Day 6 (evening) proceedings of Athi Rudra Maha Yagna, Navarathri Homa and Durga Puja
Sunday, October 18, 2015 – Evening: Swami's arrival in the evening was set against the backdrop of soulful bhajans rendered by the alumni of SSSIHL from Mumbai, India. The programme began with the chanting of Vedas by the girls from Prasanthi Nikethanam.
Students of Prashanthi Nikethanam chanting the Vedas
Sri Badri Narayanan continued the rendition of Bhagawatham post the Veda recital. He clarified that starting from the current session, the tale of the earthly sojourn of Krishna would begin. Sri Badri Narayanan stressed that God cannot be attracted by either Punya or Karma (good deeds and noble actions). Love alone can bring one closer to god; it is the only currency that God trades in. During the course of the Bhagawatham, he enthralled the audience with the tale of Krishna's birth and transported one and all to the sacred land of Vrindavan where the young lad of Yashoda and Nanda was charming the devotees with his divine effulgence and miracles.
Sri Badri Narayanan recounting the blissful story of Lord Krishna's birth
The Bhagawatham was followed by an offering of devotional songs by the alumni of Swami's institutions from Mumbai, led by Sri Nishad Mishra. The musical offering included one of Sri Nishad's many compositions. Swami had asked the team from Mumbai to perform during the Athi Rudra Maha Yagna when they had performed for Him earlier this year in Lagos, Nigeria.
Alumni of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning based in Mumbai enthralling the audience with their soulful music
The speaker for the day was Sri Nagathihalli Ramesh, a renowned poet, environmentalist and philanthropist from the state of Karnataka. Sri Ramesh gave an emotional account of how his life turned around for the better after coming into contact with Swami. He observed that be it Parthi, Muddenahalli or Whitefield, Swami had always settled in places that were barren and with His arrival, would blossom into joyous paradises. Similarly, if we can fill our hearts with love, the world, which is barren, would be transformed into heaven.
Sri Nagathihalli Ramesh, a renowned poet from Karanataka tearfully counting his blessings with brimming gratitude
Summary of Divine Discourse:
Where is God? Since times immemorial people have been searching for God, going to many pilgrimage centres and looking for Him everywhere. This is the reply given by God Himself. "I won't dwell in Vaikuntha; I will not reside in the hearts of the yogis; wherever my devotees sing, I install myself there." Without God, devotee cannot exist; and without devotee, God cannot exist. Wherever there is pure devotion, God also resides there.
'Krishna' means 'karshayati iti krishna'. That which attracts – is the Krishna principle. God is full of magnetic power. Though a magnet has complete magnetic power, it will attract the iron piece only when the iron piece approaches the magnet and does not have any kind of impurity like ego or attachment or wicked qualities. When the iron piece is full of rust and dust it will not be attracted by the magnet. The same God whom Prahlada adored, Hiranyakashipu hated. Everything depends on the feelings of the devotees. Similarly, when a person who is full of ego and attachment and comes to the divine presence, there won't be any transformation in him.
When Krishna left Brindavan and went to Mathura, the cowherd boys and girls in Brindavan were full of sorrow and misery. Through Uddhava, Krishna sent a message to them in order to demonstrate to Uddhava the deep devotion of these people. Uddhava came to Radha and started teaching her that Krishna is everywhere; He is all pervasive. Radha then asked him, "Which Krishna you are talking about?" Uddhava answered, "Krishna, who left Brindavan and reached Mathura." Radha laughed aloud, and said "My Krishna is always in me. I just close my eyes and I can see Him all the time. What went to Mathura was only an illusion, not Krishna. I am the shadow of Krishna. Where there is shadow, there should be the object also. If you see Radha still living, it is because Krishna is with her. Every moment I experience it and enjoy it." Radha was never sad. She never thought that Krishna was the body. She knew He is God, He is Consciousness, He is energy.
When God comes down as a divine incarnation in the human form He has to follow the rules of place, time and circumstance. Anybody who is born, has to die. But the indweller in the body is permanently there. Wisdom is seeing the unity of all existence. In various yugas or ages, God comes down in various human roles to play His role. An Avatar or divine incarnation has both individual and divine consciousness, but at no time, the Avatar loses His divine consciousness. But because of the individual consciousness, he looks like an ordinary human being.
When you turn your mind towards God, you will enjoy God consciousness. When you focus on your mind on this worldly life, it's a bondage. That is why it is said that the mind is responsible for both your bondage as well as liberation. When you come and sit here, you have to offer the six enemies within you or at least one of them into the fire and leave the place. We have to reduce our ego and attachments and develop divine consciousness.
There is an inseparable relationship between name and form. When you utter the name of Sai, Sai is always there. In whichever place, devotees with pure love think of Him, God manifests there. But if you want to develop pure love, you have to give up the impurities of ego and attachment.
After Arthi was offered to Bhagawan, Swami made His way to the Hrudaya Mandiram in order to bless the devotees from West Bengal. Bodhan, or the process of awakening the Goddess, was performed in the divine presence after which Arathi was offered to Swami in traditional Bengali style by the priests from Kolkata.
Bodhan ceremony being performed with the Dhakis beating on the drums to awaken the Goddess
Watch the proceedings below:
Entradas
