The Law of Karma: Our First Guru
The law of karma is the fundamental principle governing life and our first spiritual teacher.
Karma means action, a universal law of cause and effect like gravity. It operates through body, speech, mind, and wealth or position. Physical acts are obvious, but mental activities and emotions create even stronger karma. Using wealth or authority to instigate action generates multiplied karma for the instigator. This world is Karma Bhūmi, where we experience, create, and purify karma. The law's purpose is pedagogical, teaching through consequences to overcome negative qualities like selfishness and develop positive ones like compassion. It is a slow and often painful teacher, leading one to seek ethical guidelines and ultimately a guru for clearer guidance. Karma is stored as subtle vibrations in the causal body, accompanying the soul and necessitating reincarnation until all karmas are purified.
"Who cannot give life has not the right to take life."
"The law of karma is our first guru."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
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Use your common sense!
Discerning Guru Vākya with common sense is essential. When a Guru speaks, the answer is often for the person asking, not for everyone. Hearing a reply meant for another does not make it Guru Vākya for you. Direct personal instruction from the Guru is for that disciple alone and should not be broadcast as a universal command. Consider the agarbattī example: modern chemical incense is harmful and prohibited, yet pure agarbattī was once used sparingly. This illustrates that context determines a teaching’s application. People frequently misuse the term Guru Vākya to force their own desires upon others. They wield it as a sword, as blackmail, claiming divine sanction for personal wishes. Common sense, viveka, must be exercised. Be aware of who relays the Guru Vākya; the source may distort it. Just as fake news spreads, false teachings circulate without knowledge. Do not be critical, but think about what is heard. Often, one only hears the Guru Vākya that aligns with personal wishes. What Grandma wants, Grandma will dream about. Being near the Guru can challenge the ego, causing inner conflict; this is normal. Only when empty inside, like the bamboo flute, can the divine play through you. Thus, discern with awareness, using common sense to navigate the multitude of sayings.
“If you are passing near the gaddi of Viśvagurujī, and somebody puts a question and you hear the answer, that answer is for that person. For that person, it is Guru Vākya. For you, maybe it is not.”
“Mostly people use Guru Vākya, only that kind of Guru Vākya which is going to my wishes, what I want.”
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
Gurudev found all of us
The four yogas and four kṛpās, and the Guru’s grace, show the path to liberation.
The four yogas—Bhakti, Jñāna, Raja, Karma—unite as rivers to the same ocean. Disciples live all four through devotion, study, meditation, and selfless service. Karma Yoga, done without expectation, yields sweet results. Five forces—desire, anger, pride, greed, ego—drag down spiritual progress. A moment of anger can erase a hundred malas of practice. Human birth is a precious opportunity gained after countless lives. The Guru finds and unites disciples from all corners of the world. There are four graces: blessings of the gods, scriptures, Guru, and the self. Guru kṛpā is most praised, but self-effort is essential to walk the path. Āśram means “come, do work”; service burns ego. Destiny can only be altered by the Guru, as shown in the story of the king’s twins. The Guru used loopholes in fate’s words to change the princes’ lives from poverty to prosperity. All holy places and deities reside in the dust of the Guru’s lotus feet. Even Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī purify themselves through that dust. Without a Guru, there is no crossing the ocean of illusion. Surrendering all baggage at the Guru’s feet brings lightness and freedom.
“When it’s done without any expectations, then the fruit is always sweet.”
“All in one, one in all.”
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
The place where the past is hidden
The human body is a system of dormant energy and consciousness centered in the chakras. The Ātmā is one with the formless Supreme, whose light is within all. The physical body is one of five layered sheaths. Energy flows through 72,000 nerves, primarily through Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. Where Iḍā and Piṅgalā intersect along the spine, energy circles form a chakra, a storehouse of dormant power. These nadis connect to eight major glands governing hormones and health. Blockages in these three principal nadis can cause severe physical and energetic disturbances. The Mūlādhāra Chakra at the base of the spine holds past karmas and desires, representing the unconscious mind and the border between animal and human consciousness. Its principle is ego, and its imbalance manifests as physical ailments. Mastery of sleep, breath, and purification practices is essential to awaken this latent energy and consciousness.
"Chakras are given their name because energy always moves in a circle."
"All past karmas, good or bad, all desires, are dormant, hidden in the Mūlādhāra Cakra."
Filming location: Vancouver, Canada
Practicing of the system 'Yoga in Daily Life', Level 1 - Part 4
A systematic yoga practice integrates relaxation, breath, and movement to purify and harmonize the body and mind. Begin by lying down to relax each body part sequentially, releasing tension with each exhalation. Observe the natural breath without influencing it. The full yoga breath combines abdominal, chest, and clavicular breathing into a single wave. Synchronize this deep breathing with slow, conscious movements and stretches, such as diagonal pulls and body rolls. Specific exercises like bicycling strengthen muscles and aid circulation. Conclude with prāṇāyāma, focusing on alternate nostril breathing, to refine awareness. The entire practice works on physical, energetic, and mental levels, culminating in a state of dedicated relaxation.
"Feel the vibration within your inner space, as well as outside around you. This vibration is purifying your inner environment as well as the outer environment."
"Prāṇāyāma is a breath technique... Just follow the movement, just watch the breathing."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
