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Today’s subject is very beautiful. Everything is empty, so emptiness is a good subject. Emptiness means completeness. Emptiness means Pūrṇa. Emptiness means Nirguṇa. But in this emptiness, if something comes in, then it becomes loneliness, not emptiness. The entire universe, the endless universe, is empty. Since the different sun systems, stars, and planets are created, they become troubles. Since the elements created become troubles, we came from Nirguṇa, from formless emptiness, into form. Now we are existing individually. Though we are a part of the universe, the emptiness, we are now wandering here and there in loneliness within this emptiness. Therefore, Patañjali indicates in his teachings, the Patañjali-yoga-sūtra: "Chitta vṛtti nirodha." Chitta is consciousness. And consciousness is pure, crystal clear, pure, transparent. But when duality appears there, then the consciousness is divided. It means obstacles are created, so there are different kinds of layers in the consciousness: unconscious, subconscious, higher conscious, and superconscious or the cosmic consciousness. When these levels, these borders, will be removed from our consciousness, then you will be in oneness. But when you will be in oneness, you will see nothing but emptiness. Only empty. Now, for whom? For the individual, for us, it is emptiness. For our physical eyes, it is emptiness. But for our ātmā, in reality, there is no emptiness. It is completeness. So Citta is consciousness. Now, our consciousness is limited according to our buddhi, or our intellect, through our intellect, our imagination, the capacity of our imagination. So how far you can think—your buddhi, your intellect, your viveka, your intelligence—how far you can imagine or gaze, that is the border of your consciousness. Your consciousness is not limited by anything, but it is limited by your experiences, or your knowledge, your buddhi, your intellect. For example, if we think of the moon, we think about the moon, and we know what the moon is, and we know where the moon is, and we know how far the moon is. So when we think of the moon, then our intellect tells us what the moon is, how far the moon is, where the moon is. In our imagination, we are on the moon. It means our consciousness has expanded to the moon. If you think of another planet, then your consciousness is there. Now, if there will be no emptiness, you can’t expand your consciousness till there. So, there is a border, there is an obstacle in that emptiness, and that obstacle is known as ignorance, that we don’t know. So our ignorance is creating the border. And so when the obstacle is removed, then only the emptiness remains. That’s called Turīya. The state of the Turīya means that your consciousness has expanded or has become unified with the past, present, and future. With what? With your intellect. Intellect is the tool which informs us properly. That intellect is connected to our Jñānendriyas, the senses of knowledge. All five Jñānendriyas are located—four of them only on the upper part, are on our head. Our body is divided into four parts: the head, the arms, the trunk, and the legs. All of them have their own dharma and their function. So the Jñānendriyas, the senses of knowledge which give us knowledge, must have the best quality of the prāṇa, the best quality of the energy, and that has to be taken care of especially because they are very sensitive and they are constantly occupied. They have a lot to work, to digest, to settle the things. They have to process a lot, accept many things, and they have to keep everything up to date. They must update all that knowledge. That’s why Jñānendriya. Let’s say from these five Jñānendriyas, one of them is the eyes. And we know what our eyes mean. God gave eyes in the right place. He didn’t give them on the foothold. And we all know what our eyes mean. Eyes give us a lot of knowledge: the color, the objects. If one is born blind, we can explain, tell the name green, red, but that person cannot imagine what is red. You can tell many things. You can explain many ways. Okay, maybe intellectually, through the help of our ears, he or she will tell, "Yes, green, trees are green, grass is green," but that person doesn’t even know what a tree or grass is. There is no knowledge of the form we know. There is a God, but only we know. I told you about God, he tells you about God, another one tells you differently about God. Now you know there is a God. But once it’s like that, once it’s like that. Unless you will not see, you will not realize; you don’t know what God is. So in that subject, we are blind. We know the name of God. We know the imagination, how we should imagine, but still we don’t know. Suppose after the program you are going there, and God comes and stands in front of you and says, "Hey, I am God." What will he say and go further and say it? No? So, because we don’t know. And when we will come to know, then we will be sorry. There is one story happening a long time ago, a time of the British rulers in India. In Calcutta, there was one school, a middle school, and in that school there was one, what they called a peon, a servant, who cleans the school, closes the windows before school opens, comes and cleans the director’s—the school director, principal—table, and like this, which they are doing. When the director’s table is clean, then he or she thinks, "My peon is very good." In the other room, everything is dirty, but that he or she doesn’t see. So keep your boss happy, that’s right. What do you call the Pāṇī Raḍovā? If she’s happy, everything is okay. He had one son, about four or five years old. And he told his father one day, "Father, where are you going every day?" He said, "I’m going to school to work." "What is this school?" "Yes, school is where people learn something." "Can I come and see what the school looks like?" At that time, only certain people were allowed to study or could study. They tried to keep schools away. So only some rich people and certain people can go to schools. Otherwise, there were only private groups teaching something: how to write and read, and mathematics, and like this. During the British ruling and the Mughals. So the small boy came with the father to the school, and he was looking at that room and this room and that room, and that five-year-old child said, "Father, what is this?" He said, "This is the chair." "And for what is this?" "The teacher sits on it, and the director." So the boy sits on the chair, and the father holds his arm. And he gets off. "You can’t sit on this chair." "Why? Only a teacher can sit." "And who is the teacher?" "One who has studied, who has learned." "Then I want to study. I will learn." Small child. "Father, I want to learn. I want to study." Not any discussions. Like a small child, "I want a chocolate, I want a chocolate, I want a chocolate." He went home. Father said, "My son, I cannot afford your study in the school. We are poor. I get so little money that we hardly survive. And we have to pay the fee in the school." "But I want to learn, study." So his father found a broken slate, and he got some chalk for writing. That time in Calcutta, and in some parts of some cities, like here, was also all the time the kerosene lamps for the street light. So, boy, was the whole day learning. And evening also, after eating, he used to go under that lamp and learn. And anyone who came and went, he said, "Can you write me further alphabet, or how to write this?" Child wants to learn. It’s a real story, isn’t it? Every day, there was one couple, a rich businessman, husband and wife, about the age of 60 years. Every day in the evening, they would go for a walk. And his wife said to him, "This small child, every day sitting under this oil lamp, many mosquitoes... Many different bugs are falling on him, and he’s always doing like this and like that. And he’s writing something. Let’s go and ask him why he’s sitting here." So they went there, and we call every small child our son and daughter. So that Barchen said, and the shopkeeper says, "Son, why are you sitting here and studying? Why don’t you study at home?" He broke a broken tablet, he stood up, he touched the feet of this merchant; that was a tradition. And then he said, "My parents are very poor. They cannot pay the fees for the school. And I want to learn, I want to study. So I have no school, but I learn here." Both husband and wife, the merchant was touched very much. And the merchant took a pencil and paper and wrote something. "Take this paper, go to school tomorrow, and give it to the school director." "And they will accept me in the school?" He said, "Yes." Now, you can’t imagine how happy this child was. He was running but also jumping, coming home. "Father, father, father." He said, "What?" "Tomorrow I will go to school." "Yes, my son, but it’s not possible." He said, "No. So that old man, that merchant, gave me one paper for the director, that I would get admission in the school." He couldn’t sleep. He was only happy that tomorrow I would be in the school. And the next morning, he went to school. Immediately, the director gave him a place in the classroom and gave him a slate, the chalk to write, gave him school uniform and everything. Now, for this child, there was only one interest: learn, learn, learn. I want to sit on that chair. So all the times he was the best, he got 100 out of 100. So he passed primary school, middle school, high school, and college, and law study, and he became the best barrister. Very famous. So his name was Īśvar Chandra. And because of his studies, he studied all the highest that he could. Also, he went to London to study. Degrees, doctor, doctor, and so on... Many, and so he got a title, Vidyā Sāgar. Vidyā means knowledge, what you study, what you gain, and sāgar means the ocean, ocean of the knowledge. It is said that there was some case in America, and one man had some complicated case, and many, many lawyers and all failed. No one could find the solution. So someone told him, "In India, Calcutta, there is one man, a barrister known as Īśvara Chandra Vidyāsāgara; he can help you, 100% sure." So he started his journey with this timber. At that time, there was no aeroplane, and he brought some nice presents for Īśvara Candra. He had a lot of luggage, and he came with this timber. And then he took from this timber a train. When he got out of this timber, he was looking for a kuli, if there is some kuli. And from the same train, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar got off, a very simple, traditional uniform. Doti, turban, like a village farmer, very simple. So Americans thought, "This must be Kuli." So Americans said, "Hey, Mr. Kuli." So Vidyā Sāgar said, "Yes, sir." "Are you Kuli?" "Yes, sir." "Do you know the house of Īśvara Chandra Vidyāsāgara?" "Yes, sir, I know." "Then take my luggage and bring me there." He said, "My pleasure." So he had one like a sleeping bag, but at that time they had different kinds of sleeping bags, big and thick. It’s called bedding. And one other bag, and this, and this. He was completely overloaded, like a donkey. And Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar brought him into the house, into his house. And his children and his wife, they were looking, and he said. And he brought him into the living room, which was beautiful and nice, according to Indian furniture, and they sat. Simple. And he said, "Here you are, sir." He said, "I will pay you after first go and inform the Swachhandra Vidyā Sāgar." "Then some American came, and he wanted very, very much just to have a consultation with you. And he said, 'I’ll pay you later. Now go and inform Mr. Ishwar Chandru, that an American has arrived who needs a consultation. Then I will pay you.'" He said, "No problem, sir." He went in and he told his family. I sent him hot milk; at that time, there was no tea and coffee. Nice Indian drink with almonds and some dry fruits, and nice—how to say—be a nice host. And meanwhile, he prepared his presents on a nice golden plate for the Americans as his respect to Īśvar Candra Vidyā Sāgara. So he sent his son, "Tell our guest that Ishwar Chandra will come in two to three minutes." So, with the tie, he got ready, and he had a present in his hands, and standing, with the same dress, same simplicity, Ishwar Chandra opened the curtain to enter the room. An American said, "Kuli, go away, the sir is coming, Ishvarchandra." And Ishvarchandra said, "The sir is the god. Myself is Ishwar Chandra. It is my great pleasure to serve you. What can I do for you?" Our dear guest, an American, he felt so pitiful. He said, "Sir, forgive me, please. I thought you were a coolie." He said, "Yes, I’m a coolie. I’m ready to help. So what can I do? It’s God’s blessing that you are here for me as my guest." So he saw his whole file, complications. Twenty-five years of complications. No one could solve that problem, and within fifteen minutes, Īśvara Candra Vidyāsāgara gave a complete judgment. This is that, this and this. Fifteen minutes. So, as much knowledge you have, you become humble. You see, there is a scale. There is a scale. Now, which plate will go down? Which is heavy? And which will go up? Which is empty. Nothing. So as much knowledge and solid you are, you are humble and down. And as your plate is empty, you are just full of ego. When the tree has a lot of fruits, its branches bend down to offer us the fruits. So, humbleness. So, knowledge, Jñānendriyas, has a great value for our life. Eyes as a vision, color; ears as a sound. When you can’t hear anything, then you can’t speak. So, Vākindriya and Śravaṇendriya, they are connected together. So the ears, the eyes, the nose, the test, and the tongue. These are Jñānendriyas. And Tvachā, the skin that is spread to the whole body. Skin means touch. Anything touches you, immediately you know. Even a small mosquito or a sand fly, which is not visible to our eye, we only know when it bites us. And so, indriya, jñāna-indriya, information. So knowledge is known as Brahman, Brahmin. So this caste system which came is not between the people, but according to the Bhagavad Gītā, also God Kṛṣṇa tells that in this body are four castes. So this head is the brāhmaṇa. Means jñānas, jñānendriyas. And arms are the kṣatriyas. To protect thyself and protect others, help. And Vaishya is the farmers, the businessmen, the distributors. So the trunk of the body, it is all organs, implants, intestines. They take the nourishment, digest it, and convert it into those hormones, and like this, to the glands, and supply it to the whole body. So this part is called Veśa, and the legs are called Śūdra. It means you are ready to do anything, anytime. Even if it’s dark. Even a dirty place or a thorny place, your legs or your feet will not tell you, "I don’t go there." Your Brahmin, your Jñānendriya, will say, "Oh, dirty, we don’t go there." So the body is divided into four parts: Brahmin, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and śūdra. These all are yourself. So you should know where are the śūdras, where are the kṣatriyas, and where is the vaiśya, and where are the brāhmaṇas. And we are happy that God put the brāhmaṇas here and not under the footstool. So all this is designed to develop and help your intellect. And there is your border. And when you remove these borders of ego, ignorance, and dualities, that time you become one. That time you become nirguṇa, means formless. Then your consciousness, your ātmā, your chetanā can go through even rock. Nothing becomes an obstacle for you. So emptiness is not easy to realize. So, Chitta Vritti Nirodha, Patañjali says that all these many, many thoughts, problems, and disturbances in your consciousness are the obstacles for your spiritual development. Chitta Vṛtti Nirodha. Your yoga practice will be successful when you purify all your thoughts. So that’s why emptiness, that’s nothing. And when scientists said, when there is something, they say it is nothing. But where is nothing, they say there is something. So in nirguṇa, there is something. And in saguṇa, there is nothing. This body is nothing. It is something, but not nothing. But ātmā, the self, is something, everything. But it is not visible to us. So this is Brahma and Jīva. Prakṛti, nature, and Puruṣa, the consciousness. That is what we have to realize. So this was that today. Emptiness. Deep Dhan Bhagavān kī, Deveśvar Mahādev kī, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān kī, Sanātana Dharma kī, Jai.