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Part 1: The Power of Mantra and the Discipline of the Word So, who is speaking? I am. Ah, I thought Gunther would say something. Everything has already been said. Everything has already been said. Good. Then we begin with a mantra. And perhaps I will begin by speaking about mantra. In mythology and in these historical stories, there are accounts of how heroes or kings fought back then. There were no bombs, no atomic bombs either, and no rifles or anything like that. They had two types of weapons. One type of weapon, that is, bow and arrow, or a spear—one says spear—or an axe and sword. The second weapon was the word. And it is said in a poem: when one is wounded by a knife, the wound heals again. But if one is wounded by a single word, it never heals throughout life. And not just one life, but it continues through many lives. And one tries in this life or in other lives to exact revenge. Those who are hurt by a word, emotionally wounded, find this wound very difficult to heal. Words have two qualities or two effects: positive and negative. The positive effect is, as said, a blessing. A mother blesses her child, a father blesses his child, an elder brother, an elder sister. Older people, all of them have the ability to bless. In Vedic culture, the smaller, that is the younger, is always supposed to yield to the others. For what purpose? That means that the deserving receive blessings from the great, from the elder person, or from the learned person, or from the wise or the holy. Power, energy, positive power. And why? Because it is said, water always flows downward. And so blessing, grace, always flows to those who have a bow, who have a humbleness in their heart. And so, blessing comes through thoughts or through words. Words are first formed in thought. Thoughts arise from feelings, and feelings arise from qualities. And the qualities come from the society in which one lives and with whom one interacts. The other effect of words is negative. This negative word is, I believe, what one calls a curse. That someone says, this and that will happen to you. And when it truly comes from the heart, with concentration, then, as I said, it has its effect. We say, "I need your good wishes," because we believe. But if someone says, "I wish you all the worst," then I say, well, let them say it. No, that also has an effect. Both good and bad have their effects. And now, the science of mantra is that one realizes their inner will and inner powers through the control of these elements. And when this element is under control, it is capable of fulfilling the desires of those who wish for something. This is the Real. But one thing is very important. And the most important thing is discipline. Not all principles and elements can be there for you and function or be under your control as you wish, but only with one condition, and that is discipline. And if you break this discipline, no matter how, then there is no excuse anymore. It is like with computers; if you press the wrong button, everything gets reset. Everything is triggered, then you say, "Please computer, can you bring back all my work once again?" The computer says there is no request. That is just a polite word, "please." That is all. And so it is unfortunately also in the elements that if a discipline, a principle is not properly followed, then one loses all their Vidyā. Vidyā is a word. Vidyā means wisdom. Vidyā means learning. Vidyā means what one has learned. Vidyā means what one knows. Vidyā means knowledge. And this Vidyā, which one strives for a lifetime, can be lost in a single second. And that is a great disadvantage or perhaps an advantage. And therefore all kings, all heroes, or yogis have made great efforts to follow discipline. And discipline does not mean that you must not do this and you must not do that and you should not do this, no. But it is part of it. So, for example, as I say, we take the candle flame here in the hand, and now, there is a condition, a discipline: I can hold the flame in my hand as long as I want, but the moment I do this [presumably fans it], the flame will no longer stay with me. So, I am to strive to keep all my emotions under control, so that I do not immediately fan the flame and then say, "Oh God, it is gone. Please come back," but it does not come back. And so it is that we make mistakes through our thoughts, we make mistakes through our emotional feelings, we make mistakes through our ego, through anger, through hatred. And the greatest mistake that happens in humans, and also in animals, but still in humans today, is to seek revenge. And this revenge follows us from one generation to the next. One tends to regard a person, other people, as a true enemy. And one tries to destroy it. Because it is an inner feeling. And this revenge exists in the blood. It is transmitted from one generation to the next. Only through wisdom, through meditation, through prayer, can one overcome these. Our mantras were, or they used them, as a weapon, as a word. If they have shot an arrow, that arrow has had more effect than an atomic bomb. But until the last minute, he must not use his arrow. He should have made every effort, tried, so that he would not use this arrow at all. When absolutely nothing works, when nothing progresses anymore and nothing else can be done, then one must, then one may use. And he is to hear the inner voice or a voice from above. "Yes, now he may use this arrow." If he uses his emotions or pain beforehand, then the arrow will not work, will not be effective, and he will lose his Vidyā, his power. And so it is between disciple and master in the spiritual relationship. And so it is that a disciple can very quickly fall back into a dark pit. One practices for years, years of effort, and progresses far on the spiritual levels, and suddenly the discipline or the guidance from the master is interrupted, and one falls back into darkness. No matter the path, it doesn’t have to be the Indian master specifically; it could be a master from Hamburg, coming from the heath, the vast heath here. There is a heathen, or coming from somewhere, it is spirituality. And these elements and this wisdom are not dependent on any particular culture, but are the same everywhere. And so it is very important for spiritual practitioners to be very careful that I do not destroy my years of work in a single moment. And indeed, it can happen very quickly. A negative criticism, where someone tells you something negative, and suddenly your entire spiritual belief, your spiritual practice, and your experience are destroyed. It is as if the entire palace collapses because it was built on the sandy shore; a small wave comes, sand is carried away, washed away, carried away. And all the burden collapses. For a long, long time, one has tried to create something beautiful, from a glass, hand-cut and so on, and suddenly it falls and everything is broken. And so, it is often said that the spiritual path is not easy. There are difficulties and danger. What kind of danger and difficulties are there? The danger and difficulties are our own thoughts, transmitted from the other. In dealings, always avoid negative criticism if we wish to continue developing on our spiritual path. Everyone is a master, everyone has this divine light within us, and we should all immerse it deeply within ourselves and learn two things: learning, forgiving, and understanding. Understanding other feelings, other people, understanding everything. And that is sometimes difficult. It is very difficult. Our ego is so strong that there are some things we perhaps do not understand. And forgiveness, that is very important. Those who cannot forgive are not great souls. Kṣamā, badāṅko, hotem, sotanko, utpat. Only the greatest, the wise, the saint can forgive. The little one cannot forgive. The little one makes more noise. When a moped passes by here, it makes so much noise and the whole air stinks because it has a small engine. And when a Mercedes passes by here, you hardly notice that it is being observed. The more spiritual development one has, the less negative criticism there is within. He sees because he understands everyone and gives no anger, hatred, suffering, jealousy, or revenge, and thereby also possesses the ability to forgive. The Greatest can forgive, for example, Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Why did Jesus say that? Because He is the Great One. And everyone can strive to grow greater, but with us it is difficult, in the present time, to bring people to that, whether we truly live according to this Ten Births or not? If one could truly live, then this world would be a paradise once again today. But people have turned this paradise, a paradise, into a battlefield. If, according to that, after 10 lifetimes in the boat, no more weapons will be created. Not at all anymore. Finished. No more pistols. Nothing. How beautiful. Love your neighbors, there will be no more Greeks, only in Yugoslavia those who fight, that will no longer happen, because love your neighbors, your neighbor. To say that I am a religious person, that I am a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew, is easy, but to follow it wholeheartedly within is difficult. And only one who understands and can forgive, and who truly wishes to realize God, can do that. Nothing economic, nothing for position, nothing for power. And so these words have been used because sound, sound is the origin of all this, and through sound comes the light, and through the light comes life, and life is light, the light of life, and this light returns again to its own light, to the origin. And so, there are many, many mantras that have a beautiful, positive effect. And that is our own thought. When we think something in our mind, a vibration automatically occurs. And this vibration automatically purifies the entire atmosphere. When I think that I want to say to someone, "I love you," first my lips and tongue move. This word is within me, beginning to resonate throughout my entire being. "I love you," and that within me causes a feeling of bliss, a joy. And when I say this to my brother or sister or friend or others, "I love you," then I transmit this vibration further. Or one thinks within oneself, "Oh, I am chasing it." Then inside me there is a vibration, a whirlwind that passes through one, so that one chases it. And when I tell someone, then the other also becomes sad. It is like spitting fire. And so the mantra, the beautiful mantra, has a beautiful effect. So every day, when you wake up, the first thought should be something beautiful. A beautiful thought, a mantra. Some people wake up and say, "Damn it," that’s the first thought—"I have to get up. God, I am tired of this work." So all the anger, all the hatred already begins the moment you wake up. One wakes up and says, "How beautiful, the sacred images, the divine images, how beautiful it is, good morning, I am pleased." So with joy. And whoever begins their day with joy, that is a blessed day. And whoever begins their day with anger, their whole day will be filled with much anger. And so the early mantra or evening mantra, midday mantra, meal mantra, that concludes our entire phenomenon. So, one mantra is called the Mahā Mṛtyuṁ Jaya Mantra. Mahā Mṛtyuṁ Jaya Mantra. Mahā means great. Mṛtyu means death. Jaya means victory. Mantra is mantra. This mantra has victory, a great victory, over death. Death means accident, death means illness, death means sorrow, death means pain, misfortune, all of that. And victory means success. We all have fear of dying, fear of injury. Part 2: The Power of Mantra and Spiritual Practice Perhaps one is not afraid of death itself, but one fears how one dies, through what sufferings, through what pains, and what one must leave behind in this world. So, this Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra protects us from many, many misfortunes. If your car doesn’t work and you are somewhere on the highway, motorway, or have little petrol, and you need to reach your gas station, which is about 30 kilometers away, and you only have enough petrol for one kilometer, where would you go? Only 10 kilometers are enough, so what does one do? Try practicing the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra and put in a little effort; even if you make mistakes, this mantra will help you—you will reach your destination. It is not merely a dogma, but it is a fact. I have tried it often. I have tried it often, and once I did it near Linz, no, Salzburg, near Salzburg, there is a small place, the place is called, Puh, Hlein, maybe many of you, I was at Hlein. And there an Indian came to visit me with his entire family. And it was already evening, winter, and they wanted to go back again, and suddenly, what they found was that there was no more petrol left. The car won’t start, the fuel gauge needle is all the way down, and the nearest gas station is about 30 kilometers away. Well, what shall we do? His wife said, call the Svāmījī. And he said, yes, but Svāmījī is not a gas station attendant. But he doesn’t have a canister there or anything. And that is true anyway, I am not a gas station attendant, and I don’t have a canister either. So, she said, Swāmījī, would you like to accompany us? We need to go refuel. I said, good. And we sit inside, and he is also inside, starting his car, and the car starts, and his wife sits in the back, repeating some mantras and thinking intensely of Svāmījī, while Svāmījī does not know what is happening at the moment, because the atmosphere was... A somewhat abnormal, not very relaxed atmosphere. Whether I will be abducted or not, I have no fear, I have nothing to lose from abduction. So we started the car, the car moves, we get on the highway, it runs at 120 km/h speed, and what happens slowly, slowly,... The needle rises again and we head to the gas station, we have reached 30 km, we refueled, and it’s like this: it now says there are still 8 liters of petrol inside, farewell. So how it happens, what happens, no one knows. Tried everything before, but it was really nothing, there was no fuel inside at all, and the lubricant was also used up, and so on. And where the 8 liters came from, well, that remains a big question mark for me today. But things are possible, that I can tell you. And the same person also had an experience that it was written in the Living Light, here a book, the Living Light, which comes from his faces. He went to visit with his family somewhere in Tyrol. And when they had left, the same thing happened again, there was no more petrol. And in the middle of the streets, a lot of snow and minus 15, 20 degrees, and two small children. And somewhere in the mountains, you have stopped and there is no more petrol, what do you do? And his wife said, pray to Mahāprabhujī, she said, yes, that’s true, but what? And I said, we should pray, and then we came to a farm, went to the farm, and they said, we have no petrol, we have diesel for the tractor, whenever they need it. So they come back, sit in the car, trembling, very cold, and childlike pure, and it was a very unpleasant atmosphere. His wife said, alright then, think of Mahāprabhujī and start the engine again now. He said, yes please, if one has more problems, then one gets more upset, loses more nerves. He said, yes please, Mahāprabhujī, Mahāprabhujī, what can he do now in the subzero temperature with no more petrol and the engine won’t start, what should I start? She said, please begin. And okay, like you, women want it strong. It is always enforced. And unfortunately, the miracle is that they are always right. So it starts, he starts the engine, it ignites, so he engages the gear and the engine moves and comes home. So these two things happened to him, he wrote about them in this book, and of course, this person is still living here in Europe. So these things are possible. And that is exactly what we are saying, a miracle, a wonder, the miracle. So this Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra also has a miracle. And this Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra goes like this: we have it in our book, in the Yoga book, or I believe also in the first half, written as: Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. It will take you a year to learn it. So this winter, I still cannot let you receive help. But where there is will, there is a way. Now everyone has heard how we sang. And now I will sing a different melody, one that has a bit of rhythm. Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. And now, everyone sing along. Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam, urvārukamiva bandhanān, mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt. Whoever rises early every day and repeats this mantra five times will have a happy day throughout. Whoever is about to undertake a long journey, before starting the car or setting off, should sit down and repeat a mantra five times silently or aloud, then repeat their own mantra and begin the journey. Your journey will surely be a success and a safe journey. So Mantras reside within us, influencing all other elements, counteracting attacks from negative elements, from negative forces. And so, the mantra is indeed important, to get up every day and repeat the mantra. Or the Gāyatrī Mantra, many already know what the Gāyatrī Mantra is. It is also beautiful, to repeat it five times or three times or twice or once. Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt. Oṃ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ. All the gods are pleased, all are present, all will help and guide you. All negative energy in the darkness is gone from your phenomenon. Now your phenomena float and are illuminated in the vibration of light. And so the beautiful mantra or peace mantra, Asato mā sad gamaya, O Lord, lead me today from unreality to reality, from untruth to truth. May my entire day be like this. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, lead me from darkness to light. Darkness means ignorance, illness, conflict, disharmony, negative arguments, accidents, and so on. Lead me to the light, to happiness, harmony, joy, peace, and so on. Mṛtyor mā, amṛtaṃ gamaya, and lead me from death to immortality, to bliss, to joy, and to immortality. And so the Āyurvedic Mantras are not religious mantras or something you believe in as a religion, this and that. No. And religion itself is very important, and religion has two principles. Religion means realize your relation. So religion means Realize or Relation, kinship, religion. So realize your relation. Realize your relation to God. That is religion. And what relation do I have with God? What relationship do I have with God? My kinship with God is that I am a part of Him, the essence of God. If I am a part of Him, then I have the same qualities within me, which are the divine qualities. And which of these qualities are within me, I wish to discover. And when I become consciously aware of all these qualities of mine, then I become one with God. And so all these mantras convey this information to us, enabling us to continue developing on our spiritual level; all elements are at our disposal, and all negative vibrations, negative energies, are then cleansed away by us. And that is why mantras are very important. So everyone closes their eyes, sits comfortably, and we will now sing this Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra. And you shall repeat after me. First, relax, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths in and out. Relax your shoulders, relax your jaw joints, relax your abdominal muscles. Withdraw from the outer world, be aware of your existence, physically and mentally, feel your inner Self in your inner space, in your own phenomenon, be conscious of your beautiful qualities and the things that disturb you or are difficult to overcome, you should let go of. Whatever feelings arise, let go, understand, and give, understand and give. And may this mantra, which we are about to sing now, awaken a beautiful energy within you. May this mantra heal your illness. You will overcome all your pains. A healing power flows through your entire body, dissolving all pain; this vibration penetrates thoroughly. It frees you from fear and brings you close to your Immortal Self, your immortal self. If your Self is immortal, then why should we be afraid? Overcome your fear. For a while, feel yourself like a rich incense stick, a fragrant candle. A flame burns within you, and your entire body radiates the fragrance of various qualities. Love, harmony, understanding, joy, peace, bliss emanate from your body, and your thoughts shine. Your thoughts are like light in darkness. And now may this entire phenomenon be further purified through mantra. Repeat after me. Do not move your body, keep your eyes closed, and feel more your existence and sense the effect of the mantra. It is especially noticeable along your spine and in the heart center. You will feel your spine becoming warmer. It releases tension from the back muscle, and you will experience a pleasant sensation. Breathe in and out deeply three times. Relax, relax, relax. Do not be so curious. Even when you begin to feel curious, you once again find inner relaxation. Relax, relax, relax completely. Relaxation causes thoughts, and therefore let the thoughts be free as well, and now repeat after me. And now once again dive into your inner consciousness or inner space and find out how you feel after the mantra repetition. And bring your attention to your Maṇipūra cakra, feel your inner space in the abdomen and imagine there three very important channels. And through this important channel flows the life force, which travels throughout the entire body. And with this Bīja Mantra, we will sing the Bīja Mantra Raṃ with a beautiful rhythm. And perhaps, just listen once, I will breathe in normally and then I will sing Raṃ. So, I will sing five times and then everyone should continue with me. Eyes naturally closed, the body relaxed and comfortable. Who would like to change their seat? Of course, you may change quietly. You should not suffer; you should not feel any pain. Feel your body completely relaxed and completely at ease. I will sing five times, and then everyone will continue with the same rhythm. There are ten different prāṇa-śaktis, prāṇas that wander through the whole body. It is like a flame of fire. Or you can have an imagination. It is like a mountain cave. And there is a beautiful place there, and sand. You stand there, or sit there, and there is fire burning in front of you. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Purī Jī. This warmth that you feel in your body is actually the warmth of the Maṇipūra Cakra. This is tejas, this is tapas, the inner heat. This is prāṇam, śakti, life, vitality. It is very important that it flows throughout your entire body every day. It heals your blood disease, it cleanses all toxins. Breathe deeply into this inner cave, the inner temple. The tower is very tall; listen to your inner resonance. Continue, when you inhale, then prāṇa, go in, dive in deeply, and go all the way around from the navel, from below, and go up again with the vibration M, and go up in the direction of the head. After the 27th time, listen to your inner sound. Move your fingers and rub your palms together until they become completely warm, then place your hands on your face, warming the facial muscles and opening your eyes. Hari Om. The next program includes Nauli, Agni Cakriyā, and Uḍḍīyāna Bandha 3. It would be advisable to take a short break, and everyone should skip coffee and tea. A 10-minute break.