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Giving more light is Guru service

A spiritual discourse on health, wisdom, and the duty to pass on spiritual light.

"You must take the time yourself. Nothing is gifted to us from heaven."

"To walk the spiritual path and have clarity within yourself means you are awake, and you should help others to awaken."

The speaker, likely a Swami or teacher, addresses a gathering on the necessity of daily spiritual practice and self-responsibility for health. He discusses the midlife crisis, the transient nature of life, and the importance of using time wisely. He interprets a poem by Ravīndranāth Ṭhākur about a sunset and a temple lamp to illustrate that individuals must become vessels of spiritual wisdom. The core message is that true service to the Guru (Guruśevā) is not menial tasks but the dedicated practice and transmission of spiritual teachings to awaken others.

Filming location: Wien, A.

DVD 301

The primary goal for all of us is health. Most people who come to yoga seek a healthy life, balance, and harmony for body, mind, and soul. The practices we engage in are targeted exercises. Of course, participating for only one day is not enough; daily practice is essential. The question is timely: nothing is gifted to us from heaven. The effects will manifest only if you practice. You must take the time yourself. You never know when something might happen suddenly. Life can change from one day to the next. Then you blame yourself, asking, "Why didn't I do anything? Could I have done otherwise?" Later, you may have time, but you can no longer undo anything. Therefore, it is wise to think carefully and take a moment for ourselves from this hectic life. To live a truly healthy life and achieve complete realization, you need two and a half hours daily. That is a bitter truth, yet two and a half hours is nothing. You can dedicate this time—time that is often lost through everyday gossiping. People sit and drink coffee for twenty minutes, but you can drink it in two or three. Sitting slowly, daydreaming by the window, is pure laziness, a sign of lost interest in life. We must shorten such things and devote time to our own interest, our own self. You cannot buy health with money. Health is not given; you can only attain it through your own effort. It depends on your decision. These targeted exercises are the auxiliary practices, and most are within our system of Yoga in Daily Life. It would be good for every teacher and practitioner to know by heart the effects of all our practices. That is very important. There are life situations where one thinks, "I have missed out on many things, lost much." This is the midlife crisis that comes after 35 years. It used to be from age 50, but now it is already 35. When you are 30, you can forget—you are on the list of the elder. That is how it is nowadays. Employers look for young people with greater capacity for work. Those who are 35 should set aside worldly interests and think rationally. From 35 to 55 years, one experiences many changes. From 10 to 25 years is a time of confusion, not thinking about the future, study, or purpose. But after 30, you will be happy you studied. It is difficult to understand the present for the sake of the future, yet there is no future without the present, because the present is the future. One never knows when something might happen to our health. Psychological health is also very important. One should not simply dream by the window about how beautiful things are or will be. All beautiful things you think of are transient. You stand there alone again, like a solitary tree on a hill high above the mountains. That tree experiences all situations: storm, snow, hail, cold, heat. So we all are. We are this one tree in the universe. All life situations are transient. One thinks, "I have wasted my lifetime, now I must finally live and enjoy life, I must have the right partner." But one never knows what the right partner is. Regarding the right partner, I say that women... The seeker is a man, and in the beginning he is very kind. After two or three years, they call me and say, "Why did you give me this lazy one? This lazy one stinks, his face is madness." This is no joke. I received a long email letter from a woman almost 40, going through a midlife crisis. She asked continuously for five, eight years: "Please give me a good man, please, please, please." Then she met a man but did not tell me. Later she writes, "I don't understand at all. Why have I conquered such a man, who is lazy and homosexual?" That too. And she has to wash his clothes. She says it is impossible that she does that. Someone goes to the altar, asks God for something, then comes back and says, "Thank you, God