Speeches of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sri Dattatreya Jayanti Festival – December 4, 2025 – Mysore
Srichakra Puja
Dattātreya Hare Kṛṣṇa
Unmattānanda Dāyaka
Digambara Munē Bāla
Piśāca Jñāna Sāgara
You all know the meaning of this mantra, I have explained it several times. Chanting this mantra is enough. When we keep chanting “Datta, Datta,” He truly becomes Datta for us. This boon was given to Atri and Anasuya.
Before setting out for intense austerities, Datta stayed under water for one thousand years. Many scholars, disciples, and kings of that era followed our Swami. Yogis and great ascetics followed Him wherever He went. To hear a single word of His teaching, they would go wherever He went. Sometimes He spoke one word, sometimes He remained silent and was in a state of divine madness. He would be in the unmatth (lunatic) state. Seeing this mad state, many people moved away out of fear. Some kept their distance. He sometimes behaved like a child, sometimes cried, sometimes screamed. Seeing this, some ran away. People wondered how someone like this could be their guru. They thought His intellect was lost, that He had become mad or a spirit.
But understand this carefully: a Pisacha is not a ghost or demon; it is someone who takes away our sins, like a kind of sugar-herb drawing all impurities to itself. He becomes the form of Shiva. ‘Pichachis’ are evil beings or evil souls, but a Pisacha is someone who removes our sins instantly and becomes an ocean of knowledge, imparting wisdom. That is why many disciples gathered around Him.
This Swami is the sixth incarnation of Maha Vishnu, known as Dattatreya. Dattatreya, per the prayers of Atri and Anasuya, appeared before them as their child. The couple beheld Him with His three heads. They were not afraid, but they found it unusual that He had three heads. That child did not cry. The child said to the sage: You prayed to Me with the three gunas, that is why I appear with three heads – with three gunas. Had you prayed to Me without any gunas, I would have appeared as one. The Lord said to the sage: You are not an ordinary person. You are a great yogi, you prayed and I answered. Anasuya, though a great yogini living thousands of years, had not asked for the gunatrayātīta (beyond the three qualities) form, so He appeared in this terrifying form. Seeing this, she wondered how she could raise such a child.
Immediately, the Lord appeared with a single head. He did not grow gradually but instantly appeared mature with immense knowledge and grace. Kings and sages fell at His feet and followed Him everywhere.
He sometimes said, “I am hungry, I want food,” though He was the creator of everything. When someone brought food, He sometimes demanded meat, which shocked people. But whatever He said, it immediately turned into pure food, showing His greatness. This was to test and strengthen the minds of the true devotees, while weaker ones ran away.
When working in the field, we say in Telugu “tūru tūru” while threshing paddy: as it is tossed, the chaff is blown away and good grain falls down. Similarly, from the multitudes of followers, much was chaff and needed to be removed. So Dattatreya went to a great tank and immersed Himself in water, performing samadhi for a thousand years.
Many waiting outside thought the Guru passed away and was not coming back. This happened with Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada too which is when he prayed to Lord Narasimha (Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram) who saved him.
After 1000 years, when the Lord emerged from the water, He was half naked and in the company of a half-naked woman. Seeing his half-naked form, many expressed disgust and said, “How can we accept this one as our guru? Shame, shame.”
They all said “Vedas, our tapas are all destroyed, che che che che che” and left. Out of them, only a few – maybe eight, or ten – stayed. Where there were lakhs then but now just eight or ten, only those eight or ten remained. They always saw the guru as guru, no matter the form. We have accepted the guru tattva. Whether He goes to Vaikuntha or Hell or Heaven, we go. Everything is maya, they said. Those few disciples stayed. Among those few, I do no know if you all are there. Maybe you are from one group or family in that, I do not know.
The lady turned out to be Yoga Mata – Anagha Devi. The Lord was Anagha Swami. Their children were the 8 siddhis or supernatural powers who grant siddhis to those who worship them.
That’s why we are celebrating Dattatreya Jayanti today, for the world’s good, he said. Then, many kings followed, taking up Datta parampara and Datta tattva. Sri Vallabha came, Narasimha Saraswati came, Tembe Maharaja came, many Maharashtra saints came as aspects of Lord Datta. In Karnataka, only some parts know Dattatreya; others do not know at all. Andhra people do not know Dattatreya at all.
There are people who believe one remains a bachelor if they worship Hanuman, will go on exile if they worship Rama and will need to observe too many rules to worship Ganapathi and so on. But they have no concerns and fears when it comes to eating three times a day. They feel if they worship Shiva, they will be led to the burial ground soon. These are also the things they teach their children.
They also teach their children the history of our invaders, they do not even teach our real history. There are no textbooks that talk about our real history and tradition, so people are ignorant about it. People think ‘Rama’ refers to the character in a movie.
These days, we do not even understand the movies, you need to be ‘intelligent’ to understand they claim. Back in the day, the movies used to impart Tattva during the climax.
Datta Jayanti is the only time this Moola Viraat moorti that is hundreds of years old is brought out. The Lord loves Tailabhishekam very much.
Teppotsavam
Bhajan ID 773 – jyōti veligindi sadguru jyōti veligindi
Datta Koti Deepotsavam Ki Jai!
The Datta Koti Deepa festival involved lighting a hundred thousand wicks on each lamp. These wicks were specially prepared. When all were counted together, it totaled one crore (ten million). In such a small space near the Ganga, at Sapta Rishi Tirtha, we celebrate Swami’s festival through Teppotsava (raft festival), one of the five major processions. We are lighting a lamp and beseeching the Lord to drive away the darkness in us. Let every household be filled with light. May everyone’s heart be kindled with the light of jnana – this is Datta’s Tattva.
Datta’s Tattva grants Jnana Jyoti – the light of supreme wisdom.
Regardless of how much treasure, money, wealth, talent, power, poverty you have, we all finally have to go to God. The ocean of samsara is the cycle of rebirths. We have no peace even after birth because we ruin the peace we get and then cry for peace. It’s like rubbing mud in our eyes and complaining. We overdo things and get sick and then pray to God for relief. Finally, whatever penance and keertana we do, we need to attain Jnana to attain Liberation.
Traditionally, we do arati to Ganga, we offer lamps to sacred rivers, and pray to God. We see the five elements very naturally. There is more water than earth. Fire is third, air fourth and space is fifth. First, the Lord incarnated as Matsya – fish. Therefore, we worship water. The Lord made this Creation and gave us the Vedas through that incarnation.
Then, we fall into the chaos of samsara. We always look for shortcuts and then suffer. If we have patience and go the right path, we will reach our destination. But we take shortcuts and suffer and then blame God for not taking care of us. We are praying to Lord Datta through the five elements (panchabhutas). Swami is worshipped via panchabhutas: earth first, then water, fire, air, ether. These coexist equally. In their union, fire burns, water flows, earth supports, ether pervades endlessly. The world seems tiny. The Dahara Akasha – the endless sky – we don’t know where it ends.
How is this Creation? It’s like a ball, there is no start or end. Paramatma’s Tattva is the same – He is not visible, not invisible, nor is He invisibly visible. This light is God, light is Jaganmanta, light is Datta. God has no form, but aspects of God incarnated on earth with a form. We are all living amidst the five elements. We are stuck here. We did not ask for this birth. Then, why are we experiencing it? It is His will. Now, children play on the beach and build castles in sand. Did the sand ask for the castles? When the parents announce it’s time to leave, the children flatten the castle and leave. God is doing the same with this Creation.
Children make a beautiful city in sand. Then, the parents call them (like God calls us) and the children jump on their sand castles and raze them to the ground. Did we ask for this samsara, these children, this birth? We don’t remember asking. After we got this birth, we started asking for these. We should actually be giving these up, but we are acquiring more.
There is a natural spring here (at the Saptarshi Sarovara). There used to be a pond here 200-300 years ago. Swamiji saw this in His dream and I insisted we have the Ashram here. The well with the natural spring was very deep, about a furlong deep. That is where we build this pond. Swamiji put water koti teerthas (sacred waters) in this pond. There is no Chlorine in this water. We used a special chemical that will not harm our health even if we drink the water. Do not drink this water, but if it accidentally enters your mouth, it’s okay.
All the teerthas (sacred waters) are mixed in this pond. The water will always be (pristine) like this. It is our great fortune that we are gathered here during Gita Jayanti, Hanuman Jayanti, Datta Jayanti.
Next year, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti are taking place on the same day.
Bhajan ID 1766 – nāv chal paḍī