Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – March 17, 2018 – Hyderabad
Compiled by: Smt Hira Duvvuri
No need for bhajan singers to get praised. It is your duty to sing. It is your duty to attend practice sessions. If you are too busy to attend, then stay away. You will get arrogance if you get praised. We are family. It is like family members felicitating each other. You sang everything well, except the last item. You spoiled it. Namostute manostute.
Last row singers are doubtful. Individually you must get trained. Once the girls get married, all this will be left. Those who continue to sing bhajans even after marriage are rare and they are fortunate. I will test each one and see if you are really qualified. Only if you qualify, you may be in the group. In Chennai, they made 3 batches out of 40 singers. They are training new children. Gayatri, and two others are settled in USA unfortunately. They send a song recording to Swamiji every single day. On my phone, they send, as if competing with one another. Today also Gayatri has sent. She is an ordinary girl. Not a musician. Her name is Gayatri Mullapudi. You should be like that. Not sing only when Appaji comes.
You must keep a banner in the back when you sing at other temples. You must announce where you learned these songs, without shame, you must tell. Popularize these bhajans.
Padmavati also sends a song daily. These three songs are in my mind daily. This is something I really like. They are far away. Yet, they are doing this. You are right here. But you have no time. There is another girl also. They have permission to send on Whatsapp or Telegram. Chennai group does like penance. Older girls are studying medicine, law, and for IPS. They themselves play accompanying instruments also. They don’t depend on others. Others compete to play for them. As groups they sing and send recordings.
I am asking you also to learn to play the keyboard. Venkata Ramana Sastry will teach you. Learn the first bhajan. Then, you will get interested to learn more. I assure you. You must have the ability to play in an emergency. Tabla and mridangam also can be played by girls. They are not the monopoly of men. Those who cannot hold a pitch, can learn to play a musical instrument. Titiksha is studying for IAS. She travels 40 miles daily. Her exams are nearing. I don’t see her face now. She is busy. Cannot come. Learn Tabla. or harmonium. If you want Appaji, you must do these things.
Naga Pratishtha is occurring. May we be blessed. Saraswati Homa is performed today for children to study well. Now you know how much Appaji likes bhajans. The children have no time. But some one song they send daily. You all must first practice. Don’t begin sending yet.
In Kenya, very poor people who have no proper food, have to hunt and kill to eat to survive. Now they stopped killing. They have learned handicrafts. They make items to sell. They do hand-weaving. They take their art work to the city. People buy them eagerly. They don’t know about fruits. They don’t know about banana and orange. Even the cows there don’t know about bananas. They don’t eat them.
I went to that village. They have only shorts to wear. They cover themselves with grass when they sleep. Appaji gave them whatever he had, all $8000. They gave him in return all the handicrafts they had made. Children and old people make these items. The able-bodied ones tend to sheep and cattle.
One driver came to Mysuru from there, and brought some items. He was honored. If you buy these, you will be feeding them. He gifted these items to Swamiji. They have price tags. In a second, you empty the collection. Some items you may wear also like bracelets. If no one buys, Ganapathi will have them. The stall is near Ganapati shrine. Now Swamiji is going to Homa Purnahuti and then to Naga Pratishtha. Witness it.
Sri Guru Datta