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Part 1: The Nature of Kuṇḍalinī Śakti At present, there is great interest in the world, and many people work with and practice Kuṇḍalinī and the cakras. There is also much misunderstanding regarding Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. Many techniques do not lead to the genuine awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī, but only to various symptoms in the body. There are three fundamental things in the universe. First is space itself, the universe. Second is universal consciousness, and third is universal energy. That energy you may call Kuṇḍalinī. That Divine Śakti is present throughout the entire universe, on every planet, star, and element, in every atom. It is that Śakti which keeps the universe in motion. Everything that happens occurs through that Divine Śakti, of course in harmony with space and consciousness. Thus, there are two different expressions, called Śiva and Śakti. Śiva means the universal consciousness. Śiva means liberation. Śiva means the beauty of the universe. And Śiva means that creator, Svayaṃbhu, the first principle that manifested in the universe in the form of sound resonance, from which everything then emerged. Śakti is that energy which is functioning, which is moving, and which exists throughout the entire universe. Śiva and Śakti are not understood in terms of physical form, nor in the sense of male-female attraction, but as pure consciousness and pure energy. This principle exists on our planet within every creature, in nature, in every plant, every tree. All five elements are filled with these two things: consciousness and energy, Śiva and Śakti. This Śiva principle is equal in male and female. This Śakti principle is also equal in male and female. This has been much discussed and misunderstood in the West, but the reality is that it deals with consciousness and energy, that is all. Therefore, every creature also possesses Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. It does not matter what kind of creature it is; do not think it exists only in humans. Of course, a different energy has developed in humans, and humans have more diverse cakras. These cakras represent a vast reservoir of energy, and consciousness also becomes involved in them. But in every atom of our body, there is Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. Every atom of every cell in our body contains its own universe. The awakening of Kuṇḍalinī Śakti must give you a sense of interest, a feeling of happiness. When Kuṇḍalinī Śakti is active in your body, you are very happy, everything is in order, and you feel free. You feel free in harmony, love, understanding, and goodness. The body, mind, and consciousness are in balance. This is the sign of active Kuṇḍalinī. Yet, Kuṇḍalinī Śakti can also be understood in another way. It relates to how you feel when you are angry, furious, depressed, and so on, because then this energy leads you there, sometimes so far that you can no longer help yourself. Therefore, the most effective tool to purify, awaken, and follow this energy is our mantra—our Gurumantra. This mantra leads you to enlightenment. The infinite path of the universe, which it follows in every being—whether human or animal—is the same. The soul is individual and distinct from the body. Whether it is the soul of a human being or the soul of a creature with a slightly smaller capacity, the soul is the same. However, the environment of the soul, or how much energy surrounds the soul, is very important. This energy is given to us by the cosmic mother, the Kuṇḍalinī. The awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī can lead you in different directions, which we call utthāna or patāna—development or destruction. When we enter a positive environment, find ourselves in good company, and enter a spiritual atmosphere, then the Kuṇḍalinī helps our consciousness rise to a higher awareness, which we call satsaṅga. Conversely, if you find yourself in a different environment, which we call the crawling sound, you tend to be pulled toward various desires—physical, mental, emotional, or intellectual. We have different desires, and then this energy guides you in that direction. A negative environment destroys the spirit; you become angry, nervous, not peaceful, and your appearance also becomes very negative. Therefore, it is very important for us to engage in this kind of kriyānusthāna, which you are doing. I can tell you that you are fortunate to have such a beautiful system, yoga and a divine life, and such powerful techniques full of harmony—very scientific techniques. You are fortunate to be able to attend this seminar, thanks to our spiritual lineage, thanks to our Gurudev, Mahāprabhujī, Holy Gurujī, Devpurījī, that we have such beautiful seminars three or four times a year. You feel the difference; everyone feels a great difference after attending the retreat. You feel that if, for two or three months, we have not seen each other, you sense how much other energy is moving in you and taking you in a different direction. Thus, the Kuṇḍalinī is that which will lead our life toward beautiful aims, in a beautiful direction. For anything you do, you need two different kinds of Śaktis. The first is this Kuṇḍalinī Śakti, the Cosmic Energy, and the second is Guru Kṛpā, the Cosmic Consciousness. This is what we would like to attend or achieve. We know, or you know by now after so many seminars, that our body has a slightly different system than other creatures. We have 72,000 different nāḍīs in the body. These are 72,000 channels through which cosmic energy flows, and this energy flows together with consciousness; it is consciousness and energy. Śiva and Śakti are already there in union. If one of them stops, there is no more function in the body. This energy is the driving force through which our organs remain healthy, our gland system remains healthy, our breathing system remains healthy, our circulation system remains healthy, and all the movements of the ligaments and joints remain healthy—all due to these two forces: one is the Śakti, the Kuṇḍalinī, and the second is consciousness. These 72,000 nāḍīs give us immense energy, or immense power, to lead our life comfortably. It is we who can lead ourselves in different directions. Among these 72,000 nāḍīs, you know very well the three: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. These three nāḍīs are responsible for receiving energy and distributing it throughout the whole body. Now, where the main energy centers are, we call them cakras. There are thousands of cakras in the body... I always say 72,000 cakras. Each nāḍī, where consciousness and energy flow, represents a cakra. So, if you see your body from your astral body—for example, when you practice yoganidrā (yogic sleep or psychic sleep)—and when you come out of your yoganidrā with your astral body, you observe how your physical body lies before you. In time, you will feel and see that your physical body is filled with light, and there are waves of light there. It becomes very difficult to observe whether this physical body is where you truly are right now. The astral and physical bodies are deeply interconnected on a very profound level. It is your consciousness that coheres for a moment, yet the feelings remain the same, and you see the waves, the feelings, the lights changing. Beyond the various cakras, you perceive an abundance; how you feel, how you think, the colors are changing. I think in this retreat, I would like to explain more to you, to give you more light on Yoga Nidrā, as Mahāprabhujī wrote a bhajan about it. So, from the astral body, you come above your physical body, and you look through your inner eyes, your third eye. You will see events of light; something is existing there. In modern technology, there are instruments that, even if you are in a cave, can detect that some light is there. When you are in a room with closed curtains, they can still see through that kind of technique, the camera—infrared—they can tell you, "Yes, there is some creature moving." That means you are there, and there is energy, light. All five tattvas are alive: the air tattva, the water tattva, the fire tattva—all are within you. There you will understand what Kuṇḍalinī is. The problem is this: many people, when they come out of the physical body with the astral body and realize, "Oh, I am fluttering," become so nervous, so afraid. Many people cannot sleep because the greatest fear we have is death. Therefore, as long as you do not master your fear, you cannot come up with your astral body. Imagining that you are an astral body is only imagination; that is not reality. God has given such a system, such principles, that make us sure and secure. We were talking this morning about protection, and that protection means the security which exists at the cosmic level. We have different cakras, and every cakra represents a different kind of energy. Every cakra should be active. If one of the cakras is inactive, then your body is attacked by illnesses. Any kind of illness that you, I, or anyone has—and of course the physical body will be ill one day—means the sum of the cakras is not functioning properly, or the energy is lost. Try to preserve the energy. Try to keep the energy. Life is energy. Everything is energy. And that is the Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. It is very interesting when you come out of your physical body with your astral body. We know that we have everything; nothing is missing. But there is something we do not share in common. We have an equal physical body. God gave all of us the same system, the same feelings, the same senses, everything. Except for karmic reasons, it may happen that someone has paralysis in a part of their body. But what is not common is our goal. And our destiny is the driving force within our body. This power in our body, our destiny, is the driving force. These are governed by fate, just as our soul is, and our soul is also directed and ruled by fate. Spiritual development also directs and governs our destiny. Sometimes there is a chance to change, but we cannot accept it as it is. Sometimes we are afraid, sometimes we have doubts; it is individual and depends on destiny. Someone is happy with you, but someone is not happy with you. However happy you want someone to be, someone is very happy with you. Someone is waiting for you, longing for you, looking at you, speaking to you, and someone is angry with you, hates you, does not want to see you. Well, look, what is that? That is that energy which is functioning between us and others. That energy is either balanced or imbalanced. If it is balanced, then it is called the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī. We have energy in these cables, electricity, and when we connect a bulb to it, it creates light. Similarly, when we come nearer to an enlightened one whose Kuṇḍalinī is awakened, you experience enlightenment, but temporarily. As soon as you go out, again you have no more light. So the powerhouse is the Gurudeva, and the source of our energy is from that powerhouse. Every cakra is like a dynamo which creates energy. Once the dynamo begins to run, then energy is there. But we should know when to put it on or off; that is very important. Otherwise, many, many people in the world try to awaken the Kuṇḍalinī and are not successful, or they become crazy. Why? It means that was not Kuṇḍalinī Yoga. That was a technique given to you by someone who did not awaken the Kuṇḍalinī. You can immediately realize. For example, you want a taxi. The taxi driver stops the car, you get in, but within a few meters or a hundred meters you will realize how the driver is, if he can drive or not. That's it. The driver should know the right direction, the rules and regulations of the road, and should know the car. Otherwise, that driver will destroy the car and will destroy your life and his or her life also. Many different reactions which are in our body—you feel through Kuṇḍalinī, you are sweating, or you are nervous, or you feel some kind of movements—that is wrong; that's not Kuṇḍalinī. Many, many people during meditation make movements like this, and they don't know. Part 2: The Nature of True Awakening and Faithful Practice They do not know how their body is moving. Others then say, "Oh, your Kuṇḍalinī is awakened." And then it begins more psychologically. What is that? "Oh, the Kuṇḍalinī is going up." So it is said, the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī is like a beautiful, pleasant, harmonious, steady feeling. It is like walking down the street on a very cold day without any warm clothing, your hands freezing, your toes numb with cold, feeling utterly chilled, and then stepping into a cozy, warm room. How do you feel? Oh, good! It is a tested analogy. Or you feel the warmth; or there is extreme heat outside, very high humidity, and you enter an air-conditioned room. How do you feel? Wonderful. And the only thing is, when the Kuṇḍalinī awakens, whatever you do, whatever you think, everything works out wonderfully. This means that the true Kuṇḍalinī awakens. If you go with different techniques, with bad, bad techniques, there is disturbance in the nervous systems, or even within your muscles, different and distinct... Be faithful! Ask yourself: Do you love yourself? Someone tells you that you do not. Someone tells you, "I hate myself." Why? Because it is your mind that causes disappointment. Your mind is the one that causes disappointment. Warmth, there is no living being in the world that hates itself. Yes, we love ourselves. We eat for ourselves, we breathe for ourselves, we dress for ourselves, and we prepare good food for ourselves. We do everything for ourselves that is good, and this is very important. So being faithful means being true to yourself, not bringing unnecessary trouble upon yourself through your own thinking, your own selfishness, your own greed. Practice faithfully, with discipline; it cultivates discipline. There are many aspirants of yoga here; the larger network is present. I don’t know if there are hundreds or thousands there, but I see that not even half of them practice healthy discipline. How do we go through? This is it. So practically, to practice means to be true to yourself in everything. This is the yoga that manifests for me in Delhi life. Your whole being, your work, your practice become balanced. And we have time. We cannot say that we do not have time. Do not be angry. If you are angry, you destroy the spiritual energy. Sometimes I receive feedback like this: the husband calls—both of them, the couple, are my disciples—and the husband says despairingly, "Svāmījī, I just can’t handle it anymore." I say, "Why? Don't you have legs? Because my wife is so angry and so negative." Sometimes I ask myself whether she even understands Svāmījī, whether she understands the yoga of everyday life or not. And the other side is the same: the husband is so angry, so aggressive, he even raises his hand against his wife. Do you remember what I said this morning? If a man hits a woman, then that hand is no longer a hand. You must not do this! But do you know how many women are unhappy? They cannot leave the mess with something, because they depend on it, or the