Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sri Rama Navami – March 28, 2015 – Mysore
Speech in the morning
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Rama
Jayarama
Jaya Jaya Rama
Rama was the ideal, perfect man. The very first absolutely superb man. He has demonstrated to the world how a human being should live. Before that people were uncivilized. There were perhaps cannibals also.
Paluke Bangaramayena, Bagayenayya, and other beautiful songs on Rama are being played by the Nadaswaram musicians here. Ramayana stories are plenty in the songs of Saint Thyagaraja. They are all simple and beautiful compositions. Even if you have not read the Ramayana, you can learn from these songs the greatness of Rama and the stories from his life. All Hindus worldwide and also all Indians and lovers of India belonging to all religions celebrate this festival. Rama’s birth is for Loka Kalyana/Universal well being. Here only the images are kept of the Rama and His parivar. Rama was born to destroy evil. He went into the forest and killed the demons to liberate them.
Here we have a small but significant celebration. In Hyderabad, it would have been conducted on a large and grand scale with about 12000 people attending. But a big celebration is not important. It is not the size or quantity that is important, but the quality.
The utterance of the word ‘Rama’ destroys sins. By the utterance of the syllable ‘Ra’ the sins go out. When one says ‘Ma’, the sins that have gone out, stay out. It gives peace of mind to chant the Rama mantras such as the Rama Taraka Mantra, the 13 syllable mantra, ‘Sri rama jaya rama jaya jaya rama’, or the mantra, ‘Hare Rama Hare Rama rama rama hare hare, hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare’. I challenge. Certainly they give peace. You put it to test. 13 syllables is Tera naam. Tera naam also means, It is your name – Rama.
We all did innumerable times the Parayana/chanting of the Shatashloki Ramayana, which is a part of the Valmiki Ramayana. It was a huge movement worldwide. Foolish persons ask, “Why worship Rama? He suffered from lots of troubles.” Rama showed us the way. He showed us by His example how to respond to difficult situations. He showed us how to behave when difficulties come our way. He showed us how to sacrifice personal comforts for achieving the welfare of all.
Scientists do testing on frogs, rats, monkeys, cats and chimpanzees to discover medicines. Only by sacrifice some gain occurs to the world. All those creatures gave up their lives so that human lives could be saved. The researchers test and then only after obtaining permission from the government, administer the medicines to human beings. Organ donors help others to live. They give their kidneys, eyes so that others can have functioning organs. Some sacrifice their lives also for others. Rama showed by sacrifice, how to live when troubles come.
Demons are like us. Rama destroyed them. He used Himself as a guinea pig and endured suffering so that our lives would be better. He pledged His own life and that of Sita and that of His sincere servant Hanuman, and the lives of all the deities who came down to serve Him. Each played a different role as the Lord distributed to each deity the role that needed to be played in this great drama called Ramayana. Every one of them struggled and suffered without complaining, just to benefit all of humanity.
Do your duty. And don’t make others suffer. Don’t complain that you have suffered and sacrificed so much to educate your own son. You did not educate your neighbor’s son. So what are you complaining about? It is only your own son whom you educated. It was your duty to do so. You gave birth to him. You willingly got married, received scolding from your wife, and had all those children because it was your wish to have them. You fed the children and gave them the education they needed. You simply did your duty. Do not complain about it now. You have no right to complain that you have sacrificed.
Now the son, in his turn, does his duty. You put him in a hostel far away. You did not keep a close watch on his activities. You failed in giving him proper guidance when required. He made some bad friends. He found a girl friend, a lover. He kicked you out. Now don’t cry. Only some kids are good. Not all children are good. You gave birth. Why? Complaining now is an offense. You have no right to complain either to your guru or to God. Daughters also you gave birth to. Don’t complain about having to perform their marriages. The son-in-law’s parents also suffered with their son the way you are now suffering with your son. No parent is spared from suffering.
All the deities who came down to the earth to serve Rama suffered happily for Rama, and along with Rama, as He also suffered. Not one of them was spared from suffering. They never complained about it one bit.
Who cares about your life? Never boast or declare that for Swamiji’s sake you took a transfer in your job. No help from you is necessary for Swamiji. How does Swamiji benefit from your presence here? You are the one who runs to eat your meal as soon as the meals bell rings.
Never say I live for Swamiji or to serve Swamiji. It is a sin to say so. You stay because something good happens to you when you stay here. If repeatedly for a few times something bad happens to you, then you will turn around and will place all the blame on Swamiji. You will say bad things and you will go away.
Rama was served by all the deities. Aha, they did great things also, like Hanuman leaped over the ocean. Good. He just did his job. Did he not? Hanuman did not boast that he jumped across the sea. He did not blow his own trumpet. Rama asked him if he properly conveyed the required message that was sent to Sita. That mission Hanuman accomplished. Each did his job. All that was done was for us. It was all for our benefit. Not for them. Air, fire – all the elements did their individual jobs. The drama has been shown to us to help us understand how humans should live their lives.
Nothing really happened there. All that happened was make-believe is what most of you think. You have no faith in the story of Ramayana or the gods who played all the different roles. If from this doll’s play that we conducted here (Sita-Rama Kalyanam/marriage ceremony), if the characters should really come alive, you will all run for your lives in fright. You would even want to kill the monkey if Hanuman came alive from that image. You have absolutely no faith. If Rama comes alive now, no one will believe that He truly existed.
You think that Swamiji is an ordinary man. You ask if my pain is gone. If I slept well. If I am keeping good health. If I am well. You don’t believe. You believe that Swamiji is only a human being. You show concern for my back pain, and my sneezes. It is all Maya/illusion. Swamiji also acts along, the way you all act. Maya has to fear only Maya. Maya is guru only to Maya. Nothing can conquer Maya.
God is super powerful. People say: By a mere fleeting thought God could have killed Ravana, the demon king. There was no need for Him to take a human birth and go through so much suffering. There was no need for the entire story of King Dasaratha, the three queens, the Yajna, the pot of sweet milk pudding and all that sequence of events that led to Rama’s birth. All that story is a drama. The entire sequence. Why would God need to emerge from a pot?
To destroy the Tamo Guna that was prevalent, all the required stages and actions have to be gone through. To give a Satvic nature to human beings, this play-acting had to be done. The inner meaning is important. You should try to understand the purpose behind all this.
Marriage ceremony for you is only singing marriage songs like Sita Kalyana vaibhogame, eating laddoos, wearing new clothes, and enjoying a nice marriage feast. It is not that meaningless. This is the drama of Creation.
Swamiji is very happy. We have celebrated Rama’s Birthday, His Marriage day, and who knows, maybe also the day He returned to Vaikuntha. We have kept these dolls. We cannot just celebrate without having some reason for it. For you, feasting alone is important. At even someone’s death you have Vaikuntha Samaradhana and everyone feasts in the name of the departed person. Any celebration first calls for food. Birthday means nice food. Day of marriage means nice food. Death Anniversary also means nice food.
Tenali Rama saw this going on. People served in their feasts Dosa, and Vada as favorite items of the departed souls. The king threw a feast and gave everyone sweet mangoes that his mother had loved so much. Tenali Rama invited everyone for a feast. They came. He said his mother loved a hot branding iron applied on her skin. He started applying the hot iron on all the guests. They did not want any food that followed this strange burning-the-skin treat. They simply ran away.
You may ask: Swamiji, what is your idea about all this? My response is: Why do you want to bother? Don’t waste time. Know yourself. There is no other man on earth that ever lived, like Rama. He had all the virtues. He suffered all the troubles. He endured them without complaint. We call Him the Paramatman/the Supreme Soul.
Happy Birthday, Marriage Day, and Vaikuntha day to Sri Rama. We pray to Rama and worship Him. Or else we pray to Lord Hanuman. Hanuman has no form, no shape. He is air. He is everywhere as Air. Chant the Hanuman Chalisa on Rama’s Birthday. This celebration is not a drama. It is not like a cinema. Rama is a first class human being. We respect Him. He was a very powerful human being. We celebrate this event every year.
Now keep chanting the Hanuman Chalisa and proceed to the Karyasiddhi Hanuman temple. Swamiji will soon come there. 108 coconuts will be broken and offered to the Lord there.
In Australia, the Sydney Opera House is a very famous Concert Hall worldwide. Many devotees were sad that Swamiji had not performed there. The devotees tried. First they offered only one of the smaller auditoriums in the building. Swamiji said He would perform only in the main hall and not in any small other hall. For Swamiji, Peda house, Meka house are all the same. It is great only for the devotees that Swamiji should perform in the main hall. Finally they said yes. So far no Indian had performed in it. Now the program has been set for Easter Monday, April 6. Many devotees are coming there from India also, and even from the Mysore ashram.
Sri Guru Datta
Speech in the evening – Earth Hour
Do not use fan all 24 hours in a day. If you get too accustomed, then you cannot survive everywhere. Turn off power for an hour or so daily, deliberately. Swamiji does not always use the AC even though it is there. He never watches a movie fully. Feels guilty that He is wasting time. Laddoo also don’t eat one fully. Feel guilty. That it is too much to eat. Whereas you lick the plates and pans also. Such pleasure is there in licking, you say. Don’t be greedy. Turn off a movie at the climax scene. Stop eating while not yet quite full.
But God’s worship or Japa you should not give up until you drop off with exhaustion. Do excess. Not like with food. Leave a cinema before the end. In Proddutur 11-12 years old Satyanarayana (Swamiji) had a free pass for the cinema theater. He would only listen to one favorite song, ‘Jeevamu neeve kadaa’, (Bhakta Prahlada movie) and then leave. The story is good but the cinema was not good.
We can live without electricity. Raise hands those who cannot.
Practice living without it. Who can live without a telephone? We all can. Use telephone only when needed. Reduce your usage. Practice it. Who is too shy to admit the truth?
How many of you saw Puttu Gam message on Face book today? What was special that was shown today?
A Sun Conure was talking today. Posted video on Puttu Gam Facebook. It is Rama’s festival. I said say Rama. Rama, Datta, it said. I said Appaji. It said Datta. Asked me if I had eaten. They ask questions and then the parrots laugh. They ask Kshemamaa? Are you well?
I said to them today, lights off at 6 pm. They said Good night. Then Okay, they say, ending the conversation.
Conures rarely speak. This was a miracle. Very colorful birds. Very affectionate. Keep phone only to watch Puttu Gam messages.
Swamiji leaves at 7 am tomorrow to Bangalore. Come and have darshan. After 20 days He will return.
Live webcast may be there for the Australia concert. Not on Yogasangeeta.
Please make a note. It will be shown on: yogatunes.com.au
It is the Australian website.
New description for this concert – Music therapy lesson.
Name of the Concert is: Australia Nada Sagara. How to listen to each raga at that particular time, will be taught. It is a new experiment. Learn and experience.
Jaya Guru Datta
Harihi Om Tatsat
Sri Guru Datta