Report on Dasara Celebrations - October 17th - 23rd 2004

[Guest guest]

Report on Dasara CelebrationsOctober 17th - 23rd 2004

The word 'Mother' immediately conjures up images of love and warmth in every

person's heart. If this be the love of a human mother that we have experienced,

then how much more love, care and compassion would a Divine Mother shower on her

children. To experience this very love, thousands of devotees gathered at

Prasanthi Nilayam, the abode of our Divine Mother Sai, to celebrate the

festival of 'Dasara' or 'Devi Navaratri' and offer their obeisance.

Grama Seva: The convoy of trucks and students leave for the villages

Over the past many years the festival of Dasara in Prasanthi Nilayam, has been

closely associated with the 'Veda Purusha Sapthaha Jnana Yagna', the week-long

sacrificial ritual conducted in the Divine Presence, for the welfare of the

whole world. But in addition to this Yagna, another Yagna was also undertaken,

that of the 'Grama Seva' (Village Service), where the students of Bhagawan's

School and University visit villages around Puttaparthi and distribute

Bhagawan's Prasadam consisting of food and clothes, as a symbol of Bhagawan's

love and blessings to the people.

Grama Seva: The villagers receiving prasadam and clothes from the students

On the morning of 17th October, thousands of devotees and students assembled in

the Sai Kulwant Hall to have Bhagawan's Darshan. Bhagawan arrived at 7.20 a.m.

amidst vedam chanting and the auspicious tunes of the 'Nadaswaram'. Later,

eighteen pundits (Vedic scholars) followed by the students of Bhagawan clad in

saffron silk dhotis and white angavastrams (traditional Indian attire

consisting of a cloth wrapped around the shoulders) marched in procession to

the Poornachandra Auditorium, the venue of the Yagnam. At 9.00 a.m., the Yagnam

commenced with the ceremonial churning and rubbing of wooden blocks to produce

fire in the most natural way. Thereafter, the sacred fire thus produced, was

placed in the 'Yagna Kunda' (sacrificial altar into which oblations are

offered).

The Veda Purusha Sapthaha Jnana Yagna in progress

The most important component of the Yagnam is the Rudra yagam where the

oblations are made in the Yagna Kunda to Lord Shiva while chanting hymns from

the 'Sri Rudram'. In addition to this, other rituals like – Surya Namaskar,

Sahasralinga Archana, Srimad Bhagavatha Parayana, Ramayana Parayana and the

Devi Mahatmyam are simultaneously performed. Amidst these rituals, a few

pundits continuously chant various hymns from the Vedas, joined by Bhagawan's

students. The evening programmes were held in Sai Kulwant Hall, under the

auspices of the Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha, where many speakers, primarily

students and functionaries of Bhagawan's institutions, addressed the august

gathering on many topics like spirituality and philosophy, Bhagawan's teachings

and experiences of devotees. Following these talks, heeding to the prayers of

the devotees, Bhagawan would bless everyone with His Divine Discourse. On the

evening of 18th October, the

Bal-Vikas children from Hyderabad presented a drama entitled "Ashtaguna

Pushpamulu", the eight flowers representing eight virtues that are to be

offered to God as mentioned by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Bhagawan has

often stated in His discourses that the flowers that are to be offered in

worship to God are not those that grow on plants, but the virtues like

non-violence, control of senses, love and compassion towards all beings,

forbearance, truthfulness, austerity, meditation on God, peace and equanimity,

that one must cultivate in one's heart. The children expatiated on each of

these virtues by depicting scenes from mythological stories where the

characters embodied these virtues, practised them in their lives and thus

attained ever-lasting fame and honour.

Panel discussion on Upanishadic Messages in the light of Bhagawans teachings

On 22nd evening, there was a panel discussion where a six-woman panel comprising

of teachers and alumni of Bhagawan's educational institutions, dilated on the

sayings from the Vedas and the Upanishads and correlated them with the

teachings of Bhagawan. They said that the Vedas were not only a source of

spiritual wisdom, but also a treasure-house of worldly knowledge pertaining to

day-to-day life of man, encompassing the entire gamut of subjects like physical

sciences, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, law, political administration, art,

linguistics, etc. They amply corroborated their statements by quoting

extensively from the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagawan's discourses. They

concluded with a note of gratitude to Bhagawan for leading us on the path

divine and for giving us the profound teachings of the Vedas and the Upanishads

in simple terms; for without Him, the vast knowledge of the scriptures would

have

remained completely beyond our ken of comprehension and assimilation. Following

the panel discussion, there was a Carnatic music recital by Mrs. Anuradha

Krishnamurthy. She began with a rendition of the famous composition of Saint

Thyagaraja – "Endaro Mahanubhavulu" in Sree Ragam, and thereafter sang two more

songs and concluded with the Bhajan – "Koti Pranam Shata Koti Pranam."

Poornahuthi on the concluding day of the Yagna

The Dasara Celebrations came to an auspicious close on 23rd October. That

morning, the Poornahuthi or the concluding ritual of the Yagnam took place at

8.10 a.m., when Bhagawan himself was seated in front of the Yagna Kunda amidst

the priests. After the seeking the blessings of Bhagawan, the priests made the

final offering of clarified butter into the fire while chanting hymns from the

'Chamakam,' praying for the physical and spiritual welfare of all the beings of

the world. In the evening, the Youth Wing of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organizations, Andhra Pradesh presented a play entitled – "Lakshala…

Lakshyaala?" (Money … or Ideals?) that highlighted the dilemmas faced by the

youth of today. Ravi, who has just graduated winning a gold medal, is troubled

by the question whether career, money, etc could grant him lasting happiness or

is there something higher in life. His teacher then guides him that true

happiness lies in serving one's

fellowmen. The play brought out some finer aspects of Seva – that it has to be

rendered selflessly and with a heart full of love. At the same time, one must

offer Seva only where it is required, and without being attached to the results

or the fruits thereof. At the end of the programme, Bhagawan granted photographs

to the participants.Jai Sai Ram!

Source: http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/dasara_04_report.htm