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Part 1: The Sacred Sun and the Practice of Uṣā Pāna Good morning. Today is Sunday. Sunday is considered the day of God’s sun, a tradition upheld through many yugas. The Sun holds profound significance; we all know it is our life. The Vedas describe beautifully when and how the Sun was created, what it is, and its age. We call it Sūrya Nārāyaṇa. Sūrya means the Sun, and Nārāyaṇa is God Viṣṇu. According to the yogīs, the Sun has great meaning for the body, mind, and consciousness. That is why there is a series of exercises called Sūrya Namaskāra, the adoration of the sun. Every second, different sun rays touch us. The very first ray that comes after dawn, when the sun rises, has a great effect on our health and spiritual development. That first ray is known as uṣṇā in Sanskrit. Many Indians and yogīs keep water in a copper pot to capture its essence. This is very important for you. I travel constantly, but you are more settled at home. So, try to acquire a copper pot, fill it with at least one liter of water, cover it, and keep it at room temperature. The first thing you should drink in the morning is this copper pot water, the full liter. Make an experiment. In six months, you will notice how you feel physically and what has changed in your body. It is a very practical and great experience. The water you keep in the copper pot is to be drunk in the morning when the first sun ray appears. This drink has its own name: Uṣā Pāna. Pāna means drinking. Uṣā refers to that first ray, uṣṇā. Uṣā Pāna is considered the best medicine, the best drink, and the healthiest practice. Whether you see the sun or not does not matter; you should know the sunrise time from a lunar calendar or even the newspaper. Some yogīs have proven that through different sun rays at different times of the day, they could transform fresh cotton into a diamond. This is written in the scriptures. It is not easy knowledge, otherwise the world would be full of diamonds, but it is possible. Diamonds and crystals are especially the object of the sun ray. Thus, all different sun rays have different meanings for our entire planet. Generally, the sun's visible time is counted as about twelve hours. Every hour, the sun’s position is different. The early morning time is called Sandhyā Pūjā. This is not a blind belief; it has definite meaning. People come with a water pot and offer water to the sun. If you see the sun, it is excellent. Sometimes, due to clouds or monsoon, you do not see it, but you can still offer water at that particular time. Many spiritual films in India, especially those set on the bank of the Gaṅgā, show people offering water. As the sun rises, one stands in the water—whether male or female—and offers it. This act means you catch the sun's radiance and transmit that fire into the water element. Energy in our body descends through that light, coming from far away in the astral world. It comes into touch with our planet: the humidity, the water, the oxygen. When this humidity descends and enters the vegetation, it is akin to how the soul descends again. The Upaniṣads mention that many married ladies offer water daily to bless the family and protect their husbands who work outside. Many who cannot conceive perform this Sūrya pūjā, and it fulfills their wish. Your child will be brilliant and spiritual, a blessing for the family and society. The point is not merely to get a child, but to attain that quality of life. We can fill the stomach with anything—junk food, fast food—but such food has no prāṇa inside. If you eat, eat quality. Where there is quality, there is no compromise. If you want children, then pray and prepare yourself and your partner with spiritual consciousness, and ask God to bless you. Every hour marks a different solar position. Therefore, in Sūrya Namaskāra, there are twelve names of the sun. With each posture, you recite a name: "Oṁ Pūṣṇe Namaḥa, Oṁ Bhānave Namaḥa, Oṁ Sūryāya Namaḥa, Oṁ Hiraṇya Garbhāya Namaḥa"—these are all names of the sun. These different postures affect your body. It is not merely a movement; you imbue it with consciousness to change your life. Dormant energy awakens automatically. Thus, Sūrya Nārāyaṇa, the Sun God, is revered through the yugas. In the Mahābhārata, when Kuntī was young, her spiritual father, the king, hosted the sage Durvāsa Ṛṣi, who was known for his quick temper. The king instructed Kuntī to serve the sage diligently. One afternoon, as the ṛṣi was in yog nidrā, Kuntī sat nearby, fanning away mosquitoes and flies. When the ṛṣi awoke, he was pleased with her service (Śiva). He said, "My daughter, I am pleased with your Śiva. I give you a mantra: whenever you need help, God Sūrya Nārāyaṇa will come to you." He whispered the mantra into her ear, for mantras are given orally by the master. Years later, when Kuntī was about eighteen or nineteen, she was standing in her palace at sunrise. Seeing the sun through her window, she remembered Ṛṣi Durvāsa's words. Out of curiosity, she offered water and recited the mantra. Suddenly, a human form appeared—God Sūrya Nārāyaṇa manifested before her through the window. She was frightened. He said, "Yes, Kuntī. You remember me, you called me. What do you wish?" She replied, "I was just thinking if it is good, true, or not. I need nothing." He responded, "No, my daughter, don’t worry. But mantras are not for experiment. The Guruvākya, the words of the ṛṣi, can never go empty. Through Guruvākya I come; I must give you something." He then blessed her with a son, assuring her she would remain a virgin. He instructed her to place the child in the Gaṅgā. This came to pass. The child was Karṇa, who became a great and generous hero. Every day for one hour, he would give generously to the poor, distributing gold. There is a saying in India: "Don’t sleep in Brahmamuhūrta. It is the time of King Karan." Karṇa became a friend of Duryodhana, though his true lineage was unknown, leading to societal prejudice. When Kuntī later saw Karṇa, she was happy but could not reveal she was his mother—such was the struggle for women for centuries. This story illustrates why Sunday is holy. On this day, everyone should fast and pray for the health of the entire planet: "Oṁ Dhyo Śānti Antarikṣaṁ Śānti Pṛthivī Śānti." I am happy that Christianity also adopted this holy day as Sunday. Do not think it is only a Catholic day; it is a real Vedic day, of Hindu Dharma, Sanātana Dharma. On this day, you receive more light, and the energy is richer. The full moon day and Sunday are equally potent. On Sunday, a special energy radiance comes to us. If you can meditate and pray more, it works like a healing power. On the full moon day, the moon radiates fully—it is very gentle yet very powerful, influencing our entire being. In Kuṇḍalinī Yoga, prānāyāma, and the science of the nāḍīs, there are said to be 72,000 nāḍīs in our body. Of these, three are major: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumnā. The moon governs the left side, the Iḍā Nāḍī, which is connected to emotion. As we discussed recently, the mind's principle, mana or manobal, is Saṅkalpa-Vikalpa (will and doubt), and it is connected with the moon. Thus, the mind's devatā, the deity of the mind, is the moon, which is ever-changing. Part 2: The Lunar Mind and the Path of Devotion From the dark moon to the half moon to the full moon, and from the full moon back, twenty-seven kalās are happening in this. And that is in the body as an emotion; therefore, the mind cannot be steady. The dharma of the mind is saṅkalpa, vikalpa—to create a wish and to give up the wish, because it is not responsible. Emotion is not responsible. Emotion is only temporary. But if emotion is pure, then you have to mix inside this suṣumnā, the piṅgalā. And Piṅgalā is the sun. So now there is union, there is balance, there is what we call pūraka, each of the pūraka, and that is the sun and moon. Then your emotion becomes divine love, what we call bhakti, Bhakti Yoga. The great Tulsīdās Jī, who wrote the holy Rāmāyaṇa, said: "Kali Yuga keval nām ādhāra, sumira sumira nār hoi bhava pāra. Kali Yuga keval nām ādhāra." In Kali Yuga, we have only one hope. The main thing in the Kali Yuga is the name of God, Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is now easier to do because humans do not have that kind of discipline. We have no strength, neither physical nor mental. We cannot endure the situation. A few decades ago, there was no electricity, no central heating, no electric heaters, and no insulation in the buildings. Sometimes it was very cold. Even the windows had ice frozen on the inside from the humidity. And there were no cars, no heaters in the car. People had to walk to get a little milk from the farmers, through a pool of snow. They had the strength to endure the situation. And we, immediately we will complain to the council, "Why don’t they clean the snow? We can’t walk. Oh, help, God. What a government? For what do we pay the taxes? My car, this also doesn’t function." Okay, the car is going. You put on the heater, but only cold air comes. You know how we are now. We do not have self-sustainability within ourselves. So, old-time people were more positive, had a lot of strength, and kept the ability to endure situations—hot, cold, thirst, hunger—and we are spoiled now. So, before thousands of years, Tulsīdās, he said, he knew what will be now. All holy literatures are not written only for the present. The past history, present situation, and future expectation. This is in Guruvākya. Kali Yuga keval nām ādhāra. In Kali Yuga, there is only one hope: the name of God. Sing bhajans. Sing mantras. Repeat mantras. In any form of God. And you will see, now in Kali Yuga, everyone likes singing and dancing and music, you know? Oh God, that’s how they call it in the night, they call it disco, no? Yeah, disco, because the disc is played. And disco, you must go there. They are not bad people. They are practicing Bhakti Yoga there. Oh God, these people, they are enjoying Bhakti Yoga, you know. Different bhakti. It can be bhakti towards the song, towards the music. Ultimately leading to God. But of course, it should not be bad habits, drugs, and smokes, and all this. So the best is satsaṅg. Satsaṅg ko jānīye sarva sukha kī khān. Know that satsaṅg is a mine of all happiness. Like a golden mine, a diamond mine. Sarva means all. Sukha means happiness. And khān means the mines. Know that satsaṅg is the mine of all happiness. Or kusaṅga is the mine of all troubles. Lucky are they who can go to satsaṅg. And unlucky are they who go to kusaṅga. Days, months, and years, you work on your spirituality. And you go a little to the kusaṅga, you destroy everything. Punishtite sve satsaṅg, Tulsīdāsjī said. In one hour, maybe half an hour; in half an hour, maybe only a quarter hour, Tulsīdāsjī said, if you can have the company of a saint, or a satsaṅg, Hare Koṭi Aparādha, it will destroy thousands of sins of your life. That is the glory of the satsaṅg. So, Kali Yuga Kevalam Nāma Ādhāra Sumira Sumira Nara Hoi Bhava Pāra. Repeat your mantra, repeat and repeat and repeat. You will cross the ocean of ignorance, the ocean of māyā. Again, Tulsī Dāsjī said, Katha, the company of a saint, and listening to the glory of God, satsaṅg, Tulsi Durlabdo, these two things are very rare. Śuddhara or Lakṣmī Pāpike Bihoy, the children, the partner, and money, the wealth, even the sinner can have, but only... Rare are they, blessed are they, who can have such divine company. What will you take with you? All will remain here. Even this body will not go with you. All will remain here. You will go alone. Therefore, O man, think from where you came. For what you came, and what are you doing? And where will you go? So this strength, the emotion, the love—when there is an iḍā and piṅgalā, the emotion and intellect are in balance and clarity. Doesn’t matter what people think. It’s my life. In one bhajan, Mahāprabhujī said, Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavānakṣarī, yes, the bhajan is long, I will not translate all, but it is said, one seeker, the devotee, tells Gurudev, "I want to go with you in that divine world where the ambrosia is flowing, where there is no more birth and death, there is divine light, though there is no moon and sun, and there is indescribable beauty, where neither beggar nor king can reach. It is there where the great saints are living. O Lord, I want to be there." So, in spirituality, we have to decide for ourselves. Don’t think what others will say, or this will say, or that will say. Do you depend on them? Do they pay you money? Do they feed you? No. People will say anyhow what you do or what you don’t do. Of course, we have to do the good things. So, Tulsīdāsjī said it is rare, a satsaṅg and a company of a saint. And the saint is that saint. Finished all the dualities, all desires. Śat bhavanā. The good thoughts towards all. Sama-dṛṣṭi, equal vision for all. Śama, forgiveness, and so on. These are the qualities of the senses. And that’s very important to know. Sutdhara or Lakṣmī, pāpī, kībyo, partners and children and money, even the sinners can have. So, that’s why today is the day when you should have more devotion, more bhakti. So, it was declared by the Vedic ṛṣis at the time of the Satyuga. And when the Svayambhū, the Śiva, placed all the planets—which planets should be where and for what?—and also the light as the sun. The creator of everything is Śiva. Because even Viṣṇu is created by Śiva. Brahmā is created by Śiva. Shiva gave the seat to Brahma on the lotus. Shiva is the lotus which grew out of Vishnu’s navel. Once the question came in the mind of Brahmā, I want to know who is my father, who is my creator. And he tried to go through the stem of the lotus. He was traveling until the navel he wanted to reach. He was traveling yugas and millions of years. He didn’t come until Viṣṇu. Then again he came out. Who is my creator? Who is my father? Viṣṇu spoke, "I am." Then Śiva came, "No, no, Viṣṇu, you are alone." Then Śiva said, "No, no, Viṣṇu, it’s me." So Shiva is in reality called Swayambhu. No one has created him; he has manifested himself. And of course, these three: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa. They are trinity in one, unity. So unity and diversity is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvarānanda. In different situations, they appear differently. So sometimes it is Viṣṇu’s duty, then Śiva and Brahmā are helping, serving Viṣṇu. When Śiva is coming, Viṣṇu and Brahmā are helping. In Brahmā’s duties, then of course Śiva and Viṣṇu are requesting him. So this is one governing body for the entire universe, and so it is within us: our mana, jīva, and ātmā. Or, instead of mana, you can say buddhi. Buddhi is the creator, jīva is sustenance, and the ātmā is liberator, everlasting ātmā. So, we can talk the whole day, no end, but time doesn’t wait for us. So, it was nice to be with you. I thought we would do exercises, but Mahāprabhujī told me, "Make clear to them what Sunday means." And why are we worshipping and having holidays on Sunday? So practice your āsanas and prāṇāyāmas more: Iḍā, Piṅgalā. So, these are two. So, Iḍā is creator, emotion. Piṅgalā is consciousness, the intellect is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva is the Suṣumnā, and we all, our entire being, is Śakti, energy. Without Śakti, they are all lying helpless. Brahma needs Śakti, Viṣṇu needs Śakti, Śiva needs Śakti, and we also need Śakti. Energy, strength, prāṇa. Through your yoga practice, asanas, pranayama, meditations, mantras, and bhajans, you will get lots of prāṇa. I wish you very good health, and may God protect you, grant you long life, and spiritual development. I was happy to be with you, and I hope to come again. I would like to thank all the organizers of this good organization. And thank you all who were supporting them. Thank you to everyone who helped. That’s what we call, one hand was the other hand. That’s it. That’s the beauty. So, thank you.