 That's our gratitude to all the men and women across the world consciously risking their lives for everybody's well-being when the health ministry in India offered double salaries for all nurses and doctors. They came out and refused. I think of over a hundred thousand deaths in the world, over five thousand have been of medical professionals. Here is a little poem for you. It's called Shameless. A peacock with this magnificent plume, a masterpiece of color and form without compare has to let out high-pitched calls to get attention to his immense beauty. Living in this world that is distracted beyond words and clueless of the many rewards of keenness of attention. In challenging times that we are, if you have something of value that could benefit life in smallest ways, stand up and shout shamelessly. Well, tomorrow morning ten o'clock the prime minister is addressing the nation with whatever policy shifts that will be made for the coming few weeks. A few states have gone ahead and anyway announced a full lockdown that includes Tamil Nadu, where Isha Yoga Center is. So as far as we are concerned, we continued the lockdown till 30th of April. In the rest of the country, will there be small relaxations for certain type of activities or not is something we will know by tomorrow. I think there will be because it is harvesting season in certain parts of the country in the north. So there could be relaxations for that and also there could be relaxations for certain manufacturing segments that partial operations of industry, they wanted to start so that post April they will be able to get fully into production stage. So this is like a small step in the direction. But everything is still fluid and up in the air because subject to the mood of the virus and how responsibly all of us behave. Because how much load will be on the nation and the world and the infrastructure, the medical infrastructure that is in the world largely depends on how responsibly we conduct ourselves. How effectively we ensure that the virus doesn't come to us. Even within Kwanathur city, certain areas have been completely shut off totally. Certain areas have been blockaded because they found some cases and they're responding like this, which is the only way to do. Fortunately, still the number of people infected and also the number of fatalities is very much in control in India and also the curve is little bit flattening out. The effect of lockdown is showing. Fortunately, even in United States, the fatalities have kind of flattened out. It was two thousand a day, it's kind of come down a little bit. But the number of infected people, the number of people in ICU use that number I think has gone up. So we still don't know which way it's going. Because these are large countries, India, United States, these are very large countries. What happens in... you know, it's like compared to many other nations, every state is like a nation. So in United States, you can say there are fifty nations. In India there are about twenty-five, twenty-eight nations in terms of states because the population and the geographical space is such that we cannot really look at what to say. The numbers for the entire nation right now I think whatever is happening in United States, maybe I'm not clear about the numbers but at least fifty percent could be just from New York State. The rest of the country may not be going through the same thing because there is substantial geographical distances and if people behave responsibly it can be contained where it is. So here we are and this situation should not go waste. So many people's lives gone, that should not go waste. So many have died, over hundred thousand people have died. We should not let this go waste. We must use this time. There's another sixteen to seventeen days in here in India and for all of us. As I said earlier, every one of us should strive at least ten percent upgrade in who we are, physically, mentally, emotionally in terms of our competence of what we are doing. Ten percent upgrade. The whole world will be a better place to live, believe me. If everybody becomes ten percent better than who they are and well in the spiritual communities this exists but if everybody takes this on every year you take two or three weeks off for an upgrade for yourself. Physical, mental, emotional and competence upgrade if you do for yourself consciously. This may be happening without being very conscious about it in the process of one's work and life but I'm saying a conscious break just to upgrade yourself. If everybody takes this, I think in a few years we wouldn't regret this pandemic because we will have a much better humanity and that's the only way forward. So the losses that we have taken in terms of life, the losses that we will take in terms of economic losses and the amount of social disruption that will happen out of this, we must compensate this with upgrade of human lives because ultimately that's all that matters to us. I think there are questions. This question is from Prashant. Namaskaram, Satguru. While we are alive with this body and mind we keep on accumulating karma. I want to know when we lose our body and mind is it better time to handle karmas? Is he infected? Well there are many of you out there I'm just thinking how to set a context for this because this question involves too many things. To put it simply, to put it very simply when you put something very simply there could be loopholes. If any of you who are watching online if you find a loophole come