March 8, 2015
Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji - Sunday Bhajans - March 8, 2015 - Mysore
The language of the work Kala Jnanam by Veera Brahmendra Swamy who lived 500 years ago is archaic and cannot be easily understood. (Selections from the work were read out as relating to the life and work of Sri Swamiji)
Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
I am afraid of these lights after spending these past several days recording the Bhagavatam in the studio, to bequeath it as a treasured and eternal gift to humanity. The recording went on for hours on end each day.
Ugadi is approaching. Seventy thousand to eighty thousand devotees will gather in Hyderabad for Swamiji's darshan and blessing. Only a handful of devotees are here. Wherever people need me I will go there, even if it is in ***. Wherever they yearn for me I will go, to sing bhajans and bless them and even fight against Yama/god of Death, for their sake.
Don't be like frogs in a well and think that the entire world is limited to your confined perception. Don't complain that Swamiji will be out of town. You also come there. To all the corners of the world Swamiji goes, to help and benefit devotees.
Many musicians also visit many countries where they go to perform and display their talent. But Swamiji goes for helping the people. They go seeking applause. Swamiji goes because His music the people seek. They do not mind even if He renders the same songs as during His previous visits, whereas with the musicians, the audience will make demands and requests for fusion items and so on. The Ugadi song in Telugu was already recorded. Now the Ugadi song in Kannada will be recorded.
First we will sing a Ganapati prayer. Bhajan: Varanasya vakratunda Kannada Ugadi song - Swagatavu (O Lord of the New Year! O Lord of all Yugas! We welcome you to come and reside in our homes. .. Saturn is the presiding deity of the year. Always remember and safeguard the welfare of humanity. .. May Sachchidananda light your path in the way of Dharma).
I have lost my voice with the extensive Bhagavatam recording. A desire was there since some time to explain the original work, bringing out the spiritual essence. Some selected mantra slokas have also been included now. Just listening to them, to their sound vibrations, is itself highly beneficial.
Many dialogs are there in the Bhagavatam. The dialog between Sage Suka and King Parikshit; dialog between Maitrya and Vidura; dialog between Narada and Brahma; and dialog between the rishis Saunaka and others. Many doubts are expressed. Any common person will have many doubts. Yes. But even the rishis get doubts. They anticipate the future doubts of men and pose them to get clarification. Sage Vyasa has composed this great work. It has a detailed description of the process of Creation, of different features of the earth, of places, of the creation of the seven continents, and of the different countries. One must listen, then study and then ponder deeply on what has been heard and absorbed. All that is necessary to grasp the subject. Before life ends, make an attempt to understand the Bhagavatam so that you may go with me to Vaikuntha.
Many people fall into delusion and spoil all the power of penance that they have earned through rituals and austerities. In spite of following Swamiji, they become victims of illusion. Leave everything and follow Guru. Many people desire children. It will only create more problems in life. There are many forty and fifty year old unmarried devotees. They are happy and free. I feel like prostrating to them that they have no desire for encumbrances and burdens. They are not even married and do not desire to get married. It builds Karma to give birth to babies. Those who give birth, themselves have to live in a *** again. That is the certain consequence of bearing a child in the ***. Many remedies are given in the Bhagavatam to avoid all such troubles. Develop devotion towards Vishnu. He is formless. He is both outside and inside. He is both the visible world and the invisible soul. There are no two worlds actually. This universe itself is His form. Invisible Maya. If you think you can see Him, then what you see is not God.
How hard it is for Him also. He also took birth and was born on this earth and endured intense suffering. He created and gave nectar/Amrita. He fed us nectar. But we came far away from Him. We think chanting Hanuman Chalisa and doing the Satyanarayana Vrata are enough to get back to Him. Doing Annadana for one lakh people you think is sufficient good karma to reach Him. But this is all like small change. Do it. Do all these things. Do not stop doing them. But these alone are not enough. These also bind you in karma based on your intentions. Innumerable meritorious actions are performed. But continue to do them till all your sins get exhausted. Several small deeds will all add up. For many lifetimes one must keep doing them, but not with desires. Doing abhishekam, one expects a reward. How does your abhishekam help God? He is the one who has created water in the first place. Does He need for you give Him a bath? No. It does nothing to God who created water if you pour water on His image. Does He need coconuts? You boast that you offered Him a coconut. The money you spent on it is not yours. You say you have earned it. Who gave you the strength and the energy to earn it? Give back to Him whatever He gave you. Offer the water of the lake to the lake itself.
