July 26, 2011
Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – July 26, 2011 – New Jersey
Jaya Guru Datta
“Sri maha ganapataye namaha
Sri saraswatyai namaha
Sri padavallabha nrsimha saraswati
Sri guru dattatreyaya namaha
Wonderful bhajans! And very nice and very wonderful dances. (Children from the Bala Datta group of New Jersey had sung bhajans during Swamiji’s Sri Chakra Archana. The children then performed dance to two of Appaji’s bhajans). Very nice Appaji’s all bhajans. I am very surprised to see such a program by our Bala Datta group today. Actually, this is a farewell to Appaji on this trip. This is supposed to be the last day. But this is not the last day, but beginning day. I don’t say last day, but in the present trip, it’s the last day.
And then you heard Dr. Anjaiah. He sings very beautifully, has a golden voice. (Dr. Anjaiah sang his own composition in praise of God addressing Swamiji – You are everywhere O Lord. You are the soul within us. You are the eyes, and the eternally moving Time, the sounds, the sweetness, the waves, the clouds, the illusions, the mirages, love, passions, desires – everything is You, O Lord!)
And he sings in Telugu. God is omniscient and omnipresent, God is in fire, God is in water, on earth and similar meaning. That’s very important, very good timing. Today is a very auspicious day in New Jersey for Jnana Bodha Sabha devotees and Datta devotees. Today is Ekadasi (11th day of the lunar phase), Vishnu day and also very powerful day in this month. This is upasana day. If Sadguru mantra is chanted 1001 times today, they will get their wishes fulfilled. Lord Datta and Lord Hanumanta grant their own separate blessings and boon. So, this is a good opportunity, today is good Ekadasi day.
I think so many Datta families are following Appaji’s programs. There was a nice, wonderful program in Dallas for Guru Poornima. There was a very big concert after Guru Poornima. That concert was Sanjeevini Hanuman Raga Sagara. That is not a concert. That is nada rains, nectar rains, like amruta varshini (a shower of the nectar of immortality). It is like nectar sprinkling. People are very happy. Datta devotees are very happy about that concert. The last healing concert was in Chicago. A lot of Datta devotees attended the concert in Chicago also.
are mad about Swamiji. Running, running, running, running. So many devotees asking why Swamiji has a weekday program, no weekend programs in New Jersey? The days are short. The schedule is very busy. Especially, I want to go to West Indies for next Saturday’s program. After that I’m visiting Angel Falls in Venezuela. That’s the highest water falls in the world - Angel Falls. I think you know about Angel Falls. I am staying there for one day to meditate for 24 hours. We need peace - shanti, shanti, shanti, shanti. And also prayer for our devotees good health and good progress. That is why one day, I am sitting for 24 hours near the water falls to meditate.
After that Swamiji is visiting Brazil for a crystal show. Then, back to India. All these programs are very short because you know I have no time to spare 3 months, 4 months, 6 months for a tour. Swamiji’s visit is only like a flash, like lightning.
But anyway, you are all gathered here. I can’t forget New Jersey. In the beginning there was no program here. But, they wanted a program here. I said “Okay, no problem, I’ll come week day also”. They said “No problem Swamiji, come on weekday, one day also is okay. We want to have darshan”, association for at least 3 or 4 hours. That fulfilled their wishes, their own prayers to have a successful program today.
This is a very special message to you. Swamiji is always giving special message, special message, life-long Swamiji is giving special message all the time. Each time Swamiji’s statement is a special message. With practice, devotees must practice; if you practice that message in your life, then you become special. If you go through Swamiji’s speech word by word, concentrate and take it in your heart, mathanam (analyzing or churning the message in one’s head). Listening to Sadguru’s advice is very important. We need it because we are human beings. Each word is very important. There’s a Tyagaraja song. “Paluke bangaramayena…” (is a song in praise of Lord Rama asking the Lord why His words have become rare like gold, sung by Ramadas). Now, ‘naa batuke bangaramaye nee palukulato’ (my life has become golden thanks to your precious words).
You must practice Sadguru’s words. Some only hear, hear. That is not special. Not just appreciate. Go word by word with concentration. Practice is very important. Mathana is very important. Listening to Sadguru’s advice is very important. Each word is very important. And studying good books is also very important. Sravanam (hearing) is also very important. But, mathanam, concentration, about the lectures, about the words, the messages, is important. You practice and then think about that same message. Then you will definitely achieve success in your life.
Step-by-step, first sravanam, listening, and then mananam, you understand, mathanam, you can have discussion with yourself. Then you definitely attain bliss.
For some people listening is only a fashion. No time, no concentration. Our concentration is on the telephone, on our house, our work, our food, our sleep. How can you achieve? No sitting. If you sit for 5 minutes, even in front of Swamiji, your mind is going somewhere, to the telephone, to your work, home, or sleep. You can’t control. Try to control for a half hour. Atleast control your mind for 5 minutes. If you control your mind for 5 minutes in the presence of a Sadguru, you get one year of energy. That is calculated from Narada Sookta. Then, you can do your own calculations. What happens when you concentrate for 10 minutes? You get 2 years. Again and again, you can practice concentration. Then you definitely achieve siddhi (perfection or accomplishment). But, controlling for 5 minutes is very difficult because of chanchalam (fickle-mindedness). We can’t sit in one place for 10 minutes. Cant’ listen to Guru Tattva (Guru's teachings) for 5 minutes. Body is here, but mind is elsewhere. Monkey mind!
That is why Sri Rama chose a good servant, a monkey. Sri Rama is the supreme power that controlled the monkey. Atman (soul) is Lord Rama. Buddhi (intellect) is like a monkey. So, Atma is controlling Buddhi. Atmarama Swami is controlling the monkey mind. That’s why Sri Rama chose a monkey, Hanuman, instead of the millions of other celestials. Different story, that monkey is Lord Siva. Different, different story. But, monkey mind was selected by Rama. The mind that is always going ‘jigijigijigi jigi’. That is why Sadguru is always selecting monkey devotees. Why Swamiji calling us monkeys? Because we can’t sit still for even 5 minutes. Don’t know why. The sense organs are also doing some mischief. We are protecting them. We can’t control our mind for 5 or 10 minutes.
In India, there is an ad – ‘Dhideer’ instant idli, instant chapati, instant dosa, instant Swamiji kripa (grace), finish this game! Everything is instant. But, meetings and parties are not instant. Our parties go on for 3 hours, 4 hours, eating party, marriage party. That is not instant. You sit and eat, good party. Okay, I am taking leisurely coffee or tea for over one hour, eating slowly. Then I’m talking or reading or seeing TV and then after half an hour something else. That’s not instant. Sense organs always want taste, facilities.
For adhyatmika (spirituality), you have no time. “I don’t believe in supernatural stuff, I don’t follow Guru.” Okay, don’t believe. “Show me God”. What is that? All these questions arise. Completely. No time. “I don’t want to practice, I don’t want to follow any Guru. I don’t’ listen to any Swamiji’s words. I have no time. But, tell guru, to give me some good blessings”. How? How can you get blessings when you don’t believe? “So, what if I don’t believe? Ask Him to bless me”. Have I written a bond to you? If you come to me once, I fix everything? Even if you have no devotion, I should fix everything? You came. You saw Swamiji. That was a big loss for you, that you drove so far, spent a lot of money? That you came to me and saw me once was a big deal! You spent a lot of money? That’s it? Is that the same as believing in Swamiji? You say, “Oh, we see him every time he visits. But our problem is not solved”.
If we need to get something small done in an office, to get something minor done, it is such a hassle. It takes so much time. In India, say, in a bank, to get your own money out, you have to make so many trips. The bank says your ID is not right, your photo is not right or there is some other problem with your signature. You may think, “No, it’s my money, I need 500 out of the 2000 or 3000 rupees, but I need to make so many trips”. The problem is with the people that come once in a while - very fickle. What I am saying is increase your devotion, follow the master, faith in God. I told you many times. When you believe in God, and follow the Guru, you will definitely be able to cross this ocean of samsara (illusory worldly life). Do upaasana (spiritual practice with faith and devotion). Then you can ask. We have put our foot in the mess (this mire called worldly life). We got into it. To win is the only way to get out. To win, make your mind strong.
No time now. We didn’t plan a long program here. You want a big program next year. That is just temporary vairagya (spiritual detachment), Purana Vairagya. Later you will forget about this and only ask “When are you coming?” You just want to know the timing. Only now you want to listen to Bhagavad-Gita, and some bhajans. Afterwards you will not have the same enthusiasm. You will not have time. It is like smasana (graveyard) vairagya. We feel like renouncing everything when we see a dead body. ‘O we will also die one day. What is the use of all these attachments?’ Once the body is out of sight, we want to go eat a masala dosa.
Prasooti (child birth) vairagya: At the time of child birth, we wonder why we have this birth, this marriage, these children. We think we’ve had enough and want no more. That’s it! Once you have the baby, you forget everything and only think about the baby. “Is it a boy or a girl? Oh, that is okay. Next time we will have a boy. Who does the baby resemble, how’s the baby’s nose, how are the eyes?”
Casino vairagya – you know this. Once you lose everything, everything seems to be an illusion. “What else is there on earth?” You have lost everything. So, you get sudden vairagya. But, if you win 10 bucks for 1 buck, “I am lucky today”. If you win more, you won’t walk away. “I am so lucky, if I gamble with the $1000, I’ll get 1 million bucks”. You wish. That’s it. You come out crying. At least earlier you had with you one dollar to go home with.
One word for all Telugu devotees. This is proof of your devotion. It is very difficult to come on a weekday. Festivals, parties, marriages everything takes place only on weekends. Weekdays, it is not possible. You say, ‘We are karma jeevis (beings). We need Swamiji’s darshan (we need to see Swamiji) because we are karma jeevis. If this program were on a weekend, we could have had a more elaborate program, all day Saturday.’ See, devotion will succeed in any situation. I speak in the worldly sense. You have to go to work tomorrow. May God bless you.
Watch live webcasts. The devotees are finding it hard to handle the work of traveling everywhere and hooking up and showing the programs. They don’t have the time, although they know how to do it. We need to find a company that will do it, and also record the live proceedings and keep playing them back. We have to take a step forward and find a good company that will do it. This webcast is a life-line. We want to add more discourses, concerts, scriptural lectures also.
Yogasangeeta and Ragasagara are now becoming familiar to more devotees. Everybody is talking about them. This is what I am going to talk about during tomorrow’s meeting. Live feed is not working well sometimes. It is breaking up. Many people are writing me letters. We must improve, if we can find a good company, a good software, or a good server, even if it costs a little more. We need to add upanyasas (discourses), Bala Swamiji’s programs, Swamiji’s programs, and bhajans. The company will record and will keep playing back often for the benefit of devotees. It should be a dependable service.
Yogasangeeta was born here. My blessings to all those who serve and support (the old and new patrons) Yogasangeeta and the Dallas Hanuman Temple. I am already telling you now what we’ll talk about during the meeting tomorrow. We will come up with a good plan.
Jaya Guru Datta. Sri Guru Datta.”
Courtesy: Smt. Hira Duvvuri
Note: Thanks to Archana for her input. Sri Guru Datta Hira