AvadhootaDatta Peetham

śivāya śankarāya maheshvarāya

śivāya rudrāya namaḥ

om aim hreem śreem śiva rāma anagha dattāya namaḥ

Today is the first day of Ati Rudra Yaga. We performed the Yaga with happiness. When the smoke from this Homa (fire ritual) reaches the sky, it destroys the poisonous fumes from the millions of factories, fireworks, ammunition, trains and other vehicles that rise up towards the sky. In recent times, these poisonous gases getting trapped in snow are blanketing big cities like Delhi and Kolkata in smog. This causes diseases. Who will do such Homas again and again in these days? Neither is one performing these Homas often, nor is there anyone to watch these Homas. These Homas are all done with proper mantras while pouring ghee into the sacrificial fire. When ghee falls in the fire, the smoke from the Homa does not make us sick even when it enters the body. Of course, do not deliberately stick your face in the smoke. This smoke also rises up in the sky and acts as an antidote to the poisonous fumes. But the poisonous gases do not melt.  There are a lot of poisonous gases lingering in the sky.

Plastic does not melt even in the oceans. An experiment was done recently to see how plastic does in space.  Scientists threw some plastic in space, but it did not degrade even there. Plastic is a chemical that does not succumb to anything. It takes thousands of years for it to degrade even if you put in earth. This plastic then affects our crops and gives us respiratory diseases. The harmful gases from factories are drained into rivers killing the already endangered animals in water.

We also have huge fire disasters. Australia and California have recently seen big fire disasters. We do not yet have the equipment to fight massive fires. How much water can you throw at those fires? Many species are getting destroyed in such disasters. Birds, animals, snakes are all destroyed. Not all snakes are venomous. Snakes in fact eat the pests that destroy crops. The Lord creation is all interconnected. When snakes are killed, the crops are also destroyed due to man’s artificial creation and products.

The air temperate is also rising. This is melting the ice gathered over several generations. When ice melts, ocean levels rise. The rising water levels submerge small islands. We cannot even withstand a small rain. Everything in Nature is interlinked. All these are signs of impending dissolution (Pralaya). Dissolution is inevitable. Dissolution in prior ages too destroyed all life. We cannot protect anything when there is dissolution. That is why they ask us to turn off electricity for one day. We are asked to spare the air for one day and not use our vehicles. We are asked to close the factories for one day. Fasting once a week (giving up one meal) is also good. We can feed the poor instead. This helps restore some balance. All this is not new to Kaliyuga. This system has been there in every Yuga. The four yugas we know of are only for our calculation. There are innumerable yugas. What is happening now has happened in those yugas too. To balance the ill effects, we chant divine names, offer worship to God and go on pilgrimages. Lead a simple routine in holy places. Sleep on the hard floor and eat simple food. Many of you have not used the phone in the last two days. Of course, you have no signal. If you get some office related work done, it may make sense to use the phone. Otherwise, why bother? If you minimize your use of the Internet, even the outer space will have peace. In London, they once had to halt all flights for a couple days due to technical issues. They said the skies seemed peaceful like never before. There are thousands of flights each day. It causes noise and air pollution.

To balance all the pollution we are creating, our scriptures recommend the performance of Yagas. Contrary to what many people believe, our scriptures are based in science. Many think our scriptures are full of stories by “writers” like Vyasa. Vyasa is not just a writer.  He is Lord Narayana himself. He wrote about this creation. He did not write novels. Do not think of Skanda purana, Markandeya purana as just good books. It is wrong to think that Vyasa just wrote good stories. Nor should we appreciate Sage Vyasa as if he is just a poet. Noble souls like Sage Vyasa wrote stories of the divine. We are all insignificant as blades of grass. Yet, they yearned for us too to get liberation. God took on the forms of these great sages and gave us those stories. Yagnas are based in scientific processes. Ati Rudra Yaga is one of the major Yagas. Moreover, we are performing the Yaga in a holy place. You are here to witness the Yaga out of love and devotion for Swamiji. If someone else were doing the Yaga, there would barely be any people here. Someone performed Ati Rudra Yaga and had only 40-50 people attend. Swamiji is inculcating love for Yaga in you all. He is indicating that you should have as much love for Yaga as you have for Swamiji. Yagas are good for Nature, for protection of Dharma and for this world. God is also pleased by Yagas. There is no doubt that we will all go to Vaikuntha. That is what we are all striving for. Due to ignorance and delusion, we are constantly occupied with this world and its trappings such as family and children. No one belongs to us – no children, no family. When our grandparents left, they left with their eyes closed. Everyone’s life and journey is their own. No one belongs to anyone. Each one’s path is different. That is how our journey is. No one can help us.

Scientifically and spiritually, the Homa smoke has proven benefits. It looks like smoke, but it is not really smoke. This Homa is liked even by our forefathers. The lingering poisonous fumes in the atmosphere are a result of human activities. Sometime ago, I lost my voice completely due to dust and smoke. That poison is very strong. When the Gods churned the ocean of milk to get nectar, poison came out first. The Lord drank the poison. If not, the worlds would be destroyed. But the poisonous smoke we have now is nothing compared to the poison that the Lord consumed. The man-made smoke that arises from man’s actions to drive his own comforts is bad for us. Nothing can be done about the poisonous gases that are all lingering in space. One day it will envelop the planet and that will lead to its dissolution. Every yuga has its own way of dissolution. It could be from fires and earthquakes and other natural disasters. Our lifespans have shortened. People get cancer at 10 years of age these days, not 80-85 years due to the polluted environment. That is why our scriptures recommend so many Yagas such as Rudra Yaga, Satra Yaga, Ashwamedha Yaga, Sudarshana Yaga etc. The power of those mantras and Yagas and the smoke from the Homas is a powerful weapon against those poisonous fumes. That is why, we should keep doing these Yagas once in a while.

So, today is the first day of Yaga. Sri Krish Raman had the great desire to do this in Yaga in Kasi. He did the Yaga in Mysore first. Then, he wanted to do one in his own village. He passed away on the last day of the Yaga in his own village. He was so fond of Swamiji. He never hesitated to make donations to Swamiji. Mother Goddess is also here. Wherever we do Ati Rudra Yaga, Mother is present along with Lord Ganapati and her army. Mother’s army is humongous. Subramanya Swami is the commander of the army. All the 333 crore Gods are present here in the Yagashala.  We are so fortunate to do this Yaga in the holy city of Kasi. This is enough blessing. We do not need anything else. When you come to this city, you have a sense of detachment and a feeling that nothing in this world is real. That is real dispassion. You will long to simply to go the Lord’s abode. You will feel like all this is an illusion. We feel that way when we go to temples and when we see ardent devotees throng the temples. Our devotion feels smaller compared to theirs. Many people come walking from far off villages to see the Lord in Kasi. Some arrive rolling on their sides to see the Lord. They come here and spend 9 or 15 nights. That is enough. In fact, those who return from Manasarovar should not be disturbed for 2-3 months. Their mind is really detached. They wonder why the Lord does not take them away soon. Life is just about cooking, eating and sleeping. What life is this? But you cannot stop eating either. You’ll get emaciated and will need to be hospitalized. You need to protect your life. How do you fulfill the purpose of your life? Do penance and learn about yourself. We are doing penance unimportant things like money, children etc. Those that are leaving are leaving. People keep dying. They leave and do not remember us. No one comes with us. It is only as long as we live that we support each other. Even between a husband and wife, one has to go before the other. It is very rare for a couple to die at the same time. Only one couple I know in my lineage passed way at the same time while singing bhajans.

Serve others. Feed animals you find on your way. They are eating plastic bags and dying. Clear plastic bags from the street while chanting Om Namah Shivaya. Today, someone cleaned Swamiji’s path. Clean the path with water and put rangolis. There is no greater blessing than that. Many poor people sell vegetables to earn their livelihood. Buy something from different sellers and offer at the Annapurna mandir kitchen here. It is good for the mandir, it is good for you and it is good for the sellers. I wanted to buy them on my way, but did not because my children would prohibit me. Donate food and clothes to the poor.