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Never blow out or extinguish your candle with your breath, whether by blowing directly or from the side. Also, do not throw the wax onto the ground. There is a completely mistaken concept associated with birthdays: placing a candle on a cake and then having the birthday person blow it out. The candle on the cake symbolizes your life, and the cake symbolizes your body. To blow it out means you are shortening your life; you are blowing out your own life. If you blow out candles, understand that you are symbolically shortening your lifespan. Therefore, you should never blow out a candle, especially on your birthday cake. Furthermore, the cake represents life, so you should never cut your life with a knife. Doing so is like cutting the rope of your life. Consequently, a cake is not meant for cutting. In my view, the cake and candle are not part of authentic European culture. In ancient times, they did not observe birthdays in this manner. I do not know when this practice developed. Therefore, from a scientific and health perspective, the traditional food is cooked rice and milk, or nuts and milk, which give you strength for life. So on your birthday, you should prepare something with milk, honey, nuts, and rice. We call it "khīr," and you may call it milk rice. That is very good for health as well. Thus, this modern cake custom is neither your European culture nor Indian culture. It is merely something that developed, and we are now following it too. And when we blow it out, it symbolically means your life is gone. Ancient culture, Vedic culture, the Vedas, or Hinduism—this is about pūrṇa, completeness. This is vardhanam, increasing. Vardhanam means increase. As in the verse: Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam. Increasing, vardhanam, vardhanam. Puṣṭi means complete. Āyuṣmān means long life, a blessing. These are words for your long, healthy, and happy life. And when you put a candle on the cake and blow it out, it symbolically shortens your life. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar