Sookti and Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – March 26, 2020 – Mysore
Sookti
Compiled by: Parimala Eshwarla
Narasya ābharaṇaṃ roopam, rūpasyābharaṇaṃ gunāḥ
Guṇasyābharaṇaṃ jnānam, jnānasyābharaṇam kṣamā ǁ
Form (roopam) alone is one’s true ornament! Golden ornaments add only external beauty. To the beautiful form (body), virtues are the real ornaments. The person who lacks virtues, indeed appears ugly. To the beautiful human who is filled with many virtues, right knowledge is the ornament. To the knowledgeable man, forgiveness is the ornament!
That, whose weight we carry most of the time (bharana), is addressed as abharana (ornament). As this ornament decorates the object, it is called a decoration. The words ornament, decoration etc. signify beauty.
‘Where is beauty found? Can we say that beauty is restricted to a fixed place? Or does it pervade the entire body?’- asks Sāmudrika shastra. The words, ‘lotus eyes’, ‘lips as beautiful as the red bimba fruit’, ‘a delicate nose’- indicate that every limb has its own beauty! But, even this is nothing but an illusion! Learned scholars have defined beauty as ‘that which pervades the entire body’.
When a person is said to be beautiful, it does not imply that merely his nose, mouth, eyes and ears are beautiful. It implies his entire body is beautiful! Just as every drop of water in which sugar has been stirred, tastes equally sweet, beauty pervades every limb of the body.
From this it is evident that ‘form’ is the real ornament that decorates the body. If so, what could be the ornament that decorates the form? However beautiful a person may be, remember that external beauty can never be the real beauty. Good qualities (virtues) are the real ornaments that decorate a person! Being truthful at all times, having a saintly disposition, good conduct, having compassion for other living beings, being charitable and such other qualities are the real ornaments that decorate the person. When these qualities are lacking, even a handsome external appearance does not shower him with the real glow.
There are some, who undoubtedly have external beauty. To add to it, they are filled with noble qualities, good conduct, charitable disposition, compassion and many other noteworthy traits, due to which they earn everyone’s praise. What is the ornament that further decorates them? It is Jnana or Knowledge. In the absence of knowledge, all their virtues fail to accomplish anything! What is knowledge? The ability to discern good from bad or right from wrong, is knowledge.
Merely because the person is handsome, has noble virtues and is knowledgeable, they do not entitle him to be addressed as ‘great’. A knowledgeable man necessarily needs to have the quality called ‘patience’. He must not lose his temper for trivial issues. He must cultivate tolerance. He must be able to effortlessly forgive others who have harmed or condemned him. At all times, the society will revere and glorify a person who has these qualities.
Bhajan and Coronavirus related message
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
I assume everyone is staying at home. Do not go out and then get reprimanded for doing so. Be careful. Going out at this time is like setting up things neatly around yourself and then tripping over those same things. We should follow the rules and regulations in order to be happy. The government has made many arrangements for food to be supplied to the economically weak. 8 million people have been given ration cards. Those who already have BPL (below poverty line) cards are getting wheat and rice delivered to them. I told you several times to get BPL and Aadhaar cards (for identification) if have low income. It is too late now to get them. You are supposed to do it when you go to vote. If you had done so, you could have easily received the food items that are being delivered home. Prime Minister Modi has reminded you all so many times that the low-income citizens are eligible for this assistance. The government is helping the poor a lot. It is doing wonderful work delivering food grains home if you have BPL and Aadhaar cards. The Government reminded you repeatedly to get those cards, but you did not pay attention. Now, you cannot get the food items delivered to your home. That is why, you should follow the instructions given by the Government. Do not give excuses about not following the news or not watching TV. It is okay if you are not educated, you have children at home who are going to school. They can tell you what is going on, on TV, what the Prime Minister is saying etc. Even a fifth grader can tell you what the government is instructing you do about taxes, Aadhaar card, bank transactions etc. If you did not follow the rules, all you get now is hunger. No problem. God is there. Everything will be alright. I have faith in Lord Datta. I pray to the Lord Datta and to Lord Hanuman that everything be alright and peaceful. This is God’s test. Do not be afraid. Be courageous. God has given us this birth. He has given us life; he will give us food.
But follow the Government’s rules. Stay home for 21 days. What is wrong with that? Why do you have to step out and give trouble to law enforcement? Everyone has a TV at home. Even if you cannot undertake spiritual activities, you can follow the news or watch some movies. Will you die if you do not step out? You want to go out and buy vegetables? So what if you cannot get vegetables for a few days? Can you not eat simple rasam (south Indian soup seasoned with spices) with rice? We were branded as the Brahmins that ate only rasam and rice when I was growing up. That is all we ate growing up. Sometimes, we did not even get buttermilk. We lived many years just eating that. Did we die or get diseased because we only ate that? All our relatives and grandparents lived happily eating just that. They mocked that we would have no strength as a result. We have plenty of strength. Rasam, rice and seasonal pickle were enough for us to survive. I am talking about 1943-44 when food was being rationed. Think about how many years ago that was. We only ate rice and rasam back then. You want to eat a variety of food and invite diseases. Will you die if you do not chicken or mutton or egg for one day? Have you no shame? If you feel like you are crammed in a small room with your family, take walks across the room. Do Yoga. Eat in moderation. Or watch good movies, no problem. Play with children. Read good books. Many bought Swamiji’s books and life history. Read them now. What Swamiji is saying now is in those books. This is a good time to catch up on those books. Play all the Swamiji’s CDs you bought. Instead of simply waiting for Swamiji’s program to start at 6:30pm in the evening, listen to Kavachas, or perform 50 rounds of Anagha Vratam with family members or chant Hanuman Chalisa 100 times during the day. Swamiji has written Hanuman Chalisa in Telugu language.
There will be a competition for you to chant Hanuman Chalisa and other prayers with your eyes closed. The rules of the contest will be posted to Facebook. You must video record yourself chanting Hanuman Chalisa in any of the four languages (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada) with eyes closed. A devotee wrote Hanuman Chalisa in English under my direction. You can also learn the English Hanuman Chalisa. I may not sing it, but I already had Sheetal sing it. You can also chant the Kavachas for the contest. Swamiji has composed so many Kavachas. You can chant the Guru Gita. There will be a big prize for 3 people who participate in all everything. I will not tell you what the prize is. You must try to participate in everything. You need to chant with your eyes closed. Everyone must participate in all these competitions. You must send your entries to the Dattapeetham Telegram account. Do not look for musical accompaniments while singing Bhajans. You only need the shruti (pitch) box. We will test the key, the enunciation, rhythm, melody etc. Therefore, the results will take a while – atleast 2 months – to be decided.
Now your time at home will be meaningful. You are sitting at home, you must try to participate in all these categories. Memorize the prayer, close your eyes and chant. I will look at the entries on Telegram. Everyone can participate. Do not just pick simple bhajans like Krishna Vishnum Sridharam or Amba Bhavani Sharade. You earn more points if you pick more difficult bhajans. The enunciation, rhythm and key should be correct. You can simply record on your phone. No need to hire a cameraman. The instructions will be clearly provided.
Stay home. The military is working so hard. They military personnel barely get 10 days off to spend time with family. They work in harsh weather conditions surrounded by snow. They barely have water or hot beverages to drink. They are giving up sleep and protecting us 24 hours a day. We are living comfortably because of them. But we also have to protect ourselves. Everyone is pleading we stay at home. You do not stay home per the government’s instructions and then complain that the Police used force against you. Of course, they will; do you expect to be pampered for doing that? Stay indoors. There are free movies on TV you can watch. Play with the children. Please do not go outside. If we act as you wish and roam as we like, the infection will spread. See what happened in Italy. People there hugged each other when the infection was spreading. See what happened as a result. So many people are dying. There is no one to even remove the dead bodies. Even the relatives could not come to see the ailing for fear of contracting the virus.
The hospitals, medical staff and police are all working so hard. There are country-wide announcements on loudspeakers instructing that you stay home. Have you no compassion? Have you no knowledge? We are being asked not to touch each other, but we sit so close to each other. That is wrong. Going forward, please follow the instructions given by the government. We have to win. We will fight Coronavirus. Sit at home. Can you not do that? If your legs are stiff, do sit ups at home. Drink two cups less coffee than you do. It will help you be healthier.
You are all watching the Bhajan I am singing. You have the opportunity to guess before 3pm today the Bhajan Swamiji will sing today. There will be a prize for the right answer. You claim Swamiji is in your heart. Let me see what you come up with. I do not know if it will be a new Bhajan or an old one.
Bhajans: vandē praśna gaṇēśvaraṁ vidhinutaṁ
śambhuṁ kiṅkara śaṅkaraṁ paramaśivaṁ
śrīmātā paradēvatā śivayutā
dattaṁ dīna janārti nāśanakaraṁ