Swamiji TV

Other links



Video details

Public lecture from Novo Mesto

A public talk on holistic health, spiritual ecology, and the sacredness of life's essentials.

"I am strictly against selling the waters. Because the blood of Mother Earth is water. And blood should not be polluted."

"Giving blood is giving life. Therefore, I am for that. If we give, then we should give free."

Swami Maheshwarananda addresses an audience in Novo Mesto, speaking alongside civic and Red Cross dignitaries. He laments the global water crisis and commercialization of life's essentials—water, milk, and blood—framing them as sacred gifts. He teaches practical pranayama techniques for purifying the blood and promoting health, and concludes by linking physical well-being to spiritual understanding, referencing the universal significance of the Kumbh Mela.

Filming location: Maha Kumbha Mela, India

Saṅkrānti, śānti, śānti, bhavatu. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai. Salutation to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our hearts, Omniscient and Omnipresent. In His Divine Presence, very good evening, dear brothers and sisters. Respected Mayor of the city, Novo Mesto, respected Director General of the Red Cross, and all the different dignitaries here today in this hall. Indeed, Novo Mesto is a beautiful city, surrounded by beautiful nature. It is a blessed place. I hope and I wish that the whole world could have such nice, beautiful vegetation and water flowing from every direction. We cannot be thankful enough to God for such a presence which God has given to you. In the world, 65% of the world has a lack of water. And when I talk about water, even you do not know what water is. You do not know what the water is. One holy saint said, "I must laugh full of stomach that I see a fish thirsty in the water." So it can be that you do not know what water is. Because you have so much water, you do not care. Can you imagine, in the world, even people do not have water for drinking? Not because of polluted water. If water is polluted, somehow we can filter it, clean it. But no water. When humans are suffering because there is no water, what about animals, wildlife? The ground level of the water is sometimes 500 meters, 400 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters, in different areas. And if we drill more deeply, we get salty water. So they know what the water is. And therefore, I say that you have so much water. When I see the water in Slovenia, flowing in so many rivers and creeks and lakes, I am not envious, but I am happy for you. I wish it could be in Rajasthan too. When I see so many wonderful rivers, streams, and lakes in Slovenia, I do not envy you, but on the other hand, I wish it would be the same in Rajasthan, in India. Our organization, Yoga and Daily Life, with the help of many Slovenian friends and from different parts of the world, is supporting so that we can supply them water with tractors, bringing it from different distances, depending on if there is water. When I came first time to Europe in 1970, I saw mineral water bottles, and I was surprised. Is this really water or vodka? And I could not imagine that water was sold in bottles because we had enough water at that time. But now, we realize the water is sold in bottles. It is a very simple thing, but you think on that point, what I am telling you, dear. Where was, and where is, the necessity that we sell the waters in plastic bottles and glass bottles? Glass bottles. Why was it not like this before 100 years? Because at that time there was no pollution. Humans were taking care of nature. And now we have created a society called "use and throw." Use and throw, but where to throw? And that is our problem, and that is a global warming problem. Climate changes. Instead, it has begun. But Gandhījī said, Mahātmā Gāndhī, be the change you want to see. So we have to change how we would like to see the world. There was a thirsty person sitting and dying of thirst, and he asked for water. They said it cost a dollar. You have a dollar, or you have euros now? We have euros now, five dollars. But this poor man had no book money. So, I am strictly against selling the waters. Maybe that is because there are some businessmen sitting here from big companies; they have mineral water companies. Please excuse me. Because the blood of Mother Earth is water. And blood should not be polluted. Maybe the time will come that we have to carry with us an oxygen bottle now. Which is the breath of Mother Nature. Similarly, in India we used to say three things cannot be sold. But it was. Now it is changed. When I was small, like Avatār Purījī, there were still traditions in villages. First was milk. Milk should not be sold. Everyone had a milk cow, or a buffalo, or a goat. And a few did not have; they could get from neighbors as much as they liked. And neighbors came to give them milk without asking. So we call milk dūdh. Dud and saput. Saput is children. Children cannot be sold. Milk and children cannot be sold. You can send your child to help them, or they can adopt you. So we know how big