Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – New York, USA – December 2, 2012
Silence is having no other sound in the mind except the Guru Mantra, while eating, walking, or doing anything. The best way to chant it is internally, silently. This gives you a pure mind and success in your endeavors. This method is superior to chanting it out loud or moving the lips to chant it inaudibly. Merely claiming to be performing mouna vrata, the vow of silence by simply stopping to speak is not real mouna, silence, because the mind is then chattering loudly throughout, perhaps more loudly than if you are talking normally. It is filled with frustration, anger, greed, jealousy, delusion, lust, and arrogance that is directed towards others. It is important to silence the mind, not the tongue. The same way mental worship with focus and devotion is more helpful. It is fine to do ritual worship and worship at temples when the opportunity and the wish are there to worship God with a form and all the materials are available. But when it is not possible, it is important to do mental worship at least three times a day. Imagine taking a sacred bath in the Ganga, performing abhishekam to the Lord with holy water, offering flowers, praise and nivedana, concluding with harati. You may with ease mentally visit Kasi, Dwaraka, and Madurai and worship Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and the Mother Goddess Meenakshi. Never treat the form of the deity in a temple as a mere beautiful stone sculpture. It is the living form of God.” Sadguru Sri Swamiji said during the most thrilling and uplifting Bhajan session held at the Ganesh Temple in New York this evening. The program was live webcast on yogasangeeta.org. Those who viewed it are truly blessed.
Sri Swamiji sang Om Om Om Gam Gam Gam on Ganapati, Tamil bhajan on Datta, Telugu bhajan on Durga, Tamil Vadivela bhajan on Subrahmanya, Jai Kapeesha on Hanuman, a Marathi bhajan on Panduranga Vithala, Kalahasti Ishwaruda, Srim Srim Srim, and a Sanskrit bhajan by Saint Venkata Dasa in Sanskrit, Tvameva mama sharanam.