TV Channel

A story tells of a ṛṣi meditating in the forest. This point is significant for our lives. The ancient texts constantly speak of ṛṣis and yogīs dwelling in forests. In that era, when they lived in the forest, there was ample fruit available year-round, many varieties of grains, and different kinds of roots. Potatoes and corn were not present, as they originate from the American Indians, from South America, I believe. In parts of India, they refer to kāṇḍamūla or khaṇḍa mūla—roots from the earth that are highly nutritious and tasty, somewhat similar to potatoes but even more nourishing. When people practice and gradually reduce their diet, they do not need to eat much; a little is sufficient for sustenance. Fruits, kanda-mūla, and herbs allowed them to live long lives. In those days, there was no concept of "organic food," as nothing artificial, plastic, or chemical existed. Everything was organic. That forest no longer exists. Now we have a human forest in its place—humans instead of trees. The population has grown so much that we have destroyed the forests, and we continue to destroy what remains. I think humans have become nature's greatest disruptors. So, where is the forest now? Can you show us one? There is no forest left, so let us forget that idea. To go to the forest and meditate, there is nothing to eat—no mulkand, no jamikand, no fruits; everything is destroyed. People make a mistake when they read that a yogī goes to the forest, meditates, and needs nothing. I agree, the yogī goes to the forest, meditates, and needs nothing—but only for six hours. After six hours, you are searching for vegetable water, wondering where the food is and where the next bus to the village is. That was that time. Now, whatever we wish to achieve, we must achieve where we are. Or, if you have a small house with a garden, you can grow your own food and collect rainwater. That is sufficient. Anyway, there was a ṛṣi who had a small hut in the forest, with a creek flowing in front of it. One day, around eleven in the morning, he was sitting outside his hut. A hunter was chasing a deer to kill it. The deer was a pregnant female. As she tried to cross the little creek, she made a long jump and managed to get over. However, after a few meters, she lost the embryo and ran away. The ṛṣi took care of that embryo, looking after the small baby. By the grace of God, slowly the baby survived, grew strong, and began to develop. The ṛṣi became deeply attached to this deer; it became everything to him, as he was completely lonely. Suddenly having someone, he took care of it, providing food, water, and good shelter, much like one does for dogs and cats. The yogī, or ṛṣi, grew old. One day, he died. As he was dying, he was saddened by the separation from his deer and worried about who would care for it. His soul left the body, but during his death, he was thinking intensely of the deer, not of God or anything else. The result was that the soul of that yogī entered the embryo of that very deer. The deer became pregnant, and the ṛṣi's soul entered it. When the time came, the ṛṣi was born as a deer. The mother deer loved her little calf very much. One day, as the baby deer was sitting in the sun, it suddenly realized, "I was a ṛṣi! How is it possible I was born as an animal again?" It realized this was due to its attachment. So it prayed to God to be freed from that life, to be granted another human life for meditation. Thus, jahā āsā vahā vāsa—where your desire and attachment lie, there you will reside. You will return there. It is attachment that pulls you back. It is your attachment that makes you sad and creates many physical and mental disturbances. Love is different from attachment. As long as you are not above these worldly attachments—which include family attachments—you remain bound. There are two kinds of family attachments: a healthy attachment, filled with love and the fulfillment of duty, and an unnatural attachment, which makes you unhappy. We should learn from animals. Humans must learn again from animals. A bird has attachment: it builds a nest, lays eggs, and fulfills its duty by sitting on them until the babies hatch. It loves them, is attached, and brings them food until their wings are strong. The bird will accompany them for one or two take-offs, for one or two flights, and then it creates distance. This pattern exists in animals too; they have a certain period for that kind of attachment, after which they give their young freedom to grow. Of course, the new bird, while learning to fly, may fall or land in a thorny bush, but it manages to emerge. Where there is attachment, there is unhappiness. Where there is love, there is happiness. Where there is love, there is freedom. Where there is attachment, there is no freedom; where there is bondage, there is no freedom. Therefore, it is crucial to develop such healthy love and bonding. You can do whatever you want, but you cannot go further. The rope of the horse is in your hands. There is a very nice example: A cow is tied in its stall with a strong rope or chain, meaning it cannot free itself. Now, imagine its stall catches fire and is burning, with the cow inside. It is burning, wishing to be free, but it cannot because it is tied to that hook with a chain it cannot break. Similarly, we have a hook in our lives; we are tied to it, suffering and burning inside. Burning in the fire of life is not easy; it is painful. You wish to be free but cannot, because that hook is too strong. This is your blind attachment. You think it is your responsibility, but it is not. You have done everything you