Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – August 3, 2011 – Trinidad
Jaya Guru Datta
“Harih Om Tatsat. Guru Datta. Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha Sri Saraswatyai Namaha Sri Pada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum.
Gopika jeevana hari govindo…govinda! Gopika jeevana hari govindo…govinda!
Why is it today Swamiji is saying Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna? Today is a very memorable day. Parama pada day, Swami Chinmayananda parama pada day. Swami Chinmayananda’s and Swamiji’s association is very great. That time he came toMysoreto somebody’s house. He is one great devotee. He came to that house and gave a Saptaham, – 7 days of Bhagavata Yajna. During that period one day, their manager, that organizer he called Swamiji also. And then your Swamiji also went to that house. Chinmayananda said, “For so many days I wanted to see you, but I don’t know. (It did not happen). Once I came to the ashrama, but Swamiji was not there; it was in Andhra Pradesh. Today, I am very happy I met Swamiji”. I also told him, “I went to Kerala during one visit, and at that time you were not in Kerala”.
Very nice. Then we had a conversation about Bhagavadgita. He gave a beautiful lecture. He said, “Sing 1 or 2 bhajans”. I said, “My program is different. I don’t have that program today”. He said, “No Swamiji, I have heard your voice. One small bhajan.” I sang a very small sloka. He was happy. He said I have many cassettes with your singing. I gave him some cassettes. There were no CDs then. And lastly he said, “Swamiji, your voice is very beautiful. If you sing the Bhagavadgita, then your devotees will listen. Otherwise, Datta devotees will not listen. Datta devotees only say “Datta, Datta, Datta”; only Swamiji they are following. I am very happy, your devotees are great. But Bhagavadgita is also good. Your devotees will also then listen and will be happy”. I said, “Okay, we’ll see”.
Why is it for so many years I have not sung the Bhagavadgita? I’ve given the meanings. I’ve sung the Guru Gita, Ramayana, and I have sung in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Telugu, English, and Kannada. I am singing in so many languages. Swamiji is giving; but, not the Bhagavadgita; only the gist, only the meaning with examples, beautiful examples.
In the Mahabharata, there are so many hidden secrets given for human protection. If you go to the Mahabharata you will understand, more than in any puranas.
Mahabharata is the first. For upasana, Ramayana is the best. For Self surrender and devotion, Bhagavatam is the best. The 4th – All kinds of Upanishads. First is the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is like a story, Kauravas, Pandavas, the battlefield, 5 members, the Pandavas, their problems with the Kauravas, the brothers fighting. It looks like brothers fighting. But the Pandavas are the five elements. Dharmaraja is Dharma. Draupudi is Adi Parashakti. So many people say, Draupadi is only one, and has 5 husbands, why not we also have more than 2 wives? Krishnahas 16 thousand. Why can’t we have 3 or 4? It is not good. Don’t compare. You are comparing. Where is garbage? Where is theHimalaya? Garbage will think, I will carry thisHimalaya. How is it possible? Garbage is garbage, Himalaya isHimalaya. Krishnahas 16 thousand wives, why can’t I have 2 or 3? You should be ashamed! Rakshasas! If you talk like that, you are rakshasas. You must receive punishment. No kshama guna (no forgiveness). No excuses.
Don’t talk, don’t hear such bad words. You don’t knowKrishna. He is not a human being. His connection is with stone, his connection is with water, his connection is with the sky, his connection is with air, his connection is with agni (Fire). What is your connection? Your connection is only with death god. Your connection is only with (the six inner enemies)kamakrodha, lobha, moha, mada, and matsarya. Your connection is only with sorrows. You are comparing withKrishna? Only atheists do, only non-believers talk such nonsense and rubbish. So, don’t speak like that. Then you can compare with Rama. He had only one wife; he struggled, struggled, struggled, and struggled about Dharma. You are looking at these as mere stories. You go to the inner meaning. Then you will understand our stories, our Dharma. In the Bhagavatam, it is devotion and surrender completely, without a second thought. No thoughtless, senselesskama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and matsarya…only surrender, complete surrender. My atman is surrendered, my sense organs are surrendered. It is very high level in the Bhagavatam. So many different subjects are covered in the Bhagavatam. They’ve given so many examples, small, small, small stories. Krishnais also included in the Mahabharata. Mahabharata includesKrishna. That same Bhagavatam Krishna is in the Mahabharata. There is an overlap of some paragraphs in the Bhagavatam and in the Mahabharata.
These are not stories, not comic books. This is real advice for human beings. Because we are all humans, suffering about janma janma, janma, janma, death, death, birth, birth. Anyway, Chinmayananda says, “Swamiji, your lectures also I have heard. I’m giving also some Upanishad lectures”. I said, “I heard. I have your cassettes with me”. It was a good conversation. I didn’t say anything. I came back. My followers were asking, “Why Swamiji? You must sing Bhagavadgita in Swamiji’s voice”.
I told a small story about Bhagavadgita. In my childhood, when I was 3 or 4 years old, I was a very clever computer boy, like what you call, a robot. They (the neighbors and other people) were calling my aunt, saying that this boy has no sense, this boy has no blood also, has no feeling at all. What is this? Daily my aunt wanted me to recite one sloka of the Bhagavadgita. Only then I could sleep. I by-hearted it (memorized) completely. All adhyayas, all chapters. All 18 chapters, I by-hearted completely. One day, in Bhakti yoga, I’m giving the sloka, very wrong. A little bit mixed up. Then she got very upset, my aunt. Then, she punished me here (pointing to the back of the neck) with the handle of a fiery spatula. A big iron serving spoon, she went and put it in the fire for one hour and then when it was red hot, she pierced with it through the back of my neck. There is still a mark (a scar) here. That is Lambika Yoga. That is a kind of yoga. That moment was very unhappy, crying. But, that is Lambika Yoga. I am very happy, I am very cool. In that moment, I said, “Go, go! I will not tell, I will not sing this Bhagavadgita”. I was a little bit upset, a little bit only.
After Chinmayananda swami asked and my devotees also started asking, she (my aunt) came in a dream and said, “Please forgive, forgive, excuse, excuse.” Then I sang fast, some people heard. Some important shlokas we picked. Bala Swamiji gave the elaborate meaning in Telugu (and SwamiManasa Dattagave the meaning in English).
Go to iTunes to download Bhagavadgita. Swamiji is singing Bhagavadgita. You go to iTunes and download completely. Go to Ramayana, Kausalya’s house, Kausala house,Pampariver, the 100 slokas, go to iTunes and download. You have Apple (iPhone/iPad) app also there. Apple company made app, Ramayana, Bhagavadgita, Guru Gita, Hanuman Chalisa. You go and download, very famous today. Every year, so many downloads. If you go see the statistics, then you will understand. You are missing all iTunes. You go to Ragasagara, there are plenty of CDs, plenty of healing music, different, different concerts, very powerful concerts. You have no time, no electricity, no laptop. You say, “My boy knows, my girl knows”. But what the boy and girl are watching, you don’t know. They are looking at only bad websites. You don’t know. Spoiled! You go and download all the bhajans. This CD! Point to Bhagavadgita CD. It is a very nice CD with a booklet also with meaning in English. After so many years I sang, upon Chinmayananda Swami’s request. He said, “Sing!”and I sang.
After Swami Chinmayananda got a little bit sick in the body, I began sending him every day vibhuti, and this teertha (the teertha given after Sri Chakra Puja) this herbal water. I was sending daily. He was very happy. Lastly he wanted to give a present. That presentation, “I have seen Swamiji, there’s no secretary”. He sent his secretary and told him to go serve Swamiji. “You are brilliant. Swamiji and his ashrama need a brilliant secretary”. He came and asked Swamiji, “I want to serve”. He served the Mysore ashrama for 16 years. His name is Krishna Murthy. Chinmayananda’s secretary. He came and served for 16 years. Such a presentation Swami had given. So today, I remember. Please close your eyes, sit and pray once again, “Om namo Narayanaya (11 times)”
Jaya Guru Datta! Sri Guru Datta!
So, yesterday, I am coming to my subject, switching on to my subject. Yesterday, it was a very nice day, Aripo bath. And some very close friends, I’m missing. I know their heart is near Swamiji. I remember so many old devotees. They want to come, but next year, I will arrange, we will go and bathe. So, it was very nice yesterday. So much development has occurred at that place. You don’t know the developments. Ramnarayan and their friends, the forest officers, unknown devotees, were helping, doing service. We want some more money. He didn’t ask for anything. My seva, my sevice is to give some dollars. He didn’t ask for anything and also said “No, no Swamiji”, to the money. But, it is our duty to protect Datta Ganga. Today in the evening, we have a small concert. Steel Band. That is only bhajans. I am also going to witness. That is for secret donation. We will send envelopes to you. You can put any amount of money. He didn’t’ ask for anything. I didn’t ask his permission also. He will be upset also, I think. I will tell him later.
Jaya Guru Datta! Sri Guru Datta! Now, my visit to Jayalakshmi Children’s Home.”
Sri Guru Datta
Courtesy: Smt. Hira Duvvuri