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Dear brothers and sisters, the master is the one who gives us the knowledge of how to lead life. There are three kinds of disciples, called kaniṣṭha, madhyam, and uttam—the worst, the middle, and the best. How can we know this? This quality can also be seen in children. The worst one is he who, even when you ask him to do something, tries to avoid it. The middle one is always waiting; if you tell him, then he will do it. The best one comes to know what you wish or would like and immediately does it. The master chooses from among these three. It is said there is a wasp which makes a house out of mud, somewhere in the furniture or in the house. We call it a Bhrāmṛī. In summer, this wasp goes and searches for one particular worm—the worm that can become a wasp, just as a caterpillar can become a butterfly. The Bhrāmṛī goes and searches. Like the sound, the worst worm hides under the grass. The middle one listens, looks, and then runs away. The third one stands up in a cobra pose, constantly listening, and becomes as if in a trance. The wasp then knows: this one will become the Bhrāmṛī. Similarly, a disciple: there are some who see the master and say, "Oh God." The second one sees the master and thinks, "Aha, good," but says it is not our way and runs away. The third one is hungry, sucking in the teaching. Then the master chooses that one as a disciple. All the ṛṣis were married and had children, yet even they could not give their wisdom to their children—only to the disciple. The relation of the disciple with the master is from many, many lives. They incarnate together on this planet and go together, coming and going. Then the master decides to teach and concentrate on this disciple when the time comes. The master, through his awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī and chakras, opens his Anāhata Chakra, and light flows through his Ājñā Chakra. These are the two places: the Viśuddhi center and the heart. The master lets this light go through the Ājñā Chakra into the disciple. How? Through blessings. And before the master leaves this world, from this part of the body, from the Anāhata Chakra, he lets the light go to the disciple. This means the soul, the ātmā of the master, goes to that particular disciple. You may have read or seen in films or heard something about masters in the Himalayas, in China, in Tibet. Before the master leaves his body, he calls his disciple. The master makes a gesture, light goes, the disciple opens his mouth and inhales, and the master exits, re-breathing. Of the breath means the soul or the ātmā; the master enters into the disciple. At that time, each and every blood cell of the disciple begins to resonate, and then he knows he has received. In this way, spirituality remains alive. Therefore, it is called Sanātana Dharma; it is a living religion. What does a living religion mean? It means there is a master and disciple tradition. It is eternal. It will be. It will never stop. It is like giving your heritage to your children. You know, there are always stories about the mother-in-law. Poor mother-in-law. No daughter-in-law would like to live with a mother-in-law. These young children, before marriage, they want to have their own flat. But you know, in Indian culture—and it was European culture too—the women have the responsibility of their house, tradition, and culture. Money, tradition, culture, everything a woman has to maintain. Everything is in the hand of the woman. They are the home minister. The husband is only the foreign minister, outside. When the daughter-in-law comes home, what we do in Vedic religion is first we will see the constellation. Before, she cannot come in the house. Your boy cannot bring her home, and your boy cannot go and live with her somewhere. Maybe you see, "Yes, hello," that's all. But to hold hands for the first time, that is a very important part of married life. This ritual, where the heads of the couple are brought together by the priest and by the mother and father, and they put inside the henna something colorful—that is the most important minute of the couple. That must have a very good constellation, and there must be, before, some mantras said so that there are no disturbances, there are healthy children and a healthy life, no divorce will be. Then there is a fire ceremony. Fire is one of the elements; if you will not follow the principles, the fire will destroy you. You are married; it is one of the best minutes of that family. A new person comes home. The new lady, we call Lakṣmī, is coming home. The mother-in-law washes the feet of the daughter-in-law, performs the ceremony, gives the tilak, and with great respect says, "Please step into your house." And the mother-in-law gives the complete house culture and tradition into her hands. If this young girl makes some mistakes, is not capable, of course the mother-in-law is strict, angry. Your boss is also angry every day in the office. Many are very afraid of their boss nowadays, more than of their mother-in-law. It is not easy to be the boss. So, I mean this is how tradition and spirituality is transmitted. One day she will become the head of the family, and she will have to pass it on further. In this way, all holy scriptures and teachings were given from master to disciple. A married couple, what do they wish? A healthy, happy, well-educated child. Whatever they are doing, they say, "This is for our children." They build a house for the children. Why? Because they love, and the children will carry on this tradition. Similarly, a master is also happy and looking for a healthy, happy, spiritual disciple. The Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore writes a poem. It was evening time, the sun was setting, and Rabindranath Tagore says the sun is very unhappy: "My time is gone, and darkness is going to swallow the world. There is no one who can take my place." The sun is thinking like this. In the temple, the priest, the paṇḍit, was doing pūjā, and there was a tiny oil lamp burning. Rabindranath Tagore took a look at the lamp, and the flame said to the sun, "I will try. I can't be like the sun, but I will try to give light in the darkness." And so we all try to represent this light. There are spiritual practices which are described very systematically: mantra, meditation, prayers, chakra awakening, Kuṇḍalinī awakening, and at a particular time, some particular mantras. This only the master will give you when you are ready, because if you have some ability or knowledge and you die without giving it to someone, it is lost. So the master doesn't want to lose this. Therefore, giving spiritual heritage is from the heart. The two have to be like a magnet and iron; they come together, it catches from afar, it awakens the light. There are many, many disciples. There can be many hundreds or thousands of spiritual persons who can gain or get this heritage. So, through the practice techniques, we give the light to the disciples. Disciples have to renounce all personal interests, not to abuse it for oneself, but to use it for all. You must have a universal consciousness, like a scientist. He or she doesn't work for their family only but is working for all. And that is also the master's consciousness: to find the disciples to give something. And it's very important to be very strict. If you are very gentle, then the disciple is spoiled, and you know what spoiled children mean. That is our biggest problem.