Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – July 26, 2016 – evening – Houston, USA
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
How many Telugu people? Just now you heard some bhajans. It looks like people always like bhajans. Bhajans have different meaning. Only chanting God’s names is one type of bhajans, only Hare Rama, Namassivaya, or Digambara. 1000 times or 100,000 times is also a part of singing bhajans. Keertans are different. Professional music or nada.
Philosophical or Tatva bhajans are different. God and devotee conversational bhajans are different, with discussions carried on between God and devotee. All these are a mixture of music and lyrics, covering different subjects. But finally, it is all Nada. Nada is very intimate with our nerve systems. Each note affects a different nerve in our nerve system. There are 12 different sounds/notes in a musical scale. They cause a response from the different nerves in our system. Inhalation and exhalation also produced Nada/pure sound. Soham is also Nada (the sound of breath). It is God-given Nada in our body. In you travel by bus, car, train, airplane or motorbike, you feel the vibration where all the nerves are vibrating. How powerful Nada or Sound is! If you observe, you will find out that Nada is very powerful. It is necessary for everyone to listen to soothing music. In any Dharma, or spiritual path, lastly they chant or sing certain musical notes with syllables, different religions with different sounds. Some religions observe mouna/silence, where you can observe your own body sounds, inhalation and exhalation sounds, or heart sounds. So many different sounds. Many diseases are in our body, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Because we are misusing our body with too much eating, or too much talking, too much quarreling, too much ego. So many different varieties, different ways of spoiling our body. Passion, anger, greed, delusion, different ways we spoil our body, our God-given system. If you follow a Satvic spiritual practice, then you understand about God, about yourself. You will obtain Atma Jnana/Knowledge of the Self. Everyone is asking for Atma Jnana.
Have you seen God? What is Atma Jnana? It is easy to ask. But to explain is not. The question is very easy. Swamiji, can you explain about Atma Jnana? Can you show me the path to God? Where is Brahma Loka? Where is Vishnu Loka? Where is Ananda (supreme bliss)? Very easy to ask the question. But takes so many days to give the answer.
So, everyone is curious about God, about our birth, about different religion. So many people keep studying books constantly, book bugs. Study only. No Jnana (knowledge). Only discussion. If you go on studying more and more spiritual books, more confusion comes. If you keep researching more and more, if you see a scholar, who has studied all four Vedas or three Vedas, yes, I give respect to their scholarship. I respect the Pundits. But there is no devotion for God. Because the ego is built. They think, I am the only one who knows the Vedas. I alone know the secret about God and Creation. I know. I know. I know. Ok. Thanks. But no experience. No practical feeling. Only book knowledge. Then there is no use of leading the life of a human being. What is the purpose of our life? I think you already have listened to so many lectures. I am not telling you any new things. All this you already know. I am just reminding you once again, one more time. You hear these things, it is true, but only a few people grasp my words. Others don’t catch my words. They love Swamiji very much. They have good devotion for Swamiji. But they don’t want to catch my spiritual advice, somehow. They only catch my suggestions which are useful for worldly life. But spiritual suggestions they do not follow. There it is fake. That is not good fate. It is a big question for me also, sometimes, why they do not listen to my spiritual advice. Worldly advice only they listen to and accept. Only if it is something where their karma and their pain finish, then they do.
You can do some Adhyatma Chintana/spiritual contemplation. Spiritual practice. I am telling in so many ways, with stories, with bhajans, with good words of advice, with messages. I use so many ways of giving you good advice. But, you don’t want to listen. You only want to listen about yourself, your body, your karma, your house problems, your different problems, but not spiritual problems. Only a few people listen. Most of them only are concerned about their own difficulties. They ask for a remedy from Swamiji. They will seek the remedy and accept it. But if I tell them to practice something, they will not do it. They say they have no time, they are busy, they have work, their mind does not have concentration for spiritual topics, they have problems about children, money problems, many many many problems. This is what everyone says.
If I ask, did you witness the Kumbhabhishekam/consecration of a temple conducted today, on a very auspicious date, they give excuses, O I was traveling, there was a picnic, children made noise, my laptop did not work. They give false reasons. They have not seen. If they said, we have not seen, sorry, it was our mistake, it would have been okay. But they do not admit their mistake or omission. They do not speak the truth, but give so many reasons for having missed the event. They miss a life-time chance. You must never lose such a precious life-time chance.
Many people knew that Swamiji is coming today. But still, in spite of being able to attend, they still have not come. Tomorrow, they will regret, and wish that they had attended. But missed spiritual programs may not occur again. You may not get another chance to attend. It is like the news on the radio. If you missed listening, they will not repeat it for you. That is why you have to pay attention. When the Upanishads are being explained, one has to listen with rapt attention. Bhagavatam is very difficult to understand. It explains about Creation, the secret behind it, about Maya/illusion, the different incarnations/energies. Bhagavatam is very easy to listen to, and also very tough to understand. It is the same with Bhajans. When you listen, you must try to understand the meaning of each and every word.
In every bhajan, one must listen to every name of God that is uttered, with full concentration. Only then, it will be like an Upadesa/spiritual initiation for us. You listen to bhajans with so many mental distractions, telephone calls, and other preoccupations. After a half hour of listening with haphazard attention, you get in the car and go way. What have you gained? You all gathered, socialized with friends, spoke about matchmaking while the speaker was narrating stories about God, and you are happy you got a chance to discuss matrimonial matters. People acknowledge this shamelessly. Socializing outside the temple is okay. It is a place with good vibrations. But you must give more attention to the program for which you have come. You don’t do that. That is unfortunate. You are only involved only in your personal affairs. You must listen to bhajans with concentration. What have you come to the temple for? Use the full two of three hours for the purpose for which you have come. Then you will absorb about 15 minutes’ worth of energy or vibration. Why do they ask that the Sahasranama (1000 names of God) should be repeated a hundred times? Lalita Sahasranama, Vishnu Sahasranama, so many Sahasranamas. Why? At least one or two names with meaning you may remember after the chanting. If you chant a thousand names, you may only register in your mind about five names. Is it not enough if you just chant one name? With full concentration, if you just call out, Rama, is that not enough? It is enough. If you say it once, with total concentration, you will gain good energy. But without concentration or devotion, even if you chant a hundred thousand times, you will not benefit. What do you gain? Nothing. Only waste of time. You should not waste time.
Again and again sit and listen. Again and again practice with concentration. The Bhagavad Gita repeatedly stresses on the strength of practice, Abhyasa balam. Practice, practice, until death. When will I get Moksha/Liberation Swamiji? I am going to the temple every day. I am studying Bhagavad Gita and Ramayanam every day and singing two stanzas daily. I do puja early morning for one hour and do meditation. I want result. How many days before I see results? Swamiji says, until death, you do. May be when you get rebirth, you start again.
Do you know that 80 million times you took birth as a water creature, like a fish species, ocean animals? Different, different, sometimes small fish, sometimes a shark, a tortoise, like that different species (SA). Then, (RI) on earth, Prithvi, again for eighty million times you took birth as an animal, four legged animals or three-legged. Again after that, eighty million times as different species of flying birds (GA) you took birth. And lastly, (MA) as a human being.
How God has given a chance and as a human being also eighty million times. If you have good sadhana, like Prahlada or Dhruva, may be in one birth itself you get Moksha. So many persons in the Puranas, in only one or two births, or four or five births, they get Moksha. Not eight million times. Some get only two, four, or five births. I do not know how many births you have to go through, you have to keep a count in your computer. I feel that perhaps you are having a good Janma/birth this time, or else, you would not be attending my lecture. You certainly would not have come. You are very lucky. It is my belief that you are very lucky. You have Swamiji’s association. You are traveling, running with Swamiji. Sometimes so many hours together we travel. Only attraction, the pulling energy I am giving you. I am not giving anything else. Because of that energy, your janmas are very less now, may be this is your last Janma. I don’t know. May be just one more Janma. Some people are learning for forty years. Some beginning at twenty years or fifty years. Some are learning only now. Some children are starting from birth also. Such children are very lucky. One or two births is sufficient for them. We want salvation. That is Moksha. We will then forever remain in Ananda/Supreme Bliss. We do not wish for more and births.
One Kannada saint sang, no matter how lakhs of births I go through, I wish to remain only as your servant. All lifetimes we are struggling. Even in the mother’s womb we are struggling. Some stay in the womb only eight or seven months. They are in a rush to come out into this world. Mothers cry about this pain. After that also giving problems to mother, not only three or four years, even after eighteen years. Parents are suffering, what is this karma? You are all competing with one another. You torment me now. I will be born as your child to torment you to get even with you. This is what we engage in. The old woman will threaten the youngsters that if they do not treat her well, she will be born as their last child to give them a hard time in return, I will torment you to death. Many times that prediction comes true for many people. To avoid such problems, look after people well. Take good care of children. Give them good sensible minds.
Now, in Dallas, when Swamiji instructed them learn the Bhagavad Gita, see how many children came forward! How many of them tried! Parents must come forward. Parents themselves have no training. On weekends, they go away to parties and clubs because they want a social life. Otherwise, the peers will not accept them. They will lose their respect and status. They wear strange dresses and go out. The children watch with surprise at the way mother is jumping around at the club. The child will follow the same path. But if you take the child to the temple instead, the child will learn a different way. Unless parents practice, the children will not learn. If parents have no devotion, at least pretend to have devotion. Put on an act, so that the children will learn. Parents have no discipline. On Saturday, they have to go to a club, on Sunday they have to go to a different club. They have to attend a wedding, whether it is an auspicious date or not. They go away. They go, jump, eat, talk nonsense, suffer from indigestion, and one day die. What kind of social life is this? What kind of life are you leading? It is not just as simple as asking, who is God? Then I will ask you, what is club? Then you will give a good answer. We have to get involved. We must become eligible to learn. Once you earn the eligibility, you can ask Swamiji and definitely He will give His answer. You must become a pure-hearted soul.
How can you keep so much of filth inside of you and then ask for devotion? How will you obtain devotion? By merely clapping hands and chanting Rama Sita is not enough. The result is just that your hands will hurt. Your mind is elsewhere. You pick up the phone in between and speak about club affairs. Is this Bhajan singing? Is this devotion? It is only time-passing.
This time is very precious. Do not spend it in time-passing. Don’t say you are going to the temple for time-pass. Is it a railway station? Can you treat it so lightly? Is that the purpose for visiting a temple? Just because the club is closed and there is no wedding you go to the temple for time-pass. Katha Kalakshepam is not for simply passing time. Is that the purpose of listening to God’s stories? For time pass you go to the cinema. You quarrel for time-pass. You play cards and chess for time-pass. I have seen all places in America, except Las Vegas, you say. I must see Las Vegas for time-passing, you say. I have also visited, just to see what hell looks like. It is hell descended to the earth. It is the worst hell. Do we want to see it?
In India, people want sensational events. If in an accident a person merely loses an arm, they are disappointed. If a person dies, then they are satisfied. They are curious to see how serious the calamity is. Why are you concerned? Why are you disappointed that only an arm is lost? You are happy at such time-pass gory scenes and witnessing such activities, to see everything there is to see, to taste everything there is to taste. Many people keep going to all new restaurants to gain experience. Is that the type of experience you want? Gain some good experiences instead. You are simply wasting your time.
I am very happy to come to Houston. I just spoke because I was asked to speak a few words. I also spoke for time-passing. I wish you all well. You all follow a good path. Do not forget our traditions. Teach the children good culture while they are still young. Once they grow up, there is nothing you can do. If you pamper them too much at a young age, you will regret when they grow up and go astray. It is useless. Train them well while they are young. You have come to the USA. Why, we don’t know. Your Karma. You cannot go back and live there. You cannot adjust here. Everywhere there is something good. Just because you are here, it does not mean that children should get spoilt. First guru is mother. Because you are spoilt, the children are going astray. Pay attention to the children. See what they do after school. Teach them the mother tongue. The parents will exit the scene, and the children will remain. They are the future Indians. Just by taking citizenship, they do not become Americans. We will always be treated like immigrants. There won’t be space there and they cannot remain here. Parents will not be here. Then what is their fate? That is why it is important to teach the children our culture and tradition. Many who lived abroad and return to India, find that their children simply cannot adjust to life there. Why? Their habits are different. Such habits cannot be maintained in India. Many who have returned from the Arab countries are facing that difficulty now. The children must be able to speak their mother tongue. Outside the people speak Telugu. your son does not speak Telugu. He speaks with a different accent and speaks a different language. He is ridiculed. You must speak with your children in your mother tongue. You yourselves speak with a funny accent, and not normal English. I tell officers to speak slowly and clearly to me. They get angry that after they have spoken for a long time, I tell them that I did not follow a single word. Our English is pure and clear. But you assume a funny accent and speak. People who come to this country, within a few months begin to speak with a funny accent. Your accent will cause an accident. In Mexico side, the English spoken has no grammar. Difficult to understand. Your children must be taught the mother tongue, whether it is Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, or Gujarati. Mother tongue is very beautiful. It is our right and privilege. Gujaratis are very strict in speaking only in their mother tongue at home. 99% of them speak only in Gujarati at home. Their children also. They are proud of their language. Telugu people have no sense. When you come to India, you will be ridiculed.
Houston devotees want me to come back. I am saying to the members here that they should arrange for a concert here. I will stay for 3-4 days if you make proper arrangements. It will be a festive occasion. You can listen to bhajans and healing music. Many people visit Dallas (KSHT in Frisco). Some 40-50 people go to Baton Rouge. As a unit you work together to organize a good program. Fix a date right now. In Australia, that is what they did. They began preparations three years ahead of time. For a year, I will remain only in Mysuru. In 2018 you may arrange. May you all do well. May Datta Bhagavan and Hanuman protect all of you.
Om Namassivaya
Jai Veera Hanuman ki Jai
Sri Guru Datta