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Reality of life. Change yourself first!

A spiritual discourse on health, yoga, and personal transformation.

"Physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and social health need a balance. But still, that's not everything. The reality of life is beyond what I have told you."

"We should be like a honey bee. That honey bee brings the nectar from all kinds of flowers."

Swami Maheshwarananda (Swāmījī) addresses the relationship between physical health and the higher purpose of life. He advocates for a balanced, non-judgmental approach to all health systems—from modern medicine to yoga and naturopathy—using the metaphor of a bee gathering nectar from every flower. He explains how personal spiritual practice, like meditation, creates inner peace that positively influences one's surroundings, sharing an anecdote about a student whose yoga practice calmed her husband.

Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Weekend seminar

The mystery of life is indescribable. As soon as a human directs their entire attention and feelings towards this material body and neglects the main purpose of life, they fall into troubles. We know that health is very important for our life—physical as well as mental health. Physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and social health need a balance. But still, that's not everything. The reality of life is beyond what I have told you. Definitely, without good health, we cannot achieve or realize that particular aim of life. In the last centuries, immense research work has been done in the medical field and is still going on. This is very good, not only for human life but for other creatures too. Yoga is very good for health. First of all, I will take yoga as a prevention. Naturally, it is said prevention is far better than treatment. There are certain cases where we can help to cure or help ourselves with yoga, but there are certain cases which we cannot. We must take the help of allopathic medicine, what we call modern medicine. At the same time, many diseases can be cured or helped through allopathy, but there are some which cannot be helped, and yoga can do it. In that case, we should take the help of yoga. Now, what does it mean? It means that we have two wings to fly, and we shall see when we take a curve, which wings should be used more and in which way. Therefore, we should never criticize any health system, and we should never say "only this." Everyone has a different destiny, everyone has different feelings and different kinds of symptoms in the body. So we cannot treat all with one thing. In naturopathy, Āyurveda, homeopathy, acupressure, acupuncture, and many other kinds of medicines and sport therapies—many, many systems are developed in our civilized world, and we are happy for that. It is very good; you know how much work is involved to find some solution, to find something that can be useful or helpful. It is said running is good, skiing is good, but some people break their leg. It does not mean that this case is not good. So we should not judge with narrow thinking. Our way of thinking, our way of judging should be very neutral, free, and we should see the good in everything. We used to say one should be like a honey bee. That honey bee brings the nectar from all kinds of flowers. Maybe some flowers are poisonous, but the honey bee will take the nectar from them. So you, as all yogīs and yoga practitioners, should be like that honey bee. We call it "madhu." It's a very beautiful feeling and a very beautiful vibration when you say in Sanskrit "madhu," but it's a language, so you can say honey. It's not funny. Now, the specialty in our Yoga in Daily Life is this, what I told you, those instructions. And many of us, or many of you who are here, are searching for the sense of life—achievement not in the physical world, but achievement on a higher level. That's also very individual. You cannot say that, "Okay, my husband is very busy, so he can work, I will meditate for him." Nice of you, very good. Better than nothing. You will be very calm and relaxed. You will not make your husband nervous. And your positive thoughts, your prayers will definitely influence some energy in your husband's surrounding too. In 1972, I had morning classes, and there were some people coming—diplomatic ladies mostly, because they have from 9 till 10 or 11 good time, free time. They can go somewhere to practice or go swimming or shopping. And there was one from America, and after two months she asked a question. "Swāmījī, can you explain to me?" I said, "What?" "Since I practice yoga, my husband must relax and be calm. I practice, and he is very relaxed and calm." What should I answer? I said, "I am happy for him and happy for you." She said, "Yes, but how does it function?" So I said, "Probably you became more calm and relaxed, and he's very happy, so he's also calm and relaxed." If you have a very noisy neighbor, then you are also very restless and angry, and many, many tendencies come out. And if your neighbor changes their way of life and is very calm, very good, and friendly, then it influences your life too, so that you are also very calm and relaxed. So we need a peaceful neighbor. And we should be a good and peaceful neighbor. It means all outside of us, not only in our family or in our society, but the whole world. Ātmā Gandhījī said, "Be the change you want to see." So change yourself first. Definitely, you will influence some people. What they call in English now in this modern time, a grass roots project. Mostly the Indians are using this. And grass means that which is multiplying slowly but multiplying, growing more branches and roots. And so, slow but sure, there is development, there is achievement. But do not always change your way of thinking and your way of sādhanā. Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Weekend seminar

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.

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