Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Navaratri Day 7 – Sarasvati Puja Day – October 23, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
You are steadfastly with me in this birth and I am with you. Many others will come later on, but Swamiji will not have time for them. You have Swamiji now, so hold on to Swamiji firmly.
Not just Swamiji, but whatever task you do, at home or elsewhere, do with faith. Restrain the senses, especially the tongue, with great care. You speak in haste and then regret. If you are angry with someone, just chant God’s name instead of cursing.
Each one is responsible for his/her own karma. Do not take your anger out on other people. You should not, for example, take on anger with your mother-in-law, on the cat. We all are born together in this family for a reason. This house, wealth and possessions will all go away one day. Did we always have all of these possessions? Not necessarily. We have all this now, but we may nor may not have them tomorrow. This coronavirus is also changing lives. People are disappearing.
Our house is like a small boat we are seated in. Swamiji is steering the boat. You must be balanced. You have Swamiji’s photo in every room. Swamiji is listening to everything. So, take down all the photos before you indulge in that negativity. Am I only in the photos? I am also in your hearts. So, cut off your hearts before you indulge in negativity. Once you come to my premises, I will always be in your heart, wherever you go. That is for sure. We are all in the Guru’s boat, Guru is our captain. Do not think of yourself of the Captain. God alone is the captain; we are all servants. Why is that child born to you? There is a prior bond. Our karma is bringing us together. It is not nice to still have altercations and petty mentalities between family members. After following me for so many years if you still act like this, I feel like my teachings are in vain. Be peaceful at home, be congenial with each other. Look at family members as Lord Krishna, Goddess Sarasvati etc. You must not fight with you family members.
I like Bhagavad Gita chapters 2 and 3 the most, although I love all the chapters. The Lord has great simplified knowledge in these two chapters. You are lucky to get a Guru. Do not lose this opportunity. I have so many Ashrams. I can go anywhere. If I went to New Zealand or even Haridwar/Rishikesh, would not see me often. If you act like this with fickleness and pettiness, it is exhausting to correct you. How long will the mother keep correcting? The Guru may not express it as such, but at some point, he grows weary of correcting you. How long do you think you are here? We barely have 100 years and by the time we are 80, our faculties fail us. I will come to you when you are 90 years old just to remind you of my caution that you did not heed.
Why am I doing all this in the Ashram – all these Pujas, rituals, temples etc, when I am asking you to gain dispassion? I am doing this for you. You can be angry with Swamiji for a few days, but after that, you will go mad being away from Swamiji. You have so much love for me.
Understand the value of Swamiji, do not fight with family members. Do not fight with your spouse, siblings etc. Famous people are passing away. No money comes in handy when our time is up. With coronavirus deaths, we cannot even get the person’s body. This is a kind of dissolution (pralaya) too. Dissolution doesn’t always have to involve water. We are not here forever. Your grandparents have gone, you will pass on too. As long as we live, we should be together with our family. Help each other out. Give up ego and stubbornness and the desire for dominance. Who gave you the bodies? Who gave you the flesh and blood and cells? Our life is like a bubble, there is air in the bubble that merges with the surrounding air when the bubble bursts. Our life is the same. People fly to America from here and sometimes pass away before they land. Have love for your family. Swamiji is posting videos on Mother Goddess each morning during Navaratri. Why? He is reminding us that Goddess is in everything. She is everything. Do not hurt your family members. I do not like that. If you continue hurting your family members, you are not good daughters, sons, spouses and grandchildren. You are chipping away at my compassion. Think for yourself. May Mother Goddess Sarasvati give you good intellect.
Enough! Heed my advice. Enough of fighting and negativity and pettiness. The waters (of samsara) are swelling and ready to drown us. There are fewer life jackets than there are passengers. This happens in every boat. The captain will have to make tough choices, not everyone gets a life jacket. Life is not guaranteed. There are billions in this world, but only a few near Swamiji. You are not special, I brought you close to me to protect you from danger. I brought you closer to me to uplift you. That is what you must believe. Being with Swamiji is nectar. You must always guard this carefully.
Normally, during Navaratri, this place is teeming with devotees. Some devotees said they wanted to weep for not being here. What will we do if there is war? Make it a habit to drink rice porridge. Be happy and content. Make others happy. God has given you so much. You are able to come to Swamiji and offer your respects. You are so fortunate. So many are unable to come to Swamiji. I am happy a few of you (Mysuru devotees) are here.
Stay home, be safe, do your duty, but do your duty correctly without a second thought.