Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – April 29, 2020
Sookti
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Priyavākya pradānēna, sarvē tuṣyanti jantavaḥ
Tasmāt tadēva vaktavyaṃ, vacanē kā daridratā ǁ
Our sweet loving words fill birds, animals and other humans with joy. Hence, let us speak lovingly and sweetly. After all, due to speaking sweetly all the time, we will not face shortage of words, will we?
The few words we speak, if they are loving, the person is filled with joy. If we utter harsh words, others will be petrified.
To be able to speak sweetly, softly and lovingly is an art. Not everyone possess that art. Only those who have good samskaras have it. Our words reflect out samskara.
Our sweet words fill every living entity, not only humans but also animals and birds with joy. Not all animals and birds can understand our language. Only our pet animals understand our language. All other animals and birds follow us by reading our actions. Towards this Sri Shankara bhagavadpada gave this example-
As we know, cow is a gentle animal that never harms and troubles anyone. However, if anyone tortures it, it will retaliate. When we offer it fodder, it lovingly comes to us. If instead, we hold a huge stick in our hand, then fearing us the cow will not come anywhere near. In this, no words are used. Our actions revealed our intent. Our hands spoke.
If any limb is injured, we feel the pain. For a few days we suffer. Using medicines the wound is healed. However, there is no medication for mental wounds. Such wounds can only be healed through good, loving words. The mental wounds arise from words.
A stone can only hurt someone. It cannot heal the wound. Words however have the potential to wound someone and also heal their wounds. For this reason, through different stories elders exhort us to speak kindly, sweetly, politely and lovingly.
When we seek refuge under a landlord who owns many mansions, farms, he will, in response to our prayer, donate to us some home or farm. In response to our prayer a rich man will give us enough wealth to lead comfortable lives. Irrespective of however much they give away, they may perhaps have with them inexhaustible treasure that never depletes. However, if they go beyond all norms and donate limitlessly, then their wealth too can get eroded. They can be reduced to penury. They will be thrown into troubles. In other words, any wealth can be diminished over time when given away in charity.
The rule does not apply to good words. Even after we utter good words limitlessly, they continue to flow endlessly. There is no necessity to go in search of new words. All good words appear to come from the mouth. Some words come from the tongue- they are words which are filled with the selfish desire to achieve their own goal. Some words come from the stomach- they are filled with anger, revenge and emotions. Some other words come from the mind- they are filled with sweetness, love, affection, kindness etc. The person who hears them feels as if he is drinking nectar.
For this reason, we are asked to speak sweetly and lovingly. Our sweet words will fill all entities with joy. The more sweet and loving our speech is, the more the entities will be drawn towards us. Even after we endlessly utter good words, we are not going to get poorer isn’t it? This is what this sookti says.
Message in Bhakti TV Program telecast on April 29, 2020
Compiled by: Jaya Akkanapragada
Śrī mahāgańapatayé namaha
Śrī sarasvatyé namaha
Śrī pādavallabha narasimha sarasvati
Śri guru dattātréyāya namaha
Jaya Guru Datta.
We have been talking about bhakti, and the story of Prahlāda. Vyāsa Maharśi gave us Bhāgavatam. Having respect towards Guru and parents is also bhakti. With a pure mind, with respect and devotion, listen to the stories of God. Many people seem like they are listening to Bhagavān’s stories, but they are quietly sending messages from their phones. That is not bhakti. You must put your phone away. Why did Paramātma give us this birth? We must fulfil that purpose.
Bhakti refers to the nine forms of worship. Śravanam (listening to His stories), Kīrtanam (singing His praises), pāda sevanam (serving at His feet), archanam, vandanam are the first five in the nine types of bhakti. By constantly thinking about Him – Bhagavat smarańa will lead to dhyāna.
śravańam kīrtanam viśnōho smaranam
pāda sevanam archanam vandanam
dāsyam sakhya ātma nivedanam
iti vamsārpita viśnuh bhakteste nara lakśańa
kriyate bhagavatyarthā tan manye dhītam uttamam
Prahlāda teaches us that studies which do not inculcate bhakti in us, are futile. All those studies are for bhukti – enjoyment, and to fill our stomachs. When Prahlāda said this to his father, Hiranyakaśipu was enraged and sent Prahlāda off to a school to study. There, Prahlāda taught about Hari bhakti to his teachers and fellow students who were all rākśasās.
kaumāra acharet prāgñō
dharmān bhāgavatān miha
durlabham mānuśam janma
tadabhya dhruva mardadam
Prahlāda teaches his fellow students – My dear friends, it is only in human birth that one gets to contemplate on God. It is very rare to get such a birth. Who knows what birth we will get next time. Therefore, while we have this birth, using the powers of discernment (vivéka), we must inculcate bhakti.
This is why parents must inculcate bhakti in children when they are still very young. Instead of creating such a foundation, we send our children to boarding schools where they learn nothing about bhakti or our traditions. These children then go abroad for higher studies and get married to people from other countries. There are many NRI devotees’ children who have bhakti because of the seed planted by the parents.
If you need to inculcate bhakti in your children, you need to first develop bhakti. Now during this Corona time, spend your time wisely reading good books. Using storybooks which have colourful pictures, teach your children who Rama, Krishna, Prahlāda and Hanuman are. They will ask questions about who Vyāsa is, and how he wrote such a big story. You should be able to answer their questions. This is the best time to teach them all this. Instead if you teach them English lessons, once you’re done teaching, they will simply leave.
