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The Divine Dawn: The Essence of Guru Pūrṇimā

Guru Pūrṇimā is the divine dawn, the first spiritual festival. Contemplate its real meaning. Ancient Vedas described a spherical Earth and declared everything is created from divine sound, Śabda Brahma. Modern science now detects a cosmic hum and theorizes a creation from sound. The sequence of creation is space, fire, air, water, and then earth. The first sunlight reached the planet, dispelling darkness. That light is 'ru,' and the darkness is 'gu'—the Guru Tattva. This principle resides in the navel center, the seed of sound and the universe's focal point. From this center, creation unfolds like a lotus from water. The full moon day balances the moon's light and the sun's light. It is also the birthday of the sage Vedavyāsa, who compiled the Vedas. This day is a spiritual harvest. Reflect on your year's practice and deeds. Offer all to the Master and take a new resolve for better practice, without jealousy or anger. Purify your consciousness for a happy end. Practice daily; it is for you. Meditate on the Master's form and worship the holy feet.

"They express surprise at how the ancient ṛṣis could have discovered this sound."

"Today, make your accounting. Count the black marks and the white marks."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Salutations to the Cosmic Light, the God of our hearts, the Omniscient and Omnipresent. Salutations to Alak Purījī, Śrī Devpurījī, and Mahāprabhujī. May Gurujī’s blessings be upon all of you. I am very happy to see you today on this most divine day, Guru Pūrṇimā. It reminds me of our satsaṅg last Guru Pūrṇimā, when our beloved Holy Gurujī was here. Unfortunately, he could not come this year, but he sends his blessings to you and is with us in his mind. I believe Guru Pūrṇimā is one of the first holy festivals in the world. We must contemplate its meaning. There are many commentaries, but I would like to share its real meaning based on my own experiences, as I did last year. Recently, I received an email with a very interesting article titled "The Sound and Astrology." Sound and astrology hold immense significance in the universe. There was a time when people believed the Earth was flat, but the Vedas always described it as spherical—Hiraṇya Garbha. The Western mind did not believe this until its own scientists rediscovered it and confirmed the Earth is round. Similarly, the Vedas declare that sound is divine and that everything is created from sound—Śabda Brahma. It was once believed the universe was dark, motionless, and silent. But now, through modern technology and satellites, scientists have discovered a sound—a peculiar, humming sound. They express surprise at how the ancient ṛṣis could have discovered this sound. Through which instrument? They theorize the world was created from a great sound, a "big bang." Simultaneously, the constellation of planets—astrology, first discovered by yogīs—can influence sound vibrations. Experiments are planned to heal diseases using these two principles: sound and the astrological effects of planets, or light. Our planet is created from the fire element. The sequence begins with space (ākāśa), then fire (tejas), then air (vāyu), then water (āpas). From that water, the earth emerges. In the beginning, there was the Varāha Avatāra, in the form of a boar—half-human, half-boar with two tusks. He brought the earth out of the ocean as a round ball. The Purāṇas, such as the Vārāha Purāṇa, describe this. Considering all this evidence, along with meditation, we arrive at a point: when sunlight first reached the planet, life began. That first day is what I call Guru Pūrṇimā Day. That light dispelled the darkness, establishing two balancing principles: the fully illuminated moon on one side and the sun on the other. On Guru Pūrṇimā, the full moon day, you see the full moon in the east and the sun in the west. That darkness is known as "gu," and that light is known as "ru." This is the divine principle, the Guru Tattva, which removes darkness and illuminates everything. That sound resides in mantras and words, as described in our books, especially Path of Consciousness, which explains the three levels of sound: Parā, Paśyantī, and Vaikharī. Parā resides in the seat of the world; the seat of this peace is in the navel. Whatever you wish to speak first leads to your navel point. Since everything is created from sound, the seed of sound is the navel. That navel consciousness has two channels where prāṇa and apāna can enter the suṣumṇā nāḍī only from the navel center. It is said Brahmā, the creator, manifested when a lotus emerged from Viṣṇu’s navel. Thus, the navel is the center point of the universe. "Viṣṇu" can be translated: "Viśva" means the universe, "aṇu" means atom. It is the Śakti present in every atom of the universe, and it is