Swamiji has lit the Vishnu-deepa today, the third day of the Datta Jayanti celebrations. Datta is a perfect incarnation who blesses us with Supreme Knowledge. Realizing the significance of Datta, one must try to come to participate in these festivities being conducted for Lord Datta and not wait for an official invitation.

Bodies are of three types namely -gross, subtle and causal. Datta relieves the devotee of the sufferings of all these bodies. By His grace one attains the state which is beyond the bondages caused by the three traits (trigunas i.e. traits of goodness, passion and inertia).

Each one of us reaps the resultant fruits of our past actions and they arise in three forms- ichha, pareccha and prarabdha i.e. experiencing the resultant fruits of the deeds done due to one’s freewill; effect of the deeds done due to other’s influence, and the results of the actions of the previous birth that are to be reaped now. Datta relieves the devotee of these experiences and sufferings.

Lord Datta bestowed liberation not only to humans, but also to the celestials and the demons. He is the Guru for all Gurus.

Previously, He used to impart Spiritual Knowledge to the deserving disciples by manifesting under an Audumbara tree. However, in Kali yuga, people do not have so much concentration and devotion. The people at large do not know what they speak and what they do. They don’t grasp the teachings of the Sadguru due to lack of proper attention. Harmony is declining while fighting is increasing in the world. Datta however emphasizes on Samata Bhavana or Samatva i.e. equanimity! All are God’s children- this is Datta’s message to mankind. The purpose of His incarnation is to infuse and develop this idea in all people.

Mutual understanding is the secret of happy life. It is important for dealings at home, in trade or in any activity. Hence the precious human lifetime has become wasteful for many people, who continue to be ignorant, and who are tilting towards mistrust.

People must understand that Swamiji conducts activities for their benefit. The devotees must follow Swamiji’s instructions. The general tendency is to view the Guru as per one’s own perspective. This is not proper. A Spiritual Guru must not be treated as an ordinary human. The Guru is divine. From the life of Datta, we observe that He accepts people of different types as His disciples. Datta had a selfless devotee named Vishnu Datta; a heroic king Kartaveerya, the sincere seeker of knowledge called Pingalanaga and a pious demon-king Prahalada. He admits to His fold an emperor, a commoner, a scholar, an illiterate person, a rich man as well as a poor man. In accordance with their level of understanding, He preaches to them.

Try to understand the philosophy directly from the Sadguru. Bookish knowledge without spiritual experience is dangerous. Four blind people went to an elephant. One man said that an elephant was like a pillar, by touching the leg of the animal. The second one touched its stomach and said it was a drum. The tail was touched by the third one who said it was a broom. The last one said that the elephant was a winnow by touching its large ears. Their quarrel was settled by one who revealed that the various parts of the elephant were as felt by them and that the elephant was not merely one of these parts, but has all the parts.

Hence one must understand the full form. This is the philosophy of perfect knowledge preached by Datta. Let us see Unity in Diversity. Let Lord Datta light the lamp of knowledge within us. Datta blesses us with the worldly welfare, knowledge and salvation. He is the Trinity in one (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

“Nitimala” an Ashrama publication consists of the teachings of Datta. Study it well. It is an easy way to attain knowledge. By following the teachings there in, your physical problems and mental agony can be solved. One must try to follow the teachings of Datta. The principal teaching is equanimity of outlook, which leads us to attain knowledge. Whether you recite Bhagavad-Gita, Vishnu Sahasranama, or any other sacred book, whether you do rituals or whether you visit any temple, always think of Datta, in the various forms of the several deities. May Datta bless us all!

- Datta Jayanti 1998