Raksha Bandhan Address So today is a very happy and a very very auspicious day for all of us. That we have to offer a just a thread to our brothers for their protection. I've already told you the story of Alexander the Great. How many of you have not heard it? Raise our hands. Look at that! Ha ha ha ha. Can't be! All right. So I'll tell you the story of Alexander. Ha ha ha. You're very clever, I know. Ha ha ha. All right. So the story of Alexander is like this. That Alexander the Great invaded India, you know, much before Buddha was born. Or we can say... No, we can say after Buddha was born. And he went with the idea of conquering the whole of India. He was very powerful man. But God did not want that perhaps, so he was once defeated and one king called Puru arrested him. Alexander had married an Indian lady. And when he was under the arrest of this king, that was the day of this Raksha Bandhan. Same day. So, she was a clever lady, she put one thread like this in a small little plate and covered it nicely with some nice cloth and sent it to the king Puru in his court. When he took it to the court, somebody, and gave it to him, he had to wear it. Because that was the day of Raksha Bandhan. And that day anybody who sends you this thread is... you become the brother. So then he asked, "Who is my sister?" So they said, "She is the wife of Alexander." And he [King Puru] got really upset with him, because a sister's husband is something very great in India. So he rushed to the jail and fell straight on his knees and begged off his pardon. He said, "I am sorry sir, I didn't know you were the husband of my sister." He [Alexander] said, "What?" [King Puru:] "Ya, you are. And I am sorry! I am very sorry for this thing, that I have jailed you this way and I put you here behind the bars. This was very wrong on my part." And he was so apologetic, that Alexander could not understand the whole thing. Not only that! He brought him back and put him on the throne, his own throne. And he said, "Now you rule here, I cannot say anything. Now you'll become the real king and I have to become sort of your subject." So Alexander started looking at him. He said, "I... I can't understand this." So then he went to his house. Then he went to his house with so many things that the king had given him. He gave jewelry, he gave saris, clothes for him and all kinds of things plus horses and elephants. And then, when he reached home, he found that his wife was smiling behind the doors. He said, "What's the matter?" She said, "Don't you understand?" He said, "No, I don't understand, these Indians are funny people. I mean, I am such a dangerous man, he had put me in the jail and now he has released me. I just can't understand these Indians. How can this happen to a person who is so dangerous?" So, then she smiled and she said, "See, today is a day of Raksha Bandhan and this is the thread I sent him. And because this thread was tied to him, he became my brother and he had to release you. Because you are my brother." [Shri Mataji probably means "husband", ed.] He was so frightened. He said, "That settles it. I am going home! Because with this Indians who can leave a prisoner only on a thread, you can't manage these people, are very difficult." He could not understand. Somebody can translate it in Italian, because there are some Italian people here. You can do it later on. The story can be told to them in Italian language. So this is what it is. Is so important, that on this day if this is tied on your wrist, then you become brothers and sisters. Now, in Sahaja Yoga brotherhood is the most important. That is the friendliness among ourselves. When you are very good brothers and sisters, first of all, your left vishuddhi improves. This left vishuddhi. You get this left vishuddhi, because we don't have proper brother and sister relationship. Is not that we should have our own sister, but any woman who is a Sahaja Yogini is your sister. Except for your own wife. And this is the feeling. Unless and until we develop that pure feeling within ourselves, we cannot work out Sahaja Yoga. Sahaja Yoga cannot be worked out. I know it's rather difficult to digest, but is a fact. You have to feel clean and pure within your heart. Now see, we are so many Sahaja Yogis together, live in ashrams. We have no problems. But supposing, if you had these problems, this girl is running away with that boy, that boy is running with that girl, could not have known with whom she is living today. And those problems can only be solved, if you have the proper sense of a sister and a brother. And that is our dharma. That is our valence. That we should know that we have a brother, who is our Rakhi brother, and all others are also our brothers. A pure relationship must exist between brothers and sisters and of course you have your own wife, which is your private thing. There should be something like private in Sahaja Yoga and that is the only thing that is private for you, that you are husband and wife. The rest of it is all collective. And we have to live in a collective way among ourselves in very pure relationships. Now, as it is, we have to be in a collective way. At a slightest provocation people become non-collective. They cannot have rapport with other Sahaja Yogis, they cannot talk to other Sahaja Yogis, they cannot live with other Sahaja Yogis, then something wrong with them. They must understand something wrong with them and nothing wrong with others. I know of a Sahaja Yogi who came and told me, "Mother, they are very unkind to me, they are very suspicious of me, they do this and do that." Nothing of the kind! It was his own mind that was working like that and giving him ideas against other Sahaja Yogis. So never criticize your brothers and sisters. There is no need to criticize. If you have to criticize, criticize yourself. Best way is to criticize yourself and see for yourself, what's wrong with you that you cannot fit into the collective. As you know, it's a tremendous task and so important today, so vital, that we all should establish Sahaja Yoga properly. Without Sahaja Yoga, do you see any, any other remedy, any other solution for today's chaos? We do not see any. Now, what do we have to do? I don't say you must bring Himalayas here, nor do I say that you must swim for seven miles together, nor do I say that you must take a plane which will take you round the world in one night. Nothing of the kind. These feats are not needed. A simple feat of rapport, of love being communicated to others. Just a simple thing it is, it's the simplest. You see the children; how they are so simple, how they are so natural, that they immediately feel the love and immediately react. But we cannot. The why... what is the reason? Why can't we react in that way? Why our attention is not on that point where we should react in such a manner that we should be absolutely congenial, enjoying each other's company. The reason is, our attention is outside. And the attention is outside in the West, as you have seen it, on something wrong, because there is no brother-and-sisterly feeling. Supposing, a brother and sister are walking, they won't look at each other, will they? Will they be watching each other? No. But the attention that