 Namaskaram, Deepak, wonderful to be talking to you this almost. I don't know if it's three years since we met and spoke, two-and-a-half years. That's right. It's always a privilege, always an honor. Please tell me, you're the doctor, you're the boss here. No, it's always a privilege to be in your presence and looking at your initiative for a conscious planet and you can count on any support from me and from the Chopra Foundation. Our goal has always been to reach a critical mass for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier, and joyful world. And obviously we can't do that unless we take care of our own ecology which is inseparable from the ecology of the world. It is, but because I'm a horribly pragmatic person. It's true, you're pragmatic. I'm just looking at, you know, right now when we... Because I would definitely not approach ecology as something separate from myself in my life, in my experience, not with people around me. But in the larger world, I think because the situation is so dire, because the biodiversity is collapsing, the way it is collapsing, if we want next few generations to see what I see is, I don't believe the planet is in any kind of danger or anything, that's all our imagination. But human life will suffer immensely in the next three, four generations. If we don't make the corrections, even if you make the corrections for all you know, you may be only postponing the suffering. Maybe you don't want to give it to your children and grandchildren, but you don't mind five generations later they're getting it. We don't know, that's not in our hands. Our plan is at least for the next generation we must leave a better space than the way we've made it right now. In that context, what I saw was I've been looking at these various, you know, data from United Nations, from various universities and everything. What I see is, this is all PhD stuff, on the ground if you really ask people, if they have water shortage today in Chennai, they know there is water shortage. But they don't think that's an ecological problem, they think that's a political problem. They think it's a social and political problem, they don't think it's an ecological problem. So in that context, people are aware to some extent, there is water shortage, there is this, that, there is pollution in the city. If you give them enough water and give clean air in the city, they don't care a damn, the entire world is burning up, they don't care a damn, that's where people are. So in my opinion, tell me if I'm wrong, I believe only one to two percent of the population is reasonably conscious about what's happening in terms of the damage we are causing to the world. Rest of the people either don't know or don't care. Another two-three percent are only conscious about air pollution in the city, water shortage, this that, things that directly affect them. Not things that are happening, which are seriously damaging to the planet and when I say damaging to the planet, I'm not somebody who thinks planet needs to be saved by us. If we just sleep for twenty-five years, everything will be back to normal, okay? That's all it is. So in not in that context, but as a fundamental responsibility to at least leave everything as it was given to us, when we were born, how it was, at least to that level of ecological cleanliness, we must bring that much biodiversity we must put back because particularly the maximum damage has happened in the last fifty years in terms of loss of biodiversity. Seventy percent of the vertebrate population is gone in last fifty years, which is crazy and one in five of the species which are on the planet right now are under some kind of threat. So with all this happening, I thought taking the world in segments of latitudes like equatorial climate, tropical climate, subtrapical and temperate like this, all the nations which are in that band of latitude, at least sixty percent of the population should know what are the five things that must happen in our country. What are the two to three things that should never happen in our country? I'm saying everybody who's walking on the street should be conscious of it. Only when that happens, because nearly ninety percent of the nations are in some way democratic in their own style of democracy, they're in some way democratic. Democratic process means about today about five point two six billion people have franchise, that means they can elect their governments. Among these five point two six, I'm my aim is at least three billion people, if they if you can make them conscious, what are the five things that must happen in that nation? If they see anywhere on the street, they must know this is not happening. What are the things that should never happen in their country, they must know this. That means it'll become an election issue. So I'm looking at all the top three political parties in all the nations in the world. We want to approach them and make sure, see they will not make ecology the number one agenda in their manifestos. In their election manifesto, at least number two item must be ecological concern. So only when this happens, budgets will get invested, government machinery will be behind it. Without this, what I do, what you do, what somebody else does is all patchwork for a massive issue, because unless it happens globally, ecological regeneration doesn't happen in local bits and pieces, it needs to happen at a much larger scale. That will only happen when governments invest their budgets. No government, democratically elected governments are unwilling or hesitant to invest in ecological concerns, mainly because these kind of things will yield results only in fifteen to twenty or twenty-five years, long-term investment. But their lifetime is only four to six years. So they are only thinking what they can do within those four to six years. Nobody is willing to invest in something long-term unless a majority of the population stands strongly behind that and says, this is what we want. If that comes from the people only, it will become part of the policy. Once it is policy, there will be budgets and there will be government machinery. That is when real things happen. Otherwise, organizations and foundations can do as much as they want. But I'm not saying it's useless, it is very, very nominal, it's not really phenomenal. If something phenomenal has to happen, I feel in the next three to four years it must come into the policy of every nation. At least if economy is number one item, number two item must be ecology. Sadguru, as you said, you're a practical man, you're a pragmatist and this is the most practical thing I've heard with reference to ecological sustainability. So don't my support come to support of our foundation and our network, we are happy to serve in any way. You did mention the PhDs, but even the PhDs are wrong because they're not seeing the issue which is directly at hand, which is our health is directly connected to ecology and the health of future generations. Now we know a lot about what is called epigenetics and how gene modification occurs as a result of environmental damage. Even the COVID-19 mutation is a result of damage to the ecology. So as we can see right now, it's becoming obvious, by the way, that as we have been sequestered in our homes, the ecology is repairing itself, the birds are singing, the fish are returning to their dead lakes, even the canals of Venice are seeing fish. You can see the stars at night in polluted cities and it's also becoming obvious that an oil-free economy is possible. We are saying that when the price of petroleum goes down to less than zero, you know something is happening. So the COVID-19 is a message from the planet. Human beings, unless you fix yourselves, you're in danger. As you said, the planet will take care of itself. Every ecological expert that I have spoken to says that if humans disappeared from the planet, life would flourish on this planet in five years. If insects and bacteria and viruses disappeared from this planet, life would stop in five years. My land, life will completely end, give the worms a hand. So our health, our economy, social unrest, social unrest, social justice, economic justice, economy, peace, conflict resolution are directly linked to what you're saying. If we don't do it, we are doomed. No, the greatest conflict that is happening right now is what we call as our economic engine, which is... Which is a bulldozer engine, which is bulldozing everything. And if you really look at it, you know, I've been talking to lots of business groups and other things, I've been just reminding them, see, this is not just blaming any one person, all of us, every one of us. The way we've been driving, we are drivers without steering wheel in our hands, we don't know where we're going. We simply throttle on, no steering. We don't know where we're going, we're just going. It takes a microorganism for you to stop, you don't have brakes. You don't have brakes, you don't have steering wheel, you're just driving. Does anybody know where are we planning to go, as humanity, as economy, as nations, what are we trying to do? There's really no plan, we're only hand to mouth. We did all the science, technology, everything, thinking, we will live long-term well-being. But we are still living hand to mouth. Every day, stock market will tell whether we will survive or not survive. It's like a barometer going up and down every day, creating anxiety for thousands of people all over the world. So in many ways, this is a reminder, yes, but the important thing is, see, this virus right now, because I have so much communication, television, internet, everything, virus has become larger than life, otherwise many times this could have happened in the past and nobody even noticed it happened. Some people got fever, some people died, some people went on and life went on on this planet, it could have happened a thousand times. But now because of communication, we are seeing an enlarged version of the virus which is coming like a racquetball towards us with thorns in it. So it is looking like hugely, hugely magnified. I am not trying to belittle the danger attached to it, already unfortunately more than four hundred thousand people are estimated to have died. And many, many others are in hospitals, you know, at risk. I am not trying to say it is nothing, but it is mainly because one thing is concentration of human populations, another thing is our ability to move from any place to any place within a day I can be in United States or another place. So whatever happened in Wuhan within probably weeks, it's all over the place. So this would have never happened five hundred years ago. If it happened in Wuhan, there only it would, ten people will die and rest will recover and whatever will happen, that's all it would be. So in many ways it's our lifestyle and even now, as far as you should know better, but from whatever I've got from various doctors and scientists, they are saying every day on an average one hundred and twenty-eight scientific papers are being published about the virus. About a microorganism, hundred and twenty-eight papers per day for last two months it's happening. That means we are breaking the microorganisms' characteristics into that many parts and studying it in so many little, little parts. That means actually we know nothing about it. The only way we have done some successful control of this is by controlling human behavior, we've done nothing about the virus. Fancyful talk about what is this vaccine is happening, but if we come up with a good treatment protocol that itself is a miracle. If we have a good treatment protocol, if I get the virus, I will not die, I can recover with a few days of treatment. If that much assurance comes, people will go about doing their business. Right now we are talking about how to completely eliminate the virus, do this, do that. I don't think so we should eliminate the virus because what benefits it has within itself we're able to realize. We're only seeing that it's uprooting some lives, yes it is tragic for those who have lost their loved ones and those who have lost their lives, it's not a joke. But we don't know what it is hiding within its process because as you know and almost every other medical personnel and today because of internet almost everybody knows a large part of us is virus, bacteria, microorganisms, a large part of us, there is more of them than us compared to the cells which have multiplied from our parentage and the number of viruses and bacterias and microorganisms we have is much, much more. So they are, they are living with us, they are us in many ways. You cannot say there is something that is me and there is something that is microorganism, it's all mixed up. So without them we cannot exist but without us they can exist. So what great things they will do for us we don't know. There is some research telling us that hundred million years ago this whole human placenta came mainly because of virus infection. So it is a virus which gave us this placenta which gave us the possibility of reproducing successfully and the mother's womb what happens. All those complex creation process that happens in our mother's wombs is mainly was instigated by a virus. So we don't know what this virus will bring, maybe we'll grow horns or a tail or wings I don't know what. Let's see you must tell me you're the doctor. Well, our current science as you said, first of all you said something very important the virus is a very small bit of genetic information that's what it is it's a very small bit of genetic information which has now devastated everything from economy to health to politics to international relationships etc. This little bit of genetic information has devastated the world and you also said some of this alarm may be exaggerated because of the way we communicate and it's so easy now to get the information. Some of the television channels in India the virus is coming like this like a record ball at you. That's right. That's right. But here's the advantage of this just because we can communicate and we're doing so right now we actually through technology are rewiring the global brain the planetary brain through technology and this communication is very important and these actions are very important because without this conversation we would only be in a panic mode. But with this conversation we are seeing possible solutions and you're offering a very practical solution. Here's the important thing to remember when we go for practical solutions is I even as we take the practical solutions we have to see the direct connection between the genetic information in our body and again you use another word maximum diversity of genetic information or the genetic information in our body 99% is actually bacterial and microorganisms 99% maybe 95% you're making me feel like a virus huh well we are you sad guru you and I are the awakening of bacterial and virus consciousness one day the viruses and bacteria said you know let's use this organism homo sapiens as our host and then we can survive so we are actually the host for the genetic diversity of the planet we are the host if we ruin it we ruin ourselves because we depend on this genetic entanglement of genetic information all life on this planet not just human life plant life animal life all life you said in the mother's womb we were shaped by these microorganisms but actually as we journeyed out into the world we absorbed everything in fact these days when people do smart smart obstetricians when they do cesarean section they actually take all the secretions of the mother and they put them on the baby's body they put them in the mouth in the nose so that the baby can inhale these microorganisms can smell it can swallow it and be covered by it because our lungs and our intestine our entire body depends on it so is that being as a done as a standard practice say that is that being done as a standard medical practice among the smart obstetricians yes right now they are recognizing that in urban cities 30% of the microbiome has disappeared so if I am somebody lives in New York City or Chicago or Delhi for that matter 30% of their microbial genetic information has disappeared and it is disappearing and this is directly linked to chronic diseases like diabetes heart disease hypertension strokes indirectly to cancer autoimmune illness and propensity to premature aging and all kinds of human problems 90% of chronic illness is dysbiosis which means dysfunctional biodiversity of genetic information in our body and the people who are getting sick by the way the people who are even now young people who are getting sick they have what are called acute inflammatory storms in the body so inflammation goes out of control in the body because they are panicking they're panicking they're stressed they're agitated they're worried about money they're worried about their jobs the depth and morbidity and we have published on this I'm happy to send you