Veda is the Greatest Guru

Swami Gangeshwarananda Ji Maharaj, the world-famous scholar of the Vedas, visited  Ashram in Winterthur, Switzerland, in May 1975. Here is given the speech of  Gududeva Paramahamsa Swami Omkarananda Saraswati ji Maharaj.

Speach of H.H. Swami Omkarananda Saraswati

The Visit of Swami Gangeshvarananda from India in May 1975 –

The Veda

Veda Bhagavan, Veda Bhagavan, Veda Bhagavan paahi maam

Veda Bhagavan, Veda Bhagavan, Veda Bhagavan raksha maam

The Veda is the eternal knowledge, the timeless, infinite, all-fulfilling and all-perfect knowledge. Veda is immanent in the inmost soul. Veda is resident in the whole cosmos. Veda is present everywhere. It reveals itself to the sages, it reveals itself to the saints, it reveals itself to those who are filled with devotion and grace of God.

All the greatest scriptures of the world are tiny expressions of the Veda. The Veda itself is the Nada-Brahman. It is the Supreme Reality – in word-form, in the form of words. Word and God are one and the same, Truth and God are one and the same, Guru and God are one and the same.

Christ and Truth are one and the same. Christ bears in himself the Veda. He is an embodiment of Veda.

Veda is the supreme Knowledge, the supreme Light, the supreme Being. It is the greatest illuminator. It is a perpetual self-revelation. Veda purifies, uplifts, transforms, enlightens. Where the mantras are chanted, there is purity, prosperity, luminosity, grace of God, perfection of life, numberless insights into the divine Reality. Veda is the greatest illuminator.

Veda is a living personality. Therefore our most adorable Mahamandaleshwara says, “Veda Bhagavan”. The Lord is resident in the Veda, reveals Himself through the Veda. Veda is identical with the Supreme Reality. There is nothing greater than Veda, nothing purer in knowledge than Veda, nothing [more] supreme in knowledge than Veda, nothing more powerful in all the world than Veda. It is everything.

Now, the Swami who is sitting before me is 95 years old, he has dedicated his whole life to the Veda, he has done miraculous works, he is in a way Veda in action. He is a personification of the Veda, a personality of the Veda.

Now we will hear about him.

Veda is the Great Guru

Now to be short the wonderful thing is we have before us a manifestation of God in the form of our most adorable 95 year-old Gangeshwaranandaji Maharaj.

Veda is understood by every heart of devotion. The grace of the Divine grants us insights into the meaning of the Vedas, even without having to read the Vedas. Vedas are timeless, they are eternal, they are part and parcel of infinite Reality. Even Sayana is criticised for his commentaries, the greatest commentator on Veda is much criticised. It is difficult for the greatest intelligence to understand the Veda. But the simple devotees understand the truths of the Veda, and express those truths in daily life.

The most wonderful phenomenon of Veda is Swami Gangeshwaranandaji Maharaj. He is the manifestation of Veda, he is Veda in life. You have gained as much merit by looking at him as you would gain by reading the whole Veda. This is a grace. This is a great blessing, perhaps this is the result of your years of mantra-repetitions, perhaps also it is the result of many good actions that you have done life after life. You have not to go to India to see Veda in living personality, such a personality has come to you. You are blessed, treasure this blessing in the heart, increase your devotion to the Divine, continue your mantra repetitions, you will receive more of the Grace of the Divine – which is the same as the Grace of our Swami Gangeshwaranandaji Maharaj. He is a timeless Light, his eyes are closed but his divya chakshu, his divine vision is ever open. He is an all-witnessing Light, he is an all-knowing Presence, he is a manifestation of Vedavyasa. Adore him as such, your life will be more quickly purified, and you will acquire divine virtues, which are the basis for the attainment of Vedic revelations.

Our adorations to him and may his Light remain in this body, in his body, for several more decades. He is not 95 years old but 95 years young, and may the Grace of the Divine flow through his personality. May the earth delight in bearing his feet upon its bosom.

May we all offer our adorations to Vedapurusha for a long life, for our most adorable Mahamandaleshwara Swami Gangeshwaranandaji Maharaj.

We will now recite the Mahamritjunjaya Mantra for the health and yet longer life of the wonderful personality.

Om Tryambakam yajamahe…

[My deepest adorations to Swami Gangeshwaranandji Maharaj]. Where he is, there is Kashi, Kedarnath, Kalahasti, Chidambaram, Rameshwaram, all the holy places. God dwells in the holy personality. God we have not seen, but we have the grace to see holy men. By that we have delighted the heart of the Divine, and to see God now becomes very easy. Let us glorify the Divine, in all manner of ways, and above all seize every opportunity to adore the saints, the manifestations of God, the living expressions of God’s Love and Wisdom and Peace.

Once again our heartfelt adorations to Mahamandaleshwara Swami Gangeshwaranandaji Maharaj.

Now you repeat after me the mantra:

Gangeshwarananda, Gangeshwarananda, Gangeshwarananda paahi maam

Gangeshwarananda, Gangeshwarananda, Gangeshwarananda raksha maam

Now we glorify the Gangeshwarananda Sadguru, Jagadguru, Mahaguru, Devaguru, Manushya-guru, Guru everywhere. The Light, the timeless Light, the all-beneficent Light.

Guru-Brahma, Guru-Vishnu, Guru-Devo-Maheshvara.

All the Vedas are in one word Guru.

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Swamiji (Gangeshwaranandji Maharaj) particularly said,

`I have visited many many places and established the Veda, today a big Vedic volume, but I have never had such an experience which I had here in the DLZ (Ashram). I had been there to 41 [the temple house], I heard the children reciting the Vedas, in India even the top class Brahmins cannot pronounce it so well, and here the children did it. I had one worry that I must spread this Veda Bhagavan, the book everywhere, now Swami Omkaranandaji has removed that worry – I am free from worry!’ “