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Good evening to everyone, and welcome. It is a joy to see you, as always, here in our beautiful spiritual home, Mahāprabhujī's āśram, which is our āśram. This ashram has truly become a spiritual home, and you are always welcome here. No one is ever refused entry, and that is why we can feel it is something special. Yet, this ashram also needs karma yogīs—not for just two or three days, but for at least three months. Ideally, for one year, because it is a very large area requiring a great deal of work. An ashram should always run on volunteer service. All over India, there are many ashrams, larger than this one, that were and still are run by disciples and volunteers. In many, there is even a waiting list to volunteer. Why is this? It is because of the seva. Gurujī often said in his satsaṅg: Śiva Dharma is greater. Dharma means the principle, the religion, the obligation. It is what one accepts in one's life to reach realization. There are many techniques of yoga: Rāja yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jñāna yoga, Kriyā yoga, Nāḍī yoga, Mantra yoga, Dhyāna yoga, and many more. But what is easier is Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga means doing one's best to work for others—physically, intellectually, or socially. Everyone has different abilities, and according to those abilities, one helps. "Socially" also includes politically and economically. There are many, many ways to serve Śiva. The aim is Mokṣa, to be freed from the chain of rebirth and death. Gurujī used to say that if you put Mokṣa on one side of a scale and Seva on the other, Seva would weigh more. God Himself comes from Brahmaloka, from the realm of Mokṣa, into this world to perform Seva. There have been 24 incarnations of God. The 24th will be the Kālī Avatāra, who will incarnate in this Kali Yuga. At that time, all political systems will change. All negative activities—the torturing of animals, wars—will end. For God, nothing is impossible. It will change in such a way that suddenly the pure souls will find relaxation, realizing peace and happiness. This planet will be cleansed of all negativities, marking the end of the Kali Avatāra, the incarnation for the Kali Yuga. Incarnations take place often. Every holy saint is an incarnation, but their work is limited. The work of the Kālī Avatāra will encompass the entire planet, like the wind blowing through the whole world. That will come, and of course, many will die due to their karmas. Do not think God is cruel. God is not cruel; people are cruel—through their thinking, their negative activities, their greed, jealousy, hatred, and discrimination. What is in people's minds will kill them. There is a beautiful poem from the holy saint Kabīr Dās. He was going for alms and saw a woman grinding wheat for a meal. They use two stone plates, one on top of the other, which turn to grind the grains. Watching this, Kabīr began to cry. When asked why, he said he cried because between these two stone plates, nothing remains complete. Everything that comes between them is ground, even the small molds inside the grains. Kabīr Dās cried because in between these two plates, nothing remained whole. These two plates represent Māyā and Brahma. Māyā is the worldly illusion, and Brahma is the Supreme. All creatures that come between them go through and are created within this process. But his master said, "No, it is not like this. There is that which remains complete." These two plates have a hole. From below, a piece of wood comes out, and on that piece, the other plate is balanced. If you want fine flour, you lower the plate a little more. If you want a coarser meal, like porridge, you lift it slightly so only the husk is removed, not ground into flour. These simple, beautiful things—we have lost this knowledge. The women have lost it; the men lost it long ago. That stone grinder lasted for generations. Now, what you buy this year is broken by the next. This world is not sustainable anymore. So the master told the disciple, "The grains that fall near this wooden pillar, or hook, remain complete." There is a small hollow there, and these grains have no chance to slide between the stones. Brahma and Māyā are like two stones rubbing together. Gurudev is that hook in between. Whoever seeks the refuge of the Guru, the shelter of the Gurudev, will remain complete. The incarnation also comes from Brahmaloka to perform Seva. And who performs Śiva? Those who are always nearer to that hook. Those who do not perform Seva run away and are cursed. But you cannot perform Seva without dedication. Consider the medical system. When someone studies medicine, in the complete five- or six-year course, nothing in the curriculum teaches how to earn money. It teaches how to help. Therefore, a doctor should not discriminate based on race, color, age, gender, or cleanliness. If a doctor makes such differences, he or she will lose that fine art of Seva. So, Seva Bhāva is greater. Whoever can perform Seva achieves everything. There was a barber who was a great bhakta, performing seva for holy saints. At that time, there was a king who had a kind of leprosy. The barber's duty was to come punctually at nine o'clock every day to shave the king. If he was delayed by even ten minutes, he received severe punishment. One day, on his way to the king, he met a group of sādhus, holy men. He greeted them and asked if they had eaten. They said they had not, so the barber invited them to his home. His wife was also a great bhakta. He completely forgot about the king, enjoying the satsaṅg and serving the saints. It became 12:30 when he remembered. He rushed to the king with his bag of tools. When the king saw him, he stood up and gave him a big hug, not a slap. The barber, afraid, tried to apologize, but before he could speak, the king said, "What kind of power do you have in your hands? This