Today Gurudeva answers questions about mantras and initiations, including Aum Namasivaya, about giving money to homeless people and about violence in America, especially as seen in yesterday's school shootings. He talks about the impact of violent video games and media in creating violent children.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. It is April 21st.

We have 3 questions and thank you for sending these questions to our Cyberspace Ashram. We really appreciate your participation.

"When is it appropriate to chant the sacred mantram Aum Namasivaya? They say that the initiation gives strength and authority to the mantra and make sit really, really work. What is the difference being uninitiated and initiated?"

At any time, it is appropriate. You do not have to be initiated. But, if you are initiated, it has more power. Well, you will see the same thing within the room if you were looking through a window. But, it is very different if you are on the inside of the room and not on the window looking in. Initiation brings you on the inside.

"Living in New York city, you cannot help but see many, many homeless people. Should we give them money?"

Well, in Madras, now called Chennai, there is a saying that if you give money to someone who is able-bodied and who could get a job, that is not a right thing to do. You are encouraging delinquency and there is no merit in that. On the other hand, if you give money to someone you know absolutely cannot work because of health or physical disability, there is a lot of merit in that and that is what you should do.

We are looking forward to seeing you here in Kauai, in September-November. Thank you for the very nice question.

Another one . "Yesterday you spoke about children spending too much time on computers and not enough time in the garden and outdoors and that the violent games are training our children to be killers."

Well, look at CNN. 25 children and teachers were killed by a couple of boys who obviously learnt how to do it on video games. It was a well-planned-out mass murder. And, there have been many others in the last two or three years in schools. Violent movies and violent videos and video games are training the children to be killers. It is as simple as that. If you are a parent and you don't want to be killed yourself, it is best to protect your children. Some parents have been killed too, by their kids.

Then there is the karmic chain. What is the karmic chain? Those people who have created a video or those people who have created a CD or the film and have caused by doing so, someone to kill someone else or to harm or maim them in any way are karmically responsible. The law might not say it is murder but karma will say, "It is murder". That would go to the head of the writer, director, and the actor and actresses. So, it is really messy business to fool around with the law of karma. The karmic chain works relentlessly.

Well, I hope this answers all of the questions. Now we are going to go to the beautiful Tamil language, the French language and Malay.

Oh, by the way, tomorrow and the next day, we won't be with you. So, don't turn on your computer for two days. See if you can live without it because cyberspace is also within your mind. Enjoy the trees, the birds, the park, enjoy people. Try walking down the street.