Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – April 2, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Gangā pāpaṃ, śaśī tāpaṃ, dainyaṃ kalpatarustathā
Pāpaṃ tāpam ca dainyam ca, ghnanti santō mahāśayāḥ ǁ
The waters of Ganga wash away all sins. The cooling rays of the Moon dispel afflictions. The Kalpavriksha tree dispels poverty. However, with their mere darshan, great saints and Sadgurus can wash away all sins, afflictions and poverty at once! Only Sadguru can wash away all our sins, destroy the 3 afflictions and wipe away the 8 forms of poverty!
Difficulties and happiness keep arising in every life. Even animals and birds experience both happiness and difficulties! You may ask- how do joys and sorrows arise in our life? The answer to this is simple- it is your own past deeds that result in the present happiness or sorrows that you are experiencing! Our today’s good deeds will result in happiness in future. Likewise, bad deeds give rise to sorrows. This lesson is repeatedly taught by all our Dharma shastras. But our ancient Maharishis, who were an epitome of compassion, also revealed the ways by which we can reduce our load of sorrows.
Pibati grasati pāpiśṭamiti pāpam- as it troubles the sinner it is addressed as pāpam. Puṇati śobhanam karma iti punyam- that which causes the wellbeing of the person is punyam. This is how texts on grammar define the terms pāpa and punya (sins and merit).
Now comes the question- how can we reduce our balance of sins? By bathing in the waters of Ganga, to certain extent, the sins can be washed away. This sookti re-iterates affirmatively that Ganga washes away the sins of those who bathe in her waters.
The Moon, with its cooling rays, dispels all agonies. He reduces the intense suffering caused due to the Sun’s rays and showers us with coolness. This is how it is normally explained. The great poet Kalidasa has remarked- yathā prahlādanāt chandraḥ-
Mental afflictions undergone by us are classified into three- ādhyātmika, ādhibhoutika and ādhidaivika. At times, along with the mental agony we also suffer physically. By worshipping the Moon-god, we are freed from the three afflictions and we experience coolness. Chandramā manasō jātaḥ- from this Vedic statement it is evident that Moon-god is the presiding deity for the mind.
We discussed that bathing in Ganga washes away our sins and that worshipping the Moon-god reduces our afflictions. Now let us talk about the wish-fulfilling Kalpavriskha tree. Kalpavriksha frees us from feelings of helplessness. Helplessness is an outcome of dire poverty.
Remember that the object which we give away in charity in this birth, comes to us abundantly in the next birth. The person who performs annadana will never experience food shortage in his next birth. The person who distributes clothes in charity, will never face shortage of clothes in the next birth. The person who gives away his daughter in marriage (kanya-dana) will obtain good progeny. The person who refrains from any charitable deed suffers miserably due to poverty and difficulties. He experiences all the 8 forms of daridra (poverty).
What are the 8 forms of poverty (ashta daridra)? Wearing torn clothes, eating stale, leftover food or orts (remainder food from another’s plate), inability to digest food, begetting physically handicapped children, being widowed at a very young age, obtained a termagant spouse or a spouse who is badly addicted to evil habits, losing the parents at a very young age, and being born blind – these are the 8 forms of poverty. The person who seeks shelter under the Kalpavriksha tree never suffers from these 8 types of poverty.
Among the three solutions offered earlier i.e. bathing in Ganga, worshipping the Moon or seeking shelter under the Kalpavriksha tree- each of them has the ability to dispel only certain problems. Ganga can remove sins, Moon-god can remove affliction and Kalpavriksha can remove poverty. However, great saints have in them the ability to remove all the 3 types of sufferings at one go! In other words, only our Sadguru has in Him the capacity to free us from all forms of sufferings!
Those who listen to Sadguru’s teachings, put them into practice and talk/ behave humbly with Him have no need to travel to Ganga to dispel their sins. This must not be wrongly construed that they must never bathe in sacred rivers. Understand that Sadguru has the ability to wash away all our mental sins and give us the required purity!
Merely with the darshan of a Sadguru, the person can be freed from all sins! Having darshan of Sadguru’s feet showers all auspiciousness. The nectar called Sadguru’s discourses dispels all forms of sorrows. Receiving teertham from His sacred hands is the kavacha that protects all nadis. Receiving prasadam from Him dispels every disease!