Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in the morning – October 24, 2014 – Chennai
Harihi Om Tatsat
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Yesterday we performed the Puja to Light and Lakshmi Puja. Happy Bali Padyami today we are celebrating. I felt very happy to listen to the Arangetram (debut) of Arjun. No one lives in this world without music. Our breath is Shruti/tone. The heart beats are the Mridangam/rhythm. Jnana is blood vessels in our body. Our body is composed of the five elements. If the breath or life force is good, then the heartbeat is healthy. It is difficult to listen to their sounds. God has made our entire bodies sound proof. At the time of Pralaya, how the sounds would be, such are the sounds of terrible storms occurring inside our bodies. What a great engineer Brahma is, that he has created such a perfectly soundproof mechanism. It is difficult for us to listen to the sounds of the firecrackers. When we try to sleep even the sound of the fan disturbs us as a very loud disturbance. We cannot sleep. Some people switch off the fan and sleep because they cannot bear that sound. Some can sleep regardless of any amount of noise, not just the sound of a fan. Sleep is a great gift. Some are very lucky that they get good sleep. Not everyone is so lucky to get good sleep. But it is not good to sleep excessively. Then it is not a good gift. Everything should be done in moderation, sleeping, and eating. Everything should be within limits. Only when moderation is practiced good health is maintained.
This child had fever of 102 degrees today. Still, he came (and performed). I am very happy. He is not well. Mother also sang very well. The one from Malaysia, the devotee from Malaysia also played very well. I never say his name. The teamwork was good. Many Malaysians have come.
There is nothing in the world without music. No one lives without ever listening to music. The sound of Omkara is the basis for everything. There is a tranquil sound in the skies. The sound of the ocean is soothing. Rain sound is also good, but if the rain comes into the house, it is difficult. We enjoy the sound of the rain if there is no discomfort caused by the rain. If the house is properly built, then people fall asleep to the sound of rain. Birds love the sound of rain. They go to sleep. Rain and birds are friends. Many like rain and many do not like rain.
Sound – Swamiji has composed a song on Siva all about sound. Sound can be of different types, soothing, or frightening. Similarly, there are different types of music, and different musical instruments. There are many types of songs. Even simple songs are music. We must choose the right kind of music. We choose bad music instead.
Some comment that in the Nada Mantapa film songs are being sung. What is wrong? Why can’t film songs be sung? They can also be sung. Because we had light songs, so many people came. If we had only classical music programs, only the devotees will attend. Like a commercial, I tried it out. I have to change the name of Nada Mantapam to Bhajana Mantapam, otherwise. But even in bhajans there are several types and traditions.
But believe it or not, Nadam in Nada Mantapam includes all types of sound and music. If you do not like, you have the freedom not to listen to certain types of music. There are pictures of all types of musicians there in the Nada Mantapam, including those who have sung film songs. If I should eliminate certain types of music, then those paintings must be removed. We must accept all types of music but choose for ourselves the right kinds of music.
There are so many Telugu people in Mysore. They never come to the ashram. When we had the program of light songs, they came. It is not my job to encourage film songs. It is true that I love and prefer classical, traditional music.
I tried several methods. I tried offering food, building a temple, doing bonsai conferences, and still the Telugu people of Mysore were not coming. I had Avadhanam programs. They did not respond. They said they do not understand those. I tried several tricks to attract the new people. My intention is not to misuse the Nada Mantapam. It was done with a very good intention to promote and propagate Tatva/philosophical Truth. In this modern age it has to be done through television and the Internet. Otherwise, how is it possible to reach larger audiences? My method is to catch people where they gather, where their interests lie. I want to somehow bring people around to a spiritual life.
Then they themselves approached whether they can have a program of devotional songs from films in the Nada Mantapam. I said why not? In the Mahabharata story, Subhadra was singing light songs. Radha, Krishna and Gopika songs are there in the Bhagavatam. Why do you accept those? Rama cried about Sita when she disappeared. Those songs of love are accepted. I am against cinemas, it is true. But we must take the essence of whatever is good even there.
Someone wrote me an email; that is why I am addressing that issue. Otherwise, I would not bother. They questioned my use of the Nada Mantapam for a program of cinema songs. Okay, did that person who wrote the mail arrange any better program in the Nada Mantapam? Did he help me in anyway? People have the freedom not to attend, if they do not like such songs.
You have to go into everything and explore all avenues to attract people to spirituality. Otherwise people are not coming. Therefore, we tried this method. That day, believe it not, the auditorium was filled to capacity with Telugu people, non-devotees. I had tried giving clothes, food, even built a temple to attract them. They did not come. When I put a program of film songs, they came in hordes. The shame is upon you. Not on me. You are like that. I calculated. I was not merely watching the fun. The children sang exceptionally well. A couple of undesirable songs crept in. I acknowledge that it should not have occurred. But in our scriptures, all nine emotions are depicted. We study several romantic episodes such a Rukmini Kalyanam. When there is so much of devotional element there, your perverted mind only seeks out only the undesirable element.
We tried to attract from the devotional aspect. Today is Ekadasi. It is a day of fasting. If you do not eat any food and not even drink water, then God will give darshan. No response. Krishna will come here. Parched rice will be given both times with yogurt. Please come, we invited. We tested that also. People are too fickle-minded. They did not come.
In Ayurveda, there is an ancient procedure. Whatever one is allergic to, that same substance is given as a cure. In homeopathy also the same principle is used. It works. The same chemical is used to kill the bad effects caused by that chemical.
Sri K.V. Narayanaswamy came. I like him very much. He is singing for Vishnu in Vaikuntha now. He tuned Dattatreya Trimurtiroopa and popularized the song. He came with his entire family and said he had lost his voice. We had an interview. I inquired about the problem. I asked him what he has been eating. He mentioned brinjal and several other vegetables. He gave a list of all the things he is allergic to. He was asked to stay in the ashram for 3 days in Rajaram’s cottage. Only the items he was allergic to were fed to him in sambar and other dishes. I did not give him any amrita. Only a combination of vegetables was given to him. I will not give you the recipe. I will give the prepared dish. On the fourth day, he sang for me, whether you believe it or not. Same thing happened with Semmangudi. He was allergic to airconditioning. Subbulakshmi also came. That day he said, he was not able to sing. He said he sang in an air conditioned auditorium earlier and it had upset his vocal chords. I told them to bring him a glass of ice water. They were aghast. I said, just do what I say. I still have that picture vividly before my eyes. At 3 PM he drank the ice-cold water. At 5 PM he sang beautifully. I did not use any mantras. I only mix some secret ingredients, just like in the Teertham.
Now people comment, Swamiji has become a High Tech Swamiji, this was five years ago. I was very happy, like a child, I was excited that I am making a video and circulating it on the Internet. My mind is always absolutely pure. There is absolutely no bad thought in it. Even today, I heard some birds crying. I said, oh, they have perhaps lost their babies due to the rain storm. Or, may be the partner was lost. I looked for the birds. Then we heard a puppy dog crying. One should never hurt dogs. Then I just said why can’t someone give it a piece of bread? At once, a little girl called the puppy dog and offered it some bread. I never said anything to the child. This happened today.
People say whenever Swamiji comes, there is rain here. There is water inside the building also. What can we do? We have built an ashram near the seashore.
This High Tech Swamiji is today reaching 40 thousand people including many college students, with his MMS messages. People receive the messages free. If they just give their name and email address, they receive these messages with a colorful video, lovely music, and a wonderful message. They read the two lines of message from Swamiji. Musical Message Sayings. You also please join. Give your names. You may ask why video and why music to send a message. By giving a chocolate, a child will be pacified for a short time until meal time. Is the mother cheating the child? No. When the video and the music come, people get attracted and like to open the message and they read the two line message also. Slowly they get drawn towards Swamiji.
This is one method. Two people go up and announce that there is no God. Then, another person says there is God. For the question an answer is given. People who believe with the initial statement get excited and will pause to listen to the answer. So many ways of doing strange propaganda. Eventually they become devotees of God.
I have no problem with whatever title I am called. I tech or High Tech, it is all the same for me. For me joy and sorrow are the same. One day a small bird died. I wept. After a few minutes I appeared in a function all smiles.
For me laughter and weeping are all the same. Only the pitch changes a little bit. Then, with no emotion expressed, I performed the obsequies to the bird. How to believe that it is the same Swamiji who was weeping a minute ago and is laughing happily now? Is he a great actor? One hour ago he was laughing. Now he is very serious and solemn. Many people have witnessed such events. Bala Swamiji was there. When he saw me weeping so much, he got scared. It was real genuine grief. I had to shed those tears for that soul to get liberation. The name of that bird is Flight. It is a big story. I do not have the time now to tell you. If you watch the video on YouTube, you will understand. It was a very good friend of mine, an extremely good friend. It died on the same day of the Inauguration of Shuka Vana. It was good that it happened on that day. Because of the program, I had to change my mood immediately. It helped me even in the way it died.
I admit that I am against cinema songs. But who has not seen cinemas? Have you never seen a movie in your childhood? Only the blind, the deaf, and the ones who do not have access to a television, can claim never to have seen a cinema. Somewhere in the neighborhood you will keep hearing a film song. You simply cannot escape it.
Unknowingly we move to the rhythm and tap to the beat of the song, whatever type of song it may be. Even to a cinema song you will respond. Now people mix different types of music in a cinema to attract all kinds of people. They want traditional people also to come to watch the cinema. That is business. A cinema is only a play of dolls. You must tune yourself. Why did you see it? Why did you inquire into it?
I was determined to get the Telugu people of Mysore to come. I tried so many ways. Finally the ETV people’s Paadutha theeyaga program was organized. None of the songs were objectionable. Nada Mantapam became full. Swamiji then played a trick. Guess what it was and I will give you a gold coin. A gold flower that Swamiji used in worship will be given to the one with the correct answer.
One should not comment and criticize that Swamiji used Nada Mantapam for propagating cinema songs. People came. They saw the entire ashram and they saw the bird’s park, Shuka Vana. Now we have a counter as to how many visitors come daily, all Mysore people.
Swamiji did not sing. No. Advertisement? No. There is a group which will come even without any advertisement. You never came. You know nothing. Don’t just say something to get the gold coin. Daily the ETV channel on television shows Swamiji with Guru Gita series. Gemini TV, Swamiji’s darshan for 15 years people are enjoying. All wrong answers. Don’t say the same things that I have already mentioned. All the children sang Swamiji’s bhajans. They were children who otherwise would only sing film songs. They all promised to sing songs of Swamiji in the future.
A time will come when they will only sing Swamiji’s songs. The tunes used by Swamiji are all very catchy tunes. The same reason to attract people whether they are vidwans or devotees; they are drawn to the tunes. Devotees are family members. But now others are coming as family members. We limited attendance by giving free passes because of the limited capacity of Nada Mantapam which can accommodate a maximum of only 10,000 people. Based on the artists, we do the chair arrangements. No gold coin for that comment. A good musician will produce great vibrations wherever he may sing. The auditorium does not provide the vibration. A deity’s vibration spreads to the ornaments, not the other way around. The musician lends vibration to the hall, not the other way around. The acoustics must be good, no doubt. Even in this hall, with all the ambient sounds and car horns, still, the music’s vibrations will be great because of the musician’s greatness.
Shall I reveal the secret myself? No one here seems to be interested in receiving this gold coin. Television as a means for propagation is not required either for me or for them. I have been on television for so many years. They are already very famous.
What Swamiji has done was that on the spur of the moment he had the kitchen staff prepare Pulihara/spicy rice to serve everyone as prasadam. It was 9:30 PM already. No prasadam was planned. I felt that no matter who the audience may be, Kannada, or Telugu, or whoever, they should be fed some tasty prasadam. I sent word that a tasty item should be prepared at once with pure ghee. Annadana is very important for me, you see. It is something that my mother Jayalakshmi Mata had taught me. The second day, the number of the audience doubled. Swamiji heard from the volunteers who served the prasadam, the comments that they overheard from the visitors, that although their grandfather was from Mysore, and their family lived all their lives in Mysore, yet, they never knew that Swamiji is Annadana Prabhu/King of Annadana. These are people who are wealthy and do annadanam on their own. Now they all come to see Shuka Vana, Bonsai garden, and Sri Datta Venkateswara Temple. We have a counter to know how many visitors come each day.
In the Bhagavatam, a mango taken by a parrot is said to be the sweetest. Bhagavatam was given to us by Shuka Maharshi. A fruit tasted by a parrot has medicinal value. I warned them not to eat all of the fruits without leaving some for the birds, but to only taste a small piece after the parrot has tasted it.
It was not because Swamiji was interested in listening to cinema songs that the program was organized. Nada Mantapam is for all musicians. A certain control has to be exercised, that is all, and that we did. This gave some experience for conducting future programs. Thanks for your advice.
Jaya Guru Datta.