Akiveedu
Sri Maha Ganaptaye Namaha
Sri Sarasvatyai Namaha
Sri Padavallabha Narasimha Sarasvati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
āpadāmapa hartāram dhātāram sarvasampadām
lokābhirāmam srīrāmam bhuyo bhuyo namāmyaham
Today I was correcting some people who were referring to Akiveedu as a village. It has now become a town that is almost unrecognizable. Lakes and ponds have replaced the vast agricultural farms. At one time, there used to paddy fields all over. Truckloads of rice would be sent to Mysuru Ashrama from here. Now, perhaps there will be truckloads of fish and prawns. Of course the Ashram will not take them. It is regretful that we are only looking at the short term without consideration for the long term. Sure, farming fish and prawns may give you good profits for the next 10-12 years. After that, the land will be rendered useless. We should look out for our grandchildren and future generations who will face much difficulty due to our current practices. If a farmer has 20 acres of land, he can farm prawns and fish in 10 acres, but he must have agricultural crops in the other 10 acres, just in case of emergency. We should look out not just for the year ahead, but for the long term.
Once upon a time, storks would migrate from various countries, grow up and get healthy here and migrate back. It is not as if we have gotten poorer since then. We have been wealthy all through. We do not suffer from poverty. Some people always seem to be lacking, but they too can avoid suffering if they budget their life properly. Everyone can have enough wealth. God has blessed us with enough land as well as the strength and intelligence needed to make use of it. But we are not putting the resources to proper use. We are not thinking about the resources in the long run so we are not cashing in on them sustainably. Partly due to our own laziness and partly due to climate change, we are depriving ourselves of both material gains and enthusiasm.
Is there a country free from storms? No, every country has storms. Every country has natural disasters whether it is earthquakes or storms or water deluges or fire hazards. Where are there no loss of crops? Every country has them. Where are there no diseases? They are everywhere. Where are there no mental disturbances? They are everywhere people are. We are destroying forests and that is forcing animals out into human settlements. In the interest of instant gratification and immediate gains, we have undertaken activities that run against Mother Nature. We are selfishly looking out only for our comforts without consideration for our future generations. No one is thinking about our grandchildren. They are our future and they need to live well. We need to plan our activities in such a way that our future generations can live happily. That is when we are make real progress. I have been visiting many countries. I was in Mangalore yesterday where the rains had caused a lot of destruction. Due to improper planning, the rains melted and dissolved small hills. On these hills were built resorts and hotels. Naturally, Nature unleashed its fury.
There is no doubt that Americans are ahead in many aspects, but they are destroying our planet with their industries. That leads to global warming and acid rain. The glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising. Small islands are getting submerged. Tsunamis are rampant. The more we are progressing, the more risks to life we are facing. The more comforts we are gaining, the more are dangers chasing us. We should think about all this. Every household must independently think about this. It is not enough to blindly hoard possessions. Think about your lineage and your children and take appropriate actions. That is when we can save the planet and protect Nature. In parallel, we should budget spiritual progress, faith in God and faith in Mother Nature into our lives. We can be assured of peaceful lives then. We will have no fear. Our future generations will also live well. Otherwise, our children, grandchildren and future generations will suffer a lot. They will not know what paddy fields are. After four generations, children will not know what millets or corn or mangoes are. We will import them from America or only see them in videos. Our crops are getting destroyed. Our ancestors lived a full 100 years. The population then was greater than it is now. During the era of Mahabharata, there used to be astronomically large armies in battles. Did they all not live happy and well? Whey are we suffering so much now? We are living in so much fear. We are poking our own eye. Easily drawn into fear, we are destroying our lives. Whatever it is, we must always remember one thing - if we are aware and mindful of our birth, our growth, the state of our country and the state of our home, we can lead peaceful lives.
Swamiji is traveling to every town because people are expecting more happiness and are slowly losing faith in God. We act like we have faith, but deep in our heart, we have doubts about whether or not our prayers will be fulfilled. That is not true devotion. Whether your wishes are fulfilled or not, it is critical that you have faith. When we live with the understanding that our faith is our farm and yield, and our faith is our penance, we will be happy. Recognize good people and good nature. Develop and strengthen good nature at home. Only speak good and only do good to others. Do not eat all on your own. Share with others. If you alone eat what you cook, you are only eating sin. The wealth given to us by God is for sharing with others. It is said that one must snatch sorrows and share happiness. What does it mean to snatch away sorrows? Talk compassionately to the person who is sorrowful. It will make the person feel like someone cares for him. It will help him forget his sorrows. We should develop such a kind nature. To develop that nature, we should rise spiritually.
In Kaliyuga, the easiest way to chant is to sing the Hanuman Chalisa. Hanuman Chalisa is sung not only in our country, but in other countries as well. When the Tsunami hit Indonesia, many people there sang the Hanuman Chalisa even in those difficult times. It made me very happy. When I was in Dallas, a big committee came from California to seek Swamiji’s guidance on mitigating the big fire that was raging for six months. They reported that the government was unable to contain the fires. People were fleeing their homes as entire villages were getting reduced to ashes. They sought Swamiji’s help. I asked them to immediately get a center in California and start chanting Hanuman Chalisa. They came together and chanted Hanuman Chalisa. Within three days, they had rains there and the fires cooled down. They came running back to Dallas before I left. They said, “Swamiji, by Your grace, we escaped from the fires. The rains brought relief and the fires are contained”. Hanuman Chalisa has such great power. Christians and even people in the Caribbean are chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. Hanuman Chalisa is like Sri Rama’s arrow aimed at the enemies of fear, sorrow and other negative emotions. Everyone should sing the Hanuman Chalisa.
I do not know if you read in the newspaper today that a person who was undergoing surgery to remove brain tumor was asked by the surgeons to keep speaking so that the surgeons could make sure his speech was not impacted during the procedure. The surgeons took out his brain while operating on it while the man was continuously chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. Look up the news on the Internet. It made me very happy. I read the news on my flight here. We should practice chanting Hanuman Chalisa all the time. Hanuman Chalisa should become an integral part of our breath. That will infuse Hanuman Chalisa into our speech, our thoughts and our actions. When we intensely practice chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, our difficulties and our diseases vanish. Fear vanishes. We will encounter more good natured people. We will invite more goodness in our lives. The most important mantra in Kaliyuga is the Hanuman Chalisa.
Hanuman Chalisa is accessible to everyone. Lord Hanuman came the form of Saint Tulasidas and composed the Hanuman Chalisa. Swamiji composed Hanuman Chalisa in multiple languages. Devotees have started singing the Telugu Hanuman Chalisa composed by Sri Swamiji. When the local MLA asked Swamiji for Hanuman Chalisa MahaYajna, Swamiji did not give him a date. Swamiji’s schedule was booked three years out. Whatever date the MLA asked for was not available. He then prayed to Swamiji that Akiveedu would be ready for whatever date Swamiji chose. “You choose the date; whatever date you decide is good”. That is the right way to approach Swamiji. If you demand from Swamiji, He will not give a date. He will put it off. Many Ashramas are waiting for Sri Swamiji’s visit to perform Hanuman Chalisa MahaYajna. Last night at this time, I was talking about Hanuman Chalisa in Mangalore. By God’s grace, with Sri Rama’s compassion, we will have the great fortune of Hanuman Chalisa in Akiveedu tomorrow evening. Some good devotees have arranged this program and put the MLA as the face of the group. Normally, when I tell a group that I will visit them the same day, they are not prepared for the visit. But the MLA said he was ready for Swamiji’s visit at anytime. I was very happy with that. Tomorrow, call your friends, relatives, neighbors and acquaintances to the Hanuman Chalisa Parayana taking place across the high school grounds. May you have the good fortune of chanting Hanuman Chalisa along with Swamiji. Swamiji has conducted Hanuman Chalisa MahaYajna in so many places, why not at Akiveedu? Swamiji likes Akiveedu very much. I used to visit at least twice a year. I am not able to do that now because I made promises 15 years ago to visit devotees in the USA. I am fulfilling those promises now. I am doing healing music concerts and Hanuman Chalisa in various cities in the USA. It is hard to say where Swamiji will be and who He will bless tomorrow. Swamiji is in the east one day and in the west the next day. He is traveling in the south one day and then traveling north the next day. It is hard to say who Swamiji is uplifting and who is coming to Swamiji. By His grace, we will all gather together tomorrow for Hanuman Chalisa. The Ashram looks very festive. Lord Datta and Panchamukha Anjaneya are also very happy. May you have happiness and comfort. I will see you tomorrow. We will be together all day tomorrow.
Jaya Guru Datta. Sri Guru Datta.