TV Channel

In both religion and spirituality, ethics is paramount. Within ethics, the principle of Ahiṃsā—non-violence—is of utmost importance. It means not killing any creature and leading a vegetarian life. Many mistakenly believe vegetarian food lacks strength and nutrition. This is incorrect. One of my disciples, your brother Hanumān Purī, has been with me since a very young age. He is a complete vegetarian, not even consuming eggs, as eggs do not grow on plants and are therefore not vegetarian. From the time I gave him the name Hanumān Purī, meaning 'the strong one', he decided to embody that strength and took up bodybuilding. He is now a trainer for bodybuilders. Yesterday, there was a competition in Rijeka, Croatia. He traveled from India, where it is nearly 48 degrees centigrade, to Croatia, where it was 15 degrees. Despite the drastic change, he went on stage wearing a t-shirt that said "I love vegetarian. I am proud to be vegetarian," and he won. Congratulations to him for good health and all the best. When people saw that he was both vegetarian and a bodybuilder, they were very surprised that a human can develop such a physique with vegetarian food, without meat, eggs, or fish. This is a common misconception about nourishment and vegetarianism, often driven by commercial interests. Consider this: we measure a car's power in horsepower. Is the horse vegetarian or non-vegetarian? The elephant is vegetarian. Hanumān Purī, a Croatian, proved in Croatia that through vegetarianism you can develop your body and muscles. India also has many vegetarian bodybuilders. Vegetarians have very good concentration and retain a good memory until the last minutes of life. When you have good memory and mental power, you can win, because mental power is stronger than physical power. Therefore, from the viewpoints of health, spirituality, economy, ecology, yoga, and the need to be relaxed and concentrated, the vegetarian diet is the best diet for humans. A human is not fully accepted by spirituality or religion if they consume meat. Many great leaders, poets, artists, spiritual figures, and politicians were vegetarian. The incarnations of God were vegetarian: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and of course, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. All were vegetarians, and if you are also vegetarian, you are in that category with Buddha and Kṛṣṇa. The level of your consciousness ascends. Whenever you think about meat, it descends. But I don't think you think about eating meat. Would you change your mind? The answer is no. So, ethics. Love. There are two kinds of love. One is love for God, which is unconditional and equal. A husband and wife both have one God or Gurū Dev; they both love that Devatā equally. We have one sun in this part of the universe, and we all love the sun equally. The second love is for the creation of God. There is only one Creator who has created everything, and we belong to that creation. We are not only the children of God, but even the trees are the children of God. Where there are more trees, there is more rain. Try to sit many humans on one rock, and you will see more drops fall there—sweat. Never, ever think that God loves only humans. That is the greatest mistake and shows a lack of understanding of what God is. God loves all equally. A parent does not love only the clever child; they love all children equally, even those who are disabled. It is our duty to help and love the less able ones more. Similarly, it is our duty to love mukprani, meaning those creatures which cannot speak our language and cannot express their pain; we must represent them. It doesn't matter if it's a human or an animal; prison is a prison. Everyone is afraid to die. No one wants to die. Even a small injection from a doctor makes you afraid. Your heartbeat rises even if you are a doctor yourself. Everyone feels pain and fears it. It is not true that cold-blooded animals do not feel pain. All animals, even fish in the water, run away if you touch them. Humans have the intellect to understand death, life, pain, pleasure, and happiness. This makes humans a higher-developed species, but it does not give them the right to destroy God's creation. You are not the creator. Even if you were a creator, you would have no right to destroy that creation. The development of spirituality depends on this ethical principle. There are no arguments or excuses—claiming you must eat meat for your health is not acceptable. You are ill because you are eating meat. Now, vegetation is polluted by pesticides. But not only vegetation; milk animals—cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep—also get injections to produce more milk. Animals kept for milk or for slaughter all receive chemicals. It is very hard to get pure milk. If you want to taste real, pure milk, butter, and yogurt without chemicals, come to Jordon Ashram. Our cows are one thousand percent vegetarian and chemical-free. They walk through dry fields every day for five or six hours. If you made a competition between our Jādon cows and cows here, the Jādon cows would win in running longer and more quickly. The butter from such milk, if I held it in my hand in this room, would fill the whole room with its aroma. That is healthy ghee, healthy milk, healthy butter, healthy yogurt. The cows in this country were also once like this, but now there are so many laws, chemicals, and artificial feeders. They have no place to move, so no wonder they are ill mentally, emotionally, and physically. Making an animal's muscles grow does not mean it is healthy. We should think about this. By doing this, we are killing ourselves. Some people breed rabbits. They take care of a baby rabbit, love it like a child, and then take it to the kitchen. The rabbit's beautiful pink eyes look at you and say, "Mother, please don’t do this to me. I never thought you would do this to me." Pigs, when loaded onto a truck, ask, "Where are you sending me?" They call you father and mother. You are their caretaker. They trust you. When you open their door, they are happy. When you bring food or water, they are happy. When you touch them, they are happy. Then you load them onto trucks. The pig looks at you and says, "Master, where are you sending me today?" The animal knows what is going to happen. They don't die only once; they die every minute. When they are brought into that room where electric saws or machines are, where blood is flowing and their brothers and sisters are hanging, do you think they are not afraid? They are very fearful. Imagine being brought somewhere where your colleagues are killed and hanging, and now it is your turn. How would your psychic condition be? People who experienced gas chambers in the Second World War will never forget. Similarly, other creatures also feel pain. You have a wedding and invite people for a dinner, killing animals. Many are put on the fire, grilled or roasted alive. Many have a big iron rod put through their body and are grilled. Do you think God will bless your wedding, or will God be unhappy because of these creatures who are tortured and killed like this? Every day you eat meat, and every day you go to church and say, "Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, please forgive me." How many times should He forgive you? Oh man, you are not born only for your body and to look nice and beautiful. If you look at the beauty of your body, skin, and hair... I don't put oil on my body, but when people massage me, they say, "Swāmījī, your skin is like a baby's skin." How did I get this? My mother gave it to me. Vegetarian people have good hair, strong hair, strong nails. My nails are so strong that when someone cuts them with clippers, it's like cutting iron wire. It's not a joke. The reality is there. The person who cuts my nails has to use great strength, especially for my toenails, which are like horse nails—horse power, you know. When you have love, you cannot take a knife in your hand and kill or cut the throat of a living being. It doesn't matter if it's human or animal. Thou shalt not kill. That is the second kind of love. When such love awakens in an entire family, it is a very happy, relaxed family. Spirituality is not something you achieve or a place you get to; it is something you have to live. If you are hungry, you have to eat. If you are tired, you have to sleep. You have to live the spiritual life. Religion is not only in the holy book, the temple, the ashram, the church, or the mosque. It is in you. When you don't know, you get the help of the Guru Vākya. Those Guru Vākya are valid from a Guru who is a Brahmaniṣṭha Śrotriya. The holy scriptures and books were written by the great divine. Only the color of your cloth does not make you holy. Whether you are married or a bachelor does not make you holy. Even if you are married, you can be holy. One and a half years ago, a lady died on Śiva Rātri. She was a Śiva bhakta. She said that in two or three days it would be Śiva Rātri, and she would go on that day. She was nearly 87 years old. In the morning, she got up, went to the water well, brought a 10 or 15-liter pot of water on her head, washed herself, and made a prayer. At 3:30 in the morning, Brahmamuhūrta, the whole family woke up. Then she said, "Now I will go." Her husband was my school teacher, and I know her children. She had children, was married, followed spirituality, and that was it. What is our condition? If we came to know that in four days we would die, I think we would not be able to survive those four days. So, spirituality, ethical principles, love—that equal love—it doesn't matter if you are family members or others. Christianity also says, "Love your neighbor." These are the two kinds of love: love for God, our Iṣṭadevatā, and seeing His divine form in everyone. Because He is the creator, the father, the mother—both mother and father. Therefore: "You are my mother and my father, you are my brothers, sisters, relatives, and you are my friend, you are my wisdom. You are my wealth, you are everything, oh my Lord." This is the mantra: one in all, all in one. When such love awakens in you, all problems are gone. Then you are happy, all your sorrows vanish. Then you have one state of consciousness. As Devpurījī said, God takes upon Himself the destiny of the devotee. So then our destiny is in His hands. And when it is in God's hands, why are we worried? Spirituality is not something you collect from somewhere. It is in you. Where are you going? There are people who every night want to go to the night club or restaurants, especially young people. Ask them, "When you go to some club the whole week, don't you go one evening to the church?" It's a very interesting thing. If I were the father or mother of such children, I would sit six days in church and one day in the club. But you were not able to give them this love, this spirituality. Don't put the ventilator on; I'm ill. I have the flu, and it will spread more. So, you see, this is a... Don't be angry. Some young children might say, "I will not go anymore to Swāmījī’s seminar." How do you think, how do you imagine that God loves you? You avoid God's house. And it is not that there is no church in your village. There may be two or three churches, or a mosque, or an ashram, or a temple. Or you have a home altar. Do you say to yourself, "Instead of going to a restaurant or some club this evening, one evening I will sit there meditating and praying"? But the tendencies in you, that restless energy, that bad luck, pushes you away from the light to the darkness. So sometimes you can go to a guest house. There is a story: Two good friends, Johannes Gregorius and Johannes Müller. Gregorius was angry all the time—at doctors, at medical companies. He called medicines poison. He told his friend Müller not to go to the doctor or take medicine. One day, Gregorius said, "Müller, come. We shall go to the doctor today." Müller asked why. Gregorius said friends don't ask why; they support you. They went to the doctor, who prescribed medicine. They went to the chemist and bought it. Müller was silent, not criticizing. Then they went for a walk over a bridge. Gregorius stopped, looked at the river, took the envelope of medicine from his pocket, and threw it all in the river. Müller thought his friend needed a psychiatrist but didn't dare say so. Gregorius looked at him, smiled, and said, "Let's go home. Let's have a banana milkshake." They made one and drank it. Müller couldn't digest his thoughts. He asked, "Friend, why did you go to the doctor?" Gregorius replied, "The doctor studied medicine; he has to earn money and survive. He has to live from something." Müller said he understood. "Then why did you spend the money at the chemist?" "Because they also have to live. If no one buys, they will be poor." Müller said he understood the positive thoughts. "But why did you throw the expensive medicine in the river?" Gregorius said, "You don't understand? I also want to live. That's it." So sometimes you can go to a guest house or restaurant because they also have to live. But mostly, go to the church, ashram, temple, or mosque. Sit with your mother and father. They are very wise and can help you with many things. In a guesthouse, they welcome you and take your money. Your mother and father welcome you and give you money. Ethics, spirituality, morality—you have to develop them within you. If you don't have the feeling for that, you go to kusanga (bad company), where everyone sees you from a different angle, with different thoughts. Your father, mother, and sister would think of you from a different, caring angle. Therefore, regarding religion—don't think, "Oh God, why must I go every day to the church?" Thank God there is a church. The church doesn't need you; you need the church. You need a holy place, you need satsaṅg, you need the ashram. If you have nothing, then take a holy book and read. One evening, just with that book, will purify your thoughts. Any holy book from any religion or philosophy will generate good energy flowing through your brain. At the very least, there is the name of God. In the Bible, the master spoke to disciples. Jesus is the master, the disciples are listeners. Similarly, in the Upaniṣads, Vedas, and Gītā, Kṛṣṇa is the master and Arjuna is the disciple. Don't say, "All are going there, why should I not go?" If all are going to the hill, do you want to go also? Don't compare yourself with 'all'. I don't want to compare with all. I want to compare with the one God. I am searching for the shortcut, the direct way to God, without duality, without conflict, and with love. Sabī prāṇī merī ātmā hai. All creatures are the ātmā. Myself, the ātmā, is soī paramātmā. The ātmā is God itself, the light of God. In this way, spirituality and religion can be experienced. Tomorrow morning, European time, 9 o'clock will be the program, from 9 a.m. till 10:30 p.m. There will be a webcast from 9 to 10:30. I will be with you, and then we are traveling back to our duty. So, think positive. If you cannot think positively, you are very far from spirituality. Someone comes near and passes, and you don't even say hello. That's not good. It doesn't matter who is who. Even if an enemy passes by, Jesus would say hello, or Kṛṣṇa would also smile and say, "Hello, my child." Not only to humans. If a dog goes by, you might say, "Hello, where are you going?" How you think of others reflects on you. If you think badly of others—"That's a stupid, selfish person"—then you are the stupid, selfish one. Who am I to blame someone? Kṛṣṇa said in the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā: "One who sees the enemy and the friend as equal and loves them, O Arjuna, that one is dear to my heart. That one is dear to God who is equal in name and fame, who is equal in thinking of loss or gain." So read the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā and think: you are that Arjuna. Compare what Kṛṣṇa is saying to yourself. When you read the instructions in the Bible, compare them with yourself, not with Judas or any other apostle. That is written for you. Read it and see if you are doing like this or not. There is a story from a few hundred years ago. A few farmers lived in a small village. One man was going with his horse cart to a festival, a Melā like the Kumbh Melā. An elderly friend asked where he was going and when he'd return. The man said he was going to the Melā and would be back by evening. The elderly man asked a favor: "I give you five kuṇā (money). Please buy me a mirror so I can see how I am every day. My wife tells me to look in a water pot to see my face, and when she's not pleased, she moves the pot and says, 'It is you. You are like that.' Please bring me a real mirror to see if I am really like that." The man agreed. In the afternoon, the man returned. The elderly man was waiting. The traveler put his hand in his bag and gave him a small pocket book: the Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā. "Here is your mirror. It's not just a book; it's a real mirror. You will see your face inside—if you are a Duryodhana or an Arjuna." The man said thank you and began to read. He thought, "No, I'm not Duryodhana. I'm not Bhīṣma. Perhaps I'm Yudhiṣṭhira... No, he gambled. I don't want that. I am Kṛṣṇa." So you read the books not just as books. Compare your own mistakes, difficulties, problems, or good things. Have no desires. Therefore, it is said.