Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in the morning – November 22, 2018 – KSHT, Dallas
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
Sri Maha Ganapate Namaha
Sri Sarasvatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Sarasvati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Today, Kartika Pournima, is a very powerful day. This day is celebrated as a big festival in the Panduranga temple in Maharashtra. Those who perform the special Satyanarayana Puja on this day are bestowed with energy and Knowledge. So do not miss out on participating in the Satyanarayana Vrata. This ritual is traditionally performed every full moon day. Satya means truth. Narayana is our Parabrahman, our God. I said many times before that God is formless. We give him a form, because we follow the Karma theory. The formless Lord is capable of taking on a form.
One more important item during Kartika Pournima is “Deepa Danam”. Deepa is light, specifically in this case, light lit with ghee (clarified butter). Deepa signifies Parabrahman. We are showing the light to our ancestors through Deepa Danam. All beings are constantly suffering due to the darkness of ignorance. If you touch and see the light, the darkness will be removed. That light shows the path to knowledge. We all need a little Knowledge. We mistakenly believe we have a lot of knowledge because we have diplomas, degrees and Phds. That is not Knowledge. That is only intellect and is different from Knowledge. You must use that intellect to gain Knowledge, otherwise, there is no use. What you know is limited to worldly things; you don’t know your inner God. You may know what is going on in the world, you may know Mathematics and other subjects, but you do not know reality.
Reality comes from the spiritual path. If you follow the spiritual path and follow the Guru and study good scriptures and experience the association with wise people, maintain good friendship, practice humility, truth and contentment, then you will understand the God in you. You will know who God is and who you really are. That is the big question “Who am I?” Am I the body? No. Because the body ends one day. The five elements of nature take away the body after a 100 years or after 10,000 years. The duration does not matter, the body will eventually be taken away. Vedanta refers to that as “Mithya” or Maya or illusion. This drama in our world is all an illusion. Husband, wife, children etc are all an illusion. One day they will all disappear. Grandparents, parents, uncles aunts, every one disappear. Old souls go and new souls come to earth. This is maya. That is why Swamiji is always giving you short stories so we can attain knowledge as much as possible.
Practice spirituality, practice Vedanta. Follow God. We will certainly disappear one day. That is the phenomenon, it is the law of nature. Death will surely follow birth and vice versa. I said before that this is a big circle. This wheel is always turning. Once you get in, it is hard to get out. We are already caught in the wheel of Time – kala chakra. There is no stopping. That is why in Hindu Dharma, we are given various rituals, worships, physical practices to get out of the wheel. It is all based in science. So, we should spend as much time as possible in these activities. Otherwise, our time is a waste. We laze on the couch, watch TV, talk on the phone, quarrel, entertain bad thoughts, get depressed, disappointed and cry, wasting all the time we have. Engage, instead, in the many rituals and Pujas that are prescribed in the Hindu way. There are so many different rituals and Pujas that you can engage in a different one each day of the year. Follow the Sadguru while studying Vedanta and Upanishads. That is why Swamiji is always giving small stories from our scriptures. Otherwise, there are many voluminous books that will take years to study. Swamiji is giving these short stories that are called “Pitta kathalu” in Telugu. (Pitta=bird, Kathalu=stories). Birds do not sit steady in one place. They keep flitting from place to place. The stories too are like that – small little stories about Ramayana, Bhagavatam, about great sages etc. This is my system.
On occasions, I do the entire Ramayana or Bhagavatam. But at the rest of the times, Swamiji is giving short stories mixed with Vedanta and ancient scriptures. This is Swamiji’s system of giving valuable messages with devotion (through Bhajans). Through devotion, he delivers Knowledge.
So, today is Kartika Pournima. This lunar month of Kartika is very powerful. Emperor Janaka once asked Sage Vasishtha about the greatness of the lunar month of Kartika. The sage described the greatness of the month of Kartika in 30 chapters and said that showing deepa (light) to God or Guru this month bestows good results.
The first principle in the description says:
Deepa jyoti parabrahma – Deepa is itself God
Deepam sarva tamopaham – If you give Deepa to Guru or to the temple, your Tamo Guna will be removed. Tamo Guna is the quality of inertia including procrastination, excessive sleeping, eating etc. You like sleeping and eating and quarreling and entertaining bad thoughts all the time. If you do Deepa Danam, Tamo guna is burned out completely.
Deepam sadhyate sarvam – If you have goals, intentions, or want to ask boons of Guru or God, beseech the Lord with prayers and have a heart-to-heart conversation. Every evening in this lunar month, you must compulsorily show Deepa to Guru. Today is such a powerful full moon day. This full moon day, all kinds of Gods are on earth. 365 billion Gods are present on earth today.
All rivers are energized today on Kartika Pournima. It is not just the Hindu waters but the oceans too that are energized. So, take a head bath today and pray to God. We are all fortunate to perform Satyanarayana Puja today in the Hanuman temple today. Tomorrow is also Pournima. Both days are important for Satyanarayana Puja. I bless everyone that is participating in this Puja. Swamiji protects you always and blesses you all. I cannot explain the greatness of this month adequately. Every day of Kartika masa is very powerful.