Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sri Devi Navaratri Festival Mysore – Caturthi – September 25, 2025
Even if we have to travel a short distance from Mysore to Bangalore for one day, we pack so many things and prepare for the journey.
Time is just flying and waits for no one, so start preparing from now itself for the onward journey to other worlds.
For even one day’s travel, with a lot of care you make travel bookings and research accommodation and food options and carry your identity proof. No travel can be undertaken without any preparation.
This physical body is meant to help us prepare for the onward journey. Even for a college degree or any course, even if we make a donation and obtain a seat, we need to prepare for the exam. It doesn’t matter whether we fail or pass, but we have to attend classes and write exams. Even for a small job, there are certain criteria to clear. When we visit a temple, there are rules to follow: we have to leave our footwear outside and wash our feet. Some people wear shorts and come to the temple. There have been instances when dhotis have been given to people who have turned up to the temple in mini shorts.
To undertake this journey, bhakti is no doubt required, but one must also do Sadhana and the mind must truly be transformed. One should develop the feeling and belief that God alone is one’s protector and that there is no one else! As love and devotion toward God developed, slowly gains jnana and vairagya (detachment) will also arise.
When you go to a jewellery store, they give you a mirror to try on earrings and necklaces and see how it looks. Some shops even offer sarees to try on with the jewellery. Some expensive restaurants will give you a glass of juice when you arrive and tiny minuscule portions of starters. They will then give you a large menu card to choose items from. We eat whatever food is given even if it is not nice without complaining because we are considered to be “big wealthy” people. We then go somewhere else and eat heartily.
The same thing happens at parties also.
Visits to Teertha kshetras, holy dips in Teerthas, visiting temples in sacred Kshetras and performing charities like Annadana have all been designed to help us forge a relationship with Paramatma. Some people mechanically offer prostrations, and are not sure if they have bhakti. They wonder if they are really doing it of their own volition or because elders have told them to do so or simply because they see others and imitate them. We must initially learn to show our devotion with sincerity just as Arjuna showed his bhakti toward God with a lot of reverence and respect.
When Arjuna beheld the cosmic form of the Lord, that is when he truly understood that Krishna was God. After the war concluded, Sri Krishna left for Dwaraka and Arjuna realised that it was very difficult to meet Sri Krishna. Getting an interview was so hard for the one who was used to eating from the same plate as Sri Krishna. Suddenly after attaining jñāna and beholding the viśvarūpam, Krishna Paramatma was now not easy to reach like before, when Arjuna could spend countless hours with Him.
There is a story of how a Guru kept pursuing and following his disciple to impart wisdom, but the disciple was not keen then. He was mired in worldly affairs and taking care of his family and young children. Later, by the time the disciple realised his mistake, four lifetimes had passed! The disciple had to incarnate as a bull and finally even as a snake. When he begged the Guru for upadesham, the Guru said, “I shall give you life now, but upadesham will come later.” The disciple, now in the form of the snake, was roaming around the forests waiting and hoping to behold the Guru once more.
Kunti Mata is a great lady. When asked for a boon, she asked Sri Krishna to always bless her to have difficulties so that she could always remember Paramatma. Only in times of difficulty do we remember God. When good times dawn, we forget God. The Kauravas enjoyed the pleasures of the kingdom and forgot God, but the Pandavas always remembered God.
In Purandaradāsā’s composition, he beseeches the Lord, “let robbers loot this home, let this wife elope and leave me, and let me lose everything so that I only remember You! Otherwise, I fear that as long as I have sukha (happiness), I may forget You!”
When we are enjoying comforts and happiness, we must always pray, “this happiness and joy which we now have are given by You alone. We wish to enjoy all this with You by our side, .” This should be our attitude and prayer when happiness comes our way.
If you keenly watch the Navāvaraṇa puja, you will notice that Swamiji sometimes loses awareness of Himself and may fall somewhere at some moment. It is only when Arati begins that Swamiji again gains awareness.
When we are far away from God, we realise His greatness. When we are close, it is more difficult to realise this. When times are difficult, do not try to escape but instead try to come closer to Swamiji. Never say “why bother, let us stay away from Swamiji.” If such a thought arises, immediately go take a bath and scold yourself for allowing such thoughts to come to your mind.
Vratas like Ekadashi are meant to help us get closer to Paramatma who is present everywhere – both within the body and outside it! Paramatma is present in the microcosm in every atom as well as the invisible subatomic particle and is known as Aṇu. He is also present in the macrocosm as the very cosmos itself and is known as Mahat. Thus, Paramatma is present in both that which is visible and invisible!
Navakoṭi viśvasahita māmpātu – refers to Mother Goddess as being all-pervading and extending to the countless worlds even beyond this Milky Way. She is beyond this cosmos! Science cannot describe this, nor can the mind fathom this! She is the formless effulgence which cannot be seen with mere eyes. Arjuna also needed to be blessed with jñāna netra (eyes of wisdom) to behold Paramatma’s cosmic form.
Many people are so engrossed in their phones that they do not even know that Swamiji came and left also. People complain of blocks in the heart. The real blockage is in the jivatma. Remove it with sound, light, sadhana and jñāna. Guru Kripa will not help clear this blockage, you have to do the required sadhana to clear it. Do everything which the Guru instructs and put it into practice. No one gets a special ticket. These were the very words which Sri Krishna said to Rukmini Mata who lives in His heart! Then what to say of us lesser mortals?
We are all here now as seekers who are looking for something, and are therefore sanyāsīs now. Do not seek anything which is unnecessary.
New composition for day 3 of Navaratri: Lakṣmī Prasanna Pramoda prapūrṇa
Meaning: O Lakshmi Devi, may You be pleased with us. There is no correlation that worshipping Lakshmi Devi grants us money. She blesses us with Siri (wealth in the form of grain, cattle and children) but this is nothing but jñāna. When we worship Her, She shows Maha Vishnu to us! She is as innocent and compassionate as Bhola Shankar and gives Maha Vishnu to us. Lakshmi represents Ananda. She bestows Vaikuntha on us.
The second verse of this new bhajan states that those who worship You are protected from even difficulties which will arise in the future. O Mother, I worship You as the One who grants us wealth, even though that is not Your department. You are sat cit ānanda and the effulgence of jñāna.
We shall now look at a small composition for Day 4 of Navaratri: tillāna takiṭa taka tom