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Oṁkāra samyuktaṁ tyam ayaṁ uginahamadam ukshadam chaivaṁ ākārāyanaṁ yasyāṁ ke ca vibhātibhūdharasutā Devapagamastake bhale bhagale chagralam yasyo rasivyalara Soyaṃ bhūti vibhūśaṇaḥ suravaraḥ sarvādhipaḥ sarvadāḥ Sarvaḥ sarvagataḥ śivaḥ śaśinibhaḥ viśaṅkaraḥ pātumāḥ Mannātha Śrī Jagannātha, mad-guru Śrī Jagad-guru, mamātmā sarva-bhūtātmā, tasmai Śrī-gurave namaḥ. Śrī Alak Purīṣā Mahā Devakī, Śrī Deva Purīṣā Mahā Devakī, Śrī Deep Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī, Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Param Śrī Svāmī Madhavāndhapurījī Bhagavān Kī, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Param Pūjya Param Yogīrāja Param Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānandapūjya Gurudeva Bhagavān Kī, Śrī Kāśī Viśvanātha Bhagavān Kī, Sāvarī Rāmacandra Bhagavān Kī, Kṛṣṇa Kanhaiyā Lāla Kī, Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Namaḥ Pārvatī Pādaye Hara. Hara Mahādeva. Divine salutation to the Divine. Oṁ Śrī Lakṣapurajī Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā. I bow to the holy feet of His Holiness, our beloved Gurudev Viṣṇu Gurujī. To all divine seekers, spiritual seekers, and devotees of Śrī Mahāprabhujī and Viṣṇu Gurujī around the world, sisters and brothers, and all divine sannyāsīs: we are blessed to be under the divine umbrella of Śrī Mahāprabhujī and the divine blessing of Śrī Viśvagurujī. We are fortunate to be gathered here at the divine spiritual center of Yoga in Daily Life, Om Sri Vishuddhi Gurukul Swami Maestro Ananda Ashram—Om Ashram—in Rajasthan, India. Viśvagurujī has created a divine society, a divine family. As stated in the Vedas, and as Viśvagurujī always mentions: "Vasudeva Kuṭumbakam." This means, "The whole world is my family." Who says such things? It is beautifully said that one who has a big heart, who loves everyone, who feels all are mine—or as Holy Gurujī always said, "All in one, one in all." That is why Gurujī always said, "Vasudeva Kuṭumbakam." He not only said it but lived it; his entire life and activity were dedicated to this principle: "The whole world is my family." We are all here from different parts of the country and the world, united under the divine umbrella of Mahāprabhujī and the divine blessing of Viṣṇu Gurujī at Om Āśram. Wherever you are, you are always near Gurudev; Gurudev is always with you. We are all connected. How? Viśvagurujī has established many centers and created a divine society called Yoga in Daily Life. This is not only for yoga but for the entire world to connect to Gurudev. When you connect to Gurudev, Gurudev connects you to God. That is the divine family. I welcome all members of this divine family to this lecture, which Viśvagurujī has blessed us to hold, so we may discuss, come together, and go together. As the Upaniṣads say: we come together, work together, grow together, love each other, and help each other. Today, I will speak on the topic of human life. It is said in the Rāmacharita Mānas that we are fortunate to have obtained this divine human life. Why is it divine and precious? It is very rare. Viśvagurujī always mentions that there are 8.4 million species of life, and human life is but one. If we obtain this life, we can attain liberation and knowledge. We can know ourselves: "Who am I?" That is why it is so precious and hard to obtain. Even the devas say it is very difficult to get human life, as they also strive for it. Why? Because in the heavenly realms, there is no satsaṅg, no bhajans. They enjoy material comforts—like a five-star hotel—but they lack spiritual association. All great scriptures—Vedas, Śāstras—and all great masters and saints affirm that human life is extremely rare. If you obtain it, you are lucky, fortunate, and have a great opportunity. What should you do upon obtaining human life? You must contemplate. What should we contemplate? "Who am I?" Ko’ham? "How did this happen?" Katham idaṁ jātam? "Who is the creator of this world?" Ko vā ayam kartā asya vidyate? Ādi Jagadguru Bhagavān Śaṅkarācāryajī says in "Aprokṣa Anubhūti": "Ko’ham?" Who am I? "Katham idaṁ jātam?" How did I come into this world? "Ko vā ayam kartā asya vidyate?" Who is the creator of this world? You must always think these thoughts. This contemplation is called Vedānta. In Vedānta, you are always moving toward self-realization. If you do not think, you remain entangled in worldly affairs. This process is sādhanā. The human body is the means, the sādhanā, to attain mokṣa. Just as a bus, train, or car is the means to reach Delhi or Jaipur, the human body is the vehicle to attain liberation. However, when we obtain a human body, a great obstacle appears: māyā. In this world, everyone is attached to māyā; no one is free from illusion. This attachment prevents us from engaging in bhajan, sādhanā, bhakti, and spirituality. Māyā always pulls us toward materialism and temporary pleasures. If we experience a little sukha or ānanda from worldly things, we neglect our spiritual practices. Māyā constantly obstructs us. So, what should we do? How do we free ourselves from māyā? There is a story that illustrates how we are trapped by māyā. We do not wish to be attached to materialism, which pulls us downward, away from spirituality. The story tells of a man walking through a jungle at dusk. In the growing darkness, he failed to see a well and fell into it. As he fell, he caught hold of a tree branch. He was now suspended, neither out nor fully in the well. Looking down, he saw large pythons waiting, thinking, "If he falls, we will have a delicious meal." The branch he held was being slowly gnawed by two mice. At the same time, an elephant approached and began shaking the tree. The man was terrified. If the mice cut the branch or the elephant shakes the tree too hard, he would fall to his death. On that same branch was a beehive. As the elephant shook the tree, a drop of sweet honey fell on the man's lips. He tasted it and thought, "Oh, how nice!" He was thirsty and tired, and this sweet honey provided momentary relief. At that moment, Lord Śiva and Mother Pārvatī were passing by. Mother Pārvatī, full of compassion, said, "Oh, this is pitiful. Lord Śiva, please save this man. If he falls, he will die." Lord Śiva agreed and called out, "Oh, human! Give me your hand. I will save you from this struggle and death." The man replied, "Yes, Lord Śiva, I wish to be saved, but please wait a moment. You see, another drop of honey is about to fall. Please wait for one drop." Lord Śiva said, "Okay, I will wait." The man received one drop and then saw another forming. "Please, Lord Śiva, one more drop, just one more..." He forgot that he was about to die and that someone had come to save him. He forgot everything for the sake of that honey drop. Lord Śiva said, "Okay, I will wait no longer. I am leaving. You enjoy your honey drops." And He departed. What is the meaning of this story? The jungle represents the world. We are in this world. The darkness is ignorance; we walk in ignorance. The branch is the lifeline of our life—our lifespan, our age. The two mice are day and night, which continuously cut away our life. Day by day, night by night, our life is passing. We were once five years old, then twenty, thirty, forty, fifty—we do not know how long we will live. The pythons below represent death; we do not know when Yama will come for us. The elephant is ego or the problems that constantly shake our lives, making us sad and unhappy, sometimes making us feel life is over. The honey drops are the worldly pleasures, the materialistic sukha and ānanda. When we get a little pleasure, we forget everything: our struggles, our spiritual aspirations, the need to follow Gurudev's path, to practice bhakti, sādhanā, upāsanā, karma yoga, and sevā. At that very moment, Gurudev or a great master comes and says, "O child, O human, come. I will save you from this world. I will lead you to spirituality, to liberation. I will show you the divine path to mokṣa and grant you divine happiness that is eternal, inner happiness, not dependent on external things." But when we taste a little pleasure, we say, "Gurudev, you go. We will manage our lives ourselves." Gurudev comes again and again, always trying to awaken us: "Please, child, come. I will give you divine life." This jungle is the world. The darkness is ignorance. The elephant is ego or troubles. The two mice are day and night. Slowly, we are approaching death, represented by the python. How then do we attain divine qualities? How do we detach from illusion? Gurudev comes to guide us. Holy Gurujī has written a beautiful bhajan: "Chet Chet Abh Jīv Gyān Abh Sarjā Vere Gurū Samjā Vere Chet Chet Abh Jīv Gyān." It means: "Hey, ajñānī jīvas (ignorant souls), we are all ajñānī because we lack jñāna (knowledge)." Who possesses jñāna? God or Gurudev. They possess such knowledge and impart it to us, so we may slowly emerge from ignorance. We walk the path shown by Gurudev. "Chetā chetā abha jīva agyānī"—now wake up, wake up! You do not know how many lives you have spent engaged in various actions. There are 8.4 million species; we do not know in which forms we have lived. Sometimes we were an elephant, sometimes a horse or a monkey. We have had many lives, but now we have finally obtained human life. There is a difference between human life and the lives of other creatures. If we follow the right path, we can achieve a different destiny. There are four things common to both animals and humans. If we engage only in these four, we are no different from animals. These four are: āhāra (eating), nidrā (sleeping), bhaya (fear), and maithuna (procreation). Animals also sleep when tired, eat when hungry, feel fear (if you show a stick, they run; if you show food, they come), and procreate. If we humans engage only in these four activities, someone could rightly call us animals. There is no difference. As the saying goes: "Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānaḥ." Without dharma, one is equal to an animal. If we are human, what should distinguish us? If we wish to be truly human, we must recognize that we have obtained human life. We have two legs; animals have four. That is the only physical difference. Otherwise, the body is similar, and the four activities—eating, sleeping, fear, and procreation—are the same. So, what changes us into humans? It is dharma. If we practice bhakti, engage in spiritual practices, follow guru's instructions, perform sevā, and practice karma yoga, then we are human in a human body. Otherwise, there is no difference. That is why Holy Gurujī says, "This time will not come again and again. This time is passing. You do not know if you will obtain human life again." Will we meet our beloved Gurudev, Viṣṇu Gurujī, in the next life? Who knows? Since we have the great opportunity to be under the umbrella of Mahāprabhujī and the divine blessing of Viṣṇu Gurujī, we should use this life as Gurudev shows us. Gurudev always tells us, "Please, oh child, now it is enough. Enough. Now think about yourself, about your life. Follow what I tell you: how to practice, how to progress, how to perform divine sādhanā, how to do sevā, how to practice bhakti." Who tells us this? Gurudev. Now, what do we possess? We have money, homes, businesses, families—many things. But "dhana, daulat, sab khazānā yahī rahī jāve re, yahī rahī jāyegā." All wealth and treasure will remain here. When will they remain? When your body leaves you, when your prāṇa departs, when you die. Nothing material goes with you. What goes with you? Only the sādhanā you have performed in your life, the seva you have done, the good or bad karma you have accumulated. All material things stay here; nothing accompanies you. "Yam kī mar paḍe siru par, kon chuḍāve re? Guru samjhāve re chet chet." When the blow of Yama falls upon your head, who will save you? Gurudev explains. "Yab jīv gyānī avasar jāve re, guru samjhāve re." This human life is passing. Gurudev explains. "Māt pitā aur kuṭumb kabīlo"—mother, father, and all family members—brothers, sisters, nephews, uncles, aunties—all these relatives often pull us toward materialism, toward the world. They may say, "Do not engage in bhajan or sādhanā; you will gain nothing. Get married; you will have a good life, a good wife who will prepare nice food for you when you return from work, arrange everything, and help you. Your mother and father are here to help you." Thus, they discourage sādhanā, bhajan, and seva, saying you will gain nothing from them. They instill greed, urging you to enter deeper into saṃsāra, promising many worldly gains. But when Yamarāja comes, when the messenger of Yamarāja arrives to take you to Yamaloka, no one will come to save you. Not your family, not your mother, father, wife, or children. They cannot save you from Yamarāja. "Yama kī mārā paḍe sīr upar." When Yama's strike falls upon you, you will face the consequences of your karma. Karma returns. Whatever you have done will come back to you; the cycle continues. When you reap the fruits of your karma, your family members will not come to save you. No one will say, "Please, Yamarāja, punish me instead of him." At that time, only Gurudev can save you. If Gurudev has shown you the divine path and you have followed it, then that sādhanā, that mantra, will save you from Yamarāja. That is why Gurudev constantly tells us, "Guru samajāve re, kyā samajāve re?" What does he tell us? "Cheta, cheta, yabha jeeva gyanee, avasar jave re, Guru samajave re." "O child, O