To celebrate Gurudeva's being in Malaysia this very moment, we present a talk he gave recently for Malaysia's Siddhi Vinayaka temple. He gave the talk for Kanesh Ramanathan while he was here at Kauai Aadheenam on task force. Kanesh took the talk home on CD and will play it to devotees on Ganesha Chathurti to all the devotees who will flock the temple on that special day. It is a very special talk about Lord Ganesha, who He is and what he does for you. You'll enjoy hearing it anytime.

Unedited Transcript:

A request for a Ganesha Chathurti blessing at the Siddhi Vinayagar Temple, in Malaysia. A beautiful temple. I had the privilege of performing the Kumbhabhishekam of that temple.

Lord Ganesha is the most immediate God, among all the Gods in Sanatana Dharma. You have but to think of Him and you have contacted Him. He is the Lord of karma. He sees that just payment is meted out for all actions - physical, emotional, mental.

Lord Vinayaga is a very compassionate God. He softens the karma if proper penance is done for misdeeds. Lord Ganesha has proven that He is closest to Earth and is closest to His devotees by drinking milk in nearly every Ganesha temple or shrine throughout the world. Lord Ganesha drank hundreds of gallons of milk. All the milk in New Delhi, all the milk in London, in Denmark, Sweden, United States, in Canada. He drank milk day in and day out and proved His worth, proved His existence and His compassion for all the people.

Lord Ganesha does not punish His devotees for things which they do, which they know and He knows are wrong. Because Lord Ganesha knows that their own karma will come back on them and punish them and He tries to soften that karma by encouraging them to perform all that they have to do to be good members of the Hindu religion.

Lord Ganesha expects all of His devotees to perform a puja every day after bathing, to go to the temple once a week at least, and to make a pilgrimage to a far-off place leaving the world behind and refreshing themselves in a shrine where He has His image, His icon.

Lord Ganesha is the Gatekeeper. We must go to Him first before any other God or Goddess. His most special day is His birthday. He rejoices with His devotees, as the devotee Himself of the Supreme God, Siva.