TV Channel

I have spoken extensively about the mantra. A mantra is a positive word, a word imbued with great energy. If you tell someone, "I love you," it carries one kind of energy. If you tell someone, "I hate you," it creates an entirely different situation. When you say "God," we humans understand what God signifies. If you say "devil," we understand what the devil represents. If you say "father," you know what a father is. If you say "mother," you know what a mother is. When you think of a father, you feel a father's love in your heart. When you think of your mother, you feel a mother's love in your heart. If you think of your enemy, you feel fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Thus, every thought manifests as a word and a vision. It is sound and light. "Light" refers to the form you can perceive and feel, and "sound" is its vibration. Therefore, every sentence, every word, contains specific energy. All languages are rooted in Sanskrit. There exist many, many mantras. Generally, you can use various mantras. But ultimately, you receive the guru mantra. This means you go to a master, a master who truly touches your heart—not merely intellectually, but profoundly, so you feel, "Yes, this master can guide and lead me." Yet, one must not be purely emotional. You should engage both your heart and your intellect. Wait, and first ask yourself: Why do I want a mantra? Second, is this a master I trust and can truly adore? Will this lead me to my goal? Only then should you decide to receive a mantra. Otherwise, do not. In life, there is only one master. If you already have a mantra from another master whom you adore above all, then do not take a mantra from a different master. You may visit any master to learn and listen to wisdom. But the question of the master in your heart is your own; it is that master you have already accepted. You see many women; they are all our sisters, daughters, and mothers. You can address any elderly lady as "mother" out of respect. But there is only one mother in this world who carried you for nine months within her body and gave you birth. Similarly, there is only one master. You must decide whom you wish to follow. It is a lifelong commitment to practice. Ultimately, it is not merely the mantra, but your devotion and your faith that will carry you far. The mantra is that resonance, that sound and light, which will guide you not only in this life but throughout your entire future, until your individual consciousness merges into the cosmic consciousness. There are mantras intended only for meditation. There are others, for instance, for greeting the sun, like the Gāyatrī mantra, or peace mantras; these are general mantras. Then you have the guru mantra and the bīja mantra—the seed syllable of that mantra. This is a very profound yet very delicate matter. It is crucial to make a considered decision, not to collect mantras like objects. You come to me and receive a mantra from me. Tomorrow you go to Elizabeth and collect a mantra from her. Then you go to František and friends and get a mantra from them. Then comes a Helena, and you take her mantra, then a Robert, and you take his. Now you are nowhere. It means you are no one's wife. That is the point. Therefore, never take a mantra from just anyone, from any master, unless you understand and realize the spiritual lineage behind them. This afternoon, perhaps, I will speak about our own spiritual lineage, from the Himalayas until now. So it is not that a master simply says, "Okay, come, I will give you a mantra, don't worry." In that case, I would advise you to wait a little. It is a serious step; it concerns your very life. The master's greatest responsibility is to take over and liberate that soul. And you never know how many negative karmas that soul carries. It is very easy to catch a snake, but very difficult to let it go. You must learn to catch it and release it. But you have to hold this snake for a lifetime. When you are conscious, you can hold it like this, but what happens when you sleep? Sleep here signifies ignorance. Sleep means your doubt. Sleep means a state of not caring, and that is not good. This is a spiritual matter; both sides must reflect deeply. You never know how heavy the disciple's karmas are. But it is said the master is like a light. It does not matter how much karma or darkness exists. If you bring darkness in your cupped hands near a light and open them, the darkness vanishes. Similarly, when you come near the Master, all negative karmas are automatically neutralized. Darkness cannot approach the light. However, if you do take a mantra and then do not follow it, if you stray, you will incur even more negative karma. So never hurry, never act on emotion alone. And never seek it saying, "Oh my God, miracles, and this and that." No. The greatest miracle is that you are alive. Thanks to God that our bodies are healthy, that all our five indriyas (senses) are healthy. God gave us good eyesight, good hearing, a nose, a mouth, hands. We are healthy, and for that we thank God endlessly. "Thank you, Lord, that we are healthy." This is the greatest miracle in our life, so do not run after other miracles. Do not try to fly among pink clouds. The path is beautiful and it is lifelong. The love between mother and child, or father and child, is indescribable. You cannot put it into words. In the same way, the love between master and disciple is indescribable. You cannot describe it. It is inseparable; you cannot separate them. So take your time. The right time will come.