Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – December 14, 2014 – Jayalakshmipuram
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
All of us have just now witnessed the wedding of Sri Jayalakshmi with Sri Narasimha Sastry. It is the marriage of Lakshmi and Narayana. It actually took place at the sacred Mekedatu, near the 3 river confluence of Kaveri, Arkavati, and Guptagamini. Today’s celebration may not be as grand as what took place then. The 16 rupee saree that the bride wore that day was shown to all the villagers, who shared in its grandeur and the grandeur of the celebration. All the forest animals also joyously took part in the ceremony. Not only that village, but the neighboring tribal villages also attended the event. 5-6 years after marriage Swamiji was born. So many great personages from Bengaluru also attended. Mother’s relative who recently completed 100 years had personally attended. He described the marriage celebration on stage in Mysore. He passed away recently. After mother arrived at the region, there were timely rains. Bus service commenced. Good harvests were enjoyed by the farmers.
Annadanam took place. Vastra danam took place. Veda pundits were honored. So many came to attend the marriage, those who were invited and many came on their own, because they did not wish to miss this great event. They had cooked only for feeding a thousand guests. But several thousand enjoyed the marriage feast. My grandma told me.
At first my grandparents were sad to see Jayalakshmi leave their home to move far away. After the initial sorrow of separation passed, my grandmother recollected every detail of the wedding and shared it with me. For this lifetime of Swamiji, Jayalakshmi was the most perfect mother. In each of Swamiji’s lifetimes, whether he lived for penance, as a sanyasi, or as a householder/samsari, he had each time a mother who perfectly fitted the role. For my this lifetime it was Sri Jayalakshmi Mata.
My previous or future lifetimes I do not need to know. My mother has ordered me not to reveal those to the public. I would prefer to use my spiritual power to help others in the present, and not use it to dwell in the past. Mother gave me specific duties to perform. The most important being, to protect dharma, to help others, and to share the pain of others. She told me to never give pain to others in any manner. Even if it meant that I should suffer in the process, I had to lend a hand to others always. She told me to never give up worship, yoga or dharma. Dharma is not doing Puja. Dharma is to not give pain to others. Dharma is helping others. Again and again we must recollect this. Spirituality is personal. Dharma is for the benefit of all. All castes. All karmas. All creatures. Not telling lies is dharma. Teaching others the good things you know is dharma. Respecting others is dharma. Practicing equality is dharma.
Puja is personal. Worship is sharing with God your joys and sorrows. It is bhakti/devotion. Sharing with others is dharma. You can call your religious beliefs and practices as Hindu Bhakti. Not Hindu dharma. You relationship with Guru and God is Bhakti. When you improve your bhakti, it becomes dharma. If what you offer to God as Naivedya you alone consume, it is only bhakti. When you treat all others as yourself and you share all good things with everyone else, and you distribute, it is dharma. When bhakti becomes fully developed, it takes the form of dharma.
Danam or charity is what you give to others. When you give you must give without selfish motive. Then only it becomes dharma. Sri Jayalakshmi Mata has taught me to maintain both bhakti and dharma in my daily life. She taught me do both. Your dharma you must follow, she said. Your worship of God you must never give up, she commanded. She told me that I should see my mother in all that exists. She taught me that I should see no distinctions. The respect you have for me, you show to all others, she said. Charity belongs to both bhakti and dharma. Planting trees is danam. Giving water to the thirsty is danam. It is dharma. Giving only to Guru or God is bhakti; it is not Danam.
Guru will give as he likes. He does not decide by looks. Whether he feeds donkeys to destroy our sins, or he gives to those you think are deserving, is immaterial. Once you give to Guru, you have given, and you must forget about it. You should not be looking to see what Guru does with your gifts. You gave and you forget. Give for puja with bhakti. There is a subtle difference. Bhakti is what we expressed today towards Amma, mother Jayalakshmi and Nanna, father Narasimha Sastry. We have expressed love for Guru. Alongside we give good food, clothes, and housing as befits the occasion. Doing things to benefit others is dharma.
Wearing Datta vastram is with bhakti, as a personal dharma. It is personal duty to wear it, to show your pride in Guru. Today, Tilakam/liquid to place a dot on the forehead, is released. It is made by a good company. Your Guru is giving it to you as prasadam, with blessings. Amma ordered me to do this today, to commemorate this occasion. You do not know whether my mother really told me or not. Therefore, as your Guru, I declare. Wear tilakam/mark on the forehead compulsorily from today. It is an expression of your bhakti. I applied it on my mother’s forehead in red and on my father’s forehead in dark brown.
There are different colors also for women to wear to match their clothes for fashion. Men don’t wear different colors.
These days men are not wearing the dot on the forehead. They are ashamed to wear it. So many devotees come and praise Swamiji for saving their lives, for solving their problems, and for giving them peace of mind. And yet, they don’t wear the forehead mark. In Tamil Nadu, in Kerala, and in Nepal all men proudly wear a mark on their foreheads, with sandal paste, vibhuti, sacred ash, or kumkum, including even police officers. I must remember Amma’s marriage day. So I place a dot. Placing the dot on the forehead gives Jnana, Bhakti, and dharma. Due to invisible lambika nadi, which it protects. Colors are for sisters and granddaughters. This is Bhakti.
Datta prasadam. Men wear only black/dark brown. Red and black Story. My grandpa said to Narasimha Sastry, who was wearing all kinds of substances on his forehead such as vibhooti for Siva, sandal paste for Vishnu, and so on, to use the substance prepared with a banana flower which is dried, burnt and ground. He gave it to him to wear. My grandmother remembered that incident and told me. On his wedding day, Linganna gave to Narasimha Sastry. Anantarama Krishna used to make that substance for me. Some substances drip and fall in the eyes and cause irritation. Some are waterproof also.
To remember this event I am introducing this Tilakam substance to all of you, urging you to wear proudly the dot on the forehead hereafter, all men, women, and children.
We worship a vigraha, an idol, so that the mind gets nigraha, control and restraint. With proper Mantra the deities are invoked. A picture or image helps us to visualize and concentrate. After returning from Tirupati, we keep a picture of Balaji and we offer worship.
Today both Sri Jayalakshmi Mata and Sri Narasimha Sastry have descended amidst us to bless us. There will be bhajans in the evening.
Sri Guru Datta