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The first mantra was good thoughts. The second is bhajan, or singing. Bhajan has a very significant effect on us. It consists directly of the words of the great saints, as Guru Vākya. Within bhajan, there are teachings, questions and answers, guidance, and the name of God. There are two kinds of bhajans: for nirguṇa bhakti and saguṇa bhakti. Mostly, self-realized saints compose and sing nirguṇa bhajans. Nirguṇa refers to God without any form, as Ātmā or Brahman. These bhajans give glory to the master whose blessing and guidance made it possible for one to attain ātmā-jñāna, or self-realization. This is the right guidance and knowledge for us, yet it still requires the guidance of a living master. That living master belongs to a spiritual lineage, which is called Siddha Pīṭha, Siddha Gāḍī, or Siddha Paramparā. This means the successor of this spiritual lineage was great and possessed many siddhis. Thus, Siddha Pīṭha refers to that holy chair, the holy throne belonging to that paramparā. When water enters the Ganges, that water becomes the water of the holy Gaṅgā. Water is water, but it is not Gaṅgā water. Gaṅgā water is only that which enters and merges into the Gaṅgā. If that water separates from the Gaṅgā and flows into a different canal or creek, it will no longer be called Gaṅgā water. Therefore, to receive a mantra initiation and become a disciple of that Siddha Pīṭha will lead you, and you will become a part of that spirituality. You will receive the blessings of all the past successors and the creators of this Siddha Pīṭha. You are in that chain, like many beads on one thread. We are all these many beads or pearls, one after the other, and this thread is that Siddha Pīṭha. Through that paramparā, or lineage, you will come to realization and thereby attain the knowledge of Brahman. That Brahman is called Nirguṇa God, who has no form. There is only one God. All religions believe there is only one God. We call it Brahman, Christians call it the Holy Father, and Islam may call it Allāh. This is the reality. That is called Nirguṇa. Guṇa means the elements, qualities, generally these three: sattva, rajas, and tamas guṇa. That Brahman is above these guṇas, not within them. Brahman is that formless, omniscient, omnipresent God. Brahmā is the creator. And Brahman is also a caste in India. This caste means those who know Brahman; that is a Brāhmaṇa. That is why they are called Brahmins. They were learned, they meditated, they were ṛṣis, and they possessed this jñāna. Now the snake is gone, but the track of the snake remains. Many such Brahmins are not present anymore, but there are some. Mother Earth will never lose the seeds, so you will find them everywhere. Ādiguru Śaṅkarācārya made it possible for everyone to realize Brahman, including yourself. So, Brahman, Brahmā, and Brāhmaṇa—this translator should know very well, and all who are listening many times should know what they are translating. So, nirguṇa means without these qualities, and that is called Brahmanandam, Brahman, the ānanda of Brahman, meaning supreme bliss. Brahmanandam param sukhadam—that is the highest happiness. When you attain that happiness, all desires vanish. When the sun rises, you can blow out all candles, or they may still burn, but nobody pays them attention. So when the Brahma Jñāna awakens—Brahma Jñāna—when the Brahma Jñāna in you is awakened, then you have that everlasting, eternal bliss. That is called Brahmin, a caste. Brahmā is the creator, Brahman is the supreme, and bharam is the doubts. Bharam means doubts, confusion, disappointment. Therefore, there is a very big problem with language. We call Gurujī's kuṭiyā, and you say Gurujī's kuṭiyā, so she cannot pronounce it either. Kuṭiyā is a hut, and... kutiyā is a dog, a female dog. Unfortunately, the translator also cannot. If I were to speak Czech, I would make the same mistake: "Brahmanandam, Paramsukhadam, Kevalam Jnanamurtim," and that is only the form of the knowledge. Knowledge, truth, and where there is knowledge, there is no ignorance. Kevalaṁ jñānamūrtim—only the form of the knowledge, only the knowledge. Mūrti is a statue, the embodiment of the knowledge, only knowledge. Knowledge has no form. You cannot measure it with a kilometer, and you cannot measure it with a kilogram. It is above all these dvanḍas, all these problems, prapañca. Gaganasadṛśyam—equal like the sky. Tasmai śrī guruvai namaḥ—and that is the aim of everyone. That is our lakṣya, our aim: to become one without a second, one with all. Ekam nityam—only one and everlasting. Vimalam acalam—pure, spotless, and unmovable, unshakable. Trigunarahitam—above the three guṇas. Satguruṁ tam namāmy aham—to such a Satguru Dev, I bow down myself. So, guṇātītam—above the guṇas, beyond the guṇas—that becomes one with Brahman. Now you should judge yourself. Where are you? How many doubts do you have? How many times are you angry? How many times are you sad? How much fear do you have? How many times are you speaking ill of God and about the Master? But all karma comes back to you. So we are here. We are going through our karmic punishment. As Jesus said: you are all born here because of your sin. And I am born, I came here to remove your sin. But still, we do not understand. So when you think a little bad, it is very little. But that is like a little bacteria in your brain. It poisons you. That causes disease for you. That causes accidents for you, so everything comes to you. That is it. So either understand or suffer. Nirguṇa; saguṇa is with qualities, and that is God who incarnates in some forms, the embodiment of God, the embodiment of the divine, but still in this mortal body. As long as we are in this body, we are involved in these three guṇas. Though these guṇas will not affect God, the divine, the karmic fruits of these guṇas—good will reflect to the bhaktas as good, and bad will reflect to them, those who speak ill. Therefore, if you cannot think positive, then at least do not think negative. So, the second kind, the form of bhajan, is called saguṇa bhakti. And this saguṇa bhakti—not sarguṇa, saguṇa bhakti. Remove the 'r'. Remove it from your books, please. 'R', take it out. It is not "surguṇa," it is not "sarguṇa," but "saguṇa." So, saguṇa means with guṇas, and nirguṇa means without guṇas. Arjuna asked God Kṛṣṇa, "What is better to worship, saguṇa or nirguṇa?" The universal God or personal God, Krishna, says both are good, but easier for you is to go through the saguṇa, with form, not nirguṇa. Saguṇa, and that means holy incarnation, holy saint who has attained realization. They are in this mortal body. They are saguṇa, but their knowledge and their being is already nirguṇa. That is why we pray and worship our Gurudev, Mahāprabhujī, Devapurījī, Gurujī, and Alagpurījī, because though they are one with Brahman, for our eyes it is easier to manifest them in our way, so we have the form. So, nirguṇa bhakti or saguṇa bhakti. Take the 'r' out. Please, everybody, correct it in your notes. Only saguṇa. So there are two kinds of bhajans: nirguṇa and saguṇa bhajan. Nirguṇa bhajan is mostly written by self-realized souls, mahātmas. Saguṇa bhakta bhajans are written by devotees, those who call upon Bhagavān or God or Masters. And that Master, being in physical form, is one with Brahman. That is why the glory of the Master is the highest. Therefore, it is said: "Gurur Brahmā"—the Guru is the creator. "Gurur Viṣṇu"—the Guru is the protector. "Guru Devo Maheśvaraḥ"—and he is that Śiva, the liberator. "Guru Sākṣāt Para Brahma"—and he is the embodiment of the Supreme Brahman. "Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ"—and so to that master I bow down again and again. From such a master, we shall receive a mantra. That mantra will be an authentic mantra, and that mantra will purify your karma and lead your consciousness to Brahman. That will give you ātmā-jñāna. Otherwise, there are many people who call themselves masters. Many are willing to give you mantras, okay? Sometimes a blind one can also show the way to the blind, but we need that Brahma Jñānī Gurudev, Siddha Pīṭha paramparā, like Avalokapurījī, Devapurījī, Mahāprabhujī, Holy Gurujī. Then you request a master to bestow upon you the holy mantra. That means the implanting of the divine light. And now you have to take care, nourish that light with devotion, with jñāna, with vairāgya, bhakti, tyāga. Then your mantra will be successful. Otherwise, your whole life you can change; it is okay, no problem. It is better than nothing, that is true. There was a hungry fox running here and there to find something. Luckily, he found a big coconut, and he smelled it. He wanted to eat it. He could not bite it. He could not open it. Unless he opens the coconut, he cannot enjoy the nut. So he gave up and went away about twenty meters. But hunger and its smell pulled him back. Again, he came and began to bite the nut, the coconut. But he could not open it. Again, he went away. After some time, disappointment came again. He could not open the coconut, which means he could not enjoy the nut. So there is a beautiful poem. Holy Gurujī often gave examples in his satsaṅg: Rām nām nāriyal bīm. Man siyāl guḍāyon le jāī. Phodiyaan toh phute nahi, giri kaan se khai. "Rām nām nāriyal"—the name of God is that coconut. "Man shyaal gudayon le jaye"—and that fox is the mind, rolling, taking away. "Phodyon toh phute nahin"—he tried to break it, but he cannot break it. "Giri kān se khāye"—from where should he enjoy the nut? So many people call themselves spiritual. You take a mantra, you do this, and you chant a little bit for one month. You are joyful, then you go away, and then you come back. This is playing with the hard nut. To open that hard nut, sometimes the master has to become a blacksmith, to take a hammer to the heart. So lucky are they, fortunate ones are they, blessed are they. They get that Siddha Paramparā Pīṭha, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, and we are that one, that we have the living light, a living Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā. So, saguṇa and nirguṇa, saguṇa bhakti. Singing bhajans, like Tulsīdās's bhajan is saguṇa bhakti, Mīrābāī's bhajan is saguṇa bhakti, Kabīr's, Sūrdās's bhajan is also saguṇa bhakti, but the Kabīrdās bhajan is nirguṇa bhakti, and about this we will speak again later. So, bhajan is more powerful than kīrtan. Kīrtan belongs to the saguṇa bhakti, and that is the name of God, of course. That is also powerful, also divine. And the mantra which you get from your master—that is for you the torchlight to walk through the dark nights, through the jungle.