AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse on Sivananda Lahari

Day 9, August 5

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.

Bhajan: Jaya Ganesha gananatha dayanidhi

Verse 16:
Virinchi dheergāyur bhavatu bhavatā tat para śira
Schatushkam samrakshyam sa khalu bhuvi dainyam likhitavān
Vicharah ko vā mām vishda kripaya pāti shiva me
Katāksha vyāpārah swayamapi na dīnāvana parah

Yesterday we discussed an interesting and amusing stotra/hymn of praise.

We are taught how to pray. I prayed to you and you simply ignored and neglected me. Do not say that you are not competent to take care of me. You have the power to even behead Brahma. At this point, Sri Bhagavatpada paused and continued his prayer in a different tone.

Please do not be irritated or angry with me for my prayer.

My focus is unsteady upon you and hence perhaps I am not earning your grace. It is up to you to help me. You have the power to protect me.

With a fingernail of yours you were able to cut off a head of Brahma.

What if you get angry and cut off all the other four heads of Brahma also in your frustration that you have to save me. Please do not harm Brahma. May Brahma have a long lifespan. He is after all the one who decides the destiny for all of us. Still, please leave Him alone. Your power is immeasurable and you are everywhere.

See the power of a devotee that he is praying that Brahma be preserved! Because of the destiny granted by Brahma we have this suffering fallen upon us. Yet, may Brahma live long.

Four types of creatures exist on earth, even according to science.

Whatever words I spoke yesterday, please erase all of those. I do not even need to pray to you. You need not even do anything to get anything done.

I asked you why you neglect me thus. Perhaps I should not have prayed like that. Despite whatever destiny Brahma may have granted me, I cannot ask you to erase His writing. But I can have faith that your power will somehow protect me. I do not wish to trouble you. You have not done anything nor do you need to do anything. Your name has done it all and will do it all.

We say that sometimes. The name that we use accomplishes many tasks for us without the person bearing the name getting involved at all.

Your compassionate sideways glance should fall upon us. Such a glance of Mother Goddess is described in the Lalita Sahasranama.

It is always better to approach Guru or God from the side rather than to stand right in front of Him even if you are the only one present. That is why they place a flag post right in front of God.

I will tell you about your power, Lord Siva.

We say smile please, to Guru, and Guru’s smile will remove all our troubles.
Adi Sankara is forcing Siva to show compassion upon him.
Protecting devotees is your responsibility.

Once, Siva who was in meditation and answered: my compassionate glance will take care of you. I need not bother myself with it.

It is only in anger that Siva appears right in front of you.

You need not say anything O Lord, if your mere glance falls upon us, that itself is sufficient for us. You need not do anything at all. You need not even intend to bless us. On its own your glance will accomplish everything.

It is to have that glance fall upon us that we go to the temple and to Guru’s presence. There is nothing wrong in offering prayers. It is however wrong to pray that harm should come to others. Never wish ill upon others and pray to God to harm others.

Bhajan: Jyotirlingakara .. (Nageswara)

Verse 17:
Phalādvā punyānām mayi karunayā vā twayi vibho
Prasannēpi swamin bhava damala pādābja yugaḷam
Katham paśyeyam mām sthagayati namasambrama jushām
Nirlepānām śrenir nija kanaka māṇikya makutaih

By some past merit perhaps I have come to you. I am not aware that I have earned any great merit. If everyone arrives at Siva Loka, then how to get darshan of the Lord?

Be charitable and do good deeds to earn merit, we are told.

Balloons fly in the air. Like a flying balloon we also can fly and easily cross the ocean called the world. If we tie such balloons to us like wings, we will fly. The balloon is the merit we earn. Annadana is the greatest merit. Vidyadana is the next. First feed the hungry. Then, share knowledge or help someone to receive education.

As we mentioned early on, we must concentrate on one God only when we pray. When you focus on Ganapati, you should see Ganapati everywhere, in every object and in every person and creature. Only then you will grow spiritually. It is a very difficult sadhana. In the early stages you should see Ganapati in all deities. Narayana Sukta, Rudra adhyaya, and other stotras praise the one God as assuming all forms. We must concentrate on the deity’s clothing, form, temple, and see the deity of choice everywhere. Upa - asana means always thinking only of the deity that you choose and considering Him as the greatest. The power of noble and pious souls, especially of Sri Bhagavatpada is such that he could see like that. Swamiji sees Datta in all deities or Ganapati in all deities. All deities assume the form of your deity of choice.

Enough of blaming and scolding God feels Adi Sankara.

Here is an interesting story.
A 12 year old child wanted to see God. He asked his mother if she has seen God.
Mother said, yes and no.
No, give me a definite answer.
No. But people have said that they have seen God.
Where does God reside?
On top of the hill, at the temple, that is what people say.
I wish to see God.
Mother packed for him food and water and he left to climb the hill.

We pack enough dessert, juice, buttermilk to last for three years when we go on a short pilgrimage.

The mother packed him sufficient quantity of food and drink. He got hungry on the way. He opened his food packet to eat. He was going to eat. There was an old woman nearby sitting under a tree who was very hungry. Noticing the old woman, the boy offered her food. The woman ate her fill with the food that the boy gave her. She emptied all the dishes. She smiled at the boy and blessed the boy that he should have a good darshan of God. The boy packed the empty dishes and returned home.

Mother, you gave me wrong directions. On the way, under the tree in the form of the smile of an aged woman, I saw God.
Mother felt very happy.
The old woman also went home and told her family that she saw God in the form of a small child of 12 years. She had also set out to see God in the temple on top of the hill.

Palmistry was a popular business once. Prasadam was being given. He noticed the lines on the palm as the prasadam was being received. You have a line that shows that you will not be rich; the palmist predicts and demonstrates it later.

We must keep earning spiritual merit constantly. We must not waste any chance to do so.

Your feet are most sacred and pure, O Lord Siva. I wish to see you. I see you from a great distance. But I am unable to see your feet. I am yearning to see them.

You should not distinguish when you give prasadam whether the recipient is a woman, man, a foreigner, is rich, poor and so on. Feel that Guru has come to receive it. Keep chanting mantra and give. Then you earn merit. You must keep earning spiritual merit as much as you can, whenever and wherever you can. Instead, the way of the world is such that only sin is earned freely.

What merit have I earned, O Lord! It is all only by your grace. You are now compassionate towards me. You are giving me your darshan. Yet, why have I come from afar? I came only to see your sacred feet.

Oh the queue is very long. All the celestials and deities are waiting patiently in line to have your darshan. I am observing only the precious gem-studded crowns that are glittering and blinding my vision as they bow down to prostrate to your feet.

Your feet are not visible to me. Please bless that I get darshan of your feet. Please send these people aside who are blocking my view. Please give that good fortune for me to see your feet, touch your feet and serve your feet. Please raise my level also to that of all these divinities.

Meditating upon the feet of God is very important. Sri Bhagavatpada is now reminding us of that.

Bhajan: O Janani nee padame ….

O Mother your sacred foot is glowing on my head like a lotus petal. There is none to equal you in power and glory.

Bhajan: Om ayim hreem sreem sivarama anagha dattaya namaha

Victory to Datta Guru Maharaj.

We will continue tomorrow.

Sri Guru Datta