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Salutation and adoration to our spiritual guides, Śrī Alak Purījī, Śrī Devpurījī, Śrī Mahāprabhujī, and Śrī Holy Gurujī. It is their blessing that we are here. It is their divine light and guidance we are here. The divine mercy of the Gurudev is working in a different way. We don't understand it, and we can't find its end, its border. The beginning and end are beyond our imagination, so it is the divine Līlā of our spiritual masters that brought us together. I would never have thought when I was so small that I would be in Slovenia; I did not even know the name of this country. But it is that divine power which is guiding us. In India we say, Annal means the food, Jal means the water. For every one of us, it is written in our destiny where we will go and have our food. If you like it or not, you have to go there. And when that is finished, though you would like to go, you can't go. Such things happened many times. I remember one event. I was traveling with one of the Slovenian bhaktas from Los Angeles to go to Auckland, New Zealand. And our flights were cancelled. We had to go to some different destinations. Once our flight was cancelled and we were sent through Chicago, then we checked in and that flight was also cancelled due to bad weather. Then it was connected through some different destination, Atlanta. And then we came finally to Washington, the state of Washington, not D.C., and were directed to Los Angeles. In every flight, we got one sandwich. And I told Dayālpuri from Maribor, who was with us, I said, "This sandwich cancelled the flight. Sandwich cancelled our flight." Then we took the flight to Auckland. After takeoff, one or two hours, they said we are going to land in Hawaii. Okay. So midnight we landed in Hawaii. And before taking off, 40 minutes before, they said the flight has some technical mistakes. So we stayed nearly one hour in the flight. Then we came, and they said we should get off. We waited there for one hour in the waiting room. Then they announced that we had to go out to the hotel. First, they said, "We will not take our luggage. We can't take our luggage." And when we came near the bus, they announced that we had to go back to take our luggage. That's the beauty of traveling, you know. Take it easy. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was terrible. Everything was okay. Then we took the bus, and it brought us to the hotel. I was tired, so I went to rest. And Dayāl Purī took his swimming trousers and went for swimming. Just under my balcony, I could see his... I was on the 15th floor. Anyhow, he came back. We met one Indian professor, and then we had a meal. As soon as we finished the meal, an announcement came that we had to go. So that was the one meal which canceled all flights that we had to go to Hawaii. Now, finally, we were boarding the flight, and off we flew, direction to Auckland. Then they announced, "We are going to land in the island of Samoa." Small island, maybe like Ljubljana. So we landed there, beautiful island. They gave us umbrellas, and we had to go out. And we got their tea and sandwiches. And announced it's time for boarding. So again we were boarding and finally landed in Auckland. So, what was the sense of this, that everywhere we have to stop this and that, though it was a direct flight? That was Annal, our food. They were two good friends, very, very good friends, like one soul and two bodies. It's very rare that you have a good friend. Lucky are they who have friends. A friend is one who is ready to give life for you. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Holy Rāmāyaṇa, it is said, it is the tradition or the principle of the family Raghukula. Raghukula is the dynasty in which the Lord Rāma incarnated, and they said the principle of this dynasty is, even if you have to give your life, you will not break your promise. You keep your word. But nowadays, someone tells you, "I love you," and after five years says, "I hate you." We don't know if someone says something is real or not. But the friends are those who see oneness in you. And that Mahāprabhujī describes in one bhajan: I long for my brothers and sisters, or the friends of my satsaṅg. I long for them so much. When I remember them, my eyes are full of tears. That's a friend. So they were two good friends. One had to go a far distance for work. So one friend who went a far distance for work was a little more intellectual. The other one was more emotional, so the friend who was more emotional was suffering very much. Already, two years and we didn't see each other. And he was always writing letters, my dear friend, "When will we see each other? When are you coming? When will you see us?" The other one is answering in one letter: To see you, to meet you, I have again and again a longing to see you. Ashva-charan-meen-ghar-mohi-milana-nahi-deet. But ashva-charan: ashva means horse, and the food of the horse is grain. And meen is the fish, and ghar is the house. So that house of the fish is the water. My dear friend, still, that food and water is not there which will bring us together. It is said, on each corn, in every rice and every wheat, is written the name of the person who will eat this. Only that person will eat; you cannot eat. So, there is one story. Long ago, holy Gurujī told this story once in the satsaṅg. There was some question or subject about destiny. Is our destiny also hidden in the food? Yes. So Gurujī told this one story. In one small village, about 4:30 in the afternoon or 5 o'clock, one lady was sitting outside of her house on the balcony or outside, nice warm weather, and cleaning the rice. And one sādhu came, and she greeted him. He blessed her, and he looked in that plate, in the pot, a big plate where she had her rice, and she was cleaning her rice. He smiled and he said, "Kudrat kā khel aprampār." The līlā, the play of the kudrat in destiny—kudrat is an Urdu word—is very miraculous, wondrous. She said, "What happened, Swāmījī?" Oh, it's okay, you will not understand. Tell me, please. He said, "Well, in this plate, I see only one grain of rice that belongs to the king. He will eat." She said, "Thank you. Swamiji, I am going to cook this rice this evening for my family and my husband." He said that I don't know. I believe you are preparing for evening dinner. But only one rice belongs to the king. And he will not come to your house to eat only one grain of rice. Others do not belong to him. He went away. And carefully, all rice she observed, and nothing remained somewhere. And carefully put in the boiling water to make khichḍī. You know khichḍī? Who knows, hand up? Oh, the Slovenians are used to eating khichḍī. You see how our culture is coming together? Well, many bhaktas around the world are listening now, but I am talking. Yesterday, they were admiring Swāmī Avatārapurī's talk on the Rāmāyaṇa and Premānandjī's, especially Jayaprakāś in New Delhi. So we bless him and also Jñāneśvar Purī, of course all bhaktas around the world. And happy birthday to those who have a birthday. 7 o'clock, her husband came home after work and said, "I'm hungry," and she said, "Food is ready." It is something indescribable when you come home and someone is waiting for you, not with anger. Come here, my husband. Go and clean the kitchen first, Mr. Director, you know all these people who are thinking to get married or have a friend, it's not what we call the physical love, but love that comes from the heart. A friendship, how beautiful when you come home. Your mother is waiting for you, your father is waiting, maybe your husband or your wife, your brothers, your master. Well, she told him, "Food is ready. First go and wash your hands and wash your feet, and then come to eat," and before eating, prayer that food becomes prasād, blessed. Month ago, one month and three days ago, in one satsaṅg, when Swāmī said, "Animal eats, but the human gates, gating prasād." Human understand more well. He was eating and very happy. The tasty food in this khichḍī was the whole of her love inside. While cooking, she was praying, singing mantra, and thinking that my husband will enjoy this eating. That's it. A good cook always thinks the person who will eat would like it very much. And in India, we don't used to do while cooking, spoon and then again spoon inside. If you stir the spoon in your soup and then say, "Very good," then nobody will eat. This is only for you. Never. Not even with the finger. May they test the food, but take it on the palm, test it, wash the hand, and then touch the spoon again. But this, to understand, will take still two centuries for Europe. Long story, so better I don't tell it, in my own interest. Husband ate nice khichḍī, and before going to sleep, the message came that this her husband, who was working with some rich man as a bookkeeper, message came that tomorrow morning, 7 o'clock, already we have to be with the king. The king wants to have some consultation, so please be here by 6:30. The office. Anyhow, he used to get up at 4:30, Brahmamuhūrta, quickly wash himself, make prayer. By the king's calling, he was nervous, and he went with his boss, we called Banyā, the saint. They came to the king. The king was sitting on his comfortable chair like this, the businessman was also sitting on the chair beside him, and his secretary or bookkeeper was also sitting beside. They were talking about something which is not in our interest, what they spoke. We are talking about destiny. That's it, and between the talk, after 10-15 minutes or half an hour, that secretary of that businessman or bookkeeper, he felt a little cold in the nose, and he was doing, "Sorry, sir, pardon," but something happened, and he was so nervous. When his wife was cooking, one rice remained very hard. One rice was not through, and he had... Some cavity, so rice went in that cavity. And the whole night, the tongue was going there, but the rice didn't come out. And when he was sitting near the king, he was sneezing. The rice fell on the seat of the king. King didn't see. His boss didn't see. But he saw it. Very nervous, very. He was sweating, so the king asked, "Do you feel hot?" Yes, sir. It's okay. In your presence, who will not feel hot? Meanwhile, the rice dried. It was a hard rice, but dried from him. While talking, the king saw a piece, a corn of rice there, a little brown. He took it in his hand, and the secretary was there. But the king did not know that is how rice came here. Only in his hand was the rice corn. He said, "Oh, andevtā, the God of nourishment," and he ate. After eating, he said, "Thank you. Go home." That man came home, and he prayed to God, "Thank you, Lord, thank you. You protected me." And his wife said, "You look nervous. Was the king angry?" No, no, he was very kind, very nice. But, what is but? You know, so yesterday we were cooking rice. There was one hard piece of rice which was not cooked through. I went to my cavity, and the whole night I remained there. I was sitting near the king. And he told the whole story, but he didn't notice that it was from my mouth. She said this. I knew yesterday, what? And you didn't tell me? Yes, dear, I did not know how to tell you. But once a sādhu was passing by, and he said, "One grain of rice here belongs to the king. He should eat." How? That he doesn't know. That is the play of the kiśmat, kudrat. And therefore, it is said, on every grain is engraved the name of the creature who should eat it. And for that, you have to go somewhere to get this. Either come to you, or you go there. So, I am sure that nobody would have brought me, eating, to India from Slovenia. So I had to come here. That is called destiny. That's called kismat. That's called kudrat. And that's called, we do have something in common. And so we are here, so we don't know what is his līlā. He can make a king a beggar and a beggar a king. That is the divine play of the Divine Self. So anything happens to us, there is some sense in it. Don't be unhappy; welcome it. When something bad happens, be happy that it is now gone. This will not repeat again. Maybe similar things, but one thing is gone, finished, cleared up from your destiny. And when the good thing happens, be happy. Finally, it happened, the good things. That's it. Jis halme, jis chalme raho, Rām kaho, Rām kaho, Rām kaho. It doesn't matter in which condition you are, in which situation you are. Where you are, just repeat the name of God. Repeat your mantra. Pray. Whenever you feel scared or unhappy, pray. And when you don't see the way out, pray. That will guide you. That will lead you. So there are many things together, common in the sharing of the food and water. Sometimes, sometimes only air, that's all. You don't get any eating; you just cleanse, you inhale, and you go. We never know how things are working. I think nearly twenty years ago, there was one story. Something happened. I think Premanāñjī was also in the Jaipur ashram with Gurujī at that time. Something very peculiar happened. The railway crossing barrier closed. It was in Jaipur. Many people were waiting until the train would pass so that they could cross. With the cycle, with the scooter, camel, car, and so on. Of the life is there when you go and see. In the middle of the highway, a donkey is standing peacefully. No one will call the police, and no one will stop and try to move the donkey away. If you ask the driver, he will say she also has her rights. Middle of the road, peacefully, one cow is sitting, and a little baby is sitting beside. And trucks and buses and cars are passing. And the cow is stretching one leg. No one drives over. Everyone has a right. You have to understand the beauty of India. Culture shock is very strong, shock. But when you understand, then you will say, "How beautiful." So people were waiting, and one big bird, what we call a hawk, was carrying one cobra and flying. Somehow it happened, the bird lost that cobra, and it fell on a man who was sitting on his scooter, one leg down. That angry and fearful cobra bit him, and he said, "Snake, snake, snake!" Everyone came. Where, where? And the cobra disappeared. After 30 meters, the bird came down, took him, and went away. Man died. How will we describe this story? There were hundreds of people there, waiting or crossing the railway line. Just that particular person was bitten by a cobra. Who brought? Who dropped? Who picked up and went away? Kudrat kā khel—destiny. No one understands destiny. Doesn't matter if you are young or old; we don't know who will be the first from us. Therefore, try to utilize the time to do good things. All will remain here. This traveler left everything here and disappeared in the forest of the universe. Only two days of life we have here in this world. One day was yesterday, and the second day is today. No one has seen tomorrow. Till now, no one has seen tomorrow. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow. So, live your life consciously in the present time. Give up your jealousy. Give up your anger. Give up your disappointment. Purify yourself. Clean everything in the pure water of bhakti. Clean your antahkaraṇa. It is said that, for many, many lives, you have to clean your mind. But still there are the spots which are not easy to clean. And so, that's it. Only our spiritual sādhanā, our spiritual work, will lead us to the Divine. Therefore, Holy Gurujī said in one beautiful bhajan: Bhai, tum jago re, terā avasar bitā jāye. Your age will pass, brother. You wake up, your age will pass, brother. Your age will pass, brother... Tera avasar beeta ja, avasar vidya chhaya rahi, tere hi khapa.