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Sayam and Niyam

A satsang reflecting on the anniversary of a master's passing and the eternal disciple-master relationship.

"Blowing off a candle is different than the sunset."

"A disciple will never be a Gurū; a disciple will ever be a disciple."

The speaker honors his Guru on the first anniversary of his passing, emphasizing that liberation depends on disciplined living (niyama) and control (śayama). He explores the immutable bond between disciple and master, using analogies like the Pope not being Jesus to illustrate that a successor carries the work forward but does not become the original master. The talk includes the parable of "Gurū Govinda dāū khaḍe" to conclude that gratitude to the Guru, who reveals God, comes first.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar

Spirituality does not depend on practice alone. Liberation does not depend on postures and practices; liberation depends on discipline, on one's way of life. How you speak, how you live, how you talk, how you create an atmosphere—all of this is very important, along with śayama and niyama. These two things are crucial: niyama is everyday discipline, and śayama is control. If you do not have something under control, then something is wrong. We are here for our śayama and niyama; everything we are doing, we are practicing well, you know that. Unfortunately, today marks exactly one year, according to this calendar time, since our beloved Holy Gurujī passed away. According to his mental state, his memories, his words, his speech, his lungs, his heart—everything was very perfect, except for this little complication with his kidneys. I was sure Gurujī would cross over 125 years according to his body. I have met many people, but I never met someone who was so disciplined. I have met many people, but I never met anyone who had such self-control as Holy Gurujī. It is very hard to imagine that he is not with us. You see, everyone has to go one day, but the departure of such a great personality, a great light, is a loss for this planet, for millions of people. That's it. Blowing off a candle is different than the sunset. So, what we are doing in memory and honor of Gurujī in this conference is just nothing—not even one flower, but a small petal of one flower as a token of our devotion. The relation of master and disciple never ends; it cannot be changed and cannot be ended. Centuries may pass; only the disciple knows and the master knows. But there are also disciples who are waiting for the successorship. There are some people who are waiting to get the post of the director, waiting for when the director will retire so that he or she can become the next director. That is a worldly mind. You see, a disciple can sit on the holy throne or the holy chair of the master, but still he is not him. You should not forget that. It does not mean that he has become that one. The Pope is sitting on the holy chair in Rome, and we respect that holy chair—meaning him—but it does not mean that he is Jesus. So, if a disciple becomes a successor, it means to carry on the work as cleanly, as well, as it is given to your hands, not to manipulate. A disciple will never be a Gurū; a disciple will ever be a disciple. A son can be the general secretary of the United Nations, but for the parents he is still that small baby; he is still the son or the daughter, even if they are the president of the country. So, it does not matter how high your titles will be, you cannot become the father of your father, can you? But you will become the father of your children; that is natural. Similarly, your disciple, your follower may respect you as a Gurū, as a master. It does not mean that you now reduce or delete from your mind the feeling of being a disciple to your master. Understand me. For your master, you will always be a disciple. Maybe you are more successful, and why are you successful? Because of your master's blessing. "Gurū Govinda dāū khaḍe"—the Lord and Gurudev both were standing in front. A disciple had a question, a spiritual dilemma. Whom to greet first? If I greet God first, then my master will say, "You see such a greedy, selfish person. As long as he needed me, I was the first one in his life. Now God is here, and God is first for him; I am second-hand." If I greet my master first, then God will think, "Am I in the wrong place? Lifelong he was praying for darśan, and now I am here, and he neglected me." So, to whom should I greet first? "Gurū Govinda dāū khaḍe"—both are standing, Gurū and Govinda, in front. Govinda is Kṛṣṇa. "Kiske lāgu pāye?" To whom should I bow down? The answer comes to the disciple's mind: "Balihārī Gurudev kī"—it is the mercy of the Gurudev; "Govinda dīyo batāī"—that he showed me, the Govinda. So first Gurudev, first Gurū, then God. You were the same ignorant disciple who did not know A and B. When you had to write the A and B, you were holding the pen like this. Someone taught you how to hold the pen and how to write it. Don't forget, my dear. Now you are a professor, a rector, and that is the fact. But you have forgotten your reality. A human should never forget reality; always remember our origin, our beginning. A disciple will never be a Gurū of his Gurū, just as a son will never be the father of his father. That is it. One who knows this principle is always protected by Gurudev, and thus receives his blessing to carry on. We pray to him, to Gurudev, to give us strength, buddhi (intellect), viveka (discernment), śakti (power), and bhakti (devotion), vairāgya (dispassion) and jñāna (wisdom). This is what we need: śakti, vairāgya, bhakti and jñāna, and tyāga (renunciation), sādhanā (spiritual practice), niyama and śayama. Then you can take off; all signals of the radars are clear for you, directly to the Brahmaloka. Therefore, Gurudev is always Gurudev. He will always be Gurudev for us, and we cannot compare with them at all. We are thankful that they bless us still. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend 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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