business is now with the milk. You cannot imagine that you have at home a cow. In Āyurveda, it is said that there are certain happinesses. First, happiness is good health. Second happiness is a partner with mutual understanding. And third, obedience, or a good child. And fourth, a milky cow at home. And sixth, a good neighbor. And the seventh, you have wealth. And eighth, you have wisdom. You are happy. But unfortunately, in the world now, children are sold. Children are abused, and many children are suffering. They have no access to clean water and food, and so on. Can we change this? Yes, we can, but we all have to work together. Together. And the third point is blood. This is the blood of your mother in your body, and your mother did not take money for that. The blood is life. Blood is that through which the soul is transforming, and we need blood. Earth needs rain, and we need blood. Giving blood is something that gives life to someone. Yes, yes, you give a life. First time I heard that now the blood donors are asking for money. So you see how human ethics are decreasing, selling the waters, milk, children, and now even their own blood. We do not know what they will sell tomorrow. They are selling kidneys. So if you give blood to someone, you save a life. Suppose, for giving one's blood, you get 20 euros. Mostly, blood is given; the donated blood is given to poor people. Now, do you think with the 20 euros you will be very rich? With this euro of 20, you will go on the corner and buy alcohol. And you will drink the alcohol and drive. And you will have an accident. Now you need the blood. So, giving blood is giving life. Therefore, I am for that. If we give, then we should give free. And I told Mr. Director that a yogī's blood is very pure. Best quality blood, but it does not mean that you kidnap my yogīs. It depresses me because my yogīs do not consume any kind of alcohol, meat, eggs, spoiled food, or drugs. Every day, yogīs are cleaning their blood. Blood, like in the hospital, what they call cleaning the blood: dialysis. So practicing prāṇāyāma means dialysis, cleaning the blood. 80% of diseases can be killed, removed, or cured through prāṇāyāma, 80%. And 20% with the sāttvic vegetarian life. Then minus from them 5%. That is, of course, the body will get ill and die. So, I will tell you today two, one, two, three techniques on how to purify your blood. And clean blood will have a healthy body, healthy system, and healthy glands. So, twenty times you inhale and exhale through the left nostril. You close your right nostril with your thumb. Sit straight, and you can lean on your chair if you want. But straight. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale... Inhale. And long exhale, and place your hand on the knee. Just remain with closed eyes and feel your normal breath rhythm. You know that you are breathing in and out. Now again, place two fingers at the center of the eyebrows, and with the ring finger, close the left nostril. Inhale through the right nostril and exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Deep inhale. In the stomach. And long exhale, and place the hand on the knee. Just feel your normal breath. Let the breath flow very normally, as it is. Do not manipulate. Very good. You can open your eyes. So, this technique should be done, if you are a beginner, a minimum of two months, if it is possible, twice a day: morning before breakfast and evening before dinner. After two months, if you practice regularly, this is the question. One day, if you miss, that is okay. If you would like to have a strong discipline, then, on the day when you cannot practice your prāṇāyāma, do not eat anything. Because you have no time for exercises, then you have no time for eating. A very fair deal. After two months, we have the second step. So again, place these two fingers at the center of the eyebrows. And with the thumb, close your right nostril. And deep inhale through the left nostril. With the ring finger, close the left nostril. And exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril. And exhale through the left nostril. Slowly, deep inhale through the left. Exhale through the right. Inhale through the right. Exhale through left. Inhale through right. Right. Exhale through the left. Inhale through left. Exhale through right. Inhale. With both nostrils, hand on the knee, and exhale. Just relax. Just relax and feel your normal breath. You know that you are inhaling and exhaling. Very good. Perfect. Open your eyes. Two months' practice. And the next technique is for two months. So try to sit straight, do not lean. Hands on your knees. So do not lean on the chair. Be away from the backrest. If you do the wrong exercises, wrong yoga techniques, then you have a problem. The techniques which I will show you now, if you do, like leaning on the chair, you may get sleep. So the chest is called kapāla, arm, bastrika prāṇāyāma. You breathe through abdominal muscles. Place your hand on the stomach here, under the navel or on the navel. Inhale, expand the stomach. Exhale, contract the stomach. Inhale, exhale. That is why yogīs sometimes must have a stomach and demonstrate. So, it should move only the stomach. And so the bastrika is like this. Got it? Wrong would be. That would be wrong. Or that is wrong. Just soft. You can let your glass rest on your head if you have a ring on it. It will not fall down. So, like with both nostrils, like this. Now it is your turn. You need it, because Novo Mesto is up and down. Only world champions can go cycling now, best of all. There is hardly 500 meters or 400 meters flat. So that is good. It goes down and up. Come on, with this part of the stomach, yes? Ten or fifteen times. Then, take a deep inhale and exhale. And feel the normal breath. Just relax, and feel that you know you are inhaling, and you know that you are exhaling. Let it flow, your breath, very normal. So the second round again. Fifteen times yourself. Very good. Now. There are two kinds of techniques. One is called Kapālbhāti and one is called Bhastrikā. We did Bhastrika, but many of you did Kapālbhāti. Kapālbhāti you should not do now. That will be after six months. Then you have a two-month program again. So you have the eight-month homework. So kapālbhāti is like this, also from here. And bastrika is equal, breathe in and out. You see the difference? When you ride a horse, if you know how to ride a horse and how to control the horse, then it goes smoothly. When your horse is going, especially what you call the walk or going, running, you can drink your tea, and the horse is going about 20 km per hour speed, but your cup will not become, how to say, destabilized. That means you are a good rider, and that means you have your horses nicely trained, and that is a kapālabhātī, a bastrika. Can you imagine? Our blood is completely purified. So once more, keep your head gently on the head. These are the techniques. It will be very hard to learn again. Now do the bastrika. You will see how much your head is moving. So, very good. Perfect. Hands down. Yes, our techniques. Yoga, first place is for our good health. You decide yourself what you want. Decide what you want to eat, and why you want to eat this food. So your health is in your hands. So yoga is a way of life, how to live life. If you want to enjoy what you call life, then practice yoga. Then you will see that your body goes with you. And if you do not practice and the body is not healthy, then you have only wishes and desires, but your body says, "Sorry." Very soon, your knees will answer you, my dear. So many years I was carrying you, now I cannot. And we healthy people do not know what a knee is. This is a problem again. I have, thanks to God, no knee problem, and I do not know what is a knee. But on the day when I cannot stretch, then I will say, "My knee, my dear, what can I do for you?" And the knee will say, "Go away. Your whole life, you just used me." You did not take care of me. So, it does not matter if it is the knee, or the ankle joint, or the toes, or the back, or the shoulders, heart, kidney, and so on. Therefore, someone said, "We are not living for eating." We are eating for living. That is it. Kapālbhāti. Again. Let your head not move. Very good. Perfect. I am so delighted that people from Novo Mesto. Very good. But there are also Croatians sitting here. But they are all expert yogīs, teachers. So little things can help us a lot. Take care of your body. It is said in one song, bhajan, "Listen, listen, listen to my heart song, listen, listen, listen to my heart. I will never forget you, I will never forsake you, I will never forget." Listen to my heart, then the body says, "Listen to me also." So listen to your body, what the body needs, not only for this part of the body that we like the taste, but this part also. So in yoga and daily life, there are three main therapies or exercises. The systematic exercises of yoga and daily life are very important. And second, taking care of the food. Healthy nourishment, healthy herbs, healthy spices. You know, the spices are very, very important for your gland systems and hormones. So, ask your grandmother, "Which spices should I use, Grandma?" Maybe she is not here anymore. Then look in her kitchen, recipes. I believe that now Mesto has many factories and something, companies, no? But still, your mountains and hills, they are very healthy; good herbs there are. And that if you use your native herbs in your food, and some which are not native, like haldi and so on, it will keep you healthy. And the third is fasting. We have seven days a week. And seven days a week, we are eating 21 times. Times. We have 21 meals. And between, do not count: cakes, ice creams, biscuits, nuts, fruit. So keep one day fasting, or quit your dinner. Your knees, especially, and your hips, they will be very happy. When you notice that you have gained more kilos, come to me, because I have very, very good recipes. You will never forget me, and that is a special diet. And that special diet means you can eat as much as you like. As many times as you like. But no milk products, no grains, no bananas, and no potatoes. And potatoes, so no bread, no rice, but eat vegetables, fruits, and now is the time for that special course till Christmas, then I will tell you another therapy. And if you have knee problems, I can tell you, 78% it will be okay. And consume every day three teaspoons of turmeric. All joints will be thankful to you. When you are sitting all day and typing, especially the secretary. And at home they come and they put in hot water, cold water and hot water, pain, joints. So Haldi will clear up your joints. And the third option: go to the orthopedic doctor. So he will take the saw. So our first priority is our health. And when we are healthy, we can meditate better, we can pray better, and we will understand God better. So the Kumbh Melā, which was just a few months ago in India, there was a Kumbh Melā. And Kumbha Melā is only in India or somewhere else? Only in India. What is a Kumbha? Kumbha is a pot. Where you fill something, the story is very long. It has a long, long history. I will not say the story. And that is the beginning of creation. That time was known as Satya Yuga. And at that time, in the Satya Yuga, we were already developing two kinds of forces. The devī śakti, āsurī śakti, the divine powers and devil powers. And divine powers, you can say, positive; devil, negative. Now, according to the constellation and according to the daytime, there are different times when we should do and when we should not do. And the Asuras were born when the parents were together at sunset. Because that time is not for that; that is for prayers, that is for meditations, that is for family to be together, just. To celebrate and thank God for the day. And divine, the Devas, devic Śaktis, goddess, is from Brahmapurtha, a time of the dawn comes before that. So there is a constellation in the month which came, which day, if you want to have a child, you should wait. If you believe or you do not believe. Because believe or you do not believe, that does not change anything. If you believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, yes, it will rise. And if you do not believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, you can believe, but the sun will rise. Therefore, there are particular constellations, and the Kumbh Melā takes place on particular constellations. Astrologers may know much better, the Jupiters and Saturns and Suns and everything. That time was when the fighting began, in Satya Yuga already, for power. So there were two parties. When one party was the winner, the opposition party was trying to get all the energies to pull them down. And finally, they came to one problem: they would like to be immortal. And they went to Brahmā and Śiva, and Brahmā told them, "Churning of the ocean, big rock, big mountain, and big, big snakes." They wrapped the snakes around the rock, and they were churning. In sub-Yuga, everything was big. And in Kali Yuga, everything is becoming micro, micro, more micro, micro and micro. As little, as small, we like it. Before we had big telephones, you know, and then came the mobile phone. That was three kilos. You were carrying it like a handbag. And sitting and turning along. And now we have telephone on the little pen. We like a little, a little,... a little,... a little. That I will exactly tell you tomorrow evening. If you cannot come to Zagreb, then put on your internet and see the Swamījī TV. Finally, God Viṣṇu as Dhanvantari appears. Appeared, and in his hand was a pot, and in the pot there was the nectar. Who drinks the nectar will be immortal. Now, who does not want that? So if the devas drink, they will be immortal, and if the asuras drink, they will be immortal. And in these fourteen ratnas, twelve, I would say, precious things, one was alcohol also. So alcohol was not for drinking for your enjoyment, but as a medicine. But we became addicted to it. A person who is abusing drugs begins with a small dose, and the doses grow more and more. So, the alcohol went to the Asuras, and the Asuras drank that, and they said, "Oh, that is divine." And the nectar was just like a mist of water, no, very clean, transparent, divine. So it was their misunderstanding. They thought wine is divine, but it means wine is not divine. So it was fighting between two forces, and that is still here now. When the elections are there, everyone is fighting to win. So God Viṣṇu came with the form of a woman. It is called Mohinī. Mohinī means who attracts you, attractive. And the rākṣasas, full of alcohol, said, "Oh, this is a beautiful girl." And they said, "Run, run, get it." And they were saying, "The pretty one is running away. We shall get the nectar." But God played perfect. In one pot, half made alcohol and half nectar, and Mohinī, the Viṣṇu in the form of Mohinī, she was serving the drink. When she knew this was a Rākṣasa, then for the alcohol, when she knew the Devas, for the nectar. And one Rākṣasa realized, "There is some cheating." So he changed himself and went to the devas and took the nectar. At that time, Viṣṇu realized, and he threw his Sudarśana cakra. You know that all divine symbols had weapons with them. All male and female goddesses always had weapons. And that weapon means to destroy the negative energy. But before the Sudarśana Cakra cut into the head of the Rākṣasa, nectar went into the navel, and that Rākṣasa became immortal. And that became Rāhu and Ketu, two planets. Do you know what Rāhu and Ketu are? I will show you tomorrow. So Rāhu is the upper part, only the head, and Ketu is the lower part of the body. So, out of the nine planets, two are Rāhu and Ketu. Anyhow, when they escaped, the nectar was falling, like this, on four places geographically in India. And that was Haridwar, Ilahabad, Nashik, and Ujjain. And every 12 years comes Mahā Kumbh Melā. Every 12 years? Yeah. Every 12 years, that constellation comes together. At that time, if you bathe in that river, it is said that you will get the essence of that nectar. Do not think it was thousands of years before. Nectar is immortal; it does not get destroyed. And so, the pilgrims go there. That is not only for Hindus, it is for humans. Because at that time, these religions were not existing. What you call Hindu, Christian, Hindu, and then Jewish, and Celtic, and Christianity, Islam, and Buddhist. These are the modern religions. But the origin was known as Sanātana Dharma. Only one God, and that is omniscient, omnipresent Brahman. Brahman incarnated. The holy saints came after, and after them, they created the movement, you can say mission or religion. Later, the priests came, his messengers, and even later, the movements that today are called religions were born. Kumbh Melā is not a festival of a particular religion, but it is a festival of spirituality for humans to purify their sins. And that is why Kumbh Melā is not a festival of religion, but it is a festival of spirituality for people to purify their sins. The god Brahmā sent the mother Gaṅgā, holy Gaṅgā, from the Brahma Loka to this planet to forgive and cleanse our sins. So that was the word used by Brahmā: "Gaṅgā, you go to free the people from sin." Brahmā is the father and Gaṅgā is the child. Now, what do you call in Christianity the Holy Father and the Holy Son? So it is that sanātana dharma, the roots of sanātana dharma that send messengers like Jesus and others, comes to help us to become free from sin. So, Sanātana Dharma is a mighty trunk of the tree. The roots are the ethical and moral principles. And branches are different directions, religions. And the leaves are the holy commandments. And the fruits are the result of human beliefs to the liberation. And so, the 15th chapter is written about this human tree, before 5,000 years, when Kṛṣṇa came. How is that mantra? I have forgotten. How is that? On the 15th chapter, how does the first mantra begin? How is that? Good, thank you. I need a computer that can help me. Potrebujem taksnega pomočnika. Ūrdhvamūlam adhaḥśākham aśvatthaṁ prāhuravyayaṁ chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa vedavit. Very nice. Ūrdhamūlam. Mūla is the roots. And branches, and ūrdhva means upside down. So, the normal trees, roots are down and branches are up. But the tree of the human is branches; the roots are here in the brain, and the branches are down here. Every limb of the body is like a branch. Every gland and organ is just like the blossoms, leaves, and fruits. This tree will have a fruit of immortality. So the Kumbh Melā began. People go at that time and bathe. So it is not a Hindu festival. It is not a Christian festival. But it is a human festival for spirituality. It was great. There were many people from Novo Mesto there with us. And tomorrow you will see a small video about that. And I will illustrate more. Today, my aim was about health. And health is first. So, milk cannot be sold, water cannot be sold, but we are doing. And now, the children cannot be sold, but they are. And blood should not be sold. Blood is for giving. We got free from our mother, and we should give freedom to the others. So, dear brothers and sisters here and around the world with the webcast, I wish you all the best, and this beautiful blessing is coming to you from the beautiful city of Novo Mesto, Slovenia. Once more, thank you, Mr. Mayor, Directors, and Generals, and all who are coming. All departments are here, and organizers, thank you very much. I pray to the Almighty for your good health, peace, and harmony. Good health, peace, and harmony. And Avatār Purījī will sing the peace mantra. Peace, peace on the earth, peace in the water, peace in the herbs, and peace in the vegetation. Peace in the air, peace in the environment, peace in space, peace in the Supreme, and peace within me. Peace, peace. O Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ, Sarve Santu Niraṁayāḥ. Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkha bhāg bhavet. Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntir bhavatu. Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān.

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.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

Email Notifications

You are welcome to subscribe to the Swamiji.tv Live Webcast announcements.

Contact Us

If you have any comments or technical problems with swamiji.tv website, please send us an email.

Download App

YouTube Channel