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There are many different kinds of mantras: peace mantras, the Gāyatrī mantra, the Mahāmṛtyujaya mantra, and many others. Ultimately, one may ask Lord Śiva, "What is the best mantra? Which is the best mantra for a disciple to develop spirituality quickly and be assured of realizing Mokṣa, Samādhi, or Self-realization in this very life?" The answer is given: "Mantra mūlaṁ guruvākyaṁ." O Pārvatī, the essence, the root, or the basis of all mantras is guruvākyaṁ. "Mantra mūlaṁ guru-vākyaṁ vadhiḥ"—the essence of mantra is the Guru's words. Guru-vākyaṁ means the words of the master, the teacher's words. If your master tells you, "Don't do this," then for you, that is like a mantra. If your master tells you to do something, then do it. This, for you, is like a mantra. It is Guru ājñā, the instruction of the master. Obey, obey, obey the words of the master. Obey, obey, obey the teacher's words. Obey, obey, obey the master's instructions. If your Gurudev tells you, "Don't go with this person, don't talk to this person," then you should not do it. Guru Vākya also means the words of all holy saints, regardless of which country they come from or which religion they belong to. All holy scriptures are Guruvākya. Every holy scripture carries the same essential instructions. However, in every scripture, there has always been someone engaged in chattering or backbiting. As we say in India, on the face is either the name of God or a smile, but hidden in the armpit is a knife—like Śakuni in the Mahābhārata and Mantrā in the Rāmāyaṇa. It was not only one Mantrā; in this Kali Yuga, there are many, many such 'mantras' [i.e., schemers]. She was a destructive power within the family of God Rāma, and her end brought great suffering, as did Śakuni's. Therefore, the holy scriptures instruct you to go to satsaṅg. Lucky are those who can come to satsaṅg. Lucky are those who travel hundreds of kilometers to attend satsaṅg. You witnessed this at Holy Gurujī's last Guru Pūrṇimā satsaṅg. There is a great saint, Śukadeva Muni. He was five years old but profoundly divine and knew all the śāstras. If someone speaks very beautifully, giving a lecture, people say, "Oh, he must be an incarnation of Śukadeva Muni." Śukadeva Muni said that a few seconds of seva to Gurudev is greater than sixteen years of seva to God: "Harisevā ṣoḷa barasa, gurusevā pala chara, tobina bara bara veda ki nā vichāra." You will read and see this in Gurujī's satsaṅg. Therefore, it is ultimately said: "Mokṣa mūlaṁ guru-kṛpā." Liberation (Mokṣa) will only come where there is the grace (kṛpā) of the Guru. Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Summer seminar