Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji during bhajan evening on seventh day of Sri Devi Navaratri Celebrations – October 1, 2014 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
If a Veena is held upside down, it resembles our human body. Mother Saraswati is worshiped in the form of Veena. Her worship grants good intellect, good memory, and knowledge that lead to liberation. She grants knowledge that helps to earn a living. Skills and talents give expertise, fame and prosperity. 99% of us obtain worldly knowledge. Only 1% pursue the path of Truth that leads to liberation. It requires disciplined effort. Spiritual wisdom earns no such things as worldly benefits. But it removes ignorance. To gain that kind of knowledge we must obtain a guru. Guru is the form taken by the Mother Goddess to shower grace upon a devotee. That is what happened to Parasurama.
Ya devi sarvabhooteshu buddhiroopena samsthitaa
Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaha
Bhajan: Jaya jaya Vani Saraswati
Bhajan: Sakala vidyaprade
O Saraswati, the giver of all types of knowledge and prosperity, O the most enchanting consort of Brahma, you wear white attire, you hold a white lotus, a Veena, and you stimulate the intellect of even sages like Vyasa. You are represented by the seed syllable Ayim. You are radiant in all different hues. You bestow spiritual truth, O Sachchidanandini.
On this 7th day we are continuing to learn about Mother Goddess. Today we learn about how she comes to us and blesses us if we have the grace of Guru.
During this Navaratri festival we are learning about Mother Goddess and Her principle. We are learning how the Mother of the Universe protects this world and all of us. Mother Goddess is the main support for this entire Universe. We must never forget this very basis for existence. The karma principle runs this creation. The way grains that remain close to the central pivot in a manual grinding stone remain intact, we must likewise remain close to our central support, our Sadguru, to safeguard ourselves from harm, from getting crushed by karma. These days electric mixers and grinders have come. If not, we are dependent only on our teeth, the natural grinders to grind our food. That central support for us is Guru.
We must seek the shelter of Mother Goddess and keep offering Her our worship and prayers. Only then her compassionate glances will be directed towards us and we will receive Her grace. Our sorrows will then vanish. We will be affected neither by joy nor sorrow. Arrogance also will not touch us. Karma is the puppet master who turns the grinding stone. We must seek Guru to help us to escape from getting harmed.
Reading books does not grant knowledge of Truth. Truth comes only through Guru’s grace.
Knowledge about the importance of Mother Goddess is revealed to us only through Guru. It is a stipulation in Sri Vidya that it is only through Guru that one may learn about Mother Goddess. Sri Vidya is not a subject that can be learned merely from reading books. It is a secret knowledge that can only be obtained through initiation given by Guru. That is why Mother is praised as “Gurupriyaayai namaha”. It implies that Mother Goddess highly favors Guru and the Guru principle. She is most delighted with the Guru who reveals to his disciples the highest truth about Parabrahman, the Supreme Soul. Those who revere Guru with genuine devotion are well protected by Mother Goddess.
Even the greatest amongst people require the grace of Guru and initiation from Guru. That is the only way for them to clear their doubts. By Guru’s grace, their hearts will then become pure. Adi Guru Dattatreya is a devotee of Mother Tripura. We will learn during these Navaratri celebrations how His disciple Parasurama, who is a devotee of Mother Goddess, once suffered great agony and obtained the compassion of Mother through the help of Lord Dattatreya.
Long ago, Parasurama killed, out of a tremendous rage, Emperor Kartaveeryarjuna for having stolen a sacred cow. Kartaveerya’s ten thousand sons, unable to tolerate this outrage, killed Parasurama’s father during Parasurama’s absence. If you read Sri Datta Darsanam, you will know this story. Furious, Parasurama cut off the heads of all of them. His fury continued and he sent word through his messengers to all the kings of the world, “If you claim to be a valiant warrior, you may approach me in battle at Samantaka Panchaka.”
All the warrior heroes despising such a challenge, got together and attacked Parasurama. Parasurama, with his bow of Vishnu, and his powerful axe, killed them all. It was Parasurama’s plan to gather every one of the arrogant warriors in one place. For 21 times Parasurama went round the world killing all warrior kings, and finally, satisfied that he had accomplished his mission, let go of his rage.
But in his heart the guilt that he had mercilessly annihilated so many kings, kept troubling him. The fear that he has perhaps incurred sin by killing even some innocent kings tormented him. He felt remorse. In addition to that, since all the kings of the earth had been killed, anarchy became rampant. Since the situation was getting out of control, Parasurama himself began to rule the world righteously just to protect the people and not out of any greed for the kingdom. To atone for the killing of so many kings, he performed many rituals and engaged in great charitable acts giving away treasures and land to all the sages. Then, Sage Kasyapa said to him, “This entire land now belongs to us. You have no permission to remain here. Please go away somewhere else.”
Parasurama begged the sage to at least allow him to visit the pilgrimage centers. He wished to wash away his sins through pilgrimages. Sage Kasyapa said, “You may do your pilgrimage during the daytime, but at night, you are not allowed to remain on this earth.”
Parasurama agreed to that condition and raised the Mahendra Mountain out of the ocean and made his residence on top of it where he conducted his penance. By his merit he earned the eligibility to rise to higher planes of existence. Despite having performed so many Yajnas and charities, and conducting penance, the rage and remorse in Parasurama’s heart still remained in a seed form and rankled. Because of that, the thought never arose in him to seek spiritual wisdom.
That Yuga ended and another Yuga commenced. Vishnu incarnated as Sri Rama and broke the bow of Siva. Upon hearing this news, the seed of rage that lay hidden within Parasurama suddenly erupted like a volcano. He came at once to accost Rama and challenged him. He was humiliated and learned that Sri Rama was none other than Maha Vishnu. He realized the oneness of them both. He declared that he did not consider it an insult to lose at Vishnu’s hands and went away happily. He took leave of Sri Rama.
As he was returning to his abode, he recollected the events of the past. He regretted his actions that resulted from his uncontrolled fury. He developed dispassion. He lamented that although he had attained dispassion, he had failed to obtain spiritual wisdom. By divine grace, at such a time, Samvarta Avadhoota, a disciple of Lord Dattatreya appeared before him. Parasurama sought his guidance and begged for help. Samvarta Avadhoota said to Parasurama, “Seek refuge at the feet of Lord Dattatreya. Your grief will disappear. You will find peace.“
Parasurama did as he was advised and surrendered himself at the feet of Lord Dattatreya. He received initiation from him and felt completely fulfilled. One who surrenders to Guru, no matter how great the crimes committed in his past might be, will become freed from all sins.
Bhajan: Aghanasana anaghapriya
O destroyer of sins, the beloved of Mother Anagha, of nectarine divinity, I prostrate to you. Your eight sons are the eight siddhis. Please remove the undesirable desires that hide inside every atom of my being. Please remove the arrogance that has stepped into my heart, O great Lord. Grant me the ever pure, blissful state, O great Guru. Inspire within me the required intellectual sharpness (to experience Truth). O most compassionate Datta, O manifestation of Supreme Truth, you are my supreme lord.
What Parasurama learned was Sri Vidya, the secret knowledge of spiritual Truth from Lord Dattatreya. He worshiped Mother Tripura as he was directed by his Guru. All his doubts got cleared. He realized his true Self. He realized the nature of this world. He realized the form of Mother Goddess and became fully liberated while still remaining in the body. Experiencing God is the same as the realization of one’s own Self. There are no separate entities as you and I. Knowing that the entire Creation is within oneself is the experience of Truth. The sins are only attached to the body and not to the soul. That realization is the gift that Guru grants.
Guru’s support and guidance work wonders. Mother Tripura ever protects the devotees of Guru. Just as Mother Tripura showered her grace upon Parasurama who steadfastly followed his Guru, may Mother Goddess protect all those of you who follow your Guru with firm faith and devotion. This is my blessing to all of you on this 7th day of Navaratri.
