Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji during bhajan evening on fourth day of Sri Devi Navaratri Celebrations – September 28, 2014 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
Everyone should memorize the Datta Stavam, Hanuman Chaleesa, Lakshmi Stotram, Lalita Sahasranama, and Vishnu Sahasranama. Only 8 or 9 important prayers. At least one or two you learn. Listen daily. They are available on iTunes, on Vimeo, and there are special Apps. The lyrics are highlighted synchronizing with the sound. The words get enlarged. They are available in many languages. Two to three thousand bhajans are available. You must acquire them. The App trains you. You can keep listening to the voice of Swamiji. It makes it easy to learn. It is your duty to listen every day and get them by heart. It is your duty for taking this human birth. Otherwise, this human birth is wasted. For good vibrations and good health, you must memorize, learn by heart the Guru Gita, and learn Guru Tatva (principle).
Agastya in Europe knows all Stavas and Kavachas also. You need good devotion and good interest and attention. You have no devotion. Always, you say, “Give me, give me, give me, give me.” I am also now asking, give me give me, give me. You always ask for my blessing, blessing, blessing. Now I demand, you chant, you chant, you chant. The bhajan groups do not sing bhajans at all. You only sing when Swamiji sings. You have no shame. The villagers from Regidi sing beautiful bhajans. They do not have just one lead singer, they take turns leading the bhajans. It is so nice. I feel like getting up at 6 AM to listen to them. But during Navaratri, it is so late by the time I retire for the night, that it is difficult to be come out to listen to them so early in the morning. I feel tempted to wake up early.
It is the duty of children to sing. But how will the children learn to sing if the adults do not set an example. You complain that your son has absolutely no devotion. How will he acquire it? You have no devotion. You simply come here for an interview to ask for a favor and you leave. Unless you practice the good habits at home, how will the children learn? 24 hours a day you must play bhajans in your home, then automatically the family members will learn them. You only come when it is time to write the exams and demand that I give blessings. Their minds should turn towards Swamiji.
You must bring the children to the ashram frequently. You should speak about Swamiji at home, at least for an hour each day. You must tell them stories about Swamiji. You must sow the seeds. That is why all these children come here. Are they crazy? This is the time when movies are shown. Why are these children here, sitting in front of Swamiji? Why are your children elsewhere? You must see what the difference is. What do I give them? Do I give them chocolates? Only on birthdays, I give to small children. They came and got attached to Swamiji. They come and remain in front of Swamiji, looking at Swamiji. It is because the parents turn on the TV in the morning daily to watch Swamiji’s programs. They play Swamiji’s DVDs. They play Swamiji’s bhajans. By getting used to this, the children remain in this groove. They do not look elsewhere. When they are at the turning point if you guide them into the proper channel, they will get set in the right track. Even if you ask them to, they will not leave. They will bring you here. Because you have sown the seeds in their hearts sometime, they are now attached to Swamiji. It makes it easier for you. Suddenly you cannot develop devotion in them. Many of you give the excuse of exams for the children for not bringing them. Just focusing on the exams, they just go off in a different direction. They fall in love and go astray. Then you hanker after Swamiji frantically.
It is enough if you remain with Swamiji, if you keep talking about Swamiji at home. It is not anything hard. You keep singing Swamiji’s bhajans and just from listening, they will learn.
Three days have gone by like three minutes. Today we adored Mother Meenakshi. In the Devi Bhagavatam, Mother is described as having eyes like fish. She easily grants knowledge and prosperity. Today we saw Mother Meenakshi holding the parrot. Today we celebrated the birthday of a parrot born here this day last year. Its name is Meenakshi. It is a Hahn’s Macaw. It belongs to the hamsa/swan family originally. After many generations, it took the form of a parrot. It is the smallest amongst the macaws. They are very naughty. They speak beautifully. They are green in color. They are very small. If they are taught patiently, they learn many words. We named two parrots, a pair, as Meena and Akshi. Another pair is called Rama and Ranga. Even humans do not speak so well. They speak, cry like a baby, and whistle just like humans. They imitated the tunes played on a violin.
I asked Pramod and Nagaraju to show us a video. This parrot was born in a natural way. Swamiji is dressed like that in the mornings when he is with the parrots. Swamiji wears strange attires, like Siva. He is digambara, all pervasive. He is on earth. The parrots get all over my body and that is why I am dressed like that. The parrots sweetly speak: Datta, Appaji, Good morning, Good night, and they speak phrases spoken by the older birds. By listening to the other birds, they learn to repeat the same words. The pair speaks about 80 words in different languages. YouTube has their videos. You can watch. One of them chants the Sama Veda. When I go inside I go straight to my birds. I am very happy and relaxed when I am with them. I forget the rest of the world. The birds keep me very healthy and fresh. I have now no complaints of any aches or pains. You do what you have to, to be happy. I will do what I have to do, to be happy. One should ignore illnesses. He, who dwells on his diseases and keeps moaning and groaning, is a miserable soul. Where is the need to moan? You simply ignore the disease. Let the disease suffer. Why should you suffer? The more attention you give it, the longer it will remain. With many people, indifference is the best policy. Some people simply ignore if others scold them or scream at them. If they are slapped, they show you sympathy that you have hurt your hands. That is what I used to do with my aunt. I would tell her, don’t slap me with bare hands, but use a wooden handle of the fan. I used to keep handing her those anytime she wanted to hit me to punish me. If one broke, I would bring her a fresh one.
The way the parrots keep hatching during Navaratri is really surprising. The parrots simply lay eggs even without a brooder box. Parrotlets are being hatched here. Some endangered species are also breeding here. One parrot was born, Sanjeev is its name, will have its birthday during Datta Jayanti. One greets me, Aye, it means Dad, in Assamese language. One Hahn’s macaw calls me Nanna, because I call it Nanna. It is surprising that a Hyacinth Macaw speaks like this.
Yesterday some people came for photos with parrots. One woman said a parrot bit her and it felt good. She said it pained but it felt good. Small Parrotlets. They gently nip. If you eat their left over food, it cures diseases. You please donate food for the birds. I tell everyone to be careful about shiny jewelry, like earrings and necklaces. They will grab them. It will harm them. You can go and feed the birds.
It is said that fruits pecked at by birds, is the best fruit to eat. Singer Balasubramaniam was fed a fruit by the parrot. He ate it up. I eat every day, fed by the parrot. It sips honey and places a little bit in my mouth. It calls me Rama. It is a lorikeet, a very beautiful and rare bird. We both share an apple, and some honey daily.
Bala Swamiji suddenly commented the other day, that I have regained my voice from way back. I said, I always sing from the front, and not from the back. They said you don’t make fun of our statement. Your voice is now sounding much younger. Because I share food with the birds, my voice is good. We should not eat everything that parrots eat. But for singers, parrot-fed food is medicinal. The parrots get the best food here, fresh fruits and vegetable plus seeds. Many people wish now that they were born as birds to live here like these parrots. Earlier, I used to raise dogs. But no one wishes to be called a dog.
A critically endangered bird has laid an egg here. It will become international news if the bird is hatched here. Once in 8-10 years it will lay an egg. There are only 400 birds of that species in the entire world.
Bhajan: Meenakshi Sukahasta mam rakshatu
Meenakshi is the consort of Siva with a third eye on the forehead. May she bless me. The great yogis called Paramahamsas hold Her in their heart lotus. She is the sister of Vishnu who rides the eagle. A dove first listened to the teaching of the Guru Gita. Sani/Saturn, whose vehicle is the crow, offered worship to Meenakshi. She gives light to the Sun god, who lights up all the worlds. Subrahmanya, whose vehicle is the peacock, offers her praise. In the forest called the Vedas, Meenakshi dances like a female peacock. She is ever blissful and she grants bliss. She protects all the bird species. We pray to her.
In the Suka Vana, daily, in the morning and evening the Bhagavatam is chanted. The birds also chant the Bhagavatam. The sacred vibrations fill the air. Everyone feels revived and refreshed when they visit the Suka Vana. Suka as Meenakshi grants spiritual wisdom, prosperity, wishes, and bliss, when worshiped. Mother fills life with Jnana.
During Navaratri, Mother Goddess is worshiped, wealth increases, and desires get fulfilled.
Once, all the prosperity from everywhere collected in one place and made its home in Vaikuntha in the heart of Vishnu. After a while Creation came into being. The world became filled with ego. Vishnu and Brahma became engaged in an argument. As a result of their verbal warfare, huge flames of fire erupted.
Recently Swamiji saw the erupting volcano in Iceland. He viewed from several kilometers away, riding in a helicopter, which was like a swan. Swamiji loved the taste of that sight. He felt like swimming in that ocean of fire. But others warned the pilot to keep his distance. One day, perhaps, we can show you the video of Swamiji’s trip to Iceland. It was a wonderful sight. The flames were leaping up into the sky.
The flames erupted in the world but the fires did not reach the chest of Vishnu. But, by the intention of Vishnu, the prosperity began melting. Daksha Prajapati, the son of Brahma took this opportunity to collect the molten beauty of prosperity and gulped it down, the way Siva consumed the poison Halahala. He became exceedingly radiant and strong. As he was drinking this liquid, a small quantity spilled on the ground and split into eight parts.
Out of those emerged herbs, and medicinal plants. They are substances that grant immortality. They are sugarcane, grains, legumes, yogurt, butter, cow’s milk, Kusumbha flower, and salt. Because of these substances, we now have all the different tastes in the world. Otherwise, we would not have had them. We perhaps would have been eating pieces of wood. As a reward for drinking this juice of prosperity and beauty, Daksha was blessed with a daughter called Sati. She was unexcelled in her beauty. Her beauty was transcendental. Her limbs were most graceful. That is why she got the name Lalita. Her beauty was like the wonderful mixture of all that was beautiful in all the three worlds. She, Mother Tripurasundari married Siva, the most handsome of all. She grants both nourishment and liberation. She grants beauty and light to the mind which is expressed in beautiful thoughts and words. Whoever worships her, be it a woman, man, an aged person, a child, a newborn, whoever he or she might be, obtains everything that is wished for.
When death approaches, many people get frightened. You should not fear death. You must worship Mother Goddess. Then you get to higher planes. Even those who surround a dying person must worship Mother Goddess. Never neglect a dying person. Now someone leaves you. Later you leave other souls and you will also depart. They leave us and we leave some others. Sorrow also continues to flow unless you stop it. You must force others to chant the names of God.
Although Sati left her body in the holy fire pit of Yoga, all forms of Mother Goddess became her forms. Praising her will establish peace in the world. Early in the morning one should bathe and chant her name with concentration and devotion and offer her worship to the best of one’s ability. One should not say I will bathe in the afternoon, or I bathed yesterday. You do not postpone eating your food. Similarly, you must not postpone your visit to a temple or to the ashram. You do not need to tell others of your plans, if they are going to ridicule that Swamiji is not actually calling you. You know that if not physically, mentally he is calling you and you must feel compelled to go at once. His glance will tell you that he recognizes your arrival. Do not say I attended the previous function, or I went yesterday. No need to tell others and get into arguments.
Charities must be given to the best of your ability. If you have nothing at all to give whatsoever, at least let the crumbs of food from your hands fall to the ground for some crows or ants to eat. Instead, many people wash down the remnants of food with hot water down the drain, where not even germs can consume that food. I always wash with only cold water. At least let some living creature eat at least one grain of rice from your hand. If you feed them, then they will not trouble you. That is certain. Because we do not give them food, they feed on us as diseases. Ramana said let the cancer eat my body. It is a big story. Why do you kill flies and mosquitoes? Use a repellant instead, to keep them out. But, do not kill them. In the olden days, they used to keep a piece of sweet aside for the insects to eat, and then they would eat the rest. Or, they would sprinkle turmeric around it to keep away germs. Even today, the brahmins who eat their meals at leisure keep five morsels of food as offerings to the gods. One foreigner asked why we eat our food so messily. I told him that we take our time to enjoy our meals and therefore, we keep some food aside for insects also to eat. We sprinkle water around our leaf plate to keep them from entering into our food. Then he understood the logic behind our actions. If I try to explain to them about mantra and Tantra, it would get complicated. This way, he was satisfied with the explanation. Our Datta devotees love to relish their food and their conversations during meals. Some people hide a container of pickle under their belt at the waist, to enjoy the taste. Such delicacies you should always share with others. If you eat it stealthily, you will be reborn as ghosts. But do not force them on those who do not want it. Then you trouble them. Sometimes people lie to others that they are eating medicinal substance. It is actually Chutney Podi/spice mix.
Performing abhishekam with cow’s milk during the month of Aswayuja is very auspicious.
Lalitaayai Namaha, Vijayaayai Namaha, Bhadraayai Namaha, Bhavaanyai Namaha, Kumudaayai Namaha, Sivaayai Namaha, Vaasudevyai Namaha, Gowryai Namaha, Mangalaayai Namaha, Kamalaayai Namaha, Satyai Namaha, Umaayai Namaha.
For the twelve months twelve names of Mother Goddess are given. You can either chant one name each month, or chant all of them all the time.
When you give charity, give what is valuable and useful, not what you have excess of, and is useless.
Malli, Asoka, Kamala, Kadamba, Kadimi, Kaluva, Champaka, Kubja, Karaveera, Mandara – these flowers must be used for worship of Mother Goddess. You should grow these plants with tender loving care, either the normal way or as bonsai. Give these plants as charity or as gifts to friends. Bring them to the ashram when you come, and give them here. It will make Mother Goddess very happy. Kadamba flower is a favorite of Mother Goddess. It resembles the dangling earrings worn by young girls, like a little pendant (chandelier). Gifting of these special plants goes by the name of Saubhagya Vratam. Chanting these twelve names, giving charities, and performing puja with devotion will bring all kinds of prosperity. Unmarried girls will get happily married. Kalyanam does not just mean marriage in the common sense. The marriage between mind and intellect is Kalyanam. Not just unmarried girls, but everyone can perform this ritual, any time of the year for good fortune.
Reading Bhakti Mala magazine is Kalyanam. How many of you read it regularly? I read it regularly. After all, it is only 20 pages. Read out loud to others. The donation of food and clothing during Navaratri gives benefit a thousand-fold. It removes all poverty from the home. Daily Swamiji is making you give gifts of sacred substances to Guru, and give gifts of sweets and snacks to Mother Goddess, which you can take home to eat afterwards. This austerity is described in the Padma Purana.
Bhajan: Saubhagyalalitam
Bhajan: Maa Bhavaani
Swamiji saw excellent discipline in Japan and in Europe. In Japan every now and then people bow down to one another. Why don’t we follow that practice here? Please cultivate that habit to at least bow down your head before Swamiji. You either fall flat, or not pay attention at all. Being silent is something that you have not learned at all. In Germany during the Mouna course, 250 persons sat in one room still like statues. Even their breathing was not heard. Even Swamiji sat with them like that. Even if bitten by a mosquito there was no sound. No thoughts in the mind, no chanting of God’s name, no focus on anything else except the breath. One must not fall asleep. It is very tough. But it is very easy in Swamiji’s presence. In the Nada Mantapa I wish to do such a course for at least one hour. But you cannot remain still.
Then Swamiji went to Iceland. All the five elements are displayed there at their supreme magnificence. Siva keeps the moon on his head to keep cool why? On his forehead in his third eye he has Fire. He wanders in the air. This entire earth is his abode. Now watch the video with the fire pit (the volcanic eruptions). I will also watch it once more with you. It will take 10-13 minutes.
Tomorrow is Shuka Maharishi Jayanti . Please have darshan of Shuka Brahma.
Harati song: Jaya Devi Durga
Sri Guru Datta