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Praṇām Gurudev. Hari Om, dear brothers, sisters, and friends on the webcast. We are here in Strelka and often hear that this is our home. Not just a home where we live, but our real home. People often say, "Home, sweet home," yet many are not happy to return. They pretend everything is fine, but often, people run away from home. We speak of family. Mostly, people run away from family. In my childhood, there was a saying in my family: "If the family is good, then God will have a family." This is completely different from what we learn in yoga. Sometimes, our family and home are not pleasant. We know from movies about New Year and Christmas—this season is beginning now—that gathering as a family can sometimes be a disaster. That is the blood family. When I began yoga many years ago, it was not so easy for me, because slowly it started to explain that family is something completely different, a place where you feel good. It explained that the whole world is God's family. Truly, if you look and understand through yoga, you see that the whole world—everything, animals, all creatures—is our family. Now is the time of Christmas and New Year. I can say that only through yoga—or rather, through Viśva Gurujī—did I begin to understand what this period of the year signifies. If you listen to or read about religion, and if you think a little logically, religion is mostly confusing because it lacks understanding; it is mostly just belief and fear. But only through the knowledge of yoga—and again, I say not knowledge from books but from a self-realized master—are we able to understand the messages hidden within religion. That religion then slowly changes into spirituality. Understanding these festivals in our tradition through the light of a self-realized Master becomes something completely different. We are happy that this year we have Viśva Gurujī here in Strelka and that we will have a gathering of the family. This gathering will be completely different from being at home. This meeting will be with an understanding of Ahiṃsā. Here, we will truly talk about light and be with the light. What is most important? We hear many times from Swamijī: There are two spoons, one made of metal and one of wood. If we put both in honey for a week, the metal spoon we can just wash, and it will be without taste. But a wooden spoon, even washed many times, will retain the sweet taste. We don't need to philosophize or think too much. We just need to try to be the wooden spoon, to be in the satsaṅg, to be in the honey. Slowly, we will gain that sweetness. That is all we need. But how do we gain the ability to preserve that sweetness? I will not say I know, but I think—for only those who know are eating here, and we merely think we know—the only way to become a nice wooden spoon is to open the heart. When we open the heart, everything in life becomes much easier. Our ego mostly creates problems. If we open our heart, also with some knowledge, in that moment we are able to become the wooden spoon. If we close our heart and try everything with our knowledge and ego, we have a Teflon coating around us, and everything will just slide away, washed off immediately. Secondly, we know that when we return home, some of you do not have the luxury of a family that is vegetarian and spiritual. In that moment and situation, it is very hard to preserve what we gain in the seminar. But just try. Keep softness inside—not the softness of weakness or poverty. No, be a lion, but soft inside. Keep practicing. Thanks to God, we have in Kali Yuga the opportunity of techniques, and we have the webcast. We will survive. You have had a very nice time, and in summer, we will again have a very nice time with the systematic teachings of yoga in life—physically, practically, and theoretically. Practice is very important. It is said: When you have planted an orchard with the best fruit trees, about 60% of them do not bear fruit. What will you do with those trees? You must decide. Now, there are hybrid seeds that bear fruit only once; then you must buy seeds again. In the history of this planet, God created everything to be sustainable. It doesn't matter what kind of plants they were; the seed grows automatically. We call it a weed, but this weed is healthier and better than herbs. We think it's just a weed, but we don't know its quality and medical value. Many weeds are here, and in spring they will grow again. So, those trees that no longer bear fruit, we keep them in the garden, but we cannot get fruit from them. Similarly, we are in the garden of God. We are all born in this garden as beautiful plants meant to give beautiful fruit—the fruit of teachings and knowledge. It is said: What you have, you should give. Otherwise, it will be lost. That talent, that knowledge, those abilities—if you do not teach others, they will be lost after your death. Therefore, it is called a living school. That living school is the master to the students. That is why the tradition is Sanātana Dharma. Sanātana Dharma is known as a living dharma. In this Sanātana Dharma, this Hindu dharma—given various names—there is worship of the incarnation, but there is only one God worshipped, called Brahman. This is expressed as Brahma-satyaṁ-jagan-mithyā. This is the belief in the Sanātana or Hindu religion: only one God, Brahman. But how to achieve that? It is very important. We build an 80- or 100-storey building. The top is called the penthouse. Everyone likes the penthouse for the view, though some do not because in an earthquake, it is the first to be affected. It has a price. Those living on the ground floor can just step out. But that is a different subject. When there is a hundred-floor building but no staircase, and we have no wings—if we had wings, we wouldn't need a lift or staircase. So, Brahmaloka, the abode of Brahman, is in the penthouse. And we are in this Mṛtyu Loka, this mortal world, on earth. The path is the Gurudev. Everyone has a different guru, which is very good. But as a guru tattva, it is one. It is not that you just change your dress and call yourself a guru. It is said: The higher you go, the humbler and lower you are. I have taught this example many times. From humbleness, you will get the divine. Prabhutā means "I am God, I am guru, I am director, I am the best." This is the ego. Prabhutā says, "Lagutā." So there is a competition between the bigger and the smaller one. They take desert sand, put one grain of sugar in it, and throw it. You cannot find it, but it is said: Whoever can catch only this sugar will be the winner. Laguta se prabhuta mile: If you are the smallest, you will get the highest position, because you can get that sugar, all of the sugar. Prabhuta says, "Prabhuta do," but if you are very big, you are only ego. The ant and the elephant had a competition: Who will get only the sugar? You can guess who will do it. The ant will go very nicely. It is said in one bhajan that even when the ant is walking, she has such nice bangles, and when she walks, it's such a nice sound. Then God stops to smile: "My children, how nice they are." You see, God sees all creatures under the ground, in the water, in the air. So the ant went, took the grain of sugar, came back, and gave it into the hollow of God's palm: "Here it is." So He gave the ant a very high position. The elephant also went to find the sugar. He put his trunk in and inhaled. Maybe some sugar came, but mostly it was only sand. So those who have ego—"I am this one, I am a sannyāsī, I am a monk, I am a director, I am a professor, I am a prime minister, I am a president," etc.—one day, all this will go down. We put air in a balloon, and slowly, after some time, all the air is gone. And we are walking with two sticks. God gave us two legs to go, and four to the animals. But because of such karma and our health, we are going with four. And God stops again. He said, "But I didn’t give you four legs." Why do you hold to make four legs? It is a time. It is a time. So, it is called to give the knowledge further. I think the master of Paramahaṃsa Yogānanda, his master Lāhirī Mahāsaya, said: "Even this small creature will find and go there in the sand where the sugar is." The sugar grain, just a little piece like sand. There are many, many pieces like that, even shining. Sometimes, a piece of glass is shinier. But an ant will not take this in its mouth. The ant makes the path, makes the way to go where the piece of sugar is. And so, humbleness, kindness, and that clear-minded bhakta will find that Satguru, which is the paramparā. There, it doesn't matter if it is white sugar or brown sugar, or a drop of honey. Where is sweetness? The ant is going. And what is that sweetness? Bhakti. The greatest sweetness is bhakti. Amṛta. That which makes us immortal is amṛta, and that is the sweetest one. So, jñāna. Therefore, there are many, many bhajans of Mahāprabhujī where he describes the glory of the satsaṅg and Gurudeva. It is said: The blessed land is that where the Sadguru incarnates or is born. The blessed land where the saint is born, and glory to that mother who gave birth to that saint. A mother has to get glory. Through many, many births you have to get that kind of mother. Mother is everywhere in Mother. And Māta Bhavatīnākumātā: the mother is never a bad mother, unless there are mental problems. So in every mind, whatever you dig, something comes. But that diamond is not in every mind. The female principle is very high. It is called ādhyā-śakti. Ādhyā-śakti means that from the beginning. Śiva Tattva and Śakti Tattva, Ādi Śakti. Both have a very high value. But how have we changed now? We do not have that purification. That is because in such a womb, or in the womb of the mother, that divine soul is searching: which womb should I go to? How pure is it? How divine is it? That’s it. So, the female life is harder, more difficult, but more respected. Divinity is there, but we are lost. You have so many different kinds of energies in your body, as well as in your mind. Don't blame the woman. It is also the men. Because that principle is lost, and so a Satguru comes. Satguru and God equally have the vision to guide everyone. And so it's called seed to seed. The mango seed will grow again and give mango. A mango will not give a lemon. Z mangovníku nikdy nesklidíte citróny, though they are standing beside. Why not? Proč ne? Similarly, we humans should think: where you are standing, the lemons should not attract you because the mango was not giving enough. "I will give also lemons." This is the principle in nature. So near the cherry, there will not be growing the swastikas. Though they are together on a branch, it doesn't matter where you are. We have to follow this nature, and now we humans have left nature. That’s why we are suffering. Why are there not so many animals ill in the forest? But why are so many humans ill? We should ask ourselves: why are humans so ill? You should give the answer yourself. Ask others, "So what to do?" Ask the wild deer in the forest how they maintain their life healthy. They have enemies; accidents can also happen. Accident and enemy, this is coincidence. Maybe karma, or maybe not; suddenly some energy attacked. So why are humans suffering so much? We should not suffer, and this is only because we went out of nature. Our way of sitting, sleeping, working, eating—what eating, societies, behaviors, relations, etc., etc., etc. Can we find one positive point in a human? So God will take that point to liberate you. But He says there is nothing left. A patient is in the hospital. All organs are destroyed. God, doctors are there. They have the ability to save your life. But on what basis can I do it? Intestines are destroyed. Kidneys are rotten. Liver is gone. Mouth doesn’t open. A hole is made here, some give a drip, but how long will you... how long will we survive? Why don't we have a natural death? Suddenly, the animals in the forest don't suffer for two years, three years. Maybe a bird, deer, rabbit, frog, etc., many. They don't suffer for months and months. They die naturally. They just give up eating and they rest. So please write the points and submit them in the summer seminar. We are doing what is unnatural. That’s it. And so we need the one who leads us back to nature. The one who leads us to that nature. Chandan makhi par hare, durgandhi vahan ut jaye, aise agyani satsang nahi sunay, onge ki ut jaye. Chandan makhi par hare: on the sandal paste—you know, sandal, we put here on Agarbatti, and the whole room is full of the good journey, hurry home, bye bye. Put it right there. Good smell. And someone has not washed socks for one month, and all the time put them in shoes, sweating. And they take the shoes out and come here, and every step is aroma. So, one fly was sitting on the sandal paste. Then suddenly, a little child made a toilet twenty meters away. The fly flew from the sandal to the dirt. Stink, because that is the nature of the fly: to be there. But the bee, the honey bee, will never sit on the stink, and if she comes near, she will die. There was one emperor from Turkey in India, what they called that time Bhatsa, and somebody said how to kill this Bhatsa gently. So they told one shepherd hardly to change his dress and hardly to wash himself, because it was cold or hot and he had no time. They said, "Bring that shepherd near the bazaar." And in ten minutes, he will die because that smell is so unbearable. And so it happened. They closed him in one room, both together, and one slept forever. So that is the nature. We have beautiful flowers. A nice bunch of flowers in one corner, but from plastic. It looks so beautiful. You will go there first. And in the other corner was another flower, a real flower. And they said the same kind of imitation. So tell from afar, which are real flowers and which are not. So they said, "Okay, I will tell." And he brought one butterfly and just let it fly. Where did she go? To the real flower. So nowadays, a plastic artificial, plastic body and many things, but really, it’s the Satguru. So that butterfly will go to those real flowers. And that’s a guru-paramparā. That’s called living realism. And when Dejavān is finished, then maybe you are taking the place as a successor. But you don’t have that quality. So as a successor, we can put a plastic statue. But that will not predict, will not teach. Similarly, you all have so much knowledge. You know everything about yoga. And now, if you will not teach this, it is lost. Maybe you did not get realization; still, you lost, and that knowledge which you have, you lost. Therefore, now our duty as humans is to turn, to come towards nature, and to predict and teach a more natural way of living. So this is the best remedy: yoga and diet. If we all exercise every day for two and a half hours, at the age of 90 years, you will run to the hundred steps, floors. So the muscles will remain always strong and good. And somehow it is said our organs will get regenerated. That’s called kāyakalapa. So practice and teach further. You should come for the yoga seminar, yoga teachers. Though you are a teacher, every time we learn something more. So please put the points: why are humans so much ill? And what are we not doing? What I have done? This article will be very, very interesting. Why so many hospitals for humans? Because mostly the ill are humans. Why so many prisons for humans? Why not for animals? Yes, for animals, unfortunately, the meat animals, they live in prison. So that also we have to free them. So living religion—all religions are good—but living religion, we should not day and night cry in front of the dead body. From that, you should wake up and go continue. Therefore, we have to give further what we have learned. And feel free. You have done nothing wrong. Okay? Therefore, Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ... Namaḥ.