Bhajan: Sharade varade maa
O Mother Saraswati, please grant me the boons. O Mother, you are famous as a wish fulfiller. Your form is the entire alphabet, all knowledge, and Nada (divine sound). You are sound, you are scriptural knowledge, and you are the giver of knowledge. Your form is mantra, Tantra, and the essence of all the Upanishads. You are Vedanta knowledge. You are melodious music, pleasing speech and the hidden meaning of the Veena. You are worshiped by Siva, Vishnu, all the sages, saints and ordinary people. You are dressed in white attire, and hold a white lotus. Please remove all evil thoughts from my mind. Keep blissfully sporting inside my heart, O Sachchidanandini, consort of Brahma.
Bhajan: Kaise main tujhko janoon maa
How do I realize you, O Mother? How do I obtain you? You reside in the forest of Kadamba trees and lakes filled with lotuses. You reside in the images of God in temples and in the full moon. You reside in the letters of the alphabet, and in the Sri Chakra. You reside in the radiance of the sun, the flames of fire, in the waves in the river, in the twinkling of the stars, in the drops of rain, and in the fragrance of sandal paste. You reside in the trees, in all the living beings, and in the annihilation of all that is created. Do I look for you in the gross or the subtle aspects of this world? How do I find you, Mother? You are both inert and conscious and vivacious. You are both outside and inside. How do I distinguish you, O Mother? You are the parrot inside the cage called Omkara. You are the moon called Sachchidananda, O Mother.
We keep looking for Mother and we do not find her. We must seek her inside ourselves. That is the teaching from our Sadguru today.
It is already 8 PM. Tomorrow there is Chandi Homa. We are fast approaching the end of this celebration.
Amongst billions of people, you are the selected few who have landed here happily to participate. Observing the ceremonies here is as good as participating in this Navavarana Puja. You do not have to offer physically the flowers. Swamiji has explained to you in detail about this wonderful worship. He worships Sri Jayalakshmi Mata as Mother Goddess. Tomorrow is Sri Jayalakshmi Mata’s birthday, on Durga Ashtami Day. My elders kept the actual birthday of Sri Jayalakshmi Mata a secret. Finally Chikkamma disclosed the truth to me. So now upon her insistence, we will celebrate the birthday on Durga Ashtami. Till now we were celebrating it on Sankara Panchami, the same day that she gave up her mortal body.
Ashtami and Navami come together tomorrow. So tomorrow is the last day of the Navavarana Pujas. We will also have a Kalyana utsavam. You must have the darshan of Sri Datta Venkateswara Swami tomorrow both morning and evening. He is the only one who can remove the negative aspects of Kalaratri.
Swamiji has given concerts in all the famous concert halls of the world except at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. The concert will take place on April 6th, 2015, Easter Monday. Please make every effort to attend it. In this your lifetime, if you have the opportunity to come, you must come without fail.
Another time, I make a mention about Flight (the parrot). It used to fly like an airplane. In just two years, it acquired as much maturity as another parrot would in 8-10 years. Rama sobbed and wept for Jatayu, the bird. He performed the funeral rites for it, which he had not done even to his own father. This bird always remained under Swamiji’s beard. It was like its nest. I felt very happy. It kept pulling out the hairs. It would whisper in my ear Rama, Datta, and Hreem in a very soft voice. We were not able to record its voice. It lost its leg in an unfortunate incident and yet remained very bold and courageous. This bird flew beautifully despite losing one leg accidentally. On the inauguration day of Shuka Vana, it came to me before I even went to take a bath. Because it had to sleep standing on one leg, it was given another bird to give it support. Flight used to rest on the shoulder of this friend, a sun conure. This bird also used to chant Rama. This guard bird used to always escort it. That day both the birds came to the swimming pool. That morning Swamiji told Ramakrishna: This bird has decided to leave us today. Please watch it carefully. He thought that I meant it would fly away.
This Flight had lost one leg. On Hanuman’s consecration Day, because it was still recovering from its bitten off leg, I did not take Flight with me to the ritual. One day as I was walking in the Bonsai Garden, it flew off and brought back for me a Hanuman Toram for him.
