Aug 14, 2016
Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji - August 14, 2016 - Mysore
Highlights of speech in the morning
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
1) Never condemn beggars. If you wish to give them money, go ahead. If you don’t have the heart to give them, then just go your way. Criticizing that they are part of a larger gang, that those kids are duped etc. doesn’t benefit you in any way. In fact it is harmful. Even if there is truth in your statements, still condemning them is not correct approach. Your Guru will be saddened if you do so.
2) Giving away items in charity is incorporated in every Hindu festival. People wait for Amavasya, Pounima and other important days so that they can do dānam (charity). During Pushkaram charitable activities are as important as bathing in the river. Giving away cow, horse, vegetables, rice, grains in charity are all meritorious deeds connected with Pushkara. Give blankets to the poor. Seeing them enjoying the warmth of that blanket, you will enjoy great joy.
3) Do not throw coins in rivers. Instead it is better to give those coins to the poor who need it the most. Do not put sari or other items into the rivers which fish cannot eat. It is dosham. All these lead to pollution.
4) Put only one drop of haldi-kumkum if you want into the river, not more than that. People throw fistfuls of haldi-kumkum into rivers, thereby polluting them. Moreover, they apply haldi –kumkum to broken coconut pieces and throw them into rivers. Fish bite the coconut flesh and eat the Haldi-kumkum along with it. As Haldi (turmeric) and kumkum contain chemicals, fish die. It is very sad.
5) Flooding is a way in which the river cleanses itself. If we live dharmically without polluting rivers, then such flooding will become very rare.
6) River Ganga is very pure in Haridwar. The same Ganga gets polluted by the time it reaches Varanasi. If you want to bathe in Ganga then go to Haridwar. In Varanasi it is better to simply sprinkle a few drops of Ganga on your head. Instead of entering these polluted rivers, smart people say mantra ‘gange ca yamune..’ before bathing at home.
7) In Varanasi they throw half burnt bodies into the river. I do not know what punya they get by doing so. Half burnt corpse is full of bad harmful bacteria. Fish and other animals which eat the corpse fall sick due to these bacteria. Humans who eat this fish naturally fall sick. Through non-veg food, bacteria get transferred to humans.
8) The person who eats chicken has to be re-born as one. The person who eats meat has to be re-born as a goat. This is Shiva shāsanam (dictate). There is no escape from Shiva’s dictates. Even eggs should not be consumed. Especially Datta devotees should immediately stop eating eggs and non-veg food. Please take a vow to this effect. In Europe many Christian devotees have given up eggs and non-veg food after developing friendship with Swamiji. If they can give up, why can’t you? Don’t you feel ashamed? In your eyes I can see all the thousands of goats and chicken that you have consumed so far.
9) Grow organic vegetables and greens at home. Bring to ashram when you come. It is useful for birds. If you bring with bhakti, then perhaps Swamiji will use them. Growing vegetables and bringing to ashram is more special than buying.
Q & A session
Compiled by Archana Penukonda and Smt Hira Duvvuri
Question :
This universe is very vast. There are many stars in this universe. Out of the many stars, the sun is one. There are nine planets that orbit around the sun. And some of the planets have their own satellites. Earth has moon as its satellite while Jupiter and Saturn have many moons. We established Navagrahas in temples. And the Navagraha stotra says “Om Namo Suryaya Chandraya Mangayala Budhaya ca Guru Shukra Sanibhyascha Rahave Ketave Namaha” But Rahu and Ketu are imaginary. In the churning of the ocean, Rahu and Ketu were cut by Maha Vishnu. Sun is not a planet. And moon is not a planet. How come the Navagraha stotra does not include the nine planets that orbit around the sun, instead? Is it not apt that the Navagraha mantra include the nine planets instead?
Answer :
Do one thing, go and ask an astrologer or an astronomer. Because, I don’t know astrology very well. It is not good for me to talk about what I do not know very well. Those who know can answer better. There are differing opinions – some planets exist, some do not, Italians said one thing, our scriptures say one thing, the almanac says one things, NASA has announced something – why should I interfere in all of these? There are so many discussions going on. I did not go up there to see what really exists. I have gone on many flights, but I cannot see a single star, I only see clouds. What can I do? I am not an astrologer or an astronomer. I am not extraordinary either. So, I cannot tell you conclusively. If I give you some random answer, that will not be good. That is why, there is a new book called “Gola”. It is up to you whether you worship the Navagrahas or not. If you go to a Navagraha (Nine planets) temple and ask them to throw out two of the planets, they will smash your teeth, and instead of 32 teeth you will be told that now you only have 30 teeth.
After so many years of scriptures talking about them, and after so many years of worship by so many people, Rahu and Ketu may have really appeared to some, may have really taken existence in answer to their prayers. I do not know. I only saw the nine planets installed at the Datta Venkateshwara Swamy temple. The Shani graha (Saturn) receives more worship than the others.
You talked about the milky way. What is the milky way? It is a constellation of stars. How many stars are there in this Universe? How many galaxies are there? Innumerable. You say the Navagrahas do not correspond to the nine planets. You say there are two planets that are imaginary. We do not know about other milky ways and the planets there. Also, they may have a different name and may not necessarily be called Rahu and Ketu. I do not have the authority to say conclusively whether they exist or not. I am not a scientist.
Just like the scientists today, we had our knowledgeable scholars of yesterday. What our scholars have stated is not incorrect. We don’t know which other worlds they are talking about. How many worlds are there, how many earths are there, we do not know. We cannot take a bicycle and go see which earths in those other worlds have water and which do not. Some planets are believed to have life and some are believed not to have any life. There is already enough controversy in this world. I do not want to create a new controversy and give rise to new doubts. It would not be good if someone says that Swamiji gave a statement that sun and moon do not really exist or that Rahu and Ketu do not really exist. Therefore, I will not give you any conclusive answer. I only tell you what I know. What I know is that Rahu and Ketu are there. I do not agree completely with what Science is saying today about the planets. I have my own beliefs based on the old tenets. Neither do you know the right answer, nor do I. We are both ignorant. Why should we then argue? Let us come to a compromise. You can agree with what I am saying. But if you insist, I will agree with what you are saying. This is not the right answer to what you ask, I know, but there is no other way.
If you had asked me claiming ignorance, I would have given a better answer. But you spoke as if you had knowledge about these things. Therefore, I cannot give you any better answer. It is like asking whether or not ghosts exist. The scriptures of Astrology have stated long ago that Rahu and Ketu are not planets. Rahu and Ketu are shadow planets. Astrology states that Rahu and Ketu are shadow planets, even before the scientists said anything about them. You see the sun’s rays. You see their radiance and their influence. But you do not say that the sun’s rays are the sun itself. Rahu and Ketu certainly exert an influence. That is why we call them shadow planets. We have 27 stars and there is an additional 28th star which is referred to as a shadow star – Chaya Nakshatra. There are actually 28 stars but you do not take the 28th star into account. Similarly, Rahu and Ketu do not have a physical existence. But they are shadowy in form. It is so stated in the almanac.
Science is still researching. They removed Pluto as a planet, tomorrow they may say something else and remove the sun also from the picture. It is their wish. Opinions keep changing. People with authority said in the past that the earth was flat. We accepted it. And then they said that the earth is round. We accept it now.
Question :
In the books from great saints like Yogananda, Lahiri Mahashay, Babaji, etc., they talk about Naga Loka (the world of snakes). We see Naga devatas (Deities of Naga Loka) installed in temples. In the books I read, the Naga Devatas were helping mankind to uplift people. And one day, according to the books I have read, the king of the Nagas recalled all the Nagas because there was a conflict between them and the humans, and thereby, the Nagas went back to their own Lokas. And one of the Nagas is Patanjali, the Yoga Guru that you respect, Swamiji. So, my question is, the Naga Devatas we worship in the temples have already left. Some of them are here due to their attachment to the earth. And Nagas can take on any form according their desire. So, I want to know Swamiji, if there is really a Naga Loka, or Patala Loka or any other Lokas? If they do exist, where are they? Please break the myth. Is there a higher intelligence? Do the Naga deities have a higher intelligence than the humans?
Answer :
Yoga Brahma came, Nada Brahma came, Baba came, Patanjali came, King of Naga Loka came, all things big and small came. Why do you ask about Naga Loka? You want to go there? What seems to be the problem?
On the way to Bengaluru is a town Siddhingpur or some such name. I do not know if Naga Loka exists, but to go to Bengaluru, the car had to face heavy traffic there and the detour took a long time.
To escape the havoc wreaked by demons such as Tarakasura, Narakasura, Hiranyakasipu etc., the Gods assumed the form of birds. Later, Indra and the deities returned to heaven. But some of the birds got involved with the affairs of the earth and the creatures here, and stayed back. The birds remained, but not with the strength that Indra and the gods had. The same thing happened with the snakes. There are snakes now, but they are not called Naga Raja (King of Naga Loka). Even though we have birds now, and we acknowledge that they have some powers, we don’t call a bird Indra. Just as it is proved that there is Deva Loka (world of gods), it is proved that there is Naga Loka. Today we worship Nagarja by pouring milk into the snake pits (during festivities). Snakes do not really drink milk. They will die if they do. But we keep pouring milk into the snake pits for our worship and the poor creatures die of cold.
Naga Raja can take on any form he wishes, just as the gods can. If you have faith in the power of Naga Raja and his ability to assume any form, it is your wish and privilege. Your faith should not inconvenience others. As long as your faith doesn’t inconvenience others, your faith will protect you. Your faith is your prerogative. No one, including parents, can question it. It is up to each person. No one else but you have a right to your wishes or your faith. So, it is up to you whether you want to believe in Naga Raja or not. And it is up to you whether or not you believe in Naga Loka. If you believe that they can assume any form and can protect you, sure go ahead and offer worship, offer some milk, break a coconut and worship, it is good for you.
There are the snake charmers who make their livelihood using a snake. There are the wicked-minded, who in the name of virtue, create fear using the name of Naga Raja to make money. If a child with food in its hand falls, the pet dog will come and lick the food, it will not try to pick up the child. What can you do? We love the dog so much. Isn’t the dog supposed to try to pick up the child or worry about the child. Instead, the dog eats the food that was spilled on the ground from the child’s hands without even looking at the child. That is the nature of a dog. Like that, there are people who want to make a profit in the name of Naga Raja or some other deity. They create fear and extract money. We should condemn what they are doing, but the snake itself is just another living being. If the being does not have the power to assume any form it wishes, it is just another living being. If you think Naga Raja took his entire clan and retreated from the earth, then where does the question arise about Naga Raja being on earth. If Naga Raja is still here, and he can assume any form and is still on earth, then when the snake is attacked, it should be able to take on another form and fly away from there. But it is not doing so. It just dies. There, someone will build a temple. And people will come and worship. There are genuine beliefs and there are superstitions.
First, people need to be doing the right things instead of looking to the deities and Naga Raja and the birds to do the right things. Man should use his intellect to understand what to believe and what not to believe. Only then will we protect ourselves. Nowadays, a lot of people invest in chit funds. Even those seeing the working of chit funds every day, even intelligent people and bankers get duped. The companies fold up overnight and abscond with the money and people that kept paying money lose all their investments. As long as there are people who are vulnerable or willing to be deceived, the means of deception will be nurtured by such cheats. So, we should first set ourselves right. We should know what and whom to worship. We should try to understand what is truth and what is a lie. We have some superstitions ingrained into us and as a result, we have discarded some of our valued traditions.
We can identify some practices as superstitious. Some real practices get lost due to lack of faith. People who have these doubts and are suspicious about whether these deities and worlds exist are the ones who cause problems. We are the reason. So, first we should set ourselves right.
There is Moola Bhagavata (the original Srimad Bhagavatam) that one must believe in. Since then, there have been hundreds of unauthentic Bhagavatam versions. If you forget about the original Bhagavatam and try to learn the unauthentic one, whose fault is it? It is your fault. So, first we have to set ourselves right. After looking at many Bhagavatam versions, I arrived at the Moola Bhagavatam, because I felt it was the right one. You must do that research in your mind. So, I felt it was the right one. Others may not agree with me and that is their prerogative. Choosing what I felt was right, is my prerogative.
So, whether Naga Raja exists or not, whether we should worship him or not, is left to you. If you want to let that living being (snake) live in peace, let it alone. Hundreds of people gather and worship Naga Raja and pour various materials into the pits as part of their worship. The thousands of organisms and animals that live in that snake pit will all die. These are creatures that do not even harm humans. All of them die. You throw so much turmeric and vermilion into the pit for your worship. That is why I do not allow any of these things in the Saptarshi Sarovara/pond. The water gets dirty from those chemicals. The fish and other creatures die from those chemicals. If you want, you can do that kind of worship to a rock that is outside the water. Worship as you like, break a coconut, no problem. You should not throw such things in Ganga either. When Swamiji goes to Ganga, he only puts a small pinch of vermilion, not large quantities of it. You see river Ganga on TV, the entire water looks red and yellow from the vermilion and turmeric. People put large quantities of vermilion and flowers and turmeric in the water. The fish die as a result. They think they are getting some food due to the coconut you break and throw in the water. You can throw just some plain coconut, that’s okay the fish can eat that. But, in the name of worship, we throw large quantities of vermilion, turmeric, etc., and in the process poison the fish that are lured by the coconut.
Therefore, we should get away from superstitions. When we ask people to avoid superstitions, they do it even more. They feel like Mother Ganga has to be worshiped that way. They believe that Mother Ganga accepts their offerings. That is why the Government is trying to prevent these things.
It is enough pollution from your dip in the river. No need to throw these things in the water for worship. The color of your saree and the dye on your hair causes enough pollution. The mother goes in as a young woman into the water and emerges from the water looking like an old woman as the dye on her hair washes off. The daughter is worried about what Mother Ganga is doing to her mother who entered the river a young woman and came out of it looking old. “I do not want to dip in the river. I will also look like a grandmother. I am still young,” thinks the granddaughter. She will just sprinkle some water on her head and walk away. That should not happen. Faith is important.
We are polluting the river. So, you are asking about whether Naga Loka exists. There are 14 Lokas or worlds. I don’t even talk about them because I am afraid that you will ask me to show you those worlds. I don’t have the power to show you those worlds. That is why I tell you about those worlds in the form of stories. If you ask me to show you those worlds, I cannot. Therefore, I tell you the history. If I talk to you about Gandhiji and you insist that I show you Gandhi, where do I bring him from? He has already passed away. I will point you to the circle where his statue is installed. You look at that statue and ask me if Gandhiji used to always be seated with a coat and turban 24 hours a day, just the way he appears in the statue. He wasn’t. He only looked like that in the picture, so they made the statue like that. Similarly, based on our history, our scriptures describe things. There is nothing wrong with it.
What is happening today in the ashrama will become history tomorrow. That Swamiji is talking, that there is a Question/Answer session going on etc., will all be history. Will you be able to believe it? About a 400 years later, science will also have progressed. and they will say Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji was just a superstitious person. Even at that time, there’ll be a few who will believe in Swamiji, whatever the world may say. It does not bother me.
Therefore, *** has already decreed that time will keep moving and things will move according to the place and time and people’s behavior and position will also change.
Time keeps going. Now, a young girl of 15 looks fine. Look at her after 30-40 years. She will be sitting like a grandmother, singing bhajans. You may wonder where the little girl is, that used to sit in that place. The old woman will reveal that, she was the young girl many years ago. You liked the young girl. But you express distaste for this old woman. So, our appearance too changes with time.
It’s like a queue system. You may think you will look this way all the time. But our appearance keeps changing. We look older.
You may make fun of an old woman and ask her to sit quietly because neither can she see clearly nor can she hear clearly. Why, do you think you will always be the way you are now? You must respect them. It is a rotation system. The treatment you give them now is the treatment you will get when you are old. You must try to help such people. If you help them, *** will help you. Even a Miss India will become a grandmother one day. The young prolific singer of today will be toothless and barely able to sing tomorrow. The skin will be wrinkled. The voice will shiver. Think about it. Stand in front of the mirror and imagine yourself as old and shriveled. It’ll happen to everyone. When you think about it, you will feel like laughing and crying. Look at your grandmother and think. Perhaps you will look like her one day. Think about the changes that occur right in front of our eyes instead of raising all kinds of questions. You ask about the existence of certain planets. Think about life on this planet. Within a few years, people look old. From walking on four feet as a crawling child, they begin walking on two feet, and then they will go on to walking on three feet (using a walking stick). So, in the dawn of life, they have four legs (after birth), in the afternoon two legs, in the evening three legs. What creature is this? Human being. Like the hands on a clock, our life goes through a rotation.
Once, I had gone to Egypt. We wanted to perform worship to a cow. Ramesh was a boy who was with us. He heard that there some people worship the cow. He took us 40 km by car along with some Arabs. We went into an alley and in one airconditioned room was kept a buffalo and it was receiving worship. We asked why they do not worship a cow. Because we eat cows, we do not worship them, he said. Whereas the buffalo is not fit for consumption. So we worship it. That is their belief. I was aghast. They offered us milk. We refused and returned. They kept the buffalo on a mattress. It smelled nice with fragrance.
In some places they worship Ravana and some places they worship Surpanakha. Kumbhakarna is worshiped in some places before they fall asleep. They lie down and perform the worship. That is because they have to follow what their *** does. Even today such practices are in vogue. Some people worship Ravana and consider Rama to be a bad guy. It is true. It happens in India. If you protest, they will smash your teeth. If you want to protect your own teeth, you must allow them to follow their own beliefs, let them worship Ravana, or even his grandmother.
So, faith is each person’s prerogative. It is best that quietly we follow our own faith, instead of saying, I will reform this person or that person or I will reform the society. Don’t unnecessarily brag that you will do this and you will do that. Whatever is in your capacity, whatever *** has given you, you utilize to help others. Do not force other people. If others voluntarily join you in your belief, treat them as your friends. Then you sing bhajans along with them. Some other people may stand around and criticize those who are singing bhajans. Can you claim them as your friends? NO. We do what pleases us. It does not please them. Each one to his own faith and taste.
Question :
We have seen many devotees. Many devotees use Swamiji like a solution box. When they have a problem, they look to him for solutions. Is that a good method? Or, when we have a loss, or a problem, should we just reconcile to the fact that it is our karma? Or should we ask for solutions and use the solutions which he suggests? Which approach is right? Should we use Appaji as a solution box or should we just face our problems as our own karma.
Answer :
If I say that everyone should just face whatever problems they run into, no one will come to me. If you have already attained such high level dispassion, why would you come to me? You come here because you use me as a solution box. Everyone comes here for that. After they come here, they get trained. The ability to face anything as their own karma is the solution that Swamiji gives them. You did not have that ability or strength before. That is why you came to me. Nothing wrong with it. You come with the belief that Swamiji will say something that you can follow and get rid of your problem. That is not a temporary belief. You have real belief. You come seeking that solution. But Swamiji won’t give you the answer right away. He may ask you to come back tomorrow or the day after. He may ask you to come to Puja. You keep coming back thinking you will get the solution. You come for four days seeking the solution, but by the fifth day, you get attached to Swamiji. “I came here for a solution to the problem, but after coming here, I feel great peace of mind”. By the sixth or seventh day, when I ask them about their problem, the devotees say they’ve forgotten about it already.
So, they have figured out the solution themselves. So, the same way that you use me, I use you too. If you are a pediatrician, you will not turn away the older people who come to you, saying you will only treat children. You will try to help them as much as you can. Once they get some confidence in you, you will slowly tell them that you are a doctor for children and point them to the right doctor. Swamiji does the same thing. I tell them, concentrate on the deity you believe in. They say Swamiji is their ***, they don’t want anyone else. It is like the patient telling the pediatrician that they don’t want to go to see any other doctor. The pediatrician will not force them to go to another doctor just as I will not force devotees to seek some other deity. I will not say that it is impossible me for to help them, and that they should go seek some deity.
So, you come to Swamiji as if he is a solution box, but you get transformed and believe that Swamiji is your guru. At that point, Swamiji is not a solution box any more. You believe that He is greater than you and that he looks after your well-being. You offer yourself to Swamiji. So, he will not misguide you. Some stubborn devotees may seek answers to their problems, but Swamiji will continue treating you (working on you) until your response changes. The word Guru and the position of the Guru are very big. But the position that merely gives solutions to problems is not that big. It is quite cheap. The questions are cheap. The answers are big.
Some people come to me with questions about topics they have no experience in. They are passing off someone else’s opinion on the matter as their own. When I dig deeper, they have no clue about the subject. I already know that. Like that, I already know that you are confused by the problem you are facing. After you have faith in me, I tell you the solution to your problem. So, as the solution box, I give you the answer. I don’t give you the answer as soon as you come and ask. I tell you directly, “This is the first time you are coming. Come a few more times, I will tell you. This is the first time, I haven’t even seen your face properly, nor have you seen mine.
When you keep asking for solutions, it’s like pestering the doctor to give you an injection. What injection do you want? It’s like pestering the ticket master to give you a ticket at the railway station without mentioning your destination. Where do you want the ticket to? If they ask you details, you get angry. “Who are you to ask me details? Who are you to ask me how old I am? Who are you to ask me for a photo?”
So, like that, the solution box slowly turns into a Guru. Those who come to Swamiji seeking a Guru will not ask any questions when they come. They only want a Guru in their life, that is why they come to Swamiji. Swamiji knows who among those coming to him only with a question, will stay with Swamiji, and who amongst them will leave Swamiji. For those who stay, Swamiji will really give a solution and keep them near him. For those who come and go, Swamiji will give some temporary Prasadam and say “May *** bless you. Chant Hanuman Chalisa. Please eat in the Ashram before you leave.” They are like visitors who visit casually. I am not obliged to offer them complete security for life. Swamiji has not written any bond to that effect. But Swamiji does it depending on how strong your faith is.
How you look at me, is how I will appear to you. If you want a solution box, that is all you will get. If you consider me as a Guru for your life, I will be your Guru for life. If you establish firmly in your mind that Swamiji is the Tataji (grandfather figure) or Appaji (father figure) for life, that is how I will be. So, whatever you want, is what you will get.
That was a very good question.
Are these question and answer sessions published on any website? Not after ten years, after the person gets old. What is Dattavani? Have any of you read dattavani? Not many of you are familiar. In English the speeches are given there. If you read those, your English also will improve. All the speeches are posted? Yes? Thank you. More than Indians, it is the people living in foreign countries who are reading these speeches. Many people have mentioned this to me. Many have said that these Q&A’s are very useful for them. That is why, for their sake, I come here. I am not denying that some Indians do listen or read these speeches. But not many. The numbers must increase. Many CDs and DVDs are not easily available to everyone. To remedy that situation, we are preparing an App. I have asked Raga Sagara repeatedly to do it. He has not done it. Now I am getting it done by another person. Okay. He is doing it. Many people will benefit from it. Many cannot listen to Swamiji’s discourses on the Bhagavatam. They cannot hear the seven day discourses or the bhajans. They wish for recordings. Many of them, one hundred per cent, say that if they can get the original, they themselves will make the translations. Prabhu is making an App. Updates will be made automatically, including the Q&As.
It is now 8:10 PM. Many people have one common question: I am hungry. What should I do? Go inside and have your dinner. Thank you.
Sri Guru Datta