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Joint family

A satsang talk on the importance of spiritual community and the joint family system.

"There is a problem, and there is no problem. If you think there is a problem, there is a problem. And if you think there is no problem, there is no problem."

"And where there is a joint family, there are no wars."

The speaker addresses a gathering, emphasizing the strength and protection found in coming together as a spiritual and familial unit. He contrasts the ideal of a supportive, multi-generational joint family with modern individualism, arguing that daily spiritual practice, a positive mindset, and dedication to one another are essential for happiness and peace. He uses metaphors like making a fist from separate fingers and laments the loss of traditional values, linking societal fragmentation to manipulated food and technology.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Welcome Seminar

There have been many inspirations; we have spoken for thirty years, and I think we will speak the whole year about these thirty years. There will be some conferences in Ostrava, in Opava, in Prague, and in different places. So you will hear many things about these thirty years. For us, it is very important to come together from time to time. Even if I am not here, you should come and make one weekend, not only a small group. That gives motivation and energy. Come with a good mood, you know. There are some people who hold times like this. I call it dry svīkārī. It should not be like this. Smile, always smiling. What is missing in many of us is exercise every day and prāṇāyāma also. For meditation, it is very important. You shall meditate on the inner bliss; when you concentrate on inner happiness, inner bliss, then all vṛttis will disappear. So it depends on how you are in contact with the world, and it is your vṛtti: manomātram jagat. According to your mind, this world is created out of your mind. There is a problem, and there is no problem. If you think there is a problem, there is a problem. And if you think there is no problem, there is no problem. And even God, the Creator Himself, will incarnate to solve the problem He cannot solve. And His position is now very poor. There was one man, and he found a wife. So they were happy. When he was alone, he had no problem. Now he met her; it means he met a problem. Or she met him; it means now she met a problem. And this problem is such a good problem that it makes you happy. That is very interesting: you meet a problem, and you are very happy, because we do not know the result. He is alone; he would like to be two. And when there are two, then they would like to be three. And so now the third one came, and the fourth one came. Now these two who came also want to have two more, so the family is multiplying, and everyone has individual needs, and everyone has individual problems. Now the big family with a membership of 150 family members is called a joint family. The great-grandparents of her side and his side, and her sisters' and brothers' families, and his sisters' and brothers' families, and their children, and their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, and their relatives—that becomes one happy family. That is called a joint family. And that joint family is like one fist. So it is a question of how to make a finger into a fist. A finger into a fist—that is a very important thing. So we have the fingers, but we do not know how to make a fist. This whole family is the beauty of life. It is the joy of life. It is a protection; it is like an umbrella over you, because they do care for you. Then it is a happy family. Otherwise, if there is no unity in the family, it is a problem. And now that one man who started this family is standing with 150 members, and now everyone has problems. He cannot solve these problems. They may say, "Okay, grandfather, we will not quarrel," but the problem is not solved. That is it. So the mind is the problem. Everything is created out of this mind, and this mind is very mighty. This mind has destroyed many, many humans. Many wars were created. Many countries were divided, because the border exists in the mind, and therefore there are so many problems. But if you come as a spiritual family together, and we have protection, we are all together, we belong to each other. Now, can you imagine I am sitting alone here, and nobody comes here? That is also not good. Or you are sitting alone there, and I am not here. So, the beauty of the tree is with the leaves, or the beauty of the cauliflower is with the leaves, or the beauty of the long redness, you know? When you take the radishes out of the earth, all leaves and everything are beautiful. Or the beauty of the carrot is with the leaves. Or the beauty, when you want to marry, is when there are many friends there. If you are standing alone, both girl and boy, and said, "Now we are married," okay, you are married, but it is not that social. Even so, we belong to each other for our happiness; we belong to each other to support each other, and we do care about us. And so we are a mighty, happy, joint family. And many times, many things happen that we do not like. But this will happen anyhow, because it is destined to happen. And so it depends how you take it, and therefore, coming together and speaking together and having meditations and prayers is something which keeps you strong in this world. Otherwise, where is the family? Where is the joint family system? Every third person is without a mother or without a father, not that they died, but they become too much emancipated, too much individualistic. We do not have the strength of dedication or renunciation. I recently met one man—there are many like this, many ladies too—and he said his wife died when he was 40 years old with little children, and he was working as a high officer, so he took care of the children and their education. And he is living with them now. He is 75 years old, and I asked him if he ever thought to marry again when his wife died. He said, "Svāmījī, no question. I never thought in these last 25 years or so many years that I would marry again. Because I knew that she was my wife in my destiny, she was only that, that is all, and she died, but she lives with me, I am with her, and I am satisfied, I am satisfied. Why should I marry again, for what? I am happy, and as a human, I should dedicate something, and I dedicated myself to my wife as her husband, if she is dead or alive she knows, and so many ladies also." And I can tell you, that is the beauty of life, and there you know now what are your human principles, karmic principles. And now even if you have a wife, you want to divorce and get married to another, this is that. So that generation is gone, that race is gone, that quality is gone. Now everything is manipulated. A big storm came and seed fell from this field to the other, and from this field to the other field; humans are manipulated. The human race is manipulated, animals are manipulated, vegetation is manipulated, fruits are manipulated, the seeds, grains, food is manipulated. Everything is with these chemical things, and this technology manipulated everything. Because it is said, what you eat, like that you will think, and when you eat something that is manipulated, then you will think also manipulated, and so it is very hard. It is an energy in us which is forcing us. Therefore, do dedicate something. Be a little strict with yourself. And that is why I said yesterday that you are very faithful to others, but you are not faithful to yourself, because we do not have the strength to endure. And therefore, joint family. And where there is a joint family, there are no wars. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Welcome 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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