back with the question tomorrow we'll continue this karma business. If you do not know this just yes just there's another two three hours of work for me to complete the karma book which will go into publication in United States and rest of the world. So this has been on for more than a year and it should be complete in the next few days. So what is karma? See karma is the information or the memory which happens at various levels which makes you who you are. You are who you are only because of the karmic memory that you carry. Then when did it become a problem? It became a problem because you got identified with that memory like even now in your life only way less than one percent of your memory are you really conscious of over 99 plus percentage is existing in you unconsciously. To what extent means well in spite of all kinds of efforts you will see the memory within you plays out in its own way. Genetic memory, karmic memory right from childhood every small thing like for example let us say yesterday you ate a meal and this doesn't happen at the yoga center but let us say you are somewhere else and you open your meal and there you found a live cockroach or a mouse or something it happens in some places. Well today if we offer you a meal that memory will make you behave in a certain way and this memory may make you behave in a strange way every time a meal is served to you. So the more you get identified with that one experience you have eaten I don't know how many let's say you lived for 50 years and you ate three meals a day how many is that 365 into 50 into 3 whatever that is that many meals you have eaten everything was fine just one meal you had something wriggling in your food now that will dominate every time you served a meal that memory comes back and after some time it's not even a conscious memory you're just careful about it. So this is what memory does to you after some time you're not even thinking about it it will make you behave in strange ways I'm saying that's why you all the such strange creatures because there are various kinds of unconscious memories making you behave in particular ways so this entire dimension of karma becomes significant on the spiritual path because you're looking for transformation to transform means to change the very shape of who you are to make yourself in such a way that your shape is of least resistance the shape that you have taken is such it will allow you to pass through life and death effortlessly you have taken on that kind of a shape which will become available to the process of dissolution naturally that is the kind of shape you're trying to take so you're trying to transform that means you're trying to take on a different form than the way you are your present form is a consequence of very complex amalgamation of memories which have come to you through five senses which have come to you through genetics which have come through you come to you through evolutionary process there are various dimensions eight dimensions of memories are there all these are in one way karmic though we call a particular memory karmic because that is an active process let me not go too much into technicalities as I said if you've managed to find gaps tomorrow question you can ask so now you're trying to change the form of who you are the very way you are the person that you are that is essentially you're trying to make yourself into that kind of a person who does not become an impediment in your process of liberation or dissolution right now if you have strong sense of I am this I am that then you yourself are a impediment you yourself are a block you don't need any external help you're on self-help so spiritual sadhana means just this you're trying to make yourself into that kind of a form where you are not an impediment there are other issues with the creation which we have to deal with this is the significance of sitting with a guru that you only have to deal with your own issues the existential issues he will deal it he will deal for you that's what it means the existential dimensions which are not in your consciousness which are not in your experience that is what he's supposed to deal with he is not here to give you a psychiatric advice on a daily basis so the guru I'm feeling like this what to do so the guru this is happening what to do I'm not getting along with the person in you know my roommate I can't get along what to do he's not here to address that unfortunately he does this one just because I am sitting on a couch people have mistaken me and they keep asking psychiatric questions all the time no those are things you are supposed to deal with you've been given tools to deal with that inner engineering is just a tool if you implement it today 100% you will see this is the end of your psychological problems yes sir the guru I did in engineering but it is but because you are not implementing it you think inner engineering is a qualification like BA, BSC, MSC, PHD I did in engineering I did Bhavaspandana I did Hatha Yoga I did Sunya I did Samyama but still Sadguru I have problem that means we gave you some tools to tighten some screws instead you're poking it in your nose and it bleeds yes yes that's all that's happening so that part is not about dissolving your karma that part is just facilitating that you're available to the process to the real process that needs to happen you're available for that that's all you're supposed to do to become available now what's his name prashant oh prashant it has a prashant has a special significance for me because you know the house where I grew up my dad's place my father's place was named prashant boldly written so everybody used to sometimes refer to as a oh that prashant family so this prashant prashant means always peaceful so he's asking this question shall I deal with these things after I'm dead well this happened this happened uh in a french university the professor of history was explaining to the students that before the revolution it was the law was so cruel to common people that if you stole a chicken one hand would be cut for the first offense second offense the second hand would be cut third offense they would take your head off so a student who was in the back seat back bench asked how would somebody steal a chicken after both hands have been cut so you lost your body and you lost the discerning mind now how do you handle your karma the most significant dimension of your present existence even if you have the infection you're still alive to ask the question the significance of this aliveness is you have a discerning mind I want you to understand this this is the most significant dimension of being human that you have a discerning mind that you don't have to react instinctively like other animals do you can think through the issue and respond the way you want no matter what your instincts say so once you have lost this with the process of death then your ability to handle that is uh over you cannot handle anything you just function only by tendencies see just some time ago all these leaves were dry and falling down now all the fresh leaf has come even a dry dead leaf is going somewhere but it is not deciding where to go where the wind blows it goes there that's what you will become when you're dead you will not decide where to go it's only now it is now when you're alive and you still have a discerning mind working even if it is partially working still you have a discerning mind now you can decide where to go this privilege of where my life should go this privilege will be taken away the moment you have lost your body and your discerning mind one must know this this is the value of being human when you were a monkey you did not have a discerning mind when you were a reptile you did not have a discerning mind now that you become a human being no matter what sort you are you said guru but i am whatever sort you are you have a discerning mind you may not be using it you may be storing it to use it post mortem you know i'm saying you will not have it this is the only period where you can use it this is the only period where you can navigate your life where you want beyond this it is only by tendencies other forces will decide well sadguru can you fix it if i die will you fix all my karma no if you have dissolved it to a point where the shell has become very thin then yes otherwise we can bless you to come back in a you know as a as a mouse in a rich granary where there's a lot of food now i'm just being cruel just like that you know because i want you to understand that to make any intervention existentially relevant intervention not telling you advice not giving you teaching proper intervention a life must be at an appropriate place otherwise you just cannot intervene nobody can i'm telling you but if one has tried brought it to a place where there is minimum amount of stuff that it's become fragile now it would roll on forever when i say forever because time is the way it is playing out right now the time is only because is only because of your physical body you have such an experience of time this darshan instead of being 40 minutes suppose no this is not a good time to say this suppose you did not have a body i will make you sit here for four million years what is the problem i'm asking it would be about the same 40 minutes four million years or 40 million years would be the same thing for you because there is a body time has become a certain of certain relevance this is the reason why when moment of death comes people are always trying to create a peaceful loving or joyful atmosphere for the person to pass because if he leaves in that condition once again as you have all noticed on a certain day if you're depressed one day feels like ten years another day if you're very joyful one day feels like ten minutes so we want to make sure the one who is departing leaves in a pleasant condition so that he won't feel the length of time he will not suffer that condition because it's just passing away like that this dimension of life when it has lost its physical body and its discerning mind still has other aspects how actively simply depends upon how how much are you identified with your karmic substance if you're strongly identified it will continue to function even beyond the body but if your identity is low then it is very mild which can easily be dealt with what this means is when you are identified with your karmic process that means naturally life is longing to take on one more form it is longing to take on one more form you cannot intervene with that life you just have to allow it at the most guide it a little bit to take on a form that will be beneficial but you cannot completely intervene with that life and end it or liberate it so only that life whose identity with its own karmic substance is very minimal that life you can intervene so it's important what we're doing right now will you leave fully consciously you may not but if you live in such a state that things have been minimized your karma has been minimized if you're