Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Flight Vana Inauguration – March 1, 2015 – Mysore
Jaya Guru Datta
Stay quiet. No loud claps. No screaming. No shouting. No loud noises.
The parrot sits on the shoulder or arm out of implicit trust in the owner. First we must learn to stay calm. Otherwise the birds will get alarmed. All the 31 different parrots, each one a deity for each day of month, are displayed here. No entry fee is charged for visiting Shuka Vana. You are my friends. That is why. But it is still an institution. You must support. There are so many photos and items to view at the Museum. Photos of birds with birth defects. Swamiji is playing the flute with a parrot on his shoulder. What does it mean? Write your comments and opinions in the Guest Register.
The ten rupees you give to visit the museum and the theater is to feed the birds. No one else is going to eat it. Gift shop items are purchased by lots of Mysore visitors. For four days I spent time there to see the activity. For their children they purchase items, key chains, cups, dolls, shirts, and toys. It helps to maintain the parrot park. Mysore citizens are gems. I am very happy with their support and interest.
Our Datta devotees are misers. They don’t even buy the Gift Shop items, leave alone donate for supporting Shuka Vana. The disabled birds are bought by Swamiji to cure and heal the birds. My staff are surprised because nobody wants such birds. A Catalina macaw I bought. Bald and missing limbs. Does not fly and may even die tomorrow, Swamiji was told. But Swamiji bought from using personal funds. Now it has feathers. It flies. Everyone pets it and says it is so pretty.
This cockatoo will not leave me although I wanted to send it back. I was told that its dust will make me sick. I am not affected by it. It is so fond of Swamiji that like a watchman it protects me. It may come flying towards you. Don’t be afraid. Even a bite does not hurt. It is not like a dog’s bite.
Repeat Mysore visitors are here all the time. It makes me happy.
Today it is the formal Flight Vana inauguration of the Auditorium and the Museum. We only had a soft inauguration before. Today we unveil the Plaque. Astrologically these birds have been chosen to represent the days of the month, planets, musical notes, and zodiac signs. All are parrots. Rare species that you do not commonly come across. Not easy to have them as pets. They have special dietary needs. 31 days parrots are here for you to see. They are sitting quietly with discipline. If too much noise is made, they will get disturbed.
Normally it is their bed time at 6 PM. They say Good Night Appaji, before going to bed.
Swamiji has launched this Maha Yajna of chanting the Hanuman Chalisa 130 crore times worldwide. The parrots chant along with Swamiji. Shweta, the white Cockatoo which is now sitting on Swamiji’s shoulder is the 2nd senior most bird in the ashram. It participated in the initial inauguration of Shuka Vana.
As Swamiji was chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, it kept chanting along continuously. A video was recorded and posted on vimeo.com. Over 2.5 lakh (250,000) viewers from 60 countries have watched it in just 2 days. Today we are celebrating that event. The Plaque that has been unveiled shows the statistics of the video with a photo of Shweta, the parrot sitting on Swamiji’s shoulder and repeating the chant along with Swamiji. Everyone will receive as Swamiji’s prasadam, Mysore Pak, a special sweet prepared here at the ashram. This will give you energy and strength.
As a treasure for the ashram Swamiji is recording the explanation in Telugu at the request of television stations, of the original Bhagavatam with the inner spiritual secrets revealed in short segments, now to be sent to television stations for broadcast in the future. Those who listen to this explanation will attain liberation. It explains about the process of Creation, what is life, who am I, what happens after death, what is the relationship between the individual and God, what is devotion, what is dispassion, all this knowledge, and all this is interspersed with wonderful stories about Lord Krishna.
Do not lose the chance to listen daily on TV and on MP3 or DVDs which will be made available later. If you listen for 2-3 hours daily, it will take you a year to complete the entire work. That much recording is taking place. With this attentive listening, I challenge that you will definitely get devotion and dispassion.
Fake devotion people display. Prostrate mechanically. Sit in bhajan sessions with folded hands with thoughts elsewhere. Pay ten rupees for a puja and pray for a son after having two daughters, or pray for marriage of girls, or getting a visa.
Pray only for strength to bear whatever God grants you. “Give me the strength to pray to you”. Do not pray about quarrels, diseases, projects unfinished, and so on, all such worldly and mundane things. They are not worth praying for. Listen to the Bhagavatam. 365 days worth of recording I have to complete in 5 days. That is why Swamiji will give no darshan or interviews now. Do not insist. Do not complain that Swamiji is not giving darshan in the morning and he is not coming in the evening. If you bother me with your requests, I will carry the equipment to Bangalore and do my recording there for a week. Hyderabad also has a recording studio. But it is too hot there.
Our fate we have to accept. Only Guru can change it. No one else has the power to change it. Keep firm faith in Guru. Serve Guru. Develop Vairagya/dispassion.
Sri Guru Datta