Welcome Talk, Istanbul (Turkey), October 30th, 1989

[Poor sound]

Akbar: … Very far, for the first time. And I knew when he phoned that they found it out. [Unclear]
Shri Mataji: You know because I asked her, “What is the temperature? Just find out. Because I just really got shocked”. We saw all the people very nicely going about without much on them. [Laughter]
Hello!
Lady: What would you like to drink?
Shri Mataji: I mean, something cold: Coca Cola?
Lady: Coca Cola?

Akbar: This is Yilmaz [unsure], Shri Mataji, he’s an engineer, mechanical engineer,
Lady: This is cherry juice, OK?

Shri Mataji: May God bless you.
Man: How are you?
Shri Mataji: I’m so happy to come here to meet you all.
Man: Nice to meet you.
Shri Mataji: I was so anxious to meet you.

Akbar: Another great Sahaja Yogi in Islam.
Shri Mataji: Really?
Akbar: This is Nowal, another engineer, mechanical engineer,
Shri Mataji: Oh, I see. God has given the engineers here, engineers, you see, God’s ways.
Man: No Economist. Economist.
Shri Mataji: Great. Economic. Architect?
Man: Economist.
Shri Mataji: Economist. Ah, economist.
Hello, how are you?
Man: Fine thank you. And you?
Shri Mataji: May God bless you.
So, she’s here for us. Good. Beautiful flowers. It’s all right, it’s all right. She doesn’t want to give because maybe of the horns.
[Cut in the video]

Akbar: Mary is the wife of a doctor. She couldn’t come because she said- the husband said that she had three patients, she has to cure their teeth, so she couldn’t come.
Shri Mataji: [Laughter]

Akbar: Her husband. She couldn’t come.
This is Serine, it’s the first time she sees you.
Shri Mataji: First time.
Serine: Can I kiss you?
Shri Mataji: Please. First time I see her. So, this is too much for me. I am so happy we have so many people here.
Akbar: This is the Iranian, the first, the mother of Anik. She is the first people know.
She has started Sahaja Yoga. She has got five students. She says.
Shri Mataji: Oh, in Iran?
Akbar: Iran.
Shri Mataji: Iran is the first country I visited. Did you tell her?
Akbar: Yes, yes.
Shri Mataji: So nice to see you all here, so nice. It’s tremendous. I didn’t know this country had some potential, really.
Akbar: There are a lot more, they are outside.

Lady: I am really glad to see you again.
Shri Mataji: I come also for this task. And his mother, isn’t she?
Lady: And his mother.
Shri Mataji: I talked to you on the phone once, remember?
Sahaja Yogini: Yes, yes, yes.
Shri Mataji: She’s so anxious.
Akbar: She is, yes.

Sahaja Yogini: She’s from Strasbourg, there, Mother.
Shri Mataji: From where?
Sahaja Yogini: From Strasbourg.
Shri Mataji: Oh, Strasbourg. You are from Strasbourg?
Sahaja Yogi: She is the wife of a doctor who is also a Sahaja Yogi, this lady.
Shri Mataji: So nice to see, being such, wonderful. It’s very tied, thank you. Please be seated, all of you please be seated. Yes, thank you.
You are so close to, Turkey is so close to India. And you had Kamel Pasha here. Long time back. I always used to read his life and his ideas and things.

Sahaja Yogi: We are really blessed. It’s the second time in Turkey. Perhaps you were more in Turkey only. Is that the second time?
Shri Mataji:
Sahaja Yogi: Hello
Shri Mataji: Ah, hello! What about Ruslan, he is not coming?
Sahaja Yogi: I don’t know, I don’t think so.
Shri Mataji: I see. We should have telephone to him really. He’s so close here. He’s Oman, he’s in Oman. It’s a very traditional country, that is, I have seen where ever there has been tradition, they have been able to see this evolution process. But without a traditional country, it is very difficult to handle. You cannot understand. I don’t know, the Russian is not very good with
the relationship with Turkey, Russians.
Sahaja Yogini: Bad relations. They are just-
Shri Mataji: But there was a problem of people who were forces to come or something.
Sahaja Yogi: In Greece.
Shri Mataji: OK.

But surprisingly, it’s very surprising, in Russia, thousands went on and all very well-educated professionals, writers, it’s so amazing. I think they had no other freedom. So, they developed within themselves. People are so wonderful, very nice people. And this problem is also created not by the government, anything, but by some bureaucrats who do not want to have this freedom business. That’s why they are doing all this, not to give them food in this manner. But the people they say, “We don’t want any food. We don’t want anything. What we want is this liberation of the Spirit”. So well read, such nice people. And there would be 2,000 people sitting inside the hall and 2,000 outside. [Laughter]

When I came up they would say, “Mother, we” they had to get some tickets to come to that hall. “There are no seats, we could not come, we could not hear you”. I said, “All right, then what should we do? Can you come tomorrow morning?” “Yes, we’ll come”. It was raining all of them were there next day, and we had a session just outside the hall.

