June 7, 2015
Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji - June 7, 2015 - Mysore
If you are Datta devotees, if you respect your Sadguru, if you wish for Datta's protection, wear the Datta Vastram. Many have requested friendship with GSS Puttugam on Facebook, a very important personal page of Swamiji. Unless your profile photo shows you wearing a Datta Vastram, your name will be deleted from the list of friends of that page.
You must at once change your profile photo if you are not wearing a Datta Vastram in the present photo. You may post an individual profile photo or one taken with Swamiji. Those requesting friendship for the first time must be wearing the Datta Vastram in their profile photo, regardless of what photo you have on as cover photo.
Many devotees are now too preoccupied with chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, they have forgotten to chant the Datta Stavam before meals. You must necessarily chant the Datta Stavam before eating any meal, even if it is at a buffet. Those sitting together, even if there are but a few, must chant the Datta Stavam before a meal.
Many men forget their mother who filled their stomachs, the moment a wife comes along who fills them with kisses. It is wrong. Just because Hanuman has entered your lives, you cannot neglect your prayers to Datta. Datta is the main deity. He is your Guru. You must chant the Datta Stavam. You must wear the Datta Kankana, the bracelet. You must wear the Datta Vastram when you visit the temple and when you visit the Annapurna Mandiram dining hall. At meal time, you must wear the Datta Vastram.
A few days ago, I had a vivid dream.
There was a huge heap of rice *** piled up inside the Universal Prayer Hall. It resembled the heap of rice they
worship at the Annapurneswari Temple in Horanadu. I was to give Harati to it. I refused to do it with a camphor light because it would produce too much smoke. I asked Seetharam to bring me a ghee lamp to do the Harati with. He was a bit delayed in bringing it. Before he returned with the ghee lamp for harati, Lord Kalagnisamana Dattatreya, with His three heads briskly walked out of the sanctum sanctorum towards the rice heap. His expression was normal. But He had a long and powerful tail, larger and more frightful to look at than Lord Hanuman's tail. Before I could give Harati to the huge heap of rice ***, Lord Datta vigorously lashed out His tail, and struck the heap of rice *** violently with it. The heap of rice disappeared in a flash before I could give Harati to it. I was awe-struck.
When I woke up, I noticed that there was a thick layer of rice strewn about all over my bedroom, on my mattress, and everywhere. The cot was damaged. It was impossible to remain in bed. I had to have them bring me a different mattress to sleep on, after the rice was all gathered and cleared. I was dripping with sweat. Believe it or not, this actually happened a few days ago.
Soon it was early morning and the parrots began greeting Appaji, Good morning, Rama rama rama rama, Jaya Guru Datta, Namassivaya, and so on. I heard some devotees softly singing the Hanuman Chalisa outside my window. I came down and sat in the Prayer Hall near the Datta Temple at about 5 AM. Only a few families were there for the early morning abhishekam. I offered them Pada Sparsa, allowed them to touch my feet. Then more people came. From four, the number of devotees who streamed in for Pada Sparsa grew to over four hundred. Many outsiders also came. That was the story of that day.
Ever since, I have been asking myself why did Lord Datta display a tail? The dream does not bode well. It was not auspicious. It foretells a famine, a food shortage. I do not want my devotees to suffer. I feel much troubled in my mind.
Just three days ago, I asked Neela to get me Maggi noodles. I was curious about the food item that everyone was raving about. I had seen several advertisements for it. Neela told me it was not suitable for me to eat. I insisted on seeing what it was. When he brought it, to me it looked like so many worms. I said how do people eat this stuff? The next morning, the news reported that Maggi noodles are now banned in India.
A Hahn's macaw parrot was born in the ashram during last year's Navaratri celebrations. It is a talking parrot. Datta Datta it would say. I gave it Upadesa of Datta Maha Mantra a couple of days ago. I put it in the basket. It never woke up. I felt troubled.
Famine. Food scarcity in the world is anticipated. We pray to Hanuman. That is why Swamiji is going to Dallas for 40 days. I wish well for the whole world. To prevent any calamity, a huge heap of rice must be given away in charity.
Devotees may offer rice bags in Tulabharam to Swamiji. Anyone can participate in this ritual. You may only pay by cheque. The amount will be collected and on Swamiji's 75th Birthday, a huge food charity event will be conducted.
I asked Kailas Talwar what he thought about this inauspicious dream. He said, the one who had the dream is Guru, who is always auspicious. Nothing inauspicious will happen.
Today, we commenced the Tulabharam ritual. In the following weeks we will continue.
What happened now, and what was intended are totally different. I first wanted to make a huge pile of rice to use as naivedyam and then to give it as prasadam. But now, the plan is changed.
I wanted to narrate the story of Jada Bharata to you in Kannada. The other day, Swamiji abruptly stopped recording the Bhagavatam episode. He had tears in His eyes. He was narrating the story of Jada Bharata and suddenly He said He had Jada Bharata's darshan there.
This story occurs in the Jnana kanda in the Bhagavatam. Karma kanda stories are nice. Not Jnana kanda stories. Like Prahlada's story, although it is about Bhakti, it also deals with karma kanda. Such stories are more appealing.
Rahuguna was a king who received Upadesha from Jada Bharata. Bharata, a great king, relinquished his kingdom to do penance in the forest. He, however, upon rescuing a newborn deer and caring for it, developed a deep attachment towards it. When he died, he was born as a deer. But due to his past severe penance, he had past life remembrance. He led a pious life as a deer. In his next life he was born as the son of a great scholar. He was born as a Brahma Jnani, already enlightened. He was known as Jada Bharata, since he behaved like an idiot and never spoke a word. He cared not whether he ate or not, whether he wore clothes or went ***.
This is a very strange story.
As I was narrating it, the feeling came as if Jada Bharata was actually sitting right there.
His parents and siblings treated him like an animal. They threw food at him as if he were a dog. The town's people tormented him. Jada Bharata never reacted and never spoke a word He just did whatever tasks were given to him, and endured the tortures in silence. He roamed about in abandon.
One day, looking for a healthy and robust person to be given as a human sacrifice to Kali, Jada Bharata was led to the place of sacrifice. As he was going to be beheaded, Mother Kali Herself rescued him from his terrible fate because she would not accept a Jnani as a creature for sacrifice.
Once, King Rahuguna, a spiritually evolved soul himself, was being carried in a palanquin. He had never touched the ground in his life. One of the bearers of the palanquin fell sick and a substitute was required. Robust and strong Jada Bharata was found remaining idle. The pole was placed on his shoulder and he was asked to carry his share of the weight of the palanquin.
Jada Bharata's only aim in life was not to accumulate any karma, so that he would avoid rebirth at any cost. Not to hurt the ants, worms and other creatures on the ground, Jada Bharata was placing his steps carefully and so was going crooked and wayward in his gait. The jerky motion and the jolts annoyed King Rahuguna. He became furious and ordered that Jada Bharata be whipped and beaten. The scholarly king lashed out his scolding in the form of a sloka at Jada Bharata. Are you an idiot? Do the job right, you fat and robust youth, and so on.
Jada Bharata, who had never ever spoken a word before, gave a reply to the king in another sloka. His words expressed the highest philosophical knowledge. The King, amazed and astonished at Jada Bharata's wisdom and insight, jumped down from the palanquin and fell at his feet. You are a Mahatma, he cried. The king was also an Atma Jnani. He was not ignorant. But he begged for Upadesha from Jada Bharata.
The dialog is a bit difficult to understand. But Swamiji explains it in very simple language, so you will understand.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Compiled by Smt Hira Duvvuri