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Approaching the conclusion of today's program—the lecture titled "War, Peace, and Recent Developments," or "The Actual Situation"—it will be quite interesting to hear about the recent developments concerning war, peace, and world peace. We began our mini-summit today by celebrating the UN International Day of Non-Violence, which was proclaimed by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in June 2007. This day was established on the 2nd of October, the very birthday of Mahātmā Gandhī. I believe today is his 141st birthday. We are happy that our summit commenced with a ten-day stay of Svāmījī in Umag. Unfortunately, we did not all have the opportunity to be with him for the entire ten days. As the final event, we started today with the efficient organization of this summit under the strong guidance of Vivek Purī and the organizational skills of the Yoga in Daily Life Creation Union. We held this summit under the strict and effective hand of Yoga in Daily Life Croatia and Vivek Purī, with the effective organization of the Croatian Yoga in Daily Life team. From our speakers today, we have heard different opinions. We had representation from various associations within Yoga in Daily Life. Vivek Purī mentioned Martin Luther King today as one of the peacemakers, one of the world's best-known. This reminds me of an event I recently heard about: when Martin Luther King visited India in 1958, he was provocatively asked at a press conference, "Where is your Gandhi now? What are we doing now with Gandhi?" Martin Luther King responded, "We can never ignore Gandhi, and whoever does so does so at their own risk." Today, we would like to emphasize that for ten years we have been marking the movement for world peace through numerous conferences, forums, and summits. We recall that on the 21st of September 2000, we held the first prayer for peace on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Umag, just a few days after the terrible terrorist act at the World Trade Center in New York. This was a unique event and probably the first spontaneous act by a large non-governmental, non-political organization like ours. We started the first World Peace Prayer here in Umag ten years ago on the 21st of September, a spontaneous and unique revolt against such a terrorist act by a non-political organization. We believe Svāmījī's initiative was among the first in the world, as the International Day of Peace was established later. Premanandjī, you have ten minutes, then five minutes. Salish Adam’s comments are not honest, and I am that. It is one Premanandjī. Okay, up to a visit me, not a comment on Svāmījī. Dear friends, today was a great day. The food was good, the bed was warm, so I stayed happily. But the main topic today was, of course, non-violence. In the morning, we heard very nice lectures, speeches, and words that inspired us, gave us new ideas and thoughts, and helped us go a little deeper into that subject. I was thinking today about how to express non-violence in the most symbolic way, and I couldn't think of anything better than a tree. A tree is a deep-rooted symbol of existence, well-established in Mother Earth. It expresses strength with branches that reach out towards heaven. It gives fruit on time, not only for some people but for everybody who is able to come at the right time to receive. If you kick a tree, it will not kick you back. It stands there through all four seasons, gives shade to those who go under it, and expresses serenity. The tree is also a symbol in all religions: in Judaism, in Hinduism—we have it in the Bhagavad Gītā—and in the Bible too. You know, trouble started with a tree, actually, with one of its fruits, and then we found ourselves in duality. But I have to say that not everywhere is an apple tree. Especially in Croatia, you are blessed with so many good and beautiful olive trees. The olive tree has its own significance because olives themselves cannot be plucked from the tree and eaten immediately. If someone gives you an olive, you may say thank you and not consume it immediately. So, the tree is a very strong symbol of non-violence. Today, when I saw that folder, I was very pleased with the photo. I was thinking, who managed that? It needs a lot of strength, a lot of hard work, self-effort to manage that deep-rooted symbol. It’s not something very individual but is, I would say, collective on a very deep-rooted, subconscious, symbolic level. Thinking about it, thinking about how he managed it, something came to my mind. Maybe that person went to New York and exchanged a bullet for an olive. Maybe some rumors are there that he came extra from Croatia. I guess history would have been different if, instead of an apple tree, we would have had such a beautiful olive tree as a symbol of peace and, in a further way, a symbol of non-violence. So, I do hope that many more days will come like this day, with the planting of peace trees and, of course, with the blessings and the presence of our Gurudev. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ. Svāmījī, Hari Om. Good evening to everybody, Hari Om. It is actually very hard to say something after so many beautiful speeches today. I would like to remember the day ten years ago when I was also present here. Today, I am here again with all of you, sharing that joy, happiness, contentment, and delight. Ne nasilje. Non-violence. Let us all think a little bit about that. What is violence? We heard today that there are in us two animals. I myself find myself in a situation that I’m feeding that bad one. I am trying to feed that good animal as much as I can. And sometimes it happens that, due to my mistake, some bad things happen to my friends and family. I was thinking very much today about this and about these five characteristics that each of us should have. And one more thing: let us all think about how big and how lucky we are that we can be with our Guru here. Are we aware of that? Think of that this evening. Let us all wish that he is with us for a very long time still, and that we can meet again for the next 10-year anniversary here, and again for another 10 years. We would like that he be with us as long as possible. At this moment, I actually don’t know what more I would say because I was very surprised that I had to speak here. I would like to thank Svāmījī that I can greet you here and see you all here, like you were. We were all here before with the candles on the coast, on the beach. Thank you, Svāmījī. So, thank you very much, and many friends of Bhakta would like to travel back this evening. It will not take a long time. I think the day was full of happiness, full of wisdom, full of positive thoughts, and the evening was very divine. Your candles are still fluttering, and that is something great. The weather was also in our favor. Everything was in our favor. You see, whatever we do first needs a clear thought: what you would like to realize, or what you would like to get. Then, put your mental picture, your plan, on the screen of your consciousness, very clear. Then, with positive feelings and positive thoughts, Bhagavān Siddhipāṇḍa Mahāprabhujī, our Grand Master, Śrī Mahāprabhujī, has said: make your saṅkalpa with that positive thought and a strong or solid decision. Success is yours. So, whatever we begin to do, and whatever I did till today, I had that vision, and I put that vision clear, and then in the hands of all friends or bhaktas, and surprisingly, it came more than my expectation. People think that it is not easy to get people from different religions and different cultures together. That’s not true. In the whole world, there are many, many good people, and they are all working for the same thing. Similarly, this event became very successful, with the great thoughts of Gandhījī. But you know, Gandhījī’s life was not as we think. To become Mahātmā Gandhi, how many difficulties did he have to face? How much humiliation he had to face, how much torture he endured in South Africa, in different other countries, in India, and everywhere. His life was a struggle, but one thing he knew: that I can, I will change myself to what I want to be, and then it will be what I want to see. So finally he writes: be the change you want to see. First, change yourself. You have to feel the other’s pain as your own pain. Then you are that one. Only talking on the surface is not the reality. You have to become like that. And so, Gandhījī always kept to justice, truth, love, ahiṃsā, non-violence. And now the fruit is there: we all admire him, we adore him, and the whole world now knows who Gandhījī was. You know, we have one word called immortality. Who is immortal? Also, that one who did good work. So, if we also decide to do something, then don’t see the negative. A beautiful rose also has thorns. So, if you want to get a beautiful rose and someone gives you a rose, then don’t be surprised if there are some thorns that go in your fingers. And, of course, you don’t see these thorns as a negative. You see only the rose as a symbol of friendship, love, appreciation. So, always there are obstacles, problems. Obstacles are there to be removed; problems are there to be solved. The best school is problems, and the best achievement can be done, a solid achievement, if you go through the problems. So, everything, whatever you want to realize in your life, the main thing is you have to be, that’s it. Remain there. There is one song, a bhajan by Paramahaṁsa Yogānanda: "Gurudev, I will be Thine. Devotees may come and devotees may go, but my Lord, I will be Thine. I don’t care who will come and who will go. I know myself that I will be Thine. Even if I go farther than the stars, physical distance doesn’t matter for me, but I will be Thine. And even if I die, look into my eyes. Mutely, they will say, 'I will be Thine.'" And that is when you decide something, then success is yours. Self-discipline is key to success. So, this was the message, and of course, non-violence. You can all practice and follow it if you feel that pain. I spoke this morning about that small child. Her father was a victim in the war and died. And still, this innocent child says, "Mother, where is my father? Where is the father? When will he come home?" Only the mother knew her pain, the pain of her daughter. So, if we will feel like that, we will not do anything bad to anyone. Not even in the dream will you think negatively about someone. Negative happens always. No one has clean hands. Somewhere we have some mistakes also. So, don’t think that you are the diamond of the heaven. No, no. Everyone, look within yourself; how many spots will you find? Therefore, it is better to be little. Do not expose that I am this one, I am a great one. You know, there are many knots that you have in the spots. At this minute, there is someone who knows, he or she knows everything about you. Everything, don’t be surprised, from your childhood to now. Very clear. Everything knows about you, and that one is yourself. So, you can’t hide from yourself. There are two that we cannot hide from: one is God, and the second is ourselves. Therefore, it is said: slowly, gradually, try to learn to endure blame and fame. If someone is angry with you, say thank you. If someone criticizes you, then say, "Thank you. But I’m sorry for you, because now my bad karma will go to you. You criticize me. Thank you. But I’m sorry that my bad karma now you will take." That’s it. So, never think negative. It will reflect to us. To do all this work is not easy. To make everyone happy is not easy, and human we are like that. Once I was flying from Vienna to Ljubljana. It’s a 27-minute flight, and they didn’t give me vegetarian food, and I was a little bit angry. I ordered it. Then I was angry at myself: how stupid you are. For 27 minutes, you cannot die from not eating. How we are thinking, like childish. So, like that, we should not be selfish. We do, then we should do for everyone. So, either you are bitten or you are not bitten. So, our dear Ānandī, Svāmī Sādhvī Ānandī, did very hard work, so we would like to acknowledge her work and, of course, our dear Svāmī Vivek Purī. You see, it’s called a token of love. It is a token of our appreciation. The work that you have done, we cannot reward you at that price. Holy Gurujī said, "The beauty of the tree is with leaves and blossoms and fruits and branches." If the leaves and branches are not there, we will dig that tree out and put a new one, so they are like roots and trunk. But the beauty of this program, the last 10 days, is all Karma Yogīs, co-workers. Can you imagine those who were not here yesterday? Till 3 o’clock in the morning, about 15 to 20 of our brothers and sisters were working in this hall to prepare this stage. They were running and going to the printing house at the last minute, printing this screen behind me, posters, and putting this there, and this, and everything is beautiful and nice. At midnight, they were carrying chairs from the hotel. I was thinking someone is stealing the tables. And it became the rain, and cold wind was, my God. But they were working very hard: where to put cameras, where to put this, that. It’s not easy. This hall doesn’t just appear. We still don’t have that siddhi that we make, and everything is there. That will take time. So, there were many, many karma yogīs yesterday and during this week, including our technicians and webcasting. So, I don’t know who is who, their name, and so I would ask Vivek Purī to go to the mic and just name them, and they will come, and we will give them chocolates. So first of all, our dear Turī Ānand, come please from the website, then Muktānand, then Chitrapurī, the other one, what is his name, Jīpko, and Garampurī, thank you. And Tārā Devī from Zagreb. And there was someone constantly putting my voice up and down, up and down. Who was it? Prempurī. Prempurī. And there were two ladies working with Ānandī in the administration office. Two ladies worked with Ānandī: Gītā and Ānandī, please. Gītā, thank you, and our Śivapurī taking care of all the security and everything. Śivapurī is not here? He is there, please, and our dear Maṅgalpurī, moderator, Maṅgalpurī, thank you. So, these are names, but remember, many are constantly working. Many were working, but now can you tell? Yes. Many, many other people who are invisible. Yes, they are invisible now. Now they will become visible. Yudhiṣṭhira, Ātam, please come. Yudhiṣṭhira, Ātam, yes. And all of you who worked here, Darān Puerī, all Puerī, Hemavatī, Jayā Devī in the kitchen, Jayā Devī, Nicola, and other Puerī, Kamalā, the photographer, Bindu, Śivanī, who sold, then those who took care of the prayer room, the altar, the Pārvatī, then for the purity of Rādhāmilā and all these other things, Mohan, Govind Purī, Jayadev, Chidānand, who took a nice picture of us, Jayadev and the altar. It was so many people: Gulabī, who is still working; Nirmalā, you were not here, thank you; and our translator, Madhu. Madhu is here. Madhu, Madhu, awesome. It was so many people that Prem Purī is also here. Prem Purī. Śiv Purī. You don’t like chocolate? I like it. I also said Chidānand, who was making photographs. The three girls for my tea service. Dada, and also my kitchen and any staff will get extra chocolate, okay? Śiva Purī, this is for our two gentlemen, the guards. Okay, hold on. There is a second one. Thank you. So, this is for him. Please come, everybody else who was working. It is hard to remember everyone by name. You see that all the delegates are the Karma Yogīs, my God. If we have forgotten someone’s name, please come. There were yoga teachers in the morning. Six o’clock in the morning, they were here to teach. So, who are these, please? Yoga teachers. Okay, we were all self-driving, very good, because all other teachers. Now, who has a birthday today? Please come. Today is Gandhi’s birthday. All the best, okay? No, happy birthday girl, good. So, there were also people