could; now let the bird fly free. It does not matter in which direction. Devpurījī said, "God takes upon Himself the destiny of the devotees." So God is responsible; it is destiny. Imagine if you were to die today. Who would take care of the people? What would happen then? It is your ignorance that makes you think you are doing it all. It is said, he who gave the life will give the food. So God, who gave life, will take care accordingly. As parents, we can give only birth, not destiny. As friends, we can give only support, not destiny. This applies not only to family members or friends but to all creatures. Therefore, you should know what you have done and where your responsibility ends. For your children, you give them education. For a certain number of years, until perhaps age 25, you must then give them complete freedom. They will learn. But it is your attachment again, your ignorance. This ignorance and attachment are the biggest barriers; you cannot proceed. They are a rock in front of your cave, preventing your exit. They are the chain hooked so the cow cannot leave its place. For human intellect and feelings, this is sometimes very hard. But you must choose: either this or that. You should love them, give them education, support, and everything. But after a certain time, if they need your advice, they can come to you—that is all. This is why mostly parents suffer. And anyway, children will not follow you now. Children do what they like to do. Those sitting here as parents, whose children are already grown—20, 30, or 40 years old—is there anyone whose children follow them 100%? Is there any happy parent sitting here? Is there any happy parent here whose children are 12, 13, or 15 years old and who follow them? You tell them, "Don't watch that," but they watch television. Parents tell them to turn off the TV, and they say, "No, I want to watch this." Is there any happy parent whose children turn off the television when told? You see, this is Kali Yuga. Is there any happy master whose disciples follow him? Yes, I can say I am a happy master whom my disciples follow. You see, it is better to be a master than a parent. I can tell you, your disciples will take care of you more than your own children. Therefore, you should develop yourself and have good disciples. Yes, nowadays, your friends will take more care of you than your children, because modern education is like that. Try to be active in gaining good friends and good disciples. I am not against children; I love children very much and wish for them to be well-educated. But the problem is the outside culture, which is very different now and is commercialized. People with money get all kinds of licenses. For example, if a millionaire or the owner of nightclubs decided to come to a place and open five discos operating all night, they would get permission immediately. But for good things, if we want to have one hall, we do not get permission. Just put 100 million crowns on the table, and the permission will come to your home; you need not go to the office. In Kali Yuga, money is God. That is Kali Yuga. Of course, the outdoor culture is not good for humans now. But good children, spiritual children, are those who follow their parents and ethical principles. Children should not be allowed to watch television until the age of 25. Good, spiritual children listen to their parents and do not watch TV until they are 25. They can watch children's programs, programs about nature and animals, or the news—that is all. If they want to watch more, they should watch yoga videos. These are the spiritual examples for children. But as I said, none of your children follow you. So what do you expect from them? When you need them, they will not be there. You do not know where your child will go or whom they will marry. You may be in Europe, and your child may be in Japan. They might phone you twice or write to you on your birthday and maybe at Christmas—that is all. But if you have good friends and good disciples, they will take care of you. You see, what I am telling you is the reality. Then why are you only attached to your children? That is it. Become neutral. Love all and gain good friends. It is a bitter truth. So, moha—attachment—is ignorance. What you think is yours is not yours. And what you do not think is yours, is yours. That is it. You think good things are yours, but they are not. But the troubles you think are not yours, are yours, because they lie in your destiny. So think and work in this way. Free yourself from this prison, because you know you cannot, and you are not able to do what you want to do. You are only present and suffering. Now the decision is yours. Think logically. For example, you are so attached to and suffering for your husband, yet he does not love you at all. Still, you take care of him immensely, and you cannot even go shopping peacefully because you want to run back home to check on him. I knew a very nice lady, 78 years old, whose husband was 81. She would go shopping, and sometimes while talking, she would say, "I must go home quickly because my husband is alone." I said, "Yes, but why not stay a little longer?" She replied, "Because when I go shopping, he telephones other ladies." She was jealous at 78, and he was 81. I told her, "What do you think? Let's say you die. What will happen then?" She said, "Then I will come as a ghost and disturb the telephones. I will do something." So, suppose you die—what will happen to it? Nothing will go with you, not even this body. So free yourself from that attachment. Use your wisdom, use your knowledge, or continue to suffer. Yes.