Shri Ganesha Puja, Zermatt (Switzerland), 2 September 1984. My joy knows no bounds when we have come to worship this holy mountain which we have named as Ganaraj. Sometimes the words are not sufficient to hold the outpour of your joy. I come to you as a symbol of your Mother, but the first Son who was created was Shri Ganesh. And then, when the Mother Earth was created as a symbol of motherhood, She created many Shri Ganeshas in this universe. In the cosmos, the star which is called as Mars is the Ganesh, Shri Ganesh. All these symbols were created for you, the Sahaja Yogis, to recognize them. To recognize all these symbols is easier if you are a realized soul. But we have had so many great realized souls in the past, of very high quality, and they recognized, they found out the symbols of Shri Ganesha, long time back. India is the microscopic form of the whole earth, Mother Earth. So, in the triangle of Maharashtra, we have got eight Ganeshas which are manifesting vibrations and were recognized by great saints of Maharashtra. But as you have seen, as a grace of these great saints, especially in Maharashtra, has created human beings who have shraddha as the highest expression of their emotion and mind. Because of that lofty vision in the mind, whenever they see something of this sublime nature, their thoughts go to God. [It is] thanks to the saints of that state that people have that sensitivity and that kind of a movement. Unfortunately, in the West, where shraddha is something very superficial, anything like this takes them to something very low, something very dirty, filthy, unholy. Instead of surrendering to the sublime and enjoying the greatness of the sublime, they take to something very carnal, which belongs to the flesh. But still the people who are living in simple ways in the villages, in the nature, must have realized the importance of this holy mountain. Thousands and thousands millions of years back, the Mother Earth started producing Her Ganesha. It was first a huge ocean where Himalaya stands. Himalaya gradually started coming out of that ocean in a flat way, like a Shiva Linga, which is the expression as the manifestation of the animals – they have the brains which are flat. In this way [Shri Mataji illustrates the shape with Her hands]. But when the Himalayas started coming out of that sea, the Mother Earth was pushed on the sides. And the Mother Earth started giving folds to Her saree, you can say. Now, when that movement started, the saree gave waves of vibrations in such a way that at certain points it rose up to a point, becoming like Shri Ganesha. And it was, to begin with, a flat – again, the same type [Shri Mataji again illustrates the shape with Her hands]. But then, still more folds started coming up much later, when the human brain started developing its ego. So the whole of that land was pushed up and another land joined it in such a manner that it formed an apex. The superego was pushed in and was brought to the climax. That synchronizes with the human brain, because the whole universe is represented in our body as well. Now, the central axis of the Mother Earth acted as the spinal cord. By this happening in the Himalayas, again there was a big push onto all the mountains which were to be created as Shri Ganesh and they got into their final forms. And the apex was created. So the Mother Earth as Gauri created all these Ganeshas. At the other end of these ranges must be the highest mountain because it is pushed the most. Mont Blanc should be higher than this one. You see, when they pushed it, Himalaya was brought up to a point only. Up to a point it went, and then the waves created Ganesha of a certain height. Not too much height. So it was pushed on the right-hand side more: the ego went, you see, expression in Mont Blanc, say for example. And on the other side, it was created another Ganesha at the other end, near Darjeeling. Question: Shri Mataji, is the Mont Blanc an expression of Shri Ganesha also? Answer: No, no. It is the expression of ego. So Shri Ganesh was expressed even in Darjeeling, and you get the same kind of redness on that. I have seen another Shri Ganesh created in Delphi, where they say is the Nabhi of the Mother Earth. Also when Shri Shiva Linga is created, linga is created; along with Him always there is a Shri Ganesh created, as in Amarnath, where a drop of water falls on a particular area and creates the linga. Plus that, another drop falls on another side and creates Shri Ganesh – exactly like the face. Now the ocean is the Father, and the Mother Earth is your Mother. But when the Mother Earth becomes a mountain, She is called as the Father. The reason is: She, at that height, can catch the Father on top of Her head, as snow or as rain. That is how a Mother becomes the Father, and so She can perform the complete function of a father and a mother. In that state only, Gauri, the daughter of the mountains, conceived Shri Ganesha without the help of the Father—immaculate.The purity of the snow is hundred percent, and that covers the Mother Earth, gives the formation of innocence. All the filth and dirt that goes into the ocean is clarified by the Sun, which is also Shri Ganesh, and is brought on top of the hills and mountains to cover it. But to Ganesh, it is a big problem to exist in a country which doesn’t worship it. It has no sense of respect. It is always aspired that they should climb over. Very egoistical ambitions, of a low level and outward. When you see the mountains like this, the idea that should come into a good human being would be: “Oh God, I can see You in this sublime form, and how will I conquer my ignorance? How will I climb over my mountain of arrogance to look at You?”To an egoistical mind, the mountain is for the joy of the eyes, and the joy which is really not the joy, but is a kind of a pleasure for them to see. Their ego gets challenged and they want to climb on the mountain, that: “We are higher than you!”We had Himalayas for thousands and thousands of years in India; nobody ever thought of climbing it. When the English came, they started doing it [for the] first time. Then the French, Portuguese, Spanish, all of them all did this and the Indians were looking at them bewildered: ”What are they doing? Why do they want to climb the mountains? Is better to see them from a distance and adore them, than to climb over them to die!” But this egoistical mind can go further, as in Switzerland it has gone, that they try to ski over these mountains, take the slopes to go down. They go down in any case! And they break their legs. I told one Sahaja Yogi who wanted to come here for skiing, I said, “Don’t go there, it’s not allowed by Sahaja Yoga.” And he came back with broken legs.So every way the games are also such that it’s just a satisfaction of the ego. I can understand small children going over a slide, but big old men moving like this for hours together, have they no other work to do? That shows they have no maturity of any kind. They are still stupid children playing with the snow. By all these doings, what happens, that the holy places become like cemeteries. Imagine, instead of putting flowers on Shri Ganesha you are putting dead bodies on His body. And, while skiing, putting those hard nails into the body of Shri Ganesh. It’s true! There is no sense of respect. Perhaps we don’t respect ourselves. We are not mature enough. The first thing that should happen [is] that one folds his hands to Shri Ganesh and just sees those things. Just this should happen to all the Sahaja Yogis. So the innocence has to be developed to have that respect; if you are not innocent, you cannot have respect. And in the innocence you don’t think you are the wisest of all and make everybody look like a fool. Nor do you laugh at others and make fun of them. Nor do you laugh at others and make fun of them; nor do you play games and put people down. But what I have seen, even coming to Sahaja Yoga – this is the worst part of it – I have seen people who play games after coming to Sahaja Yoga. They gossip and say all kinds of wrong things which I have never said before. There was so many kinds of things I hear that I’m amazed how Sahaja Yogis are such creators of gossips. Is this the way Ganesha would behave towards the Mother? That, thinking yourself to be great people, you say, ”Mother said so, and this happened, and that happened”? Ego is anti-innocence, and that’s why this kind of a nonsensical gossip people do, which I can’t understand, it is so filthy, I just can’t understand. Like there was one lady whom nobody would marry, and there was only one fellow who accepted to marry that woman. And that’s how the marriage took place. Now this lady, or perhaps somebody who is like her, has spread stories that she was the most beautiful woman, everybody wanted to marry her, everybody raised the hands. I never asked people to raise their hands. It’s not like that. At all. When I heard it, I was shocked. This woman, nobody wanted to marry her! There are all kinds of things that you have got from your past, and you must try to get out of it, otherwise you cannot rise higher. A person who is not innocent cannot worship Shri Ganesh. In His right hand He has got a parasha – you must know that – a terrible instrument, you see with one stroke He takes out your head, like a guillotine it is. Those who are not innocent, play games, try tricks, gossip, indulge in filth, He cuts them off. Innocence is a very sharp thing. It does not have any compromise, which you can see in the life of Christ. With His trunk, He throws people left and right and throws them out. He sees for a while, and if people remain still half-baked they are thrown out of Sahaja Yoga.No one should think that you have got realization, you can be in the Sahaja Yoga, if you do not take to innocence. Innocence gives you complete sincerity. And Ganesha is the judge, and He is the one who throws you out of the periphery. Like a tangent you get out of Sahaja Yoga. And when you get out of Sahaja Yoga, you start going down and down and down, and then you may develop horrible diseases of the Mooladhara chakra. Those who are hit by Him are the worst; if you have come near Him, be careful! Face yourself. See yourself. Note yourself. Another thing they told Me, that some people think that they are great Sahaja Yogis – who contribute nothing to Sahaja Yoga but headaches. If some sane Sahaja Yogi starts telling the other Sahaja Yogi about something sensible, this fellow puts up his right Vishuddhi, pressing it hard on him to show that: ”You are talking because your right Vishuddhi is catching.” Very cunning. You are not to play games, because you are harming yourself. I am telling you now. Those who think they can play with the loopholes must know that there’s a loop round their neck. Like the fallen angels, you will go to the greater heights, or [to the] depths of mire. So try to be honest to yourself. Any nation has any problem, any sins they have been committing or have committed before, should not be any