Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – April 3, 2017 – Janavada
Compiled by: Smt Hira Duvvuri
He is like a dot. Because we are human, for us to be able to perceive Him, He has arranged it like that. Otherwise, He will not be grasped at all. He will be totally beyond our reach, beyond our comprehension. He will be completely unfathomable. If we can perceive that dot within, and if we keep looking at it, He will vanish slowly and completely. There will be nothing there. If one can achieve such a state of deep meditation, spirituality and devotion will automatically develop. Otherwise, they will not develop. With just flowers and fruits you cannot gain devotion. By doing austerities and rituals, and by visiting temples, and going around the temples, you will not develop devotion. These will only amount to passing time and getting some exercise, that is all. If you donate some money there, it will help the priest and the staff who maintain the temple. You will be doing them a favor by supporting the people at the temple, you will be putting some food in their mouths. When you support a temple, it amounts to feeding some ten people and supporting their livelihood. That is the only merit you will earn. But if you want the experience of God within yourself, you must steady your mind, and seek to see God within yourself. Visiting temples and towers will not help you. The benefit of visiting temples and towers is that it controls the mind. It puts the mind on the right track. It helps you to gain some focus. But to experience God, there is no other way than to meditate and experience God within yourselves.
You may be the greatest scholar. It does not matter. You may be the greatest logician. It does not matter. Whether you are a great Vedantic philosopher, or a great ascetic, it makes no difference. Even if you are a king, or a great leader, God will not appear before you. God will certainly not be experienced just because you are a pundit, or a Vedantin, or a leader. You have to put in the effort yourself. You have to experience the bliss yourself. You have to merge in Him yourself. This is the essence of the discussion that took place between Dattatreya and Pingala Naga, and between Dattatreya and Parasurama.
Now, I descend to this world. Hello, how are you? When did you come? It cannot be helped. I have to come down to this level and give thanks to all the devotees who do service here. I have to show appreciation and encourage them to continue their services. I have to go along with your acts. I have to follow along your ways. Only that way our friendship will continue. Otherwise, it will not sustain. Now, you may make your offerings, whatever you have brought, fruits flowers, or cloth. You may offer salutations from where you are. You do not prostrate down here.
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This is close by, and yet, it has become too far for Swamiji, as far as four or five years. In between, because this village was not included in my tours, my visits here have become rare. But now, as soon as I entered the village, the sound of birds has attracted me very much. It is wonderful. You are very fortunate that you are able to hear the sounds of the birds here so frequently. It is said that it is highly beneficial to listen to bird calls in the morning and evening. We are humans. We commit sins. We have to wash away those sins. For that reason, we are asked to listen to bird songs. People who live in villages are hence very fortunate. In some villages, there are no birds at all. Earlier, there used to be sparrows. Now, due to the telephone towers, they have vanished. Only a few crows were left here and there. Now, even they are not seen. It is really great that in this village, there are so many birds making sounds. They are a little agitated and disturbed today because after a long time there was much wind, clouds, and rain.
When it rains, we complain of rain. When it is sunshine, we complain that it is sunny. If there is a breeze, we complain that it is windy. We are never satisfied with the weather. We never remain steady. Hence, the weather also keeps varying. You never behave properly. You act as you please, you talk as you please, you eat as you like, and you sleep as you like. You do wicked deeds, just as you please, you tell lies, and you deceive. You do not behave in a proper manner. If you are proper, then the weather will be proper also. Drastic weather changes occur because man’s behavior is improper. That is why I am telling everyone that people should cultivate good behavior. You should not be affected by pain and pleasure. They occur naturally, just as day and night. You must endure them quietly.
One must not forget God. In many homes, they do not even light a lamp for God. In homes, one should always remember to thank God before every meal. Upon waking, one must remember God, and thank Him for giving protection throughout the night, and for giving you another day to live. You must pray that the day ahead is good for you. Before going to sleep, you must pray to God to protect you while you are fast asleep. Because, really nothing has happened to you. What if someone were to drop a huge rock on your head, while you were helplessly sleeping? Who gives us protection? It is God. He is serving us all the time. He is our watchman. We are not serving Him. He is serving us. He is giving us food, and air to breathe. He is giving the energy to move about and even for telling lies. He is giving us the capacity to sleep and to wake up. He is taking care of us while we are asleep also. Day and night, He is playing with us. We are like puppets in His hands. We dance to His tunes. Finally, He takes us back into Himself, whether we like it or not, whether we want it or not. Even if you refuse to go back to Him, he will take you back. In the end, he makes us vacate the body, and takes us back into Himself. So, in the meantime, no matter what situations may occur in our lives, we must maintain good behavior.
A beautiful temple has been built in Janavada. You must come and have darshan here. Yantras have been installed. There is good, powerful energy here. It is being wasted. The medicinal tree in the backyard is never recognized, although it yields nectar. It really yields good health and prosperity. Outsiders come looking for it and they benefit from it. But those who live right around it neglect this temple located in their own village. Daily, or once a week, or at least on festival days you can come and visit. How many of you came during the recent festival of Ugadi? Raise your hands. Very few. It is unfortunate. If the villagers come here and worship, they will enjoy good health, prosperity, and the children will get a good education. Swamiji has built many Paduka Kshetras here and there, just to help the people who live in the vicinity. He is eager to help them. They have to utilize the facility and benefit from it. But people complain that they have no time even to travel this short distance.
Sri Guru Datta