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Path of the Soul

A spiritual discourse on the unity of truth and the path of yoga.

"Different masters created various techniques and paths according to the different intellects of seekers. Ultimately, all these paths lead to that one truth."

"Yoga is the way to come out of this [cycle of destiny]. One must find a Brahma Niṣṭha Śrotriya, a knower of the Supreme who can inspire and guide you toward that ultimate goal."

The speaker explains that while God and truth are one, many paths, especially those from the yogic tradition of India, lead to it. He discusses the insights of ancient yogis into consciousness, karma, and destiny, and frames the human body as a temple to be treated kindly. He introduces a month-long program to explore Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras and other teachings.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar

The destination is one, the truth is one, God is one. However, different masters created various techniques and paths according to the different intellects of seekers. Ultimately, all these paths lead to that one truth. As God Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, it does not matter through which religion, belief, or path you proceed; at the end, I will be there. This means you will come to Me. Kṛṣṇa is God, the God who has manifested many times on this globe, most often in India. That is why India is one of the holiest lands—because divine incarnations took place there. This way of life, encompassing teachings, techniques, achievements, management, and health—physical, mental, social, and spiritual—is achieved through yoga. Different yogīs, masters, sages, ṛṣis, and hermits developed these techniques under the name of yoga. All the different knowledges, Vidyās, Mantras, Yantras, Tantras, Chakras, philosophy, wisdom, and science originate from one source: Oṃ. That is yoga. In due time, about 2,500 years before Christ, a great saint, Patañjali, lived. He compiled beautifully the thoughts and instructions of yoga into the Yoga Sūtras, meaning the spoken verses, like poetry in Sanskrit. If one were to name the father of psychology, it was Patañjali. Even before him, there were many great saints who discovered the nature of the body, its functions, and its organs. Whatever medicine has discovered and still researches, it was the yogīs who first discovered the mind, the emotions, memory, intellect, and what lies beyond: consciousness, the soul, the individual soul, the distinctions between soul and Ātmā, and the relationship of all this to the Paramātmā, the Supreme. This was the work of the great saints of India. These ṛṣis were able to follow the path of a soul—of others or themselves—to understand what happens after the death of the body or its departure. What happens to this soul? What happens to consciousness, emotion, intellect, memories, mind, and feelings? Only the body dies; everything else remains. What you can touch, smell, or see with physical eyes finishes here. But what you cannot touch, see, or smell—what the senses cannot reach—are the fine, very subtle functions of our being. This was discovered by the yogīs. When you leave this body, what will happen to you? How many days will you travel, hanging around your family? How long will it take to get rest from this world? How long will you have to stay, wait, enjoy, or suffer? Where will you go? In their inquiry, they discovered something beautiful about destiny, what we call Karma. It was those yogīs who traced the path from cause to action to result, not only in the physical world but also in those subtle functions occurring within an individual being in this physical body, whether human or animal. This is destiny. All of this is taken away by the storm, the wind of destiny. Throughout the universe, loitering on the waves of time, experiencing darkness, light, happiness, unhappiness, pain, or pleasure, the individual experiences this alone. No one is there—no lawyer, no court—only the cosmic court. Ultimately, Gurumukhī, Gurudev, is the lawyer. That is the Supreme, the cosmic justice who can give the judgment to liberate you from this destiny. Whether you believe it or not is your choice. This is how destiny influences us, how Karma creates the cycle of birth and death. Constantly. But yoga is the way to come out of this. One must find a Brahma Niṣṭha Śrotriya, a knower of the Supreme who can inspire and guide you toward that ultimate goal. Otherwise, be ready to suffer further, as other creatures suffer. The path of the soul through this endless universe is a mysterious life. Yet, enough of suffering. Thanks to God or our destiny, the soul has found a center in this human body. This is your real house, your real temple, something belonging to you for the time being. Everyone else may disappoint you, but no matter what, this body will remain with you until the last minute of life. And the body asks you: be kind to me, be nice to me. Sometimes one partner is very cruel, while the other always pleads, "Please be kind to me." But the cruel partner persists—drinking, anger, aggression, beating, and whatnot. Similarly, this body is your partner. How you treat your partner will come back to you. So, let us see in this one month what Patañjali gives us through his instructions. There will be many other beautiful thoughts shared from the great saints. I am happy to be with you for this month in this beautiful, natural, pollution-free surrounding at the Mahāprabhudīp Satsaṅg Foundation Āshram in Strilky, Czech Republic. To all dear brothers and sisters listening through the webcast, you are most welcome to attend this retreat or seminar—for one week, one weekend, or the whole month. Come and experience something unique. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer 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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