AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji - Datta Jayanthi - morning - December 25, 2015 - Mysore

Sri Guru Datta
Jaya Guru Datta

Dattatreya appears in all kinds of forms, as Krishna, as a child, as a mad person, as a spirit, and so on. As an avadhoota, as one who is starving, as one who has had a bellyful, He is in all forms. Where is ***? If someone should ask, He is in everyone. Datta is in all different forms. He takes on any form as per His will and choice. *** has given us a free will. We should use this freedom properly. Only then Dharma will be protected. Dharma won’t come and stand in front of our eyes in a very obvious and apparent form.

What is Dharma? Helping the needy is Dharma. Giving food to a hungry stomach is Dharma. Not hurting anyone, not making fun of others, abstaining from troubling others mentally, physically, or from inflicting any kind of violence is Dharma. Respecting parents who have given this body is Dharma. Trying to know oneself with guidance from Guru is also Dharma. Where is ***? *** is in Dharma. What is ***’s form? It is the form of each living being.

Why are people then acting as they wish? They are acting like that because they lack faith. It is only because they do not believe in ***. For those who have faith in ***, there is no fear. If there is no faith, there is fear. If you have faith in Dharma, there is no fear at any time. If you don’t have faith in Dharma, there is fear. One should not say one thing and do something else. Those who respect and worship Dharma should follow Dharma wholeheartedly in thought and deed.

*** has gifted man with independence of thought. But he forgets *** and engages in injustice, untruth, and violence. That leads him to fear the consequences of his sins. That is why people are running to find yantra, mantras, and Guru. One who is fearless sees only Dharma. Such persons also seek Guru. They also worship with rituals and images of ***. See how nice it is to worship with devotion and love, and see how different it is to worship out of fear that something terrible is going to happen. Think about it. See how wonderful it is to love ***, with a feeling that He is our family member and our friend. And see how the feeling is when puja is offered with fright that *** is going to forsake you and you will get destroyed.

When one serves or worships with no selfish motive, that is Dharma. All the scriptures like Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, and the Upanishads tell us that we should be selfless regardless of what action we are engaged in, and that we will then be ensured of success. Whereas when we worship out of greed, excessive ambition for success, and with fear, it is Adharma.

Dattatreya’s teachings are all in line with Dharma. He is an incarnation of Dharma. He is in the form of all living beings. He is an Unmatta, a Yogi, and an Avadhoota. All luxuries are under His power. He has no need for anything. Hence, He wanders like a carefree mendicant, like a mad fellow. It is His wish.

But regular householders cannot roam about freely like that. If they do, they will be put in a mental hospital. They cannot do that. If they should face a little bit of hunger, thirst, heat, rain, or cold, they will realize that they have not reached that state of freedom of a man who is mad with ecstasy. Datta remains free and unconcerned, and never troubles anyone. He blesses everyone. He is in the form of everyone. If someone is enjoying luxuries, Datta is enjoying those luxuries in that form. Another might have renounced everything. Datta is then enjoying the independence of a free soul. But if someone leaves Dharma, Datta remains in him, and yet, is not apparent. It is as if he is not there.

You may think, if *** is in everyone, if Datta is in everyone, how can there be a bad person? He can be in a bad person also. But he is there like one who is dead while alive. His presence is not utilized there. Datta is also in such a residence which is like a shack. He is also in a residence which may collapse at any time. He even lives in a residence (a person) which is like a bungalow. Such a person lives with devotion and feels that *** is inside him. *** is omnipresent.

A big fish eats a small fish. Datta is also in the small fish. He is also in the big fish. The big fish eats the small fish to protect its own life. Even if the act was sinful, it had to satisfy its hunger. The small fish could not escape. It sacrificed its life for the sake of another living being. Hence, it has earned merit. It had the Karma of becoming a victim. That is why, although *** is in the small fish, it appears as if He were not there. If you understand this concept correctly, then you will understand this philosophy, this Vedanta. Otherwise, you will not understand.

We may say that the small fish had sacrificed its life, but even it has the duty of protecting its own life. When the big fish ate the small fish to satisfy its hunger, which is actually Dharma, its act really turned to be Adharma. Safeguarding its own life was Dharma, no doubt. But killing another creature was a sin. It was a selfish action. Therefore, the two results occur which are contradictory. The small fish had no one to protect it. It had no choice but to allow itself to become food for the big fish. It had that Karma. To expend that Karma, it had to become the food to be consumed by the big fish.

*** is in everything and in everyone in order to protect Dharma. This is a great teaching given to us by Lord Dattatreya.

When Lord Datta was giving Upadesa to Parasurama, He gave wonderful answers to clear certain subtle doubts on Dharma. “Lord, it is said that *** is everywhere. How?” He is everywhere – in you, in me, everywhere, in darkness, and in light. “What is it that occurs inside me? What is it that occurs inside one who follows Adharma? What is Adharma? What is Dharma?” We should learn and understand these concepts very clearly.

People run to temples, ashrams and Gurus. Is that really Dharma? No. Why not? Because they are doing it out of fear, and out of a selfish desire to get their personal tasks fulfilled. Bhagavad Gita says to do Nishkama Karma – selfless actions – in order to get good results. If you do good deeds selfishly, you may get good results temporarily, but they won’t last. But if you think, “I don’t need anything, I just want to see ***. I just want to serve Him. Let whatever is destined to happen, happen, according to what I deserve,” or if one goes to Guru only to clear certain philosophical doubts, and with a desire to learn more about one’s Self, only then it is accepted as true devotion in line with Dharma.

Is it devotion if you pay money for various rituals like Homa, Tailabhishekam, etc. and offer prayers? No. That is not devotion. Then why are you doing it? We have to follow certain procedures so that it becomes a habit for us to slowly develop that true kind of devotion which is according to Dharma, and eventually to develop an interest in clearing spiritual doubts about ourselves.

Even though we may think that singing the divine names of *** will earn us merit, there are those people upon whose ears the sounds of such divine names fall, and without their knowledge, a remembrance of *** occurs in their hearts, and they join in the rhythm of the divine singing. Like that, slowly, it becomes a habit and one day they may also chant those names.

Those with means to do so, will build temples or sponsor Ubhaya Seva. There’s nothing wrong with it. Let the money be put to good use that way at least. Where is ***? *** is in ‘Share Your Food’, and nowhere else. Remember that. *** is there in ‘Share Your food’. *** is certainly present there in the form of the needy, when you feed a hungry soul. He is in the form of a helpless blind person. There are many capable blind people who learn Braille and become engineers or other professionals. They are capable even though they are blind. They’ve made good use of their lives. But when you feed a blind person who is really helpless and hungry, that is real worship. That is real Tailabhishekam. Nothing else. Remember well.

Does it mean that we don’t need to do Tailabhishekam? No, do Tailabhishekam. Let this become a habit so that you slowly learn devotion. You will put yourself to good use. The money or possessions which you have rightfully earned will then go towards helping others who are in need of help. The happiness you gain by donating food can never be found in grabbing food. If you donate a nice silk sari which you had worn before to someone poor who doesn’t have a sari and give her a good meal along with it, she will feel like she is in heaven. When you see her joy, you will at once know that *** is very happy at that time. People keep buying saris, wear them once or twice and then discard them. They sell them in auction and make money. What is in it? You gain nothing. Instead, Buy two saris, keep one and give one away. That is real worship. But instead, blindly if you wish to offer a Sari to Mother Goddess, or you want to offer something for worship, or abhishekam, do it selflessly. That is the only way.

Because here you are doing the prayers and rituals with a selfish motive, you will not get any benefit. You will only get trouble in return and your wishes will not get easily fulfilled. “But my Guru said I will get results when I offer a sari”. Then you must have full faith in what Guru said. If you don’t have complete faith, and you doubt whether you will get a good result, then you get distanced from Guru and also your money and your devotion are both wasted. I told you this many times. When you give to someone who can put it to good use, that is when your gift becomes meaningful.

But if you know that someone will misuse it, and still give them a gift, it will only be put to bad use. If you feed someone who is not hungry, what’s the use? He will complain that the food does not taste good. If you feed someone who is hungry, he will find the food tasty. Just because Swamiji said to share your food, it is meaningless to share it with a friend at your table and send a picture of that to the Share Your Food program. Taking a selfie of yourself eating the food, is not sharing your food. That is not Dharma. Feeding someone needy is what is important. People see the queue here, and then go to different temples and seek a different Guru. They have no faith in any one. What is the use? You must have faith somewhere. Otherwise you only waste your money on needless expenses.

I once sat on the outskirts of Bengaluru on a rock many years ago eating a snack and sipping tea. Now of course, Bengaluru is bigger, but back then, many years ago it was not so big. I had to go to Venkataramayya’s house back then, so I had to pass by that area. When I went back 2 months later, someone had drawn a sketch of Hanuman on that rock. I thought some kids had drawn that. Had I built a temple there then, it would thrived. I just ignored it. 6 months later when I went to Bengaluru again, it was actually sculpted into the form of Hanuman. I thought someone was learning how to sculpt and was experimenting on that rock. When I went back there again after 15 days, there was turmeric applied all over on that sculpture. I felt sorry that I could no longer sit on the rock and drink tea as I had done before. After 3 more months – I used to go to Bengaluru frequently those days - there was a pendal/awning on top of that rock, and there were coconuts and other ritual stuff there. After 3 more months, there was a line of people waiting. Should we laugh or cry about our Hindu Dharma and our beliefs? After a year, there was a temple there. Hanuman temple. People say it is the power in the stone sculpture. What should we trust and what should we not? I didn’t understand. Some say they had a dream in which it was told that the place was holy. How people believe things! They seem to be so gullible. It should not be like that.

We have our own Dharma. *** has given us free will. With discretion, help the people around you. *** will appear to you in those forms. No we have sought refuge with a Guru. Gain from it. Not just donating or getting Pujas done and then running away. Gain some knowledge. Show compassion towards other living beings. Only then will your efforts bear fruit. It is not enough to come each year and just spend money to get Pujas/rituals done, and dumping your sins here. You do not get uplifted in any manner. Only your money gets spent. Do it with a full understanding. You may think, Swamiji is hurting his own business by saying this. If your mind goes bad, that is when my business really goes bad. Without corrupting your minds, protect Dharma. You are my business. Your minds are my business.

What will I do with the money? The money goes back to you, to help you. If I construct a building, you will come and stay there. Even if you come blindly, still, I have to provide some facilities for you. I cannot allow you to sleep under the trees. So, who loses? Neither of us should ever lose. You must mentally strengthen Dharma. Whether you come or not, have faith or not, means nothing to me. This is the teaching that was given directly to Parasurama. I am just repeating it, saying it in our language so that you can understand. I am not doing anything else. I am just changing grammar a little to make it easier for you to understand. I’m not changing the meaning.
That is why, my good devotees, you are coming to see me since the last 30-40 years. You must have had some good things come your way. I also got some money from you. That money was used to get rid of your sins. I have left it to you now. You may come to me or not come to me, you may have faith or not have faith, or you can stay home. It doesn’t matter to me. But, have a humane perspective. Datta told Parasurama to earn merit for himself.

“Don’t come to me thinking I’m ***. You killed all the Kshatriyas out of anger, with selfishness because your mother and father were subjected to torture. In the name of Dharma, it would have been justified if you had killed that one person who became your enemy, but you killed them all. It is not my sin. I didn’t ask you to *** them. You killed them and destroyed yourself. You are fully responsible for your actions. I have no stake in this. It is entirely your sin. How can I be made responsible? You were the killer. You are the one suffering now. I told you that day that you had a free will. You should have taken the right path.

Look at Pingala Naga, he is in my belly. He is also like you. He had full faith in me. He considered me as ***. You never thought that. Did you remember me when you killed the Kshatriyas? You are knowledgeable. How can you behave ignorantly? You are responsible for it. You behaved with arrogance. You were offended at the wrong done to your parents. You behaved like an ignoramus.

Look at Pingala Naga, he was ignorant too, but he had selfless devotion for me. That is why he got liberated. But you can’t get liberation right now. You have more to do. I am not doing it for you. You are accumulating your own good karma and bad karma. I have given you a free will when you were created. I will not eat your karma. I am not making you do anything. I gave you the code word in the beginning itself. I gave you the secret of how you can release yourself. You must get out of it yourself. Do Sadhana/spiritual practice. It has nothing to do with me. I am only giving you Upadesa now to remind you that I gave you all this Upadesa before.” Lord Datta bluntly said this and concluded.

If you read Parasara Samhita or Tripura Rahasya, you will understand. It is said that Tripura Rahasya should not be revealed publicly but I want to reveal it to you. Let’s see what happens. It’s not just reading it, but explaining it to you so that you will understand. Tripura Rahasya is a beautiful scripture. There is nothing else like it. It may help some people. Now I have explained in a manner that can be grasped by you.

You must read today’s discourse in English translation. Did you all understand? Or no?

“If you want to trust, trust completely. If you have doubts, your efforts will not get fulfilled. Leave your selfishness and have faith in ***. Don’t ask *** for anything. Don’t say give me this and give me that. Let Him give whatever He wants to. Have full faith in Him. Believe that you are just puppets in His hands. Don’t listen to unfavorable stories. I am giving you a very clear and stern Upadesa,” said Lord Datta to Parasurama.

All that I will say to you is, do Tailabhishekam now. And then we will all have lunch.

Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta

Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri