Speech by HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – January 3, 2015 – Mysore
Om Namo Hanumate Namaha!
Our Bala Sachidananda successfully completed two years. Every Thursday we give nutritious food to school children in Gowri shankar nagar.
After the consecration of Karya siddhi hanuman, Sri Appaji in sri Datta Venkateshwara temple, instructed us to start an important social project. We then prayed to Appaji to allow us to give healthy food to school children. Right opposite our ashrama in Gowri Shankar Nagar there is a government school. We have our own schools in Nazarbad and siddhartha layout also. So many children from poor families study there. In order to bless them, to give them nutritious food and to inspire them towards schools, we have to do something special. On our request sri Appaji happily consented to start this ” Bala Sachidananda” project. Then on every thursday, in the opposite gowri shankar school, we have been giving healthy food to the children.
There we find 500 names in the register but only 350 children attend the classes. Isn’t that really strange? No one knows about the rest of the children. They may be playing outside. They won’t go to school. Some of them go to work with their parents. They have to help their families. In few houses if the mother is there to manage their house, then father is not.
And if the father is there then the mother isn’t! Such families need their children also to take some responsibility in working and managing the house. If we tell them not to send them to work and to send them to school, they may understand what we say but they are not in the position to do so. That is the reason why we have to attract such children. Then, they will convince their families and go to schools. So we undertook this project to share nutritious food to school children every Thursday.
Very intresting news is this that,after we started this Bala sachidananda, within two months, school attendance raised to 450. Our kartha took this project and doing with good commitment. Our Ramesh from Hyderabad came forward and offered to help in this project. He won’t like his name to come out. He has a Supermarket in Hyderabad. Every week he sends food from his supermarket.
Our Kanteti Karthik from Hyderabad also came forward to offer his seva in this project for the new year. He looks younger but his heart is big. I will do this year, he said and came forward! Today Saturday January 3 they have to leave children by 11 AM. By 11 AM school should finish for today. So I said I would come sharp by 10AM. So we can finish the program by 11AM. So now we are going there. So I cannot be able to see you all today from close. These kind of activities so many take place.
My eyes tear and my heart cries only when I hear about starving children for food. They maybe anybody’s children but something I have to do for them. I can’t tolerate that. That gives me deep sorrow. Any country it may be but if children are starving for food I feel sorrow. That is why there is no food avoiding deeksha for children.
Once I heard the Ethiopian orphan children’s starving plight and I could not receive my bhiksha that day at all. Big trouble for the mind!
During chaturmasya in Nuziveedu we visited one orphanage there. There stay about 50 children.
Sneha rites organization is running that orphanage. You can’t believe, that hall was not spacious enough even to accommodate 5-10 children also. There only lunch, rest, cook and everything. The condition was horrible there! Then I called on our local asrama trustees and said would you please give good food to these children at least weakly once in our asrama?
As token of appreciation for the chaturmasya I did here, would you do that? They happily agreed and every single week they have been doing anna daana for the children in the ashrama. Already 4 years they completed in that seva.
During the 10th chaturmasyam in Eluru asrama, few deff and dumb children came to participate in the puja. Then I felt like doing something for them. So I asked the local trustees to offer anna daana to those children on every Sunday without fail! It has been one and half successful years since they started this seva. May Eluru devotees and those children always have Sri Appaji’s blessings!
Same way during my last visit to Warangal about 20 HIV aids children came to our asrama. Small and innocent kids with dangerous disease.
Then I instructed Warangal devotees to conduct anna daanam every week to these children in Appaji’s name. They happily agreed and started that also. Every week those children come there to eat food, learn some lessons, learn datta stava, learn sadguru stava, learn bhajans. And now they sing our bhajans also. That gives me immense happiness. That gives resistance power for those children to face the disease also. We started it for that purpose only!
Same way in the opposite school also they should teach them Appaji’s bhajans. Teach Vishnu Sahasra Naama to children. Teach datta stava too. So we started the food sharing project in the school and now teaching music also to them. 20 Children are learning music there. Do you know how ambitious they are? During my last visit to that school, they asked me when we will You allow us to sing in our Naada mantapa?
Now only they started learning. Now they start to chant Sri Ganeshaya Namaha. Now only they want to perform in Naada Mantapa also. Very energetic they are. I felt very happy with their confidence! I told them that day also will come soon, do not worry and practice well.
You all also sometimes visit the opposite school and our asrama schools! If anyone is interested in teaching those children some bhajans or some music instruments like voilin, mrudangam, tabla or any other instrument that you may know, please contact sri Krishnappa sir and do so. We have our schools in nazarbad and siddhartha layout too. If anyone interested to teach them something useful, we will make arrangement every week for you to go there. We will select few children and give you their responsibility too. Anyone is willing for that seva please come forward and train them. That is very important. That way children grow up there. Appaji always wishes to educate thousands of children. Not many students show interest. Our’s is kannada medium school. We have to convert it to English medium. That is the situation but if we convert to English medium then so many teachers will have to loose their jobs! Children will come only if english medium is available! What to do, you tell me? For students, starting english medium and removing existing teachers is good or continuing with Kannada medium is good?
After so much of deep thinking Appaji finally decided to continue it as it is till the existing teachers retire. Even later also let us do Kannada medium. Kannada is very much necessary. Our mother tongue. All of us should learn kannada too. All asrama staff should learn kannada. Since children need English till existing staff retire Kannada medium and later on English medium. Let us offer our seva to our Ashrama schools. Same thing every morning our Narasimha Swami also announces to help maintain our Ashrama school. Appaji loves that seva. That is good for all your next generations too. Your children will get good education by your seva today. They will get good jobs too. Good marriage also for them. Good progeny. Get everything they need. Appaji will bless you. Do that seva!
Now I am going to that school. So after homa purnahuti we will go there.
Om namo hanumate namaha
Jaigurudatta