Everything is in your hands
The initiation of eight sannyāsīs was a highlight. The Master decides readiness; these were not easy individuals, each a long effort to guide. One is profoundly honest, immediately embodying the role. Another prepared for decades through hardship. Three were from Australia, one from Israel, and one Indian who left too quickly. The final one is a devoted and humble soul. Your spiritual progress is ultimately in your own hands. Teachers and masters can only support you; the decisive action is yours. A story illustrates this: disciples, jealous of their Master, trap a bird and ask if it is alive or dead. The Master replies its fate is in their hands. Your liberation, like the bird's life, depends on your decisions. Do not delay in good actions. Regarding dress, disciples should wear white; sannyāsīs wear orange. Becoming a sannyāsī is serious, not a fashion; it helps carry the spiritual light but requires true readiness and independence.
"Master, if you know everything, then tell us what is in my hand."
"My son, whether this bird is alive or dead depends on your hands."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
DVD 180b
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Everything is in your hands
The initiation of eight sannyāsīs was a highlight. The Master decides readiness; these were not easy individuals, each a long effort to guide. One is profoundly honest, immediately embodying the role. Another prepared for decades through hardship. Three were from Australia, one from Israel, and one Indian who left too quickly. The final one is a devoted and humble soul. Your spiritual progress is ultimately in your own hands. Teachers and masters can only support you; the decisive action is yours. A story illustrates this: disciples, jealous of their Master, trap a bird and ask if it is alive or dead. The Master replies its fate is in their hands. Your liberation, like the bird's life, depends on your decisions. Do not delay in good actions. Regarding dress, disciples should wear white; sannyāsīs wear orange. Becoming a sannyāsī is serious, not a fashion; it helps carry the spiritual light but requires true readiness and independence.
"Master, if you know everything, then tell us what is in my hand."
"My son, whether this bird is alive or dead depends on your hands."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
DVD 180b
The Soil of Sandalwood
Meditation is the only way to the self and to God. Yoga is the science of body, mind, and soul, given by Lord Śiva, the first being, Swayambhu. In the beginning was endless space and the cosmic consciousness, Chaitanya, resting within it like a child. This formless consciousness desired, "I am one; I shall become many." This first desire, Īcchā Śakti, is the root of all problems and began creation. From this desire came resonance, the sacred sound Om, which is the fire element. This brought movement, feelings, and the other elements: air, space, water, and earth, forming all creation. The individual self and the cosmic self cannot coexist; one must surrender to become one, like salt dissolving in the ocean. All spiritual science, including meditation, is the gift of Śiva.
"What you search, you will get, but then you will not be aware of what you got."
"Ichchā (desire) is the root of all problems."
Filming location: Sydney, Australia
The Fourth Sri Swami Maheshwaranands Festival of Spiritual Music (4/4)
Worldly life is impermanent, and the only true refuge is in the saint.
All worldly relationships and possessions are temporary. The body is a temporary guesthouse, and the mind is a fleeting traveler. Wealth, family, and status are all subject to change and loss. This impermanence is the source of all suffering. The only permanent shelter is found in the company and grace of the true saint. The saint's teachings and divine name are the sole anchors in this transient existence. By taking refuge in the saint, one transcends the cycle of birth and death.
"Everything in this world is temporary; only the saint's refuge is permanent."
"Without the saint's refuge, there is no peace, only the endless cycle of suffering."
Filming location: Slovenia
