Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – May 24, 2012 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
Today I will complete the recordings for all the television channels, in Telugu, Kannada, and for Malayalam TV also. After that I will feel relieved. All this work also is only to benefit all of you.
This afternoon I will attend the program at the Veda Patasala (school) and distribute the certificates to the successful students.
The Veda examinations are being conducted here very well. Many examiners and students have come from all over the country to participate. Certificates earned here at Datta Peetham are highly valuable. They will fetch positions for the graduates wherever they may choose to go.
Studying Vedas is not an ordinary matter. It is a very difficult study. The Veda students work extremely hard. It is a great penance. They have to develop an extremely powerful memory and they have to maintain their powers of retention. Veda exams are not exams where the students can refer to any books. Everything is kept only in their memory. The mantras may be picked for an exam from anywhere in the vast sections of study.
The children begin their studies at a young age. They cannot have any distractions from the outside world. They do not keep talking to their parents on the cell phones. They are not brought gifts and treats from home. For visitors to distract them from their studies with talk of worldly affairs is a great sin. It will spoil their studies. It will spoil their minds. You will be teaching them bad habits and spoiling their simple livelihood if you offer them chocolates, clothes, gifts, and other temptations. You should understand how serious the study of Vedas is.
Many people express concern that Veda students will suffer in life because they do not have regular academic courses and they do not study in English. Such a notion is very wrong. These students develop their grasping skills and memory to such a superior degree that after they complete their twelve year course in Veda, they can very easily obtain their college degrees with very little effort. They will learn to speak better English than most others. They will have the blessings of God to such a great degree that they will own better houses; have better families, and better lifestyles than many. They will enjoy the blessings of both Goddesses, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
There are other Veda institutions that are well supported by ancient Peethams, with extensive land holdings and financial assets. It is not a surprise that they also give courses and give certificates. They were established centuries ago. It is a pleasant surprise that they have survived to this day. The Veda School at Avadhoota Datta Peetham is relatively new. It has been in existence only since about four decades. We are now in the 19th year of conducting annual examinations. Yet, our school enjoys great prestige and reputation.
Instead of offering personal gifts to the students and disturbing their focus and their studies, instead of engaging them in distracting conversation, it is better for all of you to support the Veda Nidhi. Specify your gifts to go to Veda Nidhi. Then Swamiji will make sure that the money goes exactly where it is needed, and is properly utilized. Study of Vedas and the preservation of Vedic knowledge is a very serious matter. You should understand the importance of it and give at least one percent of your earnings specifically towards it, if not ten per cent.
Sri Guru Datta