Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – 5th International Conference and Gathering of Elders – February 1, 2015 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
Beginning of the speech is missing in the recording
Your senses and the mind require constant reminders. They have a tendency to forget their commitments and their duties. Your hairstyle, your clothing, your mark on the forehead, and your Datta Vastram must act as reminders to alert you to your responsibilities. that you are so and so, or that you must now remain in dhyana, and so on. Man even forgets that he has already had his morning cup of coffee and asks for it again and the wife has to remind him that she had already served him and that he had already consumed it. If his mind is elsewhere, he will even forget that. Even the best individual, even the greatest scientist, the greatest scholar and genius will suddenly forget what he was going to do next, and will stand puzzled and absent-minded. A person will walk outside carrying a pen in hand. Suddenly he will wonder why he is holding the pen. Then he remembers that he had been writing something earlier and forgot to put the pen down when he left the room.
As constant reminders, it is imperative that we follow our traditions, habits, attire, and customs because we have a natural tendency to forget our true identity. Even if you are a sanyasi, it is not enough to know that internally, to believe so in your mind; your physical garb also must remind you of your status, as yes, this is my identity, and I must behave accordingly. Such a system must be followed. Our language, our food habits have all gradually evolved since the beginning of mankind. Initially people did not even know what substances were edible. We have come a long way in knowing by the experience of our ancestors through countless generations, what to eat, what to do, and how to behave, and so on. Such culture and heritage which we have inherited, we must preserve.
I pray that this should be a successful program and that all the assembled distinguished participants, whether they are very intelligent, or not so intelligent, should all receive the blessings of Lord Dattatreya.
Sri Guru Datta