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Good morning to everybody. Many blessings to all bhaktas who are watching the webcast. Many happy birthdays to everyone. This blessing is coming to you from the middle of Slovakia, the beautiful city of Banská Bystrica. This retreat or seminar is dedicated to the awakening of spiritual consciousness for world peace. There is a saying: a grassroots project. Grass means multiplying. The one root of the grass slowly, slowly will cover the whole field. It needs time. Holy Gurujī always used to say it takes time till a tree grows from a seed. Mahāprabhujī said, "A seed has to give up its own identity." A seed has to die to live further. It’s also said, written somewhere in the Bible, you have to die to live. What does that mean? You have to give up your personal interest. You have to give up your ego. You should dedicate your gain or loss. You should overcome pain and pleasure. You should remain balanced in happiness and unhappiness. In order to surrender, dedicate this all for the well-being of the entire planet. You have to overcome your ego; you have to overcome your happiness and unhappiness. You have to quit your gain or loss. For whom? For others. Then you will see that your action, your goodwill, your positive thinking will multiply in the world slowly. Don’t think that from today to tomorrow everything will be okay. That’s called a grassroots project. Now, this could be for the public, for the environment, for other creatures, or for your own self. You would like to be the best skier, then you have to begin from the beginning, practice, practice,... practice. Abhyāsa, Abhyāsa, O Kunti, Abhyāsa, O son of Kunti, Arjuna, practice, practice, practice. Maybe it is aimed toward your health. We can cure many diseases, and we can gain good health with willpower and by doing something. In modern times, in this modern civilization, there is one problem: we all depend on the doctor. The doctor will help me to be healthy, and I will take this medicine, which is not bad. But how much it helps us, we can’t tell. And when there was no help of a doctor and medicines, people tried very hard to gain health. So, this is a grassroots project. When I came to Europe, it’s a beautiful story, which I will not open now. But can you imagine, I was standing alone at a railway station. No money in the pocket. There was no handi that time, no address where I would go. And the train came three days late due to the visa complication. The train was there, but I came three days late. People who should have received me at the railway station were not there. Somehow I survived. It was cold. I had only these rubber sandals, these Indian rubber sandals. I had only one thin shawl. I had one suitcase full of mālās and books. But Śrī Devpurījī used to say always, God takes upon himself the destiny of the devotees. And today we are here. Pravda? But it was not that one day to the next day you are all here. You will read one day in my little biography how many kilometers, chik-chak, chik-chak, through the whole Slovakia and Czech Republic. And when I came in the beginning, people were looking at me like this. Now they look a little different. I went to a restaurant in Olomouc and I asked, "Can I have tea with milk?" Some Indians want tea with milk because mostly people drink tea with the chai and lemon. When I was in Turkey, in the town called Konya, the first peace tree was planted. Peace tree. And I stayed there for five days. It came in the newspaper. In Konya city, there is one man who is a vegetarian. Any restaurant you go, vegetarians say no. So I enjoyed fruits and bread. Then, olive fruits. Very soon, I got some good friends. It’s Mahāprabhujī’s blessing. Swāmījī knows how to make friends. Then he said, "You see, there’s one pichāriyā. You bring your things, what you want, and they have doubt. They will put on and pay back for you, pichā, and you can bring it home." So we bought cheese and vegetables and this and that, and we brought it there. They made a big pizza and didn’t ask for any money. I said to them, "Assalamualaikum." So, if you follow your discipline, finally you are the winner. So, if it is your business, your health, your sport activities, spirituality, yoga, humanitarian project, environmental project, family project, you have to begin with the grassroots project. You put the seed of the cherry in the ground today, and tomorrow you want to eat a cherry from it. It is not possible. So there is one poem. Dhire dhire mana dhire se sab kus hoi, mali si che so ghare, rita aaye phalo hoi. Slowly, slowly, oh my mind, slowly. Everything will come. Be slowly. A gardener gives a lot of water to the plant. But the plant will only get fruits when the season comes. So learn in your life to wait. Time brings the answer. Many times we change this, and then we change this. It’s not good. You didn’t change the thing. You changed your mind. You changed your inner attitude. And you know, how much energy will it take to begin again? It’s like that story of digging many, many water wells. So, we are here. Many of you are here mostly for spiritual development. And many people are asking, "Swāmijī, when will my kuṇḍalinī awaken?" So I said, "Kuṇḍalinī was already awakened yesterday in the night." When? You didn’t realize because you were sleeping very deeply. You sleep, kuṇḍalinī awakes. You awake, kuṇḍalinī sleeps. Oh, like that is the kuṇḍalinī. So, things are not like that. We have to remain on one track, and we have to practice lifelong. It will come. Don’t give up. That’s it. So you will be successful if you practice. And I am saying this all the time whenever I come here. So I became old with you, and you will become old with your other disciples. One day, if Swāmījī is not anymore in this world, don’t think, "Oh, he is not anymore here, I will not practice anymore." Your practice, your development should not depend on my physical body, but on your sādhanā, your mantra, and Mahāprabhujī constantly observing. Devpurījī constantly removes all āsurī śaktis from us. And that you should know. Always read Līlā Amṛt. At least one chapter, one story before going to sleep or when you get up. Every time, it will give you more confidence, more love, more understanding. That’s it. And always have feeling and trust. There is one story you know, many you don’t know. The story boy is not here. There was one master and one disciple. In olden times, there were no vehicles, only some kind of boat, horses, or oxen. That’s why Śiva is riding on the ox, you know. Śiva was riding an ox. If you want to go to Mount Kailash, there are no vehicles going there; you have to sit on the ox. Yak, they call. So, from here to Jolan was a one-day journey. But now we have lunch here, coffee in Jowalan, and the rest again here. So the Master and disciple were going, traveling. One thing was different. In old times, there were a lot of things to eat in the forest. Many fruits, different roots. Now we have destroyed everything. One day, they were in the forest, in the jungle. And the Master said to the Disciple, "Tonight, one of us should be awakened." Here it is more dangerous because of the wild animals. So the disciple said, "You sleep, Master, I will be awakened." Master said, "Okay, you like to sleep in the morning." So, until one o’clock, you will be sleeping. Then I will be resting, and you will sleep after one o’clock. Good. So the master went to rest on the grass, not a five-star hotel. Just one blanket and rest. One o’clock, the master got up and told the disciple, "You can sleep." Around 3:30, the disciple was snoring, and a big snake came. Very dangerous. And the master saw the snake. Master, stop. Who are you? Where are you going? The snake said, "I am going to drink the blood of your disciple." Why? Because in a past life, he drank my blood. This is revenge over many, many lives, sir. He drinks my blood, I die, and I drink his blood, he will die. This is revenge over many, many lives. So the Master said, "How much blood do you want? How much?" His blood, yes. Stay where you are. I will give his blood. Master sat on the chest of the disciple and had a little knife. And the disciple opened his eyes. The master was sitting on his chest, a knife in his hand. Now, what would you think if Swāmijī is doing this to you? Mahāprabhujī, Parashīṃ Swāmījī, what will we do? The disciple looked at his master. He closed his eyes and slept so deeply. And the master took some blood from his vein and gave it to the snake. The snake drank that blood and disappeared. Snake said, "This is a discussion with the astral body, not a physical body." Say, thank you, Master. You liberated both of us. Because in both of us, in our blood, there was a fire of revenge. Our blood was boiling in the fire of revenge, and you liberated us. Next morning, when the disciple got up, he found on his hand a little bandage, not so beautiful like I have, but somehow. Master asked him, "Did you notice?" He said, "Yes, Master." What? I woke up and I saw you were sitting on my body with a knife. Then why did you sleep? You were not afraid? He said, "No, Master. Whatever you will do is good for me." And therefore, I was not afraid. That’s called confidence. That’s called faith. That’s called certainty. Even in a dark room, a small child is crying. And mother comes there. The child had such confidence, it’s my mother, and the child will sleep again. That relation we have to develop. Therefore, spiritual development is not from one day to another. We have to work on this very much. And therefore, there is one beautiful bhajan. And that bhajan is, I think, from Maṅgīlālji. So, this is called nearness, the oneness. So, there are many things in life which we suddenly decide. Suddenly, some thought comes and we want to do it. First, you have to think long over. You know, it’s saying in Europe also, don’t eat too hot. Your decision is a hot potato. It burns the hand and mouth all. So, let it cool down. Mahāprabhujī said, "Do not dive to search for pearls when the waves are too high." Anything you decide out of something, emotion, or anger may lead you in the wrong direction. Therefore, think over, vivekā. It is said in this modern psychology: first decide what you want. Make it very clear. Then make the plan, the project. Then, work to make the project successful. Work, then your plan will be complete. Slowly, slowly. In 1973, I began to plan the project Om Āśram. In 1980, when I went to America for the first time, I was invited by the ambassador of America who was in Vienna. I saw his plan, I drew it, and he went with me, and we made photocopies, color photocopies. That was something very special, to make a color photocopy. We were talking about this. Ambassador said, "Na ya, Swāmiji, okay. Indians have many visions." But to finish this is not a one-man job. Last year, when he saw the model and all the work that was done, I was surprised. And he told me what he was thinking at that time. Still not finished, that’s true. But I am sure one day it will be completed. That will remind us of many things. And many thanks to all of you who are working and helping. One drop fills the pot, stone by stone, day by day. You know, Brother Sun and Sister Moon, one film about Holy Francis of Assisi, there is one song about how Francis is building his small church. So the song, he did everything with his own hands, bringing some from somewhere, stone, putting there, bringing stones, putting there, stone by stone and day by day. And so, build your inner temple, your inner church, with the confidence of that stone and practice. Stone and confidence is the way. Never give up. Continue, continue. Many times things come, again they destroy, again you continue. So, in this way, it doesn’t matter which kind of project you have. First thing is good for all. Second, for all creatures, for the environment, for every belief, for all religions. And no one is losing anything. And this is a clear vision of you, or maybe your health, your spirituality, begins slowly. It will work. So, let us come through. There is one little story about Holī Gurujī and Mahāprabhujī. It was a very hot day. There were two small rooms, and Holī Gurujī was sitting outside. He had one knitting machine and was making a shirt for Mahāprabhujī, and Mahāprabhujī came out of his room and called Gurujī. Madhavānanda, Madhavānanda, come here. So, Gurujī went quickly there. What do you wish? Ask me. I will give you anything, whatever you ask of me now. The Holy Gurujī is very clever. The Holy Gurujī said, In every life, in my every life, faith, devotion to your holy feet. Janam Das Rakhi Jo Śrī Dīpadāya Layarāja Śunādi Prabhudīpadāya Jokar Kirpāmo Sat Saṅg Jokar Kirpāmo Sat Saṅg Di Jo Śrī Dīp Dayā Laya Rājasunā Prabhudīp Dayā Laya Rājasunā Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī. So, what can we ask? Mahāprabhujī said, "Oh, you could have asked something more." He said, "No, nothing for me is more than this." Even the kingdom of the entire universe is not comparable with your Seva Guru. That was Holī, Gurujī.