AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Through bhajans, we are spreading His fame, our tradition, Vedanta, our true Dharma, and messages that we need to disseminate to all humanity. Many bhajans have no barriers of caste, race, or religion. Some are related to tradition, some are for scholars, some are for the layperson, some are for the devotees of Guru, and some are related to those who undertake social activities. These bhajans stress the importance of service to mankind and help us see God in mankind. There are thousands of such bhajans, and I even wrote a new bhajan today. Many musicians sing these as fine musical compositions. The tunes are attractive and catchy too.

 

Everyone should get the Bhajana Mala app. The lyrics are in all languages. They also include musical notes or svaras. There cannot be an easier way than this to control children, especially in the US. Make use of this opportunity. Even if you have no devotion, pretend devotion in front of kids. A drama artist with no devotion would play the role of a devotee. Eventually, the actor would attain the same feeling as the character and become a great devotee. A fly picks an insect from the earth and places it in its nest. The fly keeps swirling around the insect and pricking it. The insect, out of fear, is constantly thinking of the fly and eventually becomes like the fly and flies away with it. This is a puzzling phenomenon from a scientific perspective as well. Thus, if we dwell on noble qualities, we gain those qualities too. A chain smoker sitting in the presence of the Guru will not smoke for the few hours he is sitting there. He will slowly give up smoking. The virtuous adhere to good qualities and attain the foremost knowledge. The wealthy gain a charitable nature due to the Guru. It is incredibly difficult for the miserly to obtain a charitable nature, but they end up adopting it by observing others. That is the power of Satsanga!

 

From Satsanga, we gain distance from useless people who have no direction, no devotion, no Guru, etc. Due to some mistake that they or their parents made, or due to seeing some fake Gurus, they lose devotion. There are also some who will abandon Guru when their tasks don't get accomplished. But if we bring such people to Guru and show them satsang, they will get transformed. Rather than asking children to bow to Guru, you bow down to Guru. That way, you will set an example.

 

All the great Vishnu devotees - Prahlada, Narada, Parashara, Pundareeka, Vyasa, Ambareeshwa, Shuka, Shounaka, Bhishma, Daalbyaan, Rukmangada, Arjuna, Vasishtha, and Vibheeshana are all supreme devotees. But if you look at their life history, some of them did not start out as devotees. They worked hard and became devotees. Why do you not gain this fruit then without all that suffering? Due to some merit in your past life, you are all here with Guru.

 

What is the need for Swamiji to travel so much? I am not talking about my age; why should I travel? Wherever I sit is Vaikuntha, it does not matter where. So why is Swamiji traveling? There is some bond, some karma that each of you shares with Swamiji. Why is Swamiji in my life? Why did Swamiji visit our house? Why did we go close to Swamiji? Even if you try, you cannot forget Swamiji. Something pulls you close to Swamiji. But something also pulls Swamiji close to you- It is just that you all express your feelings, I do not. To remove your sins, to remove your confusion, or to give you courage and wisdom, this is happening. Many people go to the doctor at the end of their life. The doctor will not immediately dismiss you saying it is too late. He tries to help you. He gives hope and tries some medicine. When we receive that hope, that mental suffering will be pacified. Due to that, the patient gets new hope and, per the doctor's words, the patient does live longer. That mental courage helps us achieve anything.

 

If we are mentally hurt or suffering, we immediately go into shock. Take the story of a man who has a coconut grove with hundreds of coconuts. There was one tree that bore large coconuts that he would never climb and pick coconuts from. Everyone was surprised, but no one knew why. A thief entered the garden one day and found this tree that had huge bunches of coconuts. He was very happy and at midnight climbed the tree and went to the farmers’ market that Saturday to sell those coconuts. The owner found the nearly 100 coconuts missing from that tree the next morning. He knew that the thief would sell them at the market. The thief had already sold half the lot. The owner asked why the thief had stolen from that tree. The thief denied doing so. The man said - why did you climb that tree? It has a venomous snake that would have bit you, and you would have died. The thief said - Oh yes, I think it bit me twice. Out of shock, the thief died right there.

 

When the doctor gives us medicine, he also gives us hope and mental courage. These days, there are not many people to listen to our worries and grief. God alone gives us courage. When we remember Him, chant mantras, and sing His bhajans, we gain courage. Swamiji has propagated Bhagavad Gita all around the world. That has transformed so many households. Changes have come about in so many people. We heard that 150 people are going from here to Dallas for Sahasragala. The children get transformed, their memory improves, they do well in school, and their behavior changes. Children addicted to TV and video games are transformed and start taking interest in the Gita and wanting to see Swamiji. No amount of money can win us this. We are not allowed to shout at, touch, or smack the kids in the US. That gives them too much freedom. But due to Bhagavad Gita study, the children feel greater love for you, and you feel greater love for them.

 

Sahasragala is not the end of this program. Spread the Gita more and more. It is good for you, your health, your focus, your family, and your Dharma. We can all live well only due to our Svadharma. We have all come from various places; we do various jobs. We cannot leave this place and go back, nor can our aged parents come here, they find this place too cold. Only about 20% of the people here from India are settled without any worries or guilt. Others have visa issues, aging parents, or other issues in India. We cannot bring up children properly here, nor are we able to take care of old parents in India. We may have money but have no peace of mind.

 

You can all join the Gita program. Fluent reading is easy to do. It is not difficult to learn as it is the language of God. Arjuna is a scholar. He also did a lot of penance and won the commendation of many Gods. Yet, such a great soul had doubts. To clarify such doubt, he needed a teacher. Krishna showed Arjuna His cosmic form and merged Arjuna into Him. Bhagavad Gita's power is so great.

 

I wanted to talk about bhajans but moved to Bhagavad Gita. The children sang very well and also recited Bhagavad Gita well. We need this center and this energy in Washington DC - the center of this country. We do not need a big temple here; we have a big temple in Dallas and other places. We need a center here for Bala Datta, Satsanga, etc. We will have to get a big hall when Swamiji visits anyway. Get a place that is under about $2M. Many places are doing these kinds of programs; why can you not? If you get a place, you will be recognized as a center for Dattapeetham. We do not need huge acreage. A small center is enough. We just need something we can call ours. First, we need the grace of Goddess Lakshmi (wealth). Therefore, with a magnanimous mindset, you all from the three states can come together and make this happen.