The above sloka explains why bhakti is important. Many parents ask “why are you acting so devout at such a young age?” and by saying so, they dissuade their children. This is not correct. It is a demonic trait. You must encourage them. How long do we live? 90 years? In these 90 years, we must do sādhana. If the seed of bhakti is sown in childhood, the individual will grow up to benefit society when they are older. Many people tell their kids “pray to God so that you pass in the exams this year. Pray to God so you get first class in school.” This is not bhakti. You must teach the kids who the God is, why we must pray to Him, and how He grants wishes. But you do not know, so how will you teach?
Bhakti will help us ask the question “Who am I?” Bhakti is what makes us realize that we came from Him, and that we have to go back into Him.
yathā hi puruśas yeka
viśnōho pādōpa sarpańam
yadeśa sarva bhūtānām
priya āgneśvara suhrut
In this human birth, we must hold onto Sri Hari’s feet because He is present in every being as ātma. By considering Him as our friend, we must undertake all good activities which are dear to Him. By feeding others, we become closer to Him because He is present in all beings. If bhakti is considered a path to reach Him, there are other smaller paths such as puja, sankīrtana, japa, hōma, seva which all finally unite in the larger path called bhakti.
Bhakti cannot be expressed in words, it must be present in our every action. Bhakti is the fine line between karma and gñāna. Bhakti shows the path to gñāna. Knowledge which is obtained without bhakti will never bear fruit. Bhakti is the lamp which lights up the karma, and dispels our ignorance thus giving us gñāna as well. When the mind and the intellect are constantly engaged in divine contemplation, that is bhakti.
If you have aches and pains, instead of groaning and moaning, say Rama Krishna Datta. Anyways you have to inhale and exhale, so chant the divine name of Sri Hari. When you groan and complain, you expel so much energy, and so much breath is wasted in making those terrible noises. Instead chant Narayana or Shiva. When you’re full after eating a meal, even then chant ‘O Krishna, you have filled my stomach!’
When you’re unable to sleep, if you keep chanting a divine name, sleep will automatically come. Instead most of you just keep cursing someone who slighted you that day or in the past. Nothing will happen to that person whom you are cursing, only your time is being wasted. Anyways you do not have the powers to curse anyone, so why don’t you take care of your health and sleep instead? Listen to Swamiji’s healing music. You won’t even realise when you fall asleep.
With bhakti, all the six enemies – kāma, krōdha, lōbha, mada, mōha and mātsarya – can be overcome, and you will easily gain control of your senses. When we keep spending our time trying to satisfy our senses, we only end up cutting our lives short. How far do you drive just to eat that masala dosa? And how much do you curse the eatery if they are closed by the time you reach there? How many dreams have you had about food? Would it not be nice to have a dream about a new temple which has just been built? Even though it is 11kms away, imagine if you decided to walk the distance just to visit the temple?
When you see a video of a new temple, you remark “oh! Its’ just another temple. I’ve anyways seen it on TV.” Why don’t you have the same attitude when you see food on TV? Why do you have to instantly indulge that food craving? Paramātma has given you the buddhi to even enjoy that masala dosa. We must all strive for mōkśa before this body becomes frail and useless from indulging the senses.
The path of bhakti leads to mukti. The Védās say that man can live to be 100 years old. One third of this time is spent sleeping at night. There are many people who sleep in the afternoon as well. One wastes time being foolish in childhood, playing games as a youth and in this way 20 years go by. In old age, for 20 years the body does not cooperate. In between all these years, one spends time developing attachment to the home and family.
Bhakti does not mean worshipping an idol or a photo 24×7. If you do puja for 10-40 minutes, in that time, whatever you offer, do it with utmost devotion. There is no need to do puja for 3-5 hours and make everyone unnecessarily sit there and watch you perform the puja. They can instead go about their work.
The people who have left their families to be on this path and the priests who are performing puja all the time, they are not wasting anyone’s time by doing so. In fact, their entire family is involved in some way or the other in taking care of and serving the deity.
In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna Paramātma defines bhakti in a completely different way. An entire chapter titled bhakti yoga is devoted to explaining the meaning of bhakti. We shall discuss about this another time.
The following sloka in Prahlāda Bhāgavatam says how a devotee should be
tasmāt sarvéśu bhūtéśu
dayām kuruta sauhrudam
āsuram bhāvam unmucya
yayā tuśyat yadhōkśaja
Being compassionate towards all beings, as a friend, one must work to benefit all beings. By doing so, Sri Hari will be pleased.
Religions were not created for people to fight over differences. Religions were only created to help bring people closer to God. Develop bhakti, live happily and work in a way that benefits society. You must never say your religion is different from mine, and use that as an excuse to fight with people. That is wrong. All the religions take man closer to Paramātma.
If you listen to our ashrama prayer (ID 2271) we chant alléti nāmnā jinadéva nāmnā (in verse 6) taméka dévam śarańam vrajāmaha means all the gods are present in the One God. That is true bhakti. Differences are only amongst people who want to preach differences. Paramātma is only one, and does not differentiate.
Especially in times like this, all the people must set aside their differences and stand united as one mankind and protect this country and this human race. All the people who are stepping out now, must be gentle and respectful, follow rules and cooperate with the authorities. Many nurses have left their children at home and are caring for people selflessly. If all the doctors and nurses had feared for their lives and said they were staying at home, what would our fate have been? Should we not help them in turn? We must cooperate with the authorities and respect them.
Jaya Guru Datta. Sri Guru Datta.