Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji after Bhagavad Gita Homa – USA Tour – August 10, 2022 – KSHT Dallas TX, USA
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
Kṛṣnam vande jagadgurum
Jaya Guru Datta
śrī mahā gaṇapataye namaḥ
śrī sarasvatyai namaḥ
śrī pādavallabha narasimha sarasvati
śrī guru dattātreyāya namaḥ
Jai Veera Hanuman ki Jai!
Hanuman greatly adores the Bhagavad Gita. He is present wherever it is chanted. He is present where the name of Lord Rama is chanted. Hanuman is very happy with today’s Yajna. Karma Yajna, Jnana Yajna, and Bhakti Yajna happened today, and Lord Hanuman is very pleased. You are all very lucky people. There is no doubt. You will realize what this is only later. I cannot explain because there are not enough words to praise the Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krishna made it very easy to gain devotion and show enthusiasm in Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga – all Yogas. We are all Arjunas, Lord Krishna is Jagadguru. Maha Vishnu came in the form of Krishna and gave us good advice, good Upadesha. He killed the demons Kauravas, who were filled with Tamo Guna. Pandavas had Sattva guna, and they suffered for some time. We see that those who have Sattva guna suffer quite often, while those who have Rajas and Tamo guna are happy all the time. We are all confused by this phenomenon. Devotees may wonder what this Tattva is? The Lord likes devotees; therefore, He puts them to some tests. He does this only because He wants to correct His devotees.
When you want pure gold, you heat it and pound on it. Once you have pure gold, you can make beautiful ornaments of various kinds. We preserve those ornaments very carefully. Have no doubt. When the mother has a lot of love for children, she yells at them so she can make them better people. The Guru is the same. He keeps chiding so that you can become as great as Him. He does not always praise you. He keeps scolding you even for minor faults. Normally, we get upset because each of us one thinks he/she is right. “Why is mom/teacher scolding me? I am right”. This is how the mind gets disturbed. Throughout the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord has chided us and taught us lessons. He did not praise anyone in the Gita. He only kept scolding us in every word, syllable, and letter. He taught all the Yogic processes. He churned everything for us, so it turned into nectar. When the ocean was churned, demons were on one side and angels on the other. After repeated churning, Bhagavan Krishna was injured, but He kept churning until nectar emerged. In the beginning, poison was born. Similarly, we first get doubts. That is the poison.
The student studying to be a doctor struggles during the first year and often wonders as to why he took it up. The second year is when they struggle more so as they dissect cadavers. After that, they get very skilled and learn with great interest. It is a great art and knowledge. Doctors are like second Brahmas. They study from the second year with great interest. In the third year, the interest is greater. Then, after finishing that degree, they want to study M.D followed by specialization. The first year feels like hell, and they wonder if they made the right choice. Bhagavad Gita, too, is similar. It is very hard on the first day. Mahapranas appear very difficult to pronounce.
If you memorize just one shloka, you develop interest. Learn one Dhyana shloka, and you will get interested. You will wonder how a fool like you who forgets easily has remembered a shloka. There is a proverb in Kannada that says a person forgets his bottom in the place he sat at. And then, we check for out bottom and are happy it is still intact. That is how forgetful we are. We keep the keys in our pockets and search the entire house. Forgetting we added salt to food, we add it a second time. The poor husband must wonder how his karma led him to love his wife despite the fact that she adds salt to the food 3 times. If you scold the wife for doing that, may not even add salt the next day. She must be so preoccupied with memorizing Bhagavad Gita that she forgets to add the salt. We, people who forget so much, are surprised that we can memorize the Gita. Are you not surprised? I am surprised looking at you memorize. You memorized? Doubts crop up at times. Did you get the certificate with some match-fixing? How much money did you give to pass? (Swamiji jokes that He doesn’t get such doubts, it’s only people around us who get such doubts)
We forget so much. We worry about health, diseases, visas, money, etc. In the midst of all of this, there are assessments with 3 teachers. They ask you shlokas forwards and backwards. You must be thinking- “I already won the gold medal; why are you assessing me again?” “I have been tested 20 times already” “I won the gold medal and certificate and need to get assessed again?” “Why do they keep asking me the same shloka again and again?” “The teachers are not even familiar, they are new, so I cannot even comfortably ask to be excused.” We develop new fears. We forget everything. We utter our neighbor’s name instead of our own when asked.
Lord Krishna blesses all those who supported the event financially. Vishnu blesses you. Where Vishnu is happy, Lakshmi is happy in their homes. Those who supported the program with money will be blessed by Goddess Lakshmi and Swamiji. Many donated anonymously. I know everyone that supported. I send special blessings to you all.
Many of you took time off for this event with great courage. Thanks to the Work From Home culture due to Covid. Due to that, we are able to take some time off. Some are taking time off without pay. I give special blessings. Anagha Lakshmi blesses them too.
Despite the heat, cold, and rain, volunteers are going back and forth from here to the venue due to their love for Swamiji. They do not mind that they do not see Swamiji; they just want to serve. They want to be like a Samidha (Homa stick) in this Yajna and are doing Seva themselves. All of you are volunteers for yourselves. Everyone has understood Swamiji’s system. Nobody needs to be told anything.
gītā gangā ca gayatrī
sītā satyā sarasvatī
brahmavidyā brahmavallī trisandhyā muktigehinī
ardhamātrā cidānandā
bhavagnī bhrānti nāśinī
vedatrayī parānantā
tattvārtha jnāna manjarī
ityetāni japennityam naro niścala mānasah
jnana siddhim labhecchīghram
tathānte paramam padam
This is a wonderful shloka. Gita is Mother Goddess. We do not refer to Gita as just “Bhagavad Gita”. We respectfully say “Gita Mata”. Those who study the Gita will have Goddess Lakshmi dance in their homes. All the karmas that they have accumulated in this birth will get erased.
ardhamātrā cidānandā – Even a half word of Gita is enough. Just saying “Gita” or even “Partha” is more than enough. It is so potent. ardhamātrā – half a syllable (Ex- Gi) also bestows such great fruit. Listening to one shloka of Gita bestows the merit of bathing in the Ganga. Imagine the power of chanting it! Just imagine participating in such a Yajna where the Gita is recited! I feel you were all there in Dvapara Yuga. We need to take 8 million births in each species. You were all on the Pandavas’ side; there is no doubt. That is why you are all doing Gita again and running after the Lord. You must have been Gopis or cowherds; there is that aspect of them in you.
You are all aspects of those Gopis and cowherds. Otherwise, you would not do the Gita. Many people hear the Gita and are troubled deeply within. They are all Kauravas. They are demons. You do not even need to open your mouth; the fact that you cannot stand the Gita means you were on the Kaurava side. That entire family is a Kaurava family. They get irritated by the Gita as if they have some allergies. If they close their ears while listening to Gita, there is no doubt that there are demons. This is the command of Shiva! This is the truth, truth, and only truth! Kauravas and Pandavas have taken birth again. Where the Pandavas take birth, Kauravas need to as well. Both sides are here. What side are you on?
Victory to Dharma! Victory to Truth! Even if we have difficulties, it is okay; we will ultimately be victorious. May victory be yours!
This is the first time this event is happening in this world. All the major TV channels in India are talking about this. May victory be yours! You are going to a big Yajna, so sleep well. Let’s all be enthusiastically prepared for tomorrow’s fight between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta