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What do you take with you?

A spiritual discourse on the importance of solitude, mantra practice, and remembrance of God.

"Everything is created from, and emerges out of, that sound. Everything is sound."

"A life without the name of God passes like the life of animals. But we have many things in our lives, many burdens; we are not as capable as Gandhi, but at least during our holidays and our yoga seminars or workshops, we shall utilize the name of God more, trust in God."

A teacher addresses a group at a sādhanā camp, explaining the primordial sound Oṃ as the source of all creation and mantra. He emphasizes the ancient yogic practice of Ekānta Vāsa, or withdrawal into solitude, encouraging attendees to use the natural setting for individual practice. He exhorts them to remember God through mantra, citing the example of Mahatma Gandhi, and reflects on the impermanence of physical life, urging a focus on the intangible consciousness that transcends death.

Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Summer seminar

In this empty space, in the beginning, millions of years ago, began the sound; that sound is known as Oṃ. Everything is created from, and emerges out of, that sound. Everything is sound. Any piece of matter you take, any material, anything, there is a sound inside. Our organs also have their functions, their sound. The circulation also has its sound. It is very significant. The mantra comes from that origin sound. Therefore, when we practice those origin sounds, those universal sounds, it unites the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. Here, you have more time to practice your mantra. You have time to think—about your life, about existence, about the different situations of life. So it is very important to have, from time to time in the year, a sādhanā camp. In yoga, the time they used to call it Ekānta Vāsa. Ekānta Vāsa means living alone, separate somewhere. For yogīs, it has long been called Ekānta Vāsa: withdrawal into solitude, seclusion. Withdrawing. Retreating. Yourself. Withdrawing. Withdrawing. ... It is very important. It is very important. And that is very important. So actually, we all here should also have Ekānta Vāsa. Essentially, we, all of us, should have our Ekānta Vāsa. And we, all who are here, should have that Ekānta Vāsa. There are many trees in this area; anyone can go and sit under any tree and meditate, practice āsanas, write your poems, stories, practice prāṇāyāma, relax. So, I could imagine a very good vibe over this area could be very nice for the sādhanā. And once a day, we have evening prayers and meetings together. So, choose one tree for each family. So, choose one tree for each family. It could be good. The rest is your choice. So, you are doing sādhanā here. You are the lucky ones. God is gracious to you that you have this divine opportunity. You see, every day passes for humans and for animals equally, but the real human lifetime will be counted by that time when we remember God. I am just reading now the diary of Mahātmā Gandhi, what he wrote every day, one sentence or something, and I can tell you that what he is writing, 95%, whatever he is writing, in every sentence, there is the name of God. And he is writing that not a single minute of his life passes without the name of God. And he was a great devotee of God, Rāma. The last minute of his life, he said, "Hey, Rāma. Oh, Rāma." So, that is why they call him Mahātmā Gandhi. Mahātmā means great soul. So you have to read his original work. A life without the name of God passes like the life of animals. But we have many things in our lives, many burdens; we are not as capable as Gandhi, but at least during our holidays and our yoga seminars or workshops, we shall utilize the name of God more, trust in God. There is one very good book called Living with Śiva, written by His Holiness Subrahmanyam Swāmī in Hawaii. It is a very nice book. A very knowledgeable book. So one should read such books. Now maybe you have questions about how to get that book. It is in English, and if you wish, we can order the books. I think it has 2,000 or 3,000 pages. The whole book is about two and a half kilos. Because living with Śiva is not small, you know. That is a big deal. Śiva has many stories. Repeat your mantra and concentrate on your practice. Concentrate on your practice, and do not be sad, do not be jealous, do not be angry, do not be restless, and develop trust and confidence. These golden days, we do not know if they will come again in our life. We do not know if these golden days will return to our lives. In this physical life, we do not know when or what will happen. And therefore, we are very thankful to God for our healthy, happy life. Every minute, every hour, every day is a divine present for us. We never know when we will close our eyes. We never know when, where, and how this body will fall to the ground. And we will not be able to move even a small finger, unless the self goes alone. Nobody can tell us where it has gone, how it has gone, or in which direction. Only the body remains here, your emotions, your memory, and your consciousness. Your feelings, your desires, everything goes with you. Whatever you have, all will go with you. Only what you can touch will not go with you. What is touchable will stay here. And what is untouchable will go with you. Feelings cannot be touched. Anger cannot be touched, and memory cannot be touched. They cannot be seen with these physical eyes. So what you can touch, what you can see, what you can taste, and what you can smell will not go with you. So this life is a mysterious life, and we do not know when our number is up. Therefore, remember God as much as you can. God is God. Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Summer seminar

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.

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