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We are gathered again for the anniversary of Mahāprabhujī, to pay our respects to Him. We all know who Mahāprabhujī was. Through that divine play, Līlā Amṛt, there is a law: whoever has come into this world must one day go. Nothing will go with us; we must give up everything. What we think belongs to us does not. We came with empty hands, and we will go with empty hands. When we were born, our fists were closed. When we pass away from this world, our fists will be open, and thus we will take nothing with us. "Āyā so jāyegā rājā raṅkā fakīr"—whoever came will go, be they a king, a beggar, or a fakīr. We do not know when we will go, but sooner or later we will. Yet before going, it is crucial that we attain our salvation, our realization. Salvation and realization are not easy to attain. It is like a pigeon sitting on a roof, or a bird on a branch; as you draw near to catch it, it flies away. It is not easy to catch that pigeon on the roof. But if you try, I am sure you will succeed. That this pigeon may fly away means we might die before attaining realization, which would be a great pity. What will go with us is our destiny, our karma. Karma, destiny, will not leave you alone. It can be good destiny or bad destiny. To create good or bad destiny is in everyone's hands. It depends on what we do while in this world, what we work at, what we think, and what habits and qualities we cultivate. Therefore, the saints said, "Purify, purify, purify." It is said that all who come to this world must go. Even a God incarnation cannot stay here forever; they too must depart. However, their coming to and departing from this world is different. A normal being, a normal creature, is born into this world because of karma. In Christianity, they call karma 'sin'; it is your sin that you are born. In Hinduism, it is somewhat different; yes, it is your karma that you are born, but it could be your good destiny, your good karma. You are fortunate to be born as a human. We have no right to demand human life every time we are born. This body is merely given to us. It is like a cloth; sooner or later this cloth will grow old and be torn. This body is an instrument for us. Just as everyone has their body, we have ours. We call this world a prison, a prison of karma. We came to this prison of karma because of our karma. We came as guilty ones, while God incarnations came of their own free will as helpers, as liberators. Their coming and going is by their own decision. Of course, they lived in a physical body, and this body has its dharma—its natural desires: moving, sleeping, eating. Thus, we and holy persons may look similar. When they depart, they become one with Brahman. Brahman is that omniscient, omnipresent, one without a second. The entire, endless universe is the body of Brahman. He is inhaling, expanding, and exhaling. He is one, "Eko'ham," and now He is multiplying Himself. He multiplies within Himself. He inhales within Himself, retains within Himself, and exhales within Himself. This is very hard to understand. The Jīvanmukta, the liberated one who becomes one with Brahman, is everywhere equally. There is no more distance. They are in one corner of the universe and simultaneously in another. They are here and billions of kilometers away. But we, with our consciousness and knowledge, are limited and bound to space and time. Although they are one with Brahman, whenever and wherever we think of them, the light of their nirguṇa and saguṇa forms comes to us. If we think of them positively, with goodness, their good qualities come to us. If we think negatively, then negative qualities come to us. For He is the one who takes away the sins of others. But when He takes sin away, where does He put it? He must be putting it somewhere or neutralizing it; He must be doing something. Therefore, those who speak negatively, think negatively, and criticize—those sins go to them. Thus, it is said: if you do not like God, it is your problem. Liking and disliking is your affair; at least do not shout at Him. Otherwise, the consequences will be harsh. Generally, in the law of karma—what we call sin or virtue, good or bad, good luck or bad luck—it is said that the quality goes to those who think or speak accordingly. That is the law of karma. Therefore, it is said: do not act negatively. Patañjali, in the Yoga Sūtras (Patañjali lived before Christ Jesus, before even the Rāmāyaṇa and the Gītā), it is said: "Satyameva jayate"—where there is truth, there is victory. That phrase is beneath the emblem of India, and I think in the Czech emblem as well. It means you should not lie. And you should not steal. These are all teachings of Patañjali, akin to what you call the Ten Commandments. These are the teachings of the ṛṣis, and the same things are repeated and will be repeated by new incarnations. Why do they say, "Do not steal," "Do not think badly," "Do not fight; love your neighbor"? So that you will acquire good qualities. Otherwise, you will take on negative qualities. You can experiment: be nice to your neighbor, and you will receive happiness from them. Be nasty, and you will see the difficulties you incur. You get an immediate result. Therefore, today we contemplate Mahāprabhujī and His nirguṇa and saguṇa forms. Light enters our heart and is always protecting us because He is one without a second. There is no distance. The only distance we have is because we create too many distances. We have distance from the second floor to the top floor. We live on different floors: one floor is the legs, the second is the trunk, the third is the head. So always try, when you work on something using the upper floor (the head), not to lose connection with the second floor—the heart. Be in the heart but work with the brain, meaning with viveka (discernment) and buddhi (intellect). We have distances between our body, mind, and consciousness, but they are one. That is why we pray. We may wonder if He listens or not; He does listen. It is said in the Upaniṣads: He has no ears, but He hears everything. He has no legs, but He is faster than anyone. He has no eyes, but He sees everything. You can hide nothing. This is the one who is one with Brahman, and that is Mahāprabhujī. I pray to Mahāprabhujī to grant us His nirguṇa and saguṇa form, His light and energy, and give us śraddhā buddhi—good intellect, true intellect—so that we may serve all creatures. To serve all creatures is to serve God. I bless you on this occasion and pray to Mahāprabhujī for His divine protection and light. Wherever you can, you should come to satsaṅgs at a center near where you live; we have many places. Attend satsaṅg—never go to kusaṅga (bad company). If you cannot go to satsaṅg, you can watch videos; we have many satsaṅg videos. This way, you will be happy. Now, this year is passing. Soon, a beautiful time is coming: Christmas. It is a festival to open the heart, to forgive everyone. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." So forgive. A sign that you have forgiven someone is that you give a gift. And at least in our material way of marking the calendar, a new year is beginning very soon. I wish you a blessed Christmas, very happy, full of good luck, prosperity, success, and good health, and a Happy New Year. God bless you. Jīvana and Bhagavān, I keep you here. --- Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Mahaprabhuji's Mahasamadhi