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With the blessings of Gurudeva, I welcome you all this evening for a beautiful program called Mantra Anuṣṭhāna. Those who can perform Mantra Anuṣṭhāna are the fortunate ones. Anuṣṭhāna refers to a dedicated practice based on a saṅkalpa, a sacred resolve, which one undertakes and performs continuously for a set period. These are mantras dedicated to one's Iṣṭadevatā, and they can only be successful if practiced with devotion. Without devotion, there is no success. A mantra is directed towards a particular personified or individual aspect of the Divine, and there is a specific mantra for each. We have mantras for our Gurudev, and thus our mental pūjā is directed towards him. There are many kinds of mantras; each has its meaning and its effect. However, the best mantra is the one received from the Master, the Satguru. 'Sat' means true, and 'Guru' means Master. A Satguru is known as a Brahmaniṣṭha Śrotriya—one who is established in Brahman and can speak about it and inspire us. Not Brahmā (the creator), but Brahman (the Supreme Reality). Such distinctions are crucial, as mistakes in books often occur here. If you repeat a mantra incorrectly, you go in the wrong direction. Therefore, you must know what the mantra means and how to pronounce it correctly. This is called the Guru Mantra, received from the Gurudeva through the ceremony of Mantra Dīkṣā, which has its own appropriate time and significance. There is a poem, a song, that says from the moment one receives the mantra, it begins to burn away all sins. Just as a single spark can ignite tons of dry grass, it does not matter how many sins we have accumulated from past lives; they will all be purified by the power of the mantra. This is the potency of the Guru Mantra. When a disciple receives a mantra, he or she becomes Guru Mukhī. This means that whatever such a person speaks is truth, for the Guru principle, the Guru Tattva, speaks within them. However, if a person who has received the Guru Mantra and is Guru Mukhī behaves negatively, it is meaningless. Conversely, one without a mantra is called a Manmukhī, a slave to their own mind. The mind is constantly changing, disturbed, and disturbs others. One must strive to evolve from being a Manmukhī to becoming a Guru Mukhī; this is the first step, followed by diligent practice. As I said, there are many mantras. Prayer is a mantra, songs and bhajans are mantras. There are peace mantras, Gāyatrī mantras, and the Guru Mantra. The Guru Mantra is known as a Bīja Mantra. 'Bīja' means seed. If you see a great banyan tree and wish to have it in your garden, you cannot transplant the tree, but you can take its seed. By planting and nurturing that seed—protecting it from bugs, termites, cold, and heat—it will one day grow into the same magnificent tree. This tree symbolizes Brahman. Thus, the Guru Mantra, the Bīja Mantra, is the best. It is the seed that will purify all karmas and awaken our consciousness to the infinite, universal One. Do not try to shorten your mantra. Some people repeat only "Guru Dib, Guru Dib." While you can repeat Mahāprabhujī's name, you have been given the complete mantra and should repeat it in its entirety. Anuṣṭhāna is performed with a saṅkalpa. There are two kinds of saṅkalpa: material and spiritual. Through Anuṣṭhāna, the saṅkalpa is fulfilled. You cannot make twenty resolutions for a three-day practice. You must discern which saṅkalpa is truly best for you; this is very important. The practice of mantra has many levels, and unless you practice systematically, there will be no success. It is not enough to merely receive a mantra and a blessing from the Master. In yoga, it is advised to achieve the fifth level of mantra practice. The yogīs who prescribed these five techniques did so based on experience and profound understanding; everything has been researched. The first step, after receiving initiation, is Likhit Mantra. This is called Akṣara Brahma. Brahman, the Supreme, resides in the form of these letters. These are Sanskrit letters; they are not merely man-made. They appeared in meditation, and every form of a letter carries spiritual meaning, representing a specific element or deity. This is why it is called Akṣara Brahma. It connects to our inner organs and psychic centers, the chakras. These energy centers are crucial for our physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual well-being. Their condition greatly influences our health at all levels. This is the realm of sound, of nāda—a very subtle resonance you can hardly feel, but it is present. Through this resonance, our organs and bodily tissues are nourished. When tissues cannot receive this resonance, cells die. A reduction in this resonance leads to aging and death. Old age signifies the body's diminished capacity to receive this resonance, often due to accumulated karma and the abuse of the body through one's lifestyle. The body loses its resilience. By practicing Nāda Yoga and Śvara Yoga—which involves the flow of this fine resonance through the nāḍī system—we supply energy in the form of resonance to the body's organs. Every chakra has its own Bīja Mantra, a specific resonance for that area of the body. Illness in a part of the body indicates a blockage in this resonance. There are as many Sanskrit alphabets as there are petals in all the chakras combined, and each chakra is connected to a particular resonance. This is the science of mantra, both within and outside you. So, the first level is Likhit Mantra, Akṣara Brahma, where the letter is Brahman itself. The second is Vācik Mantra, meaning loud chanting. The sound you have written, you now hear internally. It is said that painting can be expressed as music, and music can be painted. You must chant your mantra several times a day; this sustains your spiritual development. Sound and form unite with energy. This energy manifests when you listen to the resonance of your own chanting within. This activates your energy centers. When these centers are activated, you achieve health, peace of mind, and concentration. At this stage, the third level is reached: chanting internally, moving from Bāhir-mukh (extroverted) to Antar-mukh (introverted), bringing the sound inward. When peace of mind is established, you repeat the mantra mentally with your mālā, but it must be the complete mantra. Many people err here. They develop a habit of repeating a shortened version. I am surprised—I gave you a long mantra. How can you do it like this? Even now, some are listening to this lecture and repeating it incorrectly. We can distort even good things. Therefore, repeat the complete mantra. If you rush through it quickly, you are not aware of the mantra. An incomplete mantra does not influence your entire being. If you repeat the complete mantra and cross one bead (on the mālā), you will realize how much energy and concentration it requires. Listening to this lecture, it may be hard for you to repeat the complete mantra and cross one bead. This indicates a lack of practice. So, let us begin anew. Consider that you are receiving Mantra Dīkṣā today. You have been practicing for many years—where is your mental peace? You still have so many vṛttis (mental fluctuations), so much anger, so much ego. If this is the result, it is not a true result. If this is the outcome of yoga in daily life, it is terrible. But this is the result of wrong practice. When you practice your whole mantra constantly—mentally, in meditation, during prāṇāyāma, while walking—integrate it into your life. Do not be overly rigid. When you overtake a car while driving, you must return to the right side afterward. You cannot say, "I will repeat my mantra once more and then get back on track." By then, it is too late. Every second counts. Practice with a relaxed body and mind, free from doubts and stress. Then you will reach the state of Ajapā. Mahāprabhujī said, "When you achieve the level of Ajapā, what more is there to repeat?" Victory is attained without conscious repetition. And when you attain Ajapā, you will practice even more. When you perfect this fifth level of mantra practice, the mantra will affect your body, mind, soul, and consciousness as you desire, and your saṅkalpa will be fulfilled. You may think doing five mālās will help you pass an exam; psychologically it might help, but strive to achieve something substantial in your life. You have dedicated so many years to a spiritual path. You have an inner longing, a spiritual tendency within you. Yet, a few foolish tendencies on the surface of your mind have held you back. A spiritually developed person has a completely different radiance. One who falls away is like a sucked-out lemon—devoid of radiance. When spirituality is present, humbleness, kindness, understanding, friendship, brotherhood, and love arise. All beautiful qualities radiate from you. Do not expect others to be kind to you; why should they? But if you embody such kindness, everyone will naturally be kind to you. The people you consider your best friends may disappear over time. Let me tell a story I have shared before. An old man was the director of a large company with over 800 employees. He had two company cars, a private car, three houses, and many friends. His evenings were always booked with invitations. He had a wife and a daughter. At eighty years old, he found himself with no friends. His wife died, his daughter left, his cars and houses were gone, and he was placed in an old-age home. Not a single friend came to visit him and ask, "How are you, my friend?" He was very sad. This is friendship in modern times. It is not easy to find a true friend who will accompany you to the last day of your life. You may not even have that in your spouse. Tomorrow, he or she might say, "We don't understand each other; let's divorce." Do not think only of the present, when you are young and everything seems available. Consider the days to come. Therefore, it is said: sabadina hotāna eka samāna—every day is not the same. And sabadina śvaraṇa dina—every day is a golden day. For a saint, a spiritual person, every day is golden. For one who is entangled in worldly affairs, every day is different. Your spiritual practice should awaken within you those beautiful talents and energies. There is only one energy, but it has many functions. For one who needs kindness, this energy manifests as kindness. For one who needs love, it is love. For one who needs happiness, it is happiness. Consider an elderly lady. One man says she is his wife, another says she is his daughter, a third says she is his mother, a fourth says she is his sister, a fifth says she is his neighbor, and a sixth says she is his grandmother. You see, it is only one lady, yet she relates in many ways. It is a miracle. She is, simultaneously, a daughter, wife, mother, sister, friend, neighbor, and colleague. All who have these relations love her as if she were uniquely that to them. Thus, one exists in all, and all exist in one. You can awaken to this. But our ignorance, physical desires, and temptations destroy us. You know it is not good, yet you do it anyway. Therefore, mantras cannot help you if you do not practice properly and if you do not change yourself. You must change; no one else can change you. No injection or medicine can alter you. Others can talk to you and advise you, but internally, you must transform. You must change your ego, your wrong ideas and expectations. This constant "I"—"I am a mother," "I am a sister," "I am a husband," "I am a director," "I am a manager," "I am the boss"—this "I" is the most dangerous thing for a human being. It is said: "Within you is an ocean of bliss, within you is a fountain of joy, within you is the immortal one. Kill this little 'I' and lead a divine life." So, it is either the "I" or the Divine. You should begin to repeat your complete mantra again. Sometimes I am surprised, often by young ladies. They have three movements: one like this, another chewing gum, and a fourth like that. I am amazed at how coordinated these three techniques are. (I apologize, but since I did not mention any name, you are safe.) A mantra is like a worm that can transform into a wasp or a bee. As Mahāprabhujī said: "so bhau satsaṅgrī"—what glory there is in satsaṅg! It all depends on you. This Nāda, this Akṣara Brahma, everything is within you. This body has no value at all, and yet it has such immense value that billions of dollars are nothing compared to it. How precious is this body! And yet, it can be destroyed like a piece of paper. This is a miraculous body. The mystery of human life is indescribable, but it can be elucidated through the science of yoga in daily life.