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Welcome to all dear bhaktas of Gurudev. I have been contemplating many things in life today, including the beginning of a very beautiful grassroots project. This term "grassroots project" has its origins in Indian wisdom. According to Vāstu Śāstra, when you wish to build a house, there are principles on what you should and should not do. First, you must find a plot of land. The ground should have a particular shape. There are two primary shapes for your plot, and the placement of your entrance is crucial. The best entrance is from the north. If not, then from the east. An entrance from the west is also acceptable, but you should avoid an entrance from the south. The south is called the empty place; it is said to draw away energy. Therefore, to the south, you should have something solid, like a wall. The shape of the land is also significant. Your door should be on the side of the plot that is a little narrower than the back. Such a plot is known as prosperous or growing. This is symbolically called siṅghamukha or gau mukha. Siṅgha means lion or tiger. A lion only consumes; it gives nothing. If the front of your house is wider than the back, you may face constant problems with income; it will come in but not sustain. Gau means cow, who eats but also gives milk. This represents giving. If your property faces south and you have no option to place a door to the east, west, or north, you may have to leave a portion of your land unused and design the entrance so you are effectively entering from the east or west. Another essential aspect is the ground-breaking ceremony. You cannot simply begin on any day. According to astrology, the Earth has its principles. There are times when the Earth is "sleeping" or "awake," depending on its position, vibration, and constellation. Sometimes you stand somewhere and suddenly feel uneasy; this can mean the vibration from the earth beneath you is negative at that moment. There are many such factors to observe. You must pray and ask Mother Earth for a place in her lap. This is not blind belief; it is truth. Many people suffer because they dismiss these ideas, thinking they can simply dig a foundation and build a solid house. It is said that in such cases, the inhabitants may not be happy. There could be constant quarrels between husband and wife, difficulty having children, or children going astray. It can lead to the distraction of the family and affect you physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychically. Some people face perpetual problems and may have to move. But there are ways to harmonize and improve the energy of a space. Consider your body, designed by nature or God. Everything is placed perfectly for proper function. You cannot rearrange the eyes, nose, and mouth and expect the same beauty or function. This is the creation of a Brahmāṇḍa, a universe. The space where you live should not allow disruptive energies to enter. I have spoken of this before, often to Indian audiences, as I can be more direct with them. Here, I am a little more careful, but you are all my bhaktas. We know each other well; you are mine and I am yours. Yet, this camera films me for the whole world. To all bhaktas watching this webcast globally, I send many blessings and much love from our ashram in London, England. Humans have lost many things. Modern civilization and society have eroded many fine feelings. Modern culture has developed in different directions. We must return to find the roots of humanity, which lie in human qualities, spirituality, and respecting nature. Nature means not only this planet but also respecting the influences from different planets in our part of the universe. In deep meditation, you can discover many universes unknown to us. For our part of the universe, there are fixed laws or principles within us. To create a happy life for ourselves and other creatures, we should know and follow these principles. This leads me to a meaningful point. We live in a mortal world where birth and death run parallel. When someone dies physically—the ātmā never dies—it is the negative energy of death we address. We try to move the body quickly to the graveyard. Where a dead body lies, negative energies gather and bacteria develop that are not good for health. Death is celebrating its victory. After the funeral, you must wash, purify yourself, and clean the home—curtains, rooms—to remove this negative energy. This applies whether it is a human, dog, or animal. For death, it does not matter who dies. There are prayers for certain days. In Vedic culture, it is said that for 12 days, the soul remains strongly connected with the family in the house where one died. After 12 days, a thread is cut, symbolizing the soul's free movement toward its destiny. There are ceremonies that children, or if none, relatives, should perform. Now consider this: when a family member dies, you remove the body swiftly. Then you go to the market, buy a chicken—a dead body—and store it in your fridge. What would you say about this? This applies to goats, cows, pigs, or chickens. According to divine law, it is not good to bring any dead bodies into your house and preserve them. Is it any wonder there are so many bad energies and quarrels? In the past, there were no refrigerators, but now even in hot climates we store such things. This is a part of our living we should be aware of. Therefore, when you pray and conduct a ground-breaking ceremony, you must search for an auspicious constellation. First, you perform the ceremony with a shovel, breaking the earth to dig the foundation. According to Vāstu Śāstra, the north-east is the corner of Kubera (wealth), and the south-east is the corner of Agni (fire), which consumes. The ceremony should begin from the north-east corner of your plan. After the foundation is dug, there is another ceremony to begin construction. You place five stones representing the five elements and nine stones for the navagraha (nine planets). These must be purified through pūjā. Each planet has a fixed direction on Earth; there is a strict cosmic protocol for their placement. Among these stones, you place a ghee lamp (dīpak) representing light, life, the sun, and fire. Fire means Viṣṇu, and where Viṣṇu is, there is Lakṣmī (wealth). Furthermore, you place a small symbolic pair called Nāg-Nāginī (male and female serpents), ideally made of seven metals (saptadhātu) or pure silver. It is believed our planet Earth is balanced on the head of the Śeṣa Nāga, the thousand-headed snake. If we disturb this energy, or if it moves, an earthquake can occur. Placing the Nāg-Nāginī during an auspicious constellation can protect a house from earthquakes. Many ancient temples and churches built with such knowledge remain standing. Before all else, you place Gaṇeśa, the lord of protection and happiness, often represented by a statue made from a nut. You also place roots or branches of a type of grass that grows horizontally, sending out roots and leaves from each node. A small root can spread and turn the whole garden green. In Indian language, we say: phalo phulo, hara bhara rahe, or sadā sukhī rahe—may it be ever green and full of life. Phalo means to blossom and bear fruit—symbolizing a happy life, happy children, family, friends, and time. Then construction begins. The English term "grassroots project" originates from these Vāstu Śāstras and Vedic cultures. Now, we often live in metropolitan cities in flats. What can you do if your flat or house has an entrance from the south? You can invite someone knowledgeable in Vāstu Śāstra to suggest adjustments with furniture and bedding, which can immediately change the atmosphere. Perform prayers in your own language and have satsaṅg. It is satsaṅg that removes all bad energies. In one bhajan, Mahāprabhujī said, "What a glory, what a beauty of the satsaṅg." The fortunate ones have the luck to attend. When bhajans and satsaṅg begin, do not go outside to drink tea and chat with friends. It means you do not know what satsaṅg is. You do not know in which minute a transformative energy may come, and you are sitting outside. It is said you do not know two things: when death will come, and when a customer will come. Therefore, keep your shop open. All day there may be no customer, but just before closing, one may come and bring millions of pounds of business. If you close half an hour early, you miss it. So we must wait and receive that situation, that energy, that happiness in our life. Worldly things you can always have; they are nothing special. Therefore, prioritize satsaṅg. Sat means truth, and sang means to be with it. You can also do satsaṅg alone. Think positive, think with love, contemplate divine powers—this is your own satsaṅg. Repeat your mantra; you are doing satsaṅg. If you think negatively—"I'm lost, nobody loves me, my phone never rings, my husband comes home late"—this is blackmailing yourself. It is said that what you think will soon be realized. Paramahaṁsa Yogānandajī said, "Every thought which goes out of your brain sooner or later will come back to you." Why should we think negative thoughts? Do not store negativity in your mind. Fortunate are those who can attend satsaṅg or maintain positive thinking. When with friends, instead of making jokes, discuss valuable, beautiful things, as we are doing now. What I am telling you is a satsaṅg. It inspires. Believe me, only you know what is in your heart. Only you know how many times you sought happiness but did not find what you expected. Only your inner self, your soul, knows how many births you have had in this universe, through sufferings. Now you are awakened in this human life. Do not waste it. How? Be a satsaṅgī. Mahāprabhujī's words are the ultimate truth. Do satsaṅg. Read holy books, inspiring books from great persons. Watch television or internet programs that guide you toward good. Many things in the world lead to distraction; very little guides toward development. Eating, drinking, sleeping, learning, earning, having children—everyone can do that. That was not the sole aim of this life. If I send my son for something and he returns home empty-handed, having forgotten his purpose, that is a loss. Similarly, God or nature, which gave us this human life, has a protocol, particular principles we should follow. We are human, yet we belong to nature. A tree's life and our life are not so different. We have feelings, weaknesses, and problems, but our major focus should be satsaṅg and moving toward God. There is a beautiful bhajan from Mahāprabhujī, our Holy Gurujī, which is a call to us. Gurujī says after all this: "Śrī Dīpā Dayā Layarāja Śunali, Śrī Dīpā Dayā Layarāja Śunali, Karkīra Pāmo, Sat Saṅga Dījo."