more a tag with you. If a country has been cunning, then you should be innocent. If you are coming from a foxy clan, you have to be innocent. Like, you are coming from a thuggery clan, then you have to be extremely astute. If you are coming from the romantic clan, you have to be extremely pure. You have to be juxtaposition of whatever sins we are suffering from. If you are the light in the darkness, you have to be brilliant and not dark, and you have to give light in the darkness, to the dark, not to take dark upon yourself. So, if you really feel that the past of your country has been such and such, you better study it and know for yourself that you have to be just different. Some are comfort-loving; they should get out of that. Some are pleasure-loving; they should get out of that. Some are tempted with women and men and drinking and all that; you should completely give up and come out of it. There are deeper sins we have of cunningness, of aggressiveness, of slyness—all these things are to be studied and understood, that: what do we have to do for our country is to get out of it completely, first of all, like the lotus out of the mire. If your country is racist, then you have to become absolutely a person completely integrated. Like that, you have to be on the juxtaposition to rise higher than the rest of them, to give them a proper lead. I can tell you that Shiva tolerates a lot of nonsense, because He is fond of forgiving. And Vishnu principle tries to play with them and punish them or kill them. But Ganesh tattwa has no compromise of any kind. And when this becomes Ekadasha Rudra, and when Christ is going to come in that form, then there will be no compromise, no ”Mataji,” no crying, no argument, nothing. Shri Ganesha Himself will throw people into hell. So be careful on that! Today, in the presence of Shri Ganesha, you have to take an oath, that: “Whatever is the past of my country, I will get opposite to that.” Like, I would say Indians are not very good with the money; in money matters they can be very horrid, and sometimes they create a problem with money matters. So, one has to know that we have to be absolutely astute as far as money is concerned. It is not sufficient only to be something innocent, but it is more that it should be proved that people should know that you are innocent. Like, I asked my son-in law – he is a very honest man – whether this would be honesty, so he answered, “This may be honesty for outside purpose, but it is not in the essence of honesty.” So, that is how you have to be honest in the essence of it. And the essence of honesty is innocence. The essence of sincerity is innocence. The essence of beauty, glory, is innocence. And innocence is the one that gives you complete detachment. So to such a symbol of innocence when we bow, we must know what we have done about ourselves. Whatever has been your past, get out of it. Be just the opposite of what has been so bad before—strongly against all that you were before, in the darkness. That is the sign of your character and of your strength, and will show to the world that your Spirit, which is enlightened within you, has given you that strength and that new dimension. So, the second oath we have to take before Shri Ganesha is that: “I will be honest to myself. I will not deceive myself for anybody’s sake.” Now the third great thing about Shri Ganesha is that, for Him, no gods exist except His Mother. And you know all the stories about Shri Ganesha, how He adored His Mother. Because He knows His Mother is the Power, and that He is the source of your wisdom. He’s the embodiment of wisdom. And the greatest wisdom He has [is] that it is better to worship the Mother than anybody else, because She is the Power. According to Him, even the Father if you have to meet, you have to go through the Mother, and secondly Father is just the witness. All His security, all His powers, all His beauty, innocence, comes from His Mother. So with the third oath you have to take, that: “For us, our Mother is so powerful, why should we be afraid of anything? If She is going to give us the wisdom, why should we try to seek it anywhere else?”I appear very innocent sometimes, but My innocence is complete intelligence, I think. And that is the reason, you see, people take time to accept. But people like Shri Ganesh, who are the wisest of all, know the trick. The another oath we have to take today, that: “We’ll respect every Sahaja Yogi from our heart, because they are made in the form of Shri Ganesha. We’ll not make fun of them. We’ll not laugh at them. As long as they are in Sahaja Yoga, we have to respect.” But they can be thrown away, they can get out of it. But unless and until this happens, do not put your ego on other people. Don’t think that you understand everything. Don’t think that you know everything. Respect each and every person, not for what he has read or what he has learned, but because he is a great soul. I feel the whole West suffers from one, one simple disease; that is, they do not know how to respect anyone. Whatever doesn’t suit their mind, they will never accept, nor will [they] respect. With their ego they want to judge everyone and condemn everyone. So get out of it! And tell yourself, “I don’t know anything. I was a stupid fool with my ego.” Humble down yourself in your heart, open your heart, and love each other. Respect and love—are the two things you have to promise to Shri Ganesha. If you cannot do that, your ascent is going to be very difficult. May God bless you.