morning at nine o'clock, when you were shaving me, all my leprosy disappeared. I am so thankful to you." The barber inwardly smiled and said, "Thank you, God." It means God Himself came to save the king for the sake of the bhaktas. When God touches, everything becomes normal and beautiful. His name was Sena Bhakta. If you perform seva with this kind of feeling, God will run behind you. It is said that if God has done something wrong or is angry, a saint can save the bhakta. But if the saint is angry, even God cannot save that bhakta. What God cannot do, the saint can do. This illustrates the difference between God and saints. Last week, we had a visit from a minister from India for the opening of Gurujī's ashram in Vienna. He is a disciple of Gurujī and told a nice story. There was a businessman who had no children. When people come to the Master, they often come with selfish questions: "Please help me pass my examination," "Help me find a good partner," "Help me find a job," "Bless me so my disease goes away," "I have no money, help me." We come with a big bag full of wishes. When we pray to Mahāprabhujī, he tells me, "There are so many beggars here." Very few prayers are other than those of beggars. Mahāprabhujī said, "I am not here always to help you in this way. Niṣkām prayer, not selfish." So, there was a king who could not get children. He and his wife were already fifty years old. One day, Saint Nārada Ṛṣi came, and the merchant asked him, "Please, can you tell God Viṣṇu to bless us with a child?" Nārada Ṛṣi said, "No problem. Tomorrow I have a consultation with Him; I will ask." So Nārada Ṛṣi asked God Viṣṇu, "In Mṛtyuloka, this mortal world, there is a great bhakta of Yours, husband and wife. They have no children and wish very much. Please, Viṣṇu, can You give them a child?" God Viṣṇu looked and closed His eyes. "No. In their horoscope, there is no child. In their kismat, no child. Impossible." Nārada said, "Can You make a miracle? An exception?" God said, "There are no exceptions. No one can give them a child. They have to die as they are." Nārada was very sorry and told the merchant, "God said in your destiny there is no child." The merchant accepted this. After two years, a sādhu came to the village asking for food. He said, "One chapati, one son." The merchant heard this and gave him two chapatis. The result was that he got twins at fifty-two years of age. After three years, Nārada came to the village and saw three-year-old children running in the merchant's house. He asked, "Are they adopted?" The merchant said, "No, they are our own children." "But how did it happen?" "One sādhu came and said, 'One chapati, one son; two chapatis, two sons.'" Nārada was very angry. He went to Viṣṇu and said, "What kind of politics is this? I asked You to give them a child. You said impossible, and now children are sold for one chapati?" Viṣṇu closed His eyes and said, "Yes, that was He. He could change the destiny, not Me." There is a difference between saints and God. Nārada said, "Well, I accept it." Saints have a different role in this world, and God has a different role. We are in between. We should do Seva. Through Seva, through Karma Yoga, you will be able to free yourself. "Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam." Therefore, God Kṛṣṇa said, "Through Karma Yoga, your yoga sādhanā will be successful." But do it with sevā bhāva, and without jealousy. When jealousy is there, it brings suffering—you suffer, and the person receiving the seva also suffers. There was a master who had two disciples. They were not in harmony; they were jealous and quarrelsome, always saying, "I did this much, you didn't work that much, this is mine, this is yours." I said to my Prabhuji, "Only two disciples, and such big problems? I have so many disciples. You can imagine how many problems I have. Each disciple brings more than five problems." The master had a big problem with these two. When the teacher would rest, the disciples would come to massage his legs, and they would fight over whose leg was whose. So the master made a protocol, writing a name on each leg: "This is Mr. X, and this is Mr. Z." Now they knew which leg to massage. The master was lying on his back, and X and Z were massaging him. Then the master turned over to his left side. The right leg came on top of the left leg. The disciple assigned to the left leg became so angry that he took a stick and beat the right leg, shouting, "What is your leg doing on my leg?" The teacher turned around again, and the other disciple got angry and hit him twice with a stick. The teacher said, "Stop, stop, stop! It's not your legs; they are my legs!" This shows that when disciples quarrel, they suffer, the one they serve suffers, the ashram suffers, and you suffer. Therefore, ashrams need dedicated people. Beauty is in the thoughts, in the mind, not in material things. Present yourself simply, but with love. Then your yoga sādhanā, your social life, and your normal life will be beautiful. Family life will be easy and good. You will understand your parents. Nowadays, parents are not parents anymore; children are the parents. Parents have to be very careful about what they tell their children. There was a time when children had to be very careful about what they asked their parents. Now, even if they are not married, they move out of the house. Elderly people have the same feeling of love as when they were young. When we were born, just a few days old, we needed immense care. Elderly people need that same kind of care as they grow older and their bodies become weaker. It is the duty of the children—a human duty—to take care of parents in their old age. Thanks to God, we now have pension systems to serve the elderly. But I can say the biggest blessing you get is from your parents. The biggest pilgrimage place, the holiest place, is your mother and your father. When they need help, you should be there. If we cannot do more, at least we should do that much for them. That is Seva. There is another story. There was a family with one child. Both parents were blind and needed a lot of service. The son did not marry because he thought, "Maybe my wife will not serve my parents as I wish." Blood is thicker than water. Your wife has no blood relation to your parents. She may do it because they are your parents, but if you are strict with her, she may seek divorce. It is very rare to find a wife and husband with perfect understanding. It is said, "Pati patnikā ek mātā ho svargeśata." If husband and wife lifelong have the same decisions, opinions, and feelings, they become a governing power in heaven. Lucky are those who have such a partner. In Kali Yuga, this is very, very rare. But a blind hand finds the corn also. I wish that you will find such a person. Otherwise, it is better to be alone. Do not complicate your life. One day, these blind parents told their son they wished to go on pilgrimage. They were about ninety or one hundred years old, very weak and unable to walk. He obeyed them. He made two beautiful baskets, put his father in one and his mother in the other, and carried them on his shoulders with a bamboo pole. He walked long distances—hundreds of kilometers—through forests and jungles. At that time, there was no transportation except horses, and he was poor and could not afford them. Wherever the sun set, they stayed for the night. One day at sunset, the parents said, "We will rest here. Please bring water; we are very thirsty." He went to search for water. Meanwhile, it became dark. He found a lake and began to fill his water pot. At that time, there was no pollution; you could drink from any river or lake. As he put the pot in the water, it made a noise. On the other side of the lake, hidden in a bush, was a king who had gone hunting for lions. Hearing the water sound, he thought a lion or tiger was drinking and shot an arrow. It struck the young man in the chest. As he fell, the man cried out, "Oh God, Rāma!" The king realized his mistake and ran over. He found the man and wanted to pull the arrow out, but pulling it out would cause death. Leaving it in was agonizing. The king wanted to remove it, but the man said with folded hands, "Please do not waste time. Do not care about me. Take this pot and give my thirsty parents water first. I do not want to die without giving water to my thirsty parents." That is Seva. That is love. That is a true child. That is God. That is the heart of a human. We are very selfish. Humans are different from animals, yet even animals would not do what humans are doing now. Therefore, Seva Dharma—the obligation, duty, principle, religion—is best expressed through helping. Helping hands have more value than folded hands. People search for places where they can render service. We are lucky to have an Ashram where we can do Seva. This is very important. These are not fairy tales; they are real stories. There are also many stories between Masters and disciples, and between parents and children. The pain of parents is greater than that of children, and among parents, especially the mother's. There are three persons: father, mother, and child. If something happens to two of them, the mother suffers the most. Therefore, it is said in the Upaniṣads, in Hinduism: "Mātṛ Devo Bhava." The first God is the mother. Mother, God, father—that is very important. The king went to give the water. He brought it but did not dare to introduce himself. The parents were blind, so he quickly said, "Here is water." The father and mother said, "Why are you silent, my son? Tell us, why are you silent? We are not beggars. We are not your slaves. If you give us water, give it properly. Otherwise, we will not drink." The king remained silent, afraid to say who he was or what had happened to their son. The father insisted, "Who are you? Tell us. What happened to our child?" Finally, the king had to say, "I am the sinner. I made a great mistake. I shot your son instead of a tiger." In the lonely forest, there were two helpless, blind old men who had lost their only child. The king said, "Please come with me to my house, and I will take care of you." They did not accept. Out of pain for their son, both died on the spot. While dying, the father of that man said to the king, "King, in your next life, you will also die suffering. There will be no one to give you water. You will have children, but no one will be with you." That father was the father of God Rāma, King Daśaratha. Daśaratha had four sons and was a king, but when he died, no one was with him. This was the curse—the curse of that man's father. That man's name was Śravaṇa. We say, "If God gives me a son, a child, then like Śravaṇa." We must understand that love. We must understand that relationship. We should not play with it. We have to become one and know our dharma, our obligation. Lucky are those whose mother and father are alive. More lucky are those who can serve them. Unlucky are those whose parents are alive but with whom they have no good relationship. When you are married, you have four parents: his and hers. You are lucky; your house stands on four pillars. Therefore, it is very important to cultivate human relations, also with neighbors. Then it becomes a happy family, a happy society. Yoga in daily life is not only physical exercises, nor just meditation and prayer. It is to cultivate our relationships in this world. Clear your consciousness of doubt, anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, and discrimination. Perform Śiva. Be happy for those who can perform Śiva. Otherwise, we are like the dog that does not eat grass but does not let the cow eat it either. There is a bundle of grass. The dog is hungry, and the cow is hungry. The dog does not eat grass, but if the cow tries to eat, the dog barks and fights. Do not be that dog. Be free.