June 1, 2012
Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji during 70th Birthday Celebrations - June 1, 2012 - Mysore
Morning
Jaya Guru Datta
This month’s issue of Journalist magazine has been dedicated to articles about Swamiji and the ashram. A person came like an ordinary person, interviewed Swamiji several times, looked around the ashram, participating in all the activities, and went away. I never realized that this is what he was intending to do. The articles are very well written, giving a lot of good information. All English knowing devotees should obtain a copy. A limited number of free copies are being distributed here. This magazine has a good circulation and it is going to improve.
True service is that which is done with sincerity and devotion, and not for recognition. At 2 am I saw some volunteers scrubbing and cleaning the Saptarshi Sarovara (sacred pond behind the Sri Datta Venkateshwara Temple). I am very happy with the volunteers. 24/7 they are working, cleaning meal plates, cleaning bathrooms. They all come here out of love for Swamiji, taking 15 days leave from work. Many are officers, teachers, and employed in good professions. They all work very hard in different corners. It is okay for me to praise them here because they are not here. Even if I praise them to their face, they are not affected, because they are not serving to receive praise or recognition.
Most of you behave as if you are guests at a wedding. You should not have that attitude. You should also serve and you must help the volunteers by cooperating with them and helping them. Do not argue with them. Do not fight. If you are stubborn, they will become more stubborn. They are serving Swamiji. Do not show your arrogance with them. Many of them do not even receive Swamiji’s darshan or a greeting from him. And they do not expect that. They keep doing their difficult duties with the utmost sincerity. The new people must interview the volunteers. Then they will know what kinds of wonderful experiences Swamiji had given them to make them so dedicated and devout. There is so much to learn from the volunteers.
You should also keep Swamiji in your heart and offer your services. Many devotees will sponsor a puja only if Swamiji is going to be physically present. They will purchase the token only if Swamiji will himself gives the prasadam. Only while Swamiji is physically watching, they offer service. I am there everywhere, even when I am not visible to your eyes. I know exactly what is happening where. I can see what is going on inside everyone’s heart. I know all your thoughts, words, and actions. That is why Swamiji will suddenly change a program and will suddenly grant a special blessing.
This morning nobody expected the dip in the sacred pond in the presence of Swamiji. Some lucky devotees came at once and received the special blessing of being in the waters along with Swamiji. Some who came there were reluctant to get their clothes wet and lost the wonderful chance of bathing in the pond with Swamiji. Some were afraid of catching a cold. Such people are losers. Even when a special opportunity comes their way, they waste the chance. Some people missed receiving the news of this event because they were sleeping till 9 O’clock or till noon. You must go to bed early, get up early and be eager to find out what the day’s programs are. Only then you will benefit by attending the important events. Whoever missed the opportunity today did not have Swamiji’s permission to participate.
There are many people who come to the ashram repeatedly year after year, three or four times a year, only to find fault and criticize. You must not listen to such people. They have a demonic nature. Fault-finding is their disease. Either you politely teach them and convince them of the positive features about the ashram and about Swamiji, or you simply get away from them. Do not associate with such people. If they are speaking from ignorance, then you can tell them by sharing your wonderful experiences. If they are sick in their minds and are of a bad nature, you must leave them alone. Do not see bad things. Do not hear bad things. Do not say bad things. Even Gandhiji gave the same advice a long time ago. He has compared us to monkeys because we have monkey minds. He made that picture of the three monkeys very popular – one with its eyes covered by its hands, one with its ears covered by the hands, and the third monkey with its mouth covered by its hands.
People who only see bad everywhere are dangerous. They have a bad nature and a bad heart. They will always criticize. You can give them good advice. If they do not listen to you, then it is their bad karma. You can explain gently, without showing irritation. But if your words are ignored, just leave their company.
There is a powerful energy permeating this ashram; the power of the mantras constantly being chanted, with powerful seed letters, such as Om aim Hreem shreem sivarama anagha dattaya namaha, Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, Om aim Hreem shreem Lalitambayai namaha, Rama Rama, and so on. This place reverberates with the inaudible mantra sounds. Some people cannot withstand that energy. They feel very uneasy and jittery. They cannot absorb it. They cannot tolerate that intense energy. Yet they cannot stop themselves from coming here.
For such people Swamiji is like hot ghee. Ghee is very expensive, rare and precious. It is hot. If it is too hot, you should blow on it till it cools and then put it in your mouth. Then you can enjoy it. Otherwise, you can neither swallow it because it is too hot, nor spit it out because it is too precious.
