Discourse by Param Poojya Aniruddha Bapu on 26th August 2009
On the Thursday of 26th August 2009, Param Poojya Aniruddha Bapu delivered His discourse as usual again at New English High School ground at Bandra East, Mumbai.
Param Poojya Aniruddha Bapu’s discourse revolved around importance of Establishing Goddess Gauri at our Homes during the time of Ganesh Festival (from the fifth to seventh day of the festival).
Bapu said that Goddess Gauri likes whatever we offer to her from our heart rather than offering her any specific foodstuffs.
Bapu said that offering Goddess, liquor is totally wrong. Holy texts mention Sura to be offered to the Goddess, which actually means Madhu-Parka (a mixture of one bowl of curd, 3 bowls of milk, 3 spoonfuls of ghee, 1 spoonful of honey and 1 spoonful of sugar), which Goddess likes a lot and not liquor as most of us have wrongfully taken it.
Bapu said that the liquor you offer never reaches Goddess but it ends up as an offering to the negative, evil forces. Then when we make some mistake in this offering, the negative forces get enraged and as a result try to inflict harm on us. When this harm is inflicted we feel that Goddess has got angry. But actually Goddess never gets angry, as we all are her children and She never gets angry with her children.
Bapu said that Goddess Gauri is Goddess Annapurna. Goddess Annapurna controls the entire Food Cycle in the human body. The food that we eat is responsible for development of our Mind (Manah) and body. The Goddess filters the food before letting it into our body. The Goddess fosters the positives factors in the food once they enter our body and diminishes the effects of negative factors in it.
Bapu further said that one should never insult Goddess Annapurna. The following are the ways is which one can cause insult to the Goddess.
Don’ts while eating food:
1) By wasting the food, consuming the food in excess (over and above than our appetite) and by expressing dislike for some particular foodstuffs. Neither should one blame the food for its taste or any other property nor should one try to classify and blame it on religious or castiest backgrounds.
2) Moreover one should not be engrossed in negative thinking while having food.
Do’s while eating food:
1) The food should be served with love and affection.
2) Continuously chanting the name of the Lord (as much as possible) while eating.
3) Atleast, reciting Lord’s name once with every morsel is very important.
Bapu said that with this chanting the thinking of the person would undergo a positive metamorphosis. Also it will enhance the positive effects of the food on the body and will aid immensely in digestion process.
Further Bapu went on to explain the importance of laying imprints of palms (Hasta-Mudras) on the walls of our house on the day of Gauri Pujan. Bapu asked everyone why are the imprints laid on the walls only, why not on the ceiling or the flooring? To this Bapu explain that the walls of any house signify the boundaries of the homeliness. Wall represents the eldest person of the family.
Bapu further went on to explain the meaning of homeliness. Bapu said whenever one feels the strong urge to return home (after he has finished his work for which he had stepped out of the house) that is defined as homeliness. Bapu gave a small recitation a famous Marathi song over here – Ghar (Hawk) hindate akashi, lakshya tiche pillanpashi. To establish and enhance this homeliness one should involve himself in the domestic chores, go on an outing with family members, eat food together, etc. Bapu said that one might hit his children if they go wrong, but the thrashing should be proportional and should not be out of your unsatisfied or hurt ego.
So one should pray to Goddess Gauri that everyone in my house should be full with this feeling of homeliness. One should further pray to the Goddess that let your blessings always be with our house.
Staying together in one single house may also require sacrifice (tyag) to be performed. Sacrifice (ethical) done by anyone for anyone, never goes waste, as any sacrifice performed reaches the Parmatma.
Bapu further made one fact bare. If one feels that these imprints are defacing his house, then that person is not fit and doesn’t deserve to celebrate this festival at all. Bapu said one should never be embarrassed about the beauty, education, facing, financial condition of his parents (atleast).
Here Bapu exemplified this with one of the stories’ of his doctor friend. His friend was a native of Uttar Pradesh and was famous across Mumbai. On the day of his marriage, during the reception party he had made a special arrangement of the seating of his mother who was a village rustic and hardly could speak any other language except her native language. Still, the doctor never got embarrassed about her attire, beauty, education, background, etc but rather honored her by making her sit in front row, that also amongst his friend circle, which was very sophisticated and urban.
P. P. Bapu finally closed his discourse making everyone remember one religious verse “Nupekshite Kadapi Ramo Dasabhimani” which means that Lord has the ego only of his devotees (children).
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