Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – July 7, 2017 – Hyderabad
Speech in the morning
Notes from Archana Penukonda
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Sarasvatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Sarasvati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
We heard a wonderful welcome song yesterday. When I arrived, I was told there would be a welcome function. Various artists sang the welcome song. The organizing team was hoping it would not rain. Swamiji did not say that there would be no rain, but he said there be sun. So, there were both rain and sun yesterday. Narayana Rao (head of SDHS) then wished Swamiji said there would be no rain. There were many artists painted in chemical colors, dressed in various costumes (for the welcome function). Without regret, they quickly took shelter when it rained and resumed dancing later. We should not criticize them because they do not know Hanuman Chalisa or Guru Gita or some other prayers. Each person is different. Everyone makes mistakes. It is natural for every being to make mistakes. There is no one that does not make mistakes. When we march forward while being careful not to repeat mistakes, that is when we lead a true human life. Doing what they do for such a long time in that costume and get up is very hard. Those people (artists in costumes) were born in such places, that is how they grew up. But it is a wonderful art.
In Datta Darsanam, Lord Datta talks to Parasurama on the topic “Who can get liberation (moksha)?” The Lord says everyone can get liberation, even a musician, a carpenter, a potter or anyone else can get liberation. Everyone must read Datta Darsanam. Datta Darsanam is the story of the Guru (Guru charitra). Lord Datta is the primordial Guru. Datta is an incarnation of Vishnu. Vishnu is Narayana and Narayan is Parabrahman. Parabrahman is nothing but Paramatman. So, it is the story is the story of the Paramatman. Swamiji has given it to you in a form you can easily understand. Get the book on Guru Purnima day. Give it to others. That is a very good donation. Donate Datta Darsanam and Guru Charitra. Give it to those who cannot afford it, not to those who can. Give it to the priests or other poor brahmins along with a small monetary donation. I will be happy if you do that.
On Guru Purnima, I am giving you two boons. You all must adhere to them. One, share your food. What does this mean? Whatever food you eat, share with others. Share with someone hungry. Every week, go to a place where there are hungry people. Give it to birds or to a hungry dog. If you cannot find someone, share with Paramatman by donating at the Ashrama. Take a fistful of rice and offer it as Datta Bhiksha at the Ashram. You do not have to do it only in this Ashram, you can donate to any Ashrama. Chant Swamiji’s name and give it to a hungry person. Feed someone who has no strength or succor. Greet them, chant Swamiji’s name and give them the food. If you do that, Swamiji will be very happy. That is real worship of Guru. Swamiji really likes this service. We should all do Annadanam (food donation). When you cannot feed someone hungry, contribute to Annadanam in the Ashram. Doing this is equivalent to undertaking a vratam/vow.
The other thing I am going to tell you, everyone must follow. This is the command of Guru. You must all do this. You must win. You lament that your children do not listen to you. You must make them listen. You must find creative ways to make them listen to you. You must control them from an early age. If you ignore them, they will not listen later. You must control them from childhood onwards. On Guru Purnima Day, Swamiji will give you some commands. You must follow. How do you uplift the society? Just doing Bhajans and some cultural programs is not enough. What is going on the Ashram? Dances, screams, food, good laddus, that is it? We should gather together, restrain the mind and do satsang. Make the body sit in Padmasana (lotus pose). In Europe, devotees sit on chairs. They suddenly rise from the chair and sit on the floor in Padmasana. Again, they will sit on the chair for some time. Swamiji had instructed them to practice sitting on the floor so it becomes a habit. Those who are worried about their knee pains will not get better if they do not practice. If you practice from a young age, your belly fat will melt away. There are very few who do Asanas despite body pains. Normally, Swamiji cannot sit or stand easily – you know that this has been the case since the surgery He had after His accident. Yet, He will not let go. He does asanas and exercises before shower every day. He makes sure He gets enough exercises for His knees as well. We should not be afraid. We should take the doctor’s suggestion, get physiotherapy and yoga suggestions and act accordingly. Fear keeps us from doing anything. The body will keep getting fat. You must control the body. Do not eat fatty food. Why should you eat such food? There are people who live on air or water in the Jain sect. There are such great souls. No yantra or mantra, it is just their energy. They live on a morsel of food a day. Do not eat too much rice. Other (smaller) grains/cereals are good for you. Those grains (such as millets, sorghum etc.) do not have much fat. Now, Swamiji is talking about health. Only if you have good health and good Indriyas (sense organs) can you have spiritual progress. Otherwise, your attention will be on your body pains. You should not put your mind on body pains. The Indriyas are not ours.