It is the same with very hot coffee, with its wonderful aroma. Fooled by the aroma, in haste if you take a sip what happens? You burn your tongue and the roof of your mouth and the rest of the coffee you cannot enjoy. You cannot feel the taste at all and you are miserable. You should approach your guru carefully, taking time without being hasty.
This time the volunteer group is in charge of catering the food. So many varieties of food they are serving. It is all unlimited free food and free coffee and tea, even at the canteen. There are so many items at every meal, that if it were for a poor family’s wedding feast, there are sufficient number of items to serve at two weddings. There is Chinese food, western food, south Indian food, north Indian food, such a rich variety. Because the food is all free, please do not stuff yourselves, because your stomachs are not free. Do not overload the stomach and end up with double the cost at the hospital. Use discretion and moderation. Be very careful and restrained in your eating.
You must be alert in finding out what the programs are at the ashram. Otherwise, like Kabirdas’s wife, for the sake of attending to a buffalo giving birth to the calf, you will also miss your ride to heaven in a celestial chariot. Be wise in choosing your priorities. Kabirdas told his wife that a chariot would come to take them both to heaven. But the foolish wife was not interested, thinking that he was referring to the chanting of God’s name sitting under a tree to be the equivalent of going to heaven. When she actually saw the divine chariot taking her husband away up into the skies, she realized her foolishness.
Sri Guru Datta
Evening
Jaya Guru Datta
So far there have been several speeches in the Kannada language. Most of you amongst the audience did not understand one single word. Yet you have all applauded very heartily as if you have understood it all. Flowers are many. Worship is one. Cows are of different colors. Milk is the same. Languages are many. The feeling is the same. Even if you understand on random word here and there, you can still guess the general gist of the speech. Names are many. God is one. What is required is concentration. There was a teacher. He was giving some lessons. Then he asked the students if they understood the lesson. Two students got up and said that they did not understand the lesson. The teacher pondered over it, changed his lesson plan, simplified the language and taught the lesson again. When he asked the students again if they could follow the content, one student again said the he could not. The teacher examined his own teaching method, and the way of presenting the subject. He changed his approach and delivered the lessons again. Still the one student claimed that he did not understand. Till then the teacher had made every effort to improve his teaching method, the content, and the language. Now he determined that the fault lay not in his teaching but in the lack of concentration of the student.
Nada Mantapam has just gone through a renovation. Only fifty per cent of the work has been finished. The sound system requires further fine tuning. I understand that the sound volume is not sufficient. But still, if you had paid full attention, you would have gathered the gist of the speeches.
His Holiness Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Maha Swamiji is following in the footsteps of his guru in establishing numerous educational institutions and performing extensive Annadana (feeding the hungry), and doing a tremendous amount of social service very successfully. Datta Peetham has enjoyed the friendship with Suttur Math for a very long time. Sri Maha Swamiji always honors my invitation and comes to our ashrama to participate in our events, although I have to admit that I am not always in a position to reciprocate. If I am invited five times, I may attend their functions once. The rest of the times I request Sri Bala Swamiji to represent me.
I am extremely happy with the work and success of Suttur Math. An ordinary human mind would entertain feelings of jealousy and envy at the success of another individual or organization. Ordinary people would compare their successes with those of others and would wish to either equal or surpass them. It is not in the nature of your Swamiji to ever entertain such feelings. He always identifies completely with those who do good deeds and rejoices wholeheartedly in their successes as if they are his own. Swamiji may have the capabilities to take up similar endeavors. But his efforts are in a different direction. It is not enough to have the resources, the knowledge, and the inclination to take up a task. It requires a total commitment and self-sacrifice to efficiently manage certain tasks in the long term. In that regard, I hold Suttur Math and their commitment to educational and social service in the highest regard. They do all their service with the attitude that it is all an offering to God. Whatever charitable activities one takes up, they should be done wholeheartedly. They should give mental satisfaction. I am very happy that Sri Maha Swamiji has graced this occasion to celebrate this wonderful event with all us. This is not my celebration. It is yours.
The Suttur Math has great appreciation for Swamiji's music. I was invited to perform Nadarchana there. I am very happy to have performed for them.
I am very happy that Ramadas is now going to institute music therapy in all the hospitals in this district by Government order. It has been established that even animals respond to good music. Human beings will certainly benefit by listening to healing music.
Sri Guru Datta