papers the mortality and morbidity of this virus is directly linked to stress panic sympathetic overdrive and agitated minds and that's why we need more than just a simple simplistic vaccine solution because if you have a vaccine a year from now there'll be another mutation the vaccine doesn't do anything it doesn't look at the problem very clearly demonstrated in India that of all the cases we have over sixty percent of the cases and over eighty percent of the deaths are only in five cities there you are in the villages where where we are here not a single case in all these villages around us but only in Chennai Mumbai Ahmedabad Delhi and one more city what Lucknow Bangalore Bangalore not much Bangalore they've controlled well because of door to door management I think it's obvious now with this that you know ecology is the main issue of our times the air is our breath the the oceans and waters and the rivers are our circulation the earth is recycling as our body even the atoms in our body were forged in the crucible of stars so you know you have a personal body you have an extended body they're both yours the planet is your body it's recycling as the ecology and the genetic information and the micro diversity of these organisms and we're not looking at that we're looking only at vaccine you know there is there is something little more basic than this genetic information even pre that is the elemental stuff in the world so the entire yogic system the basis of yogic system is called Bhuta Shuddhi that is taking charge of the five elements of air water earth fire and space so these Panchabutas are five elements taking charge of that is the entire yogic system it's funny because today I had asked everybody to you know our our traveling group which is normally referred to as Isangas who go out and teach and spread the thing they're all here now for last two months so I told them to do sadhana their morning sadhana outdoors they were all doing outdoor in front of the Adiyogi statue but in the last few days the monsoon winds have picked up it's very heavy here like it'll touch 50 kilometers per hour sometimes up to 70 kilometers per hour in gas and also mildly raining anytime it will rain we're very close to the mountains so by today morning I went to see how are they doing their sadhana in this wind and rain but only a small number were there I asked what happened they said that too much wind so I put them up now that from tomorrow I'm I'm praying to the rain gods that every day morning five to eight it must rain and all of you must be doing your sadhana in the rain it's very important this is not a boot camp to harass you or something because if you distance yourself from the elements you're gone you you may be alive but you are gone because life doesn't throb in you no realization will be possible because if you want to touch the peaks of your consciousness everything must be on right now if survival itself becomes a challenge for you what peaks will you touch you will not even be interested when survival is in question nobody is interested in anything so it's very important that your survival is not even a concern if you sit here everything is going on if this is happening then only you will want to explore different dimensions of life so from tomorrow on everybody is there in full rain and heavy winds doing that that's beautiful that's beautiful after all that's the meaning of yoga right to be in touch with the source of all existence and you're right you know the Pancham Bhutas precede all genetic information and that also comes from one undifferentiated consciousness and if we want to we want to be intimate with that consciousness then yoga is the only way yoga is the only way in all its dimension we are we are doing everything possible you must also join hands with us to change the image of yoga because i know in california maybe i don't know how it's in san diego at least in los angeles yoga means lulu lemon pants and you know one day is my cycling day another day is my jogging day one day is my yoga day that kind of stuff so we are seeing how to change the image of yoga that yoga is a comprehensive science and a process to bring this unity because a very fundamental is unity what you're talking all this time is just that that there is no separation but separation has happened mainly because you know it's the magnanimity of the cosmos it's the magnanimity of the creation that it gave you an individual experience though you're as small as a virus compared to the cosmos what virus is to you you're just that a speck of dust but to this speck an individual experience has been given this is not something that you did it is just the magnanimity of creation that we can sit here and feel like an individual experiencing all these things but once we take this individuality rather too seriously suddenly we will get imprisoned in our own individuality individualism is imprisonment this imprisonment is not just creating mental structures and emotional turmoil this is destroying body's ability to live strong living strong is not happening to most people simply because they become cubicles of their own that their individuality has become too strong and people unfortunately largely I'm sorry if I say something wrong medical fraternity has not recognized that what you do with your mind and emotion will inevitably build a cocoon around yourself and the cocoon is not a protection a cocoon is a coffin well I have nothing more to add you've said everything just one phrase encapsulates everything yogasth kuru karmani established in yoga perform action this is the call of the moment and thank you for leading it sadguru thank you