Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in the evening during Koti Deepotsavam – November 9, 2019 – Hyderabad
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
śrī mahāganapate namaḥ
śrī sarasvatyai namaḥ
śrī pādavallabha narasimha sarasvati
śrī guru dattātreyāya namaḥ
āpadāmapa hartāram
dātāram sarva sampadam
lokābhi rāmam śrī rāmam
bhuyo bhuyo namāmyaham
ārtānām ārtidātāraṁ bhīthānām bhīta nāśanam
dviśataṁ kāladandaṁ taṁ rāmacandram namāmyaham
namaḥ kodaṇḍahastāya sandhīkr̥taśarāya ca
khaṇḍitākhiladaityāya rāmāyāpannivāriṇe
rāmāya rāmabhadrāya rāmacandrāya vedhase |
raghunāthāya nāthāya sītāyāḥ pataye namaḥ
Victory to Lord Sri Ramachandra Maharaj!
Victory to Sita Rama Anjaneya Swamy!
You must chant victory to the Lord loudly with all your heart. The louder you roar, the more readily the Lord will respond in your heart. I am very happy that all of you are part of this MahaYajna (Koti Deepotsavam). Everyone is continuing to chant Hanuman Chalisa. Two weeks ago, we chanted Hanuman Chalisa at this exact venue. As it began raining, Swamiji told the devotees that it would stop raining once they completed five rounds of chanting. As soon as they completed five rounds, the rain stopped, and we successfully completed the Hanuman Chalisa MahaYajna. I am remembering that Hanuman Yajna now.
This yearly Koti Deepotsavam event reminds us of Sri Narendra Chowdary and his wife Smt Rama who initiated this festival many years ago. Perhaps, he was among the great sages of the past. Even to this day, the scale of devotional programs they conduct cannot be measured in terms of the money spent. I am very happy that all of us as Hindus, as people of India, as devotees of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman are all participating in this event like it is our own. Ramayana took place a long time ago in Treta Yuga, but the grandeur with which the “Kalyanam” (symbolic wedding of Sri Rama and Sita) took place here feels like Ramayana is happening now. Lord Hanuman himself personally guided this event according to some scriptures. Lord Sri Rama has taken his place in Ayodhya and has filled devotees with happiness. He reminds us that he is the One in all ages. Justice and truth always prevail.
People of the world want to take birth in India. They are happy to be born even as a dog in this holy land. The yearning is so great that people who pine to be born at least as an insect in this sacred land visit the country and take back with them the immense strength of spirituality. Even in the centuries past, no foreign invaders were able to shake the kingdom of devotion in our hearts. We should continuously nurture and strengthen the devotion in us. Doubts and problems will keep cropping up in everyone’s lives. It is human nature that when we run into difficult times, we criticize God as we wish; and in good times, we forget God. Instead, one must remember God even more during difficult times and dedicate all good times to the Lord. Our ancients taught us that we should share in others’ sorrow and share our happiness with others.
Today on this day of Ksheerabdi Dwadasi when the nectar in the ocean of milk was churned, we witnessed Sri Rama Kalyanam here. I felt like Ayodhya Rama was here, so I had to personally walk up to the altar to see Him. We are seeing Ayodhya Rama here due to the efforts of Bhakti TV.
Abhishekam (ablutions) is a well-known ritual during this lunar month of Kartika. Some people think the milk used in Abhishekam is all a waste of money. No milk is wasted. The milk is distributed to the priests and workers after Abhishekam. Lord Gangadhara who holds the river Ganga in his matted locks likes getting Abhishekam. That is why, many households set up Abhishekam in their shrines in such a way that drops of water keep trickling down on to the Shiva Linga. In this lunar month of Kartika, it is very meritorious to witness or perform Abhishekam. It is meritorious to light a lamp. The lamp symbolizes the Paramatman; it symbolizes Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. It illuminates the path for our ancestors and brings us knowledge.
We should think a little analytically like scientists about why we light all these lamps. The potters are benefiting from the many earthen lamps we are buying for this event. Many wick makers and oil makers are also benefiting. Some devotees lament they are unable to perform fire worship. Why worry? Lighting a lamp is itself equivalent to the fire worship.
We are also churning nectar within our hearts. When we listen to something good, we must first recall it (manana) and then churn to extract the nectar from it (mathana). What we get as a result is the nectar of knowledge. That is the significance of this day (Ksheerabdi Dwadasi – the twelfth day in the lunar month of Kartika). In this lunar month of Kartika, the moon enters the zone of Kritika star. There is a lot of peace at this time.
We all know that there is a lot of air pollution due to industrial emissions. The Deepavali fireworks too cause a lot of pollution. The light from lamps lit by mustard oil, sesame oil or ghee counters the poisonous fumes. It aids cloud formation and brings cool showers of rains. There are benefits from such an event even when you analyze it scientifically. Every household should light a lamp. An electric lamp is not enough. Lighting a lamp with 5 wicks and ghee incites the light of knowledge in us.
There is no distinction between Siva and Kesava. This is very well demonstrated in the holy city of Kasi. Every street has Lord Narayana consecrated. It is said that Lord Shiva himself initiates to Taraka mantra, the souls that depart in Kasi. We remind ourselves that there is no distinction between Siva and Kesava. It is also said that Lord Rama himself comes down to worship Lord Siva in the month of Kartika. We are a lighting the lamp of knowledge by participating in this Koti Deepotsavam. May you be bestowed with auspiciousness. May you all grow spiritually. Many of you have been waiting here since 3pm, sitting on the hard floor waiting for this worship of light. This is a kind of penance and yoga. Would this be possible if you had no faith and devotion? People used to sitting on couches at home are forgetting their own bodies and sitting on the floor here out of devotion. May the Chowdary couple and Bhakti TV also get blessings for enabling this. They are doing this event every year. This is a great Yajna. I was supposed to be in Kasi today. But I made a detour to stop here and I am going to Kasi tomorrow. This is my Kasi, this is my Vaikuntha. I see Ayodhya here. You have so much devotion for Lord Rama. I will see you in Kasi and in Ayodhya. Let us all participate again in Koti Deepotsavam.
On this stage, we have many scholars that gave discourses about the greatness of lighting the lamps, about the greatness of devotion, the greatness of Vedanta and the Vedas. I heard Nagaphani Sarma talk too on Bhakti TV. He also explained the greatness of today’s event. I am very happy.
Everyone chant slogans of victory, so our echoes are heard in Ayodhya
Jai Veera Hanuman ki…
Jai Sita Rama Anjaneya Swamy ki…
When you chant slogans of victory, you get more oxygen in your body. The more you chant slogans of victory, the more the Lord is pleased. The Lord was cursed to forget his own prowess, unless someone reminded him of his powers. That is why in Hanuman temple, we often chant slogans of victory to the Lord. Therefore, we should praise the Lord in all possible ways. Everyone repeat.
Jai Sita Ramachandra prabhu ki…
Jai Sitarama Anjaneya prabhu ki…
Jai Veera Hanuman ki…
vandē vānara nārasimha khagarāṭ krōdāśva vaktrāncitaṁ
nānālankaraṇaṁ tripancanayanaṁ dēdīpyamānamruca
hastābjairasikhēṭa pustaka sudhākumbhānkuṣādrin halaṁ
khaṭvangaṁ phaṇi bhūruhaṁ ca dadhtaṁ
sarvāri garvāpahaṁ
sarvāri garvāpahaṁ
Let us light the lamps now. By lighting these lamps, we are driving away the darkness in us. We are showing our ancestors the light. We are showing our devotion to the Lord by lighting the lamp.