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Prana and spirituality

A spiritual discourse on prāṇa, the five bodies, and a teaching parable.

"Prāṇa is that energy which keeps the five elements together. Like cement keeps two bricks together, the prāṇa is that energy which keeps together all the five bodies."

"Spirituality is that permanent sunshine. The sun is the sun; it doesn't matter how much decoration you make with light."

The lecturer delivers a satsang, beginning with anecdotes about misconceptions of vegetarianism. He explains the nature of prāṇa as the vital force binding the five kośas (sheaths) and details the functions of the five primary vāyus (prānic currents), using a humorous story about a king to illustrate Apāna Śakti. He stresses purifying the body and mind through diet and thought to attract spiritual energy, culminating in a recitation of Mahāprabhujī's parable—a dialogue between two parrots on the impermanence of worldly life and the importance of repeating the name of God.

Filming location: Strilky, Cz.

DVD 221

Long ago, I gave a lecture in Khabirov, near Ostrava. There was one disciple whose grandmother could not believe that her grandson's master was a vegetarian, because she thought it was impossible for a human to survive. You see what a wrong idea people have in their mind. Once, I held a yoga seminar on the Adriatic coast at a place called Mala Duba, which is now in Croatia. Before I arrived, a doctor wrote an article in the newspaper to discourage people from coming to yoga. As a doctor, he wrote, "I can challenge that vegetarians cannot get challenge." I answered him with a telegram: "Yes, dear doctor, that's why India has overpopulation." See how people think. So, the grandmother, about 85 years old, came to see what a man looks like who doesn't eat meat. She was not interested in yoga; she wanted to know where her grandson was going. Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, the hall was full and she was sitting somewhere in the back, only able to see a bit of my clothing. After ten minutes, she told her grandson, "Let's go home. I don't believe he's a vegetarian. He doesn't look like that at all." That story will also appear in my biography. Her grandson told me that story. I told him, "Thank you, Grandma. You gave me one more chapter in my autobiography." Such things happen. This was at a time in Yugoslavia when I was not in Croatia. But how can a doctor write such things? And people believe it. Anyhow, that's saṃsāra. That's it. So Mahāprabhujī said these people believe in nakra. Nakra means not reality. Now money is God. You give money to the media, and the media will make you God. But that story is like a crow on the top of the temple; the media is going up and down. The sun is the sun; it doesn't matter how much decoration you make with light. You know, they make a lot of decorations at Christmas time, at Diwali time, at wedding time—everything so beautiful. But as soon as the sun rises, all decorations are finished; they have no power. Spirituality is that permanent sunshine. Therefore, out of this human body, which the Creator has created among 8.4 million different creatures—divided into three categories: Jalchar, Thalchar, and Nabchar (the creatures in the water, creatures on the earth, and also creatures which live and are born and die in this space)—all together are 8.4 million different creatures. And one of them is a human. Now, if you don't believe, I can't do anything. Only one thing: you begin to count and then tell me if there is excess or less. So, there are 8.4 million different creatures. All are created out of five elements: space, air, water, fire, and earth. From all this, the human has special abilities, about which we spoke before. And we came and we stuck at the Maṇipūra Cakra. Maṇipūra is the center from where the soul enters into the mother's body. And you are nourished; this body is nourished by the mother's body. And you are taking the nourishment through the navel. In yoga, especially the science of kuṇḍalinī and cakras, there is speaking about prāṇa. Prāṇa is life. Prāṇa is not only oxygen. Prāṇa is like a soul. It is very difficult to describe what prāṇa is. Prāṇa is that energy which keeps the five elements together. Like cement keeps two bricks together, the prāṇa is that energy which keeps together all the five bodies: the body of nourishment, the energy body, the mental body, the intellect body, and the causal body. Now, causal body means the cause—the body of the cause. And through that cause, again we are here. Where there is action, there is reaction. There can be no reaction without an action. And when the action is there, the reaction is already there. And if the reaction is there, action is there. So, we do not know if we are in this world now as an action or a reaction. Because this action-reaction-action-reaction has become a wheel—a circle which is constantly turning. So, the causal body is a cause. And where are the causes originated from? Senses. It means, again, our desires. So, the causal body, you can also say, is your desire body. The cause is in the desires. Generally, they say physical body, mental body, subtle body, and causal body. But according to the principle of the kośas—it means the quarters, the layers, like an onion has its layers—so these are the five: Annamaya kośa is the body of nourishment, Prāṇamaya kośa is the body of prāṇa, Manomaya kośa is the mental body, Ānandamaya kośa is the causal body, and Vijñānamaya kośa is the intellect. Now, these five bodies are reflecting on each other. It's very fine, and from very fine, it slowly grows and grows until the physical body. Within these five bodies, there is consciousness, there is memory, there is emotion, there is ego, there is everything good and bad. Now, all together, it makes a human phenomenon. And every individual is carrying, as a backpack throughout the entire universe, a bag of your karma, of your destiny. So, the prāṇa is life. When prāṇa is gone, everything falls apart. Therefore, prāṇāyāma is not only to wean the oxygen, but to strengthen our existence energy, the life quality. But as we come closer to this physical world, it becomes more and more material. So it comes to the matter, matter and consciousness, and this matter and consciousness are pulled together. That energy is prāṇa, like between iron and magnet, you don't see it, but it's flowing. And if you hold your hands at this distance, after a few seconds or minutes, you will feel the pressure in this distance, like a magnet. Do it. At this distance of about 40 centimeters, just leave your hand relaxed and listen. So it is that prāṇa which is there, and now you feel like you have a big balloon in your hand, and try to press slowly, like this, what I am doing. I feel very strong. It is not my energy; it is your energy. Oh, you are so strong. And if you come nearer, it pulls you. If you go far, it pulls you from here. And you come near, it pulls you back, and here it puts you together. There is a certain border where you feel opposite pressure; this is my body is here. So that is prāṇa. Now, prāṇa is divided into ten parts: Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Vyāna, and Udāna. So, what we inhale, this energy, this oxygen and life quality, is divided into five parts. So, literally prāṇa means what we inhale: oxygen, though it is not oxygen. Like you people say you practice Haṭha Yoga, but it is not Haṭha Yoga. You are practicing Rāja Yoga. Because of the āsanas and prāṇāyāmas, they are part of Rāja Yoga. Haṭha Yoga means six kriyās, but we say, "Between the blind, the one-eyed one is king." So, take it like this. So, prāṇa is in force, which is receiving energy. That energy, that power, which sucks the energy from outside. So, when you go to the tree, when you go outside of the room, when there is fresh air, you feel it suddenly, not only through the nose, but on the skin. You are sucking energy, incoming force. Apāna is the force that releases energy, emits it. It means used energy. If your apāna is disturbed, then either you have constipation or diarrhea, or you cannot pass the urine. Only thanks to Apāna Śakti can you pass urine. There is one nice joke. Do you like jokes? I know. There was one king, a dominating king. He was a very dominant king, but he had a very wise minister, who was the advisor for the king. But the king was always angry with his minister, because whatever the king said, the minister would say no—always opposite. And sometimes people say to the king, "Your Highness, this minister is insulting you always," and the minister said, "Send him away, I don't want him anymore." But when some very important, critical thing happened, the king would say to the minister, "He doesn't need him anymore." But when the critical moment would come, he would say, "Call him quickly." The king was always angry. He was always angry at the minister's court. But he would be even angrier when the minister was right. So one day they were sitting, and the king asked the minister, "Everything is boring. I have had all kinds of enjoyment, all experiences; I am tired of it. Can you tell me, is there something most joyful in the world? Nothing can be that joyful—that, when you can do that, you are happy and relaxed." Minister said, "Yes, sir. Tell me to go to the latrine." Minister, that is stupid. The king said, "You are sometimes really funny. I'm thinking something beautiful: dancing, clubbing, joking, perhaps drinking, going to the toilet." Minister says, "Sir, excuse me, I'm sorry, but time will show." After five years, the king forgot about it. And now the minister organized a party. And dancing, girls were dancing, and drink was served. And the king was invited to go and enjoy. So, the king invited his minister to go with him, and he said, "I am not interested in this; I will go to satsaṅg." King said, "But you must come with me. How can you send me alone there?" Okay, sir. What time? 9 o'clock. Fine, sir. I will be in your service at 5 o'clock. At 5 o'clock, he brought some Ayurvedic herbs which function very well. If you eat a little bit, then you have diarrhea. So, before the king goes to the party, they made a little bite, snacks. In India, they call it pakora. There are so many spices inside, so you don't know what is in it. And they put this Sonāmukhī inside, and chutney also from Sonāmukhī, and he served the king warm, warm, garam, garam. And more chutney, sir, this is very good. Take more, sir. You don't know if you would like that eating, but... So, he was overdosing, and now they went to the dancing hall. The badshah, which was Islam, and what they called the harems dancing. And 9:30, 10 o'clock, bim-bam. It rang. It rang, but in the king's stomach. Right on time. Everyone was dancing and laughing. And the king said to the minister, "Where is the nearest toilet?" Mister, what did you say? Where is the toilet? But for what? I have to go there. Sir, in the toilet there is no joy. This is a joyful place. He said, "I can't see, I have to go." So he took him to the toilet. Now I am so relaxed and happy. The minister said, "I told you, sir." He said, "Yes, I believe what you said." So you know, Apāna Śakti, that was Apāna Śakti. So Prāṇa and Apāna, they are both opposite. One is pushing out, one is pushing in, but they have very good coordination. Both prāṇa and apāna meet in the navel, and from there, all functions go. And so, Maṇipūra cakra is that center where you first purify your apāna. Apāna is that air, that energy, which rejects used or dead material from the body. It rejects the gases from the body. Now, therefore, yogīs say prāṇa and apāna both should enter through the navel to lead the consciousness up through the suṣumṇā nāḍī, then you get samādhi. But, if the apāna is not purified, then you will get a headache. You will be sleepy, meditating? Jyotase, Jyotase, Satguru, Jyotase. This is your apāṇa śakti. To je vaša apāṇa śakti. Now, that's why they made a research work. Su istraživali. What is the cause of the tumās apāna? Šta je uzrok previše apāne? And the cause is the nourishment, food. So the onions, garlic, beriluk, češnjak, these produce a lot of apāna. Beans not properly cooked, the weeds not properly cooked, the meat, the egg, the fish, these old tāmas guṇas and rajas guṇas produce apāna. Now you will never be able to bring your prāṇa and apāna together. There will be a strong force, and if apāna will not function, your stomach will look like a drum. Everything. And it will become like a football. So, thanks to Apāna, that some vents open and air passes. Apāna Śakti is through perspiring, sweating, through gaining, sneezing, urinating, wetting, toilets, and so on. This is Apāna Śakti. If apāna doesn't function, you are poisoned. You are poisoned by your own poison. So, thanks to Apāna, that purifies. But if you constantly eat that kind of nourishment, which dominates the production of the vāyus, like toxins, different gases, then no wonder that some organs and functions in the body will die. That some functions and organs of the body will die out, and the disease will appear. Cancer is nothing but stopped poison in the body that Apāna can no longer expel—dead cells. That is why Haṭha Yoga strictly recommends doing Śaṅkha Prakṣālana, Netī, Naulī, all these kriyās. They purify the Apāna Śakti and keep your Apāna alive as a force. And then your Maṇipūra cakra is relaxed and clean. Then your entire being will immediately feel happy and relaxed. When you don't feel restlessness, you don't feel tired, and you feel more spiritual energy. Then your attraction is towards that pure energy. You come to spirituality, you come nearer. When you come near to the spiritual person, then your soul feels like when there has been no rain for a long time, and now heavy clouds have come. The vegetation is saying, "Quickly, quickly, come, come, come down." Not humans, the vegetation. God loves all His children. Don't think it's raining only for humans. If we see the karmas of the humans, then there will be no rain at all. Then it would not rain at all, but it rains for all. There are millions of other creatures and vegetation. So when you come near the spiritual person, only when the air blows from the spiritual person to your body, it's like a recharging. Life is awakened because you are pure. If you have tamas guṇas and a pañña stuck in you, then you feel attracted to all those other societies—meat and alcohol and drugs and this. Once we had Agarbati in the seminar, and the hotel people were so angry because they said we can't stand through this smell. And our people said, "We want to purify the air." And our people say, "We want to clean the air." They say, "No, please don't." And then they quickly went to light a cigarette, drink a beer, and eat a sausage. And they say, "Oh, those yogīs." And the yogīs couldn't go into that room where they are. It's not a joke, it's really true. Many people know this who are sitting here. So that's a quality. Quality unites. Qualities join. Quality is recognized. And quality is prized. A honey bee, if you put it on the dirt of the toilet of a child, the honey bee will die. And if you put this bee fly, she will not die. She will go and sit down. If you put a fly on the sandalwood, it will fly away. If there is nothing and she is sitting on the sandalwood, and you bring the dirt near, the fly will immediately fly away and land on the ground. There is a poem: "Candan maki parhare, durgandhi vaha udjaye, Aise agyani satsaṅg nahi sune, uthe ke ung jaye." Candan maki parhare, durgandi vaha udjaye. This fly flies away from the sandalwood pest. The mūva flies away from the sandalwood paste and falls into impurity. Likewise, an ignorant person who has bad karmas and bad qualities cannot go to satsaṅg or can't sit in the satsaṅg. If, in case one goes to satsaṅg, one either sleeps, or begins to talk to others, or gets up and goes out. So, it is in your hands to develop the quality. Quality decides. Normal stone and diamond. Both are stones, but the difference is in quality. All holy incarnations. All holy saints. And normal humans, they look all the same. But the quality is different. And that quality you can develop. You have to be faithful to yourself, to purify yourself. Gande vichāra ne honā chāhiye. Gande vichāra. That makes you gaṇḍa. Dirty thoughts make you dirty. That's very important. Therefore, Jesus said, it is not only what you take in the mouth that makes you dirty, but how you think that makes you dirty. Gandhe vichāra, negative thoughts. Modern psychology says, modern psychologists say that negative thinking is self-poisoning. The first step is to purify your thoughts. Gurū Nānak said, "I went to see the bad people, but I didn't find a bad one. When I searched within me, I found that no one is worse than myself." That's it. Have a coffee with yourself. I told you. So, vichāra, living, everyone is living, everyone is existing, eating, everyone, sleeping, everyone, making children, everyone, but there is something more than this, what we should do. So, Mahāprabhujī wrote a beautiful bhajan. It is a bhajan, symbolically. Mahāprabhujī wrote a dialogue between one pair of parrots. So, one pair of parrots sitting in the beautiful park, like our park, big trees, green, pollution-free spot, nice blossoms, nice fruits to eat, paradise, paradise or the paradise, paradise, not paradise. Paradise is also beautiful, red, you know. Enjoying a happy world, that's what we want. Happy family: father, mother, together, children. Grandparents, neighbors, friends, a good house. Peaceful location, clean, blossoming, that's what we want. We are happy. Do we want that? Beside us, they are making bum, bum, bum. The soldiers are coming. No, we don't want this. So these two parrots are happy, and they are speaking to each other. What is the sense of life? How long will we enjoy this park? What is then, my dear? What is then? So, he said to her, her name is Menā. Menā is a female parrot. So, he said, "My dear Menā, listen to me. You should always repeat the name of God. Listen to me, you should enjoy the name of God. That's more joy than anything. In everything, see God, enjoy. The essence and the reality in this world is this: the name of God. All your other works and business, everything is unreal. One day you have to give up. You are wandering, you are flying from one branch to another branch to another branch. Wasting your time. God wishes, Falkai, and you are eating in your heart the fruits of desires. You wish in your heart to enjoy the desires. Do you want to fulfill your desires and fly from branch to branch to branch to... branch? And what then, my dear? Therefore, O Menā, listen to me. The joy is in the name of God. Palakati puli pire. Oh, you eat the fruits. And you are expanding. How sweet this fruit was. It was my fruit. Oh, you go and just touch that you are the one who is eating first. You are eating the fruits. But you know, this is just like a horizontal. It is just like water you see on the road, far, but there is no water. Yes, Fata Morgana. But there is no water. You think in this fruit is joy. There is no joy. He said to her, "My dear, listen, this juice that you are enjoying is unreal, the juice that you suck from these fruits." You take the full peak, and then you fly and enjoy. This is unreality. You know, my dear one, listen to me. I tell you, and how happy we are that we are together. But, first of all, in the beginning, first of all, in the beginning, we have to meet. Oh, my dear one, when we will be separated from this body? If we will meet again or not, that only destiny knows. And this is for us also. When Friday we will say goodbye, who knows if we will see each other again in this beautiful park. So be aware every second. So this park means this life. And to go away means death. Who knows that we will come again together on this beautiful planet? Who knows that we will come again together on this beautiful planet? Who knows that we will come again together on this beautiful planet?... Who knows that we will come again together on this beautiful planet? Therefore, repeat Soham. Soham, Soham,... Soham. Leave all these worldly things behind you. And leave all these worldly things behind you. Who is good, who is bad, who is jealous, leave it all behind. Don't be jealous, don't be greedy, don't be angry. Don't look at this. Just so'ham. Guru Charaṇa Kamala Satsaṅg, Mejī, in the presence of Gurudeva. In the refuge of Gurudeva, there is a tree of Amṛta. And the words of the Master are those fruits which you want to enjoy. Enjoy that fruit of the Amṛta. Not these trees outside; there are only thorns and timber. Guru Charaṇakamala Satsaṅg Mejī Amṛt Vṛkṣapālajana, Śrīdīp Hariyoṅkheṭāhejī, Mahāprabhujī says like this, "Vohī Svarga Beṅkuṇḍa," and that is the heaven or Beṅkuṇḍa. What? The presence of Gurudeva. She was thinking over what he says. There must be some sense. She was eating one sour plum, and she spit it out, and she turned to him, "Wait a minute, don't fly away, mister." Now she says something, Sunore Sua, the male parrot is named Sua. Listen, my dear, why don't you also repeat Soham, Soham? It is your own tongue. You don't have to pay money for repeating the name of God. For other things, you have to pay money. If you tell someone a bad word, then you have to go to court. And you have to pay money to the lawyer. If you promise someone wrong, you have to pay. But for the name of God, you don't have to pay. It's your own tongue. It doesn't cost you anything. O my dear one, it is your own tongue, it doesn't cost you anything. Repeat sohaṁ. The cat of death will eat you one day. She will finish all your activities. In no time, she will break this case. In which case, you are closed. You see, this is only a case. The parrot is your divine self. Within no time, she will destroy this body. And she will chew your skin. Nothing will remain, my dear. What are you trying to make your body beautiful? Say your mantra, name of God. Show him, show him, "I am that, I am that." Any name of God is the best God. Mantra. Man suva tan pinjarare ātmā sohaṅg nā. Man suva, your mind is that parrot. Tana pinjara, the body is the case. Avo telo e ka vez. Ātam śoham nām. The śoham is the name of your ātmā. A sohaṁ je ime tvoje ātmē, tvoj jastva. If there is the grace of the Guru, then you will have real peace. Otherwise, my dear, cats are waiting for you. Go and move on the thin branch. Don't sit on the thick one. Hari bhajale yavasara milare utsubha arusham. Pray to God. Meditate. Now you have the chance to do something. Utsubha arusham. Get up early morning. Remember Him morning and evening. Think of Him from morning to evening. This holy garden will dry out. It will dry out. Be sure, it is not a reality. You have to leave this one day. This all is unreality. Śrīdīpa says to Sattva Mahārāja, Mahāprabhujī says, "Believe me, it is true. Santa Caraṇa Sukhada, in the presence of the saints, is the place of happiness. Vedas, saints, all preachings say again and again that that is the truth." And so both of them decided to now have a mantra and practice Kriyā, and not spoil all the fruits, only eat one which you need that much. And they became yogīs. This was a dialogue between a pair of parrots. So, that Ātmā, that Jīvātmā, begins to receive and play his Kalā. And there are many Kalās, divine play. These are the abilities, the hidden powers. And so, the maṇipūra cakra begins to manifest. How do you call it? Unfoldment. Unfoldment of the maṇipūra cakra. And suddenly, there is sitting you. And suddenly, you are sitting there. Beautiful. I will see you again tomorrow. And what is happening next? The sound we have to become. Because the whole talk is only on one point, sound. That sound we have to discover. I wish you today now sound sleep, that's it, and tomorrow I wish all the best to the children for their conference. So jñāna, knowledge, wisdom is endless in the presence of Mahāprabhujī. Everything gives Mahāprabhujī. Mahāprabhujī gives everything. It's enough. Take as much as you like. The river is flowing. Take as much water as you like. How big a pot you have, still the river will not be empty. But you will not empty the river. Chidia chanch bhar le gayi, nadiyan ghatiyoni, dharam kiyan dhanan gate, keh gaya das kabhi. The saint Kabīr Dājī said, "One bird took a full beak of water away from the river." But the river didn't lose the water; it was still full. Similarly, while giving donation or doing good things, you will not lose your wealth. This is said by Kabīrdās.

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:

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