Shri Ganesha Puja. Rome (Italy), 19 May 1985.

It’s a great day for Me to come to Italy to celebrate Ganesha Puja. The nature which we see around is the blessing of the Ganesha only, because He is the one who prays to the Mother Earth that She should grant Her blessings upon human beings.

It is He who moulds all the elements of the nature and moulds them to create life. As you call them, these are all carbohydrates. Now, the carbohydrates have got carbon and hydrogen. Carbon is coming from Shri Ganesh and hydrogen is coming from Mahakali. And that is how this universe is created in this beautiful way all around us.

Now, these carbohydrates need oxygen, which is given to us by the Sun, by the right side. Thus, you know that in the night, these trees emit hydrogen and in the daytime they generate oxygen. This is all the trick of Shri Ganesha, who is sitting in between. Now, it is He who becomes the Sun. He ascends from the deep-down seat below the Kundalini, rises on the left-hand side of Mahakali, goes up and settles in the Surya, that is the Agnya. 

So Mahakali, which is the Primordial Energy, is absolutely transcended by Him. As the child of Mahakali, He’s absolutely dedicated and devoted to Her. And that is how He is the master of Mahakali power, Lord of [that power]. That means He is the Lord of the subconscious mind. He is the Lord of all the jadas. Jada, that is, you can say the dead – not the dead, but jada is the one, matter which has not – matter and the dead. You must understand the word jada. It’s very important. Jada means all that is the matter which is not moving, [which is] without life.

So, He can transcend this great power and become the Lord of that power by one very small little wisdom He has. Now, that small little wisdom is surrender. And the surrender is to be understood in its proper sense. Surrender is signifying: no giving up anything. Because whenever you try to give up or take out, you are using your ego. But surrendering means giving up the ego itself. So all the ideas of giving up something or taking in something disappear.

Keep your eyes open because, you see, I am talking about the subconscious and I don’t want you to keep your eyes closed. That’s a sign of going into the subconscious. This has to be recorded into your conscious mind.

Now, when we surrender, we have to see how Ritambhara Pragnya, which is the power of Mahalaskshmi, the essence of Mahalaskshmi, how She helps you. Like situations we should accept. Say, this morning, it was Amavasya [new moon], is the day when if you worship Shri Ganesha, it’s very deep. So, I wanted to have from the end of Amavasya to start the puja. Now, that’s why the water finished; it would not start. I could not take my bath. Because if I had said that we’ll have puja at lunchtime, many would have felt: “Oh God, now no lunch.” But that was the right time to start the puja, so there was no water and I had to wait for the water. And a simple thing like that happened, but it achieved the right time.

Now, when you start accepting situations, then you realize that all the situations are created not by anything else but Ritambhara Pragnya Herself. But ego is such a thing that it wants to do the way it likes. So people start doing things against the plans of the Divine. And all the time they are in friction and in trouble, going against. And thus, they have to take a double speed to fight. But going against the Divine, we are going against our ascent. These egos develop as a result of our upbringing, atmosphere, and as a natural idea to assert . . . [that is], a natural idea we have to assert others. Assertion. Assertion means pressing others, dominating others. 

Now, this domination part comes to us from the matter because matter dominates the Spirit. It dominates us through giving us comfort, false notions, false ideas. It dominates through our desires. It dominates through lust and greed. Also, it dominates us through a very subtle way by possessing us through bhoots, as we call them. And this is what we see, how Shri Ganesha ascended as Christ to show us how we have to ascend out of all this mire of matter. As He is ascending, we catch hold of His feet and we also ascend with Him. Though He’s a child, He is very powerful and He can take us to that level where the Spirit resides.

Now the first thing that we have to know is about sex. In the West, sex has become an obsession with people as if it’s a religion. And if they cannot be sexually active or if they are not having any sex activities, they think they are all wasted, they are good for nothing. The whole atmosphere is built up like that through your medias, through your television. All kinds of things are put into your head to feel that you are inferior if you are not dealing with sex. And when we get attached to this kind of a stupid idea that our life is only meant for sex enjoyment, we start descending downward instead of descending [ascending] upward.

Shri Mataji: What is that?
Guido: Lizard.
Shri Mataji: I don’t like them very much [Shri Mataji laughs]. All right, doesn’t matter. It’s a very different type of a lizard than Indian. Better looking.
Guido: Smaller.
Shri Mataji: Ah, she’s green. You don’t get green. All right, so.

So, to descend down is very easy; to fall is the easiest. And when the idea of sex is all the time on our mind, our attention gets so much filled with it, that even with our eyes, with our thoughts, with our mind, our head, everything, it is nothing but just this filth in our head.

So, for young people, when they get married, the best thing is that they should realize the importance of sex is not so great. And they should start understanding that it is not a sin but it is not also everything.

Then also, women must know that they are on this earth to give a place for the realized souls to be born. And in the name of Ganesha, they should have innocent children. But when these realized souls are born in the West, they do not keep their pure form because the parents are in a funny shape. And though the Ganesha has done all the best that is possible to get the best children in the womb of the realized mothers, they get really absolutely affected. And we start hurting them by our ill behaviour, by our wrong ideas. So when you are pregnant, one should read Ganesha’s stotram [hymn], must do puja of Ganesha, and try to remain pure as far as sex is concerned.

Moreover, we start thinking about something that is so spontaneous. What is there to think about it? Just, an Indian won’t understand this, they won’t understand in the village. What is there to think about sex? It’s so spontaneous. It’s like thinking about going to the bathroom. It’s a joyless pursuit and imaginary ideas. So, one has to be very, very alert: that we are now saints, we are Yogis, and we are not going to waste our energy in this kind of a joyless pursuit.

Now, when we understand our life as so important for the emancipation of humanity – for giving light to others, for saving the whole world from the disaster it is awaiting – when we realize that, how can we waste our energy, our attention into such a spontaneous thing like that? Especially for old people, there is no need to think about it anymore. Forget it. You are very happy that you are all right there, now just devote your time to something great. 

Actually, I miss nothing whatsoever. The spiritual joy is so much greater and it’s so eternal that we should not seek all this. On the contrary, whenever such thoughts come in, we should sublimate. You will see, once you start doing that, your sensitivity, your perception to joy will be thousand-fold. And gradually, you will get over it because it is such a temporary pleasure. That’s why people run after it. If it was something of an eternal nature, one would not again go to it. 

But it is in human nature, it is natural, so it has been sanctified, and one can have it till you are young. But then, gradually, you must make your pure existence so purified that this should not enter into your mind at all.

So when you catch hold of the feet of Shri Ganesha, which are very tiny sweet little things, you should know that you should be yourself little lightweight, otherwise, if you are having all these problems upon yourself, He won’t like it and He might just again throw you down. And that your attention should be purified by attention towards Shri Ganesh. Only people who are [of] this kind really also enjoy sex, otherwise they cannot because they have so many perversions in their heads that I don’t know what they’re up to. And that is why then they rise above it. That is why they get fed up with it after some time. And they mature properly in their own age. Otherwise, you will find even eighty-year-old people, shaking their hands on their sticks, still looking at young girls. It’s something I can’t understand. And they look so stupid, they look so stupid everybody laughs at them, and young people make fun of them. But they feel as if they have become something like a hero in that old age suddenly. 

Like, they showed once a film of all the very, very old – eighty, above eighty – actors and actresses coming to do shake dance in a party. And from the limousine they got down; since then, they were shaking. And when they came and tried to show they were very much in love and all that, [they were] looking so stupid that those who watched them were laughing and were rolling with laughter. It is so ridiculously clownish, but they said: “We are honest.” So even if you do these things openly or with secrecy or whichever way you do it, it’s stupid. And that is how when you are not matured of your age, you are not respected by your children, respected by anybody who is younger. It is [that] you are stupid because you are not mature enough.

Now when the fruits are in the flower form, that time, all the fertilization takes place. Then at the fruit time, they grow as fruits and not as flowers anymore.

Guido: The flowers?
Shri Mataji: Flowers?
Guido: Yes.
Shri Mataji: Flowers become fruits.
Guido: Become?
Shri Mataji: Yes, at the time of flower stage there is fertilization but not at the time of fruit, you see? Fruit has to grow.
Guido:  Fertilisation.
Shri Mataji: Fertilization is where the –
Guido: Ah, fertilization.
[Guido translates.]
Shri Mataji: Yes.

So this is why that maturity is very important to reach. That is only possible if you really catch hold of the feet of Shri Ganesha. So, you remain innocent even in your old age. With all this understanding, Shri Ganesha gives us wisdom by which we mature. Now the people who are indulging into lust have to see that they mature in their understanding. Then the people who are too much possessive – of their things, of their possessions, of their children – must also understand that Shri Ganesha gives us wisdom to understand that this is not yours. 

So what is carbon is nothing but a burnt wood. Burnt wood. That is, everything is burnt away. The wisdom that you get is that everything that you see as your own is not yours. Everything you have to leave here, and go away. You can’t take even this paper with you. So why are we attached to them? Let us use it for its own purpose, for expressing our joy.

Now, I’ll give you a very beautiful example. See now how Ritambhara Pragnya works: You see, this necklace that you see here was made in Italy by some realized soul. Then, this necklace, I don’t know how, it went to India. Now the Australians wanted to give Me a mangal sutra of diamond, like this, the other one I have, and they had collected ten thousand rupees. But, even half of this size we could not buy because there was only one shop opened on a Sunday: situation.

So I looked around and I found a very nice gold mangal sutra made out of coral –because Australia is Ganesha’s land. And I felt tremendous vibrations around, so I went on the back because they said, “It is very cheap.” So, I said, “All right.” And there this was placed and these earrings there, so we bought all this, plus the mangal sutra, plus one more piece – which I have in coral – in the same amount. It’s not yet finished. Then, it was misplaced. In Australia, it went into my box, which was to come to London. So, I couldn’t bring it to London. Now, Thelma came from Australia and she brought it with her. And it is now in Italy by the artist, whose Spirit could be seeing this to gratify him. Not only that, but also that it is the day of Shri Ganesha. From Australia. Yes, from Australia this is sent, as your brother’s, the thing they bought, made in Italy, on the day of Shri Ganesh. Can you have more combinations? Your brothers and sisters from Ganesha’s place, you see, the ganas have sent it to devas here for the celebration—you are the devas and they are the ganas. And these are ten [Shri Mataji shows the necklace]; ten, eleven, and twelve [Shri Mataji shows the earrings]. So, this represents the heart – the dharma, ten – and all put together, it’s the heart. The whole of Europe. And in addition to these two is twelve, is the heart: England. All are represented here.

Now, you should be able to read through the beautiful working of Ritambhara Pragnya, which is very subtle. And then you’ll start enjoying the little, little things it plays to make you very happy and to give you what some artist must have done long time back, which his desire was to fulfil. 

Now, this is also, we should say, is the work of Shri Ganesha. He resides as Omkara in the Ritambhara Pragnya. He resides on the electromagnetic forces as the vibrations in the matter, in every atom. He resides in every ripple of our emotions which gives us joy. And He resides as a beautiful decoration of the Kundalini because She has the red and the gold colour just like my sari. So as the colour of the Kundalini He resides. But at Sahasrara, He becomes the joy. At Mooladhara, as the fragrance. And every memory of the mind should give you fragrance because He is the Lord of memory.

So this is how He manages everything so beautifully. He’s such an innocent person who plays around His beauty to make us happy. Our children should also make us very happy, if we have brought them up properly. But if we have been all the time busy with lust and greed, the children cannot be good children. They cannot represent Ganesh Tattwa as it should be.

So today is a great day that we are establishing Shri Ganesha in Italy. We did this in Switzerland and now in Italy. This should give you the power of innocence, the power of purity, the power of wisdom. It should give you the art of playfulness of joy, and that special quality of turning everything into something fragrant.

May God bless you all.

[Puja starts]
Shri Mataji: Today’s morning puja will be short but afterwards we’ll have lunch, nobody is going to miss Me.
[Shri Mataji laughs.]
All right, so let us have some water to be washed,
First, the children should come and wash my feet. All the children, bambini.
For the boys and the girls, “bambini”?
Guido: Yes, same.

Shri Mataji: Like Shri Ganesh. [Shri Mataji laughs.]
You should put some trump with them to look just like Shri Ganesha. Anna, come along, come, come all of you, you know how to do it. He’s got frightened, you see, let other boys do. Yes, it’s a little cold. You need to warm, warm up you need warm up. He’s very good!
What is the matter with him? Why does he cry so much? Did he have something to eat?
Sahaja Yogini: Yes Mother.
Shri Mataji: Machindranath, what’s the matter? You should not cry so much. Now rub.
See these boys are not – come and you’ll be all right. Come along, come.

Now, rub it down, down. Down below, down below. Down below. Down, that’s it. Now, you see? Good, see? Nice, excellent.
So now, other two boys should come. Now come. Come Machindranath, you come here.
Come on, hum, all right. Fast, down below, down below. Down. You should be like Gregoire, not to cry. Does he cry Gregoire? Gregoire doesn’t cry. Now, rub, rub it. Still more, come along. Rub it. Ah, good, good, good. Good, good, some more. Some more. Rub it some more. Done, it’s all right. They are all right.
Now, come along, you rub it now. Come, rub it hard. Hard! Hard, very hard, now come along.
Hard rub it hard, hard. Let us see. Hard. ….

See how he is doing, he is doing well. Yes, he is doing well. Ah, ah, done well. Now see vibrations, come along. Machindranath, see your vibrations now? See, see your vibrations, put your hands here. Now, see, see your vibrations. Put your both the hands towards Me.
Like that, see.
Sahaja Yogi: Do you speak English?
Shri Mataji: He speaks English well.
All right, cool coming? All right.
53:21

[3:15:48 Lunchtime.]
[Presentation of gifts: they bring a great and white chandelier in a candlestick shape. Applause]

Guido: This is one of the two presents made by the collectivity of all Europe, of all the world.
Shri Mataji: From Italy?
Sahaja Yogi: From Capodimonte.
Guido: It’s a small place near Naples. The only place where they can do this kind of ceramic.
Shri Mataji: This is also another Ritambhara Pragnya.
What is written on this card?
Guido reads: “This article has been entirely made by hand following the ancient tradition of Capodimonte. T.S.A..”
Shri Mataji: Can I see? What does it mean?
[Inaudible]
All right. Beautiful, be careful.
[Applause]
Yesterday was Saturday, I was just forced into it [inaudible]. [Shri Mataji laughs]
Ah.
Now, five minutes I think.
Sahaja Yogi: Yes, five minutes, they were already-
Shri Mataji: Last five minutes we got it, last five minutes.

Guido: Shri Mataji will have the pair in her bedroom.
Shri Mataji: And I’ll remember [inaudible] I’ve been there because it’s very expensive, this, that, we couldn’t get another one and ultimately we decided to buy [inaudible] with Italians, in the sense that of course, it is from international, but it is [inaudible] by Italians and other Italians [laughter].
It’s coming from an ancient tradition of Italy. It’s such a beautiful thing to buy.

And it’s a traditional thing from your country made by hand of the artist that’s the sort of things, otherwise, what’s the use of getting something for Shri Ganesha which is made by machine? Ganesha doesn’t like machines.
It’s a beautiful thing I mean, I tell you, it’s such a choice, such a choice.

Everything is absolutely working out in such a beautiful way in its expression. In the same way, we should see that we express our life in such a simple straightforward manner that everything works out in manifesting our love.
By thinking, we only create complications as I did yesterday- [Shri Mataji laughs] – a little bit. Because also we decided something beforehand and I could not take any present for Ganesha. One should not decide such a thing. Because there were three pujas only and if I take in two, if I don’t take in the third one, I’ll hurt Italians.
So your Mother also changes everything, and you should be prepared to change also. Like I was telling him the example yesterday of only one Guru Puja we had, only one, in Bombay, in India. See how lucky you are, only one Guru Puja there! And for that Guru puja, they bought a shawl for Me, a shawl. So I said, “Now, if you bought the shawl, then you don’t give Me sari. I won’t take any sari because that will be too much to Me.” And I absolutely I was sure I’ll not take and I said, “No, no, no,” Argentinian’s “no” it’s ten times, “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no- no.” But, you see, these Deities are completely one with you people more than with Me. [Laughter]
Because all the Sahaja Yogis were feeling very sorry that they had bought the sari. It was only one Guru puja in India and I should have allowed. I said, “You must detach yourself fully on a Guru puja. Don’t worry on this.” But they would not, they were feeling all bad.
Then, before puja, I went to wash my feet under a tap in India. You know how the taps are sometimes – at that height it was. And as soon as I opened the tap the whole thing, the water came on Me, I was completely drenched.
So I came out completely drenched. I said, “All right, give me the sari.” [Laughter; applause]

So, because I don’t want that you should be taxed for puja, because some money has to be given because that’s a part, but should be a little part. So a little part has to be given that is important because you must learn to give in the sense that when you give a little bit you get a lot, you see. It’s another bribery corruption.
So, I was telling Gregoire that “You should not tax people too much, make it a small contribution.” And deities in him miscalculated and he asked for fifteen pounds!
Sahaja Yogi: He thought he was asking for Swiss banks.
Another Sahaja Yogi: Yes.
[Shri Mataji laughs]
And you’ll be surprised, these fifteen pounds I’ve got in all kinds of money. I don’t know what to do with it, but it is there. Out of this money I always buy something of silver for your pujas because you can say that this belongs to Me. But you see, there is nothing wrong if I take away everything that you have, I know that. But, I want to put a maryada to everything, for you must also have maryadas, I am “a-maryada”, means “I have no boundaries”, but you must move with maryadas. I need not have any maryada whatsoever, and I don’t have. What can I do? But I deliberately put these maryadas because you should have maryadas.

Because when you take an incarnation, you come in “a-maryadas” you come in an embodiment. And that’s how one has to teach maryadas, boundaries, to human beings because they can always say: “What’s wrong? If they are giving me, why not I’ll take them?” Anybody giving them anything, they’ll say: “Why not? I can exploit.” Human beings are like that. So, always an incarnation by his own maryada life, creates a maryada for them.
Now, as you know, I like generosity very much. I like to be so-called generous because it’s all your own. If I give you anything, the joy is Mine. Now by giving only you understand how joyous you are. Otherwise, there is no way out. So when I go to any other country but England because in London I have no time for shopping, I go to shops. I leave my vibrations and everything there. Also, I try to buy something which I can give away easily, in a good way, and something of course for my family which I have to run and other friends.
[Shri Mataji laughs]
But then the things accumulate too much and even if you spend the whole night distributing, it doesn’t finish. [Shri Mataji laughs]
This time in India, the whole night we were distributing presents. Nobody was tired, the givers neither the takers. And when we gave, you see, all the Western Sahaja Yogis said: “Ha,” as if they are getting it, you see, and then they would give to the Indian Sahaja Yogis everything. I tell you I have seen it. I sometimes overspend things, money and all that, in sort of trying to express Myself even when it comes to tours, but I am never running short of money, you see, there is somebody sitting, Kubera, who is filling up my purse all the time. I never run short. [Shri Mataji laughs]

He is a very interesting guy for Adi Shakti as well as for you people. You just watch and see the whole thing. Don’t get worried. Don’t get upset. You’ll see that the whole thing is so beautifully managed like a drama.
Shri Mataji [to a Yogi]: Are you all right now? I was told you were rather worried. I have to talk to you about it. No, you are not worried. Good.
I don’t know if you can do the things now because I have to do the lunch, this that, you see, then we’ll do the havan. Let them have the lunch.
My lunch is over. I won’t eat.
I am so full of joy. You’d better have lunch and then we’ll have the- or you would like to finish the havan?
Better finish? One hour it will take.
Are they hungry?
Sahaja Yogis answer: Havan.
Shri Mataji: That’s a good idea then.
[Shri Mataji speaks in Hindi] When have you arranged?
Guido: It’s not yet arranged, Shri Mataji.
Shri Mataji: So, let them have lunch till then.
Guido: Okay.
Jeremy, okay, okay. It’s okay.
Jeremy: Let me have the-
Guido: We have lunch first.
Shri Mataji: I mean it has to be adjusted to us, you see. Nothing should do “bandhin” [Sanskrit word; “binding”]. Maryada is different but “bandhin” is different. Maryada is different.
Sahaja Yogi: Yes, maryada is different.
Shri Mataji: “Bandhin” is different.
Guido: Binding?
Shri Mataji: “Bandhin”. See now I am in maryada, My body is in maryada, but if I tie it up then it’s “bandhin”.
Guido: Ah. “Bandhare”.
Shri Mataji: Make it into a “bandhin”, and tell them.
Shri Mataji: Bandhare, you say, bandhare? Bandhar? Ah.
There is a song in Marathi very nice about Rama when He was building the bridge for crossing over – “Bandhare bandhare” – yes, in Marathi “bandhare”.
Sahaja Yogi: What does it mean?
Shri Mataji: It means “build up, build up”. And “bandhara” in India, Indian language means “band” is a…what you call that?
Sahaja Yogi: “Band”?
Shri Mataji: “Band” for the water to be – no, no, to stop the canal, “bandhare”, “bandhare”.
Guido: Digue.
Shri Mataji: That’s it, bandhare. Italians must have had some Maharashtrians here, I am sure.
[Shri Mataji laughs] Otherwise, how can you explain!
So.

Sahaja Yogi: Shri Mataji, can we offer the other presents?
Shri Mataji: Just now. Through lunch?
Sahaja Yogi: Yes.
Shri Mataji: Side by side, all right, side by side. All right. Now.
Sahaja Yogi: First is this one.
We couldn’t open for Your puja, Shri Mataji. It is [a sunshade] from Alessandra.
Shri Mataji: Oh!
[Applause].
Sahaja Yogi: We shall hold it for the havan.
Shri Mataji: For my pujas.
Guido: Yes Shri Mataji.
Shri Mataji: Where, India?
Sahaja Yogi: From China.
Shri Mataji: So where do you teel where should I take it, to India?
Guido: Where? Wherever you like Shri Mataji.
[Laughter]
Sahaja Yogi: In London, You don’t need it maybe because there is no sun.
Shri Mataji: You have to even play foorball with an umbrella only. [Shri Mataji laughs]
Yes, in London is a good idea to begin with. But , in London you cannot manage with this much. In India it can be outside. If it is outside in India it’s all right from the sun to be saved. Thank you very much. What other things that you have? Made of paper only?
Sahaja Yogi: Yes, I think attachement.
Sahaja Yogi: Some of the presents are individual presents and the names will be put later on when we’ll pack it.
Shri Mataji: Now, it’s so expensive! Maryadas should be there. [Shri Mataji laughs]
Sahaja Yogi [from the back]: The vase is from Yugoslavia from the Sahaja Yogi of Yugoslavia.
Guido: Oh, yes, it is from Marianna.
Shri Mataji: Yugoslavia. And this one is –
Sahaja Yogi: From Venise Mother.
Shri Mataji: From where? Venise. Oh, beauty!
Something falling off in my sari. [Shri Mataji stands up.]
Now, what is it?
Guido: This is a Don Quichotte.
Shri Mataji: Hum?
Guido: Don Quichotte.
Shri Mataji: That means what?
Guido: The one who used to fight thet-
Sahaja Yogi: The dragon.
Guido: No, the “molino”
Sahaja Yogi: A, the windmill.
Shri Mataji: The wind.
Sahaja Yogi: It’s from one Sahaja Yogi from Spain Shri Mataji.
Guido: Ruperto. You remember Ruperto Shri Mataji?
Shri Mataji: Yes but this is in what language?
Sahaja Yogi: Spanish.
Shri Mataji: Spanish? All right, thank you very much.