Discovering harmony and peace
A journey within begins by relaxing the body and observing the breath. Contemplate the five elements within. Space exists inside and outside; feel at ease within it. Air, or prāṇa, purifies the body and can remove illness with concentrated will. Inner fire, or agni, balances temperature and burns away toxins. The water element flows through tissues, supplying minerals and expelling impurities. The earth element, the bones, provides a frame. These elements within can become polluted by the external world. Purify them through sāttvic food, yoga postures, prāṇāyāma, and meditation. Body awareness is life awareness; health depends on clean, balanced elements. Bring awareness to any area of pain or illness. Direct breath and the elements—air, fire, space, water—to that area to balance and heal. This self-inquiry meditation can be done seated. Many bodily problems stem from personal mistakes like wrong diet or substances, but they can be repaired through yoga, meditation, and a balanced diet. Make a resolve to heal the body and mind through these elements and practices. Love and protect nature. Decide for a healthy, strong body and a long life.
"Body awareness means life awareness. The body is here, you are here."
"Strive to purify with sāttvic food... Pure quality gives more quality to your life."
Filming location: Rijeka, Croatia
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Moksha Will Not Come Without Guru Kripa
Compassion is the root of righteousness and the foundation of spiritual life. The lives of holy figures demonstrate this. Mother Mary endured profound suffering, from giving birth in a stable to witnessing her son's crucifixion, yet maintained mercy. Similarly, the mother of Krishna suffered the loss of six children but did not abandon compassion. The lives of saints are never easy; they are often met with misunderstanding and persecution. True compassion means seeing the divine self in all creatures. The ego, the sense of "I," is the root of sin and blocks this mercy. Compassion is a practice: removing thorns from a path, giving food without judgment, and speaking kind words that calm the heart. These actions plant seeds that multiply. While wealth is necessary in this world, one must not be enslaved by it. The ultimate goal requires the grace of a true guide. Never abandon compassion as long as life remains.
"All creatures in this world are my ātmā, myself."
"Never give up your compassion, your mercy, as long as you have a life in your heart."
Filming location: Melbourne, Australia
Bhajans evening from the Strilky Ashram
A fine shawl, a sacred motherland, a coach of the body, and a two-day meeting.
A bhajan says the body is a fine shawl dyed with God's name, woven on eight lotus chakras; saints keep it spotless. Mother India is like sandalwood, a land of penance and sacred duty. Dawn blows the conch, dusk sings a lullaby, and fortune is shaped by actions. Poets sing sacrifices, wisdom is pure as Ganga, soldiers chant Gita, goal is God-realization. The body is a coach pulled by ten horses, the ten shaktis, controlled by mind and intellect. Knowledge is light; the Atma sits inside with discernment. Five thieves—desire, anger, pride, greed, ego—seized the coach, made horses lose way. Gurudeva's arrow-word made them flee. In the coach are solar systems, five karmendriyas, five jnanendriyas, brahmanas. Through holy worship, joy is enjoyed in this body. Life is a two-day meeting: yesterday, today; tomorrow unknown. It is a play of coming and going; alone we came, are alone, go alone. Only karma, mantra, Gurudeva's light guide. Life flows like unholdable water; at end, no one helps. Meditate on God; dharma, dhairya, mitra, artha must be proved at right time.
“The soul of this country, Bhārata, is like chandan, like sandalwood.”
“The only thing that will go with us is our karma, our deeds. The power of the mantra and the light of Gurudeva—this will guide us.”
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajan evening in the Strilky Ashram
The bhajan of the caged bird reflects the soul's entrapment in karmas and qualities. A bird confined in a cave endures great suffering, crying out with pain no one comprehends. This symbolizes the soul still bound. Pain is part of life, yet one day abiding in Sat Chit Ananda is certain. The bird, placed in a cage, lives a life no longer its own. Observers see beauty, but the existence is harsh. Never confine a creature; compassion means letting it remain free. The bhajan conveys unbearable suffering. How to open the cage? Humans are similarly caged, dispersed everywhere yet believing themselves at ease. Preoccupation with money and possessions conceals the inner cage. The bird, if free, would stand in a tree, questioning its placement by God. Another bhajan speaks of a girl locked in a cage for countless lifetimes, seeking her beloved husband. Without shame, she lived as a child unable to walk, unable to find the beloved. Eventually, she found the divine beloved and dissolved into the immortal, unborn one. Through bhajan, liberation is attained.
"The bird is held within, and its life is no longer its own."
"We too are inside a cage. What is that cage?"
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajan singing from Jadan
Archive 20230421 16 Edited
Musical recording.
