Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – January 23, 2017 – Chirala
Compiled by: Smt Hira Duvvuri
Highly devout people are here in this town of Chirala. On the doorway, ‘Atmavat Sarvabhootani …’ sloka is posted. It made me very happy to see it. We must follow that message. We must treat all living creatures as we treat ourselves. They also have a soul and life energy, just like us. They have hands, feet, and families, just like us. By nightfall they also have to reach home, because the family will be waiting. It is true even of an ant. The mother ant and father ant look after their young. Ants get married and struggle through life. They lay some eggs and then the children are born.
(Interrupted audio.)
This story occurred at the end of the Dwapara Yuga, before Kali Yuga began. Early in the morning Varadaraja Swamiji’s devotee went to the spacious garden to pick the favorite flowers for the Lord. He watered the plants and fertilized them. He had another land stretch next to it, which also he took care of. It also had lots of flowers, but he ignored them.
He never allowed anyone else to pick flowers from the special garden. He himself had to choose the flowers. At sunrise, the flower would begin to bloom. He picked them at that time. He picked the Tulasi leaves. The garden next door had flowers aplenty. They were simply fading and falling to the ground. People thought the devotee/priest was crazy. He would chant the names of God, Narayana, Prabhu, Govinda, every single moment. Once, he found a baby girl in the garden, whom he raised as his own daughter. Every Dhanurmasa, we all listen to the story of Goda Devi. Let that story be.
Now I am speaking about Atmavat sarvabhootaani.
The flowers were picked and kept on a boulder, the baskets of flowers, not on the ground. Before the flowers were strung into garlands, he moved them from one rock to another. He needed lots of flowers for the worship, the Tomala Seva. While leaving, he would leave a few flowers on each of the rocks.
People were surprised at his actions, his obsession with growing the flowers, and the way he picked them so attentively, and his puzzling actions. They could not understand. The man was a devotee of Vishnu.
Finally he would offer beautiful garlands to the Lord and go into ecstasies. He would shed tears of joy. Not everyone gets tears of joy. Many have no feelings of compassion.
Kindness must be cultivated from childhood. People cry when they themselves get hurt, but feel no pain when they see others suffering. They show no sympathy. They do not lend a hand. There are many people who ridicule others who are in pain, discuss about them, but offer no help. They criticize and gossip about the troubles in other families, as if in their own families there are no children, and no problems. They speak as if their own children have never got into bad ways. They speak as if they have never taken loans, or become bankrupt. Have you not felt pain? Have you not tasted misery? Take care of your life, don’t laugh at others and speak ill of them. You waste your time on that, and do not lift a finger to help them. You speak of other families as if you know every single detail. Too much idle curiosity to dig out more details about the others, whom the neighbor knows. You listen to all kinds of false stories and rumors. Is this not sinful? Do we need to indulge in such exchange of rumors and gossip? Is it not bad? Are we not giving others pain? Should we not stop doing this? Are they not people just like us? Is it fair to hurt them with such unkind pokes and jibes?
I do not know who posted that wonderful message.
What messages would you people choose? ‘Gossip is what we live for.’ ‘Lies are our God.’ ‘Our family deity is
falsehood.’
We must live in a manner that will increase our lifespan. Chirala name has a good meaning. Some town names are randomly chosen by the chief. Ariseluru is the name of a town, where the village chief perhaps had the treat called Ariselu prepared in a large quantity. Another man raised donkeys, so he might have named his village Gadidaluru. People choose whatever name occurs to them. Cheera means sari. Wonder what Chirala means. Perala is another name. Whoever is the elder of the village chooses some name at random. Now I am here. I may give some new name to this sacred place. That new name will become permanent. Sivadatta Kshetram.
Ksheerapuri was the old name for this town. Ksheera means milk. May be every family owned cattle here.
There are some different garlands I see there, made with sweet dishes, ariselu or kajjikayalu, and vadas. Drape a cloth over me first to protect my clothing. Bring the garlands.
Sri Guru Datta