Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – July 29, 2016 – Trinidad
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri
Speech in the morning
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Nama Sankeertan means bhajans, singing God’s names, praising God, and expressing devotion. So many varieties of bhajans are there, just like in the Bhagavad Gita so many yogas are mentioned. Different, different knowledge bhajans have been composed by Swamiji. Some are only prayers, like Govinda jai jai Gopala jai. Some are questions and answers between God and devotee. Also some bhajans are with messages from the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Bhagavatam, giving different types of knowledge. In this short Kali Yuga, people do not want to read the Bhagavatam, or the Upanishads, to get Atma Jnana, to learn who I am, why I came here, for what purpose, and so on. They don’t want to find out. But it is easy to ask questions since so many gurus and swamis are coming. They are asking, what is Atman? The answers are not available in the market. You must do sadhana to attain this Self-knowledge, Atma Jnana. Devotion is the easiest method for a human being to achieve Ananda or bliss. Otherwise, it is very difficult. Because our mind is like a monkey. We cannot stop even for a few minutes. Mind is always traveling. It is very difficult to control the mind and also the sense organs. There is a different way of thinking also. I am always very busy.
Bhajans also, when people sing, there is no concentration. Automatically they are chanting by mouth only, while the mind is elsewhere. I can’t do that. I don’t know how they do it. When I do bhajans, I am immersed in that work, mind, and body. If doing God’s service with mantra, like doing abhishekam, I get immersed, even if it is for half hour, one hour, or just a few minutes. My mind cannot go elsewhere. You are capable. Not I.
You, in Kali Yuga, have many occupations. My concentration is different. All at one time, I am not going for doing two, three, or four things or thinking different things. There is that knowledge with me. I am capable of sitting and giving answer to so many people sitting and asking questions. People will be thinking, Swamiji is not listening to my question. He is talking to someone else. I listen to you, to him, him, and some other person’s silent prayers also. That is one job. When it is finished, I go to some other work. Shatavadhana, Ashtavadhana, like that – doing multiple things simultaneously. Dharana is Avadhana, concentration. Keeping the focus of mind, like a tape recorder. So many sounds are recorded at the same time. We cannot hear them all clearly. But for the human mind, with practice, by doing a very different sadhana, it is possible.
I am now only talking about concentration during Puja. Adi Shankara urged, “Govindam bhaja”. You tell the names of God. If you have big scholarship, so what? You must learn bhajans. You may be a big pundit. Okay, I will give respect. But you have no devotion. With devotion you can practice your scholarship. But without devotion, without bhakti, there is no use for your studies.
…’guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam, tatah kim tatah kim, tatah kim tatah kim?’
You are beautiful, wealthy, and knowledgeable, thank you. Without guru bhakti, devotion to Guru, it is all of no use. No value for your Miss Trinidad or Mr. Trinidad. You have so many different facilities. You are a great person in this world. If you have no Guru bhakti, no respect. We say to be civil, tata, bye bye. But you are no inside friend. No use, Adi Shankara says. Only Guru bhakti is first class. Guru means Lord Vishnu, Siva, Ganapati, or Hanumanta. All deities are Gurus. Mother Goddess also is Guru. You can think about Guru. If you go to an idol, she does not talk. You decorate, give puja repeatedly. Still, does not talk. But Sadguru, He gives advice and criticizes also. He gives you balance sometimes, all the times not only praising. Sometimes praising, and sometimes beating also. Without sound He is beating. Hanumanta is always like this, calm. Hanumanta through Sadguru comes to give blessings and advice. He gives conversation. You can be with Sadguru with prayers, or perhaps you laugh, cry, or share your feelings with Sadguru. Adi Sankara says, lastly, after Puja you can chant Divyanama. In Maharashtra, in every house, before going to bed, they are jumping and chanting, Panduranga Vitthala, Rama Vithala, Rama Krishna Vithala at least for ten minutes.
However, we quarrel before going to bed, or go to sleep crying. Pillow is so wet with tears from your eyes, like Ganga or Kaveri. Some people cover themselves with the bed sheets and weep. They get tired and fall asleep. It is not good. Before going to bed you should laugh. Chant God’s names. Say or remember some good joke. Sit with the children. Close the television. Eat ice cream. Talk about today’s life events. What is today life? Talk for a few minutes. And then sleep. It gives you a healthy body. Sleeping with weeping is not good for health. Lastly they get cancer, in their old age, at age fifty or sixty years, they get cancer. Be careful. Any moment, any time, don’t cry. Or you can remember Swamiji. Or remember Swamiji’s jokes in your language, laugh happily, sleep happily.
For two months you don’t wash bed sheets and pillow cases. How you sleep like that, I don’t know. Disgusting. But you are very happy with your smell. It is not good. Clean bedsheet, clean pillow you must have. At least every few days you must wash. Bed is rubber, bed is no problem, not necessary to wash. Bed sheets and pillow covers you must change every few days. After using for two years, give away the old pillow. Go to a sale and buy a new pillow.
American people buy only on sale. Nice. Some people get a transfer. Use one day and give save money. Some water bottles, you don’t wash for two or three years. It gives a different smell. Not good. First you must keep your bedroom clean. Not only the bed. The room must be always kept clean. After waking up, fold your bedsheets. You must fold.
Somebody is eating. Pujari is putting the screen and eating. Yesterday, I kept four bananas. Two vanished. I thought Ganapati was eating. today I caught. Don’t eat, sir. I will come and give you a big banana.
Wake up early in the morning and look at Sadguru’s photo, or a picture of your favorite deity, not a cinema actor. You are very happy daily, you are doing Namaskaram. This side one photo. That side one photo, but not too many photos. Very confusing. Not all the photos. Or you can keep some small family photo. Some people put only dog, cat, or rat photo, and also telling stories and crying about dog. Don’t worry. Next birth you are also born as a dog and you meet your doggie. This one cries about cat. I am taking to school and market. What is this small box? That is cat’s pee-pee. Weep. What attachment! Ha ha ha. Very good attachment. The problem is how to get out of such attachments? Bird also. One day I woke up crying. Not anymore. That is a big story. Those birds are all angels.
This is before going to bed, be at peace. Listen to good music. You gather your family and laugh. Tell jokes. Remember this doggie joke. I also like doggies. But not too much. So today and tomorrow, Saturday is Hanuman’s day. Sunday is a big Hanuman day. Our big Hanuman day. Don’t forget. Don’t be afraid of rain. Bring an umbrella. So that is why Swamiji is stressing on the importance of bhajans. Very easy method for Kali Yuga. Upanishads and knowledge, they will come back. Sing Sri Hari Krishna Govinda nama. Now Swamiji is telling Bhagavatam in the television station. My mind is always there because I am not finished with the recording. English version is also coming, very easy Bhagavatam. Anyone, even small children can understand.
Sri Guru Datta
Speech in the evening
In America, you believe or not believe, 45 students within 8 months only, they learned the entire Bhagavad Gita. American children, you think are all spoiled. But my children, my grandchildren, they are all angels. The parents gave them good training and devotion. Swamiji made the marriage of the parents also. He gave names to their children, these students. They like their grandpa very much. Swamiji says no tv, no video games, they stop. Swamiji gives any order, they follow. I have in America 2000 children like this. They follow Swamiji’s orders. In St. Louis, Dallas, New York, Chicago, and the Bay area. They like Appaji very much. They give their breath to Appaji.
All first class students in studies, gold medalists. Study, serving parents and grandpa Swamiji. Learning bhajans, learning our Swadharma only always. All bhajans, all Upanishads, all Bhagavatam, and also some more Sanskrit and mother tongue also are all compulsory subjects. Parents become teachers also. Every Saturday and Sunday in Dallas ashrama 300-700 children are attending classes. Dance classes, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, also languages, and sometime class studies also are taught. Children are very very very intelligent. You think America children are spoilt. But my children are not spoilt. I am proud of them because the parents are very strictly following Swamiji’s words, and instruction, no punishment, only affection. Only nicely talking to the children. In front of the children, the parents are crying. Why mama is crying? You are not learning. Then I will learn. Okay. Some three small children even, all 18 chapters they have memorized. Yesterday only, I said to these children, 12th chapter only you remember, you memorize. Tomorrow I will ask questions. Day and night they sat and studied. Always chanting. Our foundation is the Bhagavad Gita. Without it we are not human beings. Russians, Chinese, Japanese, everyone knows the Bhagavad Gita. Scientists have tremendous opinion about the Bhagavad Gita. It is not religion. It is about ourselves, our Atman. It is Self-Knowledge. You can learn, listen, study the Bhagavad Gita every day. That is enough for your life. It gives fulfillment to your life. Such a powerful Bhagavad Gita we have in our country, in our land, on our earth. We are very lucky. Human beings are very lucky that such a Bhagavad Gita is given to us. It is ancient Bhagavad Gita, not 2000, 3000 or 4000 years old. It is from many Yugas/eons. In the Mahabharata, 5000 years ago, Lord Krishna gave the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
Take their picture with Swamiji (the children who took the successful challenge of chanting any sloka or naming its number from the Bhagavad Gita, especially the 12th Chapter in front of the large audience.)
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sloka: Yaa devi sarvabhooteshu saktirupena samsthita
Bhajan: Akhanda Sakti Durgi ma
Sloka: Dattatreya namastestu
Bhajan: Bhakton ke Bhagavan tumhi ho
Bhajan: Seekho seekho seekho Bhajan: Jaya Jaya Ram Jaya Hanuman Bhajan: Nav chal pade Hanuma nav chal pade Datta nav chal de
Bhajan: Jagadapyayana Anjaneya
She (Dhanalakshmi, who leads the Jaikara/victory slogan) will come, even if we go to heaven, as a bhajan group. If by chance we pass by Hell, she will be there also. But once Swamiji goes there, even Hell will turn into Heaven.
(Recently in Houston, Swamiji said of her: She comes wherever I go. Even millionaires do not follow me like this. I wonder where she gets so much money. Why not she give me all that money!)
I went today to our counter shop. All small Trinidad items, nice ones are available, gift items. Please take. I am not advertising. But they are very nice. Every item is good. I have seen.
Harati song: Koti surya teja maruti
Tvameva mata …
Sri Guru Datta