Speech of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – December 6, 2015 – Nizamabad
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai namaha
Sripada vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namo namaha
Jai bolo Pavanasuta Hanuman ki Jai
Siyavara Ramachandra Prabhu ki Jai
Sadgurunatha Maharaja ki Jai
On your own, you did not chant the Hanuman Chalisa. When Swamiji’s Hanuman Chalisa CD was played, you all chanted along with it. What does this tell us? Sadguru shows us the way. Is it not? When we have no direction, no destination, and no clarity of purpose or aim in life, when we are struggling with confusion, like a torch bearer, Sadguru shows us the path. Like a lighthouse at the seashore, showing the way to seafarers, Sadguru shows us light and direction. We should follow that light, follow the right path, and fulfill the purpose of our lives.
Why did you not chant the Hanuman Chalisa on your own? Why did you not begin? No one started. Everyone knows it. But there was fear. There was no confidence. What if one person begins and the others do not join, what if mistakes occur, what if people criticize? What if anyone ridicules or makes a joke?
What if people laugh?
If people laugh baring their teeth and they smell bad, tell them to brush their teeth or eat less onions. We must have confidence and conviction. Only then we can travel on the right path. If you keep thinking about what others might say about you, you will never be able to follow the right path. You cannot follow your own beliefs. There is no need to fear. There is no need to feel bad. If you made someone laugh, that is good. It is not easy to make another person laugh. It is a great achievement. If the mind is disturbed, no matter how much you spend, you cannot make yourself laugh. Here, at no cost, you are making another person laugh. Let him laugh.
Never deviate from your path, just because others may laugh. We are always worried about what others are saying about us. You have Sadguru sitting in your heart, watching over you. You need not fear anyone. Why should you fear? Only when you do wrong, you have to fear. You should only fear that you may commit a sin or stray away from Dharma. You should fear that others may influence you to follow the wrong path. Knowingly or unknowingly, you may fear that you may do wrong. Your wrong doing may cause difficulty to others, such as to elders or Sadguru. Such things you should fear and be careful.
We are Datta devotees. We must remain courageous. Courage should not exceed its limits. Excessive boldness and rash behavior should be avoided. Every single person has to stay within limits. Knowing one’s limit is freedom. Just because you are courageous, should you jump from a cliff? Should you dive into an ocean when you do not know swimming? That is neither freedom nor boldness. It has no value or merit.
What is courage? It is the confidence and faith that Sadguru is always with you. To believe that God is always with you is courage. You need a companion in your travel. We all know the difference between traveling alone, and traveling with a companion. Even to sleep one feels scared, if one is alone, or if everyone else is sleeping and you alone are awake. Children do that. They wake up and cry because they feel alone. They wake everyone up so that they have company.
It is not physical loneliness that is bothersome. Mental loneliness creates a void. It creates uncertainty and fear. One must come out of it. Always have faith that you are never alone. That is devotion. It does not come overnight. Sadguru may not be physically with you. God is not visible. But have the faith that they are there with you always.
While traveling, one is bored if one is alone. Some passengers on a bus are unwilling to talk. Some simply do not respond to your questions. You wish to make a friend to share joys and sorrows. Some persons sit still like a rock. They are very uncommunicative. They get offended if you offer them a snack to share. They refuse. You feel bad. They eat stuff without offering you any. Such travel companions do not give us good company. Such people are there. The bus or train is full of people. But you do not know a soul. You feel lonely. Even when you talk to someone over your mobile phone, the next passenger gets irritated. Each to his own.
In this travel through life, we have no direction. Sadguru shows us the way. He explains what this travel is all about and where we are headed. We have boarded the bus without knowing where we are going. This is a strange journey. I am speaking about the journey of the soul, not the body. We must reach our destination. Otherwise, it is useless.
Some people just travel for fun. They go to the Himalayas but without a purpose. What have they seen? What have they experienced? Everyone is going, so I also went. When I said I was not interested in going, they all laughed at me. So I went. I went to please the others. What have you gained? You have spent money and energy. You got sick. You just filled up a page in your diary. You posted on Facebook. That is not the way to travel, nor is it the reason to travel.
The places on the way to the Himalaya are very significant. The pilgrimage centers, the rivers, the confluences of the rivers are all missed if you travel with your eyes closed. Some are arrogant and do not care to see what is on the way. Arrogant persons do not see the floor and crash to the ground due to pride. Even from a worldly view such a travel is a waste. Spiritually also it is a waste.
One truck driver wrote a book in Hindi about his travel to the Himalayas. The man, who was not very literate, dictated and his daughter, a high school student, wrote it down. A wonderful narrative. We sleep while someone else is driving the vehicle. But the truck driver saw all the sights along the way. We only wake up to drink Chai, tea. The truck driver has to maneuver very carefully on those dangerous roads. His experiences are unique the way they are recorded in the book, although the words are not poetic or literary.
Sadguru, similarly, watches everything about us all the time, and keeps reminding us that we have to follow the right path. We have to support our families and do our duties and do good deeds.
Recently there was a deluge in Chennai. It may appear small to us who are far away. But to those who live there, it is a major disaster. People were plying boats on the roads, instead of taxis and other vehicles. Even if one knows swimming, the waters are not safe. There are snakes and other venomous creatures and contamination. Most homes are still flooded. Huts are totally submerged. Even the SGS Ashram is flooded in Velachery. We must all pray for the people who are victims of the recent floods in Tamil Nadu.
One person wrote a letter. It was published in the newspaper. He was a software engineer earning a fat salary in lakhs per month. He owns a big house, and fancy cars. Wonderful family. Expecting a promotion. But when he wrote the letter, he was on the terrace of his building, desperately waiting for someone to throw down a packet of food. That was his situation.
There is a great message here for all of us. No matter how wealthy one may be, a situation may arise when there is nothing at home to fill the stomach. Only plastic decorative fruits are there at home. We have plastic smiles. No genuine smiles.
How many will grasp a Sadguru? It only happens by the grace of Sadguru that we come under his umbrella of protection. Some merit earned in some past life will bring us to him, entirely and only by Sadguru’s will and intention, his sankalpa. It is God’s will that we are today treading the right path. It is not our doing.
The first floor had water. If there were provisions at home, perhaps they could have cooked. But whatever food that was thrown towards them now, they had to consume to stay alive. These are people who always only ate at five star hotels, so they kept no raw materials at home to prepare food. They were only ordering food all the time to be delivered.
Our mindset has to change. We have to protect our health. We have to keep our mind under control. We must stop doing things deliberately which spoil our health. We must watch what we are eating. We should only eat fresh, Satvic, nutritious food. We must do daily some Kriya yoga, do some regular prayers, engage in satsang, share what we have with others, this is the proper lifestyle.
The great souls have done great sadhana and have earned the capacity to help others. They spread their positive message and teach others how to help others by themselves remaining happy. One must follow a specific decent lifestyle.
There is an extraordinary power in Nature, in God, which is controlling and protecting us. As long as we go along according to its rules, we will be safe. Even if we face troubles, we will be given the courage and strength to overcome them.
When difficulties come, do we not say, nothing matters as long as my child, or my spouse is with me. We wish only to have our most favorite person with us. Now, when we have our Sadguru with us, we have nothing to fear. If all we have is only one rupee, that one rupee will give us the power to earn a million bucks.
If one feels discouraged and helpless and lacks the confidence to go out and achieve, how will one survive? You must recognize the power that is within your reach. You must utilize what God has given you. You multiply that as you travel along on this life’s journey. You may have to go through ghat sections with hairpin bends. It may make you nauseated. But, you still go forward. You will complete the journey. Life will be full of joys and sorrows. But those who know their destination will never stop midway or abandon the journey. It is not in anyone’s control to abruptly end the journey. Even the thought of suicide is very wrong. Many people mistakenly think that by rejecting the body they can escape their troubles.
Everyone should continue their Parayana.
The temple construction is almost finished. The life force and consciousness will enter the Lord very soon. Swamiji said to wait for just a while longer. This evening we will have the Siva Parvati Kalyanam. We have just completed Rudra Homa. Let us follow the Light. We are going to celebrate Deepotsavam, the festival of lights. Tomorrow it is a combination of Ekadasi and Kartika Somavaram/Monday. It is very auspicious. Today also there is Ekadasi. A very good day.
An orphanage is ready to be inaugurated. A temple will benefit society in many ways. It is not meant only for religious rituals. Many social service activities will also take place.
From Chennai, someone sent a photograph. A temple is usually built at an elevation. Many temples have a temple pond also. Many Muslims who had lost their homes in the floods also joined the Hindus to take shelter at the temples. All the communities are joining together to cook meals and eat together. During moments of crisis, people team up forgetting their differences. Datta devotees should follow such examples.
A large temple is not just the house of God. It houses all of us. A Sadguru’s home is a home for all. An ashrama is like a tree where all types of birds gather. We should all share our feelings and live in harmony.
All of you participate in the construction of this temple, as per your capacity and financial ability. We must plan to give this temple as a gift to Swamiji for his 75th Birthday.
I am just now looking at the plans. In the history of Datta Peetham, there is no temple so far constructed like this. We have a good sculptor. Even the Venkateswara Temple is only a brick construction, not a stone construction like this. In this Godavari River region, the Navanatha Swamis had roamed about. It is a very special and holy area. Nacharam area also. Lord Dattatreya was here in all these areas. In the Krishna River region, the incarnations of Lord Datta, such as Sripada Vallabha and Narasimha Saraswati lived and moved about. Natha tradition was followed in the Godavari region. We are fortunate that in Andhra and Telangana we have both the sacred regions and both sacred rivers.
Our Sadguru Sri Swamiji has traveled across all the oceans and has covered the entire world as Dattatreya Swami, spreading the message of Lord Datta. We have the opportunity to serve. Let us avail of it to the fullest. The master plan looks very nice. There is a cow shelter. There is a hall for the devotees to take some rest. The elevation is very nice. Wonderful temple. All stone construction. The pillars will be of stone. No compromise anywhere, in Nizamabad. Padmavati, Ganapati shrines are there. Lord Hanuman, Lord Dattatreya, are all accompanying Lord Venkateswara. Very nice design. You will be very proud of your temple, once it is completed.
Every year I go to Warangal. This year I have not visited Warangal. I have come straight to Nizamabad. I like Telangana state. But do not limit me to any state. I need to travel everywhere and greet everyone. Now we will proceed for the Rudra Homa Purnahuti. Please receive Anna Prasadam. Allow the aged and the very young to first receive the food Prasadam.
Anatha Rakshaka Govinda Govinda.
Sri Guru Datta
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri