Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji at Enbridge Gas Consumer Hall, Toronto, Canada – August 17, 2000
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Sarasvatyei Namaha
Sri Pada Vallabha Narasimha Sarasvati
Sri Guru Dattatreya Namaha
Many people have come today. I am happy. You all have come here to gain spiritual knowledge and experience. You have been doing it for many years already and intend to do so for many more years. After three days Swamiji will be going away. So, What about villagers ? We are city people and we can organise the visits of Sadguru. If we get unhappy with one Sadguru, we switch over to another Sadguru and we think we are on the right path. What about a simple farmer in a village ? He has no Guru or a Temple or a Pundit. He cannot read Ramayana or Bhagavatha. He is a simple person. Will he go to Hell? And will you go to heaven? You think you go because you read Bhagavatha or Bible or Bhagavadgita or perform a Puja or Homa?
Villager has no spiritual awareness. He does not even know how to behave in front of a Guru. If he comes to a spiritual organisation, they ask him to become a member and pay monthly money. He cannot afford it. What about such people ? How can they spiritually grow? Big Gurus come to only big cities. The Gurus speak good grammered English. Their speeches provoke the elite urbanites to think. Even Ganapati Sachchidananda’s sophistication is not enough for many. I have had many Satsangas in my life. I bow down to all the big Gurus. Thanks to all of them. Only 1 percent get the possibility of spiritual improvement and the eventual possibility of Moksha. There are many here wearing big badges proclaiming who and what position they hold. You bring many of your club friends. I have seen the Lion and Rotary clubs work very hard. But later I saw their inner workings, squabbles, the fight for power. It is one of the best place for exchanging business deals. Only a few members are interested in social or charitable work. The big committee sits and discusses and finalises a mega plan to do a big project. The small members work hard, mobilise the funds and then implement the project. I fear that our Datta Yoga Center is also becoming one such club. The beginning was good. It was only a small organisation to arrange Satsangs. Then the quarrel and misunderstanding started. Ego powers erupted due to limitation. Can we pocket the sun? He will burn not only the shirt but you also. Some want position. Some want their ideas to be implemented. Some even discarded the suggestions from Mysore. Swamiji never wants the DYC to grow. I don’t want it to grow and do big charitable project like helping hospitals, etc. It is fully against the original idea of having Satsang and to discuss about Swamiji’s mission. A meeting starts and you trade abuses and it becomes a show of ego clash. I don’t want such confusion in my organisation. My organisation is free, good understanding like family. Don’t exhibit your devotion. Many ask me why I did not build a big organisation. Even in Mysore I sometimes cry looking at the Ashrama now. I am afraid of that organisation also. I am not worried about maintenance. Money will come and it will take care. I am scared that the real devotion will be missing. When you get small salary, you have a budget and are thrifty in your spending. But when you get hundred thousand dollars, then you worry how to spend it. That is not good. In my opinion, big spiritual organisation is a business. Membership, security, management etc. Go to a very big temple. Devotion is less there. The big Pujari in a big temple, treats the idol like a stone. He has no devotion. The devotees outside, feel that the idol is the very living God. The Pujari has no attachment feeling and looks only for Dakshina and the money he makes. The devotees spoil the priest by giving too much Dakshina. There is a Kannada proverb which says ” Hittala Gida Maddalla”. The plant in the back yard is not good herb. It is a mistaken notion. When the neighbor asks for the plant, we understand its greatness. Yesterday a foolish devotee asks “Please give me Blessings so that I can have Darshan of Sai Baba.” How foolish and stupid. It is not ignorance. It is stupidity. Holding butter in the hand, you search for ghee. It is like going to a doctor and asking for another doctor. He may even curse the patient. Coming to a Guru and praising another Guru. Many come near Swamiji and praise their Guru. It is not good. I don’t want your attitudes and habits to be shown to me. It does not matter to me. Many come and invite Swamiji giving me the list of Swamis who have come to his house. Will I go there? Never. I laugh inside. Many times we make a mistake unknowingly. You certify yourself that you were great enough to get those big Gurus and you want Ganapati Sachchidananda, the small Guru to visit him. I don’t know why some people speak like that. They have no manners. They certify themselves in glorifying the spiritual pursuit they have or the spiritual works they have done. I dismiss them. Probably they want Swamiji to beg for an opportunity to visit their house. I can never understand why people approach in this manner. There is not even a hint of surrender or humility in their acts or talks. You must attach yourself to one path. Comparison is not good. God gives different gifts to different Gurus. Their paths are different. They serve the people in different varieties. A foolish devotee told me that for a spiritual programme recently 5000 people attended. What he probably meant was that for Swamiji only 500 come. I don’t care. Why do you compare ? My Avatara is different. I respect all great saints. But you must understand that you should not speak like that. Can you go to a concert and praise some other musician? You should either praise the musician in front of you or go out of the concert. You are invited to a marriage. You go there and criticise the compatibility of the newly wed. You criticise the food and other arrangements and praise another marriage. What you don’t understand is that the same thing will happen to you in your son’s marriage. You have no rights to criticise or compare. It is their own Karma. The basic fundamental lesson is please listen and follow.
Where ever you go for what ever the purpose. Feel and understand the motive of that event. Enjoy it or if you don’t like don’t criticise and compare. It shows a crazy mind. Talking of yesterday, you miss today.
I got drifted away from the opening statements. What about the villagers? They do their Kartavya of work and innocently pray to the God they know. This innocence will ensure that God helps them. They have very less ego and go about their life in attending their duties. God will certainly bless them and they will get Moksha. So, what is the use of scriptures and teachings? It is an extra opportunity to learn and grow. But what is happening in cities is that Devotion is causing ego to grow and the mixture of ego and devotion is the most potent poison one can think of.
If you want Swamiji to fill your head, then, first empty the contents you have from your previous experience. It is easy to help an empty person. Never mix your spiritual experiences and teachings with your ego. A mixture of various and varied spiritual experiences will cause such a confusion that it brings you down.
You have to do a exercise called HAMSA KSHEERA NYAYA. Carefully separating the milk from water like a Swan. Attempt in this act. At least try. You do not do it. So, when you are not a Swan, then abstain from doing it. Confess candidly what you do not know.
I will now sing “Pahi Pahi Gajanana”…………….