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In this year 2005, we have our first satsaṅg here in the āśram with me. Time is passing very quickly. I remember many things from the former Czechoslovakia. When we look back, it has been almost four decades since I came to this country. We have experienced many situations and circumstances here. Our development is continuously progressing. Life is very interesting; it is a very mysterious life. This body is created out of the five elements, and within it lives the Divine Ātmā and the individual soul. This body is the temple of your spirit, in which immense power is dormant. The Creator has fashioned this body in such a way that no one else could do it. If an engineer tried to construct a building, no matter the speed, they could not finish it in nine months. What God has given in this body, no one else can give: perfect nerve systems, perfect automatic ventilation, a perfect digestive system, and self-sustaining processes. Where gross and subtle forces reside, all organs function, and their operation is a wonder—be it the kidney, liver, heart, or the unbelievable function of the brain. All this is given to us for a special purpose: that we utilize this body and intellect for good things. Reflect on the meaning of your life. Eating, sleeping, and procreating cannot be its only purpose. We do not live to eat; we eat to live. So eating should not be our primary subject. Having children is good, but to raise a child and provide such an education that they become a great servant or worker in this world is the goal. It is true you can give birth to a child, but you cannot give them their destiny. Everyone has an individual destiny. One mother gave birth to four children: one became a holy saint, one a king, one a beggar, and one a hunter. All four were her children. She could give them only birth, not destiny. First, our destiny is created. Pralabdh peli racha, pisi rasa sarir. First, destiny is created, and then the body is formed. Destiny is a product of your karma—the result or reaction of your actions from past lives. Whatever you do in this life will help you in the next. So we brought our destiny with us. It is very hard to influence or change destiny. Only by following the words of the saints can destiny be changed, but we do not understand that. The words of saints are called Guruvākya. What is written in the holy books is nothing other than Guruvākya. Consider the Bible, the Testament. What do you read there? You read about disciples and a Master. All disciples were talking to the Master, to Jesus, and the Master was giving them advice or answers. This is the Upaniṣad, a dialogue between a master and a disciple. So this relationship of guru and śiṣya, master and disciple, is sanātana, eternal. Do not go against this relation. When this principle, this tradition, this culture died, spirituality died. Of course, not all can be masters. A fig fruit contains many seeds, but not all seeds will grow. If all the seeds of figs began to grow, this planet would be full of fig trees. Very rare seeds will grow. Similarly, out of many spiritual persons, not all can be gurus. One has to be born as a guru and undergo training. Therefore, the Saṅgha, the society, is very important. A good Saṅgha will make you good, and a bad Saṅgha will lead you to bad things. The education of parents can influence a child's destiny. Therefore, it is not just about having a child—to have a child is not difficult, except in some cases—but to educate the child in both material, school education and spiritual education is not easy. Destiny is like the wind, and you are like a boat on the water. The wind will take the boat in the direction it is blowing. Each of us has a different destiny. We are all sitting here, thousands of people in this hall, but we have different destinies. Only He knows what they are. Definitely, we had a good destiny to obtain a human birth, but that is not everything. The great Śaṅkarācārya said in the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi that, first, it is very difficult for the soul to get a human birth. Second, it is very difficult to get a birth in a spiritual family. Third, it is very difficult to have your own interest in spirituality. It is very difficult to have the proper guidance of a Spiritual Master. To have that proper guidance—to have a proper guidance of the Spiritual Master—that one is blessed, fortunate, the luckiest. This destiny we have. Yet, merely having it is not enough. We have to work for it; we must still develop. Joy is found only in spirituality. Radosti je samo u duhovnosti. Jo sukhe Rām bhajanme, vo suk nahī amīrīme, Kabīrdās jī rekāo. The happiness and joy you have in devotion to God, even in poverty—ta sreća koju imate u siromaštvu—that happiness you do not have in richness. Therefore, Kabīr Dās Jī said, "The whole world is poor; only they are rich who have knowledge and devotion to God." We are not immortal in physical form. This body is changing every second, every minute. For all of us, the time is fixed, the date is fixed. Luckily, we do not know it. If we knew, we would be very nervous, fearful, and sad. But it is there, and we ignore it; we do not want to take it seriously. We think it is not true, but it is. I can only wish you that date is very far away. Still, the individual is there. Who will be next, we do not know. When you are separated from this body, it is gone from your hand. Then again, your destiny will lead you. So, there are three things. A bad destiny will lead us to bad things. Loša sudbina će nas voditi ka lošim. A good destiny will lead us to good things. A dobra sudbina će nas voditi ka dobrome. And a spiritual destiny will lead us to the Brahma-loka. A duhovna sudbina će nas voditi ka Brahma-loki. To that place where there is everlasting happiness. Ka onome gde je sreća večna. Mahāprabhujī said in a bhajan. Therefore, in human life, we understand what avagamana means. Avagaman means coming and going. We understand what is coming and going. Who is gone will come, and who has come will go. This is the law of nature. We do not understand it when personally affected; we do not want to understand. Otherwise, we understand the natural process: winter, summer, autumn, spring. We understand these processes in nature, like in the new year. But the same thing—our body is also changing and following the law of nature. The Chaurasīka Chakra, the circle of 8.4 million comings and goings. This circle of birth and death of 8.4 million forms of life, where they come and go. We are inside it, not outside. But thanks to our destiny, or by thanking God, we are born as human beings. So, we shall realize human values. When we know human values, we will utilize each and every minute of our life