Makar Sankranti Puja, Pune (India), January 14th, 1991

Today is the exhibition for this special day of the fourteenth of January, is this, that this is the only day which is observed in India, according to the Sun, Surya.
The Sun moves from the tropic of Capricorn towards the tropic of Cancer. So the Sun is worshipped on the fourteen, but Indians think that this is a blessing to have the Sun here for all the things [unsure].

But when the Sun moves from the Capricorn, which is called as ‘Makar’, they say that it is the greatest ordinary now on the Capricorn, and that we are better off. So, we have to celebrate. But by the celebration, they keep in mind that a lot heat will reflect on them. And we start talking to each other in a very cocky manner. So, they give this ‘till’ and ‘gul’. These both things are sesame seeds with some jaggery, they give you, because both things are very hot. Because they think that this hot jaggery will just help you to fight with the cold, [unclear] so better tune up the body to this coming heat.
But they know also that with the Sun, you all get hot, everybody fights with each other. So, they say that, “Take ‘till’ and say something sweet”. Better to say something sweet because with the Sun, you get really out of gear, and people decide to talk to each other in a very good manner. So, they say, “All right, take ’till’ and say something sweet”.

But it is surprising that this festival, I would say, exists for thousands of years, that means they knew that there are two, Capricorn and Cancer, with two lines on the Mother Earth and on which the Sun diminishes, means they knew that the Earth was round and that the axis is at an angle. Also, they knew the exact days when these things would go. That means, in India, we had a lot of scientific knowledge about the Earth, about the Moon, about all these things. But these scientific, first of all, thought that the most important thing is the search upon and achievement of Self-realisation.

That is why, with all these scientific ideas, they basically had as a second idea, because it just gives you a knowledge which is not the absolute knowledge. The science gives you never the absolute knowledge, because it is ever changing. So, to get to the absolute knowledge, you have to be the Spirit. And once you are the Spirit, then you progress as good as you like. Then you want to do some balance and you have much better pace to understand science, to understand everything. Apart from that, then you want the absolute truth. This is the reason why you are a Sahaja Yogi.

We had people who indulged more into meditation, into deeper introspection. Moreover, this scientific is blessed by God in a way, that you don’t have to worry about the- too much cold and [unclear]. Say, you [unclear] to go out, it’ll take about 15 to 20 minutes to be prepared to go out of the house. Here, you just walk out, always go [unclear].
You can live under a tree. You can live anywhere, very happy.

So, the people didn’t have to fight the nature as they had to fight in other countries. Naturally, they became more attracted towards themselves, to find out, “Why this is happening?” “What I am doing on earth?”
Because they had a lot of time to meditate. And that’s how Indians became more meditative, more towards God, and then they- if you read anyone of their books, it says that, ultimate is to get the Self-realisation. All the rest is fruitless. Because people who must have discovered so many things, they must have been scientist and all that, they must have felt the same way has to be proceed that we have to come back to our Spirit. Because it has not given you the knowledge, it has not given you that love, it has not given you the absolute knowledge. In the same way, these scientific people, though they progressed a lot through the scientific ways, but still, they always kept themselves tied down to their Spirit. And these scientists, they are quite, I should say, they are very solid or we should say, down towards earth [unsure].

Indians are not easy. They will not take to the play of entrepreneurs as they do in other countries. Some people do that, as there are stupid people, mostly [unclear] they’ll take to it. But Indians will not really commit. Traditionally, they’ll [unclear] which suits them first. All right, that’s why they use. But if you tell them, “This is a fashion”. They’ll say, “It’s all right; go to somebody else, we are not going to wear”.
For example, they started a fashion of wearing saris. It came from Mumbai or America, it’s not important. Because, we have traditionally, we have accepted, it’s the best dress for us, for our country, and whatever is the best dress, for any part of the country, it’s traditionally, for so many girls, that [unclear] this is the rest is discouraged. 6:43
So, they do not change according to new fashions only, new things only. They take to a constant temperament as far as material things are concerned. That’s how they have solved the problem. Because, if you go on, every day changing everything, you’ll have this problem of time. But this problem is solved, because then, you do not have to bother about time. Then what to do? Such a lot time is there. Then you meditate.

That’s why you find, you go anywhere in Maharashtra, anywhere, whatever is the traditional dress, that’s what they are already wearing, they will be wearing all their life. But they are very happy. And they will be [unclear] people. They don’t get angry easily in the villages. The reason is, they are no bothered, they are not rationalist. There are no tensions, all these modern problems have not come over them. Because their attention is not taken away by the superficial things, but is glued to the Spirit. This should happen to all the Sahaja Yogis and has happened.
I must say I [unclear] very [unclear] problem of Sahaja Yogis or the rest of it.

I am not surprised they are seekers because they have had it for days together, for so many years. But I am really, really, surprised, very much, how the Western Sahaja Yogis have taken to the sensible way of dharma. And they are not going to be impressed by any entrepreneur like that or anything. I know they can grow through this Sattvo Guna. But just it’s a slow [unclear], that’s what they feel. There is something so deep about them.
8:34
Today, it’s actually not a big puja, because what is the puja today, [unclear] or not. Because the Sun has moved from [unclear] we have baked sesame seeds to say that, “Be kind to others on this fourteenth day, [unclear] just tortured Indians. And there’s three [unclear; picture?], I don’t know”. We started to [unclear] home. But also, if the Sun is too much, then we have lots of problems, and other problems.
That’s [unclear] we have been prepared to the Sun, that we should be kind. And you should, of course, you should be very [unclear] no doubt. But you should not get angry to tickles [unclear] and try to create problems with/which are [unclear]

That’s all. It is a simple puja today of the Surya. [Unclear]. But today we do a puja of Surya which is so very simple. And for that, we’ll not take much time either.

But today, the only thing I thought, is that you are supposed to give some presents. And that’s how I have some presents for all of you. [Laughter]

[End of English version]