Speech by HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji on third day of Datta Jayanthi – December 17, 2013 – UPH – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Maha Ganapataye namaha
Sri Saraswatyai namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya namaha
Today we are all assembled here in this Pushpaka aircraft, Sri Rama’s flight as he was returning to Ayodhya from Lanka. It is Kubera International Airlines. So many people packed in this small Prayer Hall. So many monkey disciples were there with Rama. Here also lots of monkeys. But I am not Rama. I am also a big monkey. Daily, each minute, one by one the monkeys were sitting on the aircraft. Lakshmana asked Rama, “So many of them want to visit Ayodhya. They want to see Ayodhya.” As each person occupies a seat, another seat becomes vacant. One by one each one sits. This is my Dattatreya flight; this is Kartaveeyarjuna’s Pushpaka Vimana. We are flying to Datta Loka, which is beyond Goloka. There are so many Worlds – 14 lokas. And in each loka different beings are occupants, like Yaksha, Kinnara, Kimpurusha, Gandharva, Man, Demon, and so on. Different people, different characters, different forms. We now have human forms but we have also taken different forms as monkeys and others. People from different lokas are also sitting here. That is why different feelings are expressed. Some people want action, some people are looking for something different, some people want Satvik activity, some people are friends of Dattatreya, they are from Swamiji’s loka, there are some from the world of demons and some are from the world of angels. Some people act as if they are from the animal world, and some act like they are from the mosquito world. So many different people, different feelings, different actions. It does not matter. They are all sitting in Rama’s flight. Lakshmana is afraid of these people and tells Rama so. Rama asks why. There are so many people, balanced people and people who are not balanced. There are devotees and non-devotees. Rama says, don’t worry. You close your eyes. This is a very speedy flight. But don’t forget that this flight will definitely stop at Bharadwaja’s ashrama. We need a good dinner or lunch or both. Bharadwaja is always giving food to people. Here also this is Bharadwaja’s ashrama. We are all monkeys. This prayer hall is like an aircraft, an iron bird. Today on Datta Jayanti it will take off. Abhisheka, Karma, theory, so many things will take place.
Smartrugamee sanovatu. We are always thinking about Dattatreya. Once if you say, Datta, that is enough. If you just utter His name once most lovingly, he will shower all His blessings upon you. It must be spoken with love. Our birds shout the name “Datta”early in the morning. They say it in different musical tunes. Sometimes the birds sing in a crying tone, “Datta”. Then we understand whether the bird is sick or happy. Birds do not cry, they only communicate, only the small birds sometimes cry. We separate them and keep them in different places. We give to some people who are important, who have devotion and service attitude. Jnana, spiritual knowledge is only one. Food is only one type. Blessings are all the same. One Rama. One word. One path. One principle. Guru principle is One. There is no change in it. That one principle we will try to learn today on Datta Jayanti.
Some people who are engaged in service feel that they lack the qualification for liberation, and that forever they will remain only in service. They should never think like that. In an instant they will be granted liberation. Before you can snap your fingers they will attain liberation. But they have to serve with devotion and love. Then during this lifetime itself in a moment they will become enlightened. “Oh I do not know the Upanishads, I have not learned anything. I have spent much time with Swamiji taking care of the cows, I am merely a camera person, or I am only a painter,” and so on. Such thoughts you should not entertain. You must feel proud that you got such a great opportunity to serve. You must relish with pleasure and pride your right and your authority to serve in that capacity. Only then it is genuine service. If you feel discouraged and complain that others got and you did not get, then you will be a loser at both ends. Such an attitude should not develop. You must prevent such feelings that you are not given any special duties, that you have not been specially initiated, that you are not given an important task, and that you are not seated beside Swamiji. If you think like that you will lose everything. Whatever job you are engaged in, Datta will Himself grant you liberation. Regardless of what work you are engaged in, do it wholeheartedly, with sincere devotion. That is sufficient. In an instant you will get liberation. Swamiji will be very happy with you if you continue to do the work that he has given you. Sing bhajans, bhajans, bhajans, till death. It does not matter. Clean, clean, clean, till you die. Don’t worry about gaining spiritual knowledge. You must never allow your mind to waver, and you must never complain that your Gurudev gives everyone else initiation and knowledge, he makes others perform rituals, but does not give you those important duties, but keeps telling you to do bhajans or to keep cleaning, or to keep holding the camera. Never think like that. The moment you begin to entertain such feelings you get disqualified from receiving enlightenment. You will become like Trisanku (belonging neither here nor there).
Whatever work you have been asked to do, do that job, with devotion. Do not complain that you have not been assigned this responsibility or that mission. That is Dattatreya’s principle which he used with His disciple Pingala Naga. Adi Sankara also was like that. His disciple also felt like that once. He told him to keep washing his clothes. You must never say, “He never gave me anything important to do. He simply told me to keep thinking of Him.” You must be happy with the job that has been given to you. You must feel confident that Guru’s attention and grace are certainly upon you and that you will certainly be liberated. That firm conviction you must develop and preserve. What you think is not important. Once a task has been given to you, Guru knows what you are doing. You must feel assured of that. He is definitely paying you attention. That will lead to your liberation. Consider your menial task as the most important and the most prestigious work and do it most lovingly and with the greatest diligence. Guru may tell you to scrub something. You should be happy and should continue scrubbing instead of crying, “My Guru should have offered me His feet to touch.” You fool, realize that the jute rag that he gave you to scrub with, are His divine feet. That rag is His silken golden robe. If you see it as a rag, that is your karma. That is your devil. Change your attitude. Show me that rag. Regard this rag as pure silk from Kasi. If you treat it as a jute rag, then you are a demon. You have demonic qualities. That rag is sitting beside God. It is divine. Do you have the capacity that the rag has, to scrub the floor clean? Can you replace the rag in its great function? Isn’t the rag simply great? We are incapable of doing what it does. It absorbs all types of dirt and filth without complaining. Children pee on it. Once you wash it and rinse it in water it comes clean and is ready to serve again. It is much better compared to many people who are very finicky and refuse to touch anything unclean, saying, “That is not nice, I don’t like it, it is untouchable,” and so on. The rag repeatedly keeps cleaning. It is so useful. It is far superior to you, I feel sometimes. The liberation that this rag attains, your silk robe will not attain.
Swamiji’s thoughts will be focused on the person who is way behind, doing work; not on you who are sitting right up front, frantically trying to catch Swamiji’s attention. You do not realize this. In spite of all your dance poses and actions, Swamiji ignores you. You are always around. I do not need to make any effort to see you. You make yourself very visible. The person who is somewhere in the back is the one whom Swamiji watches. You have already labeled yourselves as important people and you come and sit up front. Those others do not even know how to label themselves. All they know is to hold the broom and sweep. They know nothing else. They know only about their cleaning work. You are sitting on the first page. I need to read the last page. This is a big book. I want to read it from the first page to the last. So I go to the last page.
You should understand this. But I don’t want all of you to move to the last page. Please remain here. You will be overreacting if you think that since Swamiji said he is upset with the first page, and people here have labeled themselves, I want to go to the last page and I do not want any label. The people on the last page know that they are good, they are happy about being on the last page and they do not want to come here. But you, you were at the last level one or two years ago and now you have moved forward towards liberation. Why do you want to again revert? If you waver like that you will become like Trisanku and you will be neither here nor there. You should not be like that. Whatever definitions or examples Swamiji may give, you must have the conviction that you are the first. That is also service. That is the Supreme principle where you claim Swamiji to be your own, Swamiji is entirely yours, and you belong entirely to Him, but without verbalizing it you should be convinced of it fully in your heart. That is true devotion, when you behave with absolutely no doubt, no suffering of insult, and without ever feeling guilty. If you feel guilty, it means you are on the wrong track. When you are the purest light, where is the question of feeling guilty? Why would you feel guilty? Why would you feel neglected or discouraged that Swamiji did not notice you or speak with you or said that you are pushing forward? Physically moving to the back is not the solution. It makes no difference to Swamiji where you place yourself physically. You should not move to the back, and they should not move to the front. They are happy where they are. They should not waver in their conviction. You should not have doubts in your mind that you may be at the wrong place. They have their place. You have your place. Each should stick to their own business.
Sometimes when I am speaking to someone and some devotee comes from Akiveedu (village) and wants to offer Swamiji some sweet preparation (ariselu), the people near me like Prasad will get irritated that this person is butting in when Swamiji is speaking with an important person and offering him felicitation. But the devotee from Akiveedu is not concerned with what is going on. His only concern is to offer Swamiji the ariselu and his prostrations and be on his way. Such devotees pay no attention to VIPs, and they pay no attention to the irritation shown by the assistants to Swamiji. They just want to finish the purpose for which they have come. If they wish to offer a garland to Swamiji, they do not care if Swamiji is talking to God, or Indra, or Lord Dattatreya Himself, they do not care if a volunteer, or the head of volunteers Narayana Rao himself tries to stop them, they have come to see their Swamiji, and their wish is to offer him a Tulasi garland, they will go ahead and offer it or place it at his feet and until then they are not satisfied. Why should they care? If one feels self-conscious and sensitive to insults, then such a person is not a true devotee. Such ego you should be free from. When devotees go to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara, the volunteers will keep pushing you to move on, and most people simply ignore them, and they use their precious moments to fully focus on the lord and enjoy the divine darshan. But some people pick a quarrel with those volunteers, “Who are you to push me? I have purchased a special ticket for darshan.” While this argument is going on, the person, without his knowledge would have got pushed outside the temple and would have completely missed the darshan of the Lord, and would have been granted only the darshan of the volunteer. Now he has to join the queue once again. That one second when you can be with God, you should not allow that chance to go waste. That is true devotion. Others may be pushing you away, but your focus and concentration should be on Swamiji’s feet or His eyes, you should just strive for a glance at Him or to meet His eye, and not be concerned about your surroundings. But when your ego takes over and you feel offended at the treatment you receive, your entire purpose of visiting the temple or ashram is lost. You only see the other devotees with shaven heads; you miss the darshan of God or Guru. You end up joining the queue again. Such is your fate. You must remain calm in your heart, no matter who pushes you or is rude to you. Your own demonic karma is the one that pushes and insults you. It is inevitable. It is not the volunteers who insult you. It is God who is balancing your karma. That is why the volunteers will only push you, they will not kiss you. It is not God who is pushing you. It is actually your own karma that is getting balanced. Suddenly when you least expect it, you will be told to just remain for a few extra seconds to enjoy the calm darshan. You will feel very blissful then. You are then away from the section of people who argue about paying for tickets. Am I right? Those with concentration and true devotion are never bothered by the inconvenience caused by others. The volunteers are simply doing their job.
God in the temple is least bothered by any of this commotion. He simply stands still and unmoving. People may be disciplined in the queue, they may fight, they may laugh, they may fall dead; He is not moved. Govinda Govinda. He is busy protecting the world. He is in deep contemplation. He does not speak. He does not pay attention to our antics. You may bang and break your head, but who knows, within Himself He may simply be chanting Govinda Govinda. He does not move. He does not even blink. Even if He should blink, you cannot see it because the big mark on His forehead covers His eyes also. He grants big Naamaalu (forehead marks implying emptying wallets) to all His visitors. Only rarely you get the view of His eyes. That view is very powerful and that is the reason it is restricted. That is not an idol. It is the real manifestation of God. Dattatreya here is not an idol. It is His real presence. It is not a stone statue; it is not a metal figure. At airports Swamiji wears sunglasses. They are not prescription lenses, only dark glasses because Swamiji does not allow his direct glance to fall on certain people. Only with Swamiji you sometimes get direct eye contact. Most other holy men avoid direct eye contact. Most of the time, Swamiji also looks at your nose or forehead or mouth. He avoids looking directly into your eyes except on some rare occasions, when he is either very calm, very upset, or when he wishes to transfer spiritual energy into you. He will be looking elsewhere. You may observe if you like. From now on, that is where your attention will be. Swamiji, are you looking at my eye or are you looking at my nose? No, I am looking at your nose ornament, examining whether it is a real diamond or fake. In the future that will be your preoccupation. Swamiji where are you focusing your eyes on? I am looking at your runny nose. You will not understand this.
When Dattatreya looks at you directly, he is transferring His spiritual energy into you. He does it through His glances, His touch, and His speech. There is no need to touch His feet. He Himself will touch you lightly on the shoulder. That is sufficient. It is more important that He touches you than for you to touch Him. You have no need to touch Him. Wherever He may touch you, He will transfer His energy into you without your knowledge. As He looks at you casually, as He speaks with you casually, as He lightly touches you, without your awareness, He transfers His energy into you. His casual words are like powerful mantras. You do not realize it. You must get rid of your ignorant attitude of feeling discouraged and disappointed that He did not touch you or speak with you, or that you did not get a chance to clear your doubt, that you did not receive a direct answer from Him. It is enough if the news is conveyed to Him. The answer will automatically come.
Swamiji gives his special blessings on this Datta Jayanti day. Time is always good. But our time is not good. It is always full of confusion. That is why you need God’s blessings. From today Sri Guru Gita explanation in Telugu is starting on ETV television channel. The short videos will be posted daily on vimeo.com and youtube.com also. You must watch these 5 minute videos. The links will be supplied. You can hear the shlokas and direct upadesa in Swamiji’s voice. So many times I have given explanations. But this series is very important. All the episodes have been recorded. A special feature this year is that there is a bird; Suka Brahma is listening to each episode. Suka Brahma has given us the Bhagavatam. Suka Brahma listened to Guru Gita conversation between Siva and Parvati. Sage Suka is very important in Mysore ashrama. Please do not miss it. At 6:20 AM every morning it is televised. ETV main channel. You may record it also. The episodes are very nice. If Swamiji himself says they are nice, they must be really special. Puttugam main channel also has these episodes. In the last episode there will be some questions posed. I am very happy that there are so many Datta devotees. Please watch these.
What more can you offer to the Lord who owns this entire Creation? People are so small and insignificant. But offer whatever little bit you can afford to offer. With just flowers or yellow grains of rice you can offer worship. You must not consider them as insignificant. You must utilize and participate in all sevas and services. Drops of water fill up a lake or an ocean. Single grains make a huge heap. Never underestimate your small contribution. That is very wrong. Let others make their offerings. You also make your offering. That is how your thinking should be.
Sri Guru Datta