If you are planning to dig a well, never think whether you will ever see water, but think of the fact that you need to see water. If a child is studying for its exams, never think whether it will pass, but always think that the child will pass.
If a person goes for an interview, never think whether he will be selected; always think that he will be selected. All jobs must be performed with a positive frame of mind. Avoid thinking of success and failure. Learn to view all that happens as a result of God’s will. We have the right only to plant a coconut tree, but the right to determine how many coconuts that tree has to deliver is not given to us. That prerogative lies with the tree. Similarly, we must be diligent in offering our prayers and let God do what needs to be done.
We offer our thanks to all the Gods! We offer our thanks to all the people and their families who organized this momentous occasion, and to all the devotees assembled here!
We have the blessings of all the Gods and our ancestors, and that is why we are all able to participate in this function; otherwise it would not be possible. Power derived from penance is required to participate in such functions.
When you visit the Om Sharavanabhava Matham, it requires a lot of tapas and patience to secure an audience (darshan) since you need to take a token in the morning and wait for a long time. It is our good fortune that has helped us participate in this occasion and meet Sadgurus. Such good fortune comes from merit acquired in previous lives or the connections that our forefathers might have had with Lord Subramanya or Devi or other Gods and Goddesses.
We must continue to offer prayers to our forefathers and to the Gods worshipped by them, and perform all ancestral rituals if we wish to sustain this good fortune. If you cannot visit the temple of your ancestors, it is necessary to visit a similar temple nearby. If your ancestral temple is a snake temple, visit a snake temple nearby. A snake temple is akin to a Rishi samadhi.
Secure the blessings of your forefathers, Gurus, Gods and Goddesses by scrupulously performing all the appropriate rituals ignoring other unnecessary demands.
If you visit a temple festival, you can see lots of toys on sale. Do not look in their direction but offer prayers to the God for whom the festival is being celebrated, and return home.
In the voyage of destiny, establish divine relationships with all those whom you encounter. If you meet with average situations, elevate the conversation by bringing God into the conversation. Swami blesses all devotees gathered here.
What we have earned is illusion and what our ancestors have earned is truth. We are the product of the earnings of our ancestors. Whatever we earn will not remain with us, but whatever was earned by our ancestors is with us now.
The article is taken from the book The Global Mission of Sadguru Sri Sharavana Baba