AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse on Sivananda Lahari

Day 21, August 22

Jaya Guru Datta

Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha

Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha

asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrityor ma amrtam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi

Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May there be peace.

Fine singers Popuri Gowrinath, Avadhoota Datta Peetham’s Asthana Vidwan, and party, have performed here today. They received blessing from Appaji also. Their families on both sides have musical lineage. Sri Hari Sankara Sastry has done great service to the ashram. We pray for Datta’s blessings to be showered upon them.

Two days’ break we got from Sivananda Lahari. Today we resume.
The last two days the children sang beautifully. I bless that they should improve and gain great fame in the future.

Bhajan: Namo namo Ganapataye

Verse 40:
Dhee yantreṇa vacho ghatena kavita-kulyōpa kulya kramaih
Aneethaiśca sadashivasya caritām bhoraśi divyāmruthaih
Hrit kēdāra-yuthāśca bhakti kalamah sāphalya māthanvathe
Durbikshān mama sevakasya bhagavan viswesha bheethi kruthah

While you are there, I have no problems. I have no anxiety about drought.
It is only during the rainy season that people remember to pray for rains, when it fails to rain, resulting in drought.

Krishna says: you use up so much fuel for performing these fire rituals. Do you even remember to pay attention to the hills? You chop off all the trees for getting the necessary fuel. Let us go up the hill and plant trees.
Nobody paid attention to Krishna’s words. Then Krishna addressed Nanda, the chief of the cowherds: Father, you are wise. Think about what I say. See how bare the hill top and hillsides have become. We have to worship Nature. We must protect Nature. We have to respect it.

People were upset to change the age old tradition of offering prayers to Indra. Krishna’s words sounded very controversial.

Finally they agreed to follow Krishna’s advice. Indra became furious that his worship was interrupted and stopped. He rained red rain and boulders/huge hailstones on Gokula. The dark clouds gathered to cause tremendous havoc. Krishna effortlessly lifted the entire Govardhana Hill on his little finger to protect all the people of Gokula.

Indra came and fell at Krishna’s feet begging forgiveness. He gave the title Govinda to Krishna, a protector of the worlds. We are all like cattle. Krishna is our protector. Surabhi, the celestial cow came and gave milk to do abhishekam to Krishna’s feet.

Sometimes, for unavoidable reasons trees are felled, for laying roads, and so on. Before cutting down one tree, you must plant two trees. Otherwise it is a great sin. Trees are living beings. They are known to have spoken. They have stood as witnesses to events. Five types of sacred trees have to be planted and protected by each individual in one’s lifetime.

It is said that it is everyone’s responsibility to pray for timely rains for a good harvest. God is worshipped as the form of rains. Not just priests but every individual should pray for rains. I was chanting this prayer this afternoon. These past weeks were hot. Today, it was especially hot. Suddenly as I was studying the meaning of this prayer, clouds gathered and we had a good rain shower. When there are no rains, there will be drought and lack of food. Also there will be drought of spiritual wisdom.

I water the field and grow a harvest.

On top of a hill, to draw water up to the higher level, a Yaatam mechanism will be employed for irrigation. A large canal and from it smaller canals will take water to irrigate the field.

Yantra is not just a machine or an engine. All implements that we employ are yantras. The intellect is a machine. A vessel/***/drum that it rotates is speech/poetry.

It is said that doing Rudra parayana will cause rains. All the rain-related descriptions of God are included in that prayer/Stotram. Koopyaya cha, koolyayacha (cool God, people say for amusement), Varshyaya cha, meghyaaya cha and several other water related names are given for Siva.

Siva is a peaceful lord. He gives us peace. Kulya is a big canal. Upakulya is the sub-canal/subsidiary channel.
The poetic flow emerging by the use of the machine called intellect praises Sadasiva. The nectar called the history of Siva flows down. The nectar that flows down from the intellect thus, irrigates the field called the heart. Kedar means snow covered meadow. No harvest there. Our heart is the meadow. Kedarnath sits up there in the Himalayas and He oversees to ensure that all the people of the country are fed properly. If we do not give Him proper respect, people will perish. People have abused Nature in the Kedarnath region. I was there 3 days prior to the great calamity that destroyed tens of thousands of lives recently.

60 lakhs of trees were felled in that region for industrial purposes. That caused the huge landslides that destroyed the entire landscape. I was in tears throughout my return journey, seeing the bald hillsides. I had visited that region a few years ago and could not recognize the landscape this time. Having seen this abuse in the name of project development, I wept. Swamiji has declared that those who lost their lives in that holy place have directly attained liberation.

From the machine called the intellect, the poetry of praise flows down and irrigates the field of the heart, and devotion is the wonderful harvest that results. For me to serve, I need nourishment. I have no worries about getting food, because you are there to provide for me. I am confident. My devotion as harvest, I offer to you.
Rudra Abhisheka and Rudra Homa cause timely rains and proper harvest. It has to be done. The authorities in power have to get it done for the welfare of the nation.

With all six virtues - Aishwarya, Samagra, Veerya, Yasaha with Sriya, Jnana, and Vairagya, God alone deserves the name of Bhagavan and Viswesa. People may give that name Bhagavan to children but Siva alone deserves to be called Bhagavan. He alone knows all our births and deaths, and all our actions, thoughts, and words. God’s computer has the information about our past, present, and future.

Sri Bhagavatpada is urging everyone to pray daily for rains.

Now Karnataka state is okay. But in Andhra in Rayalaseema there are no rains. We went there and performed rituals with prayers for rains. We are a part of this world. We ourselves may be well off and comfortable. But the food we eat comes from elsewhere. You cannot eat cell phones and computers. You need rains to grow food.

This one devotee prayed for the boon that everything he touched should become gold. Matsyendranath gave him the boon. The house, food, wife, all turned to gold. Juice became gold juice. He had nothing to eat or drink. His daughter refused to approach him. The man realized his mistake. He again performed severe penance. Matsyendranath appeared before him. The devotee prayed for the boon to be withdrawn. God blessed him.

Our effort itself is gold. There is no greater boon than that.

These days children have no idea where apples come from. They do not know that apples are grown in the northern regions of India. They think that a super market is the tree that gives everything.

Swamiji has developed a bonsai garden for that reason. In Japan, that is the reason for bonsai gardens. People are becoming unaware of the importance of different species of trees. We must respect Nature. Our own nature also we must respect, and utilize to serve God. If we do, then the poverty called spiritual wisdom will vanish. We must pray for food for everyone that is living.

Yesterday S.P. Balasubramaniam noticed the power of Annadana here. He was inspired to participate in the program.
On one day of the week, give up food and feed the hungry. The world will be in balance then. It is a very good seva to perform. If you practice this, grace of God will automatically be showered upon you. You can then demand for it, since you would have done your bounden duty.

When I am your servant, I know that you will not starve me. If you feed me, I will pray and make an effort to see that all are fed.

How to prevent and destroy drought?
The river water that flows way below has to be lifted to the top of the hill. These days we use pumps. In the olden days, oxen used to pull the wheel for the Yatam. The wheel keeps turning and dropping potfuls of water into the large canals built for irrigation. Government has the responsibility for making water available everywhere for irrigation and drinking.

Dhee=intellect. Yantra=machine
Vacho=speech. Ghatena= pots. The machine rotates and the poetic flow fills the pots and drops the nectar of poetic expression into the canals.

There is a devotee in America. Ravindra is his name. Suddenly he began writing poetry. He studied Swamiji’s Life History. He began suddenly writing and he cannot stop writing. It is a gift from a past lifetime. Not everyone has that talent. Singing bhajans and chanting mantra is something that everyone can do. All the beauty and power of poetry is in that.

This water is not ordinary water. This water is a mixture of water from all sacred rivers. Sadasiva is unchanging. He ever bestows benefits to all creation. Siva transcends old age and death. This nectar consists of all your glorious stories, O Lord Siva. This nectarine water wets the field called my heart. This irrigation makes devotion sprout in abundance as the wonderful harvest.

These days just prior to harvesting, a hurricane or cyclone comes and destroys the entire crop. Such calamities occur. Fruit trees are destroyed. Our devotion must continue until we merge in God. It should not get destroyed before the fruit is received.

This servant has no such fear. Please fill my stomach with the fruit called devotion. We must pray for the welfare of the world. It is difficult to stop describing the beauty of this verse. We are still only in the 41st verse. Sravana month is coming to an end. What can I do?

The next verse has the name Mrityunjaya/one who transcends death. When the moon suffered from a curse and was losing his strength and becoming weaker by the day, Lord Siva protected the moon and gave him back his previous glory.

Someswara is a Jyotirlinga Kshetra. That temple was attacked and destroyed many times by foreign rulers. It has been rebuilt many times and it re-emerges stronger than ever before.

Bhajan: Jyotirlingakara (Somanatheswara)

Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya

Paapotpaata ..

Sri Bhagavatpada has shown us great poetry and is teaching us how to pray. First the sins have to be destroyed, which are of the form of poverty. To get rid of sins, to gain the prosperity that allows us to do good deeds, we must serve God and praise Him.

Our sense organs are praying to us, when will you use us to worship God? That is the meaning of Swamiji’s bhajan: Re man

Verse 41:
Pāpothpātha –vimocanāya ruchir aiswaryāya mrutyunjaya
Stotra-dhyāna-nati-pradakshina-saparyālokana akarnane
Jihwa-chitta-sirongri-hasta-nayana-srothrair aham prārthithah
Māmāgnapaya thannirupaya muhur māmeva maa me vacha

Here Sri Bhagavatpada sings:
My tongue is begging me to chant the Mrityunjaya stotra.
My tongue is not behaving like that. My tongue is asking for food, we may say. We must teach our sense-organ deities the proper way to behave. If we pray to the arms as if they were deities, to give us strength, they will grant it. If we pray to the Sun god who resides in our eyes for good eyesight, He will grant us good vision. Just as for each sense organ there is a deity, there is also a villain. For the tongue, Saraswati is the deity. Kumbhakarna is the devil. We must teach the children to pray to Saraswati to grant knowledge. We must pray never to lose our faculty of speech.

What is the greatest fear? Fear itself causes great fear in us. Please sing the names of God to be free from fear. The Bhagavatam has a great prayer for this.

Mrityunjayaha – He, who has conquered death. He, Lord Sadasiva alone has done that.

All are afraid of death. The form of Mrityunjaya is shown with 8 or 10 arms. Using 4 arms He Himself performs abhishekam to Himself with pots of nectar, since no one else is doing it for Him. He pacifies himself with such abhishekam, because during Pralaya, there is no one existing in Creation, to offer Him worship. I am comforting the frightening form of you, so that you will be pacified and will re-create this Universe, He prays to Himself. Even Ganga has vanished during Pralaya/final annihilation.

We must pray: Mrityunjayaya Devaya .. Amritesaya

We must chant the Mrityunjaya stotra and conquer the fear of death.
All my prayers must be answered by you, O Lord Siva.
Vedanta cannot survive without devotion/faith.
Without faith, Vedanta will not be grasped.
My mind is begging me to meditate upon you, O Lord Mrityunjaya.
My head is begging me to place it upon your pair of feet.
My feet are begging me to do Pradakshina to you. I go around you three times. Please protect me.

Pradakshina is very good to perform. It gives exercise and earns God’s grace. If it is not possible to go around the inner sanctorum, do Pradakshina/going around, for the outer Prakara/circular compound. It that is not possible also, then do around yourself, turn around clockwise three times, as Atma Pradakshina.

Do 9 times Pradakshina to Sri Karyasiddhi Hanuman temple. You earn the fruit of your prayer and gain health.
In Tamil Nadu, the temples are very big. Once you go around the outer compound, you will begin to sweat. You begin from the outer and proceed gradually to the inner compounds and end with the inner sanctum sanctorum. Keep chanting the name of God as you do this. It will take at least half an hour to do this. The Tanjavur temple is huge.

In Skanda Purana there is a beautiful explanation about the meaning and benefits of Pradakshina. Please research into it.

If one drop of sweat drops to the floor while doing Nama Sankeertana, your sins as vast as an ocean will get destroyed.

My hands are begging me to offer you services.

Go to the kitchen and wash the dirty dishes. In the Guru Nanak/Sikh tradition, doing service at the Chappal Stand/Footwear shelter, and in the serving and cooking area are considered very important. Washing the dirty dishes is a coveted seva done by VIPs. If we wash our own plates and wipe them, it is a great service.

What can I do to satisfy you Krishna? In the Bhagavatam, Krishna says; satisfy the hunger of one devotee. That is enough.

If you see some dirt or litter in the ashram, pick it up and throw it away. If Sadguru steps on food soiled by saliva/engili, it is a great sin, not for the one who threw it on the floor, but the ones who neglected to pick it up and clean it.

Our hands are meant to do service. This body is the only instrument we have to serve God. These hands are not hands. They are gods. They allow me to serve God to reach God. We must use these hands for charity and for service. This great Yateeswara, Sri Bhagavatpada is saying these words.

My eyes are begging for your darshan. They are yearning for that blessing.
My ears are begging to hear your glorious names and stories of your miracles.
All my sense organs are pestering me and praying to me to worship you.

I am not in control of myself. Unless you give the order, I cannot satisfy the desires of my sense organs. Please force me to fulfill their prayers. Please show me your power. I am in your control. Please use your authority to ensure that these prayers of mine are fulfilled.

If we oblige such prayers of our sense organs, our lives will be blessed and fruitful. Please O Lord Siva, give me permission to answer their prayers. Please prove that it can be done. May my words not be in vain. Please fulfill my prayer

Kulasekhara Alwar prays to the sense organs: O ears, see the lord, and so on.

We must order our sense organs to pray like this. Otherwise, they will drag us away from God. We will be led astray.

This verse is so beautiful that it cannot be adequately explained nor done justice to. Swamiji’s bhajan in similar lines is:

Bhajan: Ra Mana

Hari and Hara are one and the same. Horizontal or vertical lines on the forehead make no difference – stay away from such discussions/debates and arguments. Dattatreya Swami is all-encompassing. Hari/Vishnu Keertan is the same as Hara/Siva keertana.

In the next verse, Sri Bhagavatpada prays: reside in my mind that is like a fortress, along with Mother Durga.
Tomorrow we will discuss that beautiful prayer.

Tomorrow, devotees from Pondicherry will offer Sangeeta Seva. It is a wonderful service.

Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta