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Deepa Jyoti Parabrahma Deepam Sarve Mohanam Deepanam Sajate Sarvam Sandhya Deepam Sarav Satyam Om Shanti Shanti... Salutations to Shri Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, to Shri Deveśvara Mahādeva, to the Dharma Sambharad Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Gurudeva, and to the Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramaṁ Svāmī Maheśvarānandjī Purī Jī Gurudeva. Salutation to the cosmic light, Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent. In his divine presence, a very good evening, dear brothers and sisters. It gives me great joy to be with you here today, especially during this time, the Guru Pūrṇimā Parva. For us, too, this is a very special time and occasion, knowing that the eternal light—which has now been burning for thirty years—is here in the heart of Europe, in Vienna, in our ashram in Shikanedagasse. I remember very well how it was and how I began my service for people and all living beings thirty-six years ago in Europe, and for the last thirty years. That divine light, the eternal light, shines for us all. And today, we have brought the eternal light from our āśram here to the altar. Dear brothers and sisters, Guru Pūrṇimā is a day of light, a day of knowledge. ‘Gu’ means ignorance, and ‘ru’ means the light, the light of knowledge. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya—lead us from unreality to reality. The word ‘Guru’ is often misunderstood. Guru simply means a teacher, a master, who gives us something or enables us to know something. Mātṛ Devo Bhava—the first Guru in our life is our mother, who teaches us. The second is the father, who guides and also gives knowledge. The third masters or Gurus are our companions, our friends, from whom we learn something in our life. When a child grows and comes from the mother's womb into the outer world, it has two possibilities: Kuśaṅga or Satsaṅga. Kuśaṅga means bad company, and Satsaṅga means good company. Holy Gurujī, my master, often said: "Dushman kī pāsise chūṭnā āsān hai, lekin purī ādatase chūṭnā mahān kaṭhin hai." It is easier to become free from an enemy, but to become free from bad habits is very, very difficult. What one learns in childhood—bad habits, bad qualities—torments us for a lifetime. Therefore, it is very important that when a child comes into society, we should know what kind of society it is. The fourth master or Guru is our religious priest, who gives us a name of God, namely the Mantra Saṃskāra. He is the master who implants the name of God as a seed in our consciousness, and it should accompany us for life. After our school teachers or professors comes the next master. They give us such knowledge that we make our whole living from it, namely a profession. No matter what profession it is, we have learned it from our Guru, our teacher. There are many types of masters in the German language if one counts how many there are. There is a Hausmeister, a Kaminmeister, there are so many masters. Yes, a teacher teaches us, and a master is the one who truly guides us or has us under his or her control. A driving instructor, who teaches us to drive a car, is also our Guru. And so, dear devotees, you know that India, Bhārat, Hindustān, is a land that is called the cradle of culture. India is a holy land. In this holy land, numerous divine incarnations have incarnated, and millions of spiritual teachers, masters, or Gurus have also incarnated there. India has given the whole world something valuable, and that is knowledge: knowledge about Ātmā and Paramātmā. What is the Self and what is God? Ātmā sohī Paramātmā. The Ātmā is God itself, and God itself is the Ātmā. God lives in every living being, in every creature, and also in plants. God is present in every atom, but we need other eyes to see. With these worldly eyes we can see nothing. Finally, Śrī Gurudev. ‘Sat’ means truth, and ‘Guru’ is the teacher, the master. Brahman is the Śrotriya Satguru Dev. Brahman is the knower, the one who knows what Brahman is. That Brahman is omnipresent, everywhere, in the whole universe. It has no form, it has no name; it has billions of forms and also so many names that people have given. There are many pieces of jewelry: a necklace, a bracelet, a ring, earrings, and so on. But the essence of them is the metal, gold. So a businessman, a jeweler, a goldsmith, sees only the gold, not the various forms. The works of this God are like that. And so a knowing person, a seeking person, seeks the essence. And the master is the one who has realized that. Yes, the forms are nothing eternal. What is created will one day be destroyed. Whoever is born will die. And therefore, it is said in Vedānta: "Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithyā." Truth is God, and this world is unreal, unreal, untrue. God is that which never changes, and untruth is that which is constantly changing. So, we are in this world. The world is constantly changing. That means our body. Yathā brahmāṇḍe tathā piṇḍe. What exists in this universe exists in this body. And what does not exist in this body also does not exist in the universe. This is a universe in itself. It is an individual phenomenon, and in this phenomenon everything exists: our destiny, our karma, our happiness and unhappiness, all our various kośas—Annamayakośa, Prāṇamayakośa, Manomayakośa, Vijñānamayakośa, and Ānandamayakośa—and after that is the Ātmā. Ātmā is eternal. Ātmā is immortal. Ātmā is the highest Self. This Ātmā is immortal. No weapons can kill it, fire cannot burn it, and death cannot take it away. Ātmā is like space. No one can destroy space. We can make a big fire in the open, and afterwards we look through a magnifying glass to see if that space has been burned anywhere. The space is not burned, and so it is with the Ātmā. Brahmaschattir—in our Self, Brahman lives. And Brahman itself is bliss. The joy, the harmony, and the love are within us. And therefore Mahātma Gāndhījī said: peace begins from one's own heart. If you have no peace in your heart, you can have no peace outside. Knowledge has value, and therefore it is important to learn knowledge, no matter from whom or from what. Guru Dattātreya had several Gurus because he learned something from everyone. He even accepted a snake as his Guru because he learned something from the snake too. Learning, no matter from whom, is always good, always the best. And so Guru Tattva means truth. Guru Tattva means the light. Guru Tattva means eternity. This word is misunderstood in Europe, unfortunately through discrimination of religions and cultures. And that’s why humanity, the human, is suffering. My religion, your religion, my God, your God—this is ignorance. God is only one. There is only one God. The Vedas and Vedānta say there are no two Gods, only one God. But the God who has realized God within himself, and who guides and teaches us, is also like a God to us. Hinduism is a religion full of tolerance, full of respect, understanding, and ahiṃsā. Ahiṃsā, Paramodharma—the highest principles. The highest religion is ahiṃsā, non-violence. And the word Ahiṃsā has become better known in the Western world thanks to Gandhijī. Gandhījī spoke very much about Ahiṃsā. Guru and disciple, Śiṣya—master and disciple. The master is the giver, who gives to us. But it depends on how far the disciple is ready, whether he can accept or not. Devotees, dedicated disciples, brothers, sisters, friends, wisdom is such a rich food. It is not easy to digest. It’s not everyone’s subject. To digest knowledge is very, very difficult. And therefore, it is said in India, the great saint Mīrābāī renounced everything. For what? For knowledge and God. There are numerous stories in the whole world. The saints renounced everything only for this Self-realization. You know much about Saint Francis of Assisi. What did he give up? He came from a rich family. Before him were many temptations, many women, money and so on, everything. But he said, for me God comes first. I cannot renounce God; I can renounce everything. But God I cannot renounce. And those who, with little knowledge, with weak human feelings, without reflection, renounce the spiritual path, they are the blind ones. Rām, Rām,... Rām. In India, we say Rām, Rām,... Rām. O God, O God, O God. Human life is given for the realization of God. Pūrṇimā, Pūrṇimā. Normally one understands by full moon the time from new moon to full moon. The moon grows and increases day by day. And so a spiritual devotee develops in the direction of perfection. And when perfection is there, then there is the Guru. And therefore it is said: Guru is Brahma. Guru is Brahma. Brahma is the creator. The Guru is creating within us inspiration, Śrotriya, inspiration—to know something. He is creating the knowledge and the desire towards the knowledge. And therefore, for this reason, it is said the Guru is Brahmā. The Guru is Vishnu, the protector, the sūtra. He is protecting the devotees from those negative energies that come to us. Sometime, according to our destiny, Prahlabdha, yes, it is capable of possessing us, but it is recognized only when you are also ready. He frees us from all negative energies, negative karma. And Guru Devo Maheśvara. Maheśvara is the God Śiva. Śiva is the liberator. Shiva, who liberates us from all negative qualities. Shiva means consciousness, Shiva means bliss, Shiva means life, Shiva means beauty, Shiva means truth—Satyam Shivam Sundaram—and Shiva as the highest consciousness lives within us. As Swāmī Gajānanjī said, whoever understands this Guru-Tattva, he himself becomes the Guru. Those were the last words of our revered Gurudev, Holy Gurujī. For a few years I was in our ashram in the Czech Republic, and I sat in the park, meditated, and the people wanted to prepare a farewell for Guru Pūrṇimā. I sat under a beautiful pine tree, and suddenly I received the message and the wish: "Maheśvara Nanda, this is the last Guru Pūrṇimā with your master." Next Guru Pūrṇimā, he will not be here physically. The master never dies. Who is dying is the body. And so I canceled all my programs and flew to India. I called Gurujī, "I am coming for Guru Pūrṇimā." And Gurujī was very happy and said, "I am glad that you are coming." And indeed, that was the last Guru Pūrṇimā with him. And on that day, Guru Pūrṇimā day in India, in our āśram in Jāḍaṇ, Gurujī gave a beautiful Satsaṅg, and in this Satsaṅg he said: "Joguru ko pahisan leta hai, wo Shwem Guru Shawroop hojata hai"—where one understands or can realize his Guru, he himself becomes the Guru. And so, this knowledge, the ātmā, the Śiva, Śiva Tattva—Śiva is Beṣūtā, Śiva is Befrayā, Śiva means Mokṣa, Śiva means Cetanā, Śiva means consciousness, and Śiva means beauty. Gurur Sakṣak Par Brahma—On Darum, the Gurudev is Svayaṁ, the Highest, the Self, the Greatest, the Self, the Brahman, not the Brahmā. Brahma is the creator, and Brahman is God without form, without name, without qualities. Trigunātītaḥ—beyond the three Guṇas. Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. And I bow to my Gurudev. We revere the light, the knowledge, that knowledge which is within us and also within him. But Swami Sivananda said, "The master is a burning candle." The master is the candle that is already burning. And the disciple is the candle that is not yet lit. The disciple comes from the candle that is not yet lit and comes to the light of the master to transfer the light. Kindle my heart with thy flame, Śataguru, kindle thy wind. Your light should drive away the darkness. Satta Guru, ignite your light in me. That’s it. That’s it. And so, this is one of the meanings of Guru Pūrṇimā. Pūrṇaṁ madha, pūrṇaṁ midam, pūrṇaṁ śrī, pūrṇaṁ madhai, pūrṇaṁ mevāva, śrī śrī te. Pūrṇa, perfect. God is perfect. Brahman is perfect. And what comes from the perfect is also perfect. That means our Ātmā, not the soul. The soul is not the Ātmā. Often, people translate the soul as the ātmā. Ātmā is not the soul. The soul is only a bundle of karmas. It is called Jīvātmā. Jīvātmā and Paramātmā. Ātmā, Śopramātmā. Ātmā, ātmā... The moon increases, and so day by day, through one's spiritual, mental practices, spirituality grows within, and one day perfection or realization will be there. The second meaning is this: the first time, from all these five elements—Ākāśa, fire, air, water, and earth—when the first time the Earth emerged from the water, in the first second, there was the sunlight. That which touched this Earth, this constellation, is called Guru Pūrṇimā. The first day, when your master gives you blessings, or you see your master, the first glance—that is the most beautiful, the light has already gone into your heart, then the mantra, his blessings, and the teaching. In India, for this Guru Pūrṇimā, all saints of all different faiths and the Bhakti students go to the Master and Āśram, or at home, and celebrate Guru Pūrṇimā. And in India, 80% of Indians fast on every full moon day. Fasting has a meaning. And so, a full moon day. Whoever understands the moon phases understands what moonlight means. God, Kṛṣṇa, said, "I come in vegetation as nectar through moonlight." And just last week, Radha told me, in the news she heard that scientists said for fruits and vegetation, moonlight is much more important than sunlight. And we come back again there to the Bhagavad Gītā, what God Kṛṣṇa said. But people, with their little human knowledge, believe nothing. What the Śāstras, Janī, the holy books, tell us—no, we must investigate again, and therefore it is called research. Research means research. Science means sense. There is some sense in it, but we don’t understand what kind of sense is there. The sense is written in the holy scriptures, but we don’t accept it. We say, that is religion and dogma. And then, as they say, we spend millions of dollars to come back to it, yes, indeed, that is correct. Research. So, all the Astras, Vedas, Upaniṣads, they have very clearly said. And so, it is said, without a master you cannot progress. And especially this Western world cannot exist or work without master knowledge. You must have a diploma. You must have a paper. If you are an electrician, you must be a certified electrician, otherwise you cannot work. Vienna is very strict. You see? That is the master. So, we have all learned our profession, our existence, to continue to exist through the knowledge from the master who taught us, examined us, and then gave his stamp on the paper. And then you come to some workplace, and you show your identification, or what is it called? Certificate or diploma. Then they believe, yes really, you are a gardener. Before that they believe nothing. In Kali Yuga, black and white, what is written on paper is correct. What a person says is not correct. Because people have lost this trust in others. Guru Pūrṇimā is a festival of light knowledge and knowledge, which people need. And so, I wish you all and pray to Mahāprabhujī for his blessing, that one day you will realize this knowledge within yourselves, become purer. May God give His blessing to us, that we are all healthy, happy, and live long, and do something good in the world. At the moment, a topic is environmental protection. What people have done to this planet is unbelievable. Nature—we are not using nature, but we are abusing nature. And that’s why Gandhijī said, "Mother Earth has enough for everyone’s need, but not for their greed." And people have now become greedy, and we are destroying this planet. It would be very sensible for everyone to think, reflect, and take steps in the direction of environmental protection for all living beings and for us as well. May this Guru Pūrṇimā give all people this knowledge, that everyone will do something positive and good. So I wish you, on this holy occasion of Guru Pūrṇimā, good health, long life, and a harmonious and happy life. We know all that at present. Our planet is suffering because humans have caused suffering to Mother Earth. Pollution: water is polluted, vegetation is polluted, earth is polluted. This is a pollution of the human mind, and the most dangerous pollution is the human mind pollution, the mental pollution. War is only coming out of the human mental pollution. War never brought peace. Therefore, Gandhijī said, "We will not fight with weapons." So, dear brothers and sisters, I wish you all the best for Guru Pūrṇimā, and in the name of our holy lineages and all the divine incarnations on this globe, I bless you for this Guru Pūrṇimā. Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān.