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Satya Nārāyaṇa Bhajman Nārāyaṇa yana Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa nara nara yana Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa nara yana Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa nara nara yana. Good evening, dear brothers and sisters around the world. Wherever you are, I wish you all the best. If you have a birthday today, I wish you a happy birthday. God bless you with good health and a harmonious, happy life, and spiritual development. Yesterday we spoke about guru bhakti, guru vākya, guru sevā, and guru kṛpā: the devotion to the Gurudev, understanding the words of the Gurudev, and serving the Gurudev in order to receive his mercy. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the Mahāśrāddha of our beloved Gurudev, Indra Dharma Samrāṭ Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandajī. Many times people misunderstand these words. Guru Bhakti, the devotion to the master, means you must pay your complete attention. There are many different kinds of gurus, including the master who teaches you a profession. When your master is giving a lecture in school, college, university, or a seminar—a person who is an expert in that subject, and that subject is your interest—it means you must now listen carefully. Sometimes people feed fish. When they throw a piece of bread, the fish jumps and catches it. Or you feed ducks at a lake; when you throw something to eat, immediately the duck catches it, even while running here and there. As soon as your hand moves, there is already tension: what is in your hand? And immediately it catches with its beak. Similarly, the aspirant must pay attention to what the teacher, master, or guru is teaching. Every word, every sentence that comes from the lips of the master must immediately be swallowed by the disciple's intellect. As soon as the master pronounces a word, the disciple, being so concentrated, immediately catches it and brings it into the buddhi, the intellect. There are many kinds of hunger: physical hunger, which you satisfy through solid or liquid food. There is also spiritual hunger, which you satisfy through your practice. That is why, all around the world, spiritual saints and persons constantly remember and repeat the name of their God, in whom they believe. It does not matter in which divine personality you believe; reality is one, truth is one. They have spiritual hunger; if they do not meditate and perform their mālā, sādhanā, or prāṇāyāma one day, they feel very weak. One man asked our holy Gurujī, "Gurujī, if you do not practice your mantra with your mālā one day, how do you feel?" Gurujī said, "First, I feel as if I did not brush my teeth and did not wash my body. I feel the whole day as if I did not eat anything, and I feel like a fish taken out of the water." That is spiritual nourishment, through which spiritual energy and spiritual health remain in good condition. But only that person who has Guru Bhakti, who has the aim of Brahma Jñāna, who has realized the trouble of this world and has a longing to become one with the Supreme, will maintain this. Others will practice sometimes, sometimes neglect, or practice with a watch—only 15 minutes, then immediately stop after 15 minutes. A very hungry person, you give three chapatis, but still the hungry person asks, "Please, can I have more chapatis?" Spiritual addiction grows day by day, like an addicted person who requires alcohol or some other kind of drug, which increases daily, never decreases, until the time comes that the person cannot give it up. Similarly, when spiritual energy is charged in your body, when spiritual energy is charged in your consciousness, your soul swims in the ocean of nectar. Then it does not matter where you are or what you are doing; your spiritual mantra repetition is constant. So when you perform seva, service, guru-sevā or guru-bhakti, as long as there is no devotion, no bhakti, your seva has no life in it. You may do it only because you want to help, that is all. But it is like an orange without juice inside, or only a plastic apple. It looks like an apple. It looks like you are doing Seva, but there is no devotion inside. When there is devotion, when there is bhakti in your seva, then that plastic apple is not a plastic apple anymore. That is known as amṛtaphala. Amṛtaphala, the fruit of immortality, the fruit of nectar. When you eat amṛtaphala, you become immortal. Many places speak about amṛtaphala, amarphala. But where is that? That real Amṛtaphala is where there is your complete surrender, complete devotion, and then you are acting. That gives you a feeling of completeness and contentment. So, Guru Bhakti, Guru Pūjā, then Guru Seva. Though you think you are doing Seva, you still may not understand. You have devotion, you have feelings to serve. What does the Guru need that you must serve him? Not that you bring a cup of milk, not that you bring fruits, not that you bring new shoes or some cloth, not that you massage the feet—not this. But Guru Seva means the preaching of the Gurudev, the light of Gurudev's wisdom. To get that wisdom, you must have your interest. That is your subject. When your professor, teacher, or principal writes something on the blackboard and speaks, the student should not look down and sit passively. A student does not close their eyes and listen. If you close your eyes and listen, you understand only 40 to 60 percent. You do not understand fully because of the voice, the movements of the lips and hands, or the body movements of the teacher. These give you complete information, expressions, and indications. Moving a hand here and there, as I am doing, is a language. The sound you hear from me is only half. In that case, even if you have closed eyes, then... How should you listen to the guru ākhyā, the Master's word? It is like when you listen to the radio. On the radio, you do not see the person speaking; you do not see the movement of their lips. But if it is a very interesting subject that the person is speaking about, then you open your ear very nicely—the ear through which you can hear better. Each of us has a slight difference in both ears. Which ear is better for a person? It is very easy to know. If you want to know through which ear one can hear well, there is one technique, one trick, magic. Then you can say, "Yes, from this ear he can hear better." And that is: when the telephone rings, take it to that ear, either this side or that side. When the sound is low, then say, "Hello, hello, yes, I hear." Can you tell? It means you hear better on this side than the other. So the radio is on and you are listening. It is your subject, and it is very important for you. Then, of course, you catch 90 percent. When you learn a profession, because it is your subject, you would like to be perfect in it. You would like to be the master of that subject, so you have to listen carefully to the master. If the master tells you he will teach you something—for example, there is one small engine made for diesel, and another engine for petrol, and the Master says, "Both engines function through fuel. Now, which one do you have? Go and fill it and go." But if the master told you this is for diesel, and you think all is similar and put in petrol, it will not function properly. You will destroy the motor. If you miss one word, you miss everything. Then, in an examination, when you sit and write, you think, "What was the master teacher saying?" You write something you know, but it is not correct. So, to get the knowledge of the master, guru jñāna, for the guru jñāna you have to follow and listen to the voice of the Gurudev, the Guru Vākya. Now, there are scriptures: Vedas, Upanishads, Gītā, Rāmāyaṇa, Purāṇas, Quran, Bible, Guru Granth Sāhib, and many other holy books, plus many nice spiritual books by great saints. If you compare every scripture, the essence is one. Every master, no matter which language they spoke or how they spoke, the inner light of that master was the only one: Satya, truth, wisdom, or knowledge. When you get this knowledge from the master, then you can be the master; otherwise, not. Many people would like to be a master overnight. Many would like to be a master without listening to a master and without serving a master. There is one story. There was a master, around 70 years old, who was very famous in Ayurvedic medicine, naturopathy, and natural medicines. All around the world, in every country, on every part of the earth, there is an immense amount of herbs and different kinds of soil that serve as medicine too. This master had a specialty with many diseases. In ancient times, no Āyurvedācārya, Vaidya, or master charged anything for medicine. They prepared it with their own hands and gave it, or advised what to do. For example, the neem tree has hundreds, thousands of good qualities. Nearly every Indian knows the medical value of neem. One day, a man came to the master to learn from him. The master asked, "What do you want?" He said, "I want to learn; I want to help people." The Master said, "Practice this, practice that." The Master told him, "Go to the forest with my cows, the ashram cows. Come evening, I will tell you something. Next day, go to the forest and collect some wood for fuel, or go and clean this and that." The man always said, "I have a stomach ache today, I am ill, I cannot." The Master said, "Bring these and these herbs; we will mix them together." He said, "Master, I will see when you bring the herbs and mix them. I will just see how you are mixing." It means he did not want to do; he just wanted to be perfect. One day in December, it was very cool. A shepherd came with a camel and brought it to the master, saying, "Master, my camel is ill. He is coughing, and he cannot drink or eat. Please, can you give him some treatment?" The master said, "Yes, I will see." The master came to the camel, checked it, looked at its mouth and throat. Suddenly, he found in the throat, near the vocal cords—what we call tonsils—one big knot, a half-kilo knot. The master said, "Oh, here is the problem. Since when?" He said, "Yesterday he went in the field, and we don't know what happened. He came back like this." The master said, "Well, I will cure it." So the master held the camel's nose a little, put its head up slightly, and with a fist, he slightly hit down here on the throat, just like this, upward. A dry melon, a dry fruit, came out. The camel had wanted to eat it but swallowed quickly; it could not swallow down or take it out. It came out. The camel was happy and began to move its jaw, chewing. The master said, "Okay, he's all right. You can go." After two or three months, one day the master had to go somewhere else. Whenever the master went away, that half-disciple used to sit in the master's place and act as if he himself were the master. One rich man who ate a lot of guṭkā had developed cancer in his throat, and it was swollen. He lived in a big city and came to visit relatives in a small village, but he couldn't talk. They asked, "What happened to you?" "I have some problem in my throat." The host said to the guest, "We have here one Swāmījī, a very expert person who can definitely cure your disease. Let's go to him." So they both went to the āśram, a small hut, and the half-disciple—not even a complete disciple—was sitting there, acting like a perfect master giving blessings. They came and said, "Swamiji, where is Guruji?" He said, "Guruji went somewhere. What is the problem?" He didn't ask why or what, but said, "What's the problem?" So they said, "Well, our guest came and he has a throat problem." He said, "Oh, that is very easy to cure, no problem. Within no time, a second, it will be okay. How long has it been?" "Quite a long time." "Oh, curing throat disease—my master was very expert, and he taught me just... Before three months, I had a lesson." He said, "Come here, please show me your throat." He was showing his throat. He said, "Oh, it's quite old." He said, "Yes." "Lie down here on the sofa, on the bank, and hang your head down a little." He thought he would do some mantra. He closed his fist on the throat. He said, "Yes, yes." He hit with a fist, and the tongue came out. He said, "The moment it still didn't come out... Say, what, melon? Say what, melon?" Yes, you see, this is his second time. He wanted to hit the other one, but the man held his hand and said, "Enough, please. Thank you, thank you." And they took him to the emergency hospital to cure that. This is called half knowledge, and that happens. That happens with a student when the teacher is teaching and they do not listen quickly and concentratedly. Similarly, whether your spiritual master, professional master, or school master is talking to you, it does not matter when. You have to take the words from his mouth and take them into your spiritual mouth, into your intellect, and wait. Definitely, that Guru Vakya, those words of your master, the teaching of your master, will be fruitful. Therefore, mantra-mūlam guru-vākyam: the roots of all mantras, the essence of all mantras, is the words and teaching of the master. In order to get Seva, you have to understand the Guru Vākya. When Holy Gurujī received Sanyās Dīkṣā, he asked Mahāprabhujī, "What is now my dharma, my duty? What can I do? How can I serve you?" Mahāprabhujī said, "Serve all humanity, and give protection and love to all creatures." Is service to me now? How? For that, you have to do sādhanā practice, and then you bring this light as original as it is. Then you get kṛpā. Without your asking, Gurudeva will say, "Bless you." Gurudev will choose you as the model of his teachings and place in you a life which is called jñāna, ātmā jñāna, ātmā prakāśa. That should awaken you. You have to see in Gurudev that light. Holy Gurujī said that the teaching of Bhagavān Śrīdīp Nair Mahāprabhujī benefits every country in the world. The wisdom and teachings of Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī of Baḍīkhāṭū, Nāgo District, Rajasthan, India, are spread globally. If Gurujī had not understood the Vākyas of Mahāprabhujī, if Gurujī had not had the one aim to serve Mahāprabhujī, he could and would not have served. And if he had failed to serve, then all these spiritual seekers around the world would not get this wisdom. Spiritual hunger, spiritual thirst—though Holy Gurujī practiced for more than 65 years with Mahāprabhujī's guidance and blessing, six years ago he wrote another bhajan, a great bhajan which I will translate tomorrow evening. That bhajan shows how spiritual hunger grows day by day, and how a spiritual seeker cannot have his thirst or hunger satisfied. Finally, Gurujī says in his bhajan: "Prem kā pyālā, Hari kab merā bhar se? Ad na bhikārī hum khade khade tarsay... Prem kā pyālā hari, kabh merā bhar se...." Prem kā pyālā, a bowl of love, the pot of love—the spiritual heart, spiritual consciousness. He says, "Oh Lord, when will you complete filling my pot? Why is it still empty? I am waiting and waiting, I am suffering, I am waiting, Lord. I am a poor beggar at your door. When will you fill my pot?" That is called guru bhakti, and it is lifelong—not only until you learn something and then say, "Hari Om Tat Sat," and that's it, unfortunately. This happens with many self-made gurus, or many who learn something from their guru and disappear. They teach the same thing, but their own picture is everywhere, illuminated, and their own Guru is a small, old picture, full of dust, lying somewhere. Very few disciples keep their Gurudev as an idol of their worship, their meditation, and their symbol. Always, they are with them. First is your Gurudev, and then you are. In the Mahābhārata, when the Pāṇḍavas completed their schooling, there was a test. All the royal families and dynasties gathered, and these brahmacārīs from the guru-kula came with Guru Droṇācārya, and they had to give their introduction. Though they were known, they were asked, "Now give your introduction." Duryodhana said, "I am so and so," all said something. When Arjuna came, what did he say? He said he was Guru Droṇācārya's disciple, Arjuna, the Pāṇḍava's son, Arjuna. But first, Guru Droṇācārya's disciple. That was his introduction. Now in this Kali Yuga, people come and say, "I am a doctor," or so and so, "principal disciple"—never saying engineer, doctor, or this and that. Therefore, you can see in whom there is humbleness, honesty, surrendering, and purity. It is very hard to realize this, and that means service to Gurudev. Wherever Arjuna was, in his eyes was first his Gurudev. Wherever Holy Gurujī was, it did not matter where, Mahāprabhujī's picture was in front of him—on the table, near his bed, near his sitting place, everywhere. While standing up, Mahāprabhujī said, "Deep Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai." Going, walking, steps, eating, everywhere. And Gurujī said in his bhajan that each and every breath, ascending and descending breath, my Lord, only your name. It should be this repetition of your name. Then you become pure. Running here and there, reading a little here and there, going there, surrendering there, has no sense. You are lost. Everyone who has received teachings according to their guru's religion, you have your spiritual idol; follow that. You need not run or go anywhere. That is where you will get perfection, and you will get your siddhis. You will get your spiritual knowledge, and that will complete your life to come to Brahman. Tomorrow again, 7 o'clock, I will be with you, Indian time, 7 p.m., or maybe a little later, 15 minutes. Some group comes for singing. You have seen today, through the internet, beautiful folk songs and bhajans from real Marwāḍī people from a small village without hi-fi instruments—just one Tānpurā, Mañjirā, and one Kartāl, nothing else. How harmonious, how beautiful. To present something very simply does not need hi-fi equipment. People ask me, "Swāmījī, when you talk, behind you should be a big siṅhāsana decoration." I say, for what? My biggest, most beautiful decoration is Gurudev. What is important for you is what I am talking about. Listen. Do not look at the decoration, but at the words, the wisdom. See you tomorrow. Bless you all, dear brothers and sisters around the world. With this, I will finish my speech. Shrī Deep Narāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ.