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Good evening to everyone. Today is a beautiful day. As I told you this morning about Lord Śiva—that consciousness and energy—that day is still continuing. Now is a beautiful evening. It was a hot day, but Mahāprabhujī made nice clouds and coolness for us. Today marks exactly one month since we celebrated Guru Pūrṇimā in India. Two months ago, we also had a Guru Pūrṇimā in Strelkya Ashram. And again, we have another beautiful, very beautiful festival day, called Rakṣā Bandhan. Tomorrow, the 24th of August this year, is Rakṣā Bandhan. The name is beautiful, the meaning is beautiful, and it is also spiritual. Where there is a human, there is culture; where there is culture, there is the human. Where there are humans, there are festivals, and where there are festivals, there are humans. Where there are humans, there are morals, ethics, and spirituality. Where there is spirituality and ethics, there is humanity. The human is a very complicated creature. Humans have such an intellect and mind, and sometimes humans don't know what they should do with their thoughts, their feelings, and their habits. Due to the intellect and freedom of the mind, humans sometimes become violent. Humans become very greedy and begin to destroy their surroundings, society, and so on. Therefore, all the festivals in the world are connected in that way with humans: to teach and keep humans under control. Those festivals are announced by the wise people of societies, everyone agreed, and festivals contain happiness inside. Sometimes also sadness, memory, memories towards God, incarnations, the saints, the heroes, the great philosophers, great artists, and so on. That means we remember them. Psychologically, we begin to think how great they were and how their life was. Can we also be like that? Sometimes we are happy, we are proud that in our country, in our society, in our culture, we had such great people. Humanity's existence is nourished according to those personalities. Sometimes people don't want to accept; they don't want to acknowledge. So they researched what the weak point of the human is. Though the human is so clever, so intelligent, a free thinker, there is a weak point. That weak point is the fear of death, the fear of losing, the fear of losing something. So they said, if you pray and you surrender to God, God will help you. It means it is a human's fear that lets them believe in God. It is human fear to be born again and die again and be born again, so we seek Self-realization, God-realization. That's why we believe in spiritual life. If it were not like that, we would not do it. In every country, there are festivals where humans can come together. They can sit together, they come to know each other, they help each other, and we feel, "Oh, they are all from my village, or my city, they are from my district, oh, they are from my country." That is, again we come to our mind, we laugh. The festivals are very interesting in that at the end of certain seasons, the festivals are there. There will be festivals when the crops are ripe and everything is harvested. Then farmers don't know what to do, so there will be some festivals. Then comes dark winter; they don't know what to do, so it becomes a festival like Christmas and New Year. So whenever, according to the season, we see that humans have some free time, in those free times we humans do many stupid things. When we have nothing to do, then we think something nonsensical. So, psychologically, they create those festivals so we are happy, and in our free time we spend it with our friends and family members, or you go on holidays. So, festivals are very important in life. It is good that some festivals are called cultural events. All festivals are cultural events. Culture is the beauty of humans. We are proud that all our old cultures, no matter from which countries, are very rich and full of knowledge. We are lucky that we again try to protect and respect every culture. That's what we call intercultural or multicultural. Because in the last few centuries, there was fighting because of culture, the duality of culture. That was not good, but there are certain countries which had very great cultures. India is known as the cradle of culture, a country of the gods, incarnations, a holy country. India is known as a holy country where so many gods incarnated. China, where so many great philosophers, great knowledge existed. These ancient cultures gave something to the whole world. Many parts of the world were under water or snow. So it's good to remember, sit together, and make a celebration. I think in your culture here also, maybe it was, or it was not, that I cannot tell. I didn't speak about that, and I didn't look into your old histories. But in India, in our village, every girl of that village was a sister of every boy. It doesn't matter if your parents are different. This girl is from my village, and she's my sister. The boys of that village would fight till the last breath of their life to protect the sisters, the girls of the village. And in the other direction also, the girls, they all were respectful, and they were proud that all my village boys are my brothers. When they were married, some went a far distance. Now, a far distance is nothing because transportation is so easy. We have breakfast here in Budapest, and dinner we have in Australia. How far? It would take over half a life to walk or swim to Australia. But now, the aeroplane brings us in a few hours. But at that time, from Sambadhi to go a little more to Balaton, it was a one- or two-day journey. They said, "Oh, that girl is buried so far away." A few years ago—time is going very quickly, not only a few, it's 25 years ago or 20 years ago—one elderly man from Hungary in Budapest, the grandfather of some of my disciples, came when I had lunch with them. We were talking and he said, "Yes, I was also a world traveler, and you know, once I was traveling so far, you know, very, very far." I said, "Where?" He said, "You know, it was Klagenfurt and Villach from Budapest." So, at that time, if 50 kilometers, 20 kilometers, 10 kilometers—if the girl of your village was married to another village, anyone who went to that village for something would especially go to see their sister. And she was very happy, very proud that my brother came from my village. Her husband and parents-in-law, and the whole family, were really happy to welcome that person and give so many things. And that boy, or that man who came from the village, on the way bought many presents for that sister, for that girl of his village. All elderly ladies, we used to call, even now, mother. When you say mother, you have a relation of mother and son or daughter. But if you say the lady, what relation is there? With a lady you can make business, and with a lady you can marry. Or, with a lady, can you do anything? But with your mother, you will think, "What are you doing?" And small children, everyone will say, "My son, my child, my daughter." So we see them like parents in the village. That was a protection for society. There was no criminality there. All were happy, no fear from each other. Doors were open. Here also in Europe, I hear that many farmers, even today, don't lock their doors, because all neighbors are living so friendly and like brothers, sisters, or families. So the festivals and the culture bring humans together to get that love of belonging, that we are human and we are one family. There is only one caste, and that is the human, humanity. All festivals, every event, reminds us of something. Certain festivals remain. Sometimes a circus comes. Sometimes they are coming, some kind of amusements, playing in these, and chocolates and shops and farmer's market, and everyone is going and looking, seeing his happiness. There is also in Europe, you call it carnival. Carnival is fasting. There is also, at the end of the season, you know, now it will be when all crops are ripe and harvested, all the different pumpkins and corns and this and that, they will decorate and make nicely, the joy of human life. Similarly, there was one story. There was one king or some crazy man—I wouldn't say the king—and someone told him that he's a king and he must have a honeymoon with all the girls of his kingdom. Once he was tempted to call someone, he liked it. He said, "This is a beautiful girl," or something, and no one could say anything to him. But the girl was very, very clever, like all of you girls. You are very clever girls, and I hope you will be clever still. She said, "I will be the person who will protect all my sisters now." She went with a thread in her hand, a nice thread. He came to her, and she said, "Give me your right hand." She tied a thread. He was happy that she was giving him something, a present. He said, "What is this?" She said, "This is very important and very beautiful and very good." He said, "Yes, what?" She said, "This is called Rakṣā Bandhan." Rakṣā means protection, and bandhan means the tie. He said, "Yes, what is that?" She said, "With this tie, I am your sister, and you are my brother, and your duty is to protect me." He said, "That's a great idea. Okay, so what should I do?" She said, "Well, you are elder, a little elder than me, and I'm like your daughter, younger sister; you have to give me presents." He said, "Yes." He ordered cloth, and this, and jewelry. Many things he gave her, and said, "Oh, my sister, I'm happy, happy, happy." So now the tradition began that every girl begins to give in the village to their brothers. This is called Rakṣā Bandhan, Rakhi. And that man, the crazy man, completely lost his ideas in everything, and he was somehow happy. It was a burden for him. So, tomorrow is that festival called Rakṣā Bandhan. When you do this, then you have to respect her like your own sister or your own brother. Then, if she is nice to you, don't get married. That is wrong. Then it is a sin. This kind of sin is hard to get rid of. So be neutral, then don't do it. Or, if you make a sister, then it should be a real sister. Every year after the full moon—Guru Pūrṇimā full moon—this full moon is Rakṣā Bandhan, and you should do it. Many of you here sitting have yoga brothers and yoga sisters. Of course, you must not accept, or you must not do; you are not obliged to do it. But if you have no sister, or you like someone to have a sister, or you like someone as a brother, then you can do it tomorrow: that you are my adopted spiritual sister. An adopted or spiritual sister is like a real sister, like your blood relative sister. That's very important. And, of course, it must, because someone has to marry someone also. So, if all boys will make the sister of a yoga dog, sister and this, then from where will they get the girls? So they have to find new girls to bring to the yoga. But at least you can take one saṅkalpa, that I will protect all my yoga girls or yoga sisters. That you can do, that you will protect all these, your guru-sisters. You are guru-brothers and guru-sisters. We all believe in one God. The husband believes in the same God, and the wife also believes in the same God. Similarly, husband and wife, they believe in the same one guru, one master. So, all girls should take Saṅkalpa tomorrow: that I will respect and I will protect my brothers. And brothers should also take that: "I will respect and protect my sisters." Protection is now: the elderly one has a responsibility to the youngest one. So when the young sister gives you the thread, then you have to give something to her. So tomorrow, all the boys who are sitting here, it doesn't matter if your sister is here or not, or if you will have one or not, your older sister must give tomorrow all these girls a nice meal. We invite them for nice pizza, or nice halwa, or something nice. So this will be on behalf of all the boys, doesn't matter if man, old, about 30 years, 20 years, 50 years, or 100 years, man, old, or the other. This old man, who is working and grown here, should give tomorrow a nice feast—they call it in English a festation. Sakman? We, Sakman and Raj, taste it. Okay. Look what kind of brothers they are. They are paralyzed. Nobody said yes. Oh, God. Yes, boys, yes. It means not a lot. They are anyhow fasting tomorrow. But tomorrow we shall make a nice festival for them. And some presents, anything, a small thing you can buy. We have many things here in the shops, but they remember. Or we can get something from Sambadhe, and we can make some good lunch tomorrow, or some nice, good food in the evening. So, what would you like to eat, girls? Tell five girls to tell. Cakes. Okay, good. Okay, good, very, very good. So some call halwa, some call fruits, some call cakes. So we understand cakes means these biscuits. Salty biscuits or the sweet biscuits. So we will put in one plate and bring one biscuit. So we will think something. Now, it depends on when the donation box will go around and what the brothers, how generous they are. According to that, we will prepare for everyone. Of course, the boys are invited by the sisters to eat with them. And we will make morning, 9 o'clock or 9:30, the Rakṣā Bandhan ceremony. So the brothers will stand in one queue. And if you have sisters, you go with this Rakhi and you tie it on their head. Good? You would like to do it? Yes, very good. Look, you know, girls, they are always saying yes. Boys are completely paralyzed. I hope tomorrow night they will not take the car and go away. But there is also a festival for also the... This is a festival of the ladies, and mostly spirituals are ladies. And men are very clever; they all give to the ladies. So men are free; they need not do anything. So anyhow, tomorrow is Rakṣā Bandhan. This culture means to avoid criminalities, criminal things in society, and live together like one family, respect each other, and live in harmony and in peace. This is about the festival, that we shall respect and protect the feminine principles, or to protect the women. We know that a lot of discrimination has been in the past, and even now in many countries and many times, they were thinking that women have no rights, and that's not good. They have equal rights, they have equal position, they are for the family. It doesn't matter if it is a son or a daughter, they should and they have equal rights. In everything, in property, this, that. The big point of the woman is this: that they go with the husband where the husband is living. And that means, in ancient times, the son who keeps the family name, who keeps the family house, and who keeps the family tradition—the girl, she will go with the man. And this means this family house is finished. Only because of this, they were thinking that, man, they want a boy, they want a boy. But now it's not like that. Now the boy is the first one who runs away from home and goes away. Now everything is opposite. So we have to create a very nice atmosphere, and we should help each other always. So tomorrow is Rakṣā Bandhan. Rakṣā means protection, to protect. Bandhan is a tie or a promise. You make a saṅkalpa that you will promise. You make a saṅkalpa to yourself that, no matter which country, which city, which place, where any women are suffering or violated, you will be there to help. Till the last drop of your blood, you will protect our sisters, mothers, and daughters. This is such a divine thought: to do it, protection for this. So, try to see in our society, this is divine. And therefore, men should never think that they are the best and they are higher. It's not like that. So we shall, and ladies, of course, should not take this advantage out of this power. Now, many are marrying and then they get divorced, and they are fighting for their property. There are some people like this too. So we shall try to live very correctly and justly. Tomorrow is the day where we shall acknowledge both powers, both Śaktis, and bring harmony, balance, and equality. So there is no fight or struggling for equality, or in the last decades they used to call it emancipation. Now, the word emancipation is gone. Now it's called equal rights, and this word is much better than emancipation. So equal rights, equal gender rights, that's very important. And that's also the point of world peace and education in our human society again. So, I wish you all the best. This is for our Rakṣā Bandhan, and tomorrow, 9 o'clock. You can come at 9:30 when the lecture is. We will make a ceremony in the garden for Rakṣā Bandhan, and then we will move into the hall and have a lecture. So tomorrow's webcast, they will film it before 9 o'clock, when you are doing it between 9 and 9:30. And then, before the webcast, they will put a little festival of what we did for human rights, world peace, and against violence. For today, that's all. Wish you all the best, and pray to Mahāprabhujī to protect us and bless us. Dīpa Nayana Bhagavān Kī Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Dharma Samrāṭ Satguru Svāmī Mādhavānanda Jī Bhagavān Kī Satya Sanātana Āryo.