Discourse of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji on HIS Birthday – January 14, 2013
Jaya Guru Datta ! Jai bolo sadgurunath maharaj ki Jai !
I offer my best wishes to all on this auspicious Sankranti Day! It is our great fortune that our Sadguru Sri Swamiji is amidst us today. On behalf of all of us I offer prostrations to Sadgurudeva. Sri Karya Siddhi Hanuman is standing amidst us giving us all a glorious darshan, by the compassionate grace of Sri Swamiji.
The message given to the Rotary Club members during their program here yesterday should be remembered by all of us ( Speech to Rotary Club at Mysore – January 13, 2013). Lord Hanuman is a personification of Service. He should serve as our model for rendering service. He blesses us with devotion and Yoga. We should develop the strength by the grace of Sadguru to increase our devotion and to progress in Yoga. We should be ever service oriented like Lord Hanuman.
Today is a very auspicious day. We all seek Sri Swamiji’s blessings. We are blessed with His divine darshan here. Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God begins His ascendancy and journey towards the Northern Hemisphere! Sri Swamiji also generally begins His northward journey at this time of the year with a tour of Andhra Pradesh. Of course His mind is always journeying. But using Sri Karya Siddhi Hanuman as an excuse, Sri Swamiji has kept back his body here to bless us all today. North indicates progress. Our journey also should be northwards. It should be progressive.
punathumam thatsaviturvarenyam – Varenyam means bright light.
To all of us, surya deva stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom.
Makara Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion and begin to enjoy a life with bright light within us to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom, and knowledge, even as the Sun does from the Day of makara sankranti!
We all should pray to the Sun God. The Sun god offers his endless service to mankind with out anybody’s permission or help! His ultimate aim is to serve the PARABRAHMAN(supreme soul)! We should learn the selfless purest art of service from Sun god and Hanuman(sun god’s disciple)!
Different religions may have different opinions, beliefs, ways and means to righteousness but a confluential opinion of all religions is true service! Manava seva is real righteousness! May Surya swarupa Sri Appaji give us the strength to walk on the utmost righteous way of life! The Sun blesses us with the purest and the most powerful radiant light.
This morning the Aruna Homa was performed. Rudrabhishekam was performed to Lord Sachchidanandeshwara with 11 times chanting of Rudram. We should also always try to journey upwards, to rise spiritually and socially. The Sun is our great teacher. We should pray to Him and worship Him. He is the Guru to the world. The Guru Gita refers to the Guru as the Sun who makes the heart lotus of the disciple blossom – “Shishya hrtpadma sooryaaya”.
bheeshodeti suryaha – bheesha means fear.
Why is the Sun called the greatest Guru? He rises and sets daily with devotion and dedication, obeying the command of Paramatma. He truly serves the world, both by rising, and by setting. We all claim that we do seva (service) to our Guru. We are not the ones doing seva. It is the Guru who is doing us Seva. He is serving us. He is also ‘Saving’ us. The Sun and Guru both are true friends of the world, ‘loka bandhu’. They are always helping and protecting.
The purpose of life is to serve. There is never such a thing as ‘enough’ for doing service. It should never stop. Our Guru is teaching us by His example, how to serve. We should use Him as our model and follow in His footsteps.
I pray on behalf of all of us that our Sadgurudeva should bless everyone with long life, good health, prosperity, and fulfill all our good desires.
In Tamil Nadu today they celebrate it as ‘Happy Pongal’. I wish Happy Pongal to all. The delicacy, Pongal is prepared today to be offered to God and to be shared with friends and relatives. I offer my prayers to Sri Swamiji, our Sadguru on behalf of all devotees.
Jaya Guru Datta.
Happy Sankranthi !