Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Ugadi – April 13, 2021
Compiled by: Archana Penukonda
Speech 1
Jaya Guru Datta
Auspicious Ugadi blessings to you all on this lunar new year of Plava.
See how quickly time flies. Ugadi is already here. It seems like just a few days ago we had to forego Ugadi celebrations due to Covid and Ugadi is already here for a second time. It appeared as if the coronavirus was controlled, but the second wave is here now because people did not follow the rules. They thought the pandemic had ended and roamed and acted as they pleased. I told you all to shower daily, but some people did not. People did not wear masks. I told you not to forget wearing a mask. You wear the same mask for a month, dirt sticks on it. You must clean the mask every day or at least alternate between a pair of masks. You must sanitize your hands whenever you touch anything.
I told you in the past about how you can make your own sanitizer. Thoroughly boil together a few neem leaves, some black pepper corns, a few leaves of holy Basil, a pinch of edible camphor and some turmeric. Filter and use this to sanitize your hands. You can drink 2-3 spoonfuls every morning. You can also use this to wash vegetables. I told you all this before, but you neglected it thinking coronavirus is gone. And now the virus is back. Many also got careless once they got vaccinated because they got overly confident they were immune to infection. There is always up to 80% risk of contracting the virus, you are only 20% protected. So, that reckless behavior has gotten us to this point where we are having to forego this Ugadi as well. There are again rules in place against mass gatherings.
Time does not care about good or evil, and about gains or losses. It is always in equanimity. We should learn this quality of equanimity from Time. This is the festival of Kāla Puruṣa (the Lord of Time) who is none other than Lord Vishnu. That is why one of the nāmās (names) of the Lord in Vishnu Sahasranamam is yugādikr̥d. That means, the Lord is one who started the Yugas. Srimannarayana sets the wheel of time in motion. Farmers, bulls, plough, land, seeds etc., are all gathered and then the crops are raised. Similarly, Lord Vishnu in the form of Time gathers everything and runs this creation. That supreme Lord starts the wheel of Yugas. Therefore, Lord Vishnu should be worshiped as Kāla Puruṣa.
The word “Yugadi” got transformed into the word “Ugadi”. It starts on caitra śuddha pādyami (first day of the lunar month of Chaitra). That is why this is also called the New Year. In the past, a demon called Somaka stole the Vedas.
Lord Maha Vishnu incarnated as the fish and slew the demon and handed the Vedas back to Lord Brahma on this day. That is why the Puranas hail this day as Ugadi. Lord Brahma first worshiped Kāla puruṣa and then started the calculation of time. Therefore, it is the festival of Kāla puruṣa. Kāla puruṣa turns the wheel of time with precise calculations, that never go wrong. Even in matters of joy and sorrow, the Lord follows precise calculations. Similarly, man’s life too, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to old age goes per well-defined calculations. Therefore, everyone from children to the old should observe all customs of this day. Everyone must be informed this day about losses and gains for all zodiacs, about astrological predictions for the various stars, about good fortunes and misfortunes for the year, and about the pañcāngam (almanac). Importantly, one must listen to the message from the pañcāngam on this day.
The pañcāngam (pañcā= five; angam = limbs) consists of tithi (lunar phase), vāra (day of the week), nakṣatra (asterism of the day), yogam (angular relationship between sun and moon) and karaṇam (half a tithi) – the five limbs. Learning about the five limbs each day is very good. Learning about tithi, bestows prosperity. Learning about vāra increase life span. Learning about the nakṣatra removes sins, learning about yogam removes diseases and learning about karaṇam accomplishes tasks.
Pañcānga śravaṇa (listening to the read out of the almanac) bestows such auspicious results. Kāla puruṣa has put in our hands already, information about the good and the evil that will occur all year long. That is why, undertaking dharma and charity as well as Yajnas and other meritorious deeds according to the almanac will bestow on us the grace of Kāla puruṣa. Those who worship the almanac narrator on this day will gain happiness all year long.
Lord Sri Krishna instructed Dharmaraja about the greatness of Ugadi thus – O Dharmaraja, caitra śuddha pādyami is a very sacred and meritorious day. On this day, one must learn about nakṣatra and the nine chiefs of the lunar year. By doing this, one can turn inauspiciousness into auspiciousness.
Therefore, this body that we attain due to the merit of several lifetimes should be used for a good purpose. Use time productively. Do not worry about the past. Forget about losses and difficulties. Step forward with renewed enthusiasm into the new spirit bestowed by Time. There are new changes in Nature by the grace of Gods. On this Ugadi day, take a head bath, wear new clothes, think of your favorite deity, get blessed by elders, worship Gods and listen to the pañcāngam. Eat Ugadi paccadi. Ugadi Paccadi has the six tastes of sweet, bitter, sour, salty, spicy and acrid. Jaggery, neem flowers, tamarind, a pinch of salt, black pepper powder and raw mangoes are mixed together to make this customary concoction. It is good for health. But do not drink pitchers full of it. Accept joys and sorrows with a balanced mind. Human life is filled with the six tastes. Therefore, be with a balanced mind at all times. This is the message we get by consuming Ugadi Paccadi. This dish also enhances digestion and removes phlegm. It purifies blood and removes mental diseases and brings peace to the mind. It enhances the life span. While eating Ugadi paccadi, recite this mantra.
śatāyur vajra dehāya sarva sampat karāyaca
sarvāriśṭa vināśāya nimbakaṁ dala bhakṣaṇaṁ
Like this, the customs practiced for several generations should be followed with faith. Respect elders, worship cows, see your friends on this day. Goddess Lakshmi resides in the homes where such customs are followed.
The nine chiefs of this lunar year of Plava are:
King – Kuja / Mars
Minister – Kuja / Mars
Senadhipati (commander of the army) – Chandra / Moon
Sasyadhipati (agriculture) – Shukra / Venus
Dhanyadipati (grains and cereals) – Budha / Mercury
Arghyadipati (water) – Kuja / Mars
Meghadipati (clouds and rainfall) – Kuja / Mars
Rasadhipati (beverages, defenses etc) – Ravi / Sun
Neerasadhipati (diseases, relations, karma etc) – Shukra / Venus
Four of these cause auspiciousness and five are sinful. So, everyone will get mixed results this year, there is no need for each person to especially worry about it. May goodness come to everyone by the grace of Kāla Puruṣa. May the world be peaceful.
Be careful about coronavirus. We are being told it may take two more months. If we are careful, we can protect our lives. There is no doubt it is hard in so many ways – finances, education for children etc. are very difficult during this time. But if we are careful for two months, we will have peace again.
Speech 2
It is man’s nature to wish for victory, regardless of whether he is embarking on something noble or something sinful. Sometimes, man does not succeed despite good intent whereas someone with bad intent is seen to succeed. Man starts to doubt himself and wishes to emulate the sinful who seem to be winning. Slowly, his enthusiasm and his will to do good diminish. That man wonders why he is not victorious despite being truthful and honest. The Pandavas too felt that the wicked Kaurvas were winning while they themselves who were just and fair were not.
The Pandavas asked Guru Dhaumya: We do so much charity, we are austere and avowed to truth, yet we are in exile and suffering, while the wicked Kauravas who have usurped our wealth seem to be winning. We are even deprived of food and clothing. Guru Dhaumya said: You are now censuring God, but you do not recognize the Lord who is right with you.
Many do not recognize divinity. Are you burning incense at your shrine? Are you chanting the Bhagavad Gita shlokas? Are you sitting in prayer at your shrine? Are you feeding a crow at least? Are you recognizing that you have such a great Guru? You treat your Guru like an astrologer.
Guru Dhaumya said: You have Lord Krishna, whereas Kauravas only have their strength. They are winning purely owing to their strength. You are unable to recognize that you have God with you, that is why you are not winning. Pandavas wondered – we may have not recognized the presence of the Lord, but the Kauravas did not even have the Lord with them. How did they win? Guru Dhaumya said – You are only talking about winning and losing, but you are not recognizing that the Lord is with you. You are going so far as to even doubt the Lord’s prowess. Hence, the Lord is testing you. Let unwavering devotion be entrenched in your nature. You are not recognizing the supreme Sri Krishna in your presence (just as you are not recognizing Pujya Swamiji in your presence).
We receive greater punishment when we do not recognize that the Lord is right with us. It is only after the Pandavas recognized Sri Krishna as the supreme Lord that they finally won. In the Ramayana, Sri Rama continued fighting Ravana for a long time instead of slaying Ravana in one fell swoop. Why did Sri Rama fight so hard? Ravana dispatched all the demons to battle before he himself came out to fight. At Ravana’s behest, demons came from all regions, caves, mountains and worlds. Had Ravana come to battle first, the demons would have been spared. So, Sri Rama did not kill Ravana until all the demons were slain first. Similarly, until all of Duryodhana’s followers are destroyed, the Lord will give him victory. Finally, the Lord will destroy them all.
