Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – February 13, 2018 – Mysore
Puttugam birthday
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Shivaratri is here. The day we gain knowledge is Shivaratri. The day we gain devotion towards God is Shivaratri. Why is it Shiva ratri (night)? Why not day? Why not Shiva day? Shiva is auspiciousness. Shiva, the one with a fiery eye is the one that illumines the world. He is Parabrahman himself and in another form is illumining this world. Why do we worship Shiva in a different way? The one who bestows auspiciousness burns inauspiciousness. The other meaning of Shiva is that he is the destroyer. Destroyer of whom? He destroys the Tamasic attribute of darkness. Darkness accompanies Tamo Guna (Dark/inert attributes). Tamo Guna has many bad attributes. In addition to all those attributes, there is darkness. It is complete darkness. Nothing can be seen. Dissolution (Pralaya) does not happen in the daytime. There is a description of the dissolution in Srimad Bhagavatam. It is complete darkness; there is absolutely no sign of light at all. Dissolution happens in the midst of complete darkness and extreme cold. The waters in the deluge are also frosty cold. That is dissolution. Tamo Guna enters such dissolution. It enters the darkness and the cold. No one can survive it. Shiva is the Lord who removes such Tamo Guna. Shiva is the Lord who removes the darkness, destroys it and swallows it. That is one meaning of Shiva. Shiva is said to be in the eleventh place. That is a different story, we will not talk about that now.
We refer to the Trinity as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. We say Maheshwara’s name in the end. We do not say Maheshwara, Vishnu and Brahma. It is the norm, just as it is the norm to say “Lakshmi Narayana” or “Parvati Parameshwara”. We place Shiva’s name in the end. Brahma is the one who creates. Vishnu makes the creation real. Shiva destroys the Tamo Guna that mixes with the world. Shiva has so much work. Brahma only imagined the world. He did not really create it. From the time he came into existence, he imagined the world. By the order of Parabrahman, Lord Brahma imagined the world while performing penance. Why did Parabrahman not create the world himself, why did he create Brahma or Vishnu or Shiva? The hand has to do its work, the leg has to perform its duty. The eye sees, it does not hear. The ear hears, it does not see. The tongue is the only organ that can taste. The Lord’s cosmic form supports this creation. This entire creation is in his form. He is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They are all forms of Parabrahman. He gives the order to the hand and it does its job. He makes the legs walk. We can do everything with our legs if needed; we can eat and write with our legs. All Indriyas/faculties have the power. Someone without hands will learn to eat and write with his legs. God gives the power of the missing faculty to another faculty. One who cannot see will be able to sing beautifully. That energy (from sight) is manifesting in a different faculty (voice). The hearing impaired or the visually impaired have other skills. When one faculty is missing, its energy goes to a nearby faculty.
Like that, when dissolution happens, the Lord swallows all darkness. He then shows light. He is the one with a fiery eye. He swallowed poison and bestowed auspiciousness on gods and demons. When dissolution occurs, there will be inauspiciousness all over, not just on earth. At that time, Lord Shiva bestows auspiciousness. What I am saying is the eleventh chapter summary of Srimad Bhagavatam. Shiva not only bestows auspiciousness, he also swallows inauspiciousness. He not only gives nectar, but also swallows poison. He is everything. The one who swallows darkness, swallows poison, removes our ignorance and poverty and our terrible inauspiciousness is Lord Shiva. He is the form of auspiciousness. He is “Ghora”(terrible) and “Aghora” (not-terrible).
Aghoraya Namaha. You have no Ghora. You are auspicious.
Ghoraya Namaha. You are Ghora.
Mangalaya Namaha. Amangalaya Namaha. He is auspiciousness. He is inauspiciousness. Why? He looks auspicious in order to draw all auspiciousness into him. He looks like an evil spirit to attract all evil spirits into him. You have to turn into a thief to apprehend a thief. He pervades all Tamo Gunas and swallows them. He alone remains as auspiciousness.
During dissolution, he is the darkness. He is the cold water. He is the situation in this situation. He slowly enters our hearts and removes our bad attributes just as a sieve filters out unnecessary ingredients. He throws those ingredients out and bestows auspiciousness. The Parabrahman has such a wonderful form. But we are seeing him as Shiva, so we pray to him as Shiva. We are observing such a Shivaratri tonight. The Lord is the one who removes our ignorance, our darkness and our Tamo Guna. Not only does he remove darkness, he gives light. Not only does he remove Tamo Guna, he gives Sattva Guna. Not only does he remove bitterness, he gives sweetness. He does both – removing and giving. He remove pain and gives happiness.
We are also celebrating Puttu Gam birthday on Shivaratri. We released some good books. Bhagavad Gita book has also been released. Sri Prakasa Rao worked very hard to bring out this book. Collect it, read it, keep it at home. Collect all books. The second item, Suprabhatam is also very good. Everyone must listen to it. Listening to it gives you the sublime experience of reading Swamiji’s life history. It’s like an audio book. If you close your eyes and listen to it, you will even see the video in your mind. The Malladi brothers rendered it so beautifully. Third, the Vedanta book is great. It is useful for children. You may only be able to comprehend the gist. Purchasing the book and supporting the effort is like grasping Vedanta. We also released the Hanuman calendar. Everyone must have the Hanuman calendar. The calendar is beautiful. It contains only photos of Lord Hanuman. The other book – Elixir As Received – by Sri Vamsi Krishna Ghanapati is so beautiful. It contains 26 discourses by Pujya Swamiji. Each discourse is like the snap of a finger. Sharp and short. Snaps can be musical especially when singing Bhajans. Vamsi Ghanapati carefully selected the speeches of Swamiji and compiled them. It is a lovely collection.
There is a small crystal we have with the entire Bhagavad Gita engraved on it with laser. It is beautiful. There is also a crystal cover on it to protect it. There is only a limited quantity of these crystals. The devotee who owned this business of making such crystals gave away the remaining engraved crystals to Swamiji when he was shutting down his business. You may get the crystal pendant the bookstore. You can wear it around your neck. It will always be with you on your body.
There is now a map of all birthday pillars in the Ashram. People searched and got exhausted trying to find their birthday pillar. Now, to make it easy for you, there is this map of the birthday pillars. The pillars have beautiful sculpting pertaining to the deity of the day. There are many pillars around Nada Mantapa as well as along the path to Guru Nilayam. You may ask a priest to help you offer worship to the pillar. Touch the pillar and seek blessings. This map shows you where the pillars are.
Tomorrow, for your benefit, Shuka Vana will be open. Tonight, we will intermittently do the Hanuman laser show as well.
This is the 25th year of Veda exams in the Ashrama. Anyone can run a Veda school with 4 or 40 students. You can manage somehow with borrowed money. Vedic exams however, are the real test to the organization. Every year, there are 400-600 students come here to take the exams. Taking care of them, their stay, the teachers stay etc., is a huge endeavor. Veda Nidhi is 25 years old this year. During this 75th year of Swamiji, we have this anniversary too. Lately, many people have been contributing to Veda Nidhi. I was surprised. Some people are paying Rs. 1 lac for Veda Nidhi. The government came forward to donate. We refused. We wanted to do it independently. Swamiji is stubborn. We should all support the effort. With your support and service and with Lord Datta’s grace, we have been running it for 25 years. You can contribute to Veda Nidhi. You do not have to give only Rs. 1 lac or Rs. 50k. You can donate 10k or 5k also. Support the Veda school. This is important to Swamiji. Please support and serve. We need that support.
Many people like zodiacs. Swamiji identified birds that represent each zodiac. Many people do not know. Trying to take photos with some of these birds is like placing frogs on a tray; they keep jumping off. Swamiji patiently took photos with the birds representing the zodiacs. You must all keep the photos – the Navagraha photo (birds representing the nine planets) and the zodiac (birds representing the 12 zodiacs) photo at home. We are also doing artwork with the bird feathers that fall off naturally. Buy that artwork to support Shuka Vana. Take those feathers home, place them in your shrine, place them in your books. They are like Mother Saraswati or like Mother Durga Parameshwari. If you buy them, show them to me. I will believe you only when you show me what you bought. Shuka Vana is open tomorrow. Take a photo with the birds. It is very cheap – only Rs. 100. If we cannot support this, what is the use of anything else you are doing? We pay Rs 60 for Masala Dosa. If we cannot pay Rs. 100 for Shuka Vana, that is a shame. If you get photos taken at Shuka Vana to take home, I am very happy. You will see big smile on my face. That is not a fake smile. Smile should come from within. When photographers ask me to smile, I tell them I cannot do it on demand. When they resign, I smile and they immediately snap a photo.
The chaff of paddy grains flies with wind, but the paddy grains stay put. People around me that do not understand me fly away like the chaff. Those that understand me stay put like the rice grains. One must stay put, like the rice gains with a Sadguru. Everyone should take the Navagraha and zodiac photos. Give them to friends. Place them all over the house. When Swamiji enters, he must see the photos all over. So, will Swamiji come? He may come in any form. He may come in the form of a dog. Who knows?
Shivaratri is a very powerful day. Stay up all night and chant. Do not sleep in your rooms at night. Chant “Om Namaha Shivaya” or Hanuman Chalisa. Chant the mantra given by Guru. Have Darshan of Sarva Dosha Nivarana linga at the Venkataramana Swamy temple. You can do ablutions to the Linga (abhisheka). There is a Kasi Shiva in the prayer hall. Today is very special.
Next year, we will perform Shivaratri by river Ganga in Haridwar. It is a very beautiful place and a powerful pilgrimage center. Our Ashrama there is very nice. Ganga flows nearby. It is a very small Ashrama. There are so many choultries and hotels there. Many hotels, big and small, are there. Do not miss that program in Haridwar in 2019 for Shivaratri.
Datta maata ETV Shivaratri speech
Compiled by: Parimala Eshwarla
Om Namah Shivāya
Namostu neelagreevāya sahasrākshāya te namah
Sahasra pāṇaye tubhyam namo meeduṣṭa māyate
O Lord of all Lords, O blue-necked Lord, You are thousand-eyed and possess thousand hands. You, the most supreme amongst all, illumine brightly. To You O Lord, I offer obeisance.
On the midnight of this auspicious day known as Māgha Krishna Chaturdashi, the Lord emerged. As such, on this day, everyone must abide by the Shivaratri ritual (vrata).
In fact, our Scriptures dictate four types of Shivaratri rituals which must be observed by every person- a) Nitya Shivaratri (daily); b) Fortnightly (Paksha Shivaratri), c) Monthly (Māsa Shivaratri) and d) Annual (Mahā Shivaratri). Nevertheless, the results for abiding by all other types of Shivaratri can be accrued by observing this Mahā-Shivaratri ritual.
On Mahā Shivaratri, one must perform abhishekam to Lord Shiva. The healthy should fast through the day and remain awake the entire night as these observances grant limitless merit (punya).
One must wake up in the very early hours of the morning and after taking head-bath, should devotedly worship Lord Shiva. He should fast the entire day and during the night, must engage himself in worshipping and offering abhishekam to the Lord. Lord Shiva allows himself to be held in sway of the person who devotedly worships Him through this night.
As Lord Shiva loves abhishekam, through the four time-divisions (jāma) of the night, He must be worshipped with the abhisheka rituals. During the first division of the night (jāma), He must be worshipped with milk; during the second jāma he must be worshipped with curd abhisheka; during the third jāma He must be worshipped with ghee (clarified butter) and during the last portion of the night He must be worshipped with honey. In addition He must be worshipped with bael (maredu) leaves and tummi (drona) flowers.
On Shivaratri, all the sacred pilgrim centres pertaining to all the 14 worlds reside within the Bilva leaves. As such, a Bilva leaf should be offered to Him with absolute faith and devotion.
On this day, lighting silver or gold lamps using ghee (clarified butter), reverentially offering the same to learned Vedic scholars and prostrating before them enables the person to get rid of spiritual ignorance.
Every living entity enveloped by the feelings of ‘I-ness’ (ahamkara) is an animal (paśu). As this Lord controls all such living entities and turns them towards Himself, He is extolled as Paśupati.
Residing as the illumination within every living entity, this Lord dispels the traits of passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) in them while kindling feelings of goodness (sattva). This Lord makes Himself visible in the heart. By pleasing Him, one is blessed with unending, permanent bliss! As such, this Supreme Lord, who causes feelings of dispassion to arise in us and who bestows us with unending bliss, must be remembered on this day.
Engage in charitable, meritorious deeds in order to obtain His grace. Learn to see His existence everywhere. You will be successful in accomplishing the four goals of life through this.
Utilize every minute of this sacred day, which has the ability to accomplish the purpose of this birth, purely to please Lord Shiva. Place at His feet the mind which is prone to endless thoughts. Worship Him through speech; use the hands to offer Him worship; use the ears to listen to His glories; use the eyes for His darshan. Retain the intellect (buddhi) solely upon Him. The senses that are directed towards Him stop running wayward and stop throwing us in the mire called sin.
Was the spider, which obtained liberation through worship of Shiva, an exponent in the knowledge of Vedas? The snake which did not know any Scriptural knowledge, worshipped the Lord with its gems and obtained salvation. The elephant, which was devoid of any form of knowledge, worshipped the Lord with the waters and obtained His grace. The tribal hunter who did not know any mantras served the Lord and earned His grace. From this it is evident that the type of birth is immaterial to earn the grace of Lord Shiva.
Hence, on this sacred day, do not waste your time in useless activities and discussions. Instead divert your time and energies towards the Lord and try to fulfill the purpose of life.
By worshipping Lord Shiva all of Nature’s turbulences will be dissipated. May this world be rendered peaceful with His grace. Please chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ all day long.
Shivaratri midnight speech (before Bhajan session)
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
The moment the mind decides to remain awake, the person begins to yawn. The moment the person decides to fast, he develops an insatiable appetite. When he decides to remain in silence, the mind pushes him to speak. Often, these paradoxical situations trouble us. On a normal day when we go to bed, we fail to fall asleep whereas on Shivaratri when we decide to remain awake we are unable to. On Ekadashi when we decide to fast, we experience limitless hunger so much so that we gobble up everything we come across.
These paradoxical situations occur as our mind repeatedly run in that direction. ‘O today I am not supposed to eat. I stand to lose a lot due to it. I cannot eat as I please. I cannot enjoy my food’- due to such thoughts, we experience more hunger. ‘O tonight I need to remain awake. I stand to lose a lot due to it.’ Strangely the person fails to fall asleep when he actually goes to bed. At such times, instead of focussing on lack of sleep, focus on your breath. In no time you will drift into sleep. Instead of focussing the mind on the object you actually desire (sleep) focus it on music. You will fall asleep. We need to control this mind which swings between the dualities.
About 40 miles from Mysore, in the town called Suttur, there is an ancient temple belonging to Lord Shivanarayana. It is a beautifully carved idol which encompasses Lords Shiva and Narayana in a single idol. Among the many proofs which exist to explain the non-dual nature of the different Gods, this idol is one. Shiva and Keshava (Narayana) are sculpted into one idol. Likewise, Parvati and Shiva in one idol symbolize their oneness. Prakriti (Nature) and Puruśa (Self) are non-dual. They do not have separate existences. Within the same body both co-exist.
When Shiva was worshipped the lotus-eyed Lord Narayana with lotuses, Lord Narayana caused a lotus to vanish from the heap of lotuses. This was a test for Lord Shiva. When one lotus fell short, Lord Shiva plucked one of his eyes and offered it to Narayana. Likewise, Narayana too offered his eye to Lord Shiva.
It is incorrect to perceive differences between Shiva and Vishnu as they are incarnations of the same Supreme Lord.
It is just past 12 at midnight, the time for emergence of Lord Shiva (Lingodbhava). Now Shiva has emerged in every mind.
Within each of us, the aspects of the Trinity i.e. Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, exist as mind (manas), intellect (buddhi) and senses (indriyas). Destruction of the senses is Shiva. Mind is aspect of Vishnu; intellect is aspect of Brahma..
Shiva is not an idol. He represents nothingness. He is all-pervading and yet zero. He exists in everyone and everything. Hence, I am Shiva, you are Shiva, that is Shiva, this is Shiva, she also Shiva, he also Shiva.
By and large Hindus love to meditate upon Vishnu or on Shiva. A very few choose Brahma instead of worshipping Shiva or Vishnu. They love knowledge (jnana). Jnana means Brahma. They want to study good books that give knowledge.
Idol (vigraha) symbolizes controlling sense organs, mind and intellect. This is the first lesson for us all. Even per Vedanta, the last step is a state of nothingness. It is known as invisible. It is Shiva.
The ideas and the activities that originate in the mind are Brahma. They are creations. The subsequent experience which stems from these ideas is Vishnu. The confusions and the disappearance of all these ideas is Shiva. Thus, we can say that all our daily activities comprise of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva principle. When seen from this angle, even human is God as all the 3 principles exist in him.
A person wants to eat- this is Brahma principle. Finished eating- Vishnu principle. Digestion of the food and energising the body- Shiva principle. All these actions are taking place within the body. Understanding/ realizing the presence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva within our body is defined as one night (ratri). Here night means a birth (janma). The term ‘janmaki oka shivaratri’ (One shivaratri for one birth) actually implies that the entire period from birth to death is one Shivaratri. It implies we have been awake for one night.
Irrespective of whether we are whiling away our time or using it for spiritual pursuits, we are doing so within one Shivaratri. As such, instead of whiling away the time in wasteful activities we should chant the name of Lord Shiva, worship Him, meditate upon Him all through. This long Vedanta concept cannot be elaborated explained in a couple of minutes.
Singing bhajans, worship, meditation helping others, engaging in charitable or meritorious deeds, and other social activities are very dear to Lord Shiva. Help the needy. Offer food to the hungry. Learn to see the invisible Lord Shiva as existing within every person and every object in this universe. The Supreme Lord Shiva is inherently changeless. He stands in His idol form representing this. Shiva Linga actually means only a dot (bindu), which implies formlessness. The full Vedanta explains this subject.
In those who sleep excessively, the nerve in the brain becomes numb. It is the same with excessive TV watching. They lose focus upon what task needs completion and they remain numb and active. Hence please quit excessive sleep and TV. Else the brain becomes numb.
For this reason, on two or three occasions during the year, our sleep patterns are altered in the name of festivities. A child less than 12 years needs only 6-8 hrs sleep. Beyond 6 years only 6 hours is adequate. 24 years and above need only 4.5 hours of sleep. With this they remain healthy.