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A very effective connection exists to calm the brain waves. If someone is nervous, restless, or anxious, one can join the index finger and thumb of both hands and move them gently. Closing the eyes, one will become calm very soon. The spiritual meaning is that Jīvātmā and Paramātmā are united. The three remaining fingers indicate the three guṇas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. In meditation, we should rise above these three guṇas. The Tamas guṇa signifies laziness. When laziness arises, the tamas guṇa drains all your energy. For example, as Matajī said, "Only sitting and sitting, I’m tired." This is because the tamas guṇa is developing in the body. If your profession involves mostly sitting, there is one primary way to avoid tamas guṇa. Tāmas guṇa means dizziness, laziness, slipperiness, and lack of interest. To counter it, reduce your diet. If you eat, say, five apples (or an apple pie), eat only one apple. This will give you more energy. The notion that eating more makes you stronger is true only for a short time; afterward, it turns into tamas guṇa, creating negative energy in the body. Our tissues become lazy, restless thoughts arise, circulation slows, and many diseases can appear. If you eat less, it is said the body will consume itself; it will eat everything. Then the tāmasika guṇa diminishes and the sāttvika guṇa rises again. The second is rajas guṇa. When tamas guṇa awakens, aggressiveness follows. If you try to rouse a very lazy, tired person by saying, "Come on, come on," they may suddenly become angry: "I don’t want to, why are you forcing me?" Where do these thoughts come from? That is rajas guṇa: restlessness, anger, and excessive activity. It generates heat in the body and in the thoughts. The third is sattva guṇa, which is balanced and pure. Yet, even this brings you to a specific part of your chakras and energies. We must ascend above all three guṇas—tamas, rajas, and sattva. Then the two, jīvātmā and paramātmā, unite. This mudrā is symbolic; it signifies the posture of the hands and fingers while sitting in meditation. It is connected to a very beautiful mantra and bhajan. The True Meaning of Guru There is also a definition of what "guru" means. "Gu" means darkness, and "ru" means light. The guru is the one who leads us from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. But who is the guru? It is not the physical body, but the qualities, the knowledge, and the spiritual achievements. You may have knowledge in your brain, but the body is a normal human body. We do not know what another is thinking; if we look, it is just a human body. That is why many people claim, "I am a guru," and simply sit—they become self-made masters, which is not good. So, who is the master? "Brahmanandam param sukhadam." Brahma is the highest, the supreme. Brahmanandam is the bliss of the supreme. "Brahmanandam param sukhadam kevalam jñānamūrti." The master who has these qualities is Brahmānanda, parama sukhadam. Brahma is the supreme, ānanda is bliss, parama ānandam, parama sukham—the highest bliss. "Kevalaṁ jñānaṁ ūrtim." That is solely the embodiment of knowledge. Not this physical body, but that knowledge which is developed, realized, and perfected through the chakras: Anāhata Chakra, Maṇipūra Chakra, Mūlādhāra Chakra, Svādhiṣṭhāna Chakra, Viśuddhi Chakra, Ājñā Chakra, Bindu, and Sahasrāra Chakra. Thus, "brahmānandam param sukhadam kevalam jñānam urtim." The Master is only that knowledge. That is why we adore, worship, and respect that knowledge. "Brahmanandam param śukadam kevalam jñānam urtim." That is only the embodiment of knowledge. "Kevalaṁ jñānaṁ ūrtiṁ dvandātītaṁ gagana sadṛśyam." It is above all jealousy, hate, dualities, dualisms, and fighting—completely beyond duality. "Tasmāsyādi lakṣyam." That is the aim of everyone: to achieve that highest consciousness. "Ekam nityam vimalāchalam." That is only one. You may see it as Brahman, the Supreme, or as knowledge. Knowledge is where there is no ignorance; ignorance is where there is no knowledge. "Nityam" means everlasting. We are mortal; we die, we come, we die, we come. But that One does not enter this procession of coming and going—the cycle of birth and death. "Ekam nityam vimalāchalam sarvadhi-sākṣibhūtam." "Vimalachalam" means never moving, unmovable. Where should it move? Because everything has become one. There is no place to move, for It is everywhere. "Achalam"—no movement at all. What moves is duality; what moves is change. "Bhava teetam"—above all emotions, above all three guṇas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. "Tasme śrī gurube namaḥ." That One is Gurudev; my adoration is to that master. "Brahmānandam param sukhadam kevalam jñānamūrtim dvandvātītam gagana-sadṛśyam tattvamasyādi-lakṣyam ekam nityam vimalam acalam sarvadhi-sākṣibhūtam." Each word, each sound, each touch, each movement, each mudrā, each look—everything is paripūrṇa. "Pūrṇa" means complete, like the full moon. "Pūrṇamadaḥ, Pūrṇamīḍhaḥ. Pūrṇāt, Pūrṇamadacyate. Pūrṇasya, Pūrṇa Madhai. Pūrṇa Meva Vashiṣyate." He is the Pūrṇa, completeness. When everything is complete, nothing is missing. That Paramatmā, Parameśvara, Īśvara, God—you may call it Holy Father, Brahma. But note: Brahma is not the Brahman. Brahma is the creator, a duty assigned to him. Brahmā and Brahman: Brahmā is the entire universe; all that is Brahman. We seek to merge with that Brahman, not this Brahmā. There is also the word "Brahmin," which means a priest in Sanskrit. But a true Brahmin is one who knows the knowledge of Brahman. That is Brahmā. We sing a bhajan from Guru Nānak Sāhib: Your life has passed by that much; it is gone. What remains? Use this time for meditation and spiritual mantra; remember God. So much life has passed without God. Oh my dear, at least now, in the last phase of your life, use it for spirituality. He said, a Brahmin who does not know the Vedas cannot be called a paṇḍit of the Brahmins. Similarly, a master who lacks these qualities and this knowledge is nothing. One is called a Brahmin, a priest. Then there is Brahma in the Trinity: Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheś (Śiva). Viṣṇu and Brahma—these three, Brahma, Viṣṇu, and Shiva, change from yuga to yuga. This is a vast subject. If you look into Vedānta, into the mathematics of time in Vedānta—seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, etc.—you will be surprised at who counted it. Millions, billions, trillions of these units. Each unit contains miracles. Again, Brahmā comes, again this cycle. It is a very interesting subject; we should study it. You cannot even count the number of ones and zeros... zeros, like a mālā of 108 beads. He counted to this: yugas, kalpas, and one mantra. This is a secondary subject; please look into it one day. On Brahman, Shiva, and the Divine Play So, regarding Brahman: Shiva is Svayambhū. Svayambhū means He who manifested Himself. He has no mother, no father, no one. He Himself, from this universe, with this energy, brought the energy together and became Śiva. He is the first one, Svayaṃbhū. In this, Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā exist. But after one yuga, or a certain number of mantras, they also change their duty; they retire. When Viṣṇu incarnates, Śiva comes to take care of Viṣṇu. When Śiva takes incarnation, Viṣṇu comes in His form. Thus, Viṣṇu meditates and prays to Śiva, and Śiva meditates and prays to Viṣṇu. It is very difficult to understand: Shiva worships Vishnu, and Vishnu worships Shiva. This is like ātmā to jīvātmā to ātmā—two different yet connected. Beyond this Brahmā, we call it Brahman. Brahman is the Absolute, one without a second, endless. It is the entire universe within. That is Brahman. We want to enter that kingdom of Brahman—not Brahmā, not the Brahmin, and not heaven or hell. There is no heaven and no hell; they are only like two small rooms. In endless Brahman, there is no hell. This concept is given psychologically, as a fear to humans: that there is a hell where you will hang in fire. This is an injection, because humans are among the most dangerous animals. They have received this injection from great saints and wise people: "You will go to hell, you should do this, this is that." Without this injection, humans would kill and eat each other again. There was such a time, and it may return. This keeps humans under control so they can finally realize the Ātmā. Therefore, it is said in the mantra: "Guru Brahma." Guru is the creator; he creates. "Guru Viṣṇu"—that Guru is the protector; sustainability is through Viṣṇu. "Guru Devo Maheśvara"—Guru Deva is Śiva. But still, this is not all. "Guru Rishakshak Par Brahma." Therefore, it is said that principle, that tattva, "guru-sākṣāt," Gurujī itself, is para-Brahma—the highest of the high. That is called the tattva, guru-tattva. But if I say, sitting here, "I am the entire universe," that is not so, my dear. This body is mortal, composed of the five bhūtas (elements): ether, air, fire, water, and earth. Shiva manifested it through these five elements, but this is not That One. Our body is not immortal, yet it is said the body will not die. This is another subject: a Brahma Jñānī says, "Who has died? No one dies. Who is not born cannot die." He says, "The ether will merge into space, water into water, air into air, fire into fire, earth into earth. It did not die." This earth, your body—when we say we die, no, it will merge into the earth and come again. From the earth, a nice tomato will grow. Look carefully: his grandfather is in the tomato. Then it will go into your body. Again, that tomato will die and become a pumpkin, a watermelon, or cherries. It is moving; this is the whole universe, layers moving into other layers. But within that, there is that one cetanā—that tiny consciousness penetrating through and through. That is your jīvātmā, your ātmā. You will achieve that if you practice. Otherwise, we remain in suffering, coming and going. When we come together in a body, we feel pain, heat, cold, and many things. But this is a temporary arrangement. The body is given sensitivities so you can survive. Thanks to God that He gave us fear. Fear is our greatest protection. Without fear, you would die. You would cross the road when a bus is coming at high speed, thinking, "I'll just walk," and be turned into ketchup. You would put your hand in the fire. Therefore, God gave us fear to survive, to live, to take care. Sometimes children have no fear, so they must be taught boundaries. A child wants to touch the fire; the mother says, "Don't touch." When the mother is busy, the child may still try. Once burned, fear is learned. It is said: when you are burned by hot milk, even when you are later offered cool buttermilk, you will drink it cautiously. Fear is inside. God has instilled this fear in every sense of our body—deep in our kidneys, liver, heart, muscles, every organ, even in a little nail. We love our nails very much. Men may not care as much, but ladies do. When she comes from the bathroom or a shop, Parley, and speaks to her husband, it is not normal; she speaks differently. "I told you, my dear." Because she wants to do her nails, and if it's not done, she will talk, but her finger gestures speak. When nicely polished, his finger goes like this. So, how nicely God or nature plays with us so that we are happy? We live this, but this will also change and end. Therefore: "Guru Brahmā Guru Viṣṇu Guru Devo Maheśvara Guru Sākṣāt Para Brahma Tasmai Śrī Guru Veṇamaḥ"—to that principle, that Tattva Guru Tattva, we bow down, not to this mortal body. The Body as a Vessel and the Guru Tattva Now, imagine a little box or pocket. In one pocket is a pure diamond, worth 500,000 million. In another is a chocolate, worth two pence. Both containers look the same from the outside. The pocket itself has no value, but if you open it—wow. How would I keep them? I would give away the chocolate, but I would guard the diamond carefully, keeping my hand on it in the bus so no one steals it. The human body is like this pocket. We have the same desires: hunger, thirst, cold, heat, tiredness, sleepiness. This is the nature of my body and your body. But what is the value of that consciousness within? That consciousness, that tattva, is called guru tattva. So, guru tattva is that principle—the divine light, spirituality, the entire universe. From the Trinity—Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva—or Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, and Tattva, they have their periods and great power. But ultimately, the highest Tattva to worship is Guru Tattva. Yet, that Guru Tattva is not easy to find. We are all disciples, but if we were real disciples, we would already be somewhere else, somewhere above. Every minute, our thoughts and meanings change; we are not that disciple. A true disciple becomes one with that tattva, inseparable. "Brahmānandam param sukhadam kevalam jñānamūrtam dvandvātītam agaṅgam sadṛśam tasmādyadilakṣyam ekam nityam vimalācalam sarvadhi sākṣibhūtam bhavātītam triguṇarahitam satgurum tam namāmi." These are the mantras. The Power of Mudrās and the Practice of Oṃ So, this mudrā. Why speak so long about two fingers? To understand them, and the three fingers, and the five fingers. These five fingers have many meanings. They represent the five tattvas: space, air, water, fire, earth—all in one. And ātmā, brahmātmā, sattva guṇa, rajas guṇa, tamas guṇa—everything is expressed in these fingers, in these mudrās. This mudrā can say hello, it can offer a flower, it can give something. Many different mudrās exist; some can make someone angry, even create war. Here, we have palms facing upwards to receive energies, or touching our thighs or knees to recycle energy within the body. Sitting like this, you feel steady and balanced. Another way makes you feel light, with energy coming. Then it connects to the Anāhat Cakra, Maṇipur Cakra. Then comes the Nāda, the Rūpa of Parabrahma. The highest Tattva is Parabrahma, Nāda. And then Nāda, the word Śabda—that is Guru Śabda. Now we will chant Oṃ for a while, from the navel, the Nābhi Kamala (navel lotus). Feel the ascending chanting vibration from Nābhī to Anāhat, to the thyroid (Viśuddhi), to Ājñā, Bindu, and Sahasrāra. Then it goes like a flame, an endless light. That light forms a circle because energy does not travel straight; it makes a circle. Everything in the universe is a zero. The ocean is vast, but each drop is round, like a zero in water. Everything is zero; nothing is outside zero. We will chant, and it will rise. You will feel yourself in that light of golden auras, which then returns to you. Let us meditate and chant Oṃ for a while. Afterward, I will say "Aum, Aum, Om," signaling the end. Close your eyes. The rhythm of the Oṃ chanting is different: not too loud, not too long, not too short. First, I will chant three times, then you will join. Oṃ. Touch both index fingers and thumbs together. Now, the second rhythm of Oṃ... Now, you continue. It is like a mālā; do not break the rhythm. Chant according to your breath capacity, but soon you will feel it like a wave—your sound "om" like a wave. Follow the resonance of your own chanting in this space. Now we will chant the peace mantra, the śānti mantra: "Asato mā sadgamaya. Tamaso mā jyotirgamaya. Mrityormā amritam gamaya. Sarveshām svastir bhavatu, sarveshām śāntir bhavatu, sarveshām maṅgalam bhavatu, sarveshām pūrṇam bhavatu." "Śloka samasta sukhino bhavantu, loka samasta sukhino bhavantu. Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ." Move your fingers, close your fists, and open your palms. Fold your palms and rub them together. Place your hands on your face. Gently massage your face muscles and eyelids. Open your eyes and your palms.