Swamiji was given anesthesia for His surgery after the accident. But Swamiji continued to talk after being given anesthesia. There was a big team of doctors including Dr. Nityananda Rao operating on Swamiji. The doctors were surprised to see Swamiji continue to talk. They were afraid to give another dose of anesthesia, but they had to, so Swamiji would sleep. But even after the second dose, Swamiji continued to talk, asking them questions about what they were going to do as part of the surgery. The doctors were requesting Swamiji to sleep. Swamiji then said He would turn His body and look the other way so they could operate on His body comfortably. This is not my body. This is your body. I have this body for you, for real devotees. I have no right over this body. I cannot do with it whatever I wish. I gave it to you a long time back. I am stuck with it. I am stuck in this samsara. I do not know when I will get liberation from this samsara. I know I have no liberation. There are so many people (I need to take care of). We should practice (restraint) is what I am saying. You may feel that it is easier said than done. But it can become easy. The Indriyas are controlled by the mind. We should command our body. We should remind ourselves to command the body. If it hurts, tell the body you will give it some pain relief balm when you go home, but until then it must listen to you.
We should teach our Indriyas lessons every day, so that when there is a big health issue, it becomes easy to manage. Hopefully, we will not have any big health issues, but who knows our fate. Only when you do that daily practice will it help. I am talking about Nagamani (long time devotee). She practiced so much restraint that she could help her husband. Even during a health crisis, the husband and wife were very brave. I got rid of all his craziness. You never know how Swamiji teaches lessons. He looks like He does not know anything. He will sing bhajans and say something very simple. No one knows that His awareness is everywhere. When we forget our Indriyas, even a drop of Teertha (holy water) becomes nectar. We must give the order to our Indriyas. If we do, we will have the strength to withstand body pains. Resolve for yourself that this body is not yours. You need to let it go one day. The body will keep saying it is yours and the pain is yours. You must teach it a lesson. You heard the song, “Buddhi ki buddhi vaccindi…Guru Jyoti Veligindi”.
I was talking about yesterday’s programs and the artists. Sadhana is very important. Despite pains and sorrows, Sadhana is very important. When our sadhana is firm, we will definitely be victorious. That is why, take good care of children. Change the processes at home. People show their true colors when they go home. They are fierce like Chandi and Chamundi at home. The restraint they have here is all gone when they go home. Make sure that does not happen. The Sadhana here will then be fulfilled. How you behave here is how you should behave at home. You are (fierce) like Maha Kali at home, but (peaceful) like Maha Lakshmi here. Same with men. You are like Maha Vishnu here, but when you go home, you are like Rudra – you have anger, frustration, anxiety, haste etc. Why are you in such a hurry? You watch TV for hours, you read the newspaper for hours. The 20 minutes it takes to prepare and drink coffee or tea is time you waste. Where is your Sadhana at that time? You all waste so much time. Waiting for a bus or train, or waiting at a store, waiting for a ticket in a queue, you are all wasting time. But waiting in queue for Swamiji is not a waste of time. You are looking at Swamiji while you are in line, so it is not a waste of time. People sometimes sponsor Pujas so they can come in a queue as they watch Swamiji. During Ugadi Darshan, people refuse to come in VIP lines because they want to punish their legs and want to keep looking at Swamiji. They feel as though all their sorrows vanish as they see Swamiji. Having Darshan of Swamiji in a VIP line is not devotion. That is business. Lot of devotees choose the long route even if the volunteers persuade them saying Swamiji asked them to come in the short VIP line. Despite the pushing and shoving in the line, they are okay with the long line. You got the body used to the long lines, so you cannot act differently.
Now, if you notice the feeling on the faces of the people in the long line versus the people in the VIP line, you will see true happiness in the people in the long line. The people in the VIP line have some ego of wealth, power etc. in their face. The have that sense of accomplishment. Everyone is the same to Swamiji. He blesses everyone alike. I bless everyone that prays, whether or not they have devotion. Swamiji looks at everyone whether or not they offer anything. There is no doubt. There is no mistake. But our Sadhana must change. Our ego of power, wealth etc., combine to give us a false sense of pride. There are those who are humble and have a genuine need to leave at a certain time. That is okay. But people come in the VIP line and then sit down and talk for hours in the Ashram.
As I said, the happiness in the faces of those who come in the long line is different from those who come in the VIP line. This is very true, there is no exaggeration. Everyone must develop devotion and discipline. God does not want your hasty, mechanical worship. You must offer worship with devotion, even if it delays you. It is like exercise. It is like teaching the Indriyas lessons. Go through all the detailed procedures and do circumambulations. Your Indriyas get exercises well when you do these things. The mind calms down and does the worship. The Lord does not want a hasty worship. You must worship with full devotion with Trikarana (body, mind and speech) without missing a single step. That is real devotion. The worshiper must wash all the utensils for worship, arrange everything, and clean the place. You must not make the maid do everything and just do the superficial steps of worship afterwards. Clean the photos daily. Do the decorations every day. We must offer fresh flowers every day. You must not offer plastic flowers to God. Worship with akshatas (rice grains coated in turmeric) or with fresh flowers. Or, you can have flowers of silver or copper that will always be in your shrine. You can clean those flowers every day. We should make our own wicks. Sit in front of the TV if you wish, but place your concentration on the wicks. Read the Ashtottara or the Sahasranama or Guru Gita as you make the wicks. Or, listen to Swamiji’s CDs. If you cannot chant mantras, listen to the mantras and light the wicks. You will be transported to a different world during that one hour of worship whether you are man or woman. Once you make this a habit, you will feel a void if you miss a single day of this ritual. This is the way to keep God near you. The body waist down is said to be Pitr Nilayam (where the forefathers reside). Waist up is Deva Nilayam (where the gods reside). All gods are in the body. God is always there. He sometimes walks away because of your fickle-mindedness and bad thoughts. But we should keep Him in us. We should keep our minds pure. We should not cry over our past. We should not cry for being lonely. Everyone is lonely. No one is related to anyone. Who is taking care of you when you are asleep? No one. No relative takes care of you when you are asleep. Who is there for you when you cry? Who is there for you when you laugh? Who is there for you when you worship? (Audience responds saying Sadguru). That is all we need. That is why there is the song “Yevariki vaare Yamua teere…”
Each paves his/her own path to the shores of Yamuna river. There is no one we have. You must never lament that you are lonely. You are never lonely. God is with you. Everyone you seek is human. They are just like you or worse off. Why do you keep pining for them? How long with your mother, father or someone else be with you? Everyone’s journey is his/her own. Their karma, their path, their destiny is their own. “Yaaru gati hege iruvudo…” (Tattva bhajan that is saying, no one knows where a person’s destiny takes them).
Guru alone leads us on our path. He leads us through our mind. Even though we are all born from a mother’s womb, our paths are different. The relationship we have with others is only through the Indriyas. They have no relationship to the mind. Because they are related to the Indriyas, they take the Indriyas to the hospital (when the person is sick) and cry over the Indriyas dying. Will they enter your mind to fix it? No one must lament for being lonely. The greatest joy is in being alone. Going on your own journey, you feel much bliss. The Lord’s bliss will be in our heart.
tasmin pade’stu mama cittamagocare’pi
The Lord cannot be perceived, but we must offer worship so we can perceive him. During the incarnations of Lord Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, the Lord could be perceived by some people.
yat sadvrajasthitijuṣāṃ suhṛdāṃ kemari- dīnāmadhīnamiva gocaratāmupaiti
This is a wonderful line in Bhagavatam. The folks of Gokulam are so blessed. They listened to everything I told them. Whatever I said so far, they listened to everything. “Yamuna teere” (the shores of Yamuna river) refers to going to Lord Krishna. We should pine for the Lord. We should never let anyone else sit in our heart. We gave our heart to our Guru. We should not let anyone else sit there. We have given it away to our Guru. It is not like sharing coffee or masala dosa. It is the place we offered to God.
