Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – March 22, 2015 – Hyderabad
Speech after Sri Jayalakshmi Mata Kalyanam – morning
Loka Kalyanam we have witnessed. This shows children how parents are really like gods. This is Lakshmi Narasimha Kalyanam. We see the faces of Lakshmi and Sri Narasimha Swami in the faces of Sri Jayalakshmi Mata and Sri Narasimha Sastry. This satsang with Murtis/images and the auspicious Sankalpam/marriage announcement and the following marriage ritual took place first in Mysore, then in Jayalakshmipuram and now it is happening in Hyderabad. Mekedatu is where the marriage actually took place. Linganna did not have devotion. His brothers told him to develop some devotion. He left them because he did not appreciate such advice. He has a great family lineage. The bride groom had to pay to get the bride. It is called Varasulkam. It was not the dowry system where the bride’s family pays money to the bridegroom. Linganna worked in a forest. He did not believe the prediction about a man coming to his house that night.
Narasimha Sastry’s family elders were all great scholars. Narasimha Sastry donated his earnings to the poor. He was acting like a crazy man. He threw away the Saligramas from his puja altar one day because there were no materials to offer Naivedyam/food offering to the Lord during puja. His sister Venkamma came to take care of her brother and took him on a pilgrimage to help him regain his mental stability. A new bus service was started to Mekedatu by the government with the idea of making the place a holiday resort. A small boy named Ganapati insisted and sent Venkamma and Narasimha Sastry to Mekedatu on that first bus. Narasimha Sastry wanted to become a sanyasi. But he was made to marry. He wanted to take up Sanyasa after his first wife died. He began to behave like a crazy man. Crazy behavior means Avadhoota. The brother and sister got off from the bus, bathed in the river at Sangama, the three river confluence of rivers Arkavati, Kaveri, and Guptagamini, and then sat down for meditation. The bus left without them. In the night they opened their eyes and realized what had happened.
Far away they saw a light inside a thatched hut. They went in there through the back door. Linganna stood guard at the front door to prevent any intruders from coming into the house that night. Jayalakshmi was the one who welcomed them at the back door. She saw and talked to the man. She realized that the man was a brahmin. She saw the great man thus. Linganna was speechless to come into the house hearing the sound of voices and finding Jayalakshmi, Swamiji’s mother talking to a man. He just could not believe the strange happenings. He did not know how to react or scold her. The previous day he had shouted at his daughter when he heard about her conversation in a vision with Lord Dattatreya. He believed that it was impossible for any man to approach their house that night. He took so many precautions to see that no one would approach their home that night. This is not a fairy tale. This actually happened.
Famous movie makers like Viswanath wanted to make a cinema of this story. No permission was given. Kamalakar Rao and Jandhyala also wished to make a movie. From the north also another well known movie producer who had read this story wanted to make a movie. I told him go away and come back after he learned the Telugu language. I told them all that this story must only remain inside my heart and must not be made public. To this day, it stirs in my mind often.
Linganna questioned the visitors. Venkamma was an Ayurvedic doctor. A strange doctor. She told Linganna that night that her brother was mad and that marriage is a cure for madness. Linganna took up the challenge and offered his daughter Jayalakshmi in marriage to Narasimha Sastry, who was in a different world altogether. The next day itself they fixed the marriage in the presence of all the villagers. Then it was asked by Linganna if the brother and sister were brahmins. Narasimha Sastry’s relatives, younger brother actually. were very wealthy. His grandson Srinath is a movie actor. You know of him. All the families united at the wedding and they all attended the function. The entire village was there. They all treated it as Padmavati Kalyanam.
A grand 16 rupees gold saree was offered to Jayalakshmi. These days you cannot even purchase a blouse piece for sixteen rupees. The saree was so rich and expensive that it was taken in a procession on a bullock cart to show the saree to the people of three villages for all the village folk to see and admire it. Narasimha Sastry became smart right after marriage. He regained his forgotten scholarship and began chanting mantras. He then realized what was happening in his life. He became alert. He fought with his sister Venkamma. I wanted to become a Sanyasi and you got me married then, and again you got me married like this now. All were afraid of Venkamma, in the entire family. She was like a Rakshasi Devata/a ferocious goddess who had no desires. She was highly educated. She was like a guru to all. She always helped others. She never expected anything from anyone.