to protect those values. These beautiful, valuable things are given so that this individual self comes out of the circle—through ātmā jñāna, self-knowledge, or God-knowledge. For that, we have to do many, many things. Guruvar, maybe I will start with this, oh Master, I also want to go with you to that world. Look, I don’t care what people will speak about me. And I have no more wishes, no saṅkalpa, vikalpa, no kalpanā, no prapañca, dhar ke virāgaṅ viṣ, and let me dress as a virāgī. The dress of Vairāgya is detachment and renunciation. Remember, Mahātma Gāndhījī said, "Renounce and enjoy." And Holy Gurujī often used to say in his satsaṅg, "Enter the Kingdom of the Lord through the gate of sacrifice." It means renounce. It is very easy to get something, and I am very happy when you get something. But if we have to renounce it, we are unhappy. It is not ours; it is just given to us. When it was given, we were overjoyed. But now, the same thing, when we have to give it back, we are not happy. Therefore, it is said: "Mera to kuch hai nahīṁ, jo kuch hai so terā." Nothing is mine; whatever is, it is yours. Tera tujhko arpan karte, kya lagta hai mera? When I offer yours to you, what do I lose? Nothing. Kada ono što je tvoje ja ponudim tebi, šta ja gubim? Ne gubim ništa. When you were born, there was not even five centimetres of cloth on your body. You were completely without anything, and not one crown in your hand. But look at your destiny and God, how much He takes care. Immediately, you got clothes, medicines, and all care. You were not born with a milk bottle, but immediately the milk was there. So it is said, "Who gave you a pig will give you also the food." Do not worry. Everything you have in this world—friends, relations, house, money—you got it. There is no end to our desires, but when we have to renounce, we become very, very sad. If you have to give up something and renounce, you go to the lawyers. "My wife wants to have that much. I don’t want it." Is it your property? Did you bring it with you? This is attachment; renunciation is not there. So first is tyāga in life: give up, give up. Tyāga. Second is tapasyā: learn to endure a hard life, cold and hot, hunger and thirst, good and bad. In every situation, do not lose your inner balance. Read once more the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā. It is very nicely described by Kṛṣṇa: that is a yogī—"Santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī, dhīraḥ ātmā." That yogī is always satisfied. Dhīraḥ ātmā: with strong willpower. With a strong will, nothing can tempt you. Dhradhātmā, willpower. Tapasyā: endure. Whether there is loss or gain, in both times you remain in the same position of equanimity. When bank shares fall, some people get a heart attack. Others say, "Okay, it was like that." Money is the dust of the hands; you can wash it, and it will come again. And when it is there, you have to wash it away. Lakṣmī is chañcal, restless; she never stays in one place. You get 100 crowns, go to the market, and buy something. Those crowns go into someone’s pocket. In one year, into how many pockets did those 100 crowns travel? That is Lakṣmī. Keep moving, keep moving. Lakṣmī se treba kretati. Some people constantly count how much money they have and how much interest they will get. If you expect to become rich through bank interest, you will not. But if you invest, it will bring you profit. Some people say, "I have a mantra, I have devotion, that’s enough." No, that is not enough. Invest it. Use it. Practice it. So, tyāga and tapasyā. And vairāgya. Jñāna. For all this, we need jñāna, knowledge; otherwise, we will look like schizophrenics. Nowadays, you know, we have many psychiatric hospitals. With one tablet, you lose all virāgya. All tyāga and tapasyā are gone. That is a chemical reaction on your brain waves. Therefore, jñāna—positive knowledge—and then bhakti. Without devotion, all is hopeless and meaningless. Tyāga, Tapasyā, Virāgya, Jñāna, and Bhakti—these five principles can liberate us. Therefore, human life, the value of human life, is that diamond which you cannot pay for. You cannot borrow it from someone or buy it for yourself. This body is given to you, only and only for you. You can utilize it as much as you like. There is a stone, Parāś. When you touch the paras to iron, the iron becomes gold. So a master gave this paras stone to a poor man for one week only. "In one week, you can make as much gold as you like." He went to the market and asked, "How expensive is iron?" They said 100 crowns per kilogram. "Do you think it will be cheaper?" "Yes, it seems it will be cheaper. The Americans have stopped the war in Iran, so it will be cheaper." He thought, "I am a poor man; I will buy later." After five days, he went again. "How expensive is iron?" "Twenty-five crowns per kilo." "Wow, seventy-five crowns less. Do you think it will still become cheaper?" "Definitely, because they are preparing for some other war." The next day he went again. "How expensive is iron today?" "Five krona." "Wow. How God is helpful to the poor people. Do you think it will still be cheaper?" "Yes, definitely." He said, "I will buy the iron when it is cheaper." It was already the seventh day. The master came and said, "Give me my paras." He said, "What? Is time over?" The master said, "What do you mean, 'time over'? Have you done nothing?" "No, Master, because iron is so expensive." The master said, "God. If you had taken only one nail and touched it to this paras, this nail would bring so many kilos of iron again. You didn’t utilize it?" He said, "No, Master, please leave it one more week for me." The master said, "No, time is over." He took the paras and went away. So this human body is paras, and God has given us time. With this body, you can make as much gold as you want. Gold symbolizes wisdom and knowledge here. One day, the last day will come, and you will say to God, "What? You came too early. God, please give me one more month, one more day. I must phone my mother-in-law." He will say no. "You can phone from the sky." God will take this body away. This body is for us that kind of paras, that we can do as much gold as we want. Understand human life, the value of human life. Protect life, and utilize these values to realize that indescribable, immortal, everlasting Divine, the Self, the Ātmā. Do not waste your time gossiping. Do not waste your time criticizing. Do not waste your time on nonsense things. Do something useful. In that world, in Brahmaloka, there is no birth and no death. In that world, in Brahmaloka, there is no birth and no death. Brahmananda means everlasting super bliss. Brahmanānda means eternal bliss. For this is life given, my dear. For this is life given, my dear. So utilize this life. So utilize this life.