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With salutations to the cosmic light, the Lord of our hearts—omniscient, omnipresent, the source of our life and governor of this universe—may He bless us with divine grace. My dear brothers and sisters, good evening. I am happy to see you again after one year. My stay in your country these past days has been beautiful, and we have had discussions about chakras and Kuṇḍalinī Yoga. Today, I wish to speak about the science of Kuṇḍalinī Yoga. But first, let us understand Yoga itself. You have the opportunity to hear about Yoga firsthand. How old is Yoga, and who brought it? Who is its author? Many people ask this. We read in books about Yoga from Patañjali, from Kṛṣṇa, from Rāma, and from the Purāṇas, which are more than 15,000 years old. What is Yoga, and how do we understand it? In this universe, two governing powers exist: Devī Śakti (the divine power) and Āsurī Śakti (the devil or satanic power). These two forces are perpetually in conflict. Beyond them is one reality: Cosmic Consciousness. This Cosmic Consciousness is governed by one power or energy called Yogamāyā, the Cosmic Mother, the divine Śakti. That energy balances the entire universe; all visible and invisible elements are balanced by it. When that cosmic energy enters different fields or parts of the cosmos, it mixes with certain qualities. Just as light becomes red through a red filter or green through a green filter, so too does this energy take on qualities as it moves through the universe, affecting everything accordingly. Yoga is a balancing principle. It balances our body, mind, consciousness, emotions, and intellect, harmonizing our inner self. It is the science of body, mind, and consciousness—the mother of spirituality. This science was born through the consciousness of the Almighty Śiva. All spiritualities, mantras, and prayers emanate from that Lord Śiva. Satyam Śivam Sundaram: Satyam is the ultimate truth, Śivam is liberation and bliss, Sundaram is beauty and reality. That reality and bliss exist within you. Śiva means liberation, consciousness, the liberator, and bliss. The origin of Yoga’s thoughts and techniques comes from that consciousness. It is impossible to say how many millions of years old it is. It is said no one created Him; He created Himself. That is why He is known as Swayambhū. That consciousness manifested itself through Yogamāyā, the power of Yoga. As Kṛṣṇa said, "Arjuna, from time to time I manifest myself here through my Yoga Śakti, Yoga Māyā." That balancing principle harmonizes the elements. Creation took place first with the elements: fire, air, water, and earth. The fifth, ether or space, is also there. Yoga means harmony, where things come together, uniting. Literally, the Yoga books say, "Yoga means union"—the union of individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness. The practice of Yoga means reunion. Union can happen only once, but reunion occurs many times. That is why practicing and following Yoga means reunion. What is cosmic consciousness or God? Not as some form. There is only one God, whom we all believe in across different cultures, traditions, and religions. That same God exists in you, in me, and in all creatures. We are all the light of that God. We all come from Him; we are all His sons and daughters. God does not love only humans—never forget this. God loves all creatures and the whole of nature. The rain is not only for humans to bathe and drink; it rains for all. The air and oxygen are not only for human life; God created them for all, and all benefit. The problem begins in human society when we neglect other creatures and prize only human life. Therefore, it is said: Eko Brahma. There is only one Brahman—you may say God, Holy Father, Brahman, reality, energy, light, truth, whatever you wish. Eko Brahma: only one. Dvitīya Nāsti: where there is two, there is duality. And where there is duality, there are distractions. That Supreme One, omniscient and omnipresent, is in each and every atom. Yet we cannot understand Him. If He is in every atom, then He is in weapons too, even in a bullet. How is it possible that a bullet can kill us? To understand this takes a long, long time of meditation. Meditation is the way to the Self and to God. That meditation is your prayer, your love, your honesty, and your work that unites us. All that God has created—including us humans—is made from these elements. According to Yoga science, the human body possesses special energies or abilities that other creatures unfortunately do not have: the intellect, buddhi. Human intellect can be trained limitlessly. It is human intellect and consciousness that can learn, train, and manifest miracles. God created 8.4 million different creatures; one of them is the human. In the human body, there are numerous chakras. Chakra means a circle, a center in the body. These chakras both produce and consume energy. When an individual is born, the soul descends from the universe, from the astral world into the physical body. The moment one enters the mother’s womb is accompanied by thousands of different energies and forces. Some mothers feel an immense light because that soul has brought this energy—a complete system comes with it. Every individual is its own phenomenon, with its own principles, laws, and nature. Animals have their own law and nature; humans have a different one. Why chakra? Chakra means turning, movement, and it means endless. There is one cycle turning endlessly. Similarly, life is endless. That is called Chaurāsī Kā Cakra, the circle of 8.4 million—rebirth and death. Some believe in rebirth, some do not, but reality cannot be changed whether you believe or not. There is rebirth. You have been born many times, and now you are human. May you not be born again, or you may be born again. Why do I say "may"? Because many things happen in human life. The most terrible tragedy for a human is to die without God-realization. But God-realization cannot occur unless you realize yourself. Great Śaṅkarācārya said, "Who am I? From where do I come? What is the purpose of my coming? And where will I go?" He said, "Don’t lie to yourself. Realize. Know thyself." "Know thyself" is the answer to all your questions, the end of all your sufferings, and the way out of the circle of birth and death. If you do not know yourself, you do not know God. We believe in God, we pray day and night, we meditate, yet we are not sure we have love for Him. Some dedicate their lives to Him, but where is the realization? Do not miss this chance of human life. This body is the most precious diamond given to us by God. You cannot borrow it, give it to someone for a while, or buy a young body. Otherwise, humans would be very clever. Therefore, it is said in the Rāmāyaṇa: Bada bhāga manus than—"I am greatly fortunate to be born as a human, because I can work through the human body." In this life, in this body, there are 72,000 nāḍīs spread throughout. These are not physical nerves but energy channels through which conscious energy flows. These 72,000 nāḍīs are responsible for our physical condition, mental health, and spiritual health. Everything happening in our body is connected to these energy channels. What flows inside is the cosmic mother; we breathe it in and out. A self-realized person says it is not just oxygen but that universal mother, Yogśakti, nourishing her child seated in every heart. That energy flows through our channeling system. I would like to show you some slides shortly. You will see the nervous system’s functioning. It is depicted in Sanskrit, but the artist has tried to illustrate these nerves around the human body. These nerves connect to the chakras. Every part of the body has many chakras. In your hands, there are many chakras. If you awaken them, you can develop healing powers. You can heal yourself. If you have a strong headache, stomach ache, or other problems, placing your own hand on your body can bring relief. You can also give energy to others. This chakra is easy to awaken. I would like to give you a technique this evening. If you practice, you can become a good healer. If not, nothing will happen. Would you like to awaken the chakras in your hands? Yes? Thank you. To awaken your chakras, open your palms and hold them like this. Feel your palm; you will definitely feel a sensation. We will chant "Om" once. While chanting "Om," concentrate on your palms; you will feel the energy. This is only the first step. The Om chanting purifies the energy and makes it easier to awaken your centers. Chant Om. Second step: hold your hands straight like this. Sometimes people feel strong energy or even pain in their palms, remembering Jesus’ crucifixion. You will feel a sensation—this is your blood circulation flowing down, and the centers in your hands and palms are awakening. Where there is movement, there is energy; where there is energy, there is movement, process, growth, and development. Now, put your palms together, touch them completely, and rub them. Meanwhile, a picture of the nāḍīs will appear on the screen. Rub your palms until they become hot. Now hold them like this. Do you feel the energy? Can you move them like this? Do you feel the magnetic power? If you move in this direction, you should feel a