human, wake up now. It is enough, enough. You have suffered in this world. Come to me; I will save you. If you have not taken refuge at the holy feet of Gurudev in this life, who will save you?" "Śāntaguru śaraṇa gaya vinā mūḍhaka kauna bhāva para lagāverī?" Without taking refuge in the Satguru, who will ferry you across? Only Gurudev is the divine master who gives the mantra and the sādhanā: "Nāma jahāja, nāma jahāja." The name is the ship. If you chant the divine name, that mantra becomes the ship that carries you across the ocean from this shore to the other. "Satguru saran gaya bina mudhaka, kaun bhau pāra laga vire." Therefore, only Gurudev can give you the divine means and knowledge to cross this ocean. "Gurū samjhāve re." Kālī Gurujī says, "This human life is very precious, but the mūrkha, the foolish ones—who are they?" They are those who have no guru, who do not follow the guru's word, who do not believe in the guru's word. These foolish humans do not come to spirituality; they do not believe there is God or a Gurudev who can give the knowledge to liberate you, to attain mokṣa. They are the stupid ones. This human life is invaluable, very precious, but fools waste it. It is like a diamond: very hard to find, very rare. But a stupid human, not knowing its value, throws it away like a stone. "Gaya vakt āve nahī pyāre." The time you have now will not return. Afterwards, you will only regret, thinking, "I had such a great opportunity. I could have done so many things in my life." You will regret your life. That is why Holy Gurujī says that the great master constantly gives you that knowledge: "Oh child, now come to the divine life, the spiritual life." "Śrī Pūjya Bhagavān Dīpanārāyaṇa Suta Haṁsa Jagāve Re, Śrī Pūjya Bhagavān Dīpanārāyaṇa Suta Haṁsa Jagāve Re. Kahe Mādhavānand Jī, bhajan se sab sukha pāve re, Guru samjāve re. Kahi Mādhavānandajī, bhajan se sab sukha pāvere, Guru samjāve re. Cheta cheta yabha jīva gyānī avasar jāvere, Guru samjāve re." These are beautiful lines. Holy Gurujī mentions so beautifully that Śrī Dīpānārāyaṇa and Mahāprabhujī are awakening the sleeping swans. Mahāprabhujī awakens them: "Get up, get up. This time you have now will not come again." "Shri Deep Narāda Mahāprabhujī Suta Haṁsa Jagāve Re"—He is awakening the human, the sleeping swan. He gives the divine message: "Now, get up, get up. Do not sleep and sleep. How many lives have you been sleeping? Do you know how many lives you have lived as a child, a mother, a father, a wife? We have had many lives. But in human life, if you do not act now, you will not attain liberation." Holy Gurujī explains that when I perform bhajan, sādhanā, chant my guru mantra, and follow the divine path shown by Gurudev, then there is divine ānanda. Inner happiness arises. Then I have no fear of Yamarāja, no fear of māyā or illusion. Everything is attained through bhajan and sādhanā. Therefore, human life is very precious. Holy Gurujī, all the Vedas, and all scriptures emphasize its preciousness. We must know what we should do. We are all so lucky and fortunate. We do not need to search for a Guru; instead, Gurudev, Viśvagurujī, comes to each person. When I visited Europe, I witnessed the divine kingdom of Mahāprabhujī that Viśvagurujī has created there. I often tell them: In India, the disciple searches for the Guru. They go to ashrams seeking a guru, thinking, "I should have a guru, I should have a mantra." But you are so lucky that Viśvagurujī, Gurudev Himself, has come to you. He was searching for you, oh disciple. He comes to you to bring you together, to give you divine knowledge and divine happiness. That is why we are all fortunate. We have a great opportunity in this divine society, Yoga in Daily Life. We are all a family, created by Viśvagurujī. We go together, help each other, and should grow together. In human life, we should understand our purpose: what we are doing and what we should do. We should follow the tasks given by Gurujī—karma yoga, seva, bhakti—whatever He has given us. If we follow, we make our life precious, powerful, and successful. All scriptures speak about human life. Today, we discussed human life. Thank you for listening, both here and to all around the world who will listen via webcast. You are engaged in various sādhanās, living different lives, but we all share one duty: to always follow the guru's word, guru-sevā, and sādhanā, which help us grow in spiritual life. Thank you for listening. Namah Pārvati Patehara Hara Mahādev. Now we will have some bhajans.