goes outside all the time towards all kinds of funny things, because there is no pure relationship. Purity helps you to understand the beauty of others. Otherwise there's a thought in between, always a thought. If it's a dirty thought, of course the purity is not there at all. But even other thoughts like possessiveness, of criticism, say, of repulsion, anything like that can kill the joy. So try to understand that there is something wrong with you, that's why you cannot get truly collective. We are one homogeneous big huge family. And for any mother, what is the greatest pleasure, which I have told you many times, is that to see her children enjoying each other, loving each other. And when I see all of you loving each other and pulling each other's legs and pinching everyone and enjoying each other's company, I really enjoy. And when you shout at each other and also sometimes box each other, I like it. (Laughter.) Because there is an expression of love in it. And that is what we have to learn, how to express ourselves. First, express yourself to your fellow being that are your kith and kin, are Sahaja Yogis. They are your brothers and they are your sisters. Like once Christ was told, "Your brother and sisters have come." He said, "Who are My brothers and who are My sisters?" These are His brothers and these are His sisters! [Shri Mataji pointing around.] He is the eldest brother you have and you are all His brothers and sisters. That is how one should understand that this is a relationship of brother and sister. And that's such a pure relationship. Now, when this relationship goes off, you get into troubles. Very much into troubles. Whenever I went to Cambridge, I found the Vishnumaya would just go on bombarding there. Every time there used to be lightening, lightening, lightening. This time it was at least hundred and eight times, there was bombardment when I was there. Whole night I couldn't sleep, I was wondering. But now I realized what was the reason is that in Cambridge University, it's a university just like Oxford, any other university, but Cambridge University is one of the most important universities. In that university there are young people, young boys, young girls studying. In an university the relationship between brother and sister should be absolutely pure. So pure that generations together we cannot marry. As we have in our country, the gotras. What are the gotras? Are the universities. And people cannot marry in the same gotra for generations together. Even now supposing my gotra is Shandilya, which was, must be, thirteen fourteen thousands years back. And even today I cannot marry a person who is from the same gotra. So imagine, such purity was maintained and that is what it is. In a university, there is no purity maintained. That's the reason in Cambridge, I found, that whenever I go there, Vishnumaya goes on just... I don't know, She could just goes mad. And every time we have had this experience. And now I know the reason, so I am sure next time She won't do that. Is very important, specially in young age, to understand that we have to keep our attention very still. If you do not gather wisdom in young age, you can never have wisdom in old age. In young age you must try to gather wisdom. Is very important. And this wisdom comes from Shri Ganesha, as you know. And what is Shri Ganesha? Is innocence, is purity and also is knowledge. From that it comes to you and that purity has to be kept the way Shri Ganesha had kept in His own incarnation as Christ. So we have to understand that our attention has to be so pure, so pure that it should not waste anyone of our energies. You know that with purity in your eyes, even a glance, even a glance can create such a beautiful life for others. Even a glance. So, one has to try, is to get very pure eyes. "Thou shalt not have adulterous eyes." This is what we have to follow, all of us, and our attention has to be all right. For that this Raksha Bandhan is a very good thing. Is a very good thing in which you create such personality of your own that you do not anymore try to put your attention on the wrong thing. Now, this attention goes out with many other things also, like aggressiveness, can be possessiveness. But the main thing is this, that if you do not have lust in your eyes, fifty percent you are all right. And half or fifty percent is greed, for which you have to work on the Nabhi chakra and which we'll work it out on Diwali day. So for today, I think we have to remember that to get rid of all the lust from our eyes, we are celebrating today this beautiful auspicious day to celebrate the love between brothers and sisters. Now, I don't know whom you have chosen to be your new sister today. But it should not be just a thing of a lip service. Sister is a sister and all your life you have to remember she is your sister. You have to look after her benevolence and her good life and she has to bless you or she has to pray to God that you should be always protected. May God bless you all. So now, if you have anybody between yourselves... Now, have you got the Rakhis? Aah, we must... today I must say that poor Warren had to go back to Shudy Camps, because nobody is there and Shudy Camp is alone, so somebody has to go and tie Rakhi to him. But he tied a Rakhi to me, a first of all, you see, is very clever fellow. And taken away my watch. Alright. In such a big group it's not easy to do all the rituals we did last time, alright? But -, now. [INAUDIBLE] Now, first of all, the girls who want to tie Rakhi should take it from here, one each, and go and tie to anyone you feel like. But tie to one person. And one person should tie to one person. Not that only everybody tying to one person, is not good. All right. So here it is. Now, who it is, who will give it to you? So these are here, you can take anyone you like. Now. [Shri Mataji speaking in Indian language.] So what you can do is to tie one to your... one each, everybody should have. And should tie... exchange it. Is it alright? This is to be tied to the brother only, but in North India they also tie to their sister. So that's here now. [?] So the sister's is on the left hand and the brother's is on the right hand. Now, how do you do it. Pass it on, to everyone. Now, don't run for one person. You can tie it... [INAUDIBLE]. From Australia. Somebody else should come here to distribute. Antonio, just take it. Take it, from here. They are only two, we can give it to the leaders or something, here, separately. I'm sorry for delay, but I was cooking for all of you well... You should read this after. It's alright. So I'll take this? Now, should we... we can sing some songs also, while distributing. Perhaps some music? Today I am sorry, we'll not have any pujas because I am really... I'll have three pujas now, one after another. It will be too much. We had Bhoomi Puja and now we are going to have, I mean, alright? Krishna Puja, then Ganesha Puja, then Devi Puja, so it's going to be too much. So I would request you that this is... Today it's just like a puja after all, isn't it? Very good. This one. Helen will take all my things. This is a... I don't think we'll need that. Come along, come along! H. H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi