Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sri Devi Navaratri – Saraswati Puja Day – Oct 8, 2016 – Mysore
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
Today is Saraswati Puja day.
We are mired in ignorance and illusion. We keep changing Gurus and switching Gods. We have a monkey mind and are suffering from ignorance. Even when the path is clear, we do not take it. That is our karma. We take side roads for short cut and get lost. That is our fate. To get rid of all this, you have come to me per God’s order. I will not leave you and you will not leave me. We should promise that to each other. The Lord has said that He will not let go of His devotees the entire life.
In this difficult situation, we should all be careful. Our fate is pulling us towards ignorance. Be careful. For the next 7 lives, you must resolve to do Sadhana. One life is not enough. Ravi Verma, the painter drew Saraswati Mata sitting on a rock. All gods are usually depicted sitting on an animal, but Ravi Verma has Saraswati Mata sitting on a rock. The rock is like our intellect. That is proof that our head is like the rock of ignorance. We understand nothing. We run after trivial desires. It is like the animal running after a mirage in the desert and dying in search of water.
We pray to Saraswati Mata. We need worldly knowledge to survive in this society. Therefore, we get a degree so we can have some position in this society. Of course, we need education for that. No one will take care of us if we are useless to society. We will perish by being dependant on others and straying from the right path in order to survive.
Swamiji is our family Guru. If you go away from Guru, you will be a Guru Drohi (betrayer of Guru) and will suffer for 7 births as a demon. Do not criticize Guru. Today is Saraswati Mata day. We pray that the mother help our intellect blossom. Kalidasa and thousands of other scholars were blessed by the Mother. We should all take that route and get blessings of Saraswati Mata who appears as Kali Mata and Lakshmi Mata.
Saraswati Mata appears as Brahmi, as Narayani, as Agni, as Varahi, as Yajna Varaha and other deities. She is in white robes and appears with a white complexion riding on a swan. Those who worship the Mother get Paramahamsa knowledge, that is why Mother is on a hamsa/swan. You get knowledge, your children get knowledge, those who follow you get knowledge, you get knowledge to understand Guru, to survive, to have good health.
May you all be happy. That is my blessing.
Today is a very auspicious day. We worshiped Saraswati Mata today. Saraswati Mata removes ignorance. She destroys Avidya/ignorance. She is such a Jaganmata (Mother to all worlds). She removes the ignorance accrued over many lifetimes if we worship her.
For children to get good education, parents must have some samskara (good tendencies). Otherwise, it is hard for children to learn. How then can we get over this? At least now, learn and follow the spiritual line. You will find Mother roaming in your house. Give up non-vegetarian food. Do not harm other beings. Eat Sattvic food. Do not touch non-vegetarian food. You will have to take another birth. You will have to take another birth even if you eat eggs. There is plenty of protein in vegetarian food. Eat Sattvic food and lead a Sattvic life. Understand your Guru, do not let go of Him. Listen to all His words and follow Him. It will bestow prosperity.
Sometimes our monkey mind goes astray, it wants instant gratification. We search everywhere, we run towards cheap things. What is truth, what is life, no one in this world knows. We are in such a situation. We should be careful in such a situation. Since we have good karma, we got a good Guru. If I am making you do all these difficult sevas, you are blessed. You do not always get opportunities to do sevas. We do not even know what sevas are possible. We do not know that these kind of Navatri Pujas are there and that these kind of Navaratri sevas are possible.
For us to attain higher worlds, the households should be good, the spouse, the children, the relatives should be good. Being one on the inside and something else outside is not good. Husband and wife should be aligned spiritually. You should not say you cannot come next year. You must plan from now on to be here next year, otherwise, it will not happen. Be patient. Be strong. Difficulties will come and go. You must learn all these and teach your kids good manners. You must give them good education and you must teach them about Guru and about spirituality. All of you need good knowledge. You are done with your education and earning. You have enough to eat. You only have to take care of children’s education and their nourishment. Train them to take care of themselves. Do not hanker after their children and their lives. Do not come and ask Swamiji about their marriage, grand children etc. Do not waste your time with Swamiji like that. You do not know when you will die. You take care of yourself, your children will take care of themselves. Help as much as you can. Speak good things and create a good environment. Give up meat and alcohol. Even eating eggs incurs sin. Let go of all this. Have Sattvic thinking.
In these days, for Swamiji to be like this with you, to do Puja and to give you Prasad must be the merit of many lifetimes. Why did we not get Swamiji from a young age? Your children got it, strengthen it. Make sure your children are always with Swamiji. You did not get it. It would have been great if you had Swamiji since childhood. Now, even as you struggle, you do not care because you know you have Swamiji. Humans will have suffering. Suffering will not go away. Insults, injuries, sickness, suffering are all part of human life. That is what we have incurred. That will not go away. That is what keeps us busy. Your children are lucky. Make sure they do not let it go. Do not take them away from Swamiji in the name of tuitions and higher studies. I have children who are Ph.Ds, collectors, doctors etc. Swamiji is still everything to them. Even when they get married, they make sure the spouse knows that Swamiji is very important to them. Otherwise, life becomes hell. They want to marry someone who will let them be with Swamiji or not get married at all. The devotee would rather let go of the spouse than let go of Swamiji. I have so much love for you. You do not know that when something happens to you, I cry like a human. My heart melts so much for you. Your heart does not melt. Why does it not? It should. You do not even have to tell me your problems when you file along in a line. If you just walk in the line, I already know. The photograph gets imprinted. No need to tell your difficulties and trouble Swamiji. You can say small things like, “I am leaving tomorrow” or “I am going to USA” or something like that. Why ask the same thing over and over again? Does He not know? He is omnipresent and omniscient.
What we have in this life, is a result of our merit. The fruit ripens over time. Be patient. Stick to one place, stick to one Guru. You should have a firm resolution. On this Saraswati Puja Day, have that firm faith. Your faith will protect you. Tripura Rahasyam teaches you that. Dedication, faith, devotion, Iswara Pranidhana are all important. You are listening to such a Yoga through small teachings and songs. Your Guru is teaching you in such an entertaining manner. You got such a Guru, I did not. People do not pay attention to these things. They offer excuses such as kids’ exams, lack of time etc. If you really want to come, you will. If you do not want to, you will find excuses. It is like trying to find a stone in yogurt. Can there be a stone in yogurt? No.
We are all very lucky. Mother Saraswati is blessing us. Mother Saraswati sitting on a big rock means your head is that big stone. It is like we are praying to the Mother to sit on our head and bless us. We have so much miscommunication, miscalculation, misunderstanding and then we get miserable. Don’t think too much. Why are you always thinking negatively? Don’t think negative thoughts. Always be positive. I am good, she is also good. Everything is good. Why are you so calculative? Don’t calculate. He is also good, she is also good. I understand. I don’t have the capacity to understand you. Pray to Mother Goddess, please bless our rock-like intellect. Be patient and wait, everything good will happen. Until death, don’t worry. If you die, begin sadhana in next life. Come silently in the queue, do not ask for anything. The blessing is enough.
Sri Guru Datta