Saturday, February 21, 2015

Awards dinner speech

Today’s world is changing very fast. More and more people are joining the rat race of this consumer life. The urge to earn more money quickly, have bigger homes, drive bigger and faster cars, and do everything fast has made our lives over busy. There is an ever increasing demand for gadgets that do more work in less time. The demand for items that require more time and physical effort is decreasing. Newer technology is constantly replacing the slower older ones. In 1984 when the computer age started and the Internet age followed, businesses would consider themselves lucky if they could get 1 megabyte per second connection. Now, the Internet connections of the order of terabytes are available. Computers have also become powerful during the last 10 years from booting up to starting up.

Man’s love for speed is the reason the Wright brothers invented the airplane. And that small invention led man in pursuit of supersonic jets screaming past the sound barrier. Thousands of years ago, no man would have dreamed of running 100 metres in 10 seconds, whereas today there are so many runners like Usain Bolt who have broken that limit. Maybe this record will also be broken. Our traveling speeds have also increased in leaps and bounds during the last century. It used to take us 3 months to travel from Durban to India. Whereas today it takes only 14 hours for the same distance. The kitchen is not left far behind either in this race of speed. When I was growing up it used to take hours to cook food using wood and coal stoves. Now, the wood stoves are replaced by gas and electric stoves. Then microwave cooking became the latest innovation. Food can be now prepared in a few minutes.

Technology has changed our lives in every aspect. When I was young, to make a phone call we needed to book the call with the operator, then came automatic exchanges and we would crank the phone and get the operator to connect us to the number we gave him. Then came digital phones and exchange so we could dial direct anywhere in the world. Now we have the greatest menace in our lives, actually another appendage, the mobile phone that later came to be known as the cell phone. I think even Graeme Bell would have been upset with this device. This is the worst of all of technology. It causes cancer and distorts a child’s mind. As parents, we give this gadget to our children so that they are out of our space. Well, it has introduced in the child’s life a new dimension and experience about life and life’s activities. I ask all parents to take away cell phones from school going children and see what results are produced. This gadget and its social media is the only activity that interests the child of this generation. I, as the head of the Gayathri Peedam, totally ban cell phones at the ashram. If your child comes to the ashram with their cell phone and I catch him or her, the phone will be confiscated and put in the fire and the parent will be fined R1000.00.

With this I say enjoy this evening’s programme.
Hari Om.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Spirituality is a way of life

Hari Om.

Everybody talks about spirituality and many talk about it as being ‘an experience’. They say spirituality is an experience. Actually spirituality is a way of life. As Hindus we should live that as a way of life, continuously. Spirituality doesn’t mean going to temple or sitting in meditation. Spirituality means more than that. It is a way of life, a way we live. Namaste, vanakam, namaskar, good morning – these greetings are all part of being spiritual. But many of us have a new way of greeting. I went to a school not so long ago not far from where I live. My children used to go to this school. When I went to the school I greeted the principal, “Good morning Mrs so-in-so”, and she shook her fist at me (fist-bump) – this is the new way of greeting. This in my eyes means violence but it is how everyone is greeting now. Palms together and handshake are over now. They say, “Howzit?” How’s what?

That is why we are having so many problems in our lives. As we sit here every one of you is having problems you never thought you would encounter but they are coming your way. You might have been a successful businessman for many years and all of a sudden you’re having financial problems and the first thing you blame is the dollar. We always blame something else for our failure. Once you start to live in God, evey nadi, every molecule, every atom in your body resonates in God. Whatever you call God – Namashivaya, Jesus Christ, Allah – if it resonates in that then you’ll live a very successful life. Believe me.

We need God in our lives every day. We don’t need God only when we’re sick or have financial or other problems. God is always there and answers you in very subtle ways. And the God that we want is accessed through our gurus. Our gurus are great masters and through them – Kriya Babaji, Sivabalayogi, Murugesu Swami, Yogi Ramaiah – these are our gurus and through them anything is possible.

I’m going to give you an example of how God and the masters work. Seelan and Bhavta, after they were married could not find Seelan’s passport. My room was literally taken to pieces and we could not find it. We took everything out of Seelan’s room and we could still not find it. Mentally I said, “Babaji, today’s Monday we need to find this passport to send these children off”. We looked all over and everyone was blaming everybody. Seelan was blaming Ma, Ma was blaming me and I was blaming the masters. Then within 5 minutes of asking we found it – after searching for 7 days – just because I said “Babaji, I want it from you”. This is how they work, very subtly. And after I found it I was blamed because I locked it in the safe! Normally I don’t put things there. This is how the masters work. I’ve had this experience all my life, somehow the masters play their part in whatever I want.

So I’m asking all of you, that every nadi, every molecule, every atom, every vessel in your body resonate in God’s vibration. And to resonate in God’s vibration you have to say His name, not just in times of difficulty – say it continuously. You don’t have to go outside and shout it to everyone, but say it mentally, say His name. Dean will tell you how, just by saying the masters names, how things have happened in his life. Suren will tell you as well. And there are many others here who will say the same.

Spirituality is not an experience; it’s a way of life. Make it your way of life and, believe me, everything will happen for you. The masters have made everything possible. They can make anything possible. Somebody said to me, “Guru, if you could change Donovan Nair, you can change the whole world”. I said, “Who’s this chap?” They said they would bring him to me. There’s Donovan over there, he never used to come to service and now he never misses service. That is how it works. I went to buy a car once and the salesperson looked at me like I couldn’t even afford a pair of sandals. And there he is sitting over there. This is how it happens. And it’s all because of God and by the wisdom of His masters.

I met Dean by chance. I thought he was an albino Indian. Dean has been with me for 15 years. But he’ll tell you it’s all by the masters’ grace. Dean had the opportunity of sitting at the master’s feet on 2 occasions. Suganiya grew up in front of Swami Murugesu. This is what I’m saying: you’ll get what you want. Pingla here has finished her honours in pharmacy. Everyone wrote her off saying she would never make it. She believed in Babaji daily, in Babaji’s grace. In her matric year she did abishekam for Babaji every Thursday. She has recently started again. Spirituality is not an experience. It should be a way of life. Whether you are writing your Masters, MBA or PhD, without God you are nothing and you won’t get anything. Only God and the masters make it possible. Who are the masters? They are those who give you God’s energy. So make spirituality your way of life.