Speech of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji on the occasion of Rama Navami – Dundigal Ashrama Hyderabad – April 19, 2013
Jai guru datta
Jai bolo Sri Sitarama chandra prabhu ki jai !
Jai bolo Sri Sadgurunath Maharaj ki jai !
Wishes and blessing to you all on the occassion of sri Ramanavmi.
Happy Sri Ramanavami!
I pray to Sri Rama to shower His fullest blessings on all of you.
On this sacred day on the most auspicious time in the presence of Sri Datta Swami and in the subtle presence of Sri Swamiji (for me, I can see Sri Appaji here now), in such auspicious time we have conducted and celebrated Sri Sitarama kalyanam. We also have heard the sacred mantras. Why do we chant these mantras? What is the specialty of the Sri Sitarama kalyanam? Why do we celebrate Sri Sitarama kalyanam in every year and in some places every day? As answers to the above questions, we have heard the mantras along with the meaning of those mantras today.
Sri Swamiji has started the Rama taraka homa from the next day of Ugadi with the sankalpa that the homas should be carried out without break for 9 days. All the pandits/priests have taken a lot of care and interest and conducted the homas for all these 9 days. All the information on the events along with the photos are being sent to Mysore. Seeing all this I feel very happy. On the ocassion of the Sri Sitarama kalyanam we have seen the maha puranahuti of the Rama taraka homa. May you all get the fruit of the Sri Rama taraka homa and may you all be blessed with happiness, peace, health, wealth and even more devotion towards Guru. May all your life shine in divine splendor, I also pray to Sri Rama.
This Ugadi named “Vijaya” has been celebrated in the presence of Sri Swamiji. Sri Ramanavami is the first festival in this new year. One special thing is the muhurtam (auspicious time ) in which Sri Rama got married is called “Vijaya muhurtam”. Sri Valmiki Maharushi has discussed a lot about this “Vijaya muhurtam ” in Ramayana. Praying Sri Rama that we all shall be victorious in this Vijaya year. Most importantly, we all should be blessed with Atmajayam (merging with the Self). Also praying lord Sri Rama to remove all our mistakes and sins and bless all of us with Atamjayam. It is a great and special occasion to celebrate and conduct the Sri Sitarama kalyanam in this Vijaya year in Hyderabad (at Dundigal ashram). We all are in a very good passage of time .
Sri swamiji is in South Africa. A long time ago I have read a article Sri Rama is called “Megha Shyama”, which means He is black in colour. Because Sri Rama is black in colour, all the south Africans think Sri Rama is South African god. It is a nice thought that Sadguru belongs to all. All think Sadguru is mine, mine! Yes true! That is the energy of Sri Sadguru. This is the reason why we are asked to pray and sing the glory of Paramatma (Guru/God ) so that we come to know about His tattva (essence,nature) . Perhaps to support the belief of the South Africans, Sri Swamiji went to South Africa. Today I remembered this article I have read long ago, so I thought that Sri Swamiji went to south Africa for the same reason.
Today while the sri chakra puja was going on, we have heard the Sri Shatasloki Ramayana in the divine voice of Sri Swamiji. After that we have the 18 chapter of Ramayana, that is the Balakanda. This is a very special chapter because the incarnation of Rama is told in this chapter. Not only we have heard the chapter, but also we listened to the meaning of the chapter. In what star, zodiac, muhurtam (auspicious time) did lord Rama incarnate? In which muhurtam were Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna born? All these details have been told in this 18 chapter called Balakanda. Most of the time Sri Swamiji says that he has told or sung Sri Shatasloki Ramayana because Sri Bala Swamiji has prayed to do so. I did not do anything but to pray on all your behalf. I felt if Sri Swamiji tells about Sri Shatasloki Ramayana, then it would be good. Sri Swamiji went ahead and has sung the Sri Shatasloki Ramayana. All the devotees have heard 13 crore times. The mantra “Om Namo Hanumathe Namah” is still being chanted by many devotees daily even today. Please all of you continue to chant Om Namo Hanumathe Namah. Sri swamiji on the day of starting the Sri Rama taraka homa made us chant the mantra ” Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama”. All of you chant this mantra also on daily basis.
The mantra ” Om Namo Hanumathe Namah” gives “Karya Siddhi” (fulfillment of the desires asked for) and the mantra “Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama” gives victory. We need both these Karya Siddhi and victory, so all of you chant both the mantras daily. Seeing all the devotees hear Sri Shatasloki Ramayana 13 crore times, I have made a sankalpa. What is that? The most important epics in India are Sri Ramayana and Sri Mahabharata. The rest of the epics follow. Pick up any epic in one way or the other, the topic of Ramayana will be there in it. All the acts that are done in this world even. To the extent in the mundane life we can see aspects of Ramayana in them. There is nothing that is not been told in Ramayana. Ramayana is equal to the Vedas. Sri Rama has incarnated to protect the righteousness and showed us how our family life should be. How should one understand each other in the family? How should the relationship between brothers be? How should the relation between husband and wife be? How to serve parents? How should parents care for children with love? All these aspects are there in Ramayana. Ramayana is not only read by people who have devotional interest, but is also for all those people who desire for the welfare of society, family and children. And for those with the desire that children should be well educated and get good jobs and promotions. Children should go a step ahead in life and should read the Ramayana. But on the contrary, we all are forgetting Ramayana. We see Ramayana in one form or another, like in plays, movies, tv or ashramas, but we all are forgetting the original Ramayanam. We are not able to understand the essence of the original Ramayana.That is why Sri Swamiji has given us Sri Shatasloki Ramayanam.
Shatasloki Ramayana is the first 100 slokas in the Ramayana. These have been given to us by Sri Swamiji. After hearing Sri Shata Sloki Ramayana I felt that why shouldn’t all the 24,000 slokas be chanted and recorded? All of you have the desire to read all the 24,000 slokas, but we are scared of the mistakes and the verses being in Sanskrit, we are even more scared. In order to both, to remove your fear and also to fulfill your desire of listening to the 24,000 slokas of Ramayana at least one time in life, I have started the chanting of these 24,000 verses. The recording has started and going on. Balakanda has been completed. To record the 24,000 slokas is not a small thing. One has to sit hours together in the recording studio. I don’t have that much time, so whenever I find time, be it early in the morning or midnight, I go to the studio and record. After the slokas in the chapter are chanted, then the summarised meaning of the slokas is also given towards the end of the chanting. Only the recording of Balakanda is complete. Editing is not yet over. We thought of releasing on this Ugadi, but it was not possible. We plan to release on the occasion of Sri Swamiji birthday celebrations. This is a big task. As far as I know, no one has recorded all the 24,000 verses in this world.
Sri Rama is getting His work done, using me. I pray to both Sri Swamiji and Sri Ramachandra to make the project a success. Sri Swamiji has composed and sung so many bhajans, we must all sing those bhajans and teach them to your children also. We are singing these bhajans in the Nagara Sankeertana that is to be held on 21 April. We are doing this Nagara Sankeertana for the second time in Hyderabad. Are all of you comming? All of you must come. It is your responsibility. This is your work. Your program. But I am doing it. Thinking that it is my work/program. The effect of Nagara Sankeertana is that the vibrations of the bhajans we sing will spread over all the country and world and will result in the welfare of the society and world at large .One cannot describe the fruit of Nagara Sankeertana. Lord Sri Rama will be happy with the Nagara Sankeertana. So we must all participate in the Nagara Sankeertana and make lord Sri Rama happy. Sri swamiji may call us today evening and give a message for Sri Rama navami. Lets us meet to sing bhajans in the evening.
Jaya guru datta
Jai bolo sri sitaramachandra prabhu ki jai !
Jai bolo sri sadgurunath maharaj ki jai !