slight needle-like sensation, as if holding a ball. Now, let the chakras go to sleep again. Close your fists, hands down, then open your palms and feel again. The sensation is less intense; they have become dormant again. If you do this a few times a day for half a minute or a minute, within a year you will have healing hands and can help anybody. I do not see the picture on the screen; perhaps it is a nāḍī diagram. Among the 72,000 nāḍīs, three are most important: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. The left nāḍī, connected with the left nostril, controls the entire left hemisphere. The right nāḍī, Piṅgalā, controls the right hemisphere. The third is Suṣumṇā, through which consciousness flows. The Suṣumṇā Nāḍī receives energy from the astral world and distributes it throughout the body. The left nāḍī is known as Chandra Nāḍī (moon nāḍī). The moon represents the mind, so the left nostril or nāḍī controls our mind and emotions. Our thoughts change daily, just as the moon rises differently each night. Anyone with emotional problems should practice prāṇāyāma with the left nostril: close the right nostril and breathe through the left for a few minutes. Emotional problems—anger, hate, nervousness, jealousy—will diminish. The right nāḍī is called Sūryanāḍī (sun nāḍī). It controls your temperament, activities, and concentration. If one is nervous and lacks concentration, practice prāṇāyāma through the right nostril; concentration will develop immediately. The best technique to calm down and develop concentration is deep inhalation and exhalation. Scientifically, breathing techniques help with depression, mental problems, psychic issues, and physical problems like heart conditions, circulation, and digestion. Prāṇāyāma is a science and should be practiced systematically. The central nerve, the third one, is Suṣumṇā, also called Brahmanāḍī. Brahma is the supreme; cosmic consciousness flows through the Brahmanāḍī. These two nāḍīs begin from the small of the brain, behind the forehead, at the Ājñā Chakra. From there, the left nāḍī goes to the right, and the right nāḍī goes to the left. Where they cross, a chakra is formed. They change direction again, crossing serpentinely—which is why Kuṇḍalinī Śakti is known as a snake power. There are eight main chakras in the human body, advisable to awaken according to yogīs. The chakras are divided into five categories: from the foot sole (earth), ankle to knees (vegetation), knees to hip joints (animals), hip joint or end of the spinal column to the throat (human consciousness), and above that (spiritual or Devī Jagat world). It is not advisable to touch other chakras; you can purify all through these. The entire human personality and attitude reside in these chakras. In some, the Mūlādhāra Chakra is active; in others, Svādhiṣṭhāna or Maṇipūra. These chakras can be awakened through the practice of āsanas (physical exercises), prāṇāyāma (breathing techniques), concentration, mantra, and meditation. In some, these chakras turn in the wrong direction. They are not physical but exist in your astral body. You cannot change them through surgery. For example, operating on the thyroid gland does not change your Viśuddhi chakra, because it belongs to the astral body. We have five bodies, with the soul inside. Within the soul is the light of God, called the ātmā. As long as the soul is not liberated, you have no union; there is only heaven and hell. For a yogī, these are merely two rooms: heaven is a somewhat good room, hell a less pleasant one, but both are limited. Heaven begins and ends; hell begins and ends. When your heavenly karma finishes, you must return to the charāsī (cycle) and come back to this life. Therefore, going to heaven does not mean liberation, because in heaven you still exist as an individual. To be one with God, you must give up your personal ego and identity, merging into God-consciousness. As long as you want to be yourself, you are not one with God. Mokṣa means complete oneness. Consider this glass of water. I taste it and say it is sweet because someone put sugar inside. I do not see the sugar; you might think I am not normal. The solid sugar dissolved into the liquid, but sugar and water did not truly unite. Sugar kept its quality; it did not become one with the water. But sugar into sugar, water into water, salt into salt, gold into gold—quality unites. We must develop divine quality within ourselves: the quality of holy prayer, mantra practice, meditation. Be kind, helpful. Do not run away from your duty. Those who run away are cowards; those who work are heroes. God gave you birth with duties. You should know your human Dharma. Each of us has different Dharma. Unless you realize your Dharma, you are mistaken about Dharma, karma, and incarnation. Perhaps next time I will talk about these chakras, which in some turn in the wrong direction or lie dormant. How to awaken and regulate them requires special techniques that need practice. It is not physical but astral, involving concentration and kriyā yoga. Practices like cakra śodhanam and nāḍī sañcalana can change your chakras. The main chakras are: Mūlādhāra, Svādhiṣṭhāna, Maṇipūra, Anāhata, Viśuddhi, Ājñā, Bindu, and Sahasrāra. Now, let us discuss Kuṇḍalinī and the Mūlādhāra Chakra. The Mūlādhāra Chakra is the first milestone of human consciousness, the border between human and animal consciousness. From here, human consciousness begins to develop. We have five levels of consciousness: unconsciousness, subconsciousness, consciousness, superconsciousness, and cosmic consciousness. Normally, humans oscillate among the first three. Superconsciousness comes through meditation and prayer; cosmic consciousness comes after mokṣa, upon departing the physical body. Unconsciousness is the storeroom for prārabdha—past deeds or karma. Karma involves cause, action, and result. Every action has a reaction, and that reaction becomes the cause of further action. Past deeds, especially from past lives, constitute prārabdha (destiny, good/bad luck, sin). Karma is of two kinds: positive (good deeds) and negative (sin). Karmas are in your hands, like a stone. You can throw it or keep it. Once thrown, it is gone from your hand; you cannot catch it again. It becomes your destiny, Bhagya, now in God’s hands. Karmas are done through four means: physical body, words, thoughts, and social power (money, political power, etc.). Therefore, it is said: do not harm anyone, do not criticize if you cannot praise, bear good and do not do bad. If you cannot think positively about someone, at least do not think negatively. Negative thinking poisons oneself; positive thinking enlightens oneself. Every child says, "My mother is best." Which mother is not good? Every mother is the best. Every religion says, "My religion is the best." Which religion is not the best? All religions are the best. The problem is that people do not understand their religion, lacking tolerance and fighting for power and position. Love unites; ignorance and hate divide. Let us work to create world peace through love. Prārabdha, past karma, lies dormant in the Mūlādhāra Chakra. All problems you suffer today have their cause there. If you purify it, you can change your entire life, feeling free like a bird out of a cage. Mūlādhāra: Mūla means roots, ādhāra means base. The original base of your destiny is in Mūlādhāra. The roots of your problems are there, and human consciousness begins to develop from there. Yogīs, in their imagination, call this a lotus flower. The lotus has special significance, used in many herbal medicines. The lotus stays above the water. Water is Māyā; the lotus is your soul or self. Though we are in this world, we should stay above it. We make mistakes; we are human with weaknesses. We know what we expect but do not always get it. Some lack love from father, mother, friends, brothers, or sisters. How can we help ourselves overcome or change our destiny? It is the science of Yoga: prayer, meditation, belief in God, helping others, service, kindness, giving love. These are uniting principles in any religion. If religions have these principles, they come from Yoga. Yoga is not part of any religion; it is the father of all that is divine. In the Mūlādhāra Chakra, there is a red color, representing Śakti, the divine mother—Mother Earth. Earth has red color, and we come from the earth; we are the salt of the earth, its essence. The energy within is dormant and can be awakened. I know this is a long subject, and you have been sitting for two and a half hours on hard chairs, so I will try to finish soon. In this chakra, you see the symbol of an elephant below. The elephant means wisdom and prosperity—not monetary wealth, but knowledge. The rich are those who are wise; the poor are those who are unsatisfied and always want more. Unless we overcome this, our treasure remains dormant in Mūlādhāra. The elephant with seven trunks represents the seven main minerals, Saptadhātu, crucial for our health. Awakening Mūlādhāra not only benefits spiritually but also solves health problems, improving blood iron, minerals, and vitamins. This works across all five bodies. In the middle is the Śiva Liṅgam. Śiva is consciousness; Liṅga is the attribute of that consciousness. The entire universe revolves