July 24, 2011
Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji at Aurora Tempel evening – July 24, 2011 - Chicago
Jaya Guru Datta
“Harih Om Tatsat. Sri Maha Ganapataye namah. Sri Saraswatyai namah. Sripada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati Sri Guru Dattatreyaya namah.
In America, if we lose our way, it is not easy to turn around, like in India. We have to go all around for miles. That happened to one car. The other car had a punctured tire (a flat tire). So we got delayed. Finally we made it.
Last night’s concert is still ringing in my ears.
In Las Vegas, I went to see Jeff Mitchum’s photography museum. Lots of people take photographs. People are always clicking. People take Swamiji’s pictures. But not properly. The picture is not centered. The lighting is not okay. Makes me look bad. You must learn the basic technique of photography before taking pictures. The bad photographers obstruct the way for the good photographers, not giving them enough space. This is not good. You must exercise courtesy. What you do is not right. I don’t tell you right then because I do not want to hurt your feelings. You must realize.
Photography is an art. It is like Nada, the music field. Each field is a sadhana (a spiritual practice).
People claim, “I know this. I know this. I know this.” Only when you begin to practice, you will really know. Listening and performing are very different. You must practice daily to be able to sing well. Cinema songs you love to listen to, and enjoy. When you begin to sing them, people run away. Gandharvas, the celestial singers, Hanuman, Narada and other angels come to listen when you practice music, because it is Gandharva Vidya, a celestial science. If it sounds like a donkey braying, it is a torture to others. You think that your singing in the bathroom is great. You must properly learn and practice any art to be good at it. I encourage you. I am not disappointing or discouraging you. First learn.
Good photographers choose the angle carefully. They choose the appropriate lighting. Photography is very difficult. When we look at a photographer spending hours in a difficult posture to photograph even a mosquito, we think he is foolish. His thoughts and vibrations are different. First acquire a good camera. Then, slowly, slowly, slowly, you begin to take good photos. After taking one thousand photographers, the last picture may be good. The first 999 are a waste. He will teach himself. He will judge his own work very critically.
Everyone records Swamiji’s bhajans. They keep their telephones next to the speakers. The battery charge will be low. Swamiji’s songs will sound awful. You play them to your friends. What kind of an impression are you creating about your guru’s bhajan singing? New people will say bad things about your Swamiji and his singing. Buy CDs from the book stall. The music has been properly recorded in a studio. Buy extra CDs to give to your friends. It is very difficult to explain (describe) Swamiji. But if they listen to his music, they will understand easily.
So much money you waste, on parking tickets, freeway tickets, cinemas. You lose a lot of money. Instead, buy good photographs, CDs. Tell your friends and relatives, “First listen to the CD. Then I will tell you about Swamiji.” Give the CDs and photos as Birthday gifts, Graduation presents, New Home gifts, or even a new car gifts to the friend who just bought a BMW. Give a CD. After buying that new car, he will not have any money left to buy CDs to play in the car.
Help the children’s fund. This is not a business. It is a wrong idea to think like that. The profit from each CD goes to help poor children, disadvantaged children, orphans. Swamiji gives to the school for deaf and dumb children. He runs an orphanage in Guntur. There are 3000 children attending school in Mysore who need help. There are children of police constables who need help. Last week Swamiji gave 1200,000 rupees collected from your $1 contributions and Rs. 5/- a day. Swamiji gave for flood victims in Andhra Pradesh, earth quake victims in Haiti, built homes for the poor in Kuppam in Tamil Nadu, and gave to the needy in Karnataka state. I don’t print money. I am not capable of that. This is all from your help given in small ways.
So, all this money, even the one dollar placed at the Padukas, we calculate and we use for charity. We have Yogasangeeta and other organizations that need money to run. We do annadanam (food donation), vastradanam (donation of clothing). That is my archana (worship to God/offering). All my time I spend like this. One is, the early morning Srichakra Archana. The other is the Divya Nama Sankeertana (singing the glory of God) in the evening. The rest of the time is for service. Some time in the middle of the day is spent in your association – for speaking, conversation, relationship with you all, giving moral support, not giving any yantra or mantra, but giving only Dhairya Lakshmi (the Goddess of Courage). ‘You can fight, no problem, don’t worry’. There are all types of Lakshmi in India – (Goddesses who bestow power in the forms of food, progeny, wealth, knowledge, health, wellbeing of family, strength).
In America only, the currency notes say “In God we trust”. We didn’t do that in India. Why should we? We have Lakshmi everywhere. Why should we be printing separately again? It is all Lakshmi for us. We are all Mother Saraswati’s children. We need knowledge. God is everywhere – omniscient, omnipotent. So, we didn’t put it on currency notes. That is the only reason. Here (in America), Money is God. But, for us Everything is God. We have printed God in our hearts. This is my belief. Why should we remind ourselves again and again? Our body itself is God.
Now, we have so many CDs and books and so many photographs. Last week, we inaugurated one book by Jeff Mitchum. I went to a museum in Las Vegas. I liked those photographs very much. Hanuman Chaleesa is always going on in my mind. Chaleesa is going on with my breath automatically and unknowingly. While you talk, while you are upset, while you eat, while you sleep, it is going on. Ajapa japa nirantaram (effortless and constant chanting of God’s names). No second thought. Deliberately, I am sitting and inviting second thoughts. I do that only for two minutes and then it goes back to the japa. Since childhood I am practicing this.
So, I went to the room, the museum, suddenly saw that photograph. Mount Mainaka (from the Ramayana) emerged from the sea and blocked Hanuman’s path. Then he surrendered to Hanuman. The name of the photograph (Jeff Mitchum named it) was “King of the world”. It is true! Hanuman is King of the world. He is the future Brahma, future God. There is good friendship with Jeff. He’s a good artist. So, there is a book with his photographs and Swamiji’s sayings. You must register and pre-order that book. The proceeds will go to Dallas Hanuman temple. Everybody should get this book. All Telugu people should get this book. Indirectly you are giving for the temple.
Raman:
Swamiji and Jeff Mitchum simultaneously expressed the desire to print a book with the pictures and Swamiji’s sayings. Jeff came to Dallas and was totally taken with Swamiji. For the first time, Swamiji seemed taken with Jeff too and explained to Jeff how Swamiji was born in water while his mother was in meditation. Jeff is printing this book for us. It should be ready by Nov/Dec of this year. One side of the book has the photograph. The other side has Appaji’s sayings. About 93 sayings for as many pictures. Swamiji has selected these pictures. It is going to be beautiful. Jeff’s photographs usually sell for $4k to $1.2 million. He doesn’t need our money. He’s doing it out of love. We all know Appaji’s love – every dollar is going to the Hanuman temple. We have only about 500 books left. If we sell them out, Swamiji will come back in Dec 2011 to release the book. Checks should be made out to dyc usa. Please send an email to dycchicago@gmail.com to pre-order.
Swamiji:
In Kaliyuga, Divya Nama Sankeertana is very important. Bhakti Yoga is very important. So, we do bhajans. In the Ashrama, we do seva to Lord Datta, there is “upadesam”, and “Anugraha Upanyasam” (benedictory speech/teaching). Divya Nama Sankeertana relates to all languages. In Kaliyuga, the easiest way to reach God is through Sankeertana. Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada also adopted this path of nama sankeertana. Madhva and Ramanujacharya also spoke about this path. Narada bhakti sutras and Sandilya bhakti sutras also recommend this path. Bhakti Yogam is very important. Our feelings that we give to our own God are important. There are different, different forms of God. It is easy to talk to God through Sankeertana (songs of devotion). It is communication, conversation with God. There is a lot of knowledge, there are so many different tattvas, (essence/meaning/principles) different meanings in the bhajans. But I have no time now to explain the bhajans.
Bhajans put an end to the cycle of births. You will not have so many lifetimes. No more births. Bhajans lead to liberation, mukti. When we sing with devotion, the answers to questions, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Who are you?’, are addressed and answered in these bhajans. Anyway, there is no time now to explain the meaning of the bhajans. We begin with a very famous beginning bhajan.
- Gajanana gajanana gauri tanaya
- Datta datta solliduvom
- Keertaya tripuramba
- Bhajaneya maaduva banni
- Gangai konda sivane, ganapathy pitane
- Yedukondala swami govinda, yeedu kaladaa neeku govinda
- Govinda kanna, gopala kanna
- Tvameva mama sharanam”
Sri Guru Datta
Courtesy: Smt. Hira Duvvuri
Note: Thank you Archana for your input. Hira.