Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – December 17, 2017 at Dallas, Texas – USA
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
Jai Veera Hanuman ki – Jai
I am happy to see Tataji sena again. Today is a very precious day. Today is Amavasya – new moon day. It is a special Amavasya. If you chant a mantra or chant Bhagavad Gita or the mantra given to you by Guru, it will be even more beneficial because today is a very powerful day. That is why I came here. I wanted to see Hanumanta.
Tamil-speaking people are observing Hanuman Jayanti today. Hanuman Jayanti occurs six times a year. Different regions observe the festival at different times of the year. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa – each of these states observes the festival on different days ruled by different stars, in different months. It does not matter. Lord Hanuman took on many forms. He gives Darshan in different places. People in Karnataka feel that their land is Hanuma Nadu – the land of Hanumanta. They believe Hanuman took birth on the banks of river Pampa in the region of Hampi. People in Uttar Pradesh feel Hanuman was born in Gandhamadana mountains in the Himalayas. It does not matter. Both are the same. He is capable of taking on many different forms. There is no mistake or fault in that thinking. We must observe both Hanuman Jayanti (birthday) and Hanuman Vrata (vow/ritual). People in Uttar Pradesh observe both. Some call it Hanuman Vrata, some call it Hanuman Jayanti. People in Karnataka call it Hanuman Jayanti and sometimes observe it the day after Datta Jayanti. Tamil-speaking people observe Hanuman Jayanti today. Because all communities are gathered here, we celebrate Hanuman Jayanti and Hanuman Vrata with everyone.
There will be much hardship in this world in the next few years. There will be several calamities and natural disasters. Tsunamis, fires, volcanic eruptions, severe floods and losses will take place. The effect of Kaliyuga will be severe. There is no happiness. It is over. What should we do? Hanuman is our only savior. So, we must pray to Hanumanta. That is all we can do. We must surrender to Hanumanta. We must pray to him to please protect this world. That is all we know to do. We see no other way out. Do more vratas, worship Hanuman more, perform betel leaf Puja, offer garland of vadas, perform tora puja, sindhoora puja, worship with bananas. All these rituals are important.
We only know these rituals. We should pray to the Lord. We are all Karma Yogis. We should always perform worship (Puja). If you only want to do meditation, you are not a karma yogi. You must first observe karma. Otherwise, you are an escapist. Only after observing the needed karma, should you meditate as much as you like. You should not be lazy. You must physically participate in Puja, Abhishekam and circumambulation (Pradakshina). After that you can go do meditation, yoga etc. Without Puja and without karma, you cannot achieve the results of meditation. It is also very bad for your health. You must work with your sense organs and your body. You must prostrate with your body.
Offer light and incense to the Lord. We should believe that Hanuman is not a stone idol, He is live. Hanuman is our family member. We should serve Him like we are serving a family member – a father, mother or grandparent. You must serve and respect Lord Hanuman. Offer food to the Lord. Talk to Him daily, in your heart. The way you see Swamiji like a family member, you must also see Hanuman, Sri Rama, Lord Shiva and Mother Goddess etc. All Gods should be seen as family members. Hanuman is our primary deity. We should treat Him as a loving family member. Only then will we have devotion. Mechanically offering flowers, light, prostrations etc., as if it is mere duty, without heart and intellect is not good. It will only serve as an exercise. It is a waste of time. You must concentrate your mind on the action. If you do Puja for an hour, you will barely be able to silence the mind for 5 minutes. It is in that short span of silence that you have a connection with the deity. If you do Puja at least for 30 minutes, you may have 3 minutes of concentration. If you only do Puja for 3 minutes, it is a waste. That is only drama Puja, like in a movie. We must not do that.
When you eat, you sit at the table and scan all the dishes on the table. You serve yourself pickles and all the items available. You mix your food and savor the food slowly. It takes 15 or 30 minutes to eat the food. You cannot instantly put the food in your belly. If that were possible, you would be able to open your stomach, fill it with food and shut it. When we eat slowly with concentration, the food gives health to our bodies. It is unhealthy to eat in a hurry in two or three minutes. So many people eat within a couple minutes. Many eat while standing. Some eat like it is a duty because they would pass out if they did not eat. If you eat food in three or four minutes, it becomes equivalent to eating poison. The healthy way to eat is to go slow, mix the food slowly, chew the food slowly so it mixes nicely with the saliva and experience the taste of food. For good health, you must chew each morsel 32 times. We eat food in a rush. The kidneys cannot survive the onslaught. Kidneys that would normally work 100 years, will only work 30 years. The intestines will not function properly. You will have health problems, you will not be able to sleep, and the mind seems unhappy for reasons unknown. This happens because your daily habits are not good. You lack concentration in your work in and in your worship.
That is why, it is important to wake up early. Wake up early in the morning at 5am or so. Slowly, finish things on time. Exercise. Do pranayama. Eat less food. Pay attention to each task you are doing. You will then be healthy. You will be able to concentrate. When you stand in front of Lord Hanuman communicate with the Lord, communicate with Swamiji. If you are doing everything in a rush, your mind will not be at peace. You will not be able to concentrate, you cannot meditate; no sleep, no mantra, no health, no happiness. Life is unhappy. It is purely your fault, no one else’s. Do not blame others. Your lifestyle, habits and discipline are not good. Discipline is itself Puja. Discipline is penance, it is austerity (tapasya). Make it a habit to laugh sometimes. No need to laugh all the time, but laugh often. Do not get irritated, do not get depressed. You need to do all this to be happy. What I am telling you is very simple. I am not giving you big concepts from the Upanishads or Ramayana or Bhagavatam. These are very simple things to do in our daily life. Observe simplicity in your life style. Otherwise, you will be unhealthy.
You are always unhealthy. You sleep and wake up at random hours. You eat at random hours. You cannot sleep, work does not get done. You keep fighting and getting disappointed and depressed. All the money cannot make you happy. You want something more, but you do not know what that is. You do not know what you are doing. You are lost, because you lack discipline. You must practice discipline in your life. “Today I want to finish this chapter in Bhagavad Gita”. Sit with concentration and finish. After four days, the chapter will be in your control. Otherwise, if your mind is fickle, you can achieve nothing. You must practice concentration. That is what discipline is.
It is unhealthy to answer the phone while eating. Of course, we need a phone. But have your meals first. Concentrate on the food you are eating. Do not answer the phone or pick it up while eating. Raise your hand, if you hold the phone in one hand while eating or drinking. Almost 80% of the people (raised their hand) are doing it. It is not good. You must change your habit. Will you? Promise? That will be good for you. I am saying this for your own benefit. Keep the phone next to you if you wish. Let it ring. When you do not answer after repeated ringing, people calling you will understand that you are eating. Our body is important. You need to be healthy first, to attend to the phone for important calls. That is why, do not answer the phone during meals. You must not hold the phone in the other hand while eating. The other hand should always be empty. Use your entire hand while eating. That is good acupuncture. But if you keep tapping on the phone with the other hand, that is negative acupuncture. After 20 or 30 years, that will manifest as a big health problem. Please keep the other hand empty while eating. Even while drinking coffee and tea, keep the other hand empty. Coffee and tea are poison anyway and when combined with a phone in the other hand, it is even more poisonous. Keep yourself free for the five-minute duration you are drinking coffee or tea. The phone will ring and go to the voice mail. You can take care of it later. Those who are calling you are also human. They will understand. If they really need to reach you, they will call again later. Remember this well. The left and right hands will be like the positive and negative points of acupuncture if you keep fidgeting with your other hand. You must keep your other hand free. The mind should concentrate on the food.
While eating, massage the food with the hands. Wash the hands thoroughly clean before eating. Eat with your hand, not with a spoon. Why do you put the spoon used by others in their mouths, in your mouth? Each finger represents an element of Nature. The palm represents our entire body. When you massage the food in your hand, the kidneys respond due to acupuncture points. The other hand must necessarily be empty. If you do not keep the other hand free, it produces negative vibrations that counter the energy of the food and turn it into poison. You can use the other hand to serve yourself food. You should not serve food on your plate with the same hand you are eating with. That leads to diseases. Eating, serving and mixing the food at the same time with the same hand, will lead to disease for sure. It’ll cause tuberculosis, leprosy and skin problems. This is Patanjali yogic principle (sutra), it is not my principle. Only in case of emergency can you use the same hand for eating and serving.
Through everything we do, our eyes, ears, nose etc., are all getting acupuncture. Everything is getting balanced. We should be careful. We should carry out our karma. I only gave you brief introduction today. This is a huge subject. If we understand and implement it, we will be healthy. We are unhealthy because we unknowingly compromise on these principles. You know these things now because Swamiji is telling you. That is why, you must read Swamiji’s messages. Only then will you know.
Let us chant Hanuman Chalisa.
Sri Guru Datta