That morning of September 21st, I told the boys to take care of Flight. Normally it does not come to me after my bath, before Puja. That morning it came to me and sat on my shoulder. I went to my altar to perform puja. I finished worship. I gave flowers to both the birds. The guard parrot ate the flower and went away. Flight held the flower, climbed down with my beard as support and dropped the flower not on the Saligrama but on the Bindu of the Sri Chakra on my Puja altar. Amara witnessed this. He is very fortunate. He was surprised. I placed the parrot on the Dasavatara door. I told Flight to remain there till I returned. I came down for giving darshan to the waiting devotees. Before I went back up, it fell, and gave up its life. I was not told about it. I went in, brushed my hair, wore the head band, and I was being rushed by Prasadi to go downstairs for the Shuka Vana inauguration, a most happy event for me. Neelakantha came with a forlorn face and said: Flight has gone away. I guess you know it.
Anytime Flight disappears, everybody frantically searches for it. Four times it flew away and returned safely.
I asked: where did it go? He simply said it is gone. I understood. I held it in my hand and took it to the altar. Swamiji’s tears drenched it completely. Bala Swamiji was also there. He had never seen Swamiji sob like that, not even when he lost his father. Swamiji’s tears are more sacred than the holy Ganga water. The bird received abhishekam with such tears. I wrapped it in Swamiji’s handkerchief. How to describe Swamiji’s mental state? He was grief-stricken.
I had to come down to cheerfully inaugurate the Shuka Vana. One moment there is extreme grief and the next moment it is intense joy.
During interviews, someone in great grief will come to me. I shed tears with them sharing their grief. These are genuine tears. Swamiji never sheds fake tears like the cinema actors and actresses who place glycerine in their eyes. Right after them, a newlywed couple comes. I smile with them to share their joy. Then a quarreling couple comes. I mediate, remaining serious. Imagine Swamiji’s mental state with these instant changes in moods.
Such a beautiful video Pramod made, with different photos of Flight and put Sarasangi Raga Sagara music to it as background melody. Now we will show you an announcement about the concert in Australia. After that this video of Flight will be shown.
Sri Bala Swamiji spoke:
Why does Swamiji love that bird so much? In SGS Life History: Mother left her body. Yet, no one was truly moved by sorrow. Swamiji, as a young boy, observed this sad situation and decided to change the world and introduce compassion and kindness into the hearts of people. In 1991 when Thatagaru left his body, (I had intense headaches till then, when I heard this news, my headaches left me forever) Appaji wore dark glasses. He said: my father is my guru. He has not gone anywhere. He always remains with me. I wear dark glasses now because devotees will begin to wonder why I am not shedding tears.
I saw Swamiji weeping when Flight died, the way one does not even weep at the loss of one’s own parents. Rama wept for Jatayu, the huge bird. With my tears I grant you liberation, he said. Swamiji perhaps felt the same way about Flight.
Accidentally this bird lost its leg. It was bleeding profusely. I saw it that day. Yet, the parrot remained unaffected. It was given treatment. It recovered. Despite its disability, how courageous it remained, accomplishing more than most able-bodied parrots! This parrot stands before us setting a glorious example.
Birds travel towards light, Swamiji says. Moths and bees travel towards light. We are unable to go towards light. We must take Appaji’s support, and despite all troubles, we must overcome all obstacles and pursue our goal with determination to fulfill our life’s goal.
Flight had such intense love for Sadguru. It disregarded its disability. There is nothing more in life to achieve, than the love of Sadguru. This bird has achieved that. Appaji we will share that video about Flight with all the devotees now, if you promise not to weep again.
Swamiji said: My tears are all exhausted. I will not shed any more tears now at this tragedy cinema. In Shuka Vana we have built a Brindavana (sacred Memorial) for it.
Harati song: Jaya Devi Durga
Prasad spoke:
Einstein, an African Grey in America knew over a thousand words. When it suddenly died, the entire country wept, including the president of the USA. Appaji is remembering that incident. Kali, is an African Grey that lives here in the ashram. It speaks about 40 words. It greets Appaji every morning. The latest news is that since 5-6 months Appaji is playing the flute regularly. The moment he picks up the flute, Kali says, “Appaji sa ri ga ma pa da ni.”
People come to Swamiji with their grief and complaints. The birds are most pure hearted. They give joy to Appaji.
Sri Guru Datta