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Beautiful greetings to everyone from Vienna, from Guruji's ashram. Greetings to all brothers and sisters from around the world. I am happy to be with you, at least through this webcast. Every day we receive feedback and responses from more and more countries, and I am glad that through my little knowledge I can offer you something. Our topic is Karma and the soul—the effect of Karma on the soul. Yesterday we spoke about how everything we do has an effect; it impacts our Karma and our soul. Today we will go further to see how we can help other souls. It does not matter whether it is a human soul or an animal soul. In reality, there is no separate "human soul"; in animals, there is a soul. The difference lies only in the body, but the soul is the soul itself. Life is life. Yet, it is said the soul is in an animal body. We can help people, and we humans do act. Consider the first example. When a child is born, we all rejoice. We are happy, congratulate the parents, and send blessings to the little baby. Secondly, all parents try to provide an education through beautiful example, without violence or harshness. Parents should be there for their children. A small child has no idea about money, or whether one has a beautiful villa or not. A child is happy with a small balloon but is even happier when the father and mother are there. They are especially happy when Grandmother and Grandfather come, and even more so when parents and neighbors play together in the garden. This is joy. This is how we help a soul to be happy. Not only humans, but also animals. The little babies of any living being—if you touch them gently, give them warmth, hold them, take them on your lap, give a little food—the animal or baby feels so happy, so joyful, so blissful. A little puppy, when you pet it, it pets you back with its tongue. When you give a gentle touch, it will lick your hand to kiss you. This is the truth. The cat at your feet, or a horse, or a hare, or a bird—we can make all living beings happy if we give love from our heart. We are building a great tower, a tower of love. But if someone feeds a beast with a knife, and then feeds it with a knife again, the whole tower will fall. Mountains of hope collapse; palaces of hope crumble. You then receive twice as many bad karmas because you have disappointed the living being. You have caused pain. The living being looks into your eyes and says, "Where is your love? Oh human, was that a game? Was it truly genuine, authentic love?" Do not do that—to anyone. Not to animals, not to humans, and also not unnecessarily to the plants. This is very important. When children grow, we take them to the āśrama, to the temple, to the mosque, to the stūpa, or to the church. We enlighten them about the deity, about what God is. From time to time, during birthdays, Dīpāvalī, New Year, Christmas, and all sacred festivals—this is very important. Children wait an entire year. "Oh, the Christ Child will bring something under the Christmas tree." A great love is felt by the child, and it tries to understand what God is. According to belief, one undergoes an initiation. You receive a Dīkṣā, or Mantra-Dīkṣā, or Saṃskāras, or baptism. This means you help a soul to grow in hope, love, strength, power, and happiness for life—to live, to do something good for themselves and for others. How beautiful. The first day a child goes to school: for some parents, it is so hard to leave the child for a few hours. The mother cries, "I have now given my child to someone else," and the child feels it too. But if one is constantly on vacation, constantly has a babysitter, constantly parties, and the children are left alone while the babysitter sleeps, the child quickly closes their eyes. When babysitters leave, the child inwardly says, "Mami." No matter what sound is in the house, the child thinks, "Oh, my parents are coming home." Just like a bhakta, the heart of the devotee speaks: "The door of my heart, open it wide, I keep it for you. Do you want to come? You come to me only once. Do you want to let my day fly by without seeing you, my Lord? Night and day I look for you. Mama, without you or Papa, I cannot go to sleep; I want to hear a little story from you." The warmth of the mother, the warmth of the father—that is the greatest remedy, the highest remedy for the soul of the little child. Then there is no more conflict, no crime. Why is there such a state in the world at the moment? We can only blame the parents. Your money is not everything, and your house is not everything. But your child is more important for you and for the whole world. Marriage ceremonies, wedding ceremonies are for the meeting—not just the signing. "Do you accept that you should be a woman? Yes." Hocus pocus many pussi, hari om. This is that. Pussi tadi, pussi tam, poske, hari om, ahoy. This is not a theory of birth. There are the mantras, the prayers, the words of a priest. In every religion, in the church, how beautiful the ceremonies are. You know, at the foundation, every woman, every girl dreams of standing before the church in a beautiful white dress, waiting for the bridegroom. In India, every woman begins to pray for little young girls; she offers water