Basic Points from Swamijis First Speech from Chaitanya Mahotsav 2014

Nov 7, 2014 (Swamijis 60th Birthday Celebrations)

(I couldnt catch the opening story fully but grasped a basic point. If someone would
like to fill in the gap, please do. The gist was that there was a person who had a
pure wish to give Gautam Budha the best lotus from their ponds. And then I dont
know whether this person was able to give it or not but it seemed that Gautam
Budha applauded his efforts and said it was immaterial whether he got the best
lotus or not. Rather the persons gesture exemplified how solid his feelings were and
how sincere his intentions were. And with that Swamiji continued the following).
The most important thing one can have is their depth of feeling for problems will
come and go. If we live with our sense of feeling, we can attain the high state. As
we become more educated, our level of emotions goes down. The more immersed
we are with nature, the more our sense of feelings or being increases. For feelings
are one aspect of nature. Yesterday was the full moon. During such times, its up to
us as to whether we choose to spend it feeling sad or happy because the moon
phase does not distinguish between any particular feelings. It only knows how to
increase a feeling.
When ones depth of feeling increases, so does the connection to universal
consciousness. I get letters from centres and get asked at staff meetings about how
to increase ones depth of feelings. I thought to answer this during Chaitanya
Mahotsav so that everyone could learn the answer. Meditate, meditate, meditate.
If one meditates, one will heighten this sense of feeling automatically. I feel as I say.
Hence, the phrases, I am a pure soul. I am a holy soul. For the bodys vibrations get
dictated according to this. Analyze where youre stuck. Do you believe that you are
a pure or holy soul or that youre nothing but a soul? The more you believe it, the
truer it will become.
E.g. do you have the state to take on the mantra? Develop the state so that you can
get the effect out of it. The guru mantra was not proving to be as effective for
people. So I put forward the idea of I am a pure soul because it is easier for the
person in front of me to accept that they are one. If they dont, then this too will not
have an effect. So first become a pure and holy soul. Once you are that, connecting
with the mantra becomes easier. One can become submerged with the mantra.
A gurus energies are tied to a mantra. If we only take it as words and chant them,
its mechanical. One needs to experience it. If were not able to experience it, it
wont be the same thing.

Though the language of the body can differ, the language of vibrations is universal.
For it has no religion and no relations. You are then just a human bound by humanity
and the essence of purity. The more one purifies and sanctifies oneself, the better a
medium one can be. And hence, the more submergence one will have with nature.
And theres no better way of accomplishing this than through meditation.
A flood can get submerged into the ocean when such a strong medium comes
along. (I had transmission issues again or couldnt hear properly for the next point
completely. But this is what I came out with. If someone else can fill in this gap,
please fill it. The essence though seemed to be about how prayer heightens ones
feelings and how those feelings towards something can change an outcome).
When smses and prayers were registered (at Samarpans 24 hour prayer line), no
storms happened. (I think hes referring to some impending storm which got
subverted because of peoples prayers). All this happened due to your sincere and
deep feelings. Good results can come about from nothing but just sincere and deep
feelings.
German doctors and Jain ascetics have a common problem. Theyre in the line
where they constantly need to touch others with their hands. I have said to both
that they need to protect themselves from the effects of this. To the Jain ascetic who
does so by placing his hand on top of someones head for blessing, I have said the
following. Before physically giving your blessings, first bless with a prayer or a
feeling of prayer so that no adverse effects from the one youre blessing occur. For
the doctors, I have also said to pray first for the well-being of your patient before
physically touching them so that no adverse effects from the patients will get
absorbed.
When in Germany, someone asked me a new question. I like it when someone asks
me a new question. The person said, I have a meditation cd that I listen to. And
when I do, I become thoughtless. So then why do I need a guru?
See, we listen to music from Hindi films which we enjoy but no imprint from it
remains. Classical music on the contrary leaves a positive impact on our liver, heart
and brain. So though his cd which was filled with sounds from nature including that
of a waterfall could still have induced thoughtlessness while youre listening to it, it
cant instill inherent traits to make it a part of you. A living guru can instill inherent
traits to make it part of you. Thoughtlessness is the state from which you go into
meditation but is not meditation itself. You need a good guru to have the trait
instilled for meditating.
This time for the first time, I passed an Arab country while on my way to Germany.
The flight was Mumbai-Abu Dhabi- Berlin. I had to stop for 3 hours each way back
and forth in Abu Dhabi. This is a good sign that the guru energies are about to be
there because 3 hours of stay is a long time. So some change is due to come about.
The trip to Germany was successful.

Some of the questions I was asked in Germany are quite similar to the ones I am
asked in India. One of the things I said there was dont meditate with any
expectations. You have hobbies from which you have no expectations but you
continue with those hobbies anyways. When you play badminton, go walking or play
kabaddi (Indian sport), you feel good about it. The moment you make meditation a
hobby, youll like it. As one consistently does something, mastery takes place.
Dont start meditation with an expectation. Good health, inner peace, an increased
capacity to grasp something are all good bi-products of this. Im telling you this
based on my life experience. Never meditate to get something or to get rid of a
problem. As I kept meditating, I started getting good experiences and a good state.
I never had collectivity. You are lucky for having it. Whether we have a good state
or not, we get access to having a good state through collectivity. Maintain what you
get. Ask yourself what your purpose is. Nothing else matters. Arrangements get
made for what you need.
There is a British follower named Tim who came to India to interview me for a book
he was writing. He stayed in the ashram and would get to speak with me for 2 hours
everyday. He would toil through 22 hours of heat. But he tolerated the heat because
he maintained his focus of meeting me for 2 hours everyday. All the other things
such as the discomfort he would have faced mattered less to him so that he could
accomplish his goal. So remember your goal. For when you do so, the importance of
the other discomforts or stresses surrounding your goal go down. So why not try to
learn something? Otherwise, apply to learn something so that a workshop can occur
about that thing you would like to learn.
I told my sons to put up 12 facebook photos of this event before they go to sleep.
Facebook has such good and bad aspects to it. One follower from Jamnagar wrote
something in facebook and endorsed it by using my letterhead about what
Chaitanya Mahotsav is and why its celebrated. Now we have feedback forms so use
these to say what you want to instead of going about matters in this way.
When we invoked Ganesh (the Hindu God is considered the remover of obstacles)
when our new facebook page was established, initially 400 saw it. (When on
facebook on our page), like something when you see something good. For example,
I also liked what the Jamnagar follower had to say and so I clicked like next to it.
I am staying in a half-completed house (I missed a line here).
People should write their experiences on facebook.
Earlier when dealing with the gurushakti avahan 1 program, the couples would
submit something to the office and then there would be back and forthing for
volunteers between my residence and the office and 2-3 days would go by. Now its
1

A program for couples trying to have children who are elevated souls. Swamiji and a team
of volunteers counsel the couples on how to do so. Swamijis attention on them from
conception to delivery plays a pivotal role in this.

so easy because through whatsapp, I give answers immediately. And now, the
maximum number of deliveries is happening without the mothers having to go
through any surgery.
Its like when we act as though we are giving water to the sun though the water is
actually trickling on the ground. But we feel we are giving it. (Its all based on your
intrinsic beliefs. Swamijis referring to a common Hindu ritual of people symbolically
offering water to the sun). And I have now even said to Geeta behen (one of the
volunteers for the program) to notify me of anything important such as the delivery
no matter what time it is. Like it shouldnt be that someone has to wait till the
morning before saying something if something happens in the middle of the night.
And now I am able get messaged on whatsapp at even 1-2 a.m. in the morning. I
have requested to be notified of a delivery no matter what time it is.
Now there are some followers who are aiming to have a deliver y for Nov 8 (Swamiji
says this with a chuckle) but dont keep expectations. 3-4 deliveries are already
happening.
Earlier, with our naming program 2, 2-3 days would go by before things progressed
but now with whatsapp, things are getting done immediately. People used to feel
that only Swamiji should directly receive the guru dakshina or token 3. And so, an
account has been opened for this. And now, unlike before, I get live information
about people donating money into the account and my attention briefly goes on the
person that donated. And I am getting this opportunity to bless people as I read
over account details. Had there not been this guru dakshina account system, I may
not have had this opportunity to bless. (He sounded grateful in tone for what he saw
as an opportunity for blessing people).
So we cant operate like before. We therefore have to move with the times. Next
year is the year for Jain gurus. As a way to conduct outreach, we are hoping to
conduct small workshops. As per the experience of a Jain monk who attended our
workshop for Jain ascetics in Ahmedabad earlier this year, a significant change has
occurred in his practice. He mentioned how earlier when he would conduct lectures,
hardly anybody would make it to the hall. Now since exposure to samarpan, the hall
is almost filled. Its because he focuses on vibrations and not on books like he did
before when only 2-3 people would show up. I have also said to the Jain ascetics,
meditate so much that a fast occurs naturally (rather than concertedly).

The naming program is when people apply to have Swamiji name a child, house or
business. People who apply wish for him to name it because he is knowledgeable about what
sounds or effects a given name may have as per traditional practices.
3

In exchange for a gurus imparting of knowledge, there is a practice of giving a token

though Swamiji doesnt expect it. But many people feel like giving themselves and in this
case, they didnt want to go through other people to do so.

Anushthaan (45 day period where Swamiji goes into isolation within the ashram and
people gather about for several meditation opportunities because of the intense and
magnificently high energy levels) is going to between Jan 3- Feb 17 this year.
Between Feb 19-26, we are hosting workshops for Jain ascetics. Local Jain chapters
are helping us with this and there are a limited number of applications for this.
Between Jan 3- Feb 3, Jain ascetics are also welcome to come to the ashram for
anushthaan. The anushthaan period reminds one of how non-vegetarians dont eat
meat during the navratri or 9 day festival though they eat meat the rest of the time.
Those who are not routine in their meditations become so for 45 days when we get
access to a great collectivity. Making people sit at home is against my nature but it
is what I have felt compelled to do. People wait for extremes to hit with reference to
the unsavory nature of a given followers behavior or actions. I request everyonePlease inform me of things in the earlier stages so that these extremes are not
reached. We dont throw people out. It takes about 1-2 years for a balanced state to
return. (Hence, why Swamiji may request a given follower to take a back seat from
their active roles in samarpan activities and focus on meditating till theyre back on
track again). Like even with regards to what happened abroad, when I asked given
people to step back, it was like rescuing a pawn in the game of chess so that they
could be protected from harm. The sooner you speak about a given incident (that
may be disturbing), the more the situation can be salvaged. As soon as you speak
up, something can be done. For example, though the Jamnagar 4 follower I spoke of
earlier wrote about Chaitanya Mahotsav very well, he shouldnt have used my
letterhead.
Meditation is a path that binds humans. All religions speak of humanity, world
peace, universality. But the question is how many people outside your faith
understand this in the terms that you do? When you go beyond this, you will
access a huge collectivity. But first, start with yourself by meditating routinely and
let a part of the collectivity begin with yourself. This is my pure wish. Namaskaar 5
or greetings.

A city in the Gujarat state of India

There is no concept of goodbye in the Sanskrit derived languages. So people end by saying
greetings.