Shri Ganesha puja. Tivoli (Italy) 11th September 1983.

Today we are celebrating the Birthday of Shri Ganesha, because it is a very important thing for all of us that we should celebrate His Birthday; and yesterday we did the Havana. But yesterday we had many new people so I could not talk to you very clearly about Shri Ganesha’s deeper manifestations. You know that He resides within us.
[Shri Mataji speaks in Hindi]
Now we have a very great asset within us that we know about Shri Ganesha, and that we can excite His powers.
Shri Mataji [to an Italian Yogini]: Please translate.
To manifest Shri Ganesha, we have to do certain amount of Tapasya – penance. First we have to say, when we sit for meditation, that: “I am going to be worthy of Your appreciation. Make me humble, so that I am appreciated by You, and my only desire is to please You.” Then you sit down in complete preparedness, meditating over your Mooladhara, putting your attention to it with absolute purity. Now you have my photograph before you and you tell the photograph that, “Mother, You are Shri Ganesha. You give me wisdom and discretion”. So, attention at the Mooladhara chakra, which is actually below the sacrum bone. You put your right hand towards the photograph and left hand on the Mother Earth. Now this wilI tell you that your mind, or your brain which is full of confusion, which has no discretion, which is complicated, which does the same mistakes again and again, which does not understand how to cure the ills of bad thinking. All that can be cured if you put your right hand towards Me and the left hand towards the Mother Earth. So, in action, you do like that.

Now as He is the ‘essence’ of everything’ that is material, that has bhava , that has been created. He is the essence of everything that has been created. ‘Through Him’ everything has been created. When you develop that, you develop your sense of subtle creativity, and the sense of subtle appreciation of creativity. Then you develop your discretion of how to behave with others, in a beautiful manner, so that your ego is controlled. The behaviour should be such that there should be no expression of ego in your behaviour. Your Mother is a good example.

I think you know that I know quite a lot of things, but I never show off, nor ever assert that I am so knowledgeable. 1 live like a very very ordinary person with you, and I do not in any way assert my personality that gives you a shock. So, with your intelligence or with your other powers -like if you are a moneyed man or if you are more efficient, or anything, you should not try to impress on others. But you must deal with it beautifully. So the beauty comes when you are efficient “and” you are loving. That is the central point, that is the result. That you are knowledgeable and you are humble. That you know everything about everyone but you are discreet. So in effect, it is a complete personality that can only give that kind of a very soothing effect. So the soothing effect comes as a result of beauty. So to develop it you have to meditate on your Mooladhara chakra.

I have seen many people get fanatic about Sahaja Yoga also. They think they are the real Napoleons or Shivaji! In Marathi we call him Shivaji, but Shivaji was a much better person than Napoleon, better to call him Napoleon. Then they start guiding you in everything -“This is not good, that is not good. Tam a very great Sahaja Yogi! You are like this,” and all that, and very hot-tempered because they are fanatics. Fanaticism and temper goes together. There is no love in fanaticism. If you tell them don’t be a fanatic, they will start crying. So the fanaticism of Sahaja Yoga is most blinding. It is something like, in front of the Temple of God you beg from other people for money. Sahaja Yoga is one thing which should not lead you to ‘any’ fanaticism. You have to be prasanna-chitta, which means you should be a very happy, joyous personality; and not a tense, abrupt person. But this only achieves it’s maximum result when everything is done in complete innocence.
But many people confuse innocence with stupidity. They think, to be stupid is innocent. And a stupid man gets into an ego trip in no time. Innocence is the wisest thing. You ‘cannot’ befool innocence, that’s the main thing. No one can befool me, I am very innocent. Innocence is that which does not harm anyone, that does not think that it can solve the problems, but, it leaves everything for God to solve. It is just existence itself-in the blessings of your Mother, as Ganesha was, just living on the complete blessings of His Mother. It gives you concentration.
Have you seen a child being nursed by mother, how concentrated the child is. Sucking everything! It doesn’t bother who is who, where he is sitting, what is it, what is catching. It doesn’t bother as to who is next to you, what is your relationship with others. Or it doesn’t bother, at all, as to the future, as to what he is to do next.

So innocence keeps you in the present. Innocent man is permanently relaxed. Supposing I have to go today. Alright, so I’ll go at the time when I have to go; what’s the use of getting agitated about it? People get even 10 days ahead agitated if they have to go after ten days. And when it really comes to going, they have forgotten everything. Because they are not in the present. So to develop your innocence also is a very good idea ‘to be in the present’. At the most what’s going to happen? I mean whatever has to happen will happen in any case. So why worry? I am one person who is least worried, and nothing has gone wrong with me so far. On the contrary I play tricks that everything goes wrong with people like that! And I want them to learn that this is not so important. To keep yourself in the present is your job and leave everything to God Because you don’t know that when you are in the present you are in contact with the Divine power, but when you get out of the present you are not there -you are under your ego or superego.

So for all of you I may try just to show that I am also playing with you to prepare you. I am least bothered about anything whatsoever. What is such a disaster you have seen in your life, just tell me. I have seen the last dissolution of the whole universe. What can I fear anymore? So when you get upset, think of something very serious that has happened to you before, and then you will not be so much worried about the non sensical little things here and there. So miraculous things will happen, through your innocence. The more innocent you are the more blissful you will be.

Now, many people should try this thing: sitting in a group together, meditating, saying the mantra of Shri Ganesha, to try to build up. Those who think too much, they should also try to say “Not this, not this, not this … “. Even the superego when it gives you thoughts, you should say “not this, not this, not this … “. So you will develop that state where you stand yourself: and nothing else. So the innocence plays, but it is not involved. It sees the play, just sees, it enjoys the play, just enjoys. So today when we are thinking of Shri Ganesha, let us desire that, “Within us His great power of innocence be enlightened”.
And He is, on the other side, the source of love. The source of emotional security. He’s like a child, a very charming, beautiful child, and people feel extremely enchanted. Charmed, seeing that innocence?  You see it’s a fraternal love, a fraternal enchantment for him.

A motherly enchantment. Because ” charming” also is a very funny word. Because in the west people don’t understand even innocence towards children. So you have to be childlike, not childish, confusion must not be there. But some people confuse it. They think it should be like a big baby, you see; and that you have to be treated like a big baby all the time, from bottle feeding to nappy changing, in Marathi it is called “Motha Bal”. And there’s no end to it. So this kind of thing, if it is done to someone, that really will become a stupid fellow in no time.

But Ganesha’s enchantment has dignity. He may look like a child, but He is an old man. He is the eldest of all. And despite all these years, he has kept His innocence intact. So sometimes people confuse it with doting or sort of or caring too much, and the innocent person doesn’t like it much. Even if somebody does it, He wouldn’t mind, because it pleases the other person. But it does not go to his head or anything. On the contrary, when you are doting on such a person, you start learning.
There was somebody like that he was an expert on massaging the feet. So she said “Mother, just you give me one hour one day and I will come and massage your Feet, because I have known that art”. I said alright, come such and such day. And when she started massaging my feet, you see, she said, “What is happening! It is me who is relaxing”.

So, that is the beauty of innocence, that when you try to pamper the innocence, when you try to dote on the innocence, it emits the beauty. It relaxes. If there is a little child, and you want to kiss the child and you want to embrace the child and you want to love the child -it is ‘you’ who is wanting, not the child. If you do not want it, you are abnormal. But if you want to dote on some one, then that should ‘relax’ that person, the one who does that. But if it is the other way round, that the other person gets tensed up and the person whom you dote, gets becomes ego-oriented, then it is all wrong, absolutely it is upside down. You get tensed up because you think nothing should displease the person, you think the person needs it. You try to dote on the child thinking that the child needs it. It is ‘you’ who need it.

Sahaja Yogi: Mother, I forgot.
Shri Mataji: No, no, what I am sayng like this is that, that you try to dote on the child, thinking that that person, the child needs it. It is ‘you’ who needs it. If you remember that, that ‘you’ need it, then why should you worry that if you do not do that particular thing the person will be displeased ?
So just by pleasing yourself you are really pleasing the other person. One has to see that. So this is wisdom: to see things in right perspective. And that is what should come into everyone spontaneously. When that comes in, you become a complete personality. Ganesha is sufficient to make you complete, because He is complete. And as it is, for you people to do it, it is easier, because you are already at a point, where Ganesha has pleased you, or we can say, that you are pleased with yourself. So, one should not feel hurt, or should not feel bad. If someone feels hurt or something, that means there is something lacking in that person. Such a personality is the personality where we can say that Shri Ganesha is residing with all his powers. But some people have the right Ganesha and some people have the left Ganesha powers. Both the types of powers must be developed.

If a man has been licentious and very fond of the other sex and all that, he gets such a rebound that he be comes an ‘absolutely’ left-side character. Supposing before Realisation he is running after women, or the girl is running after the men, all that, gets such a rebound that, he just doesn’t want to do that thing, as a filth, he thinks its filth, that is one of the feelings that come in the mind of a person, when he doesn’t hanker after this kind of nonsense. Like we have horrible names like heterosexuals and homosexuals and all sexual sorts. When you keep a healthy company of your’ type, of your sex, healthy company healthy and pure. It is very natural. And the another extreme nature should not be followed. Like, I have also seen among some muslims, this is a habit, that they are more attached to their daughters than to their wives. Funny thing. It is absurd. They pay more importance to the daughters than to the wife -it is something very absurd, it is not good. It’s again perversion. Or the women, they love their son more than their husband. It is absurd. And once it starts working like that, it can go to any absurd limit, which is not in the ‘maryadas’ in the boundaries of Sahaja Yoga. There has to be very healthy relationship. Friendship, but not attachment which looks funny and absurd. So nothing absurd should be done. No thing overly should be done. Because there will be remorse and unnecessary heart burning for nothing at all, it is useless.

Now, in Sahaja Yoga, another very important point I have to tell you today, which is not so much besides Shri Ganesha’s point, which we always make mistakes. Then in India there have been lots of mistakes like that: Now I give you one example of Mr. X who is a great Sahaja Yogi, in the sense that he is a great organiser, he has done this, he has done that, and we start adoring him, or we may be jealous, one of the two things happen, either we adore or we are jealous. Now, if you adore that person, then you must follow his footsteps. And if you are jealous, then it is more reason that you follow his footsteps so you become like him. I am talking of wisdom. Now, but instead of that when you adore you will – even whether you are a boy or a girl, you will jump on him, you will hug him and kiss him, you ‘ll do all kinds of nonsensical things, which is ‘not needed’ to express that way.

Like it happened with Me that I was in London for the first time, you see. I’d never known all this, and somebody, he was quite hefty, you see, he just came and hugged me and took Me in his arms, I didn’t know where to look I was absolutely [inaudible] [Laughter] And he kissed Me actually.
[Laughter]
So much so I forgot English language, so I told him in Marathi: “Put me down”.
[Laughter]
All that in. So it is quite funny, even I mean, I’m not used to kissing at all, at all’. Anybody kisses Me, I get a fright you know. But I can kiss a lady or a young boy, little boy I can kiss it’s all right, that’s done. But not every man, I cannot kiss – it’s very funny, isn’t it? [Big laughter]
So this is a kind of adoration which is not very wise. Adoration is to be felt in your heart.
Like yesterday one of the gentlemen put his hand so strong on Me, that for two minutes I was just trying to put it right.
And this shaking hands is a very horrible thing. Sometimes they feel unless and until they have taken out about a kilo of meat out of Me. [Laughter] And this is how sometimes, you see, there is no maryadas’ left, even between ourselves. So there should be maryada.

Now feeling jealousy is another thing. I have seen that when people feel jealous, they start coming and complaining against this person or that person, or this, I know what it is. Jealousy is the worst curse that one can have I think, because, you see, then you can’t see anything that is good, because, you see a person is normal, you feel jealous of such a person. Then you feel, you are jealous so you have every right to do what you like. You just say: “I am jealous of you, because you are so good. So, now I can be very bad.” I mean, first it started with people telling that this is jealousy which is a bad thing; it was all right. But now the bad thing is taken as a – what you call – a blackmail, you see, you use it for blackmailing others, that, “Oh, alright! I am a bad man, so I am a bad man. You are a good man, alright, So what?”- Just like that. To use it as a power.
Like yesterday one madman came, a lunatic. Now when this lunatic came, he wanted to sit in the front. And he just started taking advantage of his lunacy!-That if he is a lunatic, he can behave the way he likes. Because you are a drunkard you can behave the way you like. Now, what is the wisdom? Where is it lost? It is ridiculous.

So, one has to be wise. When you are dealing with it, the wisdom is your glory. By wisdom you will be fair to yourself and fair to others. Wisdom is like an ocean, one cannot describe it in one lecture. Just try to enjoy your wisdom. And the greatest wisdom of Shri Ganesha was that he was surrendered to his Mother, that’s all, he is not bothered. And when you are surrendered then you just understand that you give up your ego and superego to your Mother to bother about it, and you live with your innocence.

And to understand also in a very gross way, we can say, to have Ganesha tattva, Ganesha principle developed in you, you must eat things which are emitting Ganesha principle: like the chana [chickpeas], like, I have found out, the hazelnut. Then you can see that you should use a lot of these lemons, you see, is a good idea. All these give you a good Ganesha tattva. So, all these things should be used, and there are many other things one can see that, which help you to develop your Ganesha tattva. But the highest of all is to control your eyes. Not to see anything that is tempting.
So put your eyes on the ground. You just watch your eyes when another sex arrives, so how do you look at that person, with greed, with lust. And if you understand that, then you will start clearing your eyes very well. Another thing is physically you should try to do one or two exercises to be able to put yourself flat on the Mother Earth, because that helps. So, before doing the meditation to Shri Ganesha, you must always do that exercise, to loosen the muscles so that you touch the Mother Earth in a more flat way. It will help.
So, for today, I think I have said sufficiently.
[Big Laughter]

Shri Mataji: Now see, I’ll tell you. See the red sari today for Ganesh preparation, how automatically!
Just see. How automatically Ganesha‘s puja [?]
This is the [?] from England?
Sahaja Yogi: Yes Mother
Shri Mataji: All right. And which is the another one who has got it.
That’s also a combination. Actually that’s the combination of red and blue or,
Sahaja Yogi: Inaudible.
Shri Mataji: Yes, something like that. It’s the combination of two sides of Shri Ganesha.
Now, you see, they were trying to find out about sari. How they’ve got it! And how they got saris for every chakra is the best part. Spontaneously! It’s so spontaneous, you know, the saris, they’ve got from overnight. For every sari, we saved at least three, fourth the price. Three, fourth the price! I mean this is a Ritambhara PrAgnya, no doubt. All right.

So now, the puja should start and I would say that people, like, who can come…And we can have Guido and …..married people from here. Those who are going to be married should also join ….