Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Hanuman Jayanthi – March 31, 2018 – Mysore
Speech in the morning – Chitra Poornima
Courtesy: Avadhoota Dattapeetham
Om Namo Hanumate Namah
What a Simple Mantra? Anyone can recite as many times you like.
Why nine syllables? Because he has nine incarnations.
It is different occasion for various regions to celebrate His Jayanti. However here in Mysore Ashrama, we will worship him on all these occasions. This is the first in this series in this new year.
We know that he is the saviour and protector of the nation and population. Hence whenever we face a serious issue, don’t stop the chanting. Recently we conducted a campaign of Hanuman Mantra recitation two years ago. Hanuman Chalisa and Hanuman Mantra are part of every campaign.
The world needs such campaigns for its protection.
You are aware of Hanuman story. I also explained many times about the essence of Hanuman is from Lord Shiva.
Shiva literally means Comfort, Happiness. Hence Hanuman will bestow his virtues upon us. He will get rid of our anxiety and sorrow.
Sindhura, Vade, Bananas and Betel leaves are said to be his favourites.
Let us know something about these significant objects.
Banana trees are his favoured place of rest.
Why is Black Gram Vade special to Hanuman?
Why this special eatable is dear to Hanuman? Black Grams we favourite of Mother Goddess.
At the very beginning of the creation, there was a famine all over. Eatable grains were not yet available, perhaps not created.
If you are very hungry you resort to eat anything. Even leaves or barks.
Deities prayed to Mother Nature for Food sources. She is manifest in any form, though her true form is pure energy which has no form.
She was moved by their plight and tears rolled from her eyes. Out of those droplets, Black Grams germinated. This became the source of the nutrition to all the creatures. It helps the flesh and muscle to build.
Sugreeva entrusted the job of finding Sita to Hanuman. After embarking upon the task, Hanuman was just surviving on Pranayama and pure air was his diet for many weeks till he found Sita. Sita Devi was also in a similar state as she thought about Rama all the time and lost all her appetite. Just for the sake of survival, she was consuming some grains that were Black Grams.
Just the odour of these grains would also bring a sense of fulfilment. Black grams are good nutrients for the body.
After interacting with Sita, Hanuman found his sense of appetite. He felt that his hunger was unbearable as soon as he completed his primary task of finding Sita safely.
At that point, Sita gave him these grains to satiate his hunger which brought back his energy levels to normalcy.
From then: Offering dishes made of Black Grams such Vada/ Vade formed part of Hanuman Puja.
Betel Leaves: To escape the attention of Ravana and his demonic forces Hanuman has discreetly hid himself behind the creepers. Betel Creepers help his cause. From then, he blesses anyone who offers betel leaves.
The leaves are equally powerful to treat body ailments.
Sindura: After burning Lanka island, Hanuman was affected by the incendiary Materials. Then Sita Devi has offered the herbal extract of Sindura which soothed his burns. From then, this prominently joined the favourites of Hanuman.
Banana: Swamy used to loiter in Banana Groves for peace after killing demons. He felt a lot better. Banana is a source of great energy in short term. Hanuman blessed the fruits and tree to treat the mankind with nutrients.
It is a source of various vitamins and minerals. Banana will improve the glucose levels instantly. It is a safe food which can picked up from road side vendors also any time, without the worry of hygiene with its natural protection.
Hanuman has played an important role in annihilating three versions of Ravana demon. Therefore we regard him in 3 forms (subterranean, Ground and Sky High).
Why do we tie this Toram (Yellow thread) around our wrist?
Whenever Hanuman has little free time, he used do the Japa of Rama Taraka Mantra which is the dearest to his heart. From that time, devotees and followers recite the Mantra and tie thirteen knots to the thread and energising this talisman, before wearing on the body.
Now you know the significance of the holy objects and relics of Hanuman. Treat them reverentially and respectfully.
It is my intention to rebuild this temple as a grand edifice in marvellous sculpture which will commence shortly. Join this mission as well.
Speech in the evening
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
We cannot listen to Hanuman’s life story (Hanuman Charitra) enough number of times. We cannot listen to Srimad Ramayana enough number of times either. The power of Ramayan is so great. There are many versions of Ramayana. Ramayana reminds us of Hanuman and Hanuman reminds us of Ramayana. Lord Sri Rama and Lord Hanuman are of the same mind. They are both one. In one way, Hanuman is Datta and Datta is Hanuman because both have the Trinity in them.
In all the Bhajans, all the Divya Nama Sankeerta we are doing, we are singing Lord Hanuman’s life story and his glories, regardless of the language we are singing in. Whether we are singing in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada or any other language – it is his glories and his stories we are singing. There is nothing else we sing about. This is true for any deity we sing about.
Hanuman Charita and Ramayana is recent history from Treta Yuga. Do not think of this as stories from a long time just because there was Dvapara Yuga in between Kaliyuga and Treta Yuga. The history of Hanuman is so powerful and so glorious that it feels as if it happened just yesterday. We cannot talk about it enough number of times. The more we talk about it, the more our sorrows are removed and the more energy we get. We can sing his glories any number of times.
I spoke in Kannada in the morning about why we should worship Lord Hanuman with vermilion (sindoor), vada (donut-shaped fritters), betel leaves and bananas. There are also two other flowers the Lord likes. The Lord loves the night-flowering jasmine flower (Parijata) and the Champak flowers (sampige in Kannada). These flowers are fragrant like the renowned French perfumes. There is another flower that is used to worship the Lord’s feet. These are the Jasmine flowers. The Lord likes these three flowers. The devotee Kulikunta Rao used to bring the Parijata flowers for Swamiji. You made fun of him every time he came with the flowers. Is he around now? No, he has passed away. Remember not to make fun of people when they are alive. I used to always accept his flowers because he would bring them with love regardless of how busy he was. Not everyone has the opportunity he had.
So, it is enough if you offer these three flowers to the Lord. The Lord likes the betel leaf garland, the garland of vadas and the vermilion. When the Lord first had Darshan of Sita Mata, he was seated on a tree in a subtle form when the demon Ravana approached Sita Mata early in the morning at the “Time of Brahma” time (between about 4:45am and 6am). The leaves of the tree kept him hidden from Ravana. That is why Lord Hanuman likes the garland of betel leaves very much.
After 6am, it is no more the “Time of Brahma”. This time period starts at 4:45am. Between 5am and 5:30am, it is as its peak. Those who are preparing for big exams will surely find success if they study at that time. The mind is very calm at that time. If they wake up at 4am and study until 5:30am, they can be successful. But those who keep sleeping in at that time are lazy. They keep failing over and over like king Alexander did on his “victory tour”. You must eat dinner early and go to bed early. Do not eat consume curd or buttermilk at night. People take so much pleasure eating onions, pickles and curd even at night. They feel like they are in heaven when they eat curd rice. They are all lazy people eating such food at night. To get rid of laziness, wake up in the morning. As a compromise, at least wake up at 6am. You must wake up before sunrise. Regardless of when you go to bed, you must wake up before sunrise. Rise by 4am or 5am or 6am, but do not sleep after 6am.
The Lord is an expert grammarian. He is humble and knowledgeable. He shows us the right way to speak. His language is so pure. There can never be double meaning in his speech. In Kaliyuga, everyone’s speech has double meaning. Double meaning speak is prohibited. Speech must only have one meaning. If there is a possibility of double meaning, the context must be made clear beforehand. Hanuman’s speech is always pure and gentle. His speech is always complete and clear. In my opinion, if you want to speak on a subject, you must bring it to a close before you jump to another topic. Hanuman is the only one who can do that. People often jump from one topic to another.
Letters are the form of Mother Saraswati. The words we speak must not hurt others. If the Mother is hurt, we cannot get education. Without causing hurt, the words must be spoken in a meaningful manner. Hanuman alone can do that. It is due to Lord Hanuman’s speech that Sri Rama identified Hanuman even before Hanuman revealed his identity.
Hanuman came to Sri Rama and Lakshmana in the guise of a Brahmin scholar at the behest of Sugriva who suspected that the radiant young men were emissaries of Vali. Hanuman introduced himself as a scholar and began speaking with them. When Lord Hanuman paused for a moment, Sri Rama said to Lakshmana that the scholar standing in front of them was undoubtedly Hanuman. “Only Lord Shiva can speak like this, no one else. Hanuman is Shiva’s aspect. This must be Vayu’s son”. Rama, as a child had seen Hanuman when the latter visited Ayodhya once. Now, they were all grown up and Hanuman was unrecognizable in the guise of a scholar. Lakshmana Swamy however was suspicious since demons usually wandered the area. But Sri Rama was sure that the scholar was none other than Hanuman. Lord Hanuman’s humility and the completeness and clarity in his speech was very unique. People often keep going from one topic to another and in the process, forgetting the original topic. And even if the speaker doesn’t forget the original topic, the listeners forget. Authors sometimes write novels like that – linking one topic to the next. Swamiji’s life history is like that. But the reason it is like that, is so you develop concentration, not so it sounds like a novel. Hanuman’s speech doesn’t jump from topic to topic. It is sweet and delightful, gentle and clear. It is very rare for humans to be so clear. We should not keep jumping topics all the time. We should do it only when absolutely necessary. It should be like a train that is running on its tracks and carefully takes links only when necessary.
So, because the leaves of the tree saved Hanuman from Ravana’s view, the Lord likes the betel leaves very much. He places the garland of betel leaves on his form, because the leaves protected him. We talked about why the Lord likes vermilion. After the Lord set Lanka on fire with his tail and his body was burning from the heat, he smeared the vermilion that Mother Sita had given him. That cooled down his body.
The Lord likes vada (made from Black Gram). When there was famine, the tears of compassion from Mother Goddess turned into millions of different kinds of seeds. Where else would the seeds come from? We wonder whether the trees came first or the fruits came first. The seeds came first from Mother Goddess. If there were no seeds, there would be no food. Mother Goddess fulfills our hunger. The Mother broke the tear from her eyes into millions of pieces that then turned into seeds. She then cooked those and gave them to the gods who had approached her out of hunger. She also gave them to Sage Vyasa. Lord Hanuman’s hunger is also satisfied with Black Gram. Mother Goddess likes these grains because they really satisfy one’s hunger. When you are really hungry, drink some water and eat a few grains, you will find that your hunger is easily satisfied. Do not eat too much of these, however. They cause gas.
Therefore, the Lord really likes betel leaves, vermilion and vada. His penance is always in a plantain grove, so the Lord likes plantains. If you want to accomplish a task, offer coconut to the Lord. We do it in the form of offering Poorna Phala.
Those who visit the ashrama on auspicious days should dip on the Saptarshi Sarovar. The waters contain rich minerals. The saligramas in the shrine are also bathed in these waters. Find a time, at least on a weekend, to dip in the waters. Go there clean, on Ekadasi, full moon day, Saturdays, Sundays and festivals. Dip in Saptarshi Sarovar during Appaji’s time. Afterwards, there is no use. Do not miss the opportunity. No need to swim in the water. You can just dip in it. You can change your clothes in the separate rooms provided. There are male and female volunteers there to help you. There should be no shame when you dip in sacred waters. You can get in to the pool on one side and get out the other. You are all missing the precious opportunity. The Ashrama residents are also missing the opportunity. You will not have such an opportunity anywhere else in the world. Show me a place where you have such an opportunity. If you can show me a place with such pure water, I will acknowledge. There are many swimming pools that you dip in after paying a lot of money. They will not let you in to the pool if you do not pay Rs. 500 or Rs. 600. But despite that, no one can give you such sacred waters. The water in Saptarshi Sarovar is very good for your health. It is like teertha snana – dipping in sacred rivers. It is better if you do not dip into the pool with dyed hair or clothes. Pay the required fee and take a dip. Make use of it. The water now is also quite warm. Many of you are missing out. We would be unfortunate and dim-witted if we missed this opportunity.