Hari OmOn this day in 1952 Paramahansa Yogananda left his body, and for twenty-one days his body was kept without decomposition in Los Angeles, and because of our Kriya Yoga (and other reasons) we always remember this day at the Gayathri Peedam. So today we will observe that special day in the lives of thousands of people. It is believed that more people today know Paramahansa Yogananda than anyone else in this world. His book Autobiography of a Yogi is used as an English textbook in eighty-two universities in America. And if you sit in an airport anywhere in the world, you'll find that somebody walking past you has also read it. It is one of the most powerful books written in the English language. If that book does not change who you are, there's no other book that will change you.
The seventh of March 1952 was a very sad day at Self Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles and at Yogada in Ranchi, North Bengal, when their great master gave a discourse, a lecture, and the photograph you see there is the photograph that was taken one hour before he took samadhi. Even in that photograph you see in his face signs of peace only. And before he went to his last lecture he told Daya Mata, his closest aide, that it was going to be his last lecture. That was his last moment. But the most unique thing about Paramahansa Yogananda was that for twenty-one days after his death his body did not decompose. It was exactly the way he left it, remaining in a state of peace, bliss, tranquility and love. So that is who we're going to remember on this day, Paramahansa Yogananda. A great sage who left India, went to the West and transformed America to what it is now.
I was listening to satsang last night by Pappaji. He quoted Kabir. He said, "That which sees cannot speak; and that which speaks cannot see". I think that refers to many of us seated here. He's talking about the worm, rust, corrosion in any organisation: gossip, because 'it that sees cannot speak' - the eye sees but the eyes cannot speak. 'It that speaks cannot see' - the mouth speaks but cannot see. We are caught in these circumstances. We have not seen anything but we speak about it. Instead of getting involved in idle gossip we should get involved in his name. Saying his name, we'll find ourselves much more at ease, mentally, than anybody else around us.
Buddha was walking one day and a young man came past him and said: 'Why do you speak about God when you know nothing. You should shut your mouth. You are useless'. Buddha carried on walking. Then Buddha said to him: 'Why do you speak unnecessarily? God is not yours to speak about. If you buy a gift for somebody and don't give it to them, whose gift is it?' The man said, It's my gift'.
'In the same way you are trying to give me your anger but I'm not taking it, so whose anger is that? It's your anger'.
We should not retaliate. We should just go into silence. I've found that silence is the best medicine for anything. Because you don't take the discussion to another level. We always take things to another level, and when it gets out of control we get stressed. The one who is in silence has no stress. They carry on with life like nothing has happened. It is you who will stress and stress. What is the stress? 'Why is he (or she) not retaliating?' And we think, 'Why can't I be like him or her?'. But we always get caught in the crossfire.
Sometimes we have issues and we take them to other devotees. That defeats my purpose. Then I have no purpose here, so if you confide in another devotee, prostrate at their feet and make them your guru. Simple. I have a purpose and my purpose here is to point you in the direction . Forget me swearing and insulting you at another time. Always remember this is the most important moment – now. There's no more important moment. Forget about tomorrow and yesterday. Tomorrow will become today tomorrow. And today becomes yesterday tomorrow. See how beautiful it is. Yet we'll get stuck in tomorrow, or yesterday, but we never get stuck in the moment. You know when Maitreya made his appearance in the ashram on the 19thFebruary. it was just our gift that he did. And why? Because we were the fortunate ones to be seated here having full concentration on the lingam. We weren't worried about anything else. We were just getting the energy from the lingam.
Do not get caught up in loose talk because you'll still be there where you started. The person who told you the stories might pass you, and you're still sitting in the stories, wondering if they're true. Ask the guru yourself and he'll tell you. Don't let other people tell you because that's something the guru won't do. If the guru wants to tell you something he'll call you and tell you straight. Don't get caught up in unnecessary talk.
Right now the shortest thing we have is called life. Nothing is shorter than life. So, while it's such a short thing, why don't we remember God for that time. It costs you nothing to say 'Sri Ram Jay Ram', 'Namashivaya', or 'Hare Krishna'. But you know why? We are Hindus and, as Hindus we are different. A Moslem will wear their garb to Gateway. If I ask you to come to Gateway in a punjabi you want to take it off in the car. If you're ashamed then convert. But you can't become a white. Then live as a Hindu. If I go to Gateway in this dhothi, many of you won't come with me because you're embarrassed. This is Indian garb. What you're wearing is Western. Ask the ladies to come to Gateway and they must run to the room and change - 'Nobody needs to see me in a punjabi in the Gateway'. You walk in Gateway and see the white women wearing punjabi tops, and they're quite comfortable. But Indian women want to wear western attire. We should change.
SADTU went on strike yesterday. Let us go on a Punjabi and Indian strike. Do you think you'll come and join me? I might have five people. But if I tell you to come in your brand-name jeans you'll all come. We are ashamed to wear Eastern clothes. Karl and I can walk in Gateway as we are dressed now. We have done it before. But you won't do it because you are a Hindu with Western garb. You go to Chennai (those that travel with me know) and it is difficult to find an Indian woman in pants and a top. North India is Western. That's where all these things are coming from. If you go to Goa you'll think you're in Cape Town. So we must be able to accept who we are.
This body is just a body. Nothing more than that. What's more than that is called the atma. And the atma tells you 'I don't need a facelift, I don't need to be adored. I don't need to wear the best outfit, for I am who I am. I cannot be cut or destroyed, married or divorced. My union will continue for many lifetimes, thousands, millions'. And when you're an old soul, then you're ready to leave this kind of situation. You are ready to go onto the next level, and that is the astral plane, permanently. If you're a young soul make your changes now. You know whether you're an old or a young soul. Make your changes now, for the time is coming when changes have to be made.
You know, we had a very small cyclone here and everybody was panicking. People weren't going to temple in case they got stuck in the cyclone. When the big one comes your home won't be safe, so where will you go to? I told you in December that we would have cyclones in February. Only you can make changes to this planet by living righteously.
Aroghara.