And even now follow on is like that, in thousands. Nothing is less than thousand. But they settled down and it’s very remarkable how they take to it so easily. And they have had all kinds of things, you know, Hatha Yoga, this fellow, that fellow, Yoganand, Karmananda, everything has been taken.
But they understand the reality so well!

Sahaja Yogini: They haven’t been spoiled by the Western culture.
Shri Mataji: I just don’t know. This is a kind of a very deep understanding what should be the truth. It is a very deep understanding. I mean no problem of any kind. The government has accepted, the government has accepted us as an independent organization, only we!
Otherwise, any other yoga, anything else, is in a combined way. But for us, they have given an independent way. And now, one of the Ministers is coming for Ganapatipule. [Laughter]

He belongs to the Council of [unclear] the topmost thing. He is going to come.

They have no conditioning, I think, except for one. And they don’t- I mean they just say that, “We just want liberation of the Spirit”. No other conditionings. And they’re not materialist, because they have never had all these nonsensical things that we had. They have one problem, their [unclear], they do not work out outside. That’s the only problem they have. Otherwise, so generous.

Even in the hotel, the people, the maids, everybody is anxious to just touch my shawl. I’ve been thinking, “What idea of spirituality they have ?” When they had already no religion of any kind. Christianity also it’s just like that, hanging. Also, some Muslims are there in this area of this Tashkent, Samarkar and these things. But I think there’s no conditioning of any kind there. Just they are waiting for the spirituality. And the right time now, Gorbachev has opened the doors and we were 40 people, first time we went, 40 people. And the way they looked after us!
We didn’t pay a single pie, 40 of us, we did not pay. So full of devotion. That means, you see, that Sahaja Yoga will be now nicely established. Because according to one of the predictions of Bhrigumuni, in his book Nadi Granth, he says that, “One super power will take to Sahaja Yoga”. This is one of the super powers. And then the Sahaja Yoga, in 1990, will be so established that they will have to have a conference of people from all over the world and they will be made in charge of the whole world.

They have used ‘Sahaja’ word in that. I’ve got a beautiful booklet. You’ve got the green booklet where is it?
Sahaja Yogini: In your luggage.
Shri Mataji: Hum?
Sahaja Yogini: In your luggage.
Shri Mataji: OK. In which somebody has also seen into Quran, the word Sahaja Yoga is there.
Sahaja Yogini: Oh, yes.
Shri Mataji: G. S.
Sahaja Yogini: Y. S .
Shri Mataji: Y. S .
Sahaja Yogini: Cause it’s written there.
Shri Mataji: You see, Y suggests ‘yoga’. So, he’s given me that booklet. You have a look at it.

Sahaja Yogi: My name is also Y.S.
Shri Mataji: Y.S. Really?
Sahaja Yogi: Ylman Salman.Y. S.
Shri Mataji: Y. S. Ylmas?
Sahaja Yogini: Ylman Salman. Salman.
Shri Mataji: Means Salam, is it?
Sahaja Yogini: Maybe.
Shri Mataji: [Unclear]. You know, I was sure Muhamad sahib would have written everything definitely, because he’s one of the latest ones, he must have talked about it. Also, he said, “Until the Qiyamah comes, you can go with the ?”. Otherwise, there’s no need. All these things, he has said It.
And it’s very important that Islamic world should now take to something like that. Because the way things are going on, even in Russia, there’s a big fight going on, so many people getting killed for nothing at all! Afghanistan also, such a lot of people are getting killed.

We met the Minister of Afghanistan who came to see us. And he said, “We want peace in Afghanistan. How to have peace?” I said, “You spread Sahaja Yoga”. We want peace, he said, “So many people are killing: there are rebels, there are this thing”. Afghanis, those
whom I’ve met are really wonderful people.

They were not political or anything. They didn’t have political problems, nothing. They were just talking about this and then one of the lady had some problem. So, she came and she said, “I trust you all the way. I came from Kabul”. She had some problem, I cured her. And I was surprised, I mean, she was just talking about, “This is what it is, we have we have been watering and all that”. Afghanis people say like this. There are people all over the world like that.
There are people all over the world like that. And Afghanis, I mean, I can say that it’s not easy to penetrate into that area. It’s so far fetch. They met me in Russia.

It’s all working out so well.

Sahaja Yogi: Mother sorry. Mother, sorry, I did not understand.
Shri Mataji: No? I’m sorry, I thought you understood.
Sahaja Yogi: We’ll [unclear] after this.
Shri Mataji: You’d better tell them.
Sahaja Yogini: Tell him.
Shri Mataji: Ah! [Laughter] I was talking that side.
Sahaja Yogi: This is recorded, so we can show it to them after this.
Shri Mataji: All right. And then you can translate, yes. Good idea.
Sahaja Yogi: This is audio, so yes.
Shri Mataji: I think Turkish is the language I can learn the fastest, because so much near Urdu. So much near Urdu. Many words are Urdu words which we use in India.
Sahaja Yogini: In Sanskrit, do you mean?
Shri Mataji: I’ll pick it up in no time.

Sahaja Yogini: Can I ask you something? They told me that they saw my name in Sanskrit. My name is Gaiye.
What?
Sahaja Yogini: Gaiye.
Sahaja Yogini: Gaiye.
Shri Mataji: Gaie.
Sahaja Yogi: Gaiye. Gaiye.
Shri Mataji: GAI
Sahaja Yogini: YE.
Shri Mataji: GAIYE. So, you want to know what?
Sahaja Yogini: [Cut]… Sanskrit. They saw it in one of the Sanskrit songs.
Sahaja Yogini: She would like to know the meaning of “Gaiye”.

Sahaja Yogi: ‘Muslim aliyo gaye’
Shri Mataji: Ah! ‘Gaye’ means ‘you sing the song’. ‘Ga’ comes for singing is for singing, ‘ga’. It’s for singing, ‘gaye’. it’s an Urdu word ‘gaye’. If I say ‘gaye’ means ‘you please sing’. But it could be, there was a very well-known lady, and also we have within us one of the channels called as Gayatri Channel. Gayatri, it’s a very subtle channel to invoke the five elements. That’s called as Gayatri.

Sahaja Yogi: ‘Gaye’ means the aim or the scope. Is there a word in [Urdu language]? [Cut]

Shri Mataji: Ah, yes, Urdu. If you say ‘gaye’, means ‘please sing’.

But what do you say to the sea here? Sea?
Sahaja Yogini: Sea is the niece.
Shri Mataji: Hum?
Sahaja Yogini: The niece.
Shri Mataji: No, no. Something else you told me.
Sahaja Yogini: Sea is the niece.
Shri Mataji: ‘Samundan’ you said? Something as some word, just like a Sanskrit or Urdu word. Daria.
Sahaja Yogini: Ah, that’s right.
Sahaja Yogi: Daria, it’s the ocean ocean.
Shri Mataji: Ocean. Daria is ocean in Urdu also. Daria.

I’ll pick it up in no time. I’m sure, Turkish language. [Laughter]
Even, surprisingly, there are so many words in Russian language. It’s very surprising that there’s something what you call [unclear]
that only the Maharashtra from where I come, Bombay, they say and Russians say and Chinese ‘tse’. Nowhere in the world they use ‘tse’. Mao Zedong is Mao Tsedong, ‘tse’. So, the Chinese were surprised how I could say ‘tse’ because nobody can say ‘tse’. [Laughter]
And this is something surprising that only in these three countries only this word ‘tse’ is there. But Sanskrit is in Chinese and in Russian, full of it,
completely Sanskrit. Though little derivations are there.

Because you see, Sanskrit and we can say Latin [cut] of one mother language. Sanskrit means the one which was made holy. So, that’s how the one word- Sanskrit started and then the Latin was for the people who didn’t want to use very -because Sanskrit is a difficult language. So, they used Latin. Like this, two languages were good. But sometimes these derivations go so far, that the meaning say, of something is in one language you say a glass’. So, the meaning of the same word in another language could be ‘table’. but the words are there.
Sahaja Yogi: Are the same. We call Latin language Indo-Aryan language. We think it comes from Sanskrit language.
Shri Mataji: Aryan, yes. Aryan, yes. So the Aryans had two languages: one was the Sanskrit and another one was Latin. But it is said that they don’t know how to say, but they say that, in India, they say that Indians Aryans who went down to Norway, because we have a book where they describe that this language was made Sanskrit in a place where a constellation called ‘Ramni’ [unsure] is at right angles. That’s the place in Norway. So, it was made Sanskrit in Norway by the Indians.
The Viking people perhaps you mean?
I beg your pardon?
Viking, Viking people, in Norway, are they?
Shri Mataji: Vikings? Yes.
I don’t know if Vikings are but we had we had our ships like that built in India long time back, same style.
The bulbous bows and thing coming out. Sometimes it used to be like a peacock or something. It was like that in India long time back, about thousand, say, 8,000 years back or so, when Shri Rama lived, at that time. So, there we have been always something, there has been a rapport going on thousands of years back of which we are not aware historically. But certain things you discover and you are quite surprised.

Like, I went to Colombia, now where is Colombia, Bogota, if you have to go, you see, the height is so much that you feel little giddy when the plane takes you out there. And in Colombia, it was very surprising that I asked them, “Why the emblem of the Navy is a condor? Is a Garuda?” So, they said that, “You see, our forefathers told us”, it’s only in Colombia you find people, and Peru, their original Aboriginal people. “They told us that there was a god called Vishnu who came on a condor”. Both of us, myself and my husband, were surprised. And from where did he come? He came from Bharat. India’s first name was Bharat. And in the museum, the fellow told me the same. So, there was some sort of a big rapport once upon a time.
In Finland now, Finland is so far away. And in Finland, I asked the lady, I said, “What do they call for sugar?” She said, “Sokeria”. It’s Sanskrit, absolute Sanskrit word for sugar. What do you call for sugar here?
Sahaja Yogi: Sheker
Shri Mataji: Sheker. From the same, from the same, about the same. But in Maharashtra, it is called as ‘saka’ and also in Russian ‘saka’. Exactly ‘saka’. But the word must be the original Adi Shankara from where, all these words have come.

[Unclear conversation about sugar]

So, the mixture of Arabic and Persian, Latin and Sanskrit. All of them are combinations.
Sahaja Yogini: I heard that Sanskrit is the mother of other languages. I don’t know.
Shri Mataji: Quite a lot, yes, quite a lot, quite a lot, no doubt about it. Like in Arabic, you call it, ‘Kulka kili’ [unsure]; ‘Kulka kili’ for the lock and key. ‘Kulka kili’ you say. ‘Kuluk kili’ you say in Arabic language.

Sahaja Yogini: In Arabic language, I don’t know.
Shri Mataji: They say “Kuluk kili” and that is in Marathi also, we say “Kuluk” and “kili”. In Marathi. My father was a scholar of Arabic language and he translated Quran into Hindi. [Unsure]
Sahaja Yogini: My father is a well [unclear sentences].

Sahaja Yogini: The manager would like to come and greet you, is it possible for you?

Shri Mataji: We have had a Diwali puja. [Laughter] Very nice, wonderful Diwali puja. They put all the lights and they had lots of these fireworks.
Such nice fireworks!

Sahaja Yogini: She is Cirilla. Cirilla.

Sahaja Yogini: He is the manager of the airport.
Shri Mataji: Thank you.
Man: Thank you very much.
Sahaja Yogini: He’s very happy to meet you and also he’s very happy to see you in Turkey again. And while we are waiting for you, we just talk about Sahaja Yoga and yourself and he’s too much interested about this subject that he’s going to join our program.
Shri Mataji: Really? Good, very good. Very kind, thank you very much. Thank you.

It’s such a nice uh atmosphere. This kind of a freedom [unclear] this sense of freedom to get to Sahaja Yoga. Very open people I’ve met, very open. Very open. But you don’t find this in other countries so called free. You don’t find. There so many other things in their heads, I cannot understand why they are like mad people.
Sahaja Yogini: I didn’t say anything about yourself and Sahaja Yoga. He asked me the questions all the time.
[Laughter]
Shri Mataji: He must be a seeker, isn’t it? He must be a seeker of truth.
Sahaja Yogini: I don’t know.
Shri Mataji: But this is, I don’t understand, that certain countries are so much full of seekers. Actually, I mean, as if they are seeking something. You just go there and you find them. And some country you break your head, you break- all your knowledge to them is zero. It’s something surprising.
Sahaja Yogini: It must be because they are still traditional.
Shri Mataji: With their freedom.
Sahaja Yogini: Yes.
Shri Mataji: Conditioned by their so-called too much freedom. “What’s wrong?” You see, you tell them, they say, “What’s wrong?” It’s terrible.

[28:10 BETTER SOUND]
Shri Mataji: I’m sorry, I have to talk this side and you are on this side.
Sahaja Yogi: Any side is OK Shri Mataji.
[Laughter]
Shri Mataji: The whole video team wanted to come really. I said, No, it’s all right now. Don’t trouble them too much.

How much time does it take from here to Bombay?
Sahaja Yogini: It must be 3 hours, 4 hours.
Shri Mataji: 4 hours.
Sahaja Yogini: Yes. [Unclear]
Sahaja Yogi: No, no. My wife went to India Tour to New Delhi. And she left at 10:05 in the evening and she was arriving at 7:35 in New Delhi.
Shri Mataji: New Delhi, that’s far away, Bombay is closer.
Sahaja Yogi: Closer, yes.
Shri Mataji: Bombay is much closer.
Sahaja Yogini: A local time you mean or?
Shri Mataji: Yes.
Sahaja Yogini: Local time.
Shri Mataji: I think Bombay would be nearer because you take one and a half hour to go to Deli from Bombay.
Sahaja Yogini: And from Italy, here, it’s for 3 hours or 2 hours and a half.
Shri Mataji: It’s very close.
Sahaja Yogini: From here to Bombay how much?
Akbar: 8 hours.
Sahaja Yogini: So, it’s about 6 hours. Five or six hours yes.
Shri Mataji: But you don’t go via- that’s what I was saying, if they go to Istanbul, it would be easier. I was telling them, “You go via Istanbul “. Because I don’t know how they go normally.
Akbar: They go- I don’t know Shri Mataji. Sometimes through Kuwait or through Egypt.
Shri Mataji: That’s why. You see, if you go via the north side, then to come to Bombay is much more. But if you go directly from Istanbul it’s -because this is also in the South and Bombay also in the South, so it’s quite close. I was looking at the map today to find out an easier way.
So, they are coming now and Russians were saying that, “All our, this thing is booked, we don’t how we’ll go to there”. So, then I found out a way to come here from Tabriz. They have to go to Tabriz, Ryad, Bombay, it’s straight. But otherwise, they would go to Delhi from the north from Tashkent, Delhi then to Bombay. It’s too much. Yes. Moscow is, this way, much easier.

Sahaja Yogini: Mother, would you let me translate your last word regarding Turkey to my friends?
Shri Mataji: All right, please.

Shri Mataji: There must be something about Turkey, I should say, that there are so many seekers. There must be something, you must find out. Maybe there have been some great Saints living here. Do you think that’s the reasons? There have been lots of saints living in Turkey.
Kahlil Gibran was here in Turkey? Kahlil Gibran, he’s from Lebanon. He was a saint. Or Sufi people?
Sahaja Yogi: Sufi people, yes. [Unclear]
Shri Mataji: That’s it.
Sahaja Yogi: There are many. Dervish.
Shri Mataji: Dervish.
Sahaja Yogini: And though they [unclear] they are close to Sahaja Yoga.
Shri Mataji: Yes?
Sahaja Yogini: Yes.

Shri Mataji: There is something.
Sahaja Yogini: And then the Virgin Mary was born in Ephesus which is Turkey.
Shri Mataji: Hum?
Sahaja Yogini: The Virgin Mary was born in Ephesus which is Turkey also. It’s near here.
Sahaja Yogi: Ephesus in West Turkey. Her grave is also there.
Sahaja Yogini: Garve? It’s not a grave because it’s a church.
Shri Mataji: Really?
Sahaja Yogini: They said there is the house where she was born.

Shri Mataji: Yes she was born, but at that time it was not Turkey, some other name.
Sahaja Yogini: No maybe yes, because the.
Shri Mataji: Yes.
Sahaja Yogi: I think she died there.
Shri Mataji: She died in- they say she died in Kashmir. She died in Kashmir that’s what they say. So many people, I don’t know why, at the end of their lives, they say Moses was in Kashmir and so many Jews came to Kashmir. Like, I don’t know why they came to Kashmir? Maybe it’s a very peaceful place for retirement. And they died there.

Many Romans came there after they lost their empire. And they died in Kashmir.
Sahaja Yogini: Because the mountains.
Shri Mataji: Mountains, it’s a very peaceful, beautiful place.
So, it was nice meeting you al here.
May God bless you. I hope we get more people tomorrow and day after.

[Shri Mataji goes out.]

Shri Mataji: The way Muslims are greeting is much better than- from the heart. It’s from the heart, you know, they wish.
Man: Yes.
Shri Mataji: Or they do it like this. [Unclear]
Sahaja Yogini: And also we greet people like this with heart. It’s a custom.
Shri Mataji: I know, I know. It’s very good instead of shaking hands, you know. It’s terrible this shaking hands. Because in Asia, we put both hands together, it’s much better. One hand shaking is very bad. Two hands shaking is better, I think.
Guido: It’s good.
Sahaja Yogini: Balance shaking.
Shri Mataji: Balance.
Sahaja Yogi: We put it in the heart and really it gives a meaning.
Shri Mataji: Really from the heart.
[Conversation with few Yogis downstairs.]

[Conversation in the car. Shri Mataji didn’t sleep for the last 3 nights. Very noisy]