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Tomorrow is Chaturdaśī. Today is also Chaturdaśī, so there are two fourteenth days. Otherwise, tomorrow would be the dark moon (Amāvasyā), but the Amāvasyā will be on Thursday. Friday then becomes Pratipadā, the first day, or one day less from the full moon day. So it is the first day of the new moon, and it becomes the night of the divine Śakti, the cosmic mother—Navarātri, the nine nights. During these nine nights, we have our Māṭājī, Mahāprabhujī's Divine Mother photo. You can place one of those eternal lights that burn for a week or fourteen days. Put a nice red cloth and some flowers there every day; change the cloth and the flowers. Then, if your health allows, eat only once a day, light incense (agarbattī), and pray to the Divine Mother. If possible, during these days, avoid all physical contact with your husband, wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend for these nine days. Clean your body, clean your mind, clean your thoughts, clean your feelings, and dedicate yourself to the Divine Mother. In divinity, above our astral body, there is no duality of any genders. There are no genders. There is only one, and that is the Supreme—that is the Supreme Mother, the Divine Mother, the Ārādhyā. In Līlā Amṛt, Holy Gurujī has written in great detail about the Divine Mother. Do we have it here, or did we leave it inside? You can read it. Navarātri occurs twice a year; one is coming now. This period is called Śarada. Śarada means the time for ancestors. Every child has to perform certain ceremonies for the liberation of their ancestors. If your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, and so on have passed away, it is generally done by the children. If you have no children, then other relatives can perform it for you. This is Śrāddha. It is said that during this week, the space is open for them, so whatever you do reaches them. If you remember, there is a story about a crow and a swan; I will tell that story next time. They go and perform the Śrāddha ceremonies. This is also present in Christianity. On the 1st of November, the Day of All Saints, souls, and everyone, people go to the graveyard and place lights, and so on. So this is the same. All of this, from many thousands of years, is now within human tradition, and this is also in the European tradition. So we are linked somehow together. It is said that as long as children do not perform this Śrāddha, the ancestors are not liberated. So as a child, it is your prime duty to free them. If you free them, you are also free. Otherwise, you are also not free. This is Śarad Pakṣa. It will be over after the Amāvasyā, and then comes Navarātri, the Divine Mother's time. After Navarātri—Navarātri begins on Friday, the ninth day of the new moon—then comes the final ceremony to her. Unfortunately, in many places in India, as well as in Nepal, they offer to her a Bali. Bali means in Nepal they give the Bali of a male water buffalo, and in India, a male goat. Now, in many parts of India and in many places, it is strictly prohibited, but in some places they are so fanatical that they still do it. After Navarātri, the tenth day is called Daśaharā. Daśaharā refers to the ten-headed Rāvaṇa, who had the power of ten elephants. "Hara" means he lost, so he lost in the battlefield against Rāma. And after Daśaharā, twenty days later, is Dīvālī, when Gautama returns, and it is the day on which Mahāprabhujī gives birthdays. So these are very spiritual days now, you know. Recording location: Austria, Vienna, Satsang