situation is different. So do not create a hellish life. Create a wonderful, harmonious life for the entire society. This is very important for you, for you, for you. The Devīs are the Śaktis, the divine energies. And Asurī Śakti is the devil Śakti, negative. Asura means the devils. So when you become angry, when you become nervous and do things which are not good, that time is for you. The best thing you can do is sit down, take a glass of water, drink cold water, and go to your meditation room. Close your eyes, look to Mahāprabhujī, and close your eyes. And look to yourself in your inner mirror. How does your face look? I don’t want to tell. It will be like that. Many, even in meditation, said, "No, I can’t. Mahāprabhujī, here is your mālā. I cannot." You see? Who is saying this? It’s not you. No. Your divine self cannot do like this. Some other energy entered your body, and that kind of energy influences your thoughts, your behaviors, your words, your actions, and everything. So, don’t speak and don’t do anything without controlling your energy. Kuṇḍalinī is a divine Śakti that will make you happy, that will guide you constantly. So Śiva and Śakti, the consciousness and energy, it is not like a male and female, but it is the divine thing. There is no attribute of the male-female. No attribute. There are no anatomical differences. It is beyond the body. That’s it. Beyond and above your soul. That is what exists within you. Śiva and Śakti are equally present within you. And thank God that they are equal. If one of them is lacking, then you are ill, mad, or something else. They are equal because if one were less, you would become ill, go mad, or something would happen. So try to watch yourself for 24 hours, 24 hours, so that you do not get affected and do not take negative thoughts into your Cidākāśa. And if there is something negative like that, then return to your dreams. "I am neither the body, nor desire, nor energy, but the supreme bliss." Bliss. When you chant a spiritual name or sing bhajan, this resonance purifies the negative energy. There is such a vibration in the waves of that spiritual resonance. It gives you contentment. It gives you calmness. And again, it shows you the clear direction. Yes, my direction is different than the anger. My direction is different than all this hate and jealousy and all this. "Lord, help me that I renounce everything that disturbs me. Renounce and renounce and renounce. Renounce everything." It is said, who is happy? Who has nothing. Believe me, and who is unhappy has everything. What problems? That’s it. There is one story. It was night, cold, dark, a little bit raining, about one o’clock in the night, near one village. Śiva and Pārvatī were going. And near that village, there was a cemetery where the dead bodies were brought and burned. It is said it is best to burn your body when you die, right in your testament. Whatever infection you had in your body is always purified. Not everything goes into the earth. Everything is purified. So, in the afternoon, someone was burning there, somebody who died, and they used a lot of wood. Well, still there was a fire, and at midnight, nobody was there. And you could see half a kilometer, one kilometer far, there is some fire burning. So Pārvatī told Śiva, "Let’s go and see why the fire is there." Śiva told her what it is. She said, "But I want to see." Okay. He said, "There is nothing except fire." She said, "I want to see fire." Okay, let’s go. And when they came about 50 meters near, they saw there was sitting one man, and frying his chapātī on that fire. A big chapātī. And she asked Śiva, "Who is this man?" "Oh, there is one yogī, he has nothing, so he is cooking, frying his chapātī here." Oh God. She became angry with Śiva. You know, when your wife is angry with you, you know how you feel. And you all know, ladies, when you are angry, what your husband does. A good husband is always very calm. This is the best medicine. So Śiva was very calm, and she said, "I don’t understand you." He said, "I know what you mean, that you don’t understand Me. Did you ever understand me?" That’s always what the man tells the wife. She said that’s not true, but now I don’t understand. What is the problem? "Look, he is your great devotee. Day and night, he is repeating your name: 'Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.' He meditates on you, Lord Śiva. And you did not grant him anything? Is there no facility where he can cook his food? Does a poor man have to bake his chapātī on the fire? In the graveyard? Or crematorium? And look at those who never even think of you, never pray to you, and yet have great places, great cars, and everything. There are still those who cook, and you gave them everything, not even half a percent of this did you give to your bhakta." Śiva closes his eyes. Deep inhale. She says, "What are you thinking? Say something!" He said, "Yes, I’m thinking about what you told me. It’s not true." Never say to your wife, "It is not true." When she’s angry, self-protection. Take a deep breath in and say something positive. Śiva said, "Yes, dear, you