to a Banyan tree in the month of April, the sacred month, and ties a beautiful thread with a coin, wishing to receive a handsome, healthy, and good husband. Very good. Husbands are fasting, singing songs—a great joy. Then when she is grown, 15, 16, or 20 years, she dreams of beautiful henna designs on her hands, and a beautiful sari. For the first time, her husband holds her hand. It is not that after being together for ten days you say, "I don't want to marry you," or after five years together, he says, "I will not marry you," or "We are separate." No, this is not a meeting. This is the first time. Can you imagine young girls or young boys waiting 10, 20, 25, 18, or 30 years? She has given her hand to no one except her father, mother, grandfather, or brother. But as a woman and a man in love, what a man or a woman can give—that was a great dream to fulfill. They begin to cry, but men must not cry; a man must hold back well. Maybe the tranquilizers don’t hold back well. But then the priest, the Brāhmaṇa, the Paṇḍita takes the hand of the man and of the young woman, and in between there is some henna or something—I don't know, because I have never been married and have not held it. But it creates something in between and brings the hands together. It pains their heart. The pain of their heart is a lifelong dream: "Your prayer has been fulfilled. I have now begun a new life." And she dreams it beforehand. But in the dream, you do no karma. You can dream, but it is only a dream. That is why they say he is a dreamer. In the fire ceremony, fire is the presence, the attendance, the witness of the celebration. Fire is the highest witness, God Himself. Fire is purity, and you give your words, you promise before the fire. If you break your word, the fire will burn you; it will punish you. A human word is significant. If you break your promise, you must face the consequences. Then the mantras come, and the fire ceremony. If a man or his wife has any error or blood, blossoming—all the joy, all the hope that you have built, your joy, the palace of your joy, collapses. It is like an earthquake in the heart. So a man and a woman maintain a balance with joy throughout their lives, and also their souls with each other. Then it is beautiful to marry. A man comes home and says, "You are stupid, you are insane, you are crazy, you did this to me. Oh God, just like that." Or the woman says, "You are completely foolish, crazy one. Where were you? Do you always think too much? You stink." No love. And the children sense it. Oh yes, you feel it. That is why a joint family is very important. Great-great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles, relatives, aunt, pante, aunt, kante, bundle and ante and so on—all being together, happy. If not always, at least once a week you should come together, sit together, and sing beautiful songs. "A beautiful green meadow in our time, where we gather under the trees until evening. Oh, how blessed the families are." That is what we need. When we are older people—parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, niece, and nephew—all together, can you imagine the joy of little children? It is madness. The little children are so happy. They go to everyone; everyone will then have the son, everyone is caressed. Even the cats and dogs are all happy to be part of the family. We help the souls to build themselves up and to walk on a beautiful, good path. A healthy family, a happy family, a good family, a good society, a good country, a good future for us—that is what Yoga dedicates to us in daily life. I always speak a lot; we are happy together. We are a yoga family, and we strive to uphold the example. After the wedding, that is the highest time. Then where to? That is the question. When you marry, it means your desire, your joy, must be shared half and half. Your joy, the one you have, you must share equally with your wife and your son, my dear. Before, it was only for you. Your pocket money is now divided into two parts. When you have children, then forget your ice cream; it belongs to the children. It is so. Then comes a time when a part of the family has departed. The soul goes away. What do we do? A prayer, a funeral ceremony. We perform a ceremony for praying, which means we all pray that the soul may enter the light, the eternal light, the peace, the divine light, the divine peace, and the light—and according to your belief, into heaven or into Brahmaloka, Vaikuṇṭha. Then after some days we perform another ceremony to liberate this soul from the earth and from the family. Those who have passed we call ancestors, Pitṛloka. That means, at this moment, you are in Pitṛloka. For human beings, it is Dharma, specifically for their own children. The children perform a special ceremony for the deceased parents so that they can move from Pitṛloka back into the astral world, into Devaloka, allowing them to be reborn or liberated. If you do nothing for your parents, your grandparents, then they remain stuck there in Pitṛloka, and you cannot go further because there is a blockage; it is a red light. It is our duty to perform a ceremony for our sisters, our parents, or our children according to our faith. Right now, it is the Śarad-Pitṛ-Pakṣa ceremony according to Hinduism. This is done especially in India, in a city called Gayā. In Gayā, Bodh Gayā, Buddha Gayā, where Buddha attained his enlightenment, there is the place where people go for the Pitṛ ceremony. If someone believes their ancestors have not yet received this inquiry, or if you are afraid someone is still there, then go and perform a ceremony. Now comes early November; in Christianity, it is also the time of All Saints and all the blessed ones. For our families, everyone goes to the cemetery. If you believe in nothing, then why do you go to the cemetery? Whom do you visit at the cemetery? Where is the soul? Where is your father? There are only the bones. Perhaps not. But our religion, our faith tells us it is a human, a family duty—the duty of the family to go to the grave and pray for them. Yes, they are not there. They are gone. But for us, a sacred center is a place for our faith. For example, we travel to India and go to Guruji’s Samādhi. We bow there. In the mind, we speak with it. We offer flowers, we meditate, and in meditation we feel that Guruji is sitting before us. Or Mahāprabhujī’s Samādhi, his āśrama, his sacred bed, his sacred shoes. For us, everything is sacred. One time you must touch with your head his shoes and his blanket on his bed. It means a great deal. His power and his blessing are coming to us. So we pray for our forefathers and the souls that are present or being reborn. It doesn't matter where they are; they receive this positive energy from us. For example, someone has done something bad and is now in prison. Do you know what prison means? Who has been in prison? Imagine such a one is in prison. The relatives—or let's say we go to the President, the Governor, the Prime Minister, or we take a lawyer—and we ask, we request them to forgive and release the person, to let them be free. That means support. Sometimes we offer money. A devotee accepts money, and the lawyer takes money. This bribery means you have to give a donation—give a donation so that the gods quickly work for you. Of course, why do we give donation? That is it. Donating, helping—we say feed the poor animals, cure, door, all living beings. Even fish are fed, but there is no thought that we might one day kill fish. No, not like this. Everything you do—pray, think positively in meditation for your ancestors or for your children who may have passed away—has a very strong effect. It works. And so, we can, as the second person—the soul, the soul, the... soul,... the soul. And that we learn within religions. So people should not scold religion. Many people say, after the church and such, or the Swāmīs, or Gurus, or temples, and religion—that is a negative thought from people; that is blackmailing. Religion is there for your well-being, for your present, and for your future. Yes, go there and pray and believe where your heart believes you should. God is a matter of the heart. Religion, love, spirituality—spirituality is a deeply personal matter, and through your personal prayer and through the entire process of growth, we also help other souls. It is very important. Then your ancestors, the Pitṛ, will also come back to you and bless you. They have given you blessings throughout your life. They have wished you all the best and continue to wish you the best. And now, when you pray for them, or you pray on their behalf, they will bless you. You can feel that. For example, during my world tour in Australia, the Aborigines—what the doctors do first is pray and give thanks to the ancestors. Then in New Zealand, the locals, the Māoris—what they do first is welcome you. They say, "We welcome you to our Ancestors' land." And they pray and bless you in the name of the Ancestors. In India it is said, "Mātṛ Devo Bhava"—Mother is the first God. "Pitṛ Devo Bhava"—Father is the second God. "Ācārya Devo Bhava"—and your Master or your spiritual teacher, your religious teacher is the third. And so on. We learn from them and receive blessings. Then I came to America. The original inhabitants, the true Americans, the Indians—we were in Los Angeles for the Peace Bell Ringing. Leading the peace bell—the peace bell is a very historical thing. After the tragedy in Hiroshima, people from all over the world sent coins to the UN, to Hiroshima. There were so many coins the Japanese wondered what to do. They melted all the coins and made seven great bells, gifting them to the UN. The UN installed these seven bells in parks in various countries. In Los Angeles, it is the sixth bell. Once a year, on World Peace Day, organized by the UN and the local government, special individuals—spiritual persons or government officials, people who are steadfast—come together. No faith? All of them have failed. So we believed. There was a Native American in traditional attire, a hat with eagle feathers, his entire outfit—full Native dress, which I saw for the first time. His wife was also there, and he had a sacred staff. The Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara holds a staff in his hand. This staff, according to Hinduism, is called Dharmadaṇḍa. Dharma means righteousness, and Daṇḍa means staff. Daṇḍa also means punishment. A king gives a rule for the people, and if they do not follow it, they will be punished. But the king himself sits on his throne and says, "This law applies only to you. I am a king, and it does not apply to me." Then his Gurudeva arrives with a Dharmadaṇḍa—with bamboo—and struck the king's head three times. He said, "King, how can you say such a thing? A law applies to everyone. It is for everybody. It doesn't matter if you are a king or a beggar. If you are doing wrong, then this stick, the Dharma, will punish you. The Dharma will punish you. Whoever possesses Dharma, who is protecting the Dharma, the Dharma will protect you—the truth and the rightness." So the natives in America have the same or a similar stick attached to the claw of the eagles. How do you say? Claw. He said a prayer, and his wife was sitting there. He had given the daṇḍa, this staff, to his wife. The two were elderly people. The woman sat there, supporting this staff on the ground and holding it like that. The man says, "What are you doing?" It is not merely a walking stick or something for beauty, but it is a symbol. In Christianity, there is also a shepherd's staff that gathers its sheep. So for all of you, they also made a staff in the church. So, Dharmadaṇḍa. Dharma means rightness or unrighteousness. So everywhere they were praying. He was praying before they rang the bell, and he said, "In the name of all my ancestors of this land and the Holy Spirit of the ancestors, I bless you all." And what happened? Five leaves fell from the tree. Hold him at the side. I seek your blessings, and five leaves fall down. I said to others, "Look, I have glued them. Look, gather his five leaves." So in every culture, in every belief system, in every religion, wherever people are, the ancestors are receiving their energies returning to us. And our energy, our prayers, our imprints, our good wishes, our ceremonies, go to them. When you dedicate something, when you offer something, give something in the name of a particular person, it reaches. It certainly reaches. Surely, it reaches. If we do not have this feeling, you are lost. Do not think, "I have no fear of my family." No. There was a time when family tradition was being abandoned. It was used. And it was, as I say, everyone remained within this family tradition, and it was more beautiful there. But God Kṛṣṇa writes in the Bhagavad-Gītā: in Kali-Yuga, everyone becomes Varṇasaṃkara. And when Varṇasaṃkara comes, then Kali-Yuga becomes unbearable. Varṇasaṃkara means a seed fallen from one field into another field, and from the other field to the third field. From a hedgehog to a horse and back to a mule, and so on. Everything is changing with genetic technology—the trees, the fruits, the vegetation, the seeds, the grains, the animals, the people. And the people, what we call crossbred. Through that, the Buddhi, the intellect, has also become confused. So we think according to the different energies that have come together within us. This is the Dharma of nature. And oh human, you should not have done that. For your greed, for your expectation, for your longing, you should not have created that nothingness. You have disturbed the whole of nature, brought it out of balance. You bring unbalance, human. Not only will this nature suffer, but first of all, you will suffer. Unfortunately, that is the state and situation in the world—that people day by day experience more psychological problems, mental illnesses, physical diseases, and feelings of numbness. Why? We are becoming emotionless. Why? Because everything comes through. But it will be a salvation for us when we begin to help in this direction—every soul and every other person. Everyone who prays, who chants the mantras, always repeats the Guru-mantra—that helps. Just as karma can influence the soul, with your prayer we can also influence other souls. That is what we must do. And we must follow the tradition and the principles. A person understands what tradition is. A person understands what family heritage means, what a family tradition means. Try to stay there. That would be nice. Emancipation is too vast. But emancipation does not mean that you throw everything into one pot. Every four years, seasons—they last several months. It is beautiful that nature functions according to the season. But human beings do not respect this. That is why the problems of the world arise day after day. Our answer is only one: spiritual development, spiritual thoughts, according to your belief, according to your abilities, and love for all creatures. Live vegetarian, help Mother Earth and all the souls who are suffering between Zwein, Stahl, and Schlagfeld, and Butchering Butcher Place between Stahl and Schlagthof, back to Stahl and back to Schlagthof. That is a great problem. There is too much negative vibration all around humans. In this way, we should understand, we should observe, think and observe. Think about your soul and also about your ancestors. We can also pray for our neighbors. Yes, it will work. When a beautiful rose is there and it begins to emit fragrance, the scent starts to spread. It does not come only to you; it also goes to your neighbor. When the sun rises, the light reaches everyone. Our prayer will reach everyone. When Dharma is protected, we are protected; when Dharma is upheld...