Don't say, okay I won't do anything for God hereafter. Who gave you permission to breathe? You are alive and breathing. Then don't breathe. All I am saying is, just as breathing is natural and occurs on its own, similarly, remembrance of God also must occur naturally. Do natural meditation. Remember God always. With the subtle body you must always meditate. Do it internally. There is no need to publicize it. Don't announce to everybody your offerings to God. Say 'Krishnarpanamastu'. Or I offer everything at the feet of Guru. Surrender. 'All I did, all my omissions and commissions I surrender to you.'
But you have your attention on the good food you have prepared for offering, and the betel leaves you wish to consume after the puja and the meal. The aroma of the food makes you hungry although you were not hungry to begin with. You are eager to taste the food before even offering to God. At first you feel shy and you hesitate. Then you do it stealthily. Later you become bold enough to put a piece in your mouth even in public. When you lose control over your sense organs and your limbs, you make mistakes. Then you have to suffer. One parrot I have. So many times I tried to teach it to say 'Namassivaya'. To another parrot, 'Rama' I was teaching. It always speaks the opposite word. When I ask it to say Namassivaya, it says Rama. And then it laughs at my frustration and anger. I tell Ramakrishna that I refuse to teach. I won't teach, you teach this parrot. Then it calls out so sweetly, 'Thatha'/grandpa or daddy. We have better memory than birds.
One must listen to the Bhagavatam again and again. At first, before the stories part begins, in the initial chapters, Atma tatva/information about the Soul is taught. It is very tough to follow. It is as if there are two sets of railway tracks but the two trains collide. In the beginning it is very confusing and tough to understand. It starts somewhere and ends up somewhere else. It appears to be repetitive. You forget who narrated what and when. It is difficult to keep track. You feel that the topic was already mentioned. If you are not very certain, then certainly you end up with your foot in the mouth (Pappulo kaalu). Proof readers are there who are experts at finding mistakes. Only some people are good and can search for mistakes. The same person who wrote it cannot find the mistakes. Who Checked? Some great scholars. But they missed the errors and it got printed. Then blame the printers. It does not work these days. They have proof that you are the one who sent them the document.
The subjects covered in the Bhagavatam are very tough. They explain about the five elements, the five sense organs, the five subtle perceptions, the inner mental mechanism. So many intricate calculations. Very intricate.
Perfect enunciation and pronunciation are important. Again and again I repeat, for the recording, every time an error occurs, to save trouble to the boys who edit. In audio editing it is ok. They can easily cut and paste. Not so in video editing. If they make a cut, the picture jumps. Long slokas are a big trouble. Where to emphasize, the compound syllables(Vattus), Chandas/meter, Grammar, so much to consider and to render with perfection. It requires years of study and practice to read the verses with perfection. So much trouble to record those tough verses, sitting under the hot bright lights on the face. After all this struggle with the pronunciation of the shlokas, the subject matter gets forgotten. It is not just reading through. I have to explain afterwards, the textual meaning and the inner meaning.
Wise scholars select only a few popular and easy topics to explain. But Swamiji wants to cover the whole book. So far only 25 per cent has been done. Another 75 per cent of recording remains. I will complete it even if I have to work on it till my last breath. If Swamiji takes up a project, it has to be rendered flawlessly. It should be a permanent record. A treasure. If it is to my interest, I will insist on perfection. A python/Ajagara will swallow its prey no matter what. Even a porcupine, and even if it goes in the wrong way, it will still swallow it and then will break the thorns by rubbing its body against a tree. Deliberately the porcupine will turn around to torment the python and in trying to escape. But despite the sharp spikes, the python will gobble it up. Such stubborn determination it has. It is required in spiritual practice. Ajagara has great significance in spirituality.
Bhajan: hariye ninna maye Now Ugadi pachchadi prasadam will be given to everyone. It is bitter, in spite of trying to drown the bitter taste with other sweet and sour ingredients. Sins cannot be escaped from. They are like the bitter taste of neem in the sauce. One cannot avoid punishment for sins committed. One has to swallow the bitter concoction.
Sri Guru Datta