are right." When you will tell you are right, the half-ventricle is open. The pressure becomes less. It doesn’t matter if it’s he or she, okay? I know the mostly angry are the men, not the holy women. In India, we have very great respect. Women are holy, and cows are holy. So you cannot heat or beat the cows or women. Yes, they are holy. I will not speak about this more. Now, Śiva said, "Yes, dear, you are right, but what is 'but'?" From where comes the Lord, but? He said, "Yes, darling, he doesn’t want to have anything. I would like to give him, but he doesn’t take." She said, what a joke! You give, and he doesn’t accept? Who would be the fool? That God gives, and one would refuse? "Go and give it to him; I will see whether he accepts it or not. Go and give him one kilo of gold." He said that he does not need it. Do not create this situation. He said to Pārvatī: "Do not bring about this situation." She said no, this is not a situation, you simply do not want to. And I would like you to give him something. "Okay, let him come back behind the curtain, I will come and offer him something." So he prepared the great chapātī, pure. Among the bodies, there is only a small rag, that is it. Among the bodies, there is a rag, a dark night, and Śiva has entered. He stops before the law. The one who didn’t notice anything at all. Because it transcends fear and desires. Happy is the one who has no desires. Happy is the one who wishes for nothing. Śiva says, coughing, why should we concern ourselves with this? Perhaps he thinks he has caught a coughing illness; that is his problem. He said once again that he does not allow himself to be disturbed. Then he said, "Oṁ, Oṁ, Oṁ." The yogī did not look up, did not look up. He asked the yogī, "Who are you?" Śiva replied that "I am Śiva, Śiva is the entire universe. I am the lord of the entire universe, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day. I am the lord of the entire universe, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day. I am the lord of the entire universe, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day, Lord Śiva, whom you meditate on every day, meditates daily, the Lord Śiva, to whom one meditates every day, the Lord Śiva, to whom one meditates every day, the Lord Śiva, to whom one meditates every day, the Lord Śiva, to whom one meditates every day, the Lord Śiva, to whom..." Pārvatī listened to everything and bit her lip. In what situation did I bring my husband? But the poor husband must carry it out, or I would say, the fortunate husband. Śiva said to give you something, and the answer came half a minute later. "When did I ever beg from you? I asked for nothing." "But still, I would like to give you something. Why?" Oh, God! Śiva said that when they appear, I bless my bhaktas; I must give something. "Ask for anything! You are above all, and greater than I am. But please ask for something, please!" Śiva said, "Ask for something, please!" So the bhakta is greater. For the sake of the bhakta, God is ready to do everything. God is ready to cleanse the earth! To cleanse everything! You do not have to be a sinner at all! Lord Christ said, "There is nothing in the entire world that can capture me, except one thing, love, bhakti." O, Nārada! Lord Viṣṇu said, "O, Nārada! I am not in Vaikuṇṭha, 'Nāhaṁ Vasāmi Vaikuṇṭhe,' nor am I in the hearts of yogīs, but I am there where my devoted followers lovingly sing my name." God is there. And if you go to satsaṅg, it means you feel God. But if you go to the satsaṅg and remain talking in the front room of the ashram, going and collecting people and gossiping, then you don’t feel that God. You want to talk to only someone. I always say to my Austrian disciples, "It’s going to the internet, you know, webcast." But the name I will not tell today. That was the mercy I have, okay? They go to the ashram for satsaṅg and then talk. And if the person who is giving satsaṅg tells, "Please, can you keep quiet?" Doesn’t listen. "I will sit. Yeah, and when is the next program?" You don’t feel the Lord in your heart. It is said, whoever is talking in satsaṅg, in the next life will be a water frog. Quack, quack. And who sleeps in the satsaṅg will be that big python. The snake, the big one. He does only one thing: eat and sleep. So, God is there where you come full of devotion and sing. But Śiva said, "I came, and I must give you something. Wish for anything." And he said, the yogī said, "I wish you go away." He didn’t go to Pārvatī. Only Śiva walked away. And Pārvatī walked behind quickly. "Lord, I am sorry." No answer. So no answer is a very big answer. You know, no answer is a very clear answer. Therefore, do not put someone in some situations, because the situation is different. Therefore, it is said that "Mast hua man tyāgī, āṅkhiyā satguru charaṇom̐ mela." Deep learning, Bhagavad Gītā, Vairāgya and Vairāgya. Vairāgya and Vairāgya. Vairāgya means who have still wishes, and Vairāgya means no rāgas, no wishes, but those wishes which harm others, which take away from others. That we have to renounce, and we shall accept the divine qualities.