In the home of the soul
Space builds beings, and beings build space.
A true ashram is a space for retreat and contemplation, enabling renewal of physical, mental, and social health. It fosters balance and leads toward self-realization. Yoga is the paramount method for this, requiring only the body, breath, and consciousness. It is the science of conscious movement and stillness, a road to original wholeness. A Guru is one who has cognized oneness, from which all arises and returns. Such beings live for others. The relationship between guru and disciple is supreme, pure, and meaningful. The guru's essence is what he is—Sat Chit Ānanda—and he serves to cure the disease of ignorance, which divides us from ourselves, others, and the divine. Sādhanā, the practice of yoga, is the source of strength to help others and ourselves. Liberation comes through knowledge and the Guru's grace.
"Yoga is the science and art of conscious movement. It is the science and art of conscious stillness."
"The essence of a guru is not what he says, not even what he does. The essence of a guru is what he is."
Filming locations: Jadan Ashram, Rajasthan, India.
DVD 171
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Aim of the Master
The living transmission of knowledge requires a master, a disciple, and the spoken wisdom. A technique dies if not passed on. The master aims to make the disciple a master, surpassing the philosopher's stone which only transforms. Good qualities must be transmitted to be perfected. This process is defined by Śruti, Śrotriya, and Śrota. Śruti is the authentic scripture. The Śrotriya is the master who understands and explains it. The Śrota is the listening disciple. Without this chain, knowledge is lost. Reading a book differs from learning from a realized teacher. The transmission must be accurate to become Smṛti, or remembered tradition. This system upgrades spiritual understanding. What you receive, you must give. This protects and elevates all.
"Śruti is that which is taught by the Master."
"A Satguru is one who is Brahmaniṣṭha—a knower, a realizer of Brahman. He is the Śrotriya who can speak about Brahman."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajo re Manva
The truth of a devotee's life is fearless and leads to immortality. Why fear this truth? Exemplary devotees like Dhruva and Harishchandra never abandoned righteousness, even when tested. Kabir and Mirabai demonstrated this fearless devotion, attaining the immortal state. The Pandavas, though opposed, were true devotees whose names are remembered. This immortal state is granted by the true Guru, received through grace at the divine feet. The devotee's truth is real, so why feel anxious in the heart? Achieve that imperishable, immortal body.
"Bhakta ari kā sacchā uve, tu kyun mann mein gabarāyā? Kar du ajar amara tana kāyā."
"Satguru Sāheb Śrī Deva Purīṣa Puṇya Pūrva Se Pāyā. O swanidīpa caraṇa pada cakara, ajar amara pada pāyā."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
Hymns of Adoration and the Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam
The true Self is pure consciousness and bliss, beyond all attributes and dualities. It is not the body, the senses, the mind, or the elements. It is without hatred or attachment, virtue or vice, pleasure or pain. It is not the doer, the enjoyer, or any object of experience. This Self is Shiva, the eternal, all-pervading reality. Devotion to the sacred form, the Linga, is praised as a means to destroy all sorrows and sins, leading one to Shiva's abode. These hymns point to the formless truth while honoring the forms that guide the mind toward it.
"I am not the mind, intellect, ego, or consciousness; nor the ears, tongue, nose, or eyes. I am not space, earth, fire, or air. I am the form of consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva."
"To the Linga worshipped by Brahma and the gods, the destroyer of the sufferings of birth, the always auspicious one, to that Linga of Sadashiva, I bow down."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
Bhajan singing from Jadan
True refuge is found only in the divine name and the realized teacher.
Seeking refuge in worldly attachments leads to suffering and delusion. The divine name is the ultimate sanctuary, the true crossing from darkness to light. All other shelters are temporary and false. The teacher, as the embodiment of grace, is the boatman who facilitates this crossing. To take refuge is to surrender completely, abandoning all other supports. This surrender alone brings liberation from the ocean of worldly existence. The name and the teacher are the singular, eternal refuge.
"O Guru Sukhadhāmasvāmī, [you are] the cause of happiness for the entire world, the liberation from attachment."
"Refuge is yours. Sri Kanata, refuge is yours. Sri Cintāmita, refuge in the body is yours."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
