Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji during Narayana Homa after conclusion of Telugu Mahabharata Discourses – April 3, 2021 – Mysore
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
Om Namaha Shivaya
Om Namaha Shiva
Om Ayim Hreem Shreem Shiva Rama Anagha Dattaya Namaha
Om Ayim Hreem Shreem Shiva Rama Anagha Dattaya Namaha
Om Ayim Hreem Shreem Shiva Rama Anagha Dattaya Namaha
Today, we finished doing a few charities and are now doing Annadana (sharing food). After doing the Bhagavad Gita Yajna, it is ordained that one perform at least one of the eight kinds of charities. If other Yajnas are not possible, one can at least donate material offerings. Donating gold, giving away a bride in wedding, donating land, donating well decorated cows, donating clothing, sharing food, donating oil and other items, giving knowledge or means required to gain knowledge – are all prescribed charities when listening to the Mahabharata. Sage Veda Vyasa reminded us in nearly every Parva without fail that Yajna (sacrifice), Dana (Charity), Puja (Worship) and Anushthana are essential in one’s life.
It has been 5000-6000 years since Mahabharata took place at the transition of Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga, yet when we listen to the stories, it feels like just yesterday. We may not be able to do all the Yajnas prescribed for man, but we are doing the Mahabharata Yajna of listening, writing, narrating, reading at least one Parvam etc. This bestows immense merit in Kaliyuga. We understand that Sage Veda Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata for the Kaliyuga because we usher in Satya Yuga after Kali Yuga. Satya Yuga may also need the Mahabharat since what follows Satya Yuga is Treta Yuga during which demons take birth and commit atrocities.
This Mahabharata battle is the battle between gods and demons; the battle between the modes of Sattva (goodness, equanimity) and Tamas (darkness, ignorance). This Mahabharata battle takes place within our body which is like Kurukshetra. In our body of five elements are all emotions. The demons and the five elements are all in our body and the battle continues to rage within. The demons seem to win in the beginning just as Duryodhana seemed to, in the Mahabharat war. The five elements seem to be suffering just as the five Pandavas did, but in the end truth alone triumphs just as the Sattvic Pandavas won the battle. Not only did the demons lose, they were also destroyed. That is why the ten kinds of penance, Anushthana, earning knowledge etc are all taught to us as a means to destroy the demons within, and with Sattvic qualities attain the supreme abode. That is what we all want. Hence we should study the Mahabharata because it gradually takes us towards liberation. Then, through studying the Bhagavatam, we should attain the supreme kingdom of devotion. After all our karmas are thus removed, we study the Ramayana to gain some knowledge and to learn how to lead our lives.
The Mahabharata has been translated into several languages. Mlecchas – foreigners, non-believers and atheists are all studying the Mahabharata. Just as there are devout souls such as Bali, Prahlada and Vibheeshana even among the demon clan, so too are “Angels” who visit the Ashram from other parts of the world, because their past life tendencies draw them back here. When Draupadi was dragged into court, it was King Dhrtarashtra’s son Vikarna alone who objected to the act while everyone else stayed silent. Bhishma and Drona were forced to be mum to comply with royal tradition. But Vikarana rose and objected, even though he was eventually shut down. When Vikarana died in the battle field, Lord Krishna out of compassion bestowed liberation on him. Although Vikarna died in the battle, he did not die a terrible death like the rest of the Kauravas did.
Every page, every Parva of Mahabharat teaches us great lessons. We should reconcile those lessons with our lives. I tell children all the time not to get anxious, but to create their own imagination and revel in it. Imagine what Vaikuntha is like, what hell is like, what God is like, what the world would be like without God etc. We do not need to crave for anything material since we can mentally enjoy anything we want. Create your own world in your mind, do not despair. Say you want a car, but cannot afford one. Create the experience in your mind. Go to the showroom, pick up a car, take it for a spin and enjoy the ride. Close the matter there. There is no need to be envious that someone else bought a car. You may want to build a multi-storey building, but not be able to afford it. Construct the building mentally, imagine you are in the penthouse. You will lose the yearning for it. It is not permanent anyway. Do not be envious of those who have those possessions. Instead, be happy that you have it all. The Mahabharata teaches us this.
You wish to eat some sweet dish that you ate a long time back. Close your eyes and imagine in your mind that you are eating that dish and either enjoy it, or realize the futility of that temporal gratification. That world of dreams is so good. You will have no more anxieties, or malice, or longing for those material desires. Do not outwardly articulate this mental exercise, people will think you are mad. Quietly enjoy in your mind. Say you have some ailment, tell your mind that the body is not yours. Imagine the ailments are gems and diamonds that will go away too. Why should you grieve for it when it was never yours? Resolve firmly in your mind that this is the case. Afflictions arise when you think something is yours. Remind yourself everyday that the body is not yours. You will no longer have any sorrow. This body is not permanent either. It will drop away one day. This body is the means that leads us to the joy that is beyond the senses. We should not hate the body; respect it and take care of it. Do only as much as needed for today, each day. Do not pamper the body. All the stories of great souls have this quality. If you reconcile the lives of great souls with yours, you will remember those great stories.
I am very happy that many are listening to the Mahabharata with me. We spoke in simple language. I received hundreds of messages from devotees. Many non-Telugu speakers said they were able to understand the Telugu Mahabharata that Swamiji was narrating. Mahabharata is the supreme diamond needed for our everyday life in this Kaliyuga and for us to attain liberation hereafter. It cannot be found anywhere, except through service to Guru. We should understand that this is an invaluable supreme diamond. It can fulfill all wishes, remove all sorrows and bestow liberation very easily. Dharma will work hard for you, it will make your life very easy. We have to help Dharma lead us to the right destination.
Do not be afraid of the coronavirus. God has done this to instill discipline in us. Those who have to die will die, that is different. People die due to various causes – heart problems, car accidents, a simple fall from a plastic chair or just a fall from standing position, or from a bicycle or any one of the innumerable causes. The cause could be anything. I saw on TV that 5-6 Japanese people who were perfectly healthy, died while eating fish when the thorns from the fish got stuck in their throat. There just has to be some apparent cause for death; now it is coronavirus. We should all be careful and protect ourselves as much as we can.
I bless all the volunteers who served the Mahabharata project and all of you that would with great discipline sit at your computers and devices to watch Mahabharata every evening at 6:30pm IST. You were all getting Darshan of Swamiji right within your personal devices in your pockets. Everyday, going forward, listen to the episodes on YouTube, the same time as the live broadcast. Listen for at least half an hour. It will inculcate greater discipline in you.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta.