Shri Gruha Lakshmi Puja, Sydney (Australia), 7 April 1981 Today is the anniversary day of the wedding, and I have allowed them to celebrate it because marriage is very important in Sahaja Yoga. It is one of the most important things for Sahaja Yoga, that one should get married. Firstly, marriage always gives you a balance of understanding, if you have proper ideas about marriage. If you have funny ideas, and if you are just marrying for fun’s sake and you do not understand the value of marriage, then it is just a joke, it’s not a marriage. But in Sahaja Yoga you really understand the value of marriage first of all, what it means. And then, luckily today we are going to have some Sahaja Yoga weddings, in which you will see how we try to conform to the divine laws of marriage, and get married under those laws. Here I find, in Australia, as well as in other countries, that marriage has lost its sanctity. People don’t understand that by doing sin against the marriage they are committing such great sins that many generations will have to suffer for this kind of a thing. One has to understand that fidelity is the basis of marriage. If there is no fidelity marriage has no meaning. If you are not capable of being fidel (sic), that means you are not yet a human being. A human being has to be a fidel animal. In marriage we confirm that the problem is over now, we have finished with the choices we had, and now we are going to settle down with one person. And the sharing of life, in even absolutely private life, is with one person. So you have to be very much harmonised with that person and in complete understanding, and loyalties to each other one has to have. Now the marriage is for the reproduction of the species as they say. Now as you are another species, you are Sahaja Yogis – it’s a new awareness –marriages between you will bring forth children of very high calibre. There are great saints who are anxious to get birth on this Earth, and if they find good Sahaja Yogi husband and wife, who love each other, are good progressive people in Sahaja Yoga, who are dedicated to Sahaja Yoga, they would be definitely descending on this Earth through you. So it is very important, and imminent at this time, that one should understand the value of the marriage of Sahaja Yoga. So many marriages have taken place before also, but what is the validity or what is the credibility of those marriages when the person who marries them in the name of God is not a Realised-soul? He has to be a Realised-soul to marry them. He has no authority to marry in the name of God. Alright, registration is a different thing altogether because they do not marry in the name of God, they marry in the name of a nation. But if you have to marry in the name of God you must have a Realised-soul to do that. And one should understand every bit of the marriage that is performed: what you are doing, why you are doing. There are certain promises that are to be given. We have taken this marriage system from the old Vedic system, also changed it very much according to the Sahaja Yoga, where we have been trying to use also certain ceremonies which are done in the churches and other religions. But mainly it is based on the Kundalini. So the promise is to the fire. In this marriage the promise is to the fire because fire is the one that burns off all that is ugly. And Kundalini is also like a fire on one point, because that’s the only energy that rises above. So, like the fire goes upward, the Kundalini also rises upwards. That’s why it is compared with the fire. But fire is the energy which is in the stomach, which is the dharma, which is the religion. And the religion of the Sahaja Yogis is to keep in the centre, not to go to extremes. And when they get married, by their understanding of Sahaja Yoga they pull each other towards the centre much more, and enjoy themselves: the present, the present moment, and the present as it is. Sahaja Yoga marriages can be really fantastic if the Sahaja Yogis who marry are sensible, are equally balanced, or are not criticising each other, not taking an upper hand. It is possible for one Sahaja Yogi to marry another one, to gradually upgrade that Sahaja Yogi. It is possible also to degrade. If another Sahaja Yogi is more powerful or negative so much that it can degrade also another person. It depends on your quality to be upgraded or degraded. So marriage is a very big blessing in Sahaja Yoga because all the Gods and all the angels are watching these marriages and they will see to it that these marriages are successful. But if you are bent upon making them unsuccessful because you still have the same kind of an awareness which you had before and you want to go to the same it can fail also. Like animals, you see: if you live with the animals even human beings can become like animals. So the Sahaja Yogis must know that their awareness is changed. They are different people. They have to live with Sahaja Yogis and not with other human beings who are not yet Realised. They can talk to them, but they must know that the Sahaja Yogis are at a very different level of awareness. If they realise this point, if they understand this simple point that their awareness is very different, they would adjust much better in married life. There’s no divorce in Sahaja Yoga. We do not think of a divorce but there’s nothing forced. I mean, if they fail to live together it’s a shame but, so far we have had no divorces. But as the people are coming from every sort of culture and things, there is a possibility that people may like to divorce legally. But in Sahaja Yoga there is nothing like divorce. But there’s no force on anyone. And one must try to understand marriage, that it is for your enjoyment. If you cannot enjoy the marriage then it is of no use to you. In Sahaja Yoga it is to be ensured that people enjoy their marriages, and live very well, happily, with each other. It is a responsibility of all the people in Sahaja Yoga. But, say in My case, own case, My husband was not a Realised-soul, nor did he understood realisation, nor was he a seeker. (A child comes: It would like to come to Me for sitting in My lap throughout!) And despite all that, you see, I didn’t get upset or anything, I didn’t push him. I didn’t push anyone. I said, “Gradually he will be able to see it through.” So even if the person, another person is not a Realised-soul one can manage it very well, and can live very happily. But in case you get both the people Realised then it’s a much better thing and should be enjoyed. But the interest should be in Sahaja Yoga. If you have other interests then there could be problems because a Sahaja Yogi would not tolerate his wife or a Sahaja Yogini would not tolerate her husband to waste his energy on nonsensical things. And a new sort of a conflict will start between Sahaja Yoga and the Sahaja Yogis and Sahaja Yoginis. So it should never be a matter of conflict because we have so many ways and methods of finding out what’s the matter with us. And if there is anything wrong with us we should try to face it and clear it out. We should not try to clear each other’s chakras but our own. Actually we do not pay attention to ourselves, we start paying attention to others. Moreover, I must say that Sahaja Yoga marriages will be the most successful marriages, have to be. They may re-establish the institution of marriage on very sound basis. There’s no doubt about it. And those who’ll be married in Sahaja Yoga will be really remarkably happy married couples. But there will be an attack of the negativity on them as soon as they get married, because it is not a very happy thing for these negative forces to see that people are happily married. And they would try their level best to bring all sorts of problems, all sorts of complications in the beginning, to see that these marriages are broken. And when you start playing into their hands you will also be spoiling the chances of getting good Realised-souls to you, because they would not accept such a situation. If you have been quarrelling in the beginning also it’s not good, because you go down in their estimation. So you have to be very patient, very soft and good to each other, to see that you create an atmosphere of invitation for these great souls to come on this Earth. And if that is not so then they will wait, they will not incarnate because they don’t want to have parents who are quarrelling, who are fighting, who are suspecting, who are troubling each other. Now, one has to know that Sahaja Yoga marriage has a precise reason. It is not [that] you are marrying just out of fashion. You are marrying because you want to have children who are Realised-souls, on this Earth, to come. We give them a place, parentage to do that. And if you do not understand the value of that marriage then it is better not to be married in Sahaja Yoga. It’s better to spare the Sahaja Yoga! There’s only one snag in Sahaja Yoga is this, that you are all born of the same Mother so you are all brothers and sisters, in a way. But when you are going to marry each other then this point becomes a little funny that, how can a brother marry a sister? Now, we can say like that, that I would say that it would be better if you marry not in the same community, but marry from somewhere else. At the most a Sydney Sahaja Yogi should marry a Melbourne Sahaja Yogini. Some distance should be like that, so that it is kept like not brothers and sisters - should be better. But I have seen, when this happens, there is more conflict, because they still carry on with the idea that they are from Melbourne and another from Sydney. Now the Sydney and Melbourne should not be a matter of conflict, because as soon as they start quarrelling they’ll say, “Oh, you Melbournian, I know you are like that.” And she’ll say, “You Sydneyans, you are like that.” And immediately you become like that, and you start quarrelling about it. So you must know that you are not a Sydneyan or a Melbournian but you are nothing but a Sahaja Yogi. And Sahaja Yogi has no caste, community or any race, or any religion, or also no bar of any nation. Whatever nation you come from you are a Sahaja Yogi, you are a universal being. You are. You can feel the vibrations of anyone sitting down here. Whether he’s from Hawaii or from America doesn’t matter. So, when you can feel about everyone, that means you are no more belonging to any community or any particular country, you are a universal being. And that’s what we have to do, we have to create more universal beings. And to expedite that, we want to get these great souls on this Earth, so it’s a very important work. They have to be on this Earth, because they are the great channels for this divine work. Once they start descending on this Earth, the real ones, it will all expedite. It will be such a great, it will be such a great sudden explosion of Sahaja Yoga. You will be amazed how it can grow faster with these people coming down. And we should try to make such arrangements that we get the real blessings of those people, that they come down on this Earth. It’s very important. So I would request you to think about the marriage from a new angle and from new ideas by which you can really understand the value, the value of these marriages. And then you make it a successful marriage and not a failure, a nonsense, of it. That’s such a great simple thing to do because you are married before Realised-souls. So there is no question of being just married like other people are married and then they, they take a name-plate on their car saying ‘Just married’ and they are going to a divorce case. There cannot be such a thing for Sahaja Yog – it’s a serious thing. If you are not serious enough about it better not marry. If you have expectations about marriage it is better not to marry. It is better not to marry. Nobody is going to force you to marry. Just say, “No, not at all, I’m not going to.” But if you are going to go on like this you will really be harming Sahaja Yoga in the worst possible way. It is like stabbing Sahaja Yoga from the back. So there is no need for you to get married, in case you do not want to have it. On the contrary, it would be better that there are many married couples who can produce children, and they can have those great people born to them. But if you think that adjustment and all that means all kinds of these old ideas of married life, it’s better that you do not get married. It’s a new heavenly marriage, for which you should be prepared to receive the beauty and the blessings, and also the greatest of greatest, the ultimate meaning of it. I hope you will understand that Sahaja Yoga is emphasising on marriages, and we do not believe in any asceticism, the running away from family life. We believe that family life is the most important thing. We have to establish it very well on this Earth, and that we have to see, in these beautiful nests of divine love, that great souls are born, and we have to continue with it. There’s no escape from having a very good married life. And I wish you, all of you, that you will have a very good happy married life. And those who are not marrying I wish them that they also will have a very happy married life. Now I have been married, I think thirty-sixth year is this [of] My marriage today. There’s so many years have passed but still I still feel like a bride with My husband because really we have been very wise people to live like that. And of course there are ups and downs, but ultimately one feels very different about the whole thing. He has sent a beautiful letter today, thanking you all for your kindness shown to Me, and for all the kindness you have shown to him. So we should have the puja, this today, as a Gruha Lakshmi you are worshipping Me. As a Gruha Lakshmi in you and which is very essential also, to worship Me as a Gruha Lakshmi, because you all have a problem with your Gruha Lakshmi. That’s the Left Nabhi. So I hope it will work out better for you, and we’ll start with the puja. After this short puja that we have, then we’ll start with this Devi havan, because this we have not been able to do so far, and this is very important. We have to somehow or other manage it today if possible. We should do thousand names. Would be a very good idea. Marathi Sahaja Yogi in background to Shri Mataji: Who should be the host? Shri Mataji: Do you need a deed to be the host, you can only do it. Before Christ, Brahmins were like tenants (‘भाडेकरी’). Sahaja Yogi: We are not tenants. Shri Mataji: Hence hosts were required, you can take it. (laughs in the background) Shri Mataji: What do we have to give by calling them (Brahmins)? Sahaja Yogi: It is better if someone from here conducts. Shri Mataji: Take someone new. Someone who is getting married, take them. English Sahaja Yogi in background: Kuno (calling out a Sahaja Yogi), both of you. Shri Mataji: Who else is getting married? Sahaja Yogi in background: Who else? Shri Mataji: You also. Marathi Shri Mataji: You come and sit here in the front, how else will it be done? English For Modi you have to give him something there. Marathi Shri Mataji: Take it a bit forward and sit. There must be something small to spread. Marathi Shri Mataji: Did you sit? Marathi Shri Mataji: Do you want anything? Sahaja Yogi: No, I don’t need anything else. Marathi Shri Mataji: Do like this, first start with Ganapati puja. Give it in my hand the puja (offerings). You have the Ganapati (puja offerings) with you. Sahaja Yogi: Shri Keshavaya, Shri Krishna’s names should we recite? Shri Mataji: It is not required. Sahaja Yogi: We will take Ganapati’s names. Shri Mataji: Ganapati puja in our way, we are prepared for it. Sahaja Yogi: Atharvasheesha. Shri Mataji: Yes, Atharvasheesha. Mataji’s feet needs to be washed, arrange for the water. Do one thing, you Raulbai (yogi’s name) sit here and you should recite. Means what will happen that if you get up and recite, then they all will be able to hear you and Raulbai can here instruct what needs to be done. Will it be possible for you? Sahaja Yogi: Yes, it will be possible. Shri Mataji: No, No I was asking Raulbai. What needs to be done is to ask them to put water and other things. Sahaja Yogi: Will put water and other things. We need to tell them about ‘panchamrut’. Shri Mataji: ‘Panchamrut’ give it to the hand, put it on the feet. Sahaja Yogi: Like you say. Shri Mataji: On the hand. Sahaja Yogi: And on the hand... Shri Mataji: Have you brought the red cloth? Sahaja Yogi: Yes, red is there here and here is the green and.. Shri Mataji: Ok let us start. Sahaja Yogi: Also on the hand, we have to do the puja of Bhagwati, right? Shri Mataji: Yes, on the hand Bhagwati. Let us start. It can be of Lakshmi, Mahalakshmi as well. Sahaja Yogi: We have the Mahalakshmi stotra with us. Shri Mataji: Yes, Mahalakshmi stotra is there. It will not take much time. It should be completed in 5-10 minutes. Sahaja Yogi: Ok. Marathi Shri Mataji: Tell the meaning, is it possible a little bit? Sahaja Yogi: If we tell the meaning, it will quite some time. Shri Mataji: No, no, till such time they will do it. Till such time they will be washing the feet. Sahaja Yogi: You can let it be, you can tell them about (continuing to) wash the feet. Shri Mataji: Ok, you can stand up, stand up and also tell them the meaning of it. Means, they should know the meaning. Is it possible? Sahaja Yogi: I will tell as much as possible. Shri Mataji: Ok, tell as much as possible. You can stand up. Sahaja Yogi: I will stand up and explain. Sanskrit Sahaja Yogi: Harne Shri Mataji – Harne means who takes away all the problems. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: I will complete this shloka and then explain. Shri Mataji – Ok. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Means when the whole universe will be destroyed, even then he will there. He is there even at the time of destruction. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Means ‘chatvari vak-padani’, all the four types of speech which is there, that is ‘Para’, ‘Pashyanti’ ‘Madhyama’, ‘Vaikhari’, these are also governed by him. (Meaning of the four types of speeches ‘Para’ is the word form Parmeshwar i.e. knowing the word Brahman is called Para, it is related to Param. ‘Pashyanti’ - Words are seen in Pashyanti. As the seer of the mantra, the sage Maharishis saw the mantras. Be seen what is being said. ‘Madhyama’ - Those words which are not pronounced, which no one can hear, like the name is chanted. ‘Vaikhari’ - The pronunciation of words that are expressed which someone else can hear is called Baikhari.) Marathi Shri Mataji: What is it (the shloka)? Ganadim.. what? Sahaja Yogi reciting the shloka: ‘Ganadim purvam uchcharya’ means who are all the ganas? Their.. Shri Mataji: Gana or Gan? Sahaja Yogi: ‘Ganadim’ Shri Mataji: ‘Ganadim’ Sahaja Yogi reciting the shloka: ‘Ganadim purvam uchcharya’ ‘Varnadim tad-anantaram’. Firstly we have described who all their gana (all celestial beings on the left hand side), these are all their gana and now what is his character (‘वर्ण’), his character means ‘Aumkar’, is what it means. Sahaja Yogi: ‘Varnadim tad-anantaram’ Shri Mataji: Explain to them in English. Marathi Shri Mataji: Means whatever characters (‘वर्ण’) has been created on this earth, all the ‘varnas’ have been created after him. Marathi Shri Mataji: ‘Anu-swaraha’? Sahaja Yogi: ‘Anu-swaraha’ means a point, means the state of a point. Shri Mataji: But they will not understand it in English. Sahaja Yogi: Now we will not be able to explain this state in English. Marathi Shri Mataji: (Mentioning the three states) ‘Ardha Bindu’, “Bindu’, ‘Valaya’. Sahaja Yogi: ‘Tarena Riddham’. The power to gage (‘तारण’) is also his. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: In this way you are in the form of a comma. Marathi Shri Mataji: Can you see that? Marathi Shri Mataji: Generally, we can only see the bhoots (pointing to the sky) Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Now it is a description. ‘Gakārah purva-rūpam’. Now I don’t know how to explain ‘Gakārah’, I am not able to understand. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Akāro madhyama rūpam’. Means it is the description of ‘Aumkar’. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: After that, last of all is the form of a dot (’Bindurup’). Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Uttara’ means the north direction. This is the meaning of ‘Bindur-uttara-rūpam’. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Nādah sandhānam, saṁhitā sandhih’. Now if you have to know this through the sound (‘Nādah’). Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Now how to explain ‘Gayatri’ – ‘Gāyatrī-chhandah’. How to explain ‘Chhandah’? Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Again in the ‘Chhandah’ there is ‘Gayatri’. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Chhandah’? Shri Mataji: ‘Chhandah’, ‘Chhandah’ is a re-oratory, is it? Marathi Sahaja Yogi: No, ‘Chhandah’ means there is a wire along with the ‘Chhandah’, means Music. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Ni-chṛid Gāyatrī-chhandah’ means there is ‘Chhandah’ of ‘Gayatri’ in it. ‘Chhandah’ of ‘Gayatri’ means Ganesha. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: ‘Aum Gam Ganapataye namah’. In this now Gayatri is explained. In this mantra what is the correlation between Gayatri and Ganapati, is what is explained that ‘Aum Gam Ganapataye namah’. Marathi Shri Mataji: How to awaken? Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Reading the shloka ‘Radam cha varadam hastair’. ‘Varada hastha’ means he is offering the hand... Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Reading the shloka ‘Bibhrānam Mūshaka-dhvajam’ – Now (thinking how to explain this).. A mouse is his carrier.... Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Reading the shloka ‘Yogino’ means ‘Ye na jayate iti yogaha’ – means the connection through which you know the divine.. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Reading the shloka ‘Shivasutaya’ means The Son of Shiva. Marathi Shri Mataji: No, it is that they know the meaning of Shiva. You know Shiva, you know. Marathi Shri Mataji: of blessings.. you are the statue of blessings. Is it over now? Marathi Shri Mataji: Now tell something about the Goddess (‘Devi’) Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Now for the Goddess (‘Devi’) means, should I recite Devi’s Mahalakshmi Stotra? Marathi Shri Mataji: No, is there the other one? Anything that is recited for the Devi normally. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: There are many for the Devi in here. Shri Mataji: You can recite that the Gods praised the (Goddess) Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Yes.. The Shlokas ‘Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu...’ Marathi Shri Mataji: Along with it.. Sahaja Yogi: The Gods have praised is very special. Shri Mataji: Yes, very special. Do we have its translation in English? Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Which stanzas are to be recited? Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Yes, the Devi Stuti is there after the killing of the Mahishasura. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: No, when the Gods prayed to Vishnu to create.. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Ratri Suktam, it is this only right? Shri Mataji: Yes this is it. Sahaja Yogi: Yes that only. Sahaja Yogi: Yes I have opened the same only. Marathi Shri Mataji: Now you will tell right how it was created? Sahaja Yogi: Yes. Marathi Shri Mataji: Is it there in Hindi? Sahaja Yogi: It is there in Hindi. Shri Mataji: Is the translation in Marathi? Sahaja Yogi: I will recite the translation. Marathi Shri Mataji: Do the translation. Sahaja Yogi: I will translate it. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: I will only recite the translation now. Sahaja Yogi: Only the translation is there now. Shri Mataji: Tell. I will tell. Marathi Shri Mataji: Now let us start reciting the next one, the other, let us take any other one. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: We will take the Mahalakshmi Stotram. Shri Mataji: Take the Mahalakshmi one. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: It will be difficult to translate this one. Shri Mataji: Ha.. Sahaja Yogi: It will be difficult to translate this one. Marathi Shri Mataji: Translation is difficult? Sahaja Yogi: It is difficult. Shri Mataji: It is not there? Sahaja Yogi: Ha.. Shri Mataji: Then leave it. We can do it later. Marathi Shri Mataji: It is very easy, there is no need to hurry. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: I will tell by myself first, I will first recite it. Shri Mataji: First recite it. Marathi Shri Mataji: Only take this out in the other thing. Marathi Shri Mataji: What are we going to get by teaching? Why do it? Marathi Shri Mataji: Keep this down. Keep it down, take it like this in your hand and put it in my ‘Oti’. Take now in your hand. Marathi Shri Mataji: Take that, take that out, take that in your hand and tell to put it in my ‘Oti’. It is done. Marathi Shri Mataji: The fruits are there, put it in that. Marathi Shri Mataji: It is all mixed in this. Marathi Shri Mataji: Now put this in it. Marathi Shri Mataji: These are people are great. Marathi Shri Mataji: is it done? If it done then I will tie these threads. Marathi Shri Mataji: But not for the head right? Is there one for the head? Sahaja Yogi: Yes, there is for head as well. Shri Mataji: It is there ok. Marathi Shri Mataji: It is ok if you put it on another finger. In this there is not much there for you. Marathi Shri Mataji: You all have given me so much respect today, that itself is sufficient. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Where we would get this? Sahaja Yogi: It is all by your grace Shri Mataji. Sahaja Yogi: Without your grace nothing will happen. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Without your grace it is not possible. How will we on our own give you the respect? Marathi Shri Mataji: We should tell these people that they should not step out of Shri Mataji’s grace. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Yesterday that is what we spoke. Sahaja Yogi: Yesterday that is what we spoke all important things were told. Marathi Shri Mataji: Put a cloth here. Keep a red cloth here. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: It will have to be cut. Shri Mataji: No, it is not there. Sahaja Yogi: The cloth is there here. Marathi Shri Mataji: The audio is not clear to translate Marathi Sahaja Yogi: Should we tell these people Marathi Shri Mataji: You can lay this all there up with it. Marathi Sahaja Yogi: I have got all of these laid down, only we have to ask these people to step aside.