Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – June 13, 2014 – Memphis, USA
Speech in the morning
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Harihi Om Tatsat
Silent meditation, Mouna Dhyanam, is something that we all require throughout our lives. From birth till death the Goddess of Silence protects us. This is a Karma Sankalpa. It is that invisible divine Mother Goddess of Silence who directs and controls all our joys and sorrows. Her different forms are Lakshmi, Saraswati and Maha Durga and all other divine manifestations. This entire world runs on the power of silence. Without it there is no Creation. We all will not exist. The Silence deity is very important in our lives. All penance and activities, Creation, preservation, and withdrawal, all three kinds of actions are dependent on Silence. She controls all energy. Countless faces and names she assumes. It is a big subject, this silent energy. It cannot be explained in an hour, a day or even several days.
In Germany we are going to conduct a Silence camp for three days, with many scientists in attendance. Daily for 8 hours. I cannot explain about that experience. No talking or singing or chanting. Only silence. Not just silence in the mouth, but silence in the heart. No reading books, no lectures, and no sharing of experiences with one another. The energy of silence has to be experienced. The knowledge of this world we need, no doubt, knowledge of the different subjects. But Adi Sankara has given the commentaries on the Upanishads, and Buddha has shared his experiences. Each one gives their own experience. First, Lord Hanumanta gave his experience of this Silent Energy. The first student, the one who attained the eight Siddhis, the eight spiritual accomplishments, is Lord Hanuman. His nature and personality are phenomenal. There is a source for this silent energy but it cannot be defined. Only in meditation, in silent contemplation it can be experienced. It is a penance. It is not something that cannot be purchased. Surrendering all difficulties that occur in the process, one must pursue this. Perseverance is essential.
In your worldly level if I explain, you may understand. To rise in a career, the service record must be excellent. If a negative remark occurs, it must be compensated for, by extraordinary service that will overshadow it. Even the celestials like Indra suffer from jealousy. One cannot complain. It is all God’s will. The purest gold is still further purified by the goldsmith. The goldsmith will accept the certification of purity. But he still subjects the gold to further purification. You may suspect that he is doing this to pocket some of the gold. But he will give arguments to justify his actions to the extent that you will be convinced that there is no better goldsmith than he. He will not compromise, no matter what. His hammer sound will continue. He will tell you to look through a magnifying glass to see the flaws. It is all a trade secret. He employs all his tricks. He has to even convince his own family members, like wife or children. Each will weigh the gold and see if any loss was incurred. Tests are inevitable even for the gods. No matter how pure one may be, or how perfect is one’s work, still mistakes may occur. Even to be subjected to tests, you must earn the eligibility. A teacher does not tax every student with demands and tests for perfection. God does not pay attention to every devotee by administering tests. He ignores most of them. If you are being tested, that means you are in His list of preferred devotees.
Once I scored 99% in mathematics, not in English, as you know. My teacher slapped me in class in front of everyone. I became very upset and angry at him for this insult. The other student who scored much less was praised and I was hit. That evening I went to his house to settle the issue. He welcomed me warmly and offered me milk to drink. I refused and demanded an explanation for his rude behavior towards me. He cajoled and said, if you had secured one more mark, you would have brought a great name for the school by scoring the highest. You have the capability. To encourage you to excel, I did what I did. The reason I did not punish the other student is that he is not capable of doing any better. My punishing him will have no positive effect. Till he retires from work, he will be only mediocre. The more one gets tested and punished, the closer one should be drawn to the Guru. It is just like exercise, how it builds muscles and makes stronger limbs, the more you stretch and work them out. These are all valuable lessons in life.
Today the idol has not arrived for the installation to take place on schedule. It is God’s will. What can anyone do about it? God alone decides when He wishes to descend to the earth to be installed as a deity in a temple. It is beyond human control. The science of temple consecration is very involved and elaborate. We need not go into those details. We may think that we are planning the temple construction and the consecration. But the truth is that God alone decides where, when, and how these events should take place. He gives us guidance according to His plans. We have to abide by the stipulations of Time. We cannot transcend the limits of Time and supersede its rules. We have to be subjugated to its commands. Leaving this world is also not in our control. As long as the feeling of separateness exists between God and oneself, all these thoughts and ideas occur. Once the identity with God is established, the mind becomes silent. All words will then cease. For instance, you might begin by loudly chanting the name of Rama. How long can you chant aloud? After a while you become exhausted. You will be only able to chant the name silently, internally. After a while even the internal chanting will become tiresome. Then your mind becomes still. That is the state of meditation. That state does not occur at the beginning of spiritual practice. At first, you have to chant the name aloud. It may be like a third grade lesson. But it is required. It purifies the tongue and the sense organs. That stage is necessary for internal and external cleansing. It cleans all the elements. After loud chanting, the next stage is lip movement, which is followed by silent chanting. Finally only silence remains. Just as we gain experience, even God gains experience. That is a different subject altogether. Experience alone grants the nectar of bliss, Amrita.
All the rituals of idol installation according to the Agama Sastra, it is all a different subject. But it is God who decides and protects all of us at all times. We also protect Nature by our gestures. We give energy back to the source, where we received it from. We take cupped palms full of water and offer it back to the water source with mantra chanting, which means, for all the water that you have given me to use, I pray that your resources increase a thousand-fold. I pray that you give us protection.
What is important is that the mind should be kept under control. It should engage in good deeds only, in activities that benefit everyone. A departed soul watches everything that is going on. A departed son looks on fondly at his parents with admiration and gratitude, the same way that the parents remember with fondness the departed son’s goodness. It is good to do noble things in the honor of his memory. I know that the departed person’s presence is here although he has been liberated, and there is communication between him and me. But what I can reveal and what I cannot reveal to you is all ordained by God. Whatever is happening is all good for us. How much money you spend is a different matter. But how you spend it is most important. If you simply give the money to the Trust, it may get squandered. I pray that Lord Venkateswara grants us all of us the ability to engage in Silent Meditation, in Mouna Yoga. I do not intend to invent any new formulae or procedures. It is all an ancient system. Only it is given a new look, a new approach, to benefit everyone now.
Speech during bhajan session
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
There are different kinds of yoga. Silence is one kind of yoga. Another type of yoga is chanting the names of God. Performing rituals is a type of yoga and Karma Yoga which is helping needy persons is another type of yoga. Countless ways of doing yoga are there, says the Bhagavad Gita. Today’s gathering is also yoga. It is all pre-planned, but not by humans. It is planned by an invisible power that is called by different names, like God, Karma or Paramatma. There are different meanings and various definitions for these.
There is a lot of knowledge. Countless human minds have countless different systems and karmas that they face. We do different karmas and are born in different ways based on past karmas. Indescribable are the countless births that all humans take on this long, non-stop journey. One level of people feel fed up of this never-ending journey. Many are bored. They want this journey to come to an end. Many find it enjoyable. Some hesitate to be born again. Some think it is God’s gift. Yoga is to help others to attain liberation or Moksha. But it is not easy to stop this endless journey. More births occur and this stream continues. Many feel that this is their last Janma. Not having a rebirth is salvation or liberation.
Turn off the switch to put an end to rebirth. We try to gain such liberation by doing penance. This non-stop journey only a few people like. Many do various types of karma and unknowingly get stuck in the wheel of karmas. We perform wrong karmas. The more links you try to remove from this chain, the more links you earn and attach to the chain. The faster you try to exhaust karma, the more Karma you accumulate sometimes, by doing actions with the wrong approach.
Knowledge and wisdom have to be applied in Guru Sava. Many have a lot of knowledge but it is coupled with ego. It is called ignorant knowledge. You have knowledge. But you do not know. You need a Guru when you search for light. You earn knowledge that has no taste, to help you write lots of books and get dozens of doctorates. The knowledge itself is dark. It is useful for arguments, fighting, debating and might make one a good scientist. But it is of no use to oneself. Practice is better. Mere traditional knowledge is only useful for teaching others. There may be a big book. But a book or a tape recorder does not get liberated. A microphone does not gain salvation. It makes the sounds beautifully audible to us. We enjoy the sounds we hear through a microphone. But the microphone does not know the sweetness of the sounds that it conveys to others. The musical instruments are also like that. A violin has no wisdom. If it should really gain liberation, then it will stop its melody. It will become silent.
