Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – July 25, 2002 – Chicago
First you control and kill ego. Ignore and kill that ego. Teach your Buddhi a lesson and punish your sense organs. Then they will come under control. In the beginning you need a Guru. Once you learn driving, you have to drive the car yourself. You have to drive your Buddhi. This body is a chariot. Lord Krishna is the driver in the beginning.
See the Bhagavad Gita photo. Krishna is the driver and Arjuna the passenger is asking many questions and troubling the driver. I am your driver. Sadguru will protect your body and drive your body for some time. There afterwards you have to feel it in the heart and drive your chariot yourself. Swamiji’s Dhyana Shloka says “Mama Hrudaya Nivasam” which means Swamiji resides in my heart. Close your eyes and feel Swamiji in your heart. Where do you have patience to close your eyes? Sit in your Puja room and feel for Swamiji. I will certainly come. For even silly matters you send email. You have to and can control yourself. Once you come to Swamiji’s association and develop strong faith, I will protect you. No devils can come. Many discuss about black magic. There is no such thing once you come to me. You think of those things because you are not my devotee. You are not strong enough. Many still entertain such silly and dirty thinking. You are in my association and have strong bond with me. Still if bad things happen it is because of your bad Karma. Not Black magic. Have strong faith. That is all.
If you go through good books and literature, then your devotion and Jnana will increase. It is like going to a K Mart. Everything is available there. You need not run around different shops. It may be little expensive at times. But it is good to have one Guru, One Mantra. For Sadguru also it becomes easy to handle the disciple. That is why Swamiji gives Jnana through Bhajans. Swamiji gives teachings rarely. But if you go through Bhajans and their inner meanings, you will become a good student. Swamiji is a good farm and a farmer. You can get many types of natural products. It is all good for you. It will clear your doubts. Read books from the book shop. Swamiji’s life story is like Bhagavad Gita. It has many many teachings. You still look for more things. What is that more? More? Always more? Swamiji has produced many books. First read them and learn yourself. That is more than enough. There is enough for a thousand years of reading and understanding. Many still ask for Vedanta Classes. Read the available books. First learn what all are available there.
Many of you don’t even know what types of books are there. Book shop is your first Vedanta class. Do you know how much energy and effort Sri Swamiji put in to produce all those in the book shop? You are many times silly. You ask “Swamiji give me Vedanta”. First read books, listen to music and purify yourself. Swamiji’s different poses say Vedanta. Study Swamiji’s picture. Each picture is an Upanishad. It depends on your affection and devotion to understand that inner meaning of that picture. A simple picture will tell Vedanta. The publishers of the photos are not foolish people. Many one-line slogans say a lot. Go through the book God Word. It is so good. Study more and more. Religious rituals are also there with Swamiji. First understand the teachings in the books. Many feel that they miss something. There is much more than you can feel in the book shop. Yesterday’s experience is different. It will always be with you.
Why do you always look for new experience? Ananda comes only once. It has to live in you. Many say, “Swamiji you look so beautiful today. Swamiji you are Ganapati, Swamiji you are Datta, Swamiji you are Shiva”. Suddenly you feel that the feeling has gone away and you feel that Swamiji is a musician or a cow boy. How can such feelings change? I did not change. I am the same Swamiji. Your actions, feelings, moods change and you attribute that to changes in Swamiji. It is like looking Sun through different color papers. You are the chameleons. It is your fault. Not Swamiji’s. In my opinion, once you give a title it has to stay for ever. If you change, I am not responsible. If you want good knowledge, study those books in the Book Shop. If you have disappointment, read a book from Swamiji and the answer will be there and you will get peace. Swamiji gives energy through books and tapes and CDs. It is not a business. It is a gift. Anugraha. Don’t always look for new things. Keep your past experience safely in your heart and draw energy from those experience. Last year one cinema got Oscar award. People are not satisfied. They still go to new cinemas. Whenever they see a good cinema, they praise that this was the best cinema. What happened to the one you praised the last time? Did it suddenly become a sloppy one? Who gives Oscar award to Swamiji? Nobody. There is only one cinema and there are no more new movies.
Swamiji gives the energy and meaning of the Upanishads through small Bhajans. The Bhajan “Muladhare Varija Patre” is so good.
To teach the same lesson in Vedanta it will take one week. But the same meaning is given in this Bhajan and it takes just 10 minutes for you to understand. This is a beautiful Bhajan.
Jaya Guru Datta.
Courtesy: Dattapeetham