Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – on the evening of Ganesh Chaturthi at Hanuman Temple – August 25, 2017 – Brentford, London
Compiled by Bala Aati
Shri Ganeshaya Namaha !
Shri Saraswathyai Namaha !
Shri Pada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswathi
Shri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha !
Today is very powerful day. Ganapathy festival. This is not only for Indians but so many different countries are worshipping together. Thailand, Japan, some parts of China, Russia and small islands also are celebrating this festival. Today morning I said Ganapathy is first letter like Omkara. Ganapathy is not an invisible god like Hanumantha. He has a little bit story of how was He created by Mother Goddess and about His elephant head. There is a beautiful story. It is a scientific story. If you go through that story, then you understand. It is scientifically narrated very nicely. You an learn the meaning about Ganapathy. So many people say He is only an elephant god. He is not an elephant god. He is a powerful spiritual vibration. He is universal. In his trunk, his teeth, eyes, ears, he has different meanings. For every good occasion, you must first worship Ganapathy for its success. Only then that work is fulfilled. He has such power. So many people got Ganapathy mantra initiation from Swamiji. “Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha”. ‘Gam’ means seed letter. Like Om Namo Hanumate Namaha, even this Ganapathy mantra is chanted not only by humans, but also by lord Rama and Lord Krishna. All 333 billion devatas also chanted this mantra. Such a powerful mantra it is. Why not you also chant it early morning when you wake up ? Chant for 21 times ‘Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha’. If you have any problems, or body pains also, this helps. You can try to worship. Then you understand the power of the mantra. Please repeat ‘Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha.’ You can chant this twice a day. There is a rule that you must chant it at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm – 3 times in a day. And also anytime you can chant. Just close your eyes and chant. Don’t think dirty or rubbish things. Don´t think and cry. Don´t think about yesterday. It is all Maya. What happened yesterday is not permanent. Your history also don’t think. Leave it. Relax. Everything goes good. Don´t think about yesterday. You are waisting today’s good time by thinking about yesterday. Don’t think about tomorrow also. Everything is in His hands. Your karma must pass. Avoiding karma is only drama. You must experience it. Experiencing karma is penance. Don’t feel the pain. Your body is not permanent. Your problem is not permanent.
Who am I ? Who are you ? What is your purpose ? Are you Body ? No. Are you buddhi ? No. Are you soul ? No. Then who am I ? That is a big question ? Am I god ? Don’t know. For what purpose you came here ? What are you doing ? What is your aim ? What is your will and wish ? What is your destiny ? You can’t understand. This is all confusion. Because you love karma very much. You are eating, talking, quarrelling. You have ahankara – ego. That’s why you have problems. Time to time you want to eat, go to bed. Your body wants all facilities. Do something. If you want water do something. You want food, then you do something. Don’t sit lazy. Depending on others is not good. You must be independent. Some people are depending on others. If husband goes for work, wife is sitting and eating. They don´t work in the house also. That is devilish if you eat without working. You must at least clean utensils and wash clothes and clean the house. Sitting idle without any work is like saithan, devil. It is not good. If you sit idle, then you have no right to eat or drink water or no right to breathe the air. Do something useful at least for yourself. Then others also get benefitted. This is all said in Ganapathy’s history. I am telling only the story from Mudgala purana.
Read Mudgala Purana. Collect English version and read. Then you can automatically understand about yourself. You are only working for money and eating and quarrelling and are full of kama and ahankara (ego) and sleeping. Think about yourself. For what purpose you came here ? Who is Guru ? Who is God ? What is prayer ? What is temple ? What is Dharma ? Slowly you can start. What is human dharma ? What is society dharma ? Slowly you can understand. No problem. You can chant any name. Sri Ram Jai Ram. Devotion is not necessary. If you do it with devotion, I’m happy. Without devotion also chant Om Namah Shivaya. Take any name. All Gods names are powerful. Nama is big penance. It helps in your concentration, meditation and health. Otherwise you are only thinking bad thoughts about your yesterday and crying. You quarrel. You are jealous. You must cut out your jealousy. Look at everyone like God. Don’t feel jealous. Cut your ahankara, jealousy and over eating. You are house holders. It is a long journey for you. Body is painful. No one helps. Depending on God cures this pain. It is not right to ask God to remove pain. That is your karma. You must face it. Ask only ‘Who am I’. Body only is your life. After 90 years or 50 years or 60 years or 100 years, your body will not be there. 100 is very rare. If you are alive after 120 years, people treat you like an attraction in the museum. 90, 95 years – finish. Where is your house then ? What is your address ? You don’t know about your previous birth. Do you have your previous birth’s phone number ? No. Ok. Next birth do you have any plan ? Please show me your schedule. You don’t know. That’s why God is hiding both your birth and death details. This birth is only a small time between your past and future. Everyone knows life is short. No one has longevity. Beware of your ‘self’. Wake up. This is a good time. That’s why we have festivals of different kinds. You must change yourself and change your attitude. Change your daily routine. Then you can understand. Otherwise no use of festivals.
Ganapathy festival or Hanumantha festival or Rama festival or Krishna Janmashtami or even Christmas, so many different festivals are there only for your change. Be strict and change. Write down what is your change for every festival. Control your ahankara for one festival. For another festival control bad habits. For one festival start eating satvik food. Don’t eat egg or chicken. You must change. This festival, take a determination to change. That´s why Swamiji spoke today. Think about what Swamiji says and follow. Or you can forget also. I don’t have any problem. People don’t understand. Everyone knows, but no one follows. Everyone knows what Swamiji says. This is not new. These are old words. But you are not following. Today on this Ganapathy festival, pick a good one to follow. I bless you on this Ganapathy festival. Tomorrow we have inauguration day and special puja of Hanumanta. He is our breath God. Tomorrow we shall gather again to perform first year anniversary. Maybe 10 am I want to do abhishekam. We do it only once in a year. All of you witness Ganga abhishekam to Hanumanta. Because this is Emerald Hanumanta. We don’t want to spoil by pouring milk or curd or honey. I am not calling it as a stone. it is precious like a diamond. 10 am tomorrow we shall perform abhishekam.
Jaya Guru Datta !