AvadhootaDatta Peetham

4TH GLOBAL GITA CONFERENCE

29,30 & 31 DEC 2006

I wanted to speak after the vote of thanks. That is because I am Ganapati and I am giving my lecture for the next year’s conference. For three days, we had a wonderful Gita conference. From the beginning, Bhagavad Gita is being respected by not just Indians but also by those cultures outside India, because, Gita Upadesha contains lessons, message that is full of human values. It teaches one and all that Krishna is Jagadguru. It does not mean Krishna was the Guru of Jagat (WORLD). But for him, the Jagat (world) was his Guru. Krishna means remover of darkness. Krishna was Saakshi to the world. He is Pakshivaahanudu meaning Garuda was his vehicle. Jayalakshmi Mata in her poems on Krishna has conveyed the essence of Bhagavad Gita. Who can remove the darkness of our hearts? Who is Sadguru? A person who has beard? A person who has saffron clothes as his robes? NO. Never. Sadguru is one who removes darkness in our hearts. He or She is a wonderful person who with care, love, affection and at times silence conveys teachings. For Pandavas in Mahabharata, Krishna was such a person. Why is Datta Peetham trying to spread the message of Gita? Is not Mahabharata there or Ramayana there? Gita is one that gives more and more meaning as you read repeatedly. It brings more wisdom in you. Chant any NAMA like Rama or Krishna. After two or three hours of continuous chant, you get a sweet taste in your mouth. Some times, Swamiji speaks with love, affection, some times with little anger. Sometimes silently Swamiji conveys Blessings to you. Sometimes Swamiji seeds a doubt in a person. Why? Because Swamiji wants that doubt to grow and make him unsettled so that he starts out to seek an answer. My grandfather used to chant

Ananyaaschintayaam Toyam

Yeh Janaah Paryupaasate

Tesham Nityaabhiryuktaanaam
Yoga Ksheemam Vahaamyaham

This is a great Shloka! You are my Praana. You are my breath.

I see you only. I think of you only. I think that only you are the real force. You have the responsibility of protecting me.

Once a Brahmin used to chant this mantra only. He knew this Shloka only. He was following Uncha Vrutti. It is a method where a seeker of knowledge goes around looking for fallen grains in farm fields and eats them. Once a great famine affected that area. No crops. No grains. He was desperate. He was angry at Krishna. He took two steel pins and broke this Shloka leaf in two pieces. Then Krishna came in the guise of a merchant and took enough jewels and food grains enough for two years and left it in the house of this Seeker. His wife, Susheela who received this for the merchant requested him and his friend (Bala Rama) to come inside and take some food. The merchant said that someone had pierced his tongue with steel pins and that he was bleeding and wanted to return immediately. When the Brahmin returned home, his wife recalled what happened and then he immediately understood that his act of cutting the palm leaf into two had caused rupture on Krishna’s tongue.

So, at no time in our life, should we blame Lord. Raise your hands and loudly take oath “NEVER WILL I BLAME MY LORD”. Be careful. You have taken oath. You have sworn. You do never have the quality to do NINDAA STUTI. Even Shankaracharya did not write Nindaa Stuti. Even Hanuman or Prahlada did not do Nindaa Stuti. Compared to them, we are nothing. So, can you ever blame Lord? Some of the speakers addressed you are angels. Come on face it. Are you angels? Just because you know some Shlokas, do you become Pundits? What happened to Saddam Hussein? He dies on Vaikuntha Ekadashi day. May Lord protect him. Someone makes mistakes and someone suffers. A big fish swallows a small fish. Just because you do some small deed, you speak as if you rule the world and that you created the world.

Upadesha should only be done when the speaker knows the meaning of His Upadesha. Harikatha Vidwan exhorts his audience about the greatness of Lord. Does he truly believe in the greatness of Lord? I doubt it. Speak only when you are fully experienced and you are aware of what you want to speak. I never sing when I am not in full mood. Eye can only see and cannot talk. The tongue cannot see but only speaks.

What is the hidden meaning of this giant backdrop of this conference? Only Gandhi’s photo is there and why not Nehru? For some devotees this backdrop may cause to ask, why Swamiji’s photo is not there. Why is Dattatreya’s image printed here? There is a Shloka

VAGEESHAADYA SUMANASAHA

SARVAARTHAANAAM UPAKRAME

YANNATVAAM KRUTA KRUTAASYUHU

TANNAMAAMI GAJAANANAM

SHANKARAM SHANKARAACHARYAM

KESHAVAM BADARAAYANAM

SUTRA BHAASHYA KRUTAU VANDE

DATTATREYA SAMAARAMBHAAM

NRUSIMHAADIKA MADHYAMAAM

SACHCHIDAANANDA PARYANTAAM

VANDE GURU PARAMPARAAM

VASUDEVA SUTAM DEVAM

KAMSA CHAANUURA MARDANAM

DEVAKI PARAMAA NANDAM

KRISHNAM VANDE JAGADGURUM

SATYAMEVA JAYATE

AHIMSAA PARAMO DHARMAHA

VIVEKANANDA SHLOKA FROM JNANA YOGA LAST SHLOKA

WHAT ALL DO YOU SEE IN THIS BANNER?

VEDA VYASA, GANDHIJI, GANAPATI, KRISHNA, ARJUNA, HANUMAN, DATTATREYA, SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, SHANKARACHARYA,

What is sitting next to Ganapati? Mouse. Ganapati got the name Ekadanta when he used one of his broken teeth to write Mahabharata as pronounced by Sage Veda Vyaasa. Vyaasa put a condition that Ganapati should fully understand the Shloka he writes. So, there are three here, Ganapati, his mouse and Vyaasa. There is Kamadhenu and Kalpavriksha and Datta and four dogs (Vedas). So, seven here. Plus three before – ten. Krishna, Arjuna, Kauravas, Pandavas, Hanuman, Shankara, who wrote the commentary. First person who crossed the oceans and gave a clarion call for westerners, Swami Vivekananda – seventeen. One who considered Gita, as his life’s guide was Gandhi. Total – 18. This number reflects the number of chapters in Gita.

One Volunteer asked me as to why my photo was not on this banner. I corrected him saying I don’t want my photos everywhere. It is wrong. I don’t like personality worship of me. Follow my teachings. That is what I want. Some decorate their house with too many photos. Don’t do that. I don’t like it. If my teachings affect you to good, that is what I want. Even a small good is enough for me.

I urge all of you to study Gita. Don’t learn it by heart. That is not enough. Study the meaning. When ever possible, go to lecture on Gita where ever it is held. It will greatly help you. If you want my Blessing, if you want my love and affection, if you like me, if you love me, then learn Bhagavad Gita. Learn its meaning. I am saying all this because Gita is your greatest insurance. If you have that insurance of Gita’s meaning in your life, you are saved. Don’t have doubt in it. Even a small doubt will eat your effort away.

The experience of these three days was great.

May Datta and Krishna Bless you all.

Jaya Guru Datta