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Puja is a source of prana

A discourse on the sacred elements and a call to return to Vedic ecological wisdom.

"The sun is the most important entity in our solar system. The sun is life, life is God, and God is life. In this way, every element should be revered."

"Therefore, we shall turn again towards nature and Vedic culture... If you love no one else, at least love your children. Do not leave a poisoned world for them."

The speaker delivers a comprehensive teaching on revering the five elements—space, air, fire, water, and earth—as manifestations of the divine. He explains traditional practices for worshipping Agni (fire) and Jal (water), details the ritual of offering food to the Fire God, and shares a story of miraculous abundance from a sacred cooking ceremony. The core message is that polluting the elements is self-destruction, and humanity must restore a sacred relationship with nature to ensure survival.

Filming location: Strilky, Cz.

DVD 225

The worship of the sun, Sūryadevatā, was practiced in Europe not long ago and is still celebrated in many countries. The sun still shines there. In the high mountains, people make a large wheel, wrap it in cloth soaked in oil or petrol, and let it roll down a hill. Thankfully, this is done in winter when there is little to burn; otherwise, it could set entire forests ablaze. Due to this fire hazard, the practice is now prohibited in many places. Alternatively, people float lamps made from chapati or bread dough on rivers or lakes. These lamps, sometimes placed inside balls of large leaves, look beautiful in the evening and are environmentally friendly. The sun is the most important entity in our solar system. The sun is life, life is God, and God is life. In this way, every element should be revered. There is a pūjā for water, called Jal Devatā. Jal means water, and Devatā means God—the Water God. This refers to the water element, without which life cannot exist. If we pollute water, we indirectly pollute ourselves. Our lack of respect for this principle is why the whole planet suffers, and humanity, being the most guilty, will soon face the returning karma. Similarly, there is Agni Devatā. Agni is fire, the God of Fire. Without Agni, we cannot exist; we would die immediately. The Agni Tatva in our body—our body warmth or heat—is vital. It is a wonder that God has created such an automatic central heating system, maintaining our temperature between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. When you enter a sauna, your body temperature does not rise excessively; you sweat, and the sweat forms a film on the skin to prevent excessive heat loss. Everything is automatically regulated. Agni is crucial. If it goes out of control, we get a high fever. At 41 degrees, we risk death and must try to lower the temperature. If it drops too low, we must sit by a fire or soak our feet in hot water to raise it. Without this fire, our life is nothing; we would die. Therefore, Agnidev, the God of Fire, is worshipped. Fire is very pure; it purifies everything. It is said that one should not step on fire, whether with shoes or barefoot, nor spit or throw impure things into it. Keep your fire in a holy place; it is a yajña. In India, when we perform a yajña or havan, the Fire God is present there, and this presence is very important. Who has seen God? We all try to see God, but where and how? We always think in complicated terms. If we say there is something, in that way, there is no God. If you think someone will descend and say "Hello," or if Viṣṇu comes with four hands and the Sudarśana Cakra, you would still not be satisfied. God might ask, "In which form do you want me?" No matter how He comes, we are not satisfied. Therefore, God is in every element, in everything. What can be greater than fire? It is our life; we live and exist from it. So fire must be respected. The ash that remains after fire is called Lakṣmī. Thus, fire is Viṣṇu, and ash is Lakṣmī. When a holy person has a holy fireplace, the ash is called vibhūti. Vibhūti means holy qualities, a holy saint, or a blessing. Having this vibhūti means you are blessed. Within it are both ṛddhi and siddhi—prosperity and perfection, or prosperity and wisdom, which reside in Lakṣmī. The Ṛṣi culture, or Vedic culture or Hinduism, states that fire should always remain in your house; it should never go out because it is God, Viṣṇu. The ash that remains is Lakṣmī, the Vibhūti. Clean ash from a fire that has burned everything is completely purified. You can even apply it to an open wound; it is the best antiseptic, free of bacteria. It is good to have fireplaces or chimneys in Europe because it is cold there, though they are now prohibited in big cities due to pollution concerns from coal. Fire is mostly used for cooking. When you begin to cook, first take a tablespoon of flour for chapati, or a portion of the first chapatis, and offer it to the fire. This is called Bog Lagana—offering to the Fire God. The Fire God will then bless you, ensuring you have enough, your food is delicious, and all who eat are blessed. This is truly scientific. Many of you saw in Jordan that when we make halvā for 10,000 people, we use huge pots and light a fire at an auspicious time, according to planetary positions. Before the earth-breaking ceremony, we purify the tools and the person performing it, who receives a tilak, gold, sweets, and a holy thread or red wristband. Facing the northeast, the first hit is made on the purified earth. This is not blind belief; it is profound. The first fire is lit after checking the constellation. When the halvā is finished, the cook immediately offers some to the fire before anyone is allowed to taste it. This is ingrained in the culture: first offer to God. To do otherwise is a sin. At home, even when cooking for yourself, do not taste first; offer to God, then eat. This makes the food blessed, giving immense goodness and energy, and helping to reduce illnesses. After offering, a ghee or oil lamp is lit. A circle is made around the large halvā pot, and prayers