only working with the allotted karma the accumulated karma or what is you know the storehouse of karma or the warehouse of karma that you carry that is not been handled yet but that can be easily detached because you have no conscious identity with that that can be taken away now the karmic substance with which you have conscious identification right now this is what i am i like this i don't like this this is how you're establishing your identity with your karmic substance if that is strong you cannot simply intervene and break it see i did not make the policy for this life process okay policy is made elsewhere intervention is a different dimension this happened a centipede you know centipede with 100 legs a centipede got gout massive problem 100 knee joints hurting can you imagine if you get gout your ankle joint or your knee joint hurts just two not so big if you are a centipede 100 problems so he went for advice to the wise owl an owl is a wise bird everywhere else in the world except in india in india wulu or gube means you're a dumb idiot everywhere else in the world an owl is considered a wise bird so this was not in india so the centipede went to the owl and asked i have this gout in all my 100 legs what should i do so the owl looked at him and advised i think the best thing for you is to come as a creature it's best best you come as a a mouse you will have only four problems you will still have gout but you will have only four problems now you have 100 problems it'll become four you will feel wonderful it's happened to you isn't it you had so many problems you did in engineering ah maybe half of them went away or maybe only four went away i don't know what happened or 96 went away and you're feeling great this means this does not mean everything is gone only what you have allowed is gone you need to understand this what you allow is what leaves you what you hold on to stays with you so the centipede thought about it and thought it's a good idea then he asked how do i become a mouse the owl said no no we only make policy here intervention you have to look somewhere else this is creation it's only made the policy intervention you have to come to it in a certain way so karma or the karmic substance is such that without it you cannot exist but if you're overly identified with it every step you walk you will pick up more and more it's just like your identity is like glue let's say you smeared yourself with glue and you walk on the street in ten minutes you would have collected so much now there is so new social distancing so it's okay otherwise you know you touch somebody you shake hands you can't let it go you hug somebody you're finished just imagine in five days time what will be your condition everything that you touch talk to you this is what karma is this what is happening to one's life why that exuberant child that you were so joyful and wonderful is simply because such a load so all you have to do is don't try to shed the karma the solvent is such that you take away the glue as much as possible a few things still stick but largely glue is gone so even if it is there it doesn't really stick hard when the glue is really good if we try to take it skin will come off yes if it's really stuck well flesh will come off if it is lightly stuck we can with a little pain you know we can take it off if it is not at all stuck very easily we can just give you put you under the shower so you must be like that by the time you die whenever that is you must become like this that your glue has been taken away largely if I just come and do like this it must go away otherwise we have to pull the skin and flesh that's not good for you that's not good for me I don't like to torture anyone hmm so tomorrow at seven o'clock in the evening all the Tamil people are going to have a call at seven o'clock tomorrow for all the volunteers you all should take this call you will come all the way if you don't have your number database then give it to me in the evening I want to talk to you I want to talk to you at 7 30 we will have a call with all the volunteers English speaking volunteers across the world am I you're putting it here okay okay this is not tomorrow okay new lockdown time so with all the English speaking volunteers uh on 15th 7 30 15 15th of April 7 30 in the evening India time Indian standard time we will have a call with all of you if you think your number is not on the database of Isha please make sure it is there I just want to talk to you for 15 20 minutes these are the kind of times where we need to speak so another two weeks for sure in Tamil Nadu and probably in most of the country most parts of the country similar things happening in united states Europe of course is partial different nations are acting differently but all of us should be ready for a certain amount of control on our lives not for two weeks we must be ready even if government relaxes the lockdown I want you to understand they're relaxing the lockdown because not because it's hundred percent safe for you if they lock down without end in sight it is not good for the health of the nations for that they're relaxing to save the nation they're relaxing not because it's hundred percent safe for you so you must continue to maintain a kind of personal lockdown on yourself only absolutely essential things you do continue the same level of alertness to ensure that you don't get infected this you must continue how long we don't know but definitely you must continue through the month of May hundred percent