EL DESPERTAR SAI. : FESTIVIDAD DE RAMA EN SHIRDI

jueves, 10 de abril de 2014

FESTIVIDAD DE RAMA EN SHIRDI

The 3-day Ram-Janmotsav festival in Shirdi was started in 1911 by Baba himself.
Since then, it is being celebrated with lot of fervor & gaiety
by lakhs of devotees who come to Shirdi from across the world.

On this occasion, more than 150 Palki Procession's of Baba reached Shirdi
with scores of Padayatri's chanting Baba's name to the beats of the drums
as they walked all the way to Shirdi from various parts of Maharashtra.
Some devotees danced the traditional Maharashtrian Dindi Dance,
and some came Cycling all the way from Haridwar`Uttarakhand carrying
the holy water of Ganges for the Jal-Abhishek of Sai Baba to be done on Ram Navami Day.
This Haridwar to Shirdi Cycle Yatra has been going on since the last 11 years.
All the padayatris were served Snacks & Water / Sharbat
all along the way by various people of the villages they crossed through.

Like every year, this year too,
there were no Aarti or Darshan Passes issued on all 3-days of the festival
nor was there any Sai Satyavrat (Satyanarayan) or Abhishek pooja performed.

On the first day - 07th March`2014 Dwarkamai remained open throughout the night
for the Sai Satcharitra Akhand Parayan, while, on 08th March`2014, Ramnavami Day,
Baba's Samadhi Shrine remained opened full night for devotees to have darshan
as a result, there was no Kakad Aarti of Baba on Ramnavami Day.

Also, as is the tradition, two rituals were carried out during this festival:
1) The sack of wheat that is kept in Dwarkamai is changed with a new one
and the old one taken to Prasadalaya to be used there.
2) The Dwarkamai flags are replaced.

The Kawadis i.e people carrying pots of water from different rivers
to perform the Abhishek at Baba's Samadhi also arrived.
Innumerable palki's & padayatras (pilgrims on foot) arrived in Shirdi
from all corners of the state and some parts of the country.
Programs by invited artists were performed at Sai-Nagar campus
on 07/04/2014 to 09/04/2014 between 07:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Thanks to the contributions of various devotees from all over India,
on all the 3-days of the festival, free prasad bhojan was served
to all the devotees @ the 'Shri Sai Prasadalaya'.

Owing to the huge rush, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan had prepared extra Ladoo Prasad packets also,
apart from making proper arrangements for Medical Aid, Tents, Water etc for the convenience of the devotees.

The shrine and it's surroundings were decorated with local & Imported flowers,
which were offered by a devotee. A huge entrance was erected
with Lord Rama's statue standing on top with a bow and arrow.

During the 3-day festival the Sansthan collected donations of about Rs.3.90 Crore in Cash,
including 2 Gold Plates weighing 3 kg, worth Rs.90 lakhs while,
and 5 Silver Pooja Stage (Chaurang) weighing 25 kgs, worth 11 lakh.

07th March`2014

04:30 am: Baba's Kakad Aarti
05:00 am: Procession of Baba's Portrait & Pothi
05:15 am: Shri Sai Satcharitra Akhand Parayan in Dwarkamai
05:20 am: Baba's Holy Bath & Darshan
06:00 am: Baba's Padyapuja
12:30 pm: Baba's Madhyan Aarti & Teerth Prasad
04:00 pm - 06:00 pm: Kirtan
06:30 pm: Baba's Dhoop Aarti
09:15 pm: Palanquin Procession of Baba through the village
10:30 pm: Baba's Shej Aarti (on return of Palanquin Procession)

08th March`2014

04:30 am: Baba's Kakad Aarti
05:00 am: Akhand Parayan Samapti (conclusion) & Baba's Portrait/Pothi Procession
05:15 am: Kawadi Procession, Baba's Holy Bath & Darshan
06:00 am: Baba's Padyapuja
10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Shri Ramjanma Kirtan
12:30 pm: Baba's Madhyan Aarti & Teerth Prasad
04:00 pm: Procession of Nishanas (Sacred Flags)
05:00 pm: Chariot Procession through the village
06:30 pm: Baba's Dhoop Aarti (on return of Chariot Procession)
10:00 pm - 05:00 am: Sai Bhajans by artists

09th March`2014

05:05 am: Baba's Holy Bath & Darshan
06:00 am: Baba's Padyapuja
06:30 am: Rudrabhishek in Gurusthan Mandir
10:30 am: Gopalkala Kirtan & Dahi-handi
12:10 pm: Baba's Madhyan Aarti & Teerth Prasad
06:30 pm: Baba's Dhoop Aarti
10:30 pm: Baba's Shej Aarti