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Weekend Seminar in Umag, Croatia (1/4)

Respect the laws of the land where you are a guest. Declare and pay tax on any goods you sell. True giving is the foundation of spiritual life, while taking what is not yours burdens your karma. Your actions, seen or unseen, bear consequences. Correct your conscious mistakes through confession and prayer to find inner peace.

Every country has laws for security. You must respect them. Giving is noble, but you must follow legal procedures. What you give is noted in your karma and returns to you. What you take is also noted and will be taken away. You cannot hide anything. A story illustrates this: a man kept donated ghee for himself and suffered the karma alone. Another story tells of a thief who revealed himself by touching his turban when told it was burning. Your conscience knows. Therefore, give love, understanding, and forgiveness. You are born to give. If you have made a mistake, find how to repair it. Pray for forgiveness to remove the burden from your heart.

"Be the change you want to see."

"What you give will be noted in your karma and will return to you. What you take will also be noted in your karma and will be taken away."

Filming location: Umag, Croatia

All dear brothers and sisters joining us via webcast, my best wishes to you. To those celebrating a birthday, I wish you a very happy birthday. This weekend, our talk will focus on the Viśuddhi Chakra. As yesterday was the 2nd of October, we note that the United Nations has declared this day in honour of Mahātmā Gandhījī—the International Day of Non-Violence. It was Gandhiji who said, "Be the change you want to see." Even if that truth is difficult for us to digest, we must face it. We are blessed to see the beautiful place called Umag, a location one should visit at least once in a lifetime to witness the beauty of God. I offer my good wishes to all and will join you again soon. Now, Swami Chidānand will speak. We also greet the many devotees watching from Ukraine, where Chidānand was last weekend. Thank you. Hvala. Praṇām Gurudev. I pray to all brothers, sisters, and friends. We are all enjoying the warm hospitality of Croatia. As we heard, Swamiji is a guest of this country, and its people and representatives have welcomed him with truly open hearts, not for the first time. We who come to Umag are aware and can testify to the warmth and kindness of the organizers. This is a key meeting point in Europe for our community. Dear brothers and sisters, we have been with you in Croatia for two days, always drawn by the warmth and love of the hosts who organize seminars so beautifully here. They, along with the highest representatives of this country, welcome us with warm hearts. Therefore, we must also respect the laws of this land. A kind request from the organizers: please do not sell anything that is not declared. You must declare items properly. We heard from someone who did not understand what was said earlier. Hands up, please, if you did not understand. [Counts hands]. My God, so many did not understand. Thank you, Siddharan. He said, "Welcome, everybody." Another very important point: everyone wishes to give good things to people, which is excellent. Even giving a flower is a noble act. But every country has its laws, established for the safety and security of its people. When you enter a territory, you are obliged to respect and follow its laws. If you enter someone's house, every house has its rules. Yoga in Daily Life is a non-profit organization supporting humanitarian projects, including environmental and animal protection, and promoting tolerance for multi-faith initiatives. This help is for the needy, not the greedy. Wherever I travel, I do not receive money—only my ticket, accommodations, medical needs are covered. What comes from Austrian societies, donations, or my publications is fully taxed. In Austria, we pay taxes diligently; this year we paid more and even received a refund. That is beautiful. But if you do not pay, it is not beautiful. Then Swāmījī would have to sit somewhere and meditate for months or years. Tax laws exist for the benefit of the country. Croatia is not in the EU or Schengen area. Anyone who brought goods to sell must have respectfully declared them at the border and possess a receipt. You can sell, but you must pay the applicable sales tax. We must adhere to this due to certain reasons. Anyone who buys anything should officially ask for a bill. Those coming from other countries must show the organizers their declaration forms. This is in favour of Croatia, the organizers, and our collective well-being. Many wish to give something—a cassette, a book, Āyurvedic medicine, or anything else. This request is not against anyone; it is in our common favour. I cannot simply fly to Hawaii or Ireland, rest there, and take money from society—they would not allow it. My life is dedicated to all. You cannot digest wrongdoing. If you try to say, "Okay, it doesn’t matter," you cannot truly digest it. There is a beautiful story. What happens if you try to digest what belongs to a non-profit organization? I think you haven't eaten today. No prāṇa. You should sing so that the whole balloon levitates. "Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Śrīman Nārāyaṇa..." Sometimes it is hard to take the right steps. This weekend is dedicated to non-violence, particularly to Gandhiji's slogan: "Be the change you want to see." As Gandhījī said, life is an experiment with truth. "My life is my message"—which was not easy for him either. One day, Gandhiji came home, and his children ran to him. They had chocolates, candies, and toy balloons. Gandhiji loved his children and asked, "Where did you get this?" They said, "Mother bought them for us." Gandhiji asked his wife, "Where did you get the money to buy toys for the children?" She replied, "I took it from your office desk." A sādhu came and sat under a tree. He closed his eyes and began repeating the name of God in mantra, as it was his time for meditation. After an hour and a half, he finished his sādhanā. A young man with leprosy approached him with folded hands and said, "Swāmījī, can you tell me some treatment? What is my karma? Can you change my destiny? You are a holy saint." The sadhu said, "My dear brother, I am very unhappy for you. I cannot change your destiny, but I can advise something that may change it." The man said, "Yes, please. I will do everything." The Swamiji said, "In ten days, it will be a full moon day. There is a very nice ashram where hundreds, even thousands, of people come daily for darśan. You should donate eleven kilos of pure cow ghee there. God will help you." Then he went away. The poor man, who did not know where to find his next meal, slowly went into the marketplace. There, he met a very pious merchant. The leper, with folded hands, explained, "Sir, I met a holy saint today, and he told me to do this. But I have no money. Can you lend it to me? I will repay you from my begging." The merchant, a spiritual person, said, "Don’t worry. You need not give me money. In your name, I will donate eleven kilos of pure cow ghee to that ashram today." The man was so happy he had tears in his eyes. He could not wait to become healthy. When he saw the ghee—the good smell of the Jādam cow's ghee, pure and without any pesticides—a thought arose in him. "Eleven kilos of ghee for ten or fifteen thousand people? What will they get? Nothing. Just a little. Their hands will not even become greasy. Now it’s winter; I can make nice laḍḍū for myself." In Rajasthan, India, we call it sandanā, a winter tonic. "If I eat it alone, it will help me become strong and healthy, like a bodybuilder." So, he kept the pure ghee in his room and brought some vegetable ghee (in India, we call it dalda). He made halvā with the vegetable ghee to distribute to people and used the real ghee to make beautiful laḍḍū for himself. Every day, he made parāṭhā for himself. For three months, he consumed the eleven kilos of ghee. He became strong, and his face became red like tomatoes. When the month of April began and the heat arrived, he started to get pimples all over his face and body—thousands of pimples. People came to the Swamiji of the ashram and said, "I think our kitchen in-charge needs a holiday on the Adriatic coast. Why? He has developed some disease." Swāmījī called him and asked, "What happened?" The man said, "Swamijī, I don’t know what’s happening. My skin is cracking and burning. I can’t sleep. I am serving you and the ashram. What karma do I have? Please help me." Swamiji said, "Okay, you go and rest. We will call an Āyurvedic doctor tonight." Swamiji meditated. How deeply he meditated, especially out of compassion for his devotee! What karma does he have? In his meditation, Swāmījī saw the eleven kilos of ghee and understood everything. The next day, he called the kitchen in-charge and asked, "What happened to the eleven kilograms of ghee? Did you make halvā?" Tears came from the man’s eyes—the same tears the leper had shed earlier. Swamiji said, "If fifteen thousand people had eaten it, they would have shared the karma. Maybe they would have gotten one or two pimples, which could be treated. But, my dear, you took the entire karma upon yourself." The leper man became healthy. He came to thank the Swamiji and the merchant. We cannot hide anything. Therefore, if we can, we should give. Tulsīdās said: "Tulsī, kar par kar kar, par kar kar nah kar, tā din par kar kar, tā din maran kar." Understand? Kar means hand. "Tulsi, keep your hand above to give to someone. Kar, kar... na kar—do not put your hand down upon others. Taha din par kar kar, taha din maran kar: When you begin to hide and take away, that is like death for you." There are many ways of begging and many ways of stealing. That is why Gandhijī spoke of non-violence, including towards oneself. All great saints say this. Our Gurudev, Holi Gurujī, always said in satsaṅg: Śiva Dharma, Īmān Dharma—the religion of service and helping is the greatest religion. Every religion has a system to help. What you give will be noted in your karma and will return to you. What you take will also be noted in your karma and will be taken away. We are responsible for ourselves. For a while, we may be happy—"Yes, I got it!"—but what will be the result? We must think for the long term. Yoga is not only physical exercise; it is a way of life. You utilize yoga principles and practices in your entire life. Never think you are perfect. No, we are imperfect; humans make mistakes. But humans can also correct their mistakes. So, do not be afraid of having made a mistake. Be a hero and correct it. This is crucial for our spiritual development and for the whole world. It will bring peace within all. First, create peace within yourself. You cannot be peaceful if you do not correct your mistakes. There was a village with a population of three or four hundred people. A few such villages were under one king—that was the time of kings; now, thank God, democracy rules. In one village, someone stole something from the king. The king knew: "A kralj je ukral?" In my village, I treat all like my own children. I will not punish the person if they say, "Sorry, I made a mistake." For three years, they could not find the thief. One day, a wise Swāmījī, like our Jayā Prakāś, came from that village. The king asked him, "Swamiji, it's not that things were stolen, but I am unhappy that my people are becoming thieves. I am ready to give them even my kingdom. This disturbs me. I want to know who the thief is. I will not punish; I will give him more than what he stole." Swamiji said, "No problem. I will find the thief in no time." Be careful of Swamijis, okay? They know but do not always tell. Once, Natasha from Ljubljana told me—maybe she is not here; don't tell her Swāmījī told this story. She was training as a flight crew. In the training, they told her, "Be kind, be nice to the guests, never be angry. Even if they steal something, don't tell them, 'You are stealing.' Let them do it. Just act as if you don't know." So, Swamijis know what people are thinking and doing. All Swamijis know—except me. I don't know, okay? Don't ask me. Swāmījī said to the king, "Tomorrow at 11 o'clock, arrange a meeting. I will give a satsaṅg. All villagers should come, and afterwards, they will receive a good meal." All the men of the village gathered and sat nicely. At that time, Indians always wore turbans. There was a stage; the king and Swamiji were seated. The king introduced Swamiji: "This Swamījī has a special siddhi, a supernatural power. He knows everything. I asked if he could tell us who the thief was. Before he reveals it, if any of you is the thief, I give my word: I will not punish you. You can raise your hand and confess." Everybody sat silently, looking at each other. Not a sound. Then Swamiji spoke—there were no loudspeakers then. Swamiji said, "Dear Bhaktas, God bless you. Nice to see you all. The king has a question, and I must find the thief. Before I do, you can confess of your own free will." Everyone sat still. No one spoke. Then Swāmījī said, "Okay, now I will use my Vidyā, my power." He chanted some mantras and then declared, "The turban of the thief is burning!" The thief immediately touched his turban. Swamiji said, "Yes, that one it is." So, we think we have gotten away with something and are happy, but inside, you are not happy. That is the truth. Therefore, give. Give, give, give. Give love. Give understanding. Give forgiveness. Give guidance. Give others a chance. Give them rights. Give food. Give clothing. Give. You are born as a human to give. Give, give, give. Tell God, "God, you have given me so much. I do not have the capacity to give that much. Lord, I am so thankful to you. You have chosen me as a channel of your love. You have chosen me. Lord, let me enjoy giving." Sometimes there are big problems, and you suffer. Like Jesus said to the Holy Father, "Father, why just me?" And the Holy Father said, "Because you are my beloved son, I trust you. I have placed it in your hands, which means you have to give. My son, you will not disappoint me; you will give." Therefore, be a giver, not a beggar. Whatever you have, be satisfied. A wife says, "Take care, red light! Take care, there is a car coming." A polite husband writes to his co-driver's friend, "I know you are a better driver." Life is here to give. A few days before Indira Gandhi was shot, in one of her public speeches, she said, "I will serve my country till the last drop of my blood." So, we will serve our country and the whole world and all creatures until our last breath. And we will always be happy. This evening, tonight, until tomorrow's program, think over silently. Where do you think you made a conscious mistake? Find out how you can repair it. If it is unrepairable, then pray tonight: "Lord, you are the Almighty. You can forgive. Humans cannot forgive, but you can. Please take away this burden from my heart. Please remove this weight I carry on my shoulders." Someone said, "My own mistakes, day and night, bite me like a poisoned cobra, sting me like scorpions." You need not tell me or anybody; I'm sure you don't have a mistake. But if there is one, trace it from your subconscious, perhaps from a past life. Let us join together tonight in praying for forgiveness and for peace in our hearts. The body is a biological system and does not wait for us. Jet lag is also something... She doesn't tell you many things, but I will tell you tomorrow. Today, we would like to rest, and tomorrow I will be ready to ride further. So now, I wish you a very good night. May you have a very, very pleasant good night. When you begin to sweat in your room under the blanket, it means you are remembering your mistakes and need a cool, soothing breeze. There, you will pray. Stay here; the organizers will give you information about the programs, so do not run away. There is one announcement I promised to make: The Labin Yoga Society is in the process of purchasing some ashram property. They ask if anyone would like to donate, as the funds will go to the Labin Non-Profit Yoga in Daily Life organization. They will have an extra donation box. Thank you for your attention. Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... I will tell a story again—about someone who cheated his master. Girls, be careful.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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