How can we reach the Supreme?
Satsang is association with truth and truthful seekers, not merely scriptural study.
Knowledge from books is important, but it is not the living cosmic reality. One may read for a lifetime and not complete the understanding. A story tells of a rishi in the Himalayas who read the Vedas for ages. When messengers from Dharmaraja came to take him, he repeatedly refused, saying his study was incomplete. They finally showed him that the dust in his hand was all he had learned, while the entire Himalayas represented the limitless Vedas. Study alone leads to an empty interior. One must catch the essential point beyond mere repetition. The Guru's living word, the Sabda, is the key, not just recited mantras.
"They think they have it there, from the Vedas, but they say it is theirs."
"You have not learned that much. Only from the Vedas have you learned this. But the whole Vedas are the Himalayas."
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Gurudev is a goldsmith
Welcome to the spiritual home. Its atmosphere is a blessing of presence.
You have entered the Ashram, which is a Paras-stone. Contact transforms your substance, like iron to gold, but three qualities remain: sharpness, form, and danger. The Satguru, as a goldsmith, can break these with the hammer of knowledge. This process is a beautiful pain. We are here for lectures on Nāda-Yoga and practice. Questions can be submitted for public or private answer. Prayer and singing happen daily. Prasāda, a blessed offering, is distributed. It grants Satbuddhi—good intellect and thoughts—which leads to world peace. It brings Siddhi: health, joy, and prosperity. The divine itself seeks blessing. True value is understood through devotion, not transaction. Distribute prasāda intuitively, not by counting. We also celebrate birthdays and offer collective prayers for specific intentions. Heartfelt good wishes are a powerful blessing.
"An iron knife is united with the Paras. What happens? The knife turns into gold."
"Prasāda means blessing. Blessing means Prasāda."
Filming location: Strelka Ashram, Europe
DVD 224
Influence Of The Full Moon
The moon's influence connects nature, human consciousness, and spiritual practice. The full moon profoundly affects our emotions and the natural world. In scripture, moonlight is a nectar entering vegetation, linked to the idea of a honeymoon, where honey symbolizes health and immortality. We must protect bees, crucial for this nectar, as their decline is an ecological disaster. A practitioner should be like a bee, extracting only the good from the world without causing harm. The bee's hum is its mantra. To balance the moon's strong energy, one may fast on a full moon day. The moon symbolizes emotion; like ocean waves, high emotions obscure clarity, so important decisions should wait for calm. Our journey involves consciousness moving through energy centers, from the root, which holds past karma, to higher states. We must purify subconscious desires in this life to avoid future suffering. True practice involves healthy living, compassion, and meditation to perceive the divine beauty in all existence, living purely like a lotus in a polluted world.
"Arjuna, I enter into the vegetation as a nectar through the moonlight."
"If you would like to have all as your friends, then give up harsh words."
Filming location: New York, USA
Around the world - Inauguration Nandeshwar
Yoga progresses from physical practice to the realization of the supreme Self. The foundation is Āsana, the physical posture. Remaining only there is mere exercise. One must proceed to Prāṇāyāma to steady the mind, then Pratyāhāra to withdraw the senses. This leads to Dhāraṇā, concentration, and then unbroken Dhyāna, meditation. Yet meditation retains duality. Samādhi dissolves this, unifying knower, knowing, and known into Turīya, the fourth state. The ultimate goal is beyond even this: Turīyātīta, the transcendent Conscious Principle, the Self of absolute Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. All practices are a boat to cross the river; upon reaching the far shore, the boat is left behind.
"All practices—Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Dhyāna—are merely the boat to cross the river."
"This is not a state to be attained; it is our very essence, the Chetan Puruṣa, the Conscious Principle."
Around the World - Nadlac
Yoga is a practice for both body and mind. It is not merely physical exercise. The postures and breathing are tools to calm the mind and bring inner peace. A quiet mind is the true goal. This inner stillness allows you to connect with your true self. Through consistent practice, the body becomes healthier and the mind becomes clearer. This harmony within reflects as peace in the world.
"Yoga for Body and Mind."
"I wish for peace in the whole world, and for you, I wish good health, peace, harmony, prosperity, and progress."