To all those who were there during the Lord’s incarnation, the Lord was perceivable. He was like a relative – a son, a brother-in-law, a nephew, or a brother, etc. They were so blessed. He was related to everyone. He made them all devotees through those relationships. That is Lord Sri Krishna’s incarnation. We should revel in such bliss. We should never fall from that. Never lament about loneliness. Never curse yourself. Always believe you are lucky. You have a Sadguru. “My eyes are good, I am seeing good things. My ears are good, I am listening to good things.
Swamiji said twenty things, I understand one. But I am blessed. I am seeing Sadguru with my eyes. I have hands, for doing bhajans, not to torture other beings, not to eat garbage. I have hands to eat Satvic food and do good things. The hands should not do bad things. These hands carry flowers and food for God. They make akshatas for God. There is no greater fortune. I would rather cut off my hands than do bad things with them”. That is how determined we must be. Only when we can have that restraint can we have a pure heart.
We are seeing that everyone in the world has problems. Let it be. The problems go away when the body goes away. But we should not forcibly leave the body. We should not hurt this body that is the field of God. You have no right to do that. Your life belongs to the Guru. You have no right over it. You must face your karma. You must never say you want to die. Krishna wandered among the cowherds. The cowherds were very pure. Like them, we should all become pure. Then, real bliss and truth will come to us. We will experience it. We can have Darshan of truth when we are pure, otherwise we cannot. Let us have a pure heart. Let us be contented. Give, as long as you are able to; otherwise, be contented. Many feel guilty that they cannot offer anything to Swamiji. Why are you feeling guilty? You must not. Have a pure heart. Offer your pure heart, that is all I need. We have pure love. What can material things do? Things only exchange hands. But exchange of mind is only with Swamiji. That is what we should compete for. We should compete to find a place in Swamiji’s heart. Ego due to your ability to give or disappointment due to the lack of ability to give, are not right. You must not count and feel bad about not being able to offer anything now. First of all, never count what you offered before. Whatever you offered before, you offered with contentment. Who is giving and who is receiving? We are only washing away our sins. When we sponsor a homa for Rs. 300, it is not enough to destroy sins. Sponsoring a Homa is akin to offering a flower. But do not stop sponsoring the Puja because Swamiji is saying that your sins will not go away. Little by little, your sins will go away. Read Lalita Sahasra Nama over and over. You will slowly get more comfortable with it and will feel like reading it more.
Gradually, you will memorize it. We have a mouth so we can do Nama Japa (chant the names of the divine). But we talk rubbish, speak lies, eat junk and befriend liars. Yet, the Divine Mother has so much compassion for us. Pujya Jayalakshmi Mata has so much compassion. She enables us to memorize the hymns. People say “I did not even imagine I would learn the Hanuman Chalisa or Ashtottara. It used to feel difficult earlier. How am I able to chant it now? Lord, you have so much compassion on my tongue”. The tongue is there for chanting, the hands are there for serving, the legs are for doing circumambulations. Do circumambulations (pradakshina) around the Hanuman temple. In Bengaluru Ashrama, people do 40 circumambulations around the Hanuman temple. On weekends, there is barely any room to move in the temple. People there, love Hanuman. Swamiji established the same Karya Siddhi Hanuman yantra here. The more you worship him, the closer you get to liberation (moksha). Keep tying Purna Phala. Thank the problems for bringing you closer to the Lord. Thank the problems for reducing your ego. Be grateful, “Swamiji, you made me come here and tie the Purna Phala”..
So, I told you two things today. All of you good devotees, bring up your kids properly. Keep track of how they are doing in school. Second, share your food. Everyone should donate food. You must not forget these two things. Next, from this Guru Purnima onwards, I want to do 100,000 Ganapati Homas. We have till December to do this. I am inaugurating during Guru Purnima. Everyone must participate. Sponsor in the name of everyone you know or for the number of years in your age. Sponsor in Swamiji’s name, his father’s name, mother’s name, grandparents’ names, his sisters’ names etc. You can sponsor in the name of Jayalakshmi Mata’s family. Do it whenever you go to Mysore Ashrama or any other Ashrama.
Next, Dhyana. We need to make the mind still during Dhyana. How do you get to that blissful state? How do you control blood pressure? How do you control heart problems, kidney problems, cancer etc.? To keep those in control, we need Dhyana. I am inaugurating a Dhyana machine on Guru Purnima. Wherever you are, Swamiji will teach you Dhyana once a week. If you miss one week, you can join the next week. You wear a small device during the session. I will watch on the computer. I will even give voice commands. The point is to keep the mind in control. When we can still our mind, we can be successful. On Guru Purnima day, I will inaugurate the machine. You will get the details on how you can get the device for yourself. We already experimented with the device in many countries across the world. We are already testing with 80 or so people. Merge your sound in my sound, merge your breath in my breath. When you have a lot of mental wavering, I see it on the computer. Swamiji will guide you in your meditation. Swamiji always uses the latest technology that no one else is using. The Divine Darshan app is also like that. You can have Darshan every week. I am in your house, in your bedroom. Swamiji will be visible everywhere in your house. The Divine Darshan is available for a week before it changes to a new Darshan. Everyone must try to get Dhyana Brahma app. I am telling you now in advance because I am so happy about it. You can be anywhere in the world and still use the app. The time for the session with Swamiji is scheduled in Indian Standard Time. You must calculate the time in your time zone and join. This is the happy news for Guru Purnima. This app is based on the latest technology. It is not available anywhere else in the world. Others may begin copying it. My kids have discovered it. Bhairav used to run in the Ashram as a toddler without clothes. Swamiji said that he could become a scientist. He is Mani Shankar’s son. All three kids are devotees of Swamiji. They have been educated around the world. They discovered this technology and are offering it to Swamiji. Swamiji will know and respond right away during the session if your mind is wavering.
Sri Guru Datta
Speech in the evening – Divya Namasankeertanam
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri
This is Divya Namavali today. We will be chanting the divine names of God.
When we are at God’s altar, we must do Pradakshina to the shrine, chanting the name of the deity. If it is a Hanuman temple, chant Hanuma Hanuma and do either 16 or 40 circumambulations. Then offer Him a Purnaphala, expressing your desire to get to Mysuru ashrama quickly. When you are at the shrine of each deity, chant the name of that deity repeatedly as you offer prostration. You should not be weeping and feeling sad. When you go to God to pray, be happy. Don’t shed tears of sorrow. Generally, people complain to God that He has given so many troubles. They say they wish to die. Why do you even get that thought? Everybody is going to die anyway. Who lives permanently? Are your ancestors living? Each one has to leave, one after the other. We all have to vacate this place. This is not our home. This place is only leased to us. We will be forced to vacate, even if we are not willing to vacate. We will be kicked out without any hassle of any court case to evict us. When we try to get rid of a tenant, we have to argue, fight, and file a court case. But God is free to do as He likes. He takes back His house quietly. It is only if you vacate, that another person can be born. If a child is born, it means someone else is ready to depart. It is all well calculated. Some overlap may be there, of five or ten years, between a birth and a death of another. If an infant is born in the house, it means it is almost time for the great grandfather or great grandmother or grandmother to exit. It is unavoidable. Room must be made for another to come in. Like in a hotel, a room is vacated so that another can occupy it. It is business. I keep reminding everyone repeatedly, as long as you live, be grateful that you are alive. As soon as you wake up, rejoice that you are still alive and are breathing. You must offer thanks to God. No amount of Thanks is sufficient. For small things in everyday affairs and interactions, we keep exchanging thanks. Even for trivial things. God has given us such a huge gift of life itself. How many thanks are adequate for this priceless gift? No amount of gratitude of prayer is sufficient to compensate for what He has given us. He has given this precious life, and this vast Universe. He has given food. He has given to the body, a soul to say “I”. He has given all kinds of things to make this body endearing and worthy of love and kisses. He has given so much sweetness to this body. He has given both bitterness and sweetness. He has given life. It is because we have life, we have seen Swamiji in this lifetime. Otherwise, how would you be able to see Swamiji? You cannot. It is because we are alive, we are watching this program. Say thanks to God. That this day is so beautiful, that you are alive, that you are able to come and be here, in spite of the rain, give thanks.
Because you came, you are enjoying this devotional singing. Offer thanks to God. You came risking getting drenched in the rain. Give thanks. Even a million thanks are not sufficient to express gratitude to God. Every moment of our lives is an opportunity gifted to us. To be with Swamiji even for a moment, is a great opportunity. It goes without saying. You have to keep saying thanks to me till I get fed up. No amount of thanks is adequate. When you stand at God’s altar, your own mouth is a doorway. Use your tongue to chant His name, Govinda, Narayana, Datta, Hanuman, or any chosen name, Namassivaya, or name of Mother Goddess. With every breath, chant God’s name. The saints of Maharashtra always chant God’s name. They stand at the entrance to any temple, playing cymbals and chanting God’s name. They chant Vithala Vithala. Even officers in their professional attire do not feel shy or embarrassed to chant God’s name. But you feel so hesitant and ashamed to utter God’s name. To put a dot on the forehead, people feel ashamed. Wear Kumkum, vibhuti, gandham (sandal paste), sindoor, or even a sticker dot. I do not even know whether you are a Hindu or not. When you come in a line to receive prasadam or have darshan, you must wear a dot on your forehead. Even if it is as small as the dropping of a fly or a mosquito, it does not matter. You must wear a dot to cover the Lambika Nadi. Protect your spiritual energy. It is compulsory. You must wear bottu. If you don’t wear it, I may speak to you in Hindi, as if you were a Muslim. Hindus have no shame. Their forehead looks as if a dog has licked it, bare and blank. It looks very auspicious if you wear a dot between the eyebrows. There are a variety of substances you can use. When you see a girl’s bathroom, the mirror will be covered with a variety of stickers, of different colors to match the dress. They do not keep them in a box. Sometimes even the face is not visible in the mirror, there are so many stickers. They get upset if you remove the stickers. You have to bend and find a gap to see your own reflection in the mirror.
Even men must wear a dot on the forehead. From tomorrow, if you yourself do not wear it, I will have volunteers smear a huge mark on your forehead before you enter the darshan line. They will keep the materials at the temple doorways and will apply the mark on your forehead.
Earlier, we have walls covered with white chalk. We could take with a fingertip and apply a mark on the forehead. These days they apply paint to walls and it does not come off. If you wear a dot, God/Paramatma will be dancing on your face. He will destroy your poverty. All your problems will be solved. Don’t applaud. Follow the instruction. Only then I will be satisfied. If you don’t wear the dot, I will not speak with you. If you wear it, I will look into your eyes and speak with you. That is my gift to you. I cannot offer you a better gift. Everyone must wear. Don’t wipe it off as you leave the premises. Keep it till you go home. No one will object. After all, you are only going home. No one will make fun.
In London, a situation has arisen, where all Hindus are forced to wear a dot on the forehead to protect their lives. Otherwise they are mistaken for Pakistanis and get shot. So ours is the first temple in London, our ashram, that distributes substances to wear dot on the forehead. I am very happy about this. The dot identifies them as Hindus and that keeps them safe. The Vishnu devotees so proudly display their vertical symbol on the forehead. Govinda Govinda. It is so nice. The Siva devotees proudly wear broad horizontal bands of Vibhuti. Om Namassivaya. Hare Krishna, some say, and wear brandings of conch and disc on their bodies. I don’t ask you to go that extent. Just wear a dot on the forehead. If it is miniscule, like the dropping of a fly, make sure it is a good fly from the temple. Otherwise, it is dirty.
The entire body with all its limbs belongs to God.
Sri Guru Datta