Guru Dhaumya indicated – Learn to recognize the Lord. He even offered to be your charioteer. He showed his cosmic form in the Kaurava assembly too, yet you thought Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda, was human. Your doubting intellect led to this situation, so you have to suffer. Draupadi was humiliated in the assembly due of your fault. You were overconfident about Sri Krishna being with you, but what merit did you earn to obtain his grace? Did you look upon him with devotion? Sri Krishna asked them why he should protect them? He assured his protection after all their sins are removed.
Therefore, realize you have certain power in you. Tap into that. Do Pranayama. Do atleast ten minutes of Dhyana/meditation. Have you no shame not chanting the Gayatri when you are eligible to chant it? You are not using that power. You must worship God at home. If you cannot worship for 1 hour, worship for 5-10 minutes. Chant some prayers. Do Guru Puja. Follow Guru even more steadfastly. Do not follow Guru as if He is a priest or a lawyer. You suffered through the coronavirus somehow, you managed, you did not come running to me. Do not keep running to me for every small thing. Come to Guru only for uplifting yourself. You must come to Guru only for knowledge, but take care of all trivial worldly hankerings yourself.
You have excessive ego and a doubting mentality and obstinacy. That is why you are getting defeated. You should learn to surrender to the Lord. Participate in every event in the Ashram. Why do you not participate? If you ask why you should participate, I will ask why I should protect you. Your participation is only a sign of your yearning to be on Swamiji’s radar.
Lord Krishna incarnated in a physical form for the sake of devotees. If it were not for devotees, Lord Krishna would have remained in Dwaraka.
Wake up atleast now! You are foolish and selfish. You do not spend a penny to participate in the Puja. For a year and a half, Swamiji did live discourses every day. So many participated in the Pujas and established such a great relationship with Swamiji. I am alive for their sake. Those who are still not participating, wake up atleast now. You are lagging far behind. I wish for you and your future generations to live long. My time is drawing to a close. This is what Lord Krishna indicated indirectly. The Lord went through so much trouble to protect Uttara’s womb and save the Bharata dynasty. Why did Sri Krishna save them? It was due to some merit from their previous lives. We often find greater courage when someone accompanies us during travels or at night. In this case, God is right with you. You are even perceiving him with your senses, Guru Dhaumya indicated.
Why are we talking about this? People have abandoned customs and traditions. We have no time for waking up in the morning, showering/bathing and sitting in front of God to pray. We drink and eat while standing, because we have no time to sit. There is not a kind word exchanged; we are constantly in a hurry and running. So, we are neglecting those around us – our parents, spouse etc., since we are too busy to even take notice of them. We are hurting those around us – our friends and family, and those who work for us. We think throwing some money at the workers will do. We show them no love or affection. That is not good.
How many wake up early? Many wake up after 8am, and shower much later. But we eat to our fill on time. Datta devotees are not chanting Datta Stava at home. Pray to the Lord, at least offer salutations to the Lord before eating. Pray to the Lord when you wake up. What if we died before we woke up? It was the grace of the Lord that we woke up alive. We forget the One, the root cause that we should be grateful to. We have forgotten how to observe festivals. Instead, we wear new clothes and go out to watch a movie and cook up a feast and gorge on it. Is that what a festival is? We should offer food to God and then partake of it. We are not following traditions anymore, which is why our children do not either. The only vows we follow are to eat, sleep and wake up. There is not a fourth one.
That is why this coronavirus has gripped the world. We have committed many sins. Datta devotees too have neglected traditions. They do not even do surya namaskaras (sun salutations). God has given many of you the eligibility to do Gayatri mantra. That increases the power of our good deeds and drives away negativity. We keep fighting negativity in trivial ways, but we don’t deal with the root cause.
I have been repeatedly reminding people to not touch anyone. The doctors are advising that you build greater immunity and be cautious about coronavirus, but you do not do that. Doctors ask you to build physical immunity; I keep reminding you to build spiritual immunity. For one year, I have held on to all devotees, but what can I do if devotees do not listen. Some devotees have left this world.
Plava (the name of the new year) – the word indicates the boat/basis with which to transcend difficulties. There are many means, we are not just making use of them. This year of Plava is said to be the year that helps us transcend these difficulties, this ocean. We pray to God that this year of Plava protect us somehow. That is what we mean when we say Happy New Year.
If I wished, I could just do whatever I wanted and not be here with you. Why does the priest come to the temple to do rituals on your behalf? He wishes you well. He chants hymns of blessings when you feed him. A tiny offering to the Lord brings us enormous blessing. A penny in the donation box brings you so much prosperity from the Lord, but we do not do that.
After the Pandavas heard this, they were transformed. This is what really happened with the Pandavas, I only changed a few names – I said “Swamiji” in place of “Sri Krishna”.