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Part 1: Moments of Grace: Personal Encounters with the Guru These are the distractions which happen in our life, you know. Something drops, or a car is driving on the road, and you’re in deep meditation and someone is honking. So, it doesn’t matter. Go on. Continue. I think that Nāginbhājī said already everything. Maybe just to add, my journey with Swāmījī was very intense from the beginning, and maybe till now I always struggle and have a feeling that I didn’t spend enough time in this life with him. I took a mantra a very short time after I was in Haridwar for the Kumbh Melā. Then, two years after, we went together—or I went with him and with other bhaktas—to Rio de Janeiro for the conference organized by the United Nations about sustainability and Yoga in Daily Life. At that time, Life was a member of the committee for development and economic and social affairs, I think, and so we had a place at the conference. There were a certain number of people from Yoga in Daily Life who could attend, and it was a beautiful, beautiful experience to be there with Swāmījī. Very shortly after, I went to the ashram in Australia, where I joined Kamalā, because Kamalā was already there. I got this opportunity to go as well. So, it was really a very, very short time when I was intensively with Swāmījī, when I saw him regularly in Europe. But then, when I went to Australia and then, a year after, to New Zealand, it became a more internal relationship with the Guru, rather than a physical relationship. As many of the bhaktas, or all of us, they had beautiful, beautiful experiences with Swāmījī—lots of little miracles which we can notice when we are aware of them, or when we notice them. Maybe I was sharing also with Bhaktānanda when we were in Rio de Janeiro. That was the first time when I got prasāda from Swāmījī, and I didn’t know what the power of the prasāda was at that time. Swāmījī gave me his Coke, and I didn’t want to take it initially because I thought, "I don’t want Coke, and I don’t want to drink after you." That time I thought in my head. He just laughed at me and he said, "Sevā Devī, it’s a prasāda." I drank that Coke, and it completely changed myself internally. We were very exhausted in Rio de Janeiro; it was very humid, very, very crowded. It’s the city that lives 24 hours per day, and just physically to feel all right was a big challenge for us. But after I got that prasāda from Swāmījī, all those disturbances outwardly disappeared, and I was just very aware and very balanced and above everything. At that time I had a feeling that this is how Swāmījī maybe feels or operates in the normal life between us and in the world in general. Then also, I saw Āvatār Purījī for the first time in Strelka. It was in 2004 when I wasn’t a disciple yet. He was maybe four years old, I’m not sure—five. Five years old. I met him in a very dark corridor. There was only Swāmījī holding Āvatār Purījī by hand, and I was crossing opposite them. It was again a very strong experience for me because I was very happy that there was no one, only me and them. That night I had a dream with Swāmījī and Āvatār Purījī. It was a very strong dream, and I said it to Kamalā. The first thing when I woke up in the street in the morning, I told her my dream. Then there was the lecture at 10 o’clock, and Swāmījī’s first thing, what he asked, he asked, "What do you have? Dream? Or does anyone have an interesting dream to share?" I really literally felt that he was aware of what was going on and that he was reading my mind. I was shocked, and I asked Kamalā, "Is it normal that Swāmījī asks people to speak about those dreams?" She said that no, that it usually doesn’t happen. And Swāmījī said, "Please come, come on the stage and tell us what your dream was." But at that time, I really didn’t dare. I wasn’t a disciple, I didn’t have a mantra, I was more or less just like a visitor. But I can tell that that dream definitely came true. So it was kind of a pre-sentiment what I had, and that’s what is happening now, that Āvatār Purījī is here in New Zealand, and I am here too, blessed that I can have his darśan. For several days, we had a very good experience with Swāmījī and Āvatār Purījī. That reminds me, Swāmījī came 15 years ago and said we are going to have a world peace conference in Wellington. We all said, "Great! Where are we going to get the venue, and where are we going to find the people from?" And it happened; everything just fell into place. Lakṣmījī might remember the peace conference. You were in the peace conference, Kamalā Devī? No, before that time. And so, like Sevā Devī said, Swāmījī read her mind about the dream. Swāmījī reads the whole universe’s mind: all the creatures, all the planets, all the birds, all the animals, all the trees, all the rivers, all the oceans, all the mountains. And he prays for three things: peace, peace, and peace. He wants the whole world to be at peace. That is one incident that I wanted to share with you. In 2007, we got a Mahatma Gandhi statue, gifted by the government of India to the Wellington City Council. I thanked Swāmījī. "Swāmījī, this is happening." He said, "Great, I’m coming. What day is it?" I said, "2nd of October," and he was here for the opening of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Wellington. Every year, he will try to adjust his timetable to come at that time, and with such a tireless program that he has. After listening to Swāmī Āvatār Purījī—3,500 centres, many centres, many centres to manage for any CEO—even Bill Gates would be wondering. And Swāmījī used no computer at that time, no cell phones, only those phones with the wires. I remember 22 years ago, Swāmījī was in a hotel across the road from where my wife and I were running the store, and we listened. One day we came and said, "There’s a Swāmījī here," and Nalinī said, "Oh, I want to meet him." "But no, he wants a cup of tea, he wants chai." So Nalinī went and made a chai—my wife, who is not with us. I went to see Swāmījī in the hotel room, and I said, "Swāmījī is staying in a hotel." Normally, don’t do that, but this Swāmījī was special Swāmījī. He was not bothering anybody, but be self-dependent. That’s what he taught everybody, to all the yoga teachers and yoga practitioners. Then I said, "Swāmījī, come to my office across the road." So Swāmījī came, and Swāmījī said, "I want to make a phone call to India." In those days, you have to dial the phone, and they… we were charging per minute or per second. I said, "Okay, Swāmījī, go ahead, here is the phone." So Swāmījī talks for 45 minutes, and I’m saying, "What? 45 minutes?" My manager, my manager. And that was the first time you met him? It’s the first time I met him. My manager said, "Mr. Patil, what’s happening?" I said, "Don’t disturb, he’s Swāmījī. Don’t talk, don’t talk, don’t talk." Then I was listening to his conversation, and I was very, very pleased that he used my phone. I came to know about Swāmījī’s practicality. What Swāmī Āvatār Purī was teaching us in the last few days: do your karma, do your dharma, do your duties, whatever it is, do your pūjā. So Swāmījī was talking about the ashram, and he was telling a builder what to do, where to put the width brick and how to put the brick. And I said, "What? While sitting in New Zealand?" While sitting in New Zealand. And I said to my manager, "Did you hear what he is doing? He is running a project, and he is a scientist." That was eye-opening for me. That is the difference between the Swāmījī and the Brahmins. They are practical. They are sensible. They are very, very critical, and they are very, very progressive. Nothing but in their mind is nothing but positivity, and that’s what I learned. Divyā Purī, I would like you to say a few words. I guess in some ways, yeah, I never expected miracles or anything like that. But I remember when we had the 2008 peace conference in Wellington, and it seemed utterly chaotic as we were trying to prepare for it, getting these seemingly crazy requests from Swāmījī about who should speak and who should pay for them to come. It was challenging, to say the least, for someone who was relatively new to the organisation. But we went on then; the seminar went ahead. The thing that I noticed afterwards was, once Swāmījī was here and we were trying to put this chaos into a coherent program and do it, that things just flowed. If you suddenly, there was this call, and a couple of things needed to be taken down immediately to the theatre where it was being held, and someone else needed to be gotten there. And walking along the street, thinking, "Well, I can’t take that down there and do that as well," and suddenly you bump into one of the bhaktas that’s there, and they say, "Oh, hi, how’s it going?" I said, "Great, even better if you can take this and deliver it down there now," and poof, that’s gone. And so the other job could be done. And it was just that thing of, if you like, the synchronicity, the small miracles of, if you’re not… when you realize that, you know, you’ve got no chance of controlling this yourself, but that somehow the web just comes together. It’s being woven by Swāmījī, and people are where they need to be when they’re needed, and things just happen. Similarly, on the tour to Uluru, the peace tour in Australia, in whatever year it was, I can’t recall, there was a point where we had been walking, we’re about to go for a walk around Uluru, around the base. People were staying in a motor camp. A whole lot of people arrived and came to the car park, and, "Quick, quick… get to where you know we’re supposed to be there to meet Swāmījī to set off." So everyone’s there, bustling to get there. Then all of a sudden, "Oh no, it’s been cancelled. We’re not going now. Everyone, go back to the camp." Suddenly, so… everyone, or not everyone, of course. Some people stayed there, but other people turned around, got into their cars, and just before they took off, there’s another call. "Okay, now come now." And so we came back. I was thinking this, you know, this is weird, but I sort of realized that it was like all—some people had gone back to the camp and were no longer going to be involved, and other people had been recombined and were set together. It was like we were a shawl that Swāmījī had just given a little flick to get the wrinkles out and to get every thread just settling down in the place where it ought to be. You’re going to be like, one day, I think 2008 he joined? 2006. So, Swāmījī was giving his lecture. We were having a dinner, I think, and I said to Divyā Purī, "Would you like to take a mantra?" He said, "Yeah, yeah, I would love to." He said, "What does that mean?" I said, "You just become a holy." So, I said to Swāmījī, David his name, I said, "He would like to become a, he would like to take a mantra." He said, "Fine, okay." Anyhow, we were, there was a saint here, and Swāmījī will come, and me and Swāmījī had the same wavelength, but he’s got a highly wavelength; I will be closer to him. So we were heading off to Parapuram for the satsaṅg, and me and Swāmījī, and I don’t know who was with me, Karuṇāpurī or Guyana or none, driving, and I speak to Swāmījī in Gujarati or Hindi and said, "Swāmījī, we need to have an ashram here, our own ashram." So he said, "Okay." He said, "Swāmījī, why pay rent? Why don’t we have it?" He said, "Okay." He goes to a satsaṅg in Kapiti, and he announced that we should have an ashram in Wellington and we should buy our building. Very mildly, very softly, very easy in his lecture. What happened? The following year, the year after that, the ashram is bought. So Swāmījī comes again. Every year Swāmījī travels. This is my experience of my life with Swāmījī. We were going to Kapiti again for a lecture. And so I said to Swāmījī, we should buy in Kapiti ashram. We are paying rent, and we have to keep changing it because there is no hall available. There was a church available, but sometimes they’re not available, so we have a problem. So I said, "Swāmījī, why?" What do you think he announces again? And the ashram is bought. So, just not spiritually, but even practically in life, Swāmīs are so great that they teach you. A little thing, but it leads you to the biggest thing in your life, the biggest thing in the world. And what I learned is that instant decision-making. So we discussed going to Kapiti. We discussed having an ashram here. He announced it. He doesn’t wait for another day. It happens. Same thing with Kapiti, and same with Auckland. So, like that, Swāmījī has done that throughout. And this is what these saints are all about. They are practical. And as Āvatār Purījī was giving his lecture, the last few lectures, that be practical, be within yourself, be happy, and be joyful. I know, I like to invite Kamalā. I know she can’t walk, but you can. Good evening. So, I’m Kamalā. I’m in Auckland Ashram, and I’m very happy to be here. It’s recently what I learned from Swāmī Āvatār Purījī, as he had the lecture in Auckland and was telling us to go with the flow, and then opportunity to come, just to take it. I didn’t plan to come down here in Wellington, as I’m having the classes and taking care of the ashram. But yes, Swāmī Āvatār asked me twice to come down here, so I thought, "Oh, that’s a great opportunity." Yeah, so I came because for me, to be here in New Zealand… yeah, we are far from Europe and from India, and so it’s very, like, special for us to definitely be with Swāmījī, Swāmī Āvatār Purī, but as well, like, in the bigger group. Maybe for Europeans this is not a big group, but for me it is a big group. And so, it’s really very beautiful to be with the yoga family. Like my experiences with the Swāmījī, I maybe don’t have such miracles as the glass is empty and then suddenly water is there, but I had the feeling that the presence of the Swāmījī is always there. One of my experiences here in Wellington Ashram, actually, which I’m not very proud of, but it was a time when I used to do tratak every day. I was doing it, like, maybe for two or three years completely every day. I don’t—I didn’t—years, years, yeah, I maybe didn’t miss not even one. I have to say that maybe people don’t know, but me and Sevā Devī, we are sisters, and I can say that our father and grandparents, they are very good with the discipline, so maybe discipline is like not so hard for us. But what I want to say is, I was doing this tratak for such a long time that I didn’t want to miss it. But you know, then sometimes when you do it, just by doing it and not with full awareness… so long story short, I was doing the tratak, but I was so tired that I just put the candle next to me and I fell asleep. And as I was sleeping, suddenly, like, a fire alarm went on, and I was like, "Oh my God, like, what’s going on?" I opened my eyes, and as I was in a lying position, like on my blanket, and around me were flames, big like this. But you know, like when you are in a lying position and you open your eyes, so they are taller than you are. So I quickly got up, and I saw that my pillow was in the fire, but not even one spot was on fire. And so luckily, I didn’t get hurt. I quickly called David, but then as I was putting the fire out, I just burned myself a little bit, really just a little bit. So I’m like that person from your story, what you mentioned a few days ago, that when we go to satsaṅg, even if something bad happens to us, we just get like a small little percentage of peace from it. So I got a little bit burned on my leg, but otherwise I was fine. And of course, then I was very embarrassed, like, how am I going to say to Swāmījī that I nearly put the ashram on fire? I feel really bad, and I felt like, "Oh my God," like each time when Swāmījī will speak about, he will use me as a bad example. But he never, yeah, he never said anything, never said anything, or never made… uh, yeah, like, never poke, or how to say it, like me? Yeah, thank you for the idea for poking. Yeah, so, definitely, I would like to say that, definitely, at least I had my own experience, and not just once, but more times, that protection was always there, either with Swāmījī or when he is not present, yeah. And then small little things, like maybe you don’t know Swāmī Āvatār, but again it happened with Swāmī Āvatār in the satsaṅg in Auckland when he said, like, "As soon as I’m sitting…" Here it’s like channeling, and I think that sometimes you don’t know that you say something we like to hear, because, you know, I don’t know what I’m saying, but yeah, yeah… Because he said with me like such a thing, that’s sometimes I’m wondering. But it’s not that I desperately need to hear the answer, but maybe a few weeks ago I was thinking for myself, like, actually, I never… I saw Swāmījī like without socks, and I wonder if it has some meaning. I thought for myself, like maybe now it’s an opportunity to ask Swāmī Āvatār, like, "Why is Swāmījī always with the socks?" Of course, I saw Swāmījī without socks because many times we were massaging his feet, but apart from massaging the feet, I never saw him without the socks. And here we are in Auckland Satsaṅg and Swāmī Āvatār. Actually, do you know, have you seen Swāmījī without socks? And I felt like, for me, it was pretty… Because, you know, like how often happens that someone in satsaṅg will say, like, have you seen Swāmījī without socks? So it was definitely an answer to my, like, inner question. Thank you for that. So I will finish with this. Thank you very much. So thank you, Kamalā Devī. Part 2: A Lesson in Practical Grace One day, I wish to share my experience with Viśvagurujī. I was heading to New Delhi from Gujarat and decided to visit Swāmījī. I called him: "Swāmījī, I am here, I am in Gujarat." He said, "No, you are coming here. Come tomorrow." I agreed, "Okay, Swāmījī." I had to see the High Commissioner in Delhi, but I wanted to visit him first. I went to Jaipur, I think, where Madhavānandjī was in the hospital in his final days. I asked Swāmījī, "How is Madhavānand Prabhujī?" He said, "You should go and see him." He sent someone with me and said, "Go and buy some medication." I agreed. I went to the pharmacy, got the medication, and massaged Madhavānandjī as he lay in his hospital bed. When I returned, Swāmījī said, "That’s good, you met my guru." That was a practical lesson he taught. He didn’t just say, "Go and buy medication." He said, "Go and see him," but implied he might need something from the pharmacy. These are the practical things normal people might forget, the little things. Now it stays in my mind that what I did was a good thing for Madhavānand Prabhujī. I would never have gotten that chance otherwise, never gotten the opportunity. Similarly, Swāmījī once told me, I think for a World Peace Conference in Vienna, to take a train. He said, "You get off, take a right turn, then a left turn, and there’s an ashram in Vienna." I said, "I come from New Zealand, and nobody came to receive me at the railway station." He asked me to take a walk. I walked and found it. It was Sarasvatī, I think, if I remember the name correctly. She was there waiting for me at 10 o’clock. A meal was ready, and she said, "The room is ready for you, and Swāmījī would like to see you in the morning." So I went to her apartment. The next day was the peace conference, and day after day there was a program. In Britain, Swāmījī had organized a peace treaty with the mayor. In the span of four or five days, there were so many programs. When Swāmījī came to Wellington, he had a piece of trees there. Nalinī, myself, and Swāmījī planted a tree at Centre Park, and I’d like to take you there as well. It’s the first peace tree in Wellington that we planted, or in New Zealand, and then Auckland, of course. Planting a tree is a symbol of addressing climate change. Now the whole world is talking about climate change. All governments are talking about it and have funding for it, which Swāmījī started 20, 30, 40 years ago. As Sevā Devī and Kamalā and everyone beautifully shared their experiences, it is much different here for them living here than for many of you in Europe. In Europe, you at least got to see Swāmījī a few times a year, or when he used to come often, or going to India is much easier. When I flew here, it took me two days and four flights. To come to India from Vienna is just one direct flight, so it's easier. The inner darśan they were talking about, or connecting with Gurudev inwardly, is very important. Living alone here, especially when you come from a slightly different culture—from Europe to the opposite side of the world—maybe not speaking the best English and slowly, slowly living here, even if you are an expert in multiple languages, this is a trouble we face when we come here not knowing people. Then we need something to feel connected. We need something to uphold our energy, to uphold our inner feelings, because it’s very easy to be lost. It is very easy to give up. But when we have faith and trust—this is what we talk about a lot: faith and trust—then we have something to hold on to. We always have something to hold on to. We may have the love and respect for Gurudev. Paramparā, sisterhood, brotherhood, whatever you want to say, something is always there to hold us, to not let us go, and to not let us collapse and give up. So when we realize that, yes, even though the physical presence and the physical darśan and closeness to Gurudev is very important, and when we have that darśan, we feel much more relaxed and blessed. But even if that is not possible, even if physical presence is not possible, He is always within our hearts, and He is always blessing us and guiding us from within. The inner guru is Him inside of us because ātmā and Paramātmā unite. We are the ātmā; He is the Paramātmā, or He is even higher than the Paramātmā. So when our bond is so strong, and when our bond cannot be broken by anything, we are connected to Him so deeply that we feel His energies within us. We don’t need to physically go and ask questions or ask for answers. We just ask within, and we will get the answers in one way or another. Kamalā was sharing that she asked a question and was somehow answered. That’s how He answers. He doesn’t need to be physically sitting here. The most important thing is that we are connected. Yesterday, I was having a conversation with someone, and we were discussing how important it is to be focused and to concentrate on what we are doing, because we easily get distracted. We easily get sidetracked. If we are doing our mālā, we might have many other things going on in our head. We sit and do our mālā and chant, for example, "Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya..." and then thoughts of pizza, lasagna, boba tea, iced tea, and many other things come into our mind. So when we are doing that, focus is very important. A lot of distracting things used to happen with me, but now I have learned how to not be distracted. If I’m giving satsaṅg, I leave my phone aside, not so indulged in it and in external happenings. If something is urgent, there are a few people whose calls I would take. That’s not a problem. But if we are doing something, we need to be full-minded, fully focused on whatever we do. Gurudev has created such a beautiful, large, sustaining family and mission that is very unique. For me, it’s very different. When I’m giving satsaṅgs and talking to our family who understand all this, it's one thing. But yesterday, we had a workshop with people who are not disciples and who had little idea of Gurudev’s system. Even though I am born into this system and this is my beautiful family, yesterday we had an open discussion talking about his mission. It kind of opened my mind to how amazing Gurudev is, how amazing His work is, and how much He has done. We always say, "Yeah, He did this and that," but yesterday, when we were actually going back and forth discussing what He did, it is really amazing. So much that He has done for all of us was done with love, kindness, support, and a forward-moving vision—not only the teachings but the philosophy of Dvaita Vedānta, the philosophy of yoga. Not only the āsana and prāṇāyāma aspect of yoga, but Yoga as the union between us and the Divine is very unique. He did this not for Himself but for others—for creatures, for animals, for bees, for water harvesting, and so many different things. As Nāgan Bhai was mentioning peace trees and peace conferences, all these things the world is now slowly talking about, He already started doing decades ago. That’s the beauty of the guru: He knows things well in advance. He can see things; that’s why He is the guru, and that’s why we are the chelā. Guru and chelā mean the same in essence. Guru doesn’t necessarily mean only moving from darkness to light, that we are sitting in a dark room and He will bring us to the light. Even that dark space we may feel stuck in, where there is no light and everything is a mess—that inner guru, that Gurudev sitting inside our hearts, will clear that dark space. Not only the outer space but also the inner space. That’s why we are very blessed to have a master like Gurudev, who has amazingly brought this community together. We are sitting in New Zealand: we have one Indian-New Zealander, one Slovenian, one proper New Zealander, two Slovaks, another Slovenian, one British, one Australian, a New Zealander, and an Australian. You can see it’s a very universal, international family. We all come from different aspects, different backgrounds, different corners of the world, but still He has created this beautiful, magnificent ashram in Jardhan, Oṁ Ashram, with many blessings from Him. We need to realize that physical presence and physical darśan may be limited due to His health and doctors' restrictions for His well-being. But we try our best so that when you are in Jardhan, you get His darśan anywhere—through social media or His pictures. These pictures and these old things bring us joy and pleasure. But when we believe and understand that His divine grace and blessings are within our hearts, that we are united with Him from within, then we are not so much craving these external sources of happiness. Once we realize we are united with Him, that the guru-tattva and the disciple relationship is there and it is one unit, we are not separated. He is not separate from us, and we are not separate from Him. We are one. And that guru-tattva we understand is not only His physical presence, but that philosophy, that guiding light, that ultimate truth which is residing within our hearts. We look within and start having darśan from within. When Bhagavān Śrī Rām and Hanumānjī were there, they asked Hanumānjī, "Where is Rām and Sītā for you?" What did Hanumānjī do? He just opened his heart and showed them. It is the same for us. We are that Hanumān, and Gurudev is that Rām, and they are residing within us. We don’t need to look outside for Him. We don’t need to look everywhere. The nirguṇa and saguṇa forms are within us. Why? Because He is residing within each and every one of us. As Gurudev said, "Always, we are all together. I am yours, and you are mine." If He has already said multiple times that you are mine, which means He has accepted all of us, then what else do we need? We don’t need to look around for His blessings and wonder what’s going on and why. That’s all His divine play. Why things happen is for us, as I always say. He is the master chef. He’s the best actor. He’s the best guru. He’s the best teacher. He’s the best director. He’s the best architect. He’s the best everything. So, these interesting times are just Him stirring the pot, letting the pot be, and seeing where we all are running and doing things. So what happens, happens for a reason. Why does it happen? We don’t need to know, and I don’t think we want to know either. So let things happen. Our main goal is that Gurudev is okay, He’s happy, and we are following our path with dharma. Because if we protect dharma, dharma will protect us. If we go with dharma, dharma shall protect us. If we choose adharma, then adharma will come back, and the karmas will do their job automatically. So let the karmas do their job. Our job is not to be entangled in all this illusion, mess, chaos, gossip, and nonsense. Our job is to focus on the path He has shown us, the path of dharma, remembering the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, the eight limbs of yoga—yama and niyama mainly. Follow those paths, know what is right and what is wrong, remember what to do and what not to do, and the rest will automatically come. The problem is we worry and entangle ourselves so much in all these other aspects which do not need to be worried about, which creates a bigger mess. If we don’t deal with it, if we don’t comment on it, if we don’t have a problem with it, if we don’t gossip about it, then things will automatically dissolve or resolve. If it dissolves, that’s also good. If it resolves, that’s also good. Follow the path with dharma. Walk in the shoes of dharma. Whatever you do, do with dharma. In the Mahābhārata, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not avoid war. He was the one, as the guru, showing the path. Kṛṣṇa became the charioteer for Arjuna and showed him the path. He did not say, "Go and do nothing." He said, "No, do it for dharma." Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa, "These are my family members. How can I do harm to them?" Then Kṛṣṇa said, "Because you are protecting dharma. So whatever is done for protecting dharma, dharma will protect you. So go forward in protecting dharma." Let other things happen. As it is said: "Karma karo, phal kī cintā mat karo." Continue, do your karma with dharma, and the fruits of the karma will come automatically. But if you are worried about what fruits will come, and how bitter or sweet they will be, then we are worrying about the future, which we do not know. The one who sees all three times is Him, so let Him deal with it. We are the puppets dancing or playing on His fingers, so let Him do what He’s doing. Let us do what we are doing. When we continue following His shown path, I think we all shall be okay, and everything will be okay. Problems are there to be solved. Without problems, life becomes very bland and boring. That’s why life throws problems at us, and we deal with them and continue. If we give up—which is not a solution for us—then we are giving up on ourselves and on others. So let’s not give up. Let’s not worry about things so much, and know that what is happening is happening for a reason. Another thing is that in times of confusion and distortion, our mind goes into a space it shouldn’t be, and it starts destructing. So if destruction happens, then Śiva’s third eye will open, and all will be good, no problem. That’s why we say, if He is the one, He is Brahmā, so He created. He is Viṣṇu, so He’s protecting us, and He is also Śiva. So if He wants, He opens His third eye, and then you know what comes. So let’s have trust and faith in Him that everything will be all right. Today is a beautiful day—evening, afternoon, morning, whichever part of the world you are in—just remember the Guru Tattva and remember your bond to your guru. Remember your bond and connection, that you are one, and that one bond cannot be broken. And that is the bond we are always looking for. Kī Jai. Swāmī Ākāśaṁ Jyotī. Jai. So, He protects us, and He guides us, and He shows us the right path. And Śrī Narmaprabhujī, and Devpurījī, and Holy Gurujī, and Viśwagurujī, and the whole paramparā is always protecting and guiding every single disciple and all of us who are under that umbrella. That’s why paramparās exist. Why are the traditions, the lineage, there? So that it continues, and so that guidance and protection remain there for all of us. Because a lineage, a paramparā, is like an umbrella, and we all, disciples, are under that umbrella. As long as we are under that umbrella, there is nothing that can harm us. But as soon as we jump out of that umbrella or choose the path of adharma over dharma, then things get a little bit wobbly for us, like a turbulent plane. But if we stay under that umbrella and work with dharma and protect the paramparā with dharma, then nothing is a problem. As soon as we go a little bit here and there, things may go here and there. But we are all blessed to have Gurudev as our master. We all are blessed to be part of this beautiful paramparā and this beautiful family of ours, so there is nothing to worry about. But worries are something we always do. We always worry about things. Why do we worry? Because we like to worry. And why do we like to worry? Because we like to have more desire. We want to have peace, but when life becomes too peaceful, it becomes too boring, so we create problems. There’s nothing else. For us, the main thing is that our job is to come for satsaṅg and not to worry about other things that are disturbing us. It’s always our choice: satsaṅg or kusaṅg. But if we all already came here, that means we chose satsaṅg over kusaṅg. So if we are here in satsaṅg, let’s enjoy satsaṅg and let’s make the atmosphere of satsaṅg around us wherever we are. If it’s in a plane and a few of us are traveling, then that part also becomes satsaṅg. If we are driving in a car and there are a few of us, any type of positive talk, any type of spirituality, anything which is not negative or full of gossip, is satsaṅg. So satsaṅg can be in a car, in a plane, at our homes, anywhere. Wherever we go, let’s have the atmosphere of satsaṅg, not of kusaṅg, and let’s move forward in our spiritual journey. May Gurudev’s light and blessings always guide us, always show us the right path, and may His divine grace be within all of us. May He protect us, and may His blessings always be with all of us.