Day 5, Sri Datta Vaibhavam
Sri Guru Datta Vaibhavam Saptaham
Day 5, August 5
We are talking about the word Guru. We use that word very casually. This word has most precious and important meaning. Guru is the one who shows us the path in devotion. Guru melts our hearts. Continuous chanting of Guru charithra is done in Ganagapura where Swamiji has established a huge temple. After Chaturmasya, I am going to Ganagapur. I want to do complete Guru charithra discourse but I dont know when I will do it.
The word Guru makes us drench in the divine nectar. We think well before naming the children. The child is named depending on the star that he/she is born and with a name starting with a letter suitable to that star. Each letter is subject to a diety. Such dieties give us energy. That is the reason why the combination of letters is of major importance. The letter has a great significance. Guru symbolises pramatma. Gu gives siddhi and Ru removes sins. Vu is Vishnu. This is the feeling one has to experience while calling Guru. When we call out the name, the deities of each syllable are chanted. Chanting the names like Rama, Krishna, Hanuman etc. When they are chanted will bring the form of the *** to your mind.
We must accumulate merit and not sins. You have been gifted this birth to earn tons of merit and fly away to heaven. While you live and after quitting the mortal body all the people should speak good about you. Guru gives many things but of all the top three that He gives are all those tools required for material life style, removal of sins and there by securing good births in future, and making us experience the knowledge. What more can we ask for?
Jaya Guru Datta – This is a prayer. It means O sadguru may victroy be bestowed on all the deeds done in righteousness or truthful manner. There are so many prayers involved in just saying Jaya Guru Datta.
One should respect parents at all times just for giving birth to us. Their respect doesn't depend on the various amenites provided to you by them. If you get the facilites then good, it is bonus. Even otherwise also respect is mandatory. This is ordained by scriputres.
Guru has given a new birth in this very birth. What is this? Yes the change that sadguru brings in you is the granting of the new birth in this very birth itself. We ourselves are surprised by seeing the change within us. Violence becomes non-violence. This change is new birth. This is the benefit of having a Sadguru.
When Vishnu is pleased and offers boon, what should the devotee ask? Devotion towards Guru is to be asked. Why this boon is asked? Now that Vishnu has given darshan, we may become egoistic and walk on wrong path. Who showed Vishnu to us? Sadguru ! Maybe as father or mother or maybe in any other realtion, but it is Sadguru who showed the Lord to us. When Vishnu and Guru walk together and give you darshan you must first prostrate to Guru. The reason is simple, Guru has shown Vishnu to you. Guru told about Vishnu, it is Guru who told that devotion towards Vishnu is good. It is guru who gave you the alms of knowledge.
The word Guru is an ocean of bliss. Take bath in it. When troubles bother you, this is the only solution. Troubles are of three types. Aadhi bhouthika, aadhi daivika and aadthyatmica. This was told in Guru Charitra.
Parents give only this birth. Who knows ? In next birth your parents can be born to you as children. It is mandatory that one day, every one have to leave this world. Crying for the departed souls is not appreciable.
Why *** has made this cycle of parents and children? It is to grant us realisation that we are also part of the cycle. Yudhistira is very surprised to observe that admist so many births and deaths, there is no change in attitude of human beings. Human beings don't understand that one day they also have to leave the mortal body. Yudhistira has very keenly observed world and human beings. It is obvious for him to get such impression on human beings.
What is spirituality and bhakthi? It is belief in birth and re-birth.
We must not become indebted to any one. One should get rid of it. However big or small, return whatever you have borrowed. How can we remove the debt of teachers who taught us in high school? We may not give the teachers who taught us in our childhood. We are profusely indebted to our teachers. Someone feeds us when we are hungry. What can we give him? Hence we say " Annadaata sukibhava" May the one who gave me food be happy. Always feel grateful and bless the person who give you food. It is good practice.
It is a boon to lose memory of our previous births. Else life wil become complicated. Guru is changing lives by blessing us with changes. Blessing such changes in us is nothing but giving new life. Guru devotees need not worry about their past lifes. Seeing yourself prior and post the changes granted by guru in you is itself previous life and new life. This change in you is what comes with you after this life. This change is very important. How can we get rid of Guru's debt ? There is only one way. What is that? Walking on the path shown by Guru. This walking should win the trust of Guru.
The most important of all the changes in your nature is non-violence. Vyasa maharshi tells the importance of non-violence. Some religions have given absolute importance to non- violence like Jainism. When we have no choice or if it is unintentional then there is no sin as we also have to carry out our mundance activities. While walking in forest we may stamp some ants. What can we do about it? It is unintentional and we have to move on, so unavoidable. We should avoid violence at all times and places.
Man does not have satisfaction. We ask for Homa prasada when Swamiji gives theertha which is very rare. Do not wish for something else without enjoying what you have first. Every animal has its own longevity. Human being and other animals were all given pre-defined age. The animals denied long age and man grabbed those extra years from those animals, thus making a complete 100 year life. That is why we see different animal instincts in man.
Waging wars is not sin. This is land of righteousness. Especially, if you are fighting for justice, please be more calm. We may lose in the beginning, but if we catch the path of Karma, Dharma and Satya, we will surely meet victory.
Violence is of three types. Violence done through body, speech and mind. Violence in speech is dangerous. Sorry doesn't make a dead man alive. Give it a proper thought before you speak or blame anyone. Krishna was blamed for theft. That moment he thought ' I WILL NEVER INCARNATE AGAIN' . This is the feeling of Krishna. Think before you blame applies to your enemy also.
We must mend such attitude of violence to gain the grace of guru. This is gained only with guru satsang. One should shun all the friendships. We are nomal human beings, it is not possible for us. The middle way out is to do satsang. Satsang will gradually mitigate the violent atttitude.
Lord Datta incarnates in diffent forms. When will He come? Has He gone anywhere so that He has to come from somewhere? He is all Pervasive and is available to us when we need Him. He is always with us. Which eon will He incarnate? Here eon means second. When the devotee prays for Datta that very moment He incarnates. Datta comes when devotee needs Him. With such faith we must pray to Him. He will come.
Lord Datta has incarnated as Bharata. Bharatha-great story. Only because of him, India is called Bhaarath. He was the only one who ruled the entire earth. The entire world was previusly named Bharatha and not just India. Bharata handed over the kingdom to his sons and left to forest for penance. You can say he went on retirment. We also plan activities after retirment. Choosing serivce to *** is appreciable, when we have health to support it. Irrespecitve of the stage of life we are in now, we must plan for spiritual life after retirment. Keeping ourselves away for routine mundane problems or thought we must lead spiritual life. We must use this life to maximise benefit from it. Who knows whether you get human life again?
Bharatha hence went to forests for penance, for dharmic deeds etc after his retirement age. and soon forgot his penance. We dont have to go to forest. This is told in Guru Gita and Yoga vasishtha also. If you realise the tattva then you need not go anywhere. It is like telling someone who will not get out of the house because they have to take care of their dog. Nowadays we have dog sitters instead of baby sitters. But dog once unleashed runs away from you, but you are still attached. Some people don't go to satsang because there is no one to look after their dog at home. Just untie the dog and see. It will run away. It is ready to leave you and go, but you are so attached to it. This is surprise.
Bharata was performing peannance in forest. While bathing he saw a pregnant deer. This deer was getting drowned with the flow of river, Bharata tried to catch the mother deer. His attempt was futile. meanwhile the deer gave birth to child. Bharata was confused whom to save, mother or new born. Bharata decided to save new born. Now bharata has to look after the new born. Bharata who went to do penance is now looking after new born deer child. He became so attached to the deer, that now deer was central point of his life. Bharata forgot his sadhana.
One day the deer died. This death of deer brought lot of mental disturbance to Bharata. He to died thinking of deer.
In next life Bharata was born as a deer. In this birth he has knowledge of previous birth. He realised his mistake. He ate to the extent needed to survive and all the time he was remembering ***. This example symbolises that even animals get salvation. This life of deer was also over. Now he was born as human. This time his name was Jada Bharata. In this life Jada Bharata showed and practiced the avadhuta tattva and hence he is lord Datta.
Jada Bharata was not yet into complete silence. Some people queried what is the greatest virtue? Once Jada Bharata was speaking about non-violence. Jada Bharata clarified and further explained that non-violence is of three types. Sadguru upadesha is not only for humans, it is also for insects. They also get salvation hearing sadguru updesha. Why does sadguru sings even when there is no crowd around ? For some insect of some other creature which needs salvation throught that bhajan.
While Jada Bharata was speaking about non-violence the new born vultures in the nest on the tree beside him were hearing this upadesha. Mother vulture went outside to fetch food. The new born understood the upadesha of Jada Bharata and changed their mind and became non-voilent. Here we must understand that this incident happend in a different eon. We must keep this in mind while deciding the logical interepretation of the above incident.
Mother tried to feed the new born with meat, the new born refused to eat. When the mother enquired, her new borns told the upadesha of Jada Bharata. Mother becomes angry and wanted to test Jada Bharata's practice of non-voilence. It picks up Jada Bharata with its beak and scratched him with her legs. Jada Bharata was bleeding. She took Jada Bharata high into sky and dropped him from there.
Jada Bharata while falling from top prayed Datta “ Thanks to You Datta, you have taken the form of bird to make me travel from Muladhara to Shasrara “. The bird was watching all this. Jada Bharata fell on the ground. He says “ Datta this doen't seem to me as violence, this is a great help for me”. Seeing this unbelievable incident, Mother Vulture changed.
Sadguru has the power to changed the attitude in a moment. In Guru Datta vaibhavam, today we spoke about non-violence path. Keep chanting divine names all the time. Never leave this habit.
Jaya Guru Datta !