who were organizing and looking after the kitchens; they’re not here. Okay. We had three shops here. And out of three, I think two were for charity, and there were two or three persons working, so I would invite them. This was only for the water harvesting project, and for animal protection, and like this, and for the non-violence school. Thank you, thank you. Okay, and then if we have forgotten, or we couldn’t remember so many people. Where you are also, please don’t be angry or sad that you were not remembered. In any way, if you were a helper, from two months beginning my arriving here and organizing the program till this minute, and if we’ve forgotten you, please come. Okay. Good. So then, I will also invite myself to have one apple. Thank you. You know the Wilhelm tale? Thank you. So, it was beautiful, and God bless you. And see you when Mahāprabhujī’s divine blessing will lead us together. Next week I am a whole week in Slovakia, and there are many Slovakians here also, so you are all invited to Slovakia for one day, two days, the whole week. As you like, in different cities. Today, Non-Violence Day is celebrated around the world, especially in our Yoga in Daily Life framework. So, thousands and millions of people were joining these prayers, and also through our webcasts. Thank you, and I hope next time we will be double this. I would like to remind you: if you have not signed the membership of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandajī World Peace Council, please sign, become a member. You don’t have to pay anything. Don’t worry, but of course you are most welcome to send a donation for such a festival to organize. But we need the voice. Every voice will be counted in the United Nations. The slogan is, and when we are so many around the world, I think it will help us to work more comfortably. And it will be a great motivation for us to work for world peace and nonviolence. So once more, thank you, and God bless you, and also His Excellency, the former ambassador of Croatia to New Delhi, India. Thank you for being here the whole day. You dedicated your time here. Thank you. And without you, it will be like the sky without stars. Next year on the same day, on the second of October, if I’m not here, then I give the responsibility to you to organize and lead this festival in the name of our Council. Thank you. So, you are all invited on the same day, on the same spot, and also many, many blessings and much, much love to all our juniors. They were fantastic. They were beautiful. They are beautiful. And they did great things. I’m missing one person, Svāmī Chidānand. Yeah, because always he’s running with the camera here and there. It’s for Naresh also. Thank you. So, the rest of the chocolate goes to my room, okay? And this apple, this magazine, this book. So, let us chant three times, "Śānti," peace. Three times, Om chanting. Then, Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. And then, Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. So, again, I will blow the conch for the closing ceremony. It’s called Śaṅkha Nāda. The creation begins with Nāda and is liberated with the Nāda. So, stand up, please. So, in the name of all creatures and the entire planet, that all may live without pain, without suffering, that we all may have mercy towards all. All creatures are the light of God. So, in the morning we begin with this thought, and we complete it with non-violence and the sound of the ḍamaru. Eternal Nāda, Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma. So, we didn’t know all the time how this whole program would be running, and we were surprised every time with Svāmījī’s directions, and now Svāmījī surprised us again. I would like to thank Svāmījī for these wonderful ten days that we spent with him and at this conference, this one-day event that we had here. We were thinking of the closing ceremony and the closing of this program, which we had here for ten days, as tomorrow’s program, but since we started today with the closing ceremony with Svāmījī, and for this wonderful idea, which is aware of our minds, we want, as a sign of attention, to give you this small bouquet of flowers. Even though today is not the finishing of the program—tomorrow we still have a program—but we would like to thank Svāmījī with these flowers. Thank you. Thank you. Tomorrow’s program is at six o’clock in the morning. Tomorrow’s program starts at six in the morning with prayer and āsanas. When you come in the morning, you can remove some chairs from the front. And then 9 o’clock, from 9 to 10, is closing words and a little program. This evening is a closing ceremony because many, many friends are leaving tonight. And Vivek Purī was already very nervous for the last 15 days, and also Ānandī. And the two nervous is difficult; one is okay. They said, "My God, Svāmījī, for the weekend there are so few people. And what will we do for this day today, for Non-Violence Day? There are only two or three hundred people." I said, don’t worry. We are all there. And you know, we are more than he was expecting. Over a thousand people. Many have left now. So, thank you for coming. If we support everyone like this, the world will be different. So, the closing ceremony is now, but tomorrow morning we will see each other here at 9 o’clock. Eat some more chocolate.