The Fire of three tapas
The three fires are the fundamental problems of existence: physical and mental illness, worldly conflict, natural calamities, and astral or karmic disturbances. Ancient seers researched how to gain protection from these afflictions, which also shield one from planetary and societal influences. All beings, like a mobile tree, are subject to these universal forces. There are mantras to cultivate positive divine power, though negative power is realized more easily. Engaging with negative energies binds one to suffering, while aligning with the positive ultimately leads to unity. Ancestral prayers, a universal science reflected in many traditions, are necessary to prevent interference and liberate souls for new birth. Similarly, foundational ceremonies for new endeavors align energies for harmony. For spiritual practice, mantras act as a navigator, guiding through obstacles and past mistakes. The peace mantra from the Upanishads is a foundational tool. It seeks guidance from unreality to reality, from ignorance to light, and from mortality to immortality. The aim is to realize the immortal Self, beyond the changing body and world. This path faces external obstacles like negative company and internal ones like anger and ego. Mantra clears these barriers. Life is like a dream from which one awakens to a different reality. A realized being, a Trikāla Darśī, perceives past, present, and future, knowing how to avoid pitfalls. Ultimately, one surrenders to the divine will, though a self-realized master can alter destiny. Meditation requires mantra as its animating soul. Concentrating on inner sound through Nāda Yoga leads from bodily sounds to the sound of the Self. This requires immense discipline and saying 'no' to endless desires. Active meditation, performed with love in any work, purifies the outer life, which in turn supports inner, passive meditation.
Filming location: London, UK
DVD 579
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Divine incarnations and saintly guides appear to restore balance and grant liberation.
Dharma and adharma exist in parallel until the great dissolution. When negative forces dominate, a purposeful divine descent occurs to protect righteousness and devotees. These descents are not constant but arise from necessity, like a government intervening in crisis. Simultaneously, eternal descents manifest as holy saints in every age. They guide and protect. A seeker's intense longing is the essential fire that draws divine grace. This longing, a pain infused with joy, is the path. The Guru embodies the supreme principle, acting as creator, protector, and liberator. The Guru's grace is the sole vessel for crossing the worldly ocean. Heaven is a limited realm based on past good works, not the final goal. Liberation lies beyond, attained through devoted effort and the Guru's mercy. The pure soul should feel blessed, not guilty, for this human opportunity to seek the divine.
"Time to time I manifest myself... to protect the pure souls and to destroy the adharma."
"The name of the Gurudev is the boat. Those who will sit in with devotion and confidence, be sure that Gurudev will bring you to the mainland."
Filming location: Brisbane, Australia
Holi Festival
The divine manifests through specific circumstances and through the eternal senses. We exist in a dark age where spiritual values decline, awaiting a divine manifestation.
A king performed severe austerities to gain power. He asked a divine being for immortality but was refused. He then requested a boon that no normal means could kill him, which was granted. Returning to his kingdom, he declared himself the only god. However, devotion to the true divine persisted. The king had a son, Prahlāda, who from childhood chanted the divine name despite his father's orders. The king's sister, Holika, who was immune to fire, tried to burn the boy but was herself consumed while he remained unharmed. The king repeatedly tried to kill his son, but divine protection saved him each time. Finally, the king threatened Prahlāda before a heated iron pillar. As the boy embraced it, a divine form, part-lion and part-man, emerged and killed the king at twilight in a doorway, thus fulfilling the conditions of the boon.
"God incarnates, and there are two kinds of God’s presence."
"Whom God saves, no one can kill."
Filming location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Ashram needs dedication
Seva, or selfless service, is the highest spiritual practice. Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, is the most accessible path. It involves using one's abilities for the benefit of others, leading toward liberation. God incarnates to perform seva, and saints hold a unique power to alter destiny through compassion. True service requires dedication and freedom from jealousy, which harms both the giver and receiver. The foundation of all seva begins with honoring one's parents, the primary pilgrimage. Cultivating pure relationships through selfless action is the essence of yoga in daily life.
"Gurujī used to say that if you put Mokṣa on one side of a scale and Seva on the other, the side of Seva would be heavier."
"Whoever can perform Seva achieves everything."
Filming location: Vienna, Austria
DVD 235
Devas and Asuras
The path of prāṇa is the inner churning to reach the nectar within.
Prāṇāyāma consists of inhalation, exhalation, and retention; these three occur naturally in everyone. Specific breath techniques produce distinct effects on body, mind, emotion, intellect, and consciousness. The myth of ocean churning is a metaphor: the ocean is existence and consciousness. The spinal column is the mountain; kuṇḍalinī is the snake. Negative and positive qualities are the asuras and devas within, fighting through overthinking. This churning produces nectar, which is immortality located in the Bindu Cakra. Āyurveda originated from this churning, brought by Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu later appeared as Mohinī to distribute the nectar, using illusion to give true nectar to devas and a deceptive drink to asuras. One asura sneaked true nectar, was cut in two, and became Rāhu and Ketu. Rāhu vowed to disrupt auspicious events, so propitiation is necessary at gatherings. The nectar is within every being. Through Kriyā, balance is achieved in cakras and prāṇa. Prāṇa leads to Brahmaloka, which is pure energy. Killing or suicide brings bad karma and suffering. The divine is found within through unconditional surrender and devotion. Inner churning awakens good qualities and leads to liberation.
“O my friend, what you are searching for outside, you are me. I am within you. My hut is outside the city, but my dwelling is in your breath.”
“If you search for me, I will meet you at once; in a single second you will see me.”
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
