Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in the morning – Sankranti Day 1 – January 13, 2019 – Mysore
Compiled by Shruthi Jagadish
Harih Om Tatsat
Sri Guru Datta
Sri Mahaganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sankranti has drawn close. A lot of people start the celebrations today. In Karnataka, there is a practice of distributing Ellu-Bella (a mixture of roasted white sesame seeds, fried gram, dry coconut, jaggery and roasted peanuts – all chopped into small pieces). This signifies good health, longevity and education (knowledge). This mixture is also considered as the blessings bestowed on the Shiva Gana by Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. This festival is celebrated across the country with different stories to indicate the significance. In Tamil Nadu, the festival is called Pongal. This is the harvest time. Sometimes there is also loss of crops due to drought or floods. It is our destiny. Hence we pray that there must be timely rains and harvest, the country must progress, children must do well in studies, and they should respect elders. We must all follow the Hindu Dharma diligently and men should also wear a Tilak on the forehead. These practices were started on Sankranti day. At least a tiny dot should be worn on the forehead. The Lambika Chakra in between the eye-brows exudes radiance in a person. This protects the body. It is necessary to cover this region with a tilak so as to retain this radiance in the person. Kumkum, Vibhuti, Chandan – anything can be used for this purpose. Celebrate Sankranti with new clothes and good practices. It is very important to practice non-violence and to speak only the truth. One must pledge to follow these austerities during this festival of Sankranti. Cattle are cleaned and worshipped too. Cows are decorated and worshipped. Cattle are made to cross over a small fire made of dry hay. This is symbolic of removing the evil eye. Only because cows give milk, we are able to relish coffee and tea in the morning! If they stop giving milk, we end up consuming artificial products that can ruin our health. Cow, like a mother, nurtures us with nutritious milk. We must thus worship cows. The bullocks that have helped us till lands and harvest this bounty are also decorated and worshipped. They are also made to wear new clothes. The farmers are also honoured and their welfare is enquired. See the significance attached to this festival!
Pongal at prepared and we pray that Shiva-Parvati, Vishnu-Lakshmi eternally reside in the house and that we are blessed with good health, fame, prosperity and knowledge. Even if there are difficult times, we pray for strength to tide over the situation. This resistance power to overcome illness is prayed for.
Sun God is also worshipped during this festival. He changes his direction at this time. We will be celebrating this festival in the next 2-3 days. Jujebi fruits are showered on children signifying good health and a long life for them. ‘Sam’ implies good, ‘Kranti’ stands for revolution. This is the time to evolve and change for the better. We have been lazy all along and did not bring in any positive changes. We’ve led mundane lives just eating, sleeping, working, cooking, bathing and have let time pass. We’ve not invested time in consciously leading an ethical life. Let us pledge to change that now. We must understand the value of life and realize the secret of this birth. Isn’t the message of Sankranti beautiful? I pray for the good of all.
Jaya Guru Datta.