Dhyana Marga - 5

[Guest guest]

highest level of spiritual progress, through the grace of our beloved Bhagavan

Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I am wrting the boyhood experiences with two ideas.

No.1 is to illustrate how I have been brought up in my childhood days in a

traditional south Indian family, and No2. to tell

the readers some of the customs in the traditional Hindu families, which are

becoming very vogue at present. I am hoping that these postings will induce

interest in the readers. If however, any of you feel that these mails are

irrelevant, you may please delete them, or you may even

from my mailing list. Dhyana Marga- 5

mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> The child is growing day by day. I am sure that I

too would have enjoyed all those loving care and affection when I too was an

infant! The child, who is getting used to sleep inside the cradle, always

demands and gets the cozy comforts. Unless you put it inside the cradle, and

swing it gently with lullaby songs, it will not sleep. From the

28th day of its arrival in the world, it goes on enjoying this luxury. As it

grows, the child tries to roll over. It also tries to raise its body keeping

the weight on his palms and knees. This is an indication that he wants to feel

the floor. So the mother allows putting him on the floor when he is not

sleeping. The parents watch with awe and wonder, the child crawling on the

floor. And ultimately the child starts moving on its knees. In the old houses

the doors will have wooden frames on all four sides. The two side ones, one at

the top and a step on the floor. The bottom frame will be about 6” to one-foot

height. The child moving along the house, tries to climb up and cross over this

step. The day, on which the child successfully accomplishes this crossing over

to the other room, all by itself, is an important day. It is celebration again,

and brings lot of joy in the house. On auspicious time, the child is given

traditional bath, draped on a

piece of silk cloth. The children, many of them, from the neighborhood are

invited. The child is made to sit on the wooden step. The mother pours on its

head some sweet balls, made of rice flour and jaggery. Coins of various

denominations are liberally added to this. The children brought from the

neighboring homes are allowed to pick up the sweet balls and coins rolling down

from the head of the child. While the children are busy picking up the sweets

and coins, the elder ladies will be singing folk songs to fill the air with an

atmosphere of joy and happiness.

Roman"> The child is slowly trying to get out of dependence on liquid food.

While crawling on the floor, it tries to pick up any small miscellaneous items

on the floor, and tries to bring to its mouth. It even tries to bite the toys

with which it plays. This is an indication for starting to put the child on

solid diet. The day on which the solid food is given for the first time is also

a celebration backed up with religious rituals. This ritual is called the “ANNA

PRAASANAM”. After certain ceremonies, the father keeps the child on his laps.

A plantain leaf is spread in front of him. All the ingredients of a feast are

served on this leaf. The most important item that day is “Paayasam” (kheer)

cooked of rice, milk and sugar. As the priest chants some mantras, the father

first feeds this child, with payasam with his finger tips. Then the mother

feeds the child, followed by the other elder members of the family and

invitees. During the last Divine visit of Swami to Chennai, I noticed a

mother sitting on the lines with the baby on her laps and holding a small

silver plate covered by another plate. As Swami approached her, the lid was

removed and the plate was held out to Swami. Swami

bent down, took some “Payasam” out of the plate, using his fingers Swami fed

that lucky child! Mother Sai was performing the traditional “Anna Prasanam”!!

I do not remember any of these things happening to me. However, I can

vividly remember such celebrations happening to my younger sisters.

14.4pt"> The child grows bringing immense joy in the home. The next important

day for the child is its first birthday. Every event is based on spiritual

rituals. No singing of “happy birthday to you!!!” or cutting the cakes etc. In

all our spiritual events we light up lamps, and we feel that it is inauspicious

if the lamp goes out in between the functions. But now a days, we find that

candle is allowed to be blown out. I feel that while we adopt the modern way of

celebrations, we should avoid the blowing out flame of the candle. The candle

could still burn while a side of the cake is cut out. It is only my humble

suggestion.

Arial"> Recently the 77th Birthday celebrations of Bhagavan Baba were telecast

in the local satellite network. We could see, that cakes of various designs, and

sizes had been brought in the Sai Kulwant Hall, by the schools children, the

college boys, Ananthapur college girls, Hospital staff, Ashram Staff and

others. Swami goes around the various locations one by one, and cuts each cake

giving immense joy to those who had brought those cakes. But we can never see

anywhere, Swami blowing out any candle!! I feel very strongly that at least, we

the devotees of

Bhagavan should refrain from blowing out candle on the auspicious occasions like

Birthday to any member of our families. This message should go around and

devotees should become aware of the sacredness of such functions. Let us

come back to our topic. On this first birthday of the child, a big festival is

arranged, inviting all the relatives and dear ones. The child is given bath,

attired on a silk cloth, and taken to the village temple in a procession. There

will be ‘Nathaswaram” (piped music) preceding the procession. After offering

archana to the temple deity, the child is taken around the village. As the

procession stops in front of each doorsteps of the village, the ladies from

that house comes out, offers fruits to the child, and waive plate containing

the turmeric mixed water, to ward off evil eye on the child. After going around

the village the child is taken inside their own home. But before entering the

home, the mother of the child now waives the turmeric mixed water, and also a

coconut having burning camphor either in the center of the plate or on the top

of the coconut. Inside the home several religious rituals are programmed.

The main event is the “Homam” called the Ayushya Homam”. “Ayush” means the life

span. Ayur Devatha is the deity of life. Havans are offered to this deity

through Agni devatha. This Homam was performed on each birthday in earlier

periods. But now a days this is done only on the first year of birth, and then

the modern functions of “Happy Birthday to you” songs cake cutting etc. are

happening. If we offer oblations to Ayur devatha, the child could enjoy a long

life with health and prosperity. But now-a-days, who cares! Before the child

starts growing, it is fitted with spectacles, and other utility supports. The

child becomes a frequent visitor to the hospitals from the young age. And as it

grows, the incumbent lives a life with medical support. If only we could follow

the wisdom of our fore fathers, such situations would not have developed

at all! The birthday celebrations are always conducted on the day when the

birth star of the individual is on ascendance, on the month when the child was

born. This month is as per the Hindu calendar. Now most people had forgotten

these age-old practices and are celebrating birthdays on the date of birth as

per English calendar. This is not correct. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba had

allowed His devotees to celebrate Divine Birthday as per English Calendar. This

is because, Swami has

devotees from all over the world and it was only as a convenience to have a

common day for birthday celebrations. The Aayushya Homam is to be performed

during every birthday. Now many people had forgotten this annual ritual.

However, elaborate birthday rituals are conducted on the 60th . 70th, and 80th.

birthdays of the individuals. By the time the child attains the first year

age, he would have started taking few steps and starts uttering some legible

voices too. Do you hear him/she calling you Amma/Appa or dad or mom? He does

not know to call out softly. These could be sweet music for our ears, in the

form of crying. This is the best method for him to draw your attention to him.

 

0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"> Though you have started giving him some solid

food to supplement milk, this young guy does not likes it. It is a tedious

process to make him eat something. It may take lot of persuasion, and feeding

him with tender love. You may have to tell him something funny to make him

laugh. You may even have to take him to open area, show him some crows or other

creatures. But surely you will never sing while feeding. This exercise of

singing is reserved for putting him to sleep. Nice and melodious lullabies, if

possible with gentle swinging of a cradles puts the child to sound sleep.

Arial"> Swami had once told the story of Mother Kausalya feeding little Sri

Rama. It was early night hours, and was a full moon day. The Mother had taken

Sri Rama to Royal garden enclosure. She was showing the full moon to Rama,

while trying to feed Him. Sri Rama also behaved like any other child, shaking

His face here and there, reluctant to take food into His mouth. Suddenly Sri

Rama started to cry. He showed the Full Moon to His mother, and wanted her to

bring the moon to Him. A bewildered Mother knew not what to do. Suddenly an

idea struck her mind. She asked her maids to bring a large mirror from inside

the

Palace. She held out the mirror in such a way that the moon was reflected. She

was holding the mirror with the reflection very close to Rama, who enjoyed the

Moon near Him. All the while, Mother Kausalya was wondering why the moon

personified Divine Child Rama, wanted the other moon for him. Swami sang a

song…(Chandra Bimba Muga Malar poley…. (The flower like face is vigraha or idol

of moon…)

Arial"> With Love & Regards,Bombay Srinivasan,C-1, Silver Valley

-2,Shivaji

Nagar,Vakola, Santacruz East,Mumbai-400055Tel: 022-26684021Cel: 093229 47473