The sweet seller can explain to the clients the ingredients contained in each dessert, but he does not enjoy the different tastes. By tasting all those sugary sweets he is fed up of the sugary taste and does not enjoy eating them.
Pundits are like that. They give lots of lectures. But there is a gap of communication. You need a Guru to know that connection to make your knowledge useful to you. A plug is required to be plugged in to make the instrument function. Sadguru connects the instrument to the electric supply – He plugs in and gives light. There is energy and devotion in people but they do not know their own potential. Only when lighted, a candle glows. Flowers only blooms with light. Only when a flower is seen and admired, its life is fulfilled.
There is a lamp, a wick, oil, a matchbox, and there is darkness. No one is there to light the lamp. Who lights the lamp? Sadguru alone can light the lamp. All are managers here, saying, “Light the lamp.” No one will actually light it, except Guru.
In Kannada there is a proverb. I tell, “Do it.” You do not do it. Many are like that, who pass on the command only. No one actually does the work. Each gives orders and there is not one person who is ready to actually do the work. The one who does it, does not give orders to others. He does it himself. Such a one is Guru. He does. He gets enlightened first. Then he tells others with joy. He simply shares his joy, without trying only to verbally teach others. Do not say I demonstrate. You simply do. That is all. Guru may only give guidance, or give you advice on the right procedure.
Those who only teach, will memorize the lessons and pass them actual experience. False belief is created in others that they know. They really have not experienced. Only hearsay information is communicated by them to others.
I sing for my joy. If you enjoy it, that is fine but I do not sing for your enjoyment. Fellows here are all lazy. They asked if I should be provided a chair this evening on the stage. Why do they ask? Does it cost them anything to set up a chair? Suddenly if I decide to sing, then what will you do? Gain attention in public by scurrying around in front of everyone to get a chair for me?
Before the guests arrive, some hosts inquire from them as to how much they will eat and how much food is to be cooked for them. Perhaps you already had your meal they say. When they make such inquiries, it means that there is no food there for you to eat. Some ask as soon as someone comes, when they are going to leave. The return ticket is arranged for you. I am blunt and obstinate. I insist on staying and eating whatever you give me. Some tell their guests, I have made my plans. I go to the cinema. You wait here. I will not spend any money on you. But you come to my house. You finish your meal before you come, but you must bring me a present. Do not come empty-handed. Is this how you treat people? Double confirmation you want so that you benefit both ways.
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Who are you to ask me to sing? It is my will and pleasure.
You asked if I needed a chair. I wanted to hit you. But I did not want to insult you in public. So I do it here in private. I scold you. Who asked me that question earlier? Was it you? You? It was dark. Perhaps my own ghost asked me that question earlier.
Nayakam nayakam
It is our custom to offer the first prayer to Ganapati. He is Omkara. Om is the seed letter. First seed letter for Ganapati we sing. Like Vishvaksena. God is only one. Mother Goddess’ seed letters are very important. They are like code words. You learn the seed letters. Then you know about Vedanta. It is very important in our lifetime. Vedanta leads to liberation. Listen to seed letters; know about seed letters, chant seed letters or sing seed letters. It is an easy way to learn Vedanta.
Dum dum Durga
Some secret sounds are uttered by the left nostril or the right nostril, the tongue, throat, or only the humming sound is given, or the sound is drawn out from the stomach from the Muladhara to the Jnana chakra. Seed letters do Nadi suddhi. Listen to the seed letters and sing them along with Swamiji. Your nervous system and blood pressure will be set right. Through bhajans Swamiji gives a lot of energy that is contained in the bijaksharas (seed letters). Sing them like code words, but they are not exactly code words. The greatness of the seed syllables cannot be explained. Mother Goddess is formless. She is all-pervasive. She is not just energy. She is not just Mother. With respect we say those phrases to refer to Her. She has no name and no form.
Datta dhyava Datta gaava
Lakshmi narahari
Indiresa Govinda
Sankaram Sankaram
Kayena vacha …
Sri Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta