Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Brahmotsava and Birthday Celebrations Day 3 – morning – May 26, 2015 – Nada Mantapam, Mysore
Happy day. Happy Birthday.
‘Bartide’ means, ‘is coming’ in Kannada. It means good days are ahead. When the Sun rises, the birds, animals, humans, and plants rejoice. By noon it gets too hot, and by evening it turns pleasant. That is the nature of a day. Life is also like that.
Changes. Rising sun makes people happy. Three programs occur in a day. Sunrise is birth. All types of experiences occur during a day. A Day is a whole lifetime. ‘Janmaniki oka Sivaratri’ means taking birth is itself a Sivaratri. Rising is happy. Even for the sun. The clouds he has to avoid, to shine on so many creatures, and he sends his rays towards the planets also. People reside on one planet, the earth. The earth rotates. So the sun appears to rise. The sun is always there shining brightly. We close our eyes with an eye pad, shield, or patch when the light is too bright. Lights in a bright airport transit lounge do not allow us to sleep even during the night. Busy place. A visor is worn or you tie a cloth over the eyes. Then it gets dark for you alone, only for your eyes. Then you can get some rest.
The Sun is always there. Earth’s own shadow gives us night time. You turn away from bright light for comfort, to avoid the glare. We turn. Our own shadow also gives us comfort. We feel relief. You turn your face away from light to avoid the glare. You feel as if the sun rises, because of the slow movement of the earth. Simple reason. Nothing special. This is a happy day.
Light and darkness. The meeting time between night and day is pleasant. If it is always dark or light, we cannot survive. The Sun will not shut off, so the earth turns to give us night and day. God arranged it like that. In Norway, six months of sunlight they have. They use curtains to make it dark inside, and sleep and wake as per schedule. Six months of night they have. It is very difficult to live like that. It causes diseases also. The natives have the strength to endure that type of seasonal change.
We created sunrise and sunset. We created it in our lives. All together, for us it is one day. This complete rotation makes it happy for us. Day and night are happy together.
How does it affect us?
Light of knowledge must rise in our hearts. From ignorance of darkness we must rise into the light of knowledge. Yesterday we were different. You are not born daily. You brought happiness to your life with birth. All 100 people who are born, if they all remain happy, the country is happy. Learn, or gain the strength to fulfill your life’s aim. Darkness is ignorance. Light is knowledge. To see the pit in the daylight, and to recognize it in the darkness, and avoiding falling into it, is knowledge. O see the pit in darkness, and knowingly to fall into the pit in broad daylight due to ego, is ignorance.
In the middle of these two, day and night, light and darkness, we struggle. This is all one day, the entire lifetime is one day, no matter how many years you live. What you do in this one day which is your one lifetime, matters. Darkness causes troubles. How to live in the dark and avoid falls? How to be alert against arrogance caused due to wealth? Times are, when wealth can do nothing for you. Guru’s gift of knowledge shows the insignificance of wealth. In dark, you behave as if it is light, when you have Guru’s guidance, as if you have a flashlight with you, to light your way. By Guru’s grace, you win over calamities. In the reverse situation, you invite troubles due to ego. Lack of Guru’s grace makes your human strength and capacity boosted by ego, become worthless for you. This realization gives you the eligibility to celebrate Happy Birthday. Gauge for yourself, in your life, the benefits and harm caused by you to others. Correct yourself. That makes your life a real Happy Birthday. Each day, do this.
Wearing new clothes, giving chocolates to friends, enjoying a feast and a party, getting a new car, and going through expenses for lavish celebrations, is all a waste. At least share your wealth with relatives and friends, instead of hoarding it all for yourself. Then they also share with you. Earlier, when wedding gifts were received, lists were made, to reciprocate when the opportunity arose. These days, no such thing happens. Now no presents are accepted or given. It is blatantly understood that if you give something, you will not receive anything in return. Very shamelessly people announce their stingy nature. Some people say, come for lunch but not for the muhurtam, the religious ritual, to avoid expenses. They want to save the money they have to spend on Panneeru, scented water sprayed on guests, and in providing seating by renting chairs. Lighting also is expensive. Guests sit on chairs when they go to a wedding and get busy speaking on their mobile phones, anyway. Clever ones invite you for only tea and snacks. One by two sharing also, only half portions are served. In the past, silver items were given as gifts at special occasions. When the time came to give back a gift, like for a child’s Birthday, nowadays people calculate the value of the item received earlier. Silver price has now escalated. So a very small gift is given equal to the value of what was received years earlier. No gold gifts are exchanged anymore. What type of saree was given? Same value gift is given back after careful calculation. For the price of a saree received ten years ago, perhaps only a blouse piece can be purchased now, so only that is given. Why go through all this anxiety and calculation? Just give blessings to the newlyweds. To avoid expenses, a Tirupati wedding or a registered marriage is chosen. This is worldly life.
It is laughable. But people do not laugh. They are very prestige-status-caste-society-conscious. All wrong actions are performed, following all wrong values. Big words are spoken. But no real knowledge is there about what is true respect or prestige. On Happy Birthday, meaning your one entire lifetime, daily during each year, list all the good and bad acts you have engaged in. Try to improve. Leading a blame-worthy life is useless. Measure your service rendered to Guru during each year. Guru has no Birthday. It is really your Birthday. We came happily. Now we should go back profitably.
I bless and pray for every one of you, happiness, peace, good health, peace of mind, and devotion. May all chronic illnesses go away. May your children study well and be good natured. Happy Birthday to you all. Now we will do Cake cutting. There is a CD release.
Sri Guru Datta
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri