Speech of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji – June 25, 2018 – Ongole
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
‘Ongole’- this city has such a beautiful name. It instantly reminds me of ‘Omkāra’. To me, this is ‘Omgole’- Om should be our goal. ‘Om’ indicates God or Guru. Travelling towards Him should be the purpose of our birth. Earning money, marrying, begetting children, educating and settling them- are all part and parcel of life, but then there is something more to life. It is the desire to know about oneself. It should be the main purpose of every life- irrespective of whether it is a man or woman.
When extremely hungry, do you wait for others? When sleepy, do you wait for others around you to fall asleep? Never. You doze off wherever you are. Likewise, even in reaching our spiritual goals we should travel on our path without waiting for companions to accompany us. It is our journey and we have to work for it. All other chores are for others. However worship is purely for one’s self. It is necessary selfishness.
Towards helping you reach your goal, Swamiji has approved of constructing a Rama temple here. The bow held by Rama symbolizes Omkara. He is holding ‘Aum’ in his hands. Using this bow He destroys demons and also helps devotees. You may wonder – how can He help us with His bow? When in distress we pray sincerely to Him. In response He twangs His bow – to assure us that He is there for us. We should strive to hear this twang. When He twangs His bow, the ‘AUM’ sound is heard. Hearing this sound signals auspiciousness.
Why is Rama important? Rama is the form of righteousness (dharma). When righteousness takes on a form, the image of Rama appears. It is our duty to protect the dharma under which we took birth. We should revere other dharmas but never deviate from our dharma. Forgetting one’s own dharma amounts to unrighteousness (adharma).
Righteousness (dharma) is also represented by a bull (vrshabha), which is the vehicle for Lord Shiva. It implies Shiva travels to those places where righteousness is practised. This is the age of Kali. It is said that towards the end of Kali, dharma will limp – with utmost difficulty – on one leg, its other three legs having been broken. At this juncture, the Lord will take on His tenth incarnation and descend to restore dharma.
Although it is said that such dreadful adharmic situations will arise towards end of this Kali yuga, to us it appears as if we are living amidst them presently. The news aired by the channels fill us with fear. For this reason, with the prayer that dharma (righteousness) should once again be restored to that healthy condition wherein it walks on all its four legs, our Appaji has blessed the construction of the temple in Ongole. This is my belief.
Chanting the name of Rama is the ultimate sweet. It showers unparalled bliss. Simply chant ‘Rama, Rama, Rama’ and experience the sweetness in your mouth. The spit that emerges after chanting this name for minimum 13 times, turns medicinal. ‘Rama rasāyane tumhare pāsa’. Hanuman could become immortal (chiranjeevi) only due to endless chanting of Rama’s name. It was the medicine that blessed him with immortality. When chanting the mantra, total involvement is must. Only then real bliss can be enjoyed.
Increase your charitable and other social service activities in your area. Such activities are essential for protecting dharma. Every temple should conduct social service activities and medical camps in addition to pujas and rituals. Perform every action in Guru’s name and not in your personal name.
It is a misconception that social service activities do not exist in Hinduism. It is a myth. Such activities took birth in Hinduism and then spread to others. Temporarily Hindus seem to have forgotten about serving others and hence it appears as if it is lacking in Hindus.