Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji after Sri Chakra Puja – July 14, 2019 – Atlanta, USA
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
śrī mahāganapate namaha
śrī sarasvtyai namaha
śrī pādavallabha narasimha sarasvati
śrī guru dattātreyāya namaha
Everyone should try to sing bhajans. Some people are afraid to sing bhajans because they think they have poor singing skills. Even an iota of devotion in you will prompt you to sing. Great souls are not necessarily musicians, but they compose and sing like great musicians because of their intense devotion for the Lord. Nandi, Bhrungi etc are not trained artists, but they are filled with great devotion. The illiterate and ignorant Kalidasa became a famous poet and saint due to the blessings of Mother goddess.
If you study the scriptures like Mahabharata and Puranas, you will gradually gain knowledge. We have witnessed that happen with kids who memorized the entire Bhagavad Gita. Memorizing the entire scripture is a gigantic task. These children did not know much about Bhagavad Gita or Lord Krishna before. They are all good devotees, but they did not know the depth of devotion. After studying the Bhagavad Gita, they are beginning to understand their own energy. People are often disappointed and depressed at their own state, “I am poor, I have no money, no status and no knowledge. I am neither making progress in my career nor in my family. I am falling behind”. This line of thinking is not healthy. Be happy. This creation is happiness. The scriptures declare that the human birth is very rare. Animals also eat, drink, sleep and produce children. That is all they do. And then they die. But God has given us humans knowledge. That is why our head is always pointing up towards the sky. Humans look up and ahead towards the sky while animals’ head is pointed down – attracted to earth. Man is very intelligent. Why should such intelligent species get depressed? Will the depression solve your problem? It will, in fact, aggravate the situation. So, why are you caught up in depression and helplessness, and making that your mantra, “I’m helpless, I’m helpless, I’m helpless”? That should not be your mantra. Chant omkara or the name of your favorite deity instead and think positively. You should not even be afraid of death. Many ill people spend every second worrying about death. If you have a mantra from Guru, chant it as much as possible. Instead, you are creating your own mantra and are filled with doubts about your spouse, friends, relatives etc. because you are full of desires, selfishness and ego. All the ego, doubts, unhappiness and suffering from your physical ailments automatically get you depressed and draw you into a downward spiral. That is not good. “Swayam Guru” – God is in your own heart. It does not matter if you cannot find a Guru. Searching for Guru leads to more confusion. Close your eyes and pray. You will get a good answer if you contemplate enough. So many people are chanting and singing Bhajans and giving Bhagavatam discourses and speeches in temples. You are very lucky that your environment is good. Spiritual activities abound in your surroundings especially if you are in India. There are opportunities for charity and service. You have good friends and a good environment. Why are you getting depressed? Your family members are also good. Why are you always negative? Why are you filled with doubts and confusion about people around you? That is why good books and scriptures are our friends. Keep a small copy of Bhagavatam or Mahabharata. Mahabharata is not a fictional story – it is our story. Everyone, including scientists and intellectuals unanimously agree about the greatness and relevance of Bhagavad Gita. The connect each shloka to their life. So many lives, including Mahatma Gandhi’s have transformed due to the Bhagavad Gita. I have seen Europeans as well as Muslims in Gulf countries too chanting Bhagavad Gita. Some of the schools are teaching Bhagavad Gita. It is a shame for you and me. Train yourself and your children. Do not just limit the training to children. Studying the Bhagavad Gita gives great peace and satisfaction regardless of your status, job situation or your money situation. Learn to be content. You are getting exhausted just searching for more. You keep searching for more because of discontentment. All that searching due to discontentment will get you nothing but eventual death. Learn contentment. This is God’s gift. We must accept and face whatever we get. Of course, try to get that promotion at work you are looking for. No one asked you not to. But do not get disappointed. Pray to God and be happy with His will. By God’s grace, we all get food. All of us are capable of eating, sleeping, wearing clothes, watching TV/movies and driving cars. Then, why are you dissatisfied? It is okay if the car is old. It is okay if the house leaks, Lord Varuna give us a swimming pool. Why are you struggling for all of this? So many of us keep changing jobs in quest for more money. If you keep changing jobs, you cannot lay the foundation for your future especially overseas where you may be striving for permanent residence. If you have no foundation, how can you survive? Lay the foundation first before inviting all relatives to visit or join you.
Telugu language is like pure Ganga water. By the way, you can enjoy Swamiji’s beautiful Ashram in Haridwar and Rishikesh near the Himalayas. Haridwar is very near Delhi and very beautiful place. Swamiji’s ashram where Ganga water flows into, is very nice. You can take a dip daily in Ganga and drink the nectar of Ganga. Telugu is pure like the waters of the Ganga. Kannada language is said to be aromatic like Kasturi. It is very interesting that when you have love and devotion for the person speaking a language, you understand what the person is saying. God has given us such power. We may not understand everything the person is saying, but we will understand a few words. Test it out for yourself.
Everyone should learn music. There is no age limit for learning music. You feel you are too old to learn music. Yet, you eat three times a day even when you are old. Are you not tired of eating for the last 50 years? Are you not bored breathing with your nose for 70 years? Why do you not try breathing with your ears? We do things that are natural for the body. We breathe, eat, sleep. The body needs sleep. If you do not sleep for two days, you will fall asleep during the day or look dazed and confused just as the people watching excessive TV do. Watching excessive TV makes your confused and confounded. Those obsessed with watching TV series start acting like the characters and themes on TV. You need to get out of that a little bit to understand the world.
Come to Dallas to see the powerful Lord Hanuman. A lot of people from across the country come to the Karya Siddhi Hanuman temple. As humans, we are filled with desires, questions and afflictions. Lord Hanuman will fulfill those desires. Swamiji will be there for Guru Purnima. Come to the temple for Guru Purnima. Your mind will find peace.