Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in Peethapuram Ashrama – April 22, 2005
Sri Ganeshaya Namaha
Sri Sarasvatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Kshetra is a powerful spiritual place with healing powers. We are not utilizing the powers of this place properly. Many live in this town. Many are here for Bhukti purpose (place for earning food). But we must also treat this place as Mukti place (to gain liberation). Most of one’s activities are oriented towards eating, destroying and decaying the body with aid of the six internal enemies who are ever triumphant on your meek and submissive nature. With all this you will miss the Guru Kripa (grace of Guru). You think you are leading a modern and liberalized life. But I term it as falling down. We are losing time, every minute of it. I term such live as a great betrayal of every breath that the ever merciful God has bestowed on us. Man has specialized in the art of passing time easily, lazing around. Time is both a pearl (Mutyam) as well as death (Mrutyu). We have lost the wisdom of understanding the difference between them. We came from that immortal time, we live in this immortal time and we finally are swept off in to the womb of immortal time. We have got this rarest of rare form of life – the human life. But we have become experts in fooling around with this great gift. This foolish attitude is fortified with ever more foolish and deadly army of the six internal enemies which create a make belief system of family, life, house, children, court matters, career, friends, relatives, fighting with relatives showing your ego, anger and greed.
Our attitude to God, religion and spirituality is – What will you give me if I pray you. If I go to the temple and offer a coconut, what boons will I get? How can you approach spiritual life with such business like attitude? How can it be beneficial for you? That is why some people’s spiritual practices are met with bad experiences. The same questions are asked towards Guru also. What will I get if I follow this Guru? What will he give me? You are more concerned about who else is following the Guru than the experiences you gain from following him or her. Most approach me to get their unfulfilled materialistic desires fulfilled. Many take stock of the years they have followed. Having followed so many years, what has happened to me? Have I purchased a bigger home? Did I get the additional car? Did my financial stability increase? All this questions and taking stock of the situation goes on in the heart. It happens almost unknowingly. Even when you think so, you feel that such thinking is normal. “Everyone does it” – you think. But outwardly you maintain a poise and guise of a perfect disciple who has no desires and who has the perfect desire less devotion. But internally you are eternal question churning machine. If you ask me, I would confidently say that DEVOTION itself is the greatest gift from Swamiji. Just look around. Show me one person who is wealthy and very happy. Very few or none.
There are so many wealthy persons in this town. So many officers, so many land lords. Have they come here with devotion? No. They are busy in their own money making decisions or solving problems, which somehow, by the quirky nature of fate or Karma, have eternal attraction to such persons. They also are full of ego. They don’t come because of their blurred vision of the path to Sadguru.
God gives and God takes. What to give to whom, when, why and how are His decisions. He also causes the love and devotion to Sadguru. He does it when he finds you to be ready for that association.
I remember a story. There used to be a poor Brahmin who would go around his small town chanting NAMAH SHIVAYA and beg for food. Goddess Parvati once saw him and out of the love only a mother can have, begged Lord Shiva to have compassion on the poor fellow and bestow him with wealth to care his large family. Lord Shiva laughed at Parvati Devi’s whimsical wish and commented that the poor fellow’s time has not yet come and he has to wait till his time has to come, whatever is his present plight. Even if he is Blessed, he would lose it all soon or would be stupid to understand it.
But Parvati was adamant. Shiva agreed to demonstrate and then Blesses a miracle. He causes a huge lump of gold rock to fall on his path. This beggar who is walking in the same path which he has trodden all his life in search of his daily food. He was walking as usual but also cursing God for not making his life a better one. That stupid fellow got a strange idea that day. He thought “ I have been walking on this same path for years. I am an expert on every inch of the turns and humps. Let me test myself if I can walk – closing my eyes!!!!!”. Thinking so, he walks this very day when the gold is there to discover, with closed eyes, stumbles on that gold rock, curses the road for having too many rocks and stones and continues walking – with closed eyes!!!! He touched the gold with his feet but did not open his eyes. That is his fate.
Many cannot recognize that they are minutes away from the answers for their problem. Some are eternal whiners. They whine their entire life. How can anyone help them if they are not pro positive life? Aren’t they stupid? I have seen many unhealthy people telling themselves that they will recover from their ill health. Constantly uttering inauspicious words of disappointment, depression. They lead a life of some discontent. “I wish if this one thing was not there!!!!” They say. How can it be? You have everything else other than that one thing. Why don’t they recognize that they have everything else in life?? A good family, supportive friends, three foods a day, a home and a job. No!!! They want even more. Be happy that you are not in some God forsaken place of draught and famine!! Watching news everyday will make you doubly satisfied in life, because most of the news are images of people suffering terribly.
I always suggest people to have positive attitude in life. In any case, you can never fight the God of Fate. At least you can sport a positive attitude. What is wrong with it? We have to adopt a fighting spirit towards the bad fate that dogs us sometimes. We should never feel defeated. Don’t have excessive suspicious attitude towards god, Guru, family and society. Having compassionate people around you helps you in times of need. Your anger destroys you only. Not only that, people get away from you. Not only that, you will incur their curse or wreath. Don’t be angry anywhere. Don’t hurt anyone. I want my Datta devotees to be calm and quiet people. You can never hurt or injure or belittle anyone. You can never claim such rights on anyone. Everyone is a creation of God. It is because of your Karma that the person and the situation appear so. What can they do for it? Or what can you do for it? Be happy and positive.
May Guru Tattva help you to lead a patient and peaceful life. Starting good practices is like eating. Eating hurriedly will make the food get stuck in the throat and you will start coughing. Eating properly and slowly is good for health and you will also feel full.
In the same manner, I don’t urge you to start all of the above at once. Do it slowly and properly. I know that it is impossible to attain the above stage in one go. No. A patient and persistent beginning is important. Then, I am with you and Help you.
Sri Guru Datta