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Perfect holydays at the Gurukul -- Vep is a Gurukul at this time

The necessity of dedicated practice and sacred solitude for spiritual progress.

Modern life, with its duties and distractions, often prevents discipline. The ancient advice is to periodically retreat into solitude, akin to a sacred holiday. Yet, modern holidays have become spectacles, losing their purpose. True retreat is a master-disciple setting for profound study. The remaining days here should be spent in contemplative silence, immersed in nature's beauty. The air is prāṇa, the vital life force given by God. Yoga is the principle of balance and ultimate unity. You are fortunate to possess and practice these powerful techniques. Those who stop practicing are unfortunate, as all potential comes to nothing without application. Mastery, like that of a sitar virtuoso, emerges only from relentless practice. Theoretical knowledge alone cannot bring success.

"Without abhyāsa (practice), we cannot be successful."

"My heart, my soul knows how difficult it is, the tapasyā (austerity)."

Filming location: Vép, Hungary

Due to hectic lives, social duties, and the many kleśas (afflictions) and vikṣepas (distractions) of this world, we sometimes cannot maintain our discipline. Therefore, the ṛṣis advised householders to practice "Ekānta Vās"—to go somewhere for a while and relax. What we have in the modern system are holidays. Yet, because of our busy schedules and obligations, we are often unable to practice; sometimes, no practice remains at all. That is why the ṛṣis told family members to move out sometimes. But nowadays, holidays are no longer holidays. They have become like Hollywood. Therefore, a place like this is best; this is beautiful Ekānta Vās. I would say this is a gurukul, where master and disciple sit together and engage in Upaniṣad. So only a few days are left. That is why I said, "Mauna (observe silence)," and enjoy this indescribable beauty of nature. This air is prāṇa; we can say prāṇa is life itself. God is not prāṇa—God is the giver of this prāṇa, and this prāṇa is the source of our life. Yoga means uniting; yoga is the balancing principle. It is about balance, harmony, and, finally, unity. Your understanding and your kriyās, which are very powerful kriyās, make you fortunate to be able to practice this. Fortunate too are those who are waiting and will receive these kriyās. The unfortunate, the unlucky, are those who stopped practicing. Everything is there, but without practice, it comes to nothing. For example, there is a sitar. If you give it to my hand and I try to play, you, as my disciple, might say, "Oh, nice, nice," but then, "Thank you, enough." Just to stop that noise, you might elegantly interrupt by asking, "Why is it that in this situation, the sitar has no sound, no resonance?" Why can't I bring it out? Now, we give it to a master like Ravi Shankar. With only a touch of two fingers, our heart becomes Caitanya (consciousness); we are all awakened. That is called the master's work. That is called practice; practice makes perfect, that is all. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa said, "Abhyāsa, abhyāsa, Kaunteya, abhyāsa, Arjuna"—practice, practice, practice. Without abhyāsa (practice), we cannot be successful. No one has succeeded till today through theory and talk alone. When the Olympics begin, you see that the best champion has been practicing every day for 15 hours. In India, a story is told of a disciple who asked his Gurujī, "Gurujī, do you do bhakti (devotion), or do you know Jīva (the soul)? Gurujī, are you also doing bhakti sādhanā (spiritual practice)?" The Gurujī replied, "My son, my heart, my soul knows how difficult it is, the tapasyā (austerity)." So a champion practices 15 hours continuously, lagatār (persistently), practicing every day, tired and worn. There are many cinemas and dancing clubs, but he is not interested in those. His dancing club is the goal: in five years at the Olympics, he wants the golden medal in his hand, that is it. And only the one who practices, practices will win. So, after some years, you should have not only a golden medal but a cosmic liberation medal in your hands. Practice, that is it. Thank you.

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.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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