All of you heard of the calamity in the U.S.A on 11.09.01, Tuesday. Thousands of people died. I am very unhappy. Swamiji gave message by telephone to devotees of USA to be courageous and o face the consequences of the problem with faith in the Almighty.
Many of the devotees in the calamity have miraculously escaped this incident. May Datta Bless them.
A forecast cannot prevent a calamity or an accident. Can the meteorology department which forecasts a cyclone, prevent its happening? The forecast must enable us to take precautionary steps to avoid the possible harmful effects of the danger, which befalls in the future. Just as the scientist forecast is due to the power of the physical science, a saint's forecast is due to his spiritual power.
Swamiji does not bless any one all on a sudden. Whenever a devotee prays for blessings, the first thing Swamiji says is "Try". Secondly, Swamiji says, "Believe in God". Read Datta Darshanam repeatedly. The third instruction is "sleep one night in the Ashram". The next advice is "stay in the Ashrama for 2 or 3 days". Thereafter Swamiji blesses the devotee.
Swamiji said "I am not a Mantravadi " (i.e. one who gives a talisman assuring too much, simply taking money. I study the devotee and bless him. My blessings have beneficial effect felt life-long by the devotee. I am not bothered whether devotees visit me or not, if you are lucky, I approach and bless you. Otherwise, even if you are in my presence, I do not even look at you and smile".
Develop devotion and faith in Swamiji; you should not demand anything from Swamiji. Never say, "Swamiji! The purpose of your birth is only to protect us. Do so now". Instead, you must develop the feeling "whatever happens is due to my fate. May it be so. May I be able to understand Swamiji's perfect and to follow the same better gradually. A true devotee said, “May the danger which may happen tomorrow may happen today itself. Such should be the mental attitude consisting of courage and faith. Swamiji instructs you "Sit properly. Face the danger boldly". Don't treat Swamiji as your servant.
The deceitful snake charmer sells many talismans saying that if one who wears them would be saved by snakebite. At the end of the show, he declares that by the power of the talisman purchased from him, the on lookers could not see the snake in the basket and others could not see the same as they were sinners! Actually, there won't be any snake in the basket!
In this Kaliyuga (the present age Kali), truth is misunderstood as untruth. Moreover untruth is respected as truth. People are confused in recognizing what is true and what is false. They are deluded. Even intellectuals fall into the trap of delusion. We should get rid of delusion. We should be able to recognize the truth as it is as also untruth as it is.
For example the celestial swan (Hamsa) described in the ancient mythology had the capacity to separate milk and water. However we do not have such swans now!
By sincere spiritual Sadhana (practice) we should develop discernment. It is easier to clean the body. However one must train himself to train one's mind to achieve purity gradually. To forget and get rid of distress, go to a temple or Guru Sannidhi (presence). The presence of the Guru can be felt even in his absence by the study of Guru's gospel, pious books and pondering over the same, or Bhajan, Japa or meditation, Anga Pradakshina, i.e. rolling around a temple also contributes to Chitta Shuddhi (purity of mind).
By merely staying in the Ashrama for a couple of days, a person attains peace of mind.
In the olden days, some people used to suffer diseases without taking any medicines. They thought, If I meet with death, it does not matter". However they regained their normal health soon. Such was their courage and confidence. Even if there are successive problems, face them boldly.
About the infatuation to one's body and one's wife, let us look at an example.
There is a devotee in Malaysia. He has been in coma for the past 3 years. To meet the heavy medical expenses, his house and car were sold. His children had to discontinue their study, unable to pay the college fee and hostel bill. If one of the tubes supplying liquid food to the patient is disconnected he is sure to die at once. At this stage a reference was made to Swamiji whether to continue the treatment, as the disconnection of a single tube causes death, which, on moral grounds may be considered as mercy killing. Swamiji advised the family, In case you can’t pay, the doctors will stop the treatment. Follow the doctors advice. It is good to do so, instead of yourself suffering and causing problems to others.
The worship to the deities must be sincere and wholehearted. It must not be ostentatious. The food offering must not be wasted even a bit, it must be utilized properly as Prasadam. Realize the value of the precious human life. Dont waste the precious lifetime. Render sincere selfless service to the fullest extent possible. Then your life would be truly fruitful.
In the end Swamiji sent the following message to the U.S. devotees in English.
I am very unhappy for this calamity in America. It is like an earthquake. So much suffering and confusion are caused by it. The distress is felt not only by Americans, but also by all the people of the world. I bless the suffering people to recover from the pain and grief soon. I pray for the safety and welfare of all the people. Don’t get upset. Pray to Lord Datta. Don't travel too much until December 2001. We will see what happens thereafter. I hope you will be free of the suffering very quickly. I will see you soon.