fire. Viṣṇu is also fire. That fire is our solar plexus, the Jāṭharāgni. We return again to light and fire. There, the explosion takes place. There, that sound begins. Without it, nothing can be. From it, creation unfolds. From that navel, the lotus emerges, symbolizing new life, symbolizing our planet with vegetation. Water is life, and life is water. That lotus rises from the water, Brahmā appears, and creation commences. This is the root principle that removes darkness and gives light. That day is Guru Pūrṇimā. Therefore, on Pūrṇimā, everyone fasts, meditates, and performs more good deeds. On Pūrṇimā, one should not cut plants or trees. Many activities should be postponed on Pūrṇimā—on Guru Pūrṇimā as well. Another aspect: there was a great saint, Trikāla Darśī, who knew the entire universe—past, present, and future—and who wrote the Vedas. The science of the Vedas was transmitted from master to disciple, but human memory is imperfect, so much was lost. Finally, a great saint, Bhagavān Vedavyāsa, through his meditation and his ability to know the entire universe—his consciousness was one without a second—knew what was happening behind the planet Mars and here simultaneously. He compiled the Vedas. Today is his birthday. Vedavyāsa is known as the guru, the master. Many masters, like Buddha, also incarnated on a full moon day. Thus, the full moon holds deep spiritual meaning, especially Guru Pūrṇimā. All that we practice throughout the year culminates on Guru Pūrṇimā; it is the day of harvest. Reflect on your entire year. How much practice did you do? How often were you lazy? How many good deeds did you perform? How often were you naughty, angry, or even jealous? Today, make your accounting. Count the black marks and the white marks. Do not ask anyone; you know yourself. Offer both to Gurudev today. Dedicate them and take a new saṅkalpa: from today onward, I will perform my sādhanā better. I will not be jealous, angry, or hate anyone. I will not be greedy. I will love all. Do this if you wish to be happy; otherwise, you will not be. You were born happy, but you will die unhappy. If you desire a happy end, purify your consciousness. Only you can do it. Today is a good chance. This is the spiritual new year. Guru Pūrṇimā is the beginning of all spiritual festivals. The divine day began with this; everything was illuminated. For today, it is a one-hour day. Who can be with Gurudev today and see him personally, eye to eye? Mahāprabhujī said in a bhajan: "Chetanā Chilka, Śrī Dev, declared the Śrī Dev Purīsāne." Do you know this bhajan? In the eyes, your soul is represented. You see through the eyes, and others see your soul in your eyes. It is presented there, or through smell, touch, or sound—through these five karmendriyāṇi or jñānendriyāṇi. This is very important. Unlucky are those who have forgotten today. Even if they barely remember it is Guru Pūrṇimā, they do not know where their mālā is. They must think, "I had a mantra once; please help me, how was it? I had a piece of paper, but I lost it." Such a disciple cannot be liberated. You must practice day by day. It is for you, for no one else. Sometimes the human intellect becomes so negative and foolish it turns against itself. At the very least, be kind to yourself. Give blessings to yourself; this is very important. On Guru Pūrṇimā, everyone goes to Gurudeva, washes the Master's holy feet, applies tilak. There are red spots on the big toes of the Master. They place flowers, give presents, and sing prayers. This is called pūjā. "Dhan Mūlam Guru Mūrti": meditate on the form of Gurudeva. "Pooja Mūlam Guru Padam": worship the holy feet of the Master. There is immense light, love, and happiness. They wash their mālā in this water, sprinkle it everywhere in the house, meditate, and do good deeds. Many people do more: they organize satsaṅg and cover the entire expenditure for one satsaṅg. There are people on a waiting list, so please, the next Guru Pūrṇimā satsaṅg will be from my side. We will speak more about this during the week. I am very happy to see all of you, like a father seeing all family members together. It does not matter in what condition—some are smiling, some have long faces. I can feel it. That is fine, very good. I pray to Mahāprabhujī, Devapurījī, Alakpurījī, and Gurujī that They bless you with happiness, good health, long life, and spiritual development. I know many friends are traveling after this satsaṅg, and it is already 10:30, so I will not talk too much now. You know the program; I will be in Strelky for nearly a month. Whenever you can, come to satsaṅg or for a program. Śrī Jītrā and Bhagavān Śrī Śrī... Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva, Śrī Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva,... Śrī Dev.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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