Very strange incidents occurred. Jayalakshmi Mata was always in dhyana/meditation. In that state, in the river, inside a cave this great man was born. The infant boy fell in the water and was floating away. The tribals saved him by picking him up and rescuing him. Was he really given birth to? Did the devatas/gods throw him in the water to be found there? Even my grandmother would not tell me exactly what happened. She said she did not know. When I asked Jayalakshmi Mata she simply said: Why are you bothered? You discover the truth about yourself. No one else will tell you. Each one must know about himself on his own. ‘Know about yourself’, said mother. The one who says that to you is Guru. That is when I realized that she is my Guru. Who is Swamiji’s mother? The river? Gods? Mother Jayalakshmi? Should a DNA test be performed? Perhaps it will clear the confusion. Perhaps it will not.
A grand wedding it was. No description of it is found in any Purana. Just because there is no mention of it in the scriptures, I do not want to miss performing the function. At the same time I also don’t wish doing it. It is up to us to decide to do or not to do. My parents are Devatas/gods for me. What is wrong in celebrating this grand event with my friends, relatives, followers, and devotees? You have all joined me in this celebration.
Even the names are very appropriate and suitable. Lakshmi and Narasimha. I saw Narasimha Sastry only as Narasimha Deva. He was very innocent and simple. Great anger he had, and also great peace. He is here in our midst. The gods have come here in these forms now. Gods came to the wedding and said many good words. Sri Jayalakshmi Mata’s songs we will sing. They are in Kannada language. But I will explain the meaning in Telugu for your benefit. Sri Krishna Jaya is the name of her compositions. A book has been published. It is all Vedanta. With Krishna as a pretext, Jayalakshmi Mata has composed the beautiful lyrics. She is my Guru. My God. My Mother. Guru is supposed to show you God. I am showing you now. There, these are the manifestations of God/Parabrahma.
I show you God here. Even if you do not wish to worship these figures, at least do Manasa/mental puja. Imagine your favorite god in this form. You will become accomplished in siddhis. You will be healthy and well. You will gain spiritual knowledge. Your spiritual and material poverty will be gone. All laziness and ignorance will go. You will gain spiritual knowledge. Your lives will be good. Your children, friends, and followers will be good. You have witnessed this celebration today. Narayana Rao insisted that this should take place here. You are all very lucky.
All are hosts at this celebration. We are all on God’s side of the family. In Tirupati also they conduct Padmavati Srinivasa Kalyanam. It is Loka Kalyanam. Watch the Mangala snanam which will be performed now. It is very auspicious to witness. Foreign devotees have asked also. Next it will be conducted in Vijayawada. Swamiji gave permission. The date will be decided later. There are some Pradhana kartas for this wedding. Only they may come close and offer flowers and receive special prasadam. You must eat the Kalyana prasadam. It is required. Do not miss. For seven generations there will be no shortage of food in your family if you participate in the marriage feast. Do not choose to eat elsewhere. Whether it is a sit down meal or a buffet, it does not matter. At least eat the laddu and drink a glass of water. It is like medicine from amma. You must at least have that. I will not allow you to leave without having it. I will guard the gate. I will join the security guards in the hot sun.
Bhajans were a major part of Sri Jayalakshmi Mata’s life. She gave her Upadesam to me in the form of her bhajans. Today Swamiji will sing Amma’s bhajans, what my Guru has composed. The devotees here insist on Swamiji singing bhajans and also the new Ugadi song to be sung directly on the stage. Quickly finish your food and come to attend the bhajan session. I will also eat the laddu and return very soon.
26 crores is the count today of Hanuman Chalisa Parayan. It is going very fast. This number includes our count from yesterday. Everyone must do Hanuman Chalisa Parayan. There are ten thousand people here. Singing it once will give us a count of 10,000.
The Kadiri band is beautifully playing Sri Jayalakshmi Amma’s bhajans. They will play Om Namo Narayana Krishna. This is a very good song. My mother’s favorite song. My birds sing these songs, especially Om Namo Narayana Krishna. You won’t believe it. I will have them play the video of the parrot singing this song.
Speech in the evening during Bhajan session
As per tradition I sing during the Ugadi celebrations. It did not happen yesterday. But actually it counts only from the second day, which is today. Today it is Sunday. Sun day. D vitamin shortage is there for many Indians. One day’s exposure to this sun here is sufficient to get enough vitamin D. Morning sun is good. Performing the Surya Namaskara exercises is very good. Dhyana. Mouna. raja yoga, asanas, pranayama, and the different yogas are all very important to practice. All limbs need to be moved and exercised. Finger exercises are also very important. Simply make a fist and release. Stretch the five fingers. With this simple exercise, all parts of the body get benefit. Hands on shoulders and stretching the arms sideways or to the front is very helpful. Taking long slow breaths, breathing equal long breaths is beneficial. Arms extended forward and sideways is good. All these easy exercises set right the body. The Fire and water elements in the body get balanced. Early morning sun’s rays prevent skin diseases if you get some exposure. A lot of suffering is avoided.
Everyone should attend Datta Kriya Yoga classes. Do not lose your chance. Get the benefit from the Datta Kriya Yoga teachers. Each teacher can train at least 100 students. Villages also require classes to be held there. So many simple exercises have been taught by Swamiji. Propagate these extensively. Every week hold group classes for men women. You must bring about a fitness revolution. So many tours Swamiji takes to foreign countries. Datta Kriya Yoga instruction takes first priority. Then comes music. Then it is the personal relationships with devotees and disciples.
The birds have spoiled my beard. I used to be good looking. Now they make nests inside my beard. The beard splits in the middle like this. I now look like a Chinese guru. The Japanese do not face this problem. They have no beard at all. You must clean your nose, eyes, and mouth frequently. Some clean their nose only once a year. The municipality has to turn the faucet on inside their nose to clean it. Brush teeth twice a day. It is a must for good health. Appaji has two new teeth after He lost two teeth. He maintains them well. Old devotees tremble to treat Swamiji. Those who are not devotees do not get nervous to treat Swamiji. You must learn the proper way to brush your teeth. Otherwise dental problems will develop. Many people suffer in silence. They don’t tell others of their discomfort. Go to the dentist. Get proper treatment if you have any problems.
Blessings are showered on you on this festival day.
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Shloka: on Kshipra Ganapati Bhajan: Vedanada nayaka Ugadi song: Swagatam Mother Goddess pervades as energy in all the three worlds. She is praised by all. Mother of mothers. We pray. She is the mother of Manmatha. Guru puja is offered to Manmatha because he destroys all desires. He is worshiped especially in Sri Vidya upasana. We begin the Sri Chakra puja with a prayer to Manmatha. He satisfies desires and also suppresses desires.
Shloka: ya Devi … saktiroopena
Bhajan: Jagamulanele tallivi
This is not a concert. Here all of you must join in the singing. Don’t simply sit and listen and watch. During concerts if you try to sing along, it will distract the musicians. The words here are simple. If you repeat, you will learn the songs quickly. They are all very easy bhajans.
Shloka: Ananta ..
Bhajan: Dattamashraye
Sri Jayalakshmi Mata sang as songs many stories about Lord Krishna. There are not one or two, but lakhs and lakhs of stories of Krishna’s glories and miracles. She gave a very interesting ending to this song.
Bhajan: Kathalu vinaga randi Krishnuni
Bhajan: Neelamegha shyama Krishna
Bhajan: Om Namo Narayana Krishna
(video of parrot from Shuka Vana singing Om namo narayana Krishna was shown)
Now the parrot is learning to sing Jaya Hanuman. In the morning they wake up Appaji saying Appaji, Good morning. At seven in the night they have to say Good night before retiring. When I return from the Nada Mantapam at 11 in the night, they say Good night. Are they really birds? There are two birds which have learnt Kannada and Tamil languages. They have not yet learned Telugu. They ask: Ootayatha? Have you eaten? Kshemama? Are you well? Then they brush me off: Okay. It means it is time for me to leave. The parrots are like the twins Lava and Kusa. They are inseparable. They chant Rama rama rama rama or Datta datta datta datta. They listen to the datta datta bhajan. If I open the curtain and turn the light on at night, they ask; What? As if they are asking me if I need some help from them. They repeat every word that is said. Kali is very intelligent. If I say: Neellu pettaleduraa – you have not kept water here. It will repeat the exact words. It speaks 40-60 words.
The Americans insisted and interviewed Swamiji on Skype. They are doing research. The genes of the talking parrots are being tested. Ra syllable is difficult for parrots to enunciate. Many humans also cannot pronounce that syllable, especially many westerners. Most exotic birds cannot say the sound. But our birds say Jaya Guru Datta. They ask how we give training. We just teach naturally. They simply repeat after us. Namassivaya also, the ssi is beautifully pronounced by our parrots. How beautifully the parrot just now sang Krishnaa. It is a difficult word to say because the parrots cannot twist their tongues. They asked what food we give to the parrots here. I said we give normal food. She does not know the real secret. So we laughed. I told her we give fresh fruit in the morning. Not from the fridge. In the afternoon we give vegetables. Some devotees feel that if they turned into birds and entered the cages here, they too would be very well fed.
In the evening we give different grains and seeds. Those who feed the birds will eat happily for seven generations with no shortages. Andhra devotees give generously. We don’t feed so much, the woman said. But we feed them well. Maybe that is why they talk so well. We give a bath to the parrots every three days. We expose them to the sun. The parrots have to be kept very clean because they nestle under Swamiji’s beard. Their droppings are not disgusting at all. Our children clean up with their hands, although I tell them not to. Those twenty volunteers who serve the birds say that all their skin problems have been cured since they began working with the birds. Many of them are Andhras. They are graduates. They got tired looking for jobs. They came here to serve. They are all old devotees. Their parents have sent them there. Two small parrots go and listen to the reading of the Bhagavatam daily. They go sit right in front and listen.
You may think that Swamiji is praising the parrots too much. If I praise humans they will sit on my head. No matter how much I praise the parrots they remain the same. One thing you must notice. We gave one small parrot to a European lady, Parvati. It learned to say Namassivaya and other words in the German language also. It is a Hans Macaw. One day the lady said: May I give the bird to You? I am getting old and find it difficult to take care of it. The parrot told Parvati in German: usako – meaning if you don’t give me away, I will fly away. I told her I will keep her. It will not go anywhere. It keeps calling Hanuma Hanuma. If a parrot can chant Hanuman’s name, why is it you are unwilling to do it? At least from now on, please chant the Hanuman Chalisa.
Now one more bhajan composed by Mother. The last song. She sang mostly on Krishna.
Tora bhajan: It comes like a door decoration. Same words form whether you read horizontally or vertically.
Bhajan: Naranarayana Deva Neeraja nayana Raavaa
This bhajan originally composed in Kannada was sung during a concert held recently in the middle of Mysore city. The traffic was stopped. People came running. The Mysore people actually do not care about bhajans. This is a wonderful bhajan. They felt so attracted when they heard it.
The last Bhajan is on Hanuman. Maybe on the last day of Bala Swamiji’s Chaturmasya Deeksha I may come here again, if it is so destined. I am going to the US for a 40 day stay. The Dallas children are very devout. They insist that I stay there for 40 days at the time of the temple consecration as I had promised them before.
Shloka: Mata Suvarchala Devi
Bhajan: Guru dhikkarapu
Tvameva Mata ..
Kayena vacha …
Sarve cha ..
Sri Guru Datta