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Thank you, Swāmījī. Thank you, everyone. I would like to play a piece. For those of you who don’t know this instrument, it is called the sarod. It belongs to the Vīṇā family of Indian classical music. Maestros like Ali Akbar Khan and Bābā Alauddin Khan played this instrument. He was the teacher of Ravi Shankar. It is used to play rāgas and all different types of Indian classical music. Today, I would like to perform an improvisation for you in the rāga Āsāvarī. Rāgas have a principal emotion called a rasa. For me, the emotion of this rāga is that of longing—more specifically, the longing for a master, a longing for the divine, for a teacher, for guidance, for inspiration. Enjoy. Thank you. The piece I just played is on a CD by a group I am in called Damaru. One copy goes to Swāmījī. Two copies are already taken, but I have six copies available for $12 each. I would like to give the proceeds from these CDs to the red basket for Swāmījī’s humanitarian projects. We are very thankful for all the work he does. Please let me know afterwards if you are interested. I have one more song for you, if we have time. I got to play this song for Swāmījī in Atlanta last week, and I wanted to share it with you as well. It was written last Friday while we were driving to Atlanta, born from the excitement and happiness of finally heading towards Swāmījī after two years of absence. The song is called "Thank You." God gave humans His residence in their hearts in the form of a beautiful flame. In the Kaṭhopaniṣad it is said: in the heart there is one small space, beautiful like a cave. In that cave, there is a beautiful, tiny, sparkling blue light—Śivajyoti. That is the light of the entire universe. Therefore it is said, "Yathā brahmāṇḍe tathā piṇḍe." What is in the universe, you have in your body; and what is not in your body is not in you. The Creator has created many, many different lives or creatures. Everyone is carrying the light of God. But someone asked God: "You gave the light, but someone should explain to us the value of the light. What does that light mean? And what name should we give to the one from whom this light comes? God, can we introduce you? But how?" God said, "No, no, it is not necessary to give an introduction of me. It will be automatic." And so God created humans. He said, "My children, I send you on this planet as a protector, to protect all my children from the very tiny creature up to all, including the humans. And I give you the strength of my light of wisdom, because you will be able to understand what wisdom is, while others will not. Others will have love in their heart. What we call God is love, and love is God." Very carefully, this light which I give you suddenly flows into the heart of the human. As that light begins to radiate, sparkling, the darkness of ignorance disappears in the intellect, the buddhi of humans, and the light of divine wisdom appears. And God said, "Now, you love all my children like I love them. Do not make differences. One in all, all in one. Don’t look at what they did or are doing, but you should give love and this life." That is called Guru Vākya. God said, "These are my words, which we call Guru Vakya." Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvara, Guru Sākṣāt Parabrahma, Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. "What should I do, Lord, with this? Protect my innocent children, and motivate and guide the humans to show them the path through the light, not through the darkness, so they do not fall into the darkness." And so began a transformation, a transcendental process from master to teacher, from parents to children, generation to generation, dynasties, and paramparā, the spiritual lineages. That light of Sanātana, it will not go out. No one can blow it off. No one. Because Sanātana is Sanātana. The sun is Sanātana. It does not matter how clever and great a scientist or anyone is, and it does not matter how many atomic energies, houses, or buildings they have—what you call the units—or how many weapons and anything else, or any human with all their forces. They can’t destroy the sun. If you can destroy the sun, then you can say that now I can destroy everything. Sanātana is sanātana, eternal, eternal. And who will try to come closer to the sun? What should burn will burn, what should dissolve will dissolve, what should melt will melt, what should disappear will disappear. Satya. So darkness tries to come near the light, but as it comes nearer, the darkness melts and dissolves into the light. And so is the wisdom: Śruti and Smṛti. Śruti is what is spoken by the greats, and Smṛti is what we remember and we deliver further. Asa Mera Satguru Vandar Bole—like that my Satguru Dev speaks in me. Bheda Bharamana Khole—and all my doubts and all my conflicts, He dissolves. This beautiful version is from Mahāprabhujī. So this is the paramparā which is accepted and adopted in the whole world. A country like the USA is depending on this. You cannot drive your car unless you have the stamp and the signature of your teacher who taught you to drive. True? You cannot become an electrician unless you have passed the diploma and examinations. In some countries, even in our villages in India, everybody tries to make the wires like this. They even put it in the mouth, they hold it, wanting the positive power there and the negative... you know. But here it is not allowed. You must have training, and when you pass the examination, then you get the certificate or diploma. That’s Guru Paramparā. In school, the teacher will say yes, the child passes first, second, third grade, maybe. But after primary, then you begin sweating when you go to the examination. All my students, when they go for examination in the college or university, at that time, while sitting, they say, "Dīpa Nirañjana, Śabda Pañjama, Dīpa Nirañjana, Devpurījī Mahādev, please help, Devpurījī Mahādev," and then... "Swāmījī Prashānta, Swāmījī, please." I say no, no, I can’t do anything. You learn or not, Mahāprabhujī will do. Nāhaṁ kartā, I am not a doer. On the day when I will think that I am doing, it will be, how to say, everything different. Gurudev is doing it. I am just like a normal human, like you. It is nice of you that you respect me and put me here. Thank you. You may study for a doctorate. You may read the literature about medicine. But you cannot operate on anyone. You cannot become a surgeon or an anesthetist or any kind of... Because you must have training and the stamp of your professor. So, proper sir. Professor means a very proper person. Proper, sir. So there is no profession in America which does not need to be recognized. Similarly, in yoga, it is also the long years of training. There are people who give ten-day yoga trainings, and you come with a yoga certificate. Half knowledge is always dangerous. And even if you know all śāstras and everything, you can think you are a guru. Like that, there can be many gurus, but they are not a guru; they are kangaroo, jumping here and there. To become a guru is something great. When someone asked me if I am a guru, then I said, "No, no... Guru Dev is sitting there. It’s His blessing. His light is there." So this is paramparā, this is a tradition, this is called śruti and smṛti, given from the master to the students, or master to the disciples, or teachers to the students. And from parents to the children, cultures, you know, slowly, slowly, the tradition is disappearing. But when the daughter-in-law comes home, the first time she steps into the house of her parents-in-law, the mother-in-law goes with the pūjā thālī with the light and everything, and she makes a tilak. And she gives something sweet and welcomes her. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā. Therefore, when a daughter-in-law makes some mistake, then the mother-in-law is angry because she says it is an inherited culture from many, many generations of a dynasty, and this is disappearing in the world. That’s why you see there is a lot of confusion, a lot of fighting, and this tradition is gone. So, I hope one day this will not disappear, that nobody will need to go to university, do examinations, go into the operation theatre, cut the stomach, and take something out. Oh my God! I will say it is better to die like this than to go into the hands of such a person who thinks, "I am a doctor." Because you read all the books, you know all the surgical instruments and this and that. And then you tell, "Mother, come, you have a brain tumor, I will operate on you." Mother will say, "My child, let it be, let it be." And so is the half-guru who thinks, "I am the guru, and I will bless the disciples," and like this. I doubt. So, Mahāprabhujī said, "A blind leads the blind." And therefore, for many years, Yoga in Daily Life teachers here began with our dear Rāmānand. He started, and then we had a Rāmeśvarānand, and then we had here a Bhaktānand, and many other good teachers. They taught here with great love, very systematically. From time to time in different seminars, we had many other teachers visiting, and you were blessed by Swāmī Gajānandajī from Austria, from Germany. I think that when Gajānandajī walked in, it was like a light, no? And very simple. He really did not want to sit here; he was sitting anywhere and singing in his voice. Mahāprabhujī gave him such a voice when he was singing. Gajananjī inspired you all. With all others, their work, I feel very honored and happy that such disciples like Gajanan and others came and contributed the wisdom of the light of the truth, the yoga, and daily life. Yoga and daily life are not my creation. Yoga and daily life are not my postures. It is the teaching of those great saints from many, many yugas and yugas. If I say it is my system, that I did it, then I am mistaken. But of course, we all together put it and say, Swāmījī, because I’m trying, for the last 45 years—40 years in the West and 5 years in India—teaching. My Gurudev gave me a lot of instructions, and that’s why we call it "Yoga in Daily Life," not "Maheshwarananda Yoga," you know. Many people say, "Why not? We say Maheśvarānanda Yoga." No, no, no. I say, I am Maheśvara Nanda, I am not Yoga. So Yoga in Daily Life is neutral, very good, everyone. But we made a system, rules, and a fellowship as an umbrella, not because we want to have control, but because we want to control the quality. In quality there is no compromise. But still, some people are making compromises like this. Someone said, "I will not teach Yoga in Daily Life, I will practice other things." And they begin to teach, but what they are teaching is the same as Yoga in Daily Life. I’m very happy that we have here many, many of our dear brothers and sisters who passed the examination, and today they are going to get the diploma of Yoga in Daily Life teachers. Very good. I congratulate you, but I think someone has to read this for me, written in beautiful letters, which only the chemists or doctors can read. Call, please. Dinah Wiley, Divya Purī. Ah, Dīnā Purī. Thank you. Jaya Devī, Jackie Wright Martin. Jaya Devi has to go with the little one at home. So please hand over to her. Thank you. Thank you, Rebecca Matchett, Rāmā Devī. Thank you, Rāmā Devī. All the best. Matthew Houston. Oh, all the best. David Kosar, Śaṅkar Purī. Oh, Śaṅkar Purī. Thank you. Deanne Forrester, Durgā Devī, Durgā Devī, all the best. Janvīmal Dīvālī, Pūrṇimā Jan Janis, Rāmānand. You are obviously Rāmānand Purī or Sadānand? I’m only halfway through the training. I’m a slow learner. Okay, thank you, and congratulations to all of you. As I told you that God gave the light, similarly I give you in your hands the light of Mahāprabhujī and Holy Gurujī, Devpurījī and all other holy saints. With the thinking of "Nāhaṁ Kartā, Prabhudevaḥ Kartā, Mahāprabhudevaḥ Kartā He Kevalam"—I am not the doer, I am not doing, He is doing. I am only a messenger, a postman, or a light carrier. So, as Mahāprabhujī gave me this wisdom of Yoga in Daily Life, through Yoga in Daily Life, his divine blessings, his divine light, my dear brothers and sisters, I give it into your hands. Please take care, and as pure and bright as this light, you give it further to your students and also to more future professors and teachers of Yoga in Daily Life. Thank you, and bless you all in the name of Mahāprabhujī. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ...