Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji on Maha Shivaratri – February 20, 2012 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
A friendly reminder to all!
Tonight, please do not miss! Wednesday night is the radio program on WGSO 990 AM with livestream at www.wgso.com SGS Meditation Music and Yoga Chats hosted by Alison Scott broadcast from New Orleans, LA, USA – the one and only regularly scheduled radio program about Sri Swamiji.
8:00-9:00 pm USA central time
Thursday morning 7:30 in India
Jaya Guru Datta
I am very happy about Bhaktimala. This monthly magazine is the first baby of the ashrama. It is my partner. Those days most people had no telephone. There was no Internet for communication. The membership was only thirty rupees. Two or three times Bhaktimala faced calamities and an impending closure. But somehow it overcame the difficulties and has survived. The first editor for Bhaktimala was Krishnamurthy. The second editor was T.R. Krishnappa. When Swamiji was in the USA during his first foreign tour in 1976, he gave instructions that by the time of his return the first issue of the magazine should be ready for distribution. It was inaugurated during the welcome function upon my return. We had our own small press. We used to struggle to find articles to publish. We would take stories from the Bhagavatam, and the Mahabharata also, along with Swamiji’s sayings. Slowly with help from devotees it changed and improved. Now 25,000 to 35,000 copies are sent out each month in six different languages. Meera Datta from the Post Office has facilitated the mailing procedure for us.
Now a website has been prepared that contains every single issue of Bhaktimala that was ever printed, digitalized, in the exact same format, with illustrations, photographs, and even a page turning feature. There is also a keyword index. This website is enhanced with latest videos also. Now we have many sources from which videos and emails are sent out daily, Datta Peetham, Puttu Gam, Puttugam Sri, Vimeo, YouTube, Gmail, and so on. Now Datta Peetham gives minute to minute updates on facebook and through other media. While Datta Peetham gives news of events, Puttu Gam gives spiritual and worldly advice through sayings and good videos.
This website will be inaugurated during Swamiji’s 70th Birthday celebrations.
This is just a preview. This website will be accessible to all Life Members of Bhaktimala, Patrons, and Chief Patrons. They will be issued the Username and Password. First three times if you forget, it will be re-issued. After that you will have to pay fresh membership again. So be careful. This will be a great source of reference. This is a treasure house of information. If you read this, there is no need to read any other scriptures. Everything you need is here. It is like a reference library.
Many devotees who receive Bhaktimala read only the back page. You know the reason. I do not have to tell you. I wondered why they were so interested in only my backside and not the rest. The back page contains my tour schedule. That is why.
The Malayalam Bhaktimala went through some troubled times. It has now recovered. The Tamil Bhaktimala is doing well. The Hindi Bhaktimala needs improvement and enhancement. Also add a few pages of Marathi articles. Slowly more languages and information will be added to the website.
Tonight top 10 Participant Certificates will be distributed. Many of you have not given your full names. Just first name and country name are not sufficient. How to identify who the person is? For other worldly purposes you may use fake names but it is wrong to do that for Appaji. Tonight you will feel bad when you do not receive the certificate because you failed to give proper information such as your full name with initials, and proper address. I did this for you. We have spent a lot of money preparing these certificates.
Those who come to Ayodhya must be careful. Please do not bring small children or old people. Do not bring valuables. The program is only for one day. Do not overstay. There will be no accommodation or food if you come too early or if you stay longer.
I am not visiting any temples in Ayodhya. Where I first place my foot is where Rama was born. Where I place my foot is the sacred temple there. Where I perform the yajna is where the Rajasuya Yaga took place. Where I eat is where Sage Bharadwaja gave the feast. Where the Pattabhishekam or Coronation is performed is Rama’s Royal Court. If anyone asks, tell them that wherever your Swamiji is there, there is Rama.
You have no belief. You are not even sure if you are breathing. You ask your neighbor for confirmation. Shivam is to trust yourself. If you have no faith in yourself, then you are Shavam, a corpse. Lots of people do not place trust in their own work. If I ask, “Did you eat well?” you reply, ‘I don’t know.” If you sit with your eyes closed and in yoga you want to travel, by imagining that you are in a train or a plane, it is up to you. But when you open your eyes, you may find that all your possessions have vanished. If you sit with your eyes closed in Tirupati, not only your possessions and your clothes, but even your hair will be gone. They will shave your head which is an investment of five rupees for them, and they will sell your hair for ten rupees, thus making a profit of five rupees. You have to be very careful.
Shatashloki Ramayana has been engraved along with Hanuman Chaleesa on tiny stone pendants. These may be ordered from the bookstall if you desire to have them. The top 13 winners will receive a special prasadam. A cloth with names of devotees written on it will be offered to the Gandhamadana Mountain in the Himalayas after consecration of the Hanuman Temple in December. You may sponsor the names of yourself, and all your friends and relatives to be added to it. Please contact Meera Datta. You have to register and sign the names.
We still need the Hanuman Mantra ‘Om Namo Hanumate Namaha’ to be chanted and written crores and crores of times. The planets are not favorable. The severity of their negative effect should be reduced by our austerities. The planets will do what they have to, but Swamiji is making every possible effort to reduce the intensity of their bad influence. Hanuman is very powerful. He picked up Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita on his shoulders and protected.
You people see Swamiji looking thoughtful and serious and jump to conclusions. He is moody. He is upset. He is hurt by what someone said, and so on. Not at all. What people say about this body does not bother one bit. Swamiji knows what is ahead. That troubles him. He does not know completely. Only ten per cent he knows. That is enough to cause him anxiety because he wants to protect his devotees. He is always thinking of ways to protect. That is why he appears thoughtful. Sometimes Swamiji prays that he should forget what he knows so that he does not worry. You do not know. So you are blissfully ignorant. Since I know, I am concerned. Once we know of an impending danger, we begin to pray.
Parvati once went to bhooloka, the Earth. Anyone who visits the earth gets contaminated with Karma. That is what happened to Parvati also and she had to pay the price. She is Mother Goddess. Jaganmata. She knows everything. She knows that Shiva is God. Shiva has drunk Halahala, the poison. He wears snakes. He is unharmed and ever pure. She knows. But once, Narada sowed a seed of suspicion in her mind. Shiva goes to different lokas, different planets. Perhaps he has someone he likes on each planet. Perhaps he is doing something. Parvati wanted to go and see. Shiva is in an invisible mansion. Parvati was told not to enter. But she did. She disobeyed Shiva even when she was told not to go to her father Daksha’s house for the Yajna. She suffered for it, as you know. In the end it is all for Loka Kalyana, for the benefit of the worlds.
Shiva was holding a small casket, a bharina. He opened it. There was a very very minute subatomic particle in it, ten thousandth part of a mustard seed or even smaller. It assumed a huge form. Parvati, known as Gowri got frightened and closed her eyes. When she closed her eyes she became dark, black. When she turned black, entire vegetation on earth turned black. There was severe famine. Everyone was starving and perishing. To regain her complexion and beauty she had to do penance on earth. She suffered great troubles. Then she went to Varanasi and became Visalakshi and Annapurna. She Herself prepared food and served all living beings to keep them alive. She realized her mistake and repented. She knew that her Lord was Pashupati, the one who controls all the dull minds. He controls the entire Creation. Such a one she suspected. Finally Shiva Himself went to her and sought bhiksha, alms. She served Him with her own hands in Varanasi. Thus ended the curse. She became blessed and pure. She regained her golden glow and became Swarna Gowri.
Thoughts are so powerful. Some people intend to give gold as charity. But instead of giving gold, they simply write ‘gold’ on a piece of paper and give it. Same way they do for giving a cow or a home, just a few rupees to represent the huge gift.
Keep chanting the Mantra, either Om Namassivaya or Om Namo Hanumate Namaha. Both are same. Shiva is Hanumantha. Whether you are eating, talking, sleeping, walking, working, even dreaming, keep chanting the mantra. Make a habit of it. If you practice continuously, you will be able to do it effortlessly. Even in your sleep and dream you will continue to chant. Now I have to prepare for the evening rituals and attend to other matters. Perhaps take a little rest before the big night. I will see you all shortly.
Sri Guru Datta