Today is Skanda Shashthi and Gurudeva discusses how this is being celebrated all over the world. The Hawaiian God Ku is related to Lord Muruga. This is a wonderful day to perform penance, Gurudeva discusses kavadi. Gurudeva answers several questions concerning drug use. He discusses street people and dysfunctional members of society. Gurudeva tells how many people tell themselves 'I can handle it' but they cannot. Gurudeva explains why high powered people use drugs, the karma of those who sell drugs, DNA mutations from the use of drugs, and responds to a question concerning a karmic consequence of drug usage specifically, deformed children.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. It is October 26 and it is a very special day, 'Skanda Shasti', an international Hindu festival, especially for the Tamil people. These are the people from Tamil Nadu, South India. Millions and millions and millions are celebrating in temples all over the world. We are too, here at Kauai Aadheenam.

In Sri Lanka, a beautiful, big { } temple in Jaffna, is as active as ever, as it was, celebrating 'Skanda Shasti'. All sorts of penance being done, tears being shed, thanks being given for the great God, Muruga, who is none other than the Hawaiian God Ku. He has been the guardian of peoples on this Earth, for hundred thousand years and more. Wonderful, powerful God from the Pleiades. He comes from the Pleiades.

Our Puja today is a beautiful homa, fire-puja, sponsored by Sadhu and Dhanya Nadesan. They set up an endowment for the Lord Muruga shrine, as well as for a beautiful fire-puja once a year, on this very special day. It is a wonderful day for performing penance for misdeeds in the past and this is done in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Canada. All over the world, people put spears through their cheeks and tongue and various other parts of their body, carry bottles of milk to bathe the deity in the Hindu way.

Well, you know, this talk on 'Drugs' has caught the imagination. We have been having several questions come in. Shall I give the answer to the questions, now?

"What about street people? What makes a person go on the streets?"

Many come from wealthy families. Were their families on the streets? No. It is often that drugs have burnt out their brains. They cannot hold their job, they cannot concentrate, they cannot function in modern day society. So, they form their own society on the street. After a lot of LSD, their brains do not work properly. I have seen this to be true. They are totally dysfunctional members of society.

Answer to your question about street people. Maybe not all, but some are there because basically, part of the brain has been destroyed. If those of you who can see auras were to look at the aura, you would see something that did not look very pretty, was not very 'New Age', was not very spiritual.

Anybody who takes drugs thinks, "This won't happen to me. I can handle it." Every junkie on the street, has said that at one time or another. People on steroids think, "I can handle it." But, they cannot. Alcoholics once said, "I can handle it". But, they could not. Why do we have an AA, 'Alcoholics Anonymous'? Why do we have groups talking about how to handle drugs? Why do we have drug rehabilitation centers, which are very expensive for states and counties to run? Why do we have private organizations? It is because you cannot handle it. So, don't get started. Just say, "No."

We want our beautiful Garden Island of Kauai to be drug-free.We want people coming to this beautiful island to come to be one with nature, to be in higher consciousness.

Here is another question. "Why are so many people in high positions, executives and all, spending their money on drugs?"

Well, those who have high-powered jobs, are working under stress. Many go on drugs, LSD, cocaine high-powered things like that. Eventually you will lose everything. It is like going out with your secretary. You lose your wife, you lose your life, you lose your children. Drugs are different. Why are they different? Because, you lose your brain. You lose your intelligence. Everything you worked for, all your life, goes down the drain. You want that? Then, just say, "No."

Here is another question on karma. "Could you explain a little more about the karma as action and reaction, involved with someone who is selling drugs to somebody else?"

Well, if you sell drugs to someone else, you start a chain reaction of karma that you cannot stop, which I explained yesterday. Introducing someone to the use of drugs is the same as selling drugs to that person. The karma is yours to face, life after life. Introducing someone to drugs, building it up in their minds as something that they should do. Whatever they do after that, throughout life, you reap that karma. That karma will come back to you. You are starting a chain of action and reaction in other people's lives. One day something bad is going to happen and that bad will come back to you, because you started this chain. Is this the 'New Age' that we want? Is this the 'New Age' that we are talking about? Is this what we want in the next century? No way.

Question on DNA and mutation.

Well, I don't know a lot about DNA and mutation. There is some evidence, I have heard, that a permanent change in the DNA comes from the use of LSD. A lot of letters - DNA, LSD. They don't get along. One affects the other. I don't know about all the kinds of other things that people are using now. But, this is very serious. People who are using LSD and other high-powered ones, you should take note at what you are doing to yourself. Look around you. How about the other folks? Do they look bright and shiny?

Oh, Oh ... here is another question. "Speak a little bit about deformed children. What if you gave birth to a crack-baby, a deformed child or an AIDS baby? What is that, in the karma for you?"

Capturing a soul in a bad body, capturing a soul in a deformed body, that is what you did. Like imprisonment. Therefore, you shall, in the future be imprisoned. Do you want that? You can avoid all this by just saying, "No."

The program 'Drug Free Kauai' teaches the children in our schools to just say, "No." Be a leader. Be different. Say "No." Others will follow.