around the Liṅga. Energies and water exist in round form—the attribute of cosmic consciousness. Coiled around this Liṅga is a snake with three coils, head facing down. These represent the three guṇas: Sattva, Rajas, Tamas. These guṇas make your consciousness dull, pulling energy and development downward. There is an inverted triangle that pulls energy down. We must turn this triangle so its point faces downward, allowing energy to rise upward and expand. There is Śiva and Śakti: Śiva is consciousness, Śakti is nature. Their union is necessary for progress. Śiva consciousness is complete. He resides in another chakra at the top of the head: Sahasrāra, the thousand-petaled lotus. You may feel a soft spot there—the place of Param Śiva in this body. God gave ten doors. When one dies, one exits through these doors. The two lower doors are for urine and excrement: anus and urethra. The third is the mouth; fourth and fifth are the nostrils; seventh and eighth are the ears; ninth and tenth are the eyes. When some people die, they release urine and excrement, indicating descent to lower consciousness and life again. Normal people may exit through the mouth (mouth opens wide), eyes (open wide), nose (a little blood), or ears—meaning they did not attain liberation. They go to the astral world and, according to destiny, return to a new life: rebirth. Modern science calls this recycling, taken from the concept of rebirth. If you believe in recycling, you should believe in rebirth. Reality does not change based on belief, religion, tradition, philosophy, culture, intellect, or mentality. The liberated soul, the yogī who prays, meditates, and works hard, passes through the tenth door. At that time, the Kuṇḍalinī Śakti ascends through the Brahmanāḍī, Suṣumṇā, and unites with Śiva in the Sahasrāra Chakra. If you are a good writer bringing happiness, you are a yogī. If you are a good musician or painter, you are a yogī. It does not mean you must sit meditating with closed eyes, withdrawing to a hut. That is running away from duty—the act of a lazy person. Yogīs are active and creative. The Śiva Liṅgam and Kuṇḍalinī Śakti represent your three karmas: past, present, and future. Your destiny is in this chakra. This is about the Mūlādhāra Chakra. If you wish to learn more, perhaps next time I will speak about Svādhiṣṭhāna Chakra. In UMAṆG, I will speak more about Kuṇḍalinī. Fortunately, you have written about this in your new book, "Yoga and Daily Life," which covers Kuṇḍalinī and chakras. This book is complete, including Haṭha Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Kuṇḍalinī Yoga, and all kinds of Yoga. I would like to tell you one thing: the United Nations turned to religions for help in creating world peace. We need religious tolerance. The subjects are tolerance, forgiveness, reconciliation, uniting, and removing the poverty of understanding. There should be no war in the name of God or religion. Over 1,000 religious and spiritual leaders gathered at the UN headquarters in New York. At the summit’s end, I gave everyone a film titled "The New Millennium Mantra." What should be the new millennium mantra? Tolerance, forgiveness, understanding, and so on. This film is about eight or nine minutes, and I would like to show it to you. After this film, our evening program ends. I thank all our organizers who worked hard to bring us together under one roof. I am very happy you came this evening. Dear brothers and sisters, Yoga is a vast subject—the science of body, mind, and consciousness, a lifelong path. That is why I call it Yoga in Daily Life: whatever you do, do it with positive thinking. Let us begin this millennium working for world peace. After World War II, over 30 million children became victims of war. Many were killed, handicapped, or psychologically affected. Millions of women were killed or suffered, and millions of young soldiers died. What do we achieve with this? Why do we fight? If we cannot love each other, what more can we realize? You wear white, I wear orange. I should not wish you all to wear orange, nor you that we wear only white. Human freedom and rights—we should work for these. Let us adopt this mantra and make a saṅkalpa that this century will be one of peace, with no more wars or weapons. We must work, and you are very important in this. Each drop fills the glass; every step counts. Your work and wishes will count toward creating peace and harmony. I pray for your good health, long life, and divine protection. God bless you, God bless your country, and God bless the whole world. Let us live together in harmony, love, and peace. Thank you. Good evening and good night.