are offered to Annapūrṇā, the goddess of food and nourishment: Annapūrṇā, Sadāpūrṇā, Praṇavallabhī. This mantra means "O complete one, eternally complete one." When the goddess is present, there is eternal completeness. She is the source of our prāṇa and of Lord Śiva. The lamp is placed beside the pot, protected, and then serving begins. When cooking for 5,000 people, it can feed 15,000. On Gurujī's Bandara, when he attained samādhi, we made one big pot of halvā. A minister came and said, "A flood of people is coming, and only a little halvā is prepared." Yet thousands ate, and the pot was not even half empty. This is ṛddhi—prosperity that increases endlessly. Siddhi is the miracle. We sent kilos of halvā to every ashram, and people took prasāda, yet some remained. We had about three to four hundred kilograms left. We dried it, filled packets, and sent it to those who couldn't come, occasionally re-boiling and eating it. This is the tattva of the Fire God, Water God, and Food God—it is our life, purifying us. When these are polluted, it is our death. When fire breaks out uncontrollably, it burns everything. Mantras are chanted to prevent such outbreaks. Vāstu Śāstra is not just about buildings but about how humans should live in balance with nature to prevent disasters. The wind god, Vāyudevatā or Pavan Devatā, is also vital. Without air, we cannot exist; even sound vibrations would not travel. This energy transmission occurs through the Ākāśa Tattva within the wind devatā. Understanding the wind is crucial. According to Vāstu Śāstra, directions—heavenly and earthly—are important for building harmony, ensuring good health and happiness, and balancing everything. Otherwise, hurricanes and storms arise. Experts predict winds of 500 km per hour, which could uproot trees. In German, there's an expression "Altweibersommer," referring to flying cobwebs like an old lady's hair. Language evolved, but the point is that everything becomes connected and flying. The air god is important, but when it takes a Rudra form—destructive and angry—it becomes dangerous. Naṭarāja, when angry, danced, shaking the Himalayas, and snow fell from his hair. Thus, winter snow is the dust of Śiva's hair. If there is little snow, you ask Śiva to dance by singing to him. When 500 km per hour winds blow, trees fly, and fertile soil is washed away, leaving dry, sandy areas. Sand creates a wall, causing a strong vacuum that uproots trees. Performing ceremonies with respect can prevent such destruction. It is time to return to Vedic culture. Modern thinking and intellect have destroyed human roots, leaving them rotten. Humanity will be destroyed this way. We must return to nature. Consider Mother Earth. Without Earth, the other four elements are meaningless. We cannot exist without this planet. We are nourished by Mother Earth. She preserves and gives us clean water, filtered like a mother's milk. Waterfalls, fountains, and groundwater should be as pure as mother's milk. But we have polluted them with pesticides and chemicals. Now Mother Earth has cancer, and drinking from a cancerous breast gives the child cancer too. We are guilty of making the Earth ill. There are healing water spas thanks to Mother Earth. Rainwater lacks minerals, but water flowing through the earth contains everything. Without Mother Earth, we cannot exist. Therefore, there is pūjā for Mother Earth—a prayer to walk carefully on her, as she gives us all we drink and eat. Our bread, fruits, and potatoes do not fall from heaven; Mother Earth prepares them. Whatever you throw into the Earth comes back to you. This is not blind belief or a sect. The word "sect" comes from "sector," referring to a branch, like Protestants separating from Catholics. But now it is used derogatorily without understanding. The five elements, including Ākāśa Tattva, are vital. Ākāśa is very neutral, dividing into millions of parts so we are not directly affected. Without space, you cannot breathe. In the body, the nāḍī system is the ākāśa system. Our nostrils, mouth volume, empty parts in bones, and spaces between joints are all the ākāśa element. Without it, joints cannot move. When someone dies, ākāśa diminishes, and joints become hard. Because the Ākāśa Tattva lives, these five elements are compared to God Himself. If you want to see God, see Him in these elements. Without them, we are nothing; we are composed of the five elements. What holds us together is Prāṇa, whose source is these five elements. From this, God consciousness is realized or produced. Without this body, there is no God. The body is nothing but these elements, which manifest before us as God. Therefore, there should be prayers, ceremonies, and mantras for Sūryadevatā (Sūrya Nārāyaṇa), Jaladevatā, Agnidevatā, Vāyudevatā, and Pṛthvīmātā (the Earth Śakti). In this, we are one with all. Like an onion with many layers, if you remove them all, nothing remains. We exist within directions: East, West, North, South, above, below, front, beyond. Therefore, all ceremonies and rituals are very important. Humans have forgotten and not taken this seriously, so ṛṣis connected it with spirituality. A spiritual person believes in God, and whoever believes in God is religious. But due to religious conflicts, people abandoned these ceremonies, damaging human life. Now human roots are destroyed. We must return to nature. When these elements are destroyed, you are gone too. You cannot eat money or buy anything pure. There is no pure water on the Moon to pipe here, nor can we import food or air from there. Everything is here; we are involved and cannot run away. Therefore, we shall turn again towards nature and Vedic culture. You are all normal, academic people; think about what this means. Do not be manipulated; see the reality. We are doing this for the entire planet and all creatures, including ourselves and our children. If you love no one else, at least love your children. Do not leave a poisoned world for them. Leave the world as pure as you received it.

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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