has heard my prayer." If it is not right, they go away again and complain. All of that is your own imagination. It would be good for us to take time for ourselves. Your money, your relationships—none of it will help. Because you have money, you can go to the hospital in first class and die alone, because the first-class room is not that good then. Money will not help you become young again. Therefore, it is very good to do these targeted exercises, like the ones Harriet did with you, the ones we did yesterday morning for strengthening the back. Some of you have a bit of muscle soreness, but it was very beautiful. That is very good. The second goal is that when we are awake, we awaken others as well. Twenty people are sleeping in a large dormitory, and a dangerous animal comes inside, but everyone is sleeping deeply. One is awake, and the one who is awake can awaken everyone. But if he himself sleeps, then everyone becomes prey. So, to walk the spiritual path and have clarity within yourself means you are awake, and you should help others to awaken. There is a beautiful poem by Ravīndranāth Ṭhākur. You know that the name "Mahātmā" for Gandhījī was given by Ravīndranāth Ṭhākur. He won the Nobel Prize for his poems and writings. In India, he is called Gurudev. He was in Hungary, in Prague, in several cities. Once in a meeting there in Natagore, he addressed Mr. Gandhi as Mahātmā Gandhi. Since then, he truly bears the name; everyone now calls him Mahātmā Gandhi everywhere in the world. A thought, a word from a wise person has changed so much. Now, no matter which country, if you say Mahātmā Gandhi or just Mahātmā, they say, "Yes, yes, you are still describing Gandhi, Mahātmā Gandhi." That is how it is. One thought has illuminated many people. To contemplate these words, what they mean and signify—as soon as you have something, you should pass it on. Otherwise, your wisdom will die with you or be lost. Wisdom never dies, but it can be lost. A doctor can only give you treatment if he is alive. When he is gone, it is a pity. You see a picture, but it cannot give you any treatment. So you should pass on the most beautiful qualities you possess, not the negative ones. When one sees your picture, one says, "Oh yes, that was a very kind person." Was. But if you are negative and continue to spread negative things, then you say, "Oh yes, this person, my God, the concert hall is gone." That is how it is. There is an immortality. Eternal love means that people will remember you with love, respect, and reverence. That is very important. The essence of his poem means this: At sunset, at dusk, in the evening light, one walks through a beautiful rose garden of about 10,000 square meters, with a beautiful horizon. He observes the sunset and the beautiful light in the sky. Confronted with this downfall, he thinks: when the sun sets, the light also disappears. So, you are the sun. Be certain that you are not here forever. We have our horizon. The present horizon you see is your starting point. With the sun, the light goes away, and so with you, the light of wisdom also departs. Your good qualities, your good words, and wisdom—all are lost. You have a CD; you can pass this CD on if you can or wish to. If you are late, then finish. So many wisdoms and many things have been lost because most have not found suitable students. A yogya student means a good, suitable person. It is better to give nothing than to give things to someone who uses them selfishly. Certainly, Paramahaṃsa Rāmakṛṣṇa, the master of Svāmī Vivekānanda. When you wish to read books, you should read books by Vivekānanda, Paramahaṃsa Rāmakṛṣṇa, Rāmamaḥarṣi, Śivānanda. These books are truly very beautiful. The others are okay, self-made masters. A self-made master is not the Master. You must seek the spiritual lineage. The water is said to be Gaṅgā water, which enters the Gaṅges in the Gaṅgā water. Then that water is called Gaṅgā water. Others that flow alongside, no one will say, "This is the water of the Gaṅgā." It is water, but not the Gaṅgā. So to become Gaṅgā water, you must enter into the Gaṅgā. Therefore, to be this light of Gurudev, this knowledge, you must first dive in and let go of your own identity and embrace the Gaṅgā-identity. Now, when one looks to the other side, darkness rises, yet on the other horizon, the light still remains. The sun reflects: "I have given light to the entire world. I have made the effort, I was the light for them, but now I am their downfall. What will happen to all living beings—humans, plants—because they are now entering into darkness? Who will take care of them?" These are the thoughts of an artist, a writer, or a poet. At that moment, he saw a beautiful Śiva temple. The bells rang very gently. The temple bells must have sounded truly beautiful, delicate. The bell is round, mostly, because the entire universe is round. The sound flows evenly in every direction of the sky. The temple pujārī—we call pujārīs priests—lit the ghee lamp to perform a pūjā. Ravīndranāth Ṭhākur looks towards the temple, and there is a beautiful lamp visible, a ghee lamp with a flame. What else is he supposed to think? He does not think of Śiva, he does not think of Kṛṣṇa or anything like that. But a poet thinks of another reality, the meaning. What could it be? In darkness, the light, a small flame. He sees a communication between the setting sun and the temple light. The flame is the successor of the sun. This is a light, a nourishment that gives the light of the sun. Now, the sun is sad or contemplative: "What will happen to my people or to my creation? I will walk away and stand in the darkness." And this very tiny one, the tiny ghee flame, the tiny flame, speaks to the sun. I will try to have her do that. Perhaps we are not the sun. We cannot replace the sun. We cannot replace God. But still, this spark of God’s consciousness, divine light, is within us. We must not give up hope. We should say, "I will make the effort. I will continue." Many people wonder why Svāmījī organizes this World Peace Conference and so on. You do not understand this. It is not about gathering people, but the goal is to bring the teaching of Mahāholīguru and for people to come to know this wisdom. This is the main goal. And this is Śiva. This is called Guruśevā. This is true Guru-Śevā, when you can do what the Holy Gurujī went through lifelong—through many difficulties, experiences, and situations. But he was always on his path with steadfastness. One might wonder, what was going on in his mind back then? Why did he strive for everything, for what? What he has produced through his existence or has realized as this wisdom—he did it. So why didn’t he write it down? So that the followers, the next generation, will read it and it will serve as a guide for them. We are the small flames, so we will try. We cannot promise, "I will take your place, that you need not come back, that I will be the son"—now I am the son, no. This is it. Many make mistakes. "Now I am a yoga teacher. You all sit down. This is it. Now I am Svāmījī. Now I am the Guru. My Guru was well, he was a Guru, but now I am the Guru." This is the path that creates great obstacles, a barrier for your spiritual development or between you and your students. That is giving, simply being there. Give rights to others. Lose your rights and give them rights, that is it. Your gain is that when someone oppresses you, it is okay, but you should not oppress others. That is it. What you lose is just a little something. But if you mislead others, then that is heavy karma. In this sense, what I also said yesterday about this World Peace Conference: "One in all and all in one." That is it. In this one conference, the main focus is Guru Śiva. Through this one, we have so many benefits: world peace, health, environment, youth, sustainable development, water issues—all of that. How many? From one Guru Śiva, through a Śiva, you can have them all. If you try to have everything, you lose the other, because you are aimless. Therefore, every student should understand this; every practitioner of Yoga in Daily Life should know why Svāmījī strives in this direction. I tell you that when Gurujī was alive, yes, I had time. Often I said, "No, I don’t have time, don’t come," and so on. I did not perceive it so consciously. On the day when Gurujī bid her farewell, I then awakened. "Oh God, it is over." Now we often wish that the Guru would be with us. May Mahāprabhujī possess them for us, grant long life, grant health, so that we may act in his interest for all living beings. But you should imagine that a day will come when I am suddenly not here. Then many heads will rise and say, "I do this and that. Svāmījī meant this and that." Others will say it is nonsensical. That all comes afterward. Can you imagine? That is how it is. Therefore, this goal, Guru-Śevā, often informs people who believe that Guru-Śevā means bringing a cup of tea or food, massaging feet, sewing clothes, or washing laundry. Yes, that is also Guruśevā. But the true Guruśevā is to carry forward this wisdom, this light, this love. This is it. This can only happen if you meditate every day and do your āsanas, your meditation during the āsanas, during meditation, during the breathing exercises, while walking, before sleeping, and so on—you should repeat your mantra. This is one of the best things you can do or accomplish in your life.

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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