Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – morning – April 15, 2016 – Chennai
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri
Sri Mahaganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Rama’s story we have listened to, in its entirety. The coronation of Rama also has taken place. 10,000 years Rama ruled an exemplary reign, made famous as Rama Rajya. The earth was one single landmass those days during the cusp of Krita and Treta Yugas. It was only afterwards that, based on Nature’s course, the continents got separated. Prior to that the entire earth was undivided and vast. Under Rama’s rule, Dharma was fully established.
Now that we are born in the Kali Yuga, mankind suffers from lots of doubts, questions, and confusion. People keep questioning the existence of God. They doubt the very existence of God and even the existence of their own soul. They have doubts about their own birth. Such is the present time when one’s own mother and father are not trusted. This is the day of rage, and lies, of betrayal. People dwell on only what is untrue and unrighteous. That has become a habit now. As it is mentioned in the Bhagavatam, in this Kali Yuga, what is true will be considered as false. What is falsehood will pass off as truth. But truth ever remains as truth. But to the eyes of man, to his thinking, whatever is true will appear to be falsehood. This happens due to the influence of Kali Yuga.
Man, living in this Kali Yuga has doubts even about Rama. Why did Rama have to suffer for 12-13 years? He is after all a prince. Had it not happened like that, who would have killed all the demons who lived in the forest? No one else could have killed them. Unlike now, in those days, there were two categories: demons and gods. They were always in conflict. Now there is always a conflict between truth and falsehood. For untruth to get defeated, truth has to gain great strength. That strength takes the form of an incarnation. Such an incarnation is Sri Ramachandra. Gods and demons were actually cousins. They were the children of sisters. They belonged to the same lineage. Yet, the demons inherited Tamo Guna and their main attributes were anger and violence. The gods became endowed with Satva Guna, a noble nature. Gods followed the righteous path. The demons followed the path of wickedness. It was very difficult to destroy the demons.
Today, the mosquitoes are difficult to get rid of. They do not die with the use of “All Out”, and other chemical pesticides. They have gained resistance to those chemical. In fact, they come readily to drink that ‘All Out’ fluid. They come looking for it. Mosquitoes, snakes, and other venomous creatures are now immune to poisons aimed at killing them. Scientists are finding it difficult to come up with means of controlling their numbers. The mosquitoes do not care whether you use All Out, or Good Night, or Good Morning, or Good afternoon. Nothing seems to work against. Even a mosquito net does not keep them out. They shrink their bodies to get inside the net and then they expand their bodies. This is the way of the demons. All those creatures that stealthily take flight through space are demons. That is what Vedanta says. All those who approach through space are considered as a threat. The earth’s gravity that attracts from space is a scientific theory. Only those who have Satva Guna are able to sit and stand and walk upon this earth. Even without footwear they are able to walk. Those who are born on this earth have brought with them lots of Karma and they have to expend their Karma here. This earth is the Karma Bhoomi, the land of Karma which allows us to experience our Karma here. Once all of our Karmas are expended, our Satva Guna will fully get developed. When that happens, we will begin to gain the strength to fight against those with Tamo Guna.
That is the teaching of the Ramayana. Does Rama not know everything already? Rama cried looking for Sita and asked help from so many people to help him to find her. That is the way of Creation. He never announced that he was God. He only said he was the son of King Dasaratha. He only lived like a king. After what was recorded in the Ramayana, so much happened. What is contained in the Ramayana is only a small episode, just a small paragraph in the life of Rama. After this story concluded, for 10,000 years, the story continued. His rule extended for so long and benefited this earth tremendously. In the short duration recorded in the Ramayana, Rama cleansed the earth. He destroyed all the demons who were tormenting the gods. He molded mankind in a fashion where they could gain the favor of the gods. All the people of Rama’s time were filled with Satva Guna. They were truthful, honest, and noble. There were no thefts. There was plenty. All households were happy. There was no widowhood. Couples lived together all their lives.
I just now ate the marriage feast from Rama’s wedding. I told them to take inside only the Murukkus in a dish. Only that was taken inside. The rest of the delicacies remained here. By merely looking at them, I have consumed them. I got the crunchy snacks only for me to eat.
This body itself is Ramayana. The Sushumna Nadi or Brahma Nadi is River Ganga. What is strange, as mentioned in the Adhyatma Ramayana is, that the main hero in the Ramayana is Hanuman. But who is the sole reason for the story? Sita. Whose daughter is Sita? People say that she is Janaka’s daughter. But in truth, she is the daughter of Fire, Fire which is inherent in the earth. Many people question about the Agni Pravesa of Sita, her entering the fire pit. People call us crazy for studying the Ramayana. They say how can anyone enter into fire? It is against nature’s law, they protest. They apply present day common rules to that situation. Our monkey-minded rules are applied there. Instead, those rules we must bring here and apply them in our lives.
The one who remained with Ravana was Maya Sita, an illusory Sita. The moment she entered into fire, the illusion went away, and the real Sita re-emerged. That is the important secret in the Ramayana, which was disclosed in that version of the Ramayana.
Sita is the daughter of fire itself. How can her purity be tested by fire? That is why Ravana could never touch her. Ravana had the power to do anything. But Sita was so thin and starved. Her legs were like two sticks covered in skin, she looked like a puppet in a show. In Mysuru ashrama, we have a display. Come and see.
Sita looked so emaciated and piteous. She never ate. She is the daughter of fire. She needed no food. But, Valmiki, the poet, saw her a certain way and that is how he has described her in his Ramayana. Each great poet, like Tulasidas, depicted the story as he perceived it. All these poets are none other than the incarnations of Hanuman. That is Hanuman’s job. He enters into the hearts of the poets and has them render the story of Rama. He did that with Narada also. First, he did this to Brahma, then Narada, then the Seven Sages, and that is why there are so many Ramayanas. Ramayana is not a story. It is a spiritual vision. It is not a play. It is not a cinema with duets. People simply to make money, create all these puppet shows. These groups who distort truth have presented a false version to us. We are all fooled like that. Now if you ask a child who Rama is, she will say, M.G. Ramachandran, or N.T. Rama Rao. That is all the children know. If you ask even a twenty year old, he will give the same answer. Even the heroine’s name I have forgotten. Those days it was Anjali Devi. Then B. Saroja Devi. Very retired people now will remember those names.
Now, the girl who portrays the role of Sita, will step out in skimpy clothes and will go into a club. I feel so sad to see this. It is just acting. That is all. She is not Sita. We must only give respect to the art of acting. Otherwise, she puts Sita to shame with her indecent attire. Swamiji has seen it. We see such people on television. In the olden days, the actors and actresses merged into the roles which they portrayed and their acting was convincing. That is why we associate the actor with the role. It is not so these days.
In those true portrayals, it really appeared as if Rama himself spoke, and fought against Ravana. It all appeared so real to us. We cannot compare the battles of Rama-Ravana and that of Kurukshetra. The battle between Rama and Ravana has no equal. How was it? It cannot be compared with anything. Brahma Astras were there. Now in Kali Yuga, there are no such Astras. Only gunshots, tuss buss toing tussaa. That is all. No one knows what happens when.
During the battle, Ravana asked, how many have perished? Oh, ten thousand soldiers, toss them all in the ocean. He did not want anyone to know the statistics. He wanted to conceal the count of those who were killed in the battle. Similarly, when Lakshmana was asked how many monkeys were killed, he gave the correct count, and was asked to move all the corpses to a separate area and to preserve them by sprinkling some sea water upon them.
At the end of the war, the pot of Amrita, the nectar that revived the dead, the Sanjeevini was brought. It was sprinkled over the battlefield to bring back to life all those who had died. Then Ravana, who was still breathing, lamented his decision. Now all the monkeys came back to life. The humans, the elephants, horses, all came back to life. Ravana felt miserable that he deprived all the demons the chance to get revived. You may ask a question: Why did Ravana not come back to life? He was still alive when the nectar was sprinkled. So it did not take effect on him. He still had Rama’s arrow stuck in his body. He was ready for his journey. That is why he died. He paid his price for his Tamo Guna. He had to die at Rama’s hands. People ask so many questions. Swamiji has answered them all in the Bhakti Mala magazine, which is also published in Tamil language. It is also available online. Please read. Pose your questions. I will certainly give answers. It may take time. Subscribe to Bhakti Mala magazine. Get it by mail, the hard copy.
Ramayana story benefits the world. The celebration we had of Sita Rama wedding with large idols, may appear like a high class dolls’ play. They chanted mantras and we all enjoyed a nice feast. When children play with dolls, they just leave the dolls and go away when the playing is over. But here, intelligent people are performing this divine marriage ceremony. Every year we must perform this Sita Rama Kalyanam. Only then, the union will occur between our intellect and our soul. Sita and Rama represent our intellect and our soul, respectively. The one who re-united them is Pranayama. It means the invisible god, Hanuman, the life energy. When the intellect and the soul become merged, that is Yoga. That is why daily we must contemplate about our Life energy. Deep inhalation and exhalation must be practiced daily. We generally take short breaths like dogs. Then we do not absorb enough oxygen. Then we get all kinds of diseases. Our oxygen level should be 98-100. If it is 50 one will die. We must ensure that we breathe in a sufficient quantity of oxygen.
We must pray to the invisible god Hanuman, our breath, who gives us our life energy. If there is life within us, we are Siva. Once life departs, we become Sava, a corpse. No matter, how wealthy, how beautiful, or how talented one might have been, once dead, no one keeps the dead body at home, at least, not in my town. Do they preserve the bodies of your forefathers in your town?
I once went to Peru. In a village there, I observed their lifestyle, and their habits and food. Some ate meat, many did not. They ate some grains. The entourage urged me to step inside a place to see how they live, the plates they use for their meals, and so on. Prasad wanted to document all that. They gave us some food to eat. Others ate. I could not. Then the owner came to me and invited me to see their god. I said okay. We invite our guests to come and see our Puja room. I thought this was something like that. I got ready. But I became a little suspicious why they were so eager to take me inside. Then the lady of the house came. She said they had 110 gods in their home. I was puzzled. They said come and see. I went inside. There were about 200 skeletons inside. I became dizzy. They pointed to their grandfathers, their ancestors, their dead daughters-in-law, and so on. They preserved them all. Where is the bridegroom, I asked. They were offering the skeletons food and what came out through the opening in the skull, they were accepting as prasadam and eating it. They offered the food to Swamiji also. I begged to be excused. This actually happened. My attendants got frightened. They wanted to run away from there. I said, you brought me here. I am going to sit down right here. They said, no, we are afraid. It is a strange incident. It really happened. I might have made the narration a little more juicy, to make it more interesting. To make a bhajan more appealing, do we not add melody and rhythm to it? We do not recite it like prose.
When you serve a meal, do you not follow a pattern and include all six tastes, and some water also to accompany the meal ? Without water, how can you complete a meal? Some people offer food only and tell you to go home and drink water. Before he reaches he will fall down.
Before starting to eat a meal, you must first check to see if water is also being served. That is why, brahmins first sprinkle water all around the plate or leaf. Brahmins like me, may not follow that custom. But true brahmins insist on having water first.
If a child begins to take a bath and then shouts for soap, what is the use? Mother hands the soap. Then the child screams for a towel. When you go to take a bath, you must go prepared, with soap and towel.
Sometimes, when people come to do repairs, they bring a tall ladder. They climb to the top in a hurry, and then shout, hand me a screw driver. The other fellow searches for it and cannot find it. The other fellow from up above, in trying to help, will slip and fall. Both get injured. The owner takes them to the hospital and pays the bill. The repair work is not done, the persons go for repair instead. The repairman goes up in a hurry and screams for hammer, hammer. Which hammer? Ten people shout for ambulance, but no one takes care of the fallen victim. Everyone gathers around and shouts, ambulance, while the victim dies. Someone gets injured, and people shout, tincture, tincture, without learning first where the first aid box is kept. People must use their intelligence.
When you sit for a meal, make sure there is water to accompany the meal. You must always plan ahead, regardless of what activity you take up.
Those of you, who plan to study the Ramayana every day, be ready to face many doubts. Do not worry about them. Study the scripture with complete faith. Then all your difficulties will vanish. In the Telugu speaking region, in a village, in a home, all are devotees, but not a single picture of a deity was to be found. They said, if they keep Rama’s picture, they will also suffer from difficulties. Murugan’s picture they do not keep, because it will attract snakes, because Subrahmanya likes snakes. He fought with his parents and went away. What if my children also quarrel and leave home? No we will not keep. Ganapati is a bachelor. We have girls to be married, and we should not keep a picture of a celibate in the house. Siva looks like a beggar. We do not want our children to become like him. Maha Kali has a huge tongue sticking out. It makes us unhappy. Like this, people are afraid.
Hanuman we must never keep, they said. He is a brahmachari. He has a tail. He may harm us. We do not want any gods or goddesses in our home. Many people are afraid. They read the stories and think too much about them and get frightened. Venkataramana Swami has two wives. What if my husband takes a second wife? It will create lots of fights at home. They have objections to each and every deity. They eat nice heavy meals three times a day. They are afraid of all gods and deities. There is no need to be afraid. Read the Ramayana every day. Our own body/ our own self is Ramayana. It gives good knowledge. You read it the first time. Something interesting will happen. Read it a second time. Do it in seven days. Then, you will not leave it ever. You will search for the meaning of each and every verse. Ramayana and the name of Rama are so sweet. Each song about Rama is very sweet. In my childhood, I first read the Kambar Ramayanam after returning from Proddatur. You may wonder how I read Tamil. Manni’s family used to be there.
How do I speak so many languages? Whoever is there, I speak with them their language. Languages naturally come. If you make a deliberate effort to learn, it is difficult to learn. Just boldly begin speaking, not worrying about mistakes. People will correct you. Does it appear to you that my language is full of mistakes? Then you correct me, or simply adjust to my language. Why would it be wrong, if it is spoken with a good heart? You must not reject any language. You should not say, I do not want Hindi. Hindi is important for us. So many north Indian friends are there. They will feel very happy if you speak a few words in their language. Everyone loves their mother tongue. They are happy if you speak their language. I know only 10-15 words in Malayalam. I mix with Tamil and speak. Kannan and others feel very happy. I mix Gujarati with Hindi and speak. The prime minister felt very happy with my Gujarati. He appreciates my Gujarati bhajans very much. He asked me if I was a Gujarati person. He spoke to me in Gujarati.
Hanuman Chalisa in Tamil is heard by people and they ask me if I am a Tamilian. If you have a love for languages, then, any language is easy to pick up. I went to Paris, I go to Germany, and I go to the US. Do I know the languages? No. I know nothing. But I speak all those languages, without having learnt any languages. Now we have witnessed the Sita Rama Wedding. Now my inner soul (stomach) is asking for a celebration.
Tomorrow evening there is a special program. Sabhapati Raga Sagara Healing Music Concert. Watch on livestream on yogasangeeta.org
Sri Guru Datta