Śatrughana came to this planet to give lessons to humans. So, Deva Deva… Śrī Alakhpurīṣā Mātā Devī Kī, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī, Devpurīṣā Mātā Devī Kī, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Śrī Yogīrāj Parampīṭha Parameśvara, Parampūjya Śrī Satguru Deva Kī, Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī, Jaya Hari Om.