🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 189 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 181 When we talk about profundity, the ocean first comes to mind. The ocean is also called Ratnakara. He has so much depth, no one knows what’s in his heart, but heholds a lot of precious stones and gems. It is said that the belly of the ocean contains great wealth. Streams, rivers, rivulets etc come running in to the ocean. With a big heart, the ocean invites them into him and gives them refuge. He never refuses anyone. He gives his water to the sun, helps it precipitate as rain and benefits everyone. Ocean and Lord Rama, both belong to the Iksvaku dynasty. That is why Lord Rama was compared to the ocean as “Samudra iva sindhubihi.” Noble souls would come as rivers would, to join the ocean of Sri Rama.  Everyone coming to have darshan of Sri Rama was uniting with the ocean. Sri Rama would treat them with great respect and give them all refuge. Similarly, just as the line “Samudra iva gambhir

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 188 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 180 Next, ocean. There is a proverb (in Telugu) that says that a full pot (of water) does not move. True. A pot that is full does not move around like an empty pot. It remains stable. If even a little water is removed from the pot, the water splashes around every time the pot is moved. If the pot is filled to the brim, the water does not splash. It remains calm.  Similarly, a spiritual seeker should have a great depth of personality at all times and never lose courage. Only then will he be able to withstand the obstacles faced in life and in his spiritual practice. He will withstand joys and sorrows and other dualities. We sometimes observe, “This elderly person used to be fine. But, now he is sitting like a helpless person”. Lack of courage and mental strength makes a lot of elderly people weak. The reason is not disease or lack of comfort and amenities. This elderly person has no ailments.

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 187 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 179 Now, let’s talk about the python. Everything is determined by time. In this age, desire crosses limits and turns into greed. Just as the proverb (in Telugu) says that greed breeds sorrow, greed brings us a lot of difficulties.  Nobody is able to live within boundaries and limits. The primary reason for that is lack of association with noble souls. Thinking, “I alone am great”, and ignoring noble souls is the root cause of all sorrow.s Great souls will persistently guide and pursue us to enable us to walk the dharmic path.  They enable us to undertake noble tasks and receive the good merit for those tasks. They help us be satisfied with what we receive. They make our lives comfortable. In this context, Avadhoota Swamy told King Yadu what he learned from the python. “In a forest, there once lived a python with two heads. But, it would never move from its place. It would just stay put in its p

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 186 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 178 Avadhoota Swamy described to King Yadu what he learned from the pigeons. “There was a lovely pigeon couple in a forest. They lived in harmony for a long time. In course of time, they also had a few baby pigeons. They began bringing up their children with a lot of love and affection. Birds look very beautiful as babies. They are just about to grow wings and they sound really cute. These parent pigeons, with a lot of love for the children, would undertake any amount of hard work to go out and bring food from the forests to feed their children. This became a regular practice. A hunter noticed that the parent pigeons go out to the forest, bring back food and feed the baby birds. One day, he cast a net and captured the baby birds that were barely able to fly.  The mother pigeon who brought food back for the kids found the nest empty and experienced unbearable sorrow. Wailing, from her attachment

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 185 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 177 Avadhoota Swamy described to Yadu what he learned from Suryanarayana Swamy thus, “Sun, without touching the water, turns the water into vapor and passes them to the clouds. When time comes, he showers rains. Similarly, a seeker of Yoga should consume through his senses.  He should donate to the needy. Even though the sun appears in various water pots as multiple suns, in reality, there is only one sun. In the same manner, the seeker of Yoga should realize that even though Atman appears as multiple bodies, there is only one Paramatman.  He should be an embodiment of knowledge like Sun. He must look after the welfare of those who seek refuge in him. He must give them the alms of knowledge and enable them to perform their duty. When one always does his duty like the Sun, the entire universe will cooperate with him. Sun is always doing his duty. The Sun always does his duty, whether it is in th

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 184 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 176 Sun. Avadhoota Swamy is telling King Yadu about Sun. Let us learn about the Sun now. Let us try to understand a little, the quality of Suryanarayana Swamy (Sun God). Parabrahman is verily Sun. Sun is the visible God. He appears to our eyes everyday. He drives away darkness and blesses us with light. He blesses us with knowledge. He is life for all living beings.  He shines resplendently in golden color. He shines in his golden hair. With a golden form and with golden nails, he appears as a golden bird. We have seen a golden bird many times in these episodes. We should remember which bird we saw during each episode. Like that, with a golden form, with golden nails, the Lord appears as a golden bird. That is why he has the name “Ut”. Because he is untouched by sin, those who worship him will also be untouched by sin. Sins get destroyed. Sun is of the form of the Trinity. During dawn, he is

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 183 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 175 Due to Moon, medicines become potent and powerful. That is why, Moon is also called “ Aushadisha ” (Aushada=medicine; Isha=God, so God of medicine) and “ Dvijaraja ” (Dvija=twice born; Raja = king, so King of the twice-borns). Moon appears to us in a pleasant form. He showers cool moonlight. He looks beautiful and accessible.  That is why he is variously called Chandra, Soma, Raju, Seetamsha, Nishesha, Nishesa. Because he is the ruler of the stars, he is called  “Nakshatra Natha”  (Nakshatra=star; Natha=husband or ruler) and because he is the king of Dvijas (twice-borns), he is called “Dvijeshwara” (God of twice-borns).  Because the manes (Pitru ganas) are in the Moon, he is also called  “Pitru Natha”  (Ruler of the manes). Moon is worshipped because of his nectar, because of his coolness and because he bestows happiness. “Svetah, svetambaradarah, svetasah, sveta vahanah, gata panir, dvibah

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 182 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 174 We talked about Fire yesterday. We discussed that Fire gives light and heat. In the nights, he exists in the form of heat. He makes the seeker adhere to truth. He bestows concentration for worship of the Atman. He ensures that the person’s objectives are fulfilled. He removes the obstacles to faith and trust.  He fills us with strength, faith and courage. When we concentrate on the radiant form, we achieve concentration. Residing in the body, the Fire God detects diseases early and sends us signals. He provides good health. Even though Fire God can consume everything by burning them, he is untouched by impurity.  Fire is everywhere. There is nowhere he is not. Even though he is everywhere, he is in the form of dormant fire in some places. We just said that there is no place where there is no Fire. He is in the form of dormant fire. For instance, sometimes, the piece of wood seems to have be

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 181 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 173 Fire. Avadhoota Swamy is teaching King Yadu what he learned from his fifth Guru.  “Parabrahman is in the form of fire. He in the form of radiance. Our sacrificial offerings are received by the Gods through fire. That is why, our scriptures teach us to do Yajnas (ritual of offering and sublimating herbal preparations in fire accompanied by chanting of Vedic hymns) so that the country can be prosperous.  By performing Yajnas, owing to the sacrificial offerings received through fire, Lord Varuna (the God of Rain) showers rains on us. Moon is pleased and infuses plants with medicinal qualities, due to which we get food. Fire gives us the strength to gain victory over enemies. He keeps the enemies subdued. He keeps us pure. He gives us longevity. Fire God exists in the middle of east and south directions.  Some people consider Fire God who has the ability to burn everything, a destroyer. But, Fi

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 180 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 172 Avadhoota Swamy told king Yadu that his fourth Guru was Water. He described thus what he learned form Water, “Water is pleasant and pure. It is sweet.  Similarly, a sage should be pure within and outside. He must be without any impurity and should be pleasant. He should be calm. He should never hurt anyone and should always speak sweetly. He should be clean and hygienic. He should have love for everyone.  He should show love and compassion to all living beings. He should remove the difficulties of those who approach him. He should give them courage. He should purify others with his darshana (view of his divine form), touch, songs and words. He should remove the sorrow hidden deep inside the heart of the downtrodden.  He should give them the appropriate lessons and encourage them to undertake Dharmic (righteous, for universal welfare) acts.” See, this is how a sage’s conduct should be. “The

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 179 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 171 We discussed so far,  “Akasadvayuh Vayoragnih”. The sky was born from the Paramatman. The Sky supports the existence of all other elements of Nature and has the attribute of sound. All beings are born from the Sky and merge back into the Sky. Sky is the biggest of all elements of Nature. Sky is the basis for everything. Those who realize that the external Sky that is of the form of Absolute also exists within our body are greatly blessed.  You should realize that whatever is outside is also inside our body. It is with the support of the Sky that man can talk, man hear others talk, man can carry out all tasks. That is why Sky should be worshipped as the Supreme. Such a worshipper will experience great bliss. Real Sky cannot be seen directly, nor can it be comprehended directly. According to Vedic Sciences,  “Ghatakasa, Matakasala” . With support, we can identify the great Sky. That means,

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 178 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 170 Avadhoota Swamy taught king Yadu, “I told you my second Guru is Air. Air is everywhere. We breathe in only as much air as we need. Similarly, I learned that wise people eat not to appease their tongue, but just enough to survive. Air carries fragrant smells. It also carries bad odors, but remains unchanged itself.  Similarly, I learned that Yogis remain unattached to joys and sorrow. Yogis remain unattached. They are untainted and unblemished. Thus I learned that purity and impurity pertain to the body and not to the soul”. “This is good, this is bad” is only for the body and not the soul, taught the Avadhoota. From Air, a disciple who is a spiritual seeker should realize that “Excess” is very dangerous and should be cast away while “Moderation” aids our spiritual progress like a good friend. That is the thought here. This is how they are describing the gist of lessons learned from Air. Thi

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 177 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 169 We discussed that Vayu Deva moves within the human body in the form of Prana, Apana, Vyana and Udana (vital airs in the body). He (Vayu Deva) helps us practice Yoga and provides good health. Although Air cannot be seen, we can feel it with our sense of touch.  Air has two attributes of sound and touch. It is only because air is constantly moving that the entire creation is filled with life. Without air, there is no life. It is due to air that the skin covers the body and we are able to live, otherwise we wouldn’t be alive. In the outer space, there are seven planes of atmosphere.  They are greatly benefiting the universe. Air exists in all living beings as life force or Prana. Even though it exists in everything, it has no attachments. It is subtly holding together the stars, the sky and the earth. “Anila” is Air. “Anala” is Fire. They are both friends. Anila and Anala – how nice are the

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 176 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 168 “The Mother who is completely sinless is Mother Earth. That is why she is eternally blissful. She keeps blessing us with minerals, solids (metals, ores etc) and liquids (water, oils etc) we need. Mother Earth is the birth mother for all living beings.  She’s worthy of great worship. Mother Earth bestows great fortune on those who worship her. She forms the residence for all living beings. She carries the seas, oceans, rivers, mountains, gems and diamonds only for universal welfare. She does not carry them for herself, she carries them for the world.  Like this, the Mother whose vow is universal welfare is Mother Earth. I learned patience, forgiveness and courage from that Mother”, said Avadhoota Swamy. “I learned courage along with patience. Mother patiently tolerates many gigantic elephants stepping on her, so I learned courage, patience etc.“ Did you see Earth’s magnanimity? The Avadhoo

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 175 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 167 We discussed that the Avadhoota blessed Yadu and imparted spiritual truths. Those truths were as follows: “O King, I sought refuge with many Gurus. I learned many good things from them. Important among them are 24 Gurus. I am teaching you the knowledge I learned from them. Receive these truths. The first Guru is Mother Earth. I examined the quality of Earth and understood that the Earth is very great and has great patience. I examined the quality of Mother Earth very well. Even though all living beings are walking on her with their feet, the Mother tolerates very patiently. Even though pits, wells, lakes etc are dug on her body, she tolerates patiently.  So many people have dug into earth and removed the soil to create these large structures. Mother Earth tolerates everything. Moreover, to satisfy the hunger of her children, she even lets crops grow and be harvested. She protects trees. S

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 174 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 166 We discussed so far that Lord Dattatreya has 24 Gurus. Lord Datta is the Adi Guru, he is the original preceptor. Just as the first couple was Siva and Parvati, the first Guru is Lord Datta. He himself had 24 Gurus. He himself declared in the scriptures that he has 24 Gurus. Srimad Bhagavatam says that Lord Datta assumed the form of an Avadhoota (loosely defined as a mystic who has renounced all worldly attachments and lives in a state beyond body consciousness) and uplifted King Yadu. Let us learn about the teachings of Lord Datta here and the spiritual truths he explained. Once upon a time, when King Yadu was on a pilgrimage, he came upon a young Avadhoota. Yadu addressed the Avadhoota thus, “O Mahatma (great soul), you look like an erudite scholar. Yet, sometimes, you behave like a boy. People in this world make efforts to fulfill their desires.  They will not carry out any action witho

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 173 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 165 We discussed so far that the Guru uplifts some people visibly. He uplifts some others invisibly. If the disciple is being benefited indirectly, he should never become egoistic thinking that he alone is responsible for his own progress. Neither should a devotee become egoistic upon realizing that the Guru is invisibly uplifting him. It is wrong to think that you are responsible for your progress. Without getting egoistic, one must realize that the Guru is the reason for that progress.  You should keep saying physically, “If I am able to do all this, it is the Guru’s invisible hand. If Guru is visibly uplifting me, there is no greater fortune.” Only such a person becomes the best of disciples. He will be the one that understands the Guru’s intentions well. A true disciple is one who realizes that it is the Guru’s invisible hand that is uplifting him. Guru protects like a mother, like a fath

🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 172 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 164 We discussed so far that the Guru uplifts some people visibly. He uplifts some others invisibly. If the disciple is being benefited indirectly, he should never become egoistic thinking that he alone is responsible for his own progress.  Neither should a devotee become egoistic upon realizing that the Guru is invisibly uplifting him. It is wrong to think that you are responsible for your progress. Without getting egoistic, one must realize that the Guru is the reason for that progress. You should keep saying physically, “If I am able to do all this, it is the Guru’s invisible hand.  If Guru is visibly uplifting me, there is no greater fortune.” Only such a person becomes the best of disciples. He will be the one that understands the Guru’s intentions well. A true disciple is one who realizes that it is the Guru’s invisible hand that is uplifting him. Guru protects like a mother, like a fathe

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 171 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 163 The Guru and the Universe are not separate. Guru is the Universe and the Universe is the Guru. The visible energy that pervades the universe is the Guru alone. That is why, since the Guru and the Universe are one and not separate, Guru has become an integral part of man’s life. We thought they were different, that Guru was separate and the Guru Principle was separate.  But, that is not the case. When we realize that since the Guru has manifested in this Universe, since the Guru is the Universe and the Universe is the Guru, since man’s life is in the Universe, since man’s life is in accordance with the principles of the Universe and the principle of Time, we can see that the Guru has become a part of man’s life.  If a limb or a body part is missing, we feel like the body is not functioning correctly. If we can hear through both ears, we feel like it’s stereo sound. If we cannot hear throug

  🌹 Guru Geeta - Datta Vaakya - 170 🌹 ✍️ Sadguru Ganapathi Sachidananda 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj 162 If you listen to the Guru Ashtakam that you just heard, over and over again, if you learn it by-heart, if you keep chanting this mantra all the time, you will attain the good fortune of having read the Guru Gita, you will attain the good fortune of having followed the Guru’s instructions, you will attain the good fortune of having understood the Guru Principle.  Whether you are a great scholar or a lay person, whether you are a Yogi, whether you are diseased or wealthy, regardless of who you are and what state you are in – God gave everyone a different state – you will benefit from it.  Whether you are a Karma (action) Yogi or a Jnana (knowledge) Yogi or a Tyaga (sacrifice) Yogi, it’s a state you acquired due to your past karma. It’s a certificate you received. It is inevitable that you go through the experience. However, everyone needs to practice good habits. In some instances we can, b