celebrations at Brindavan

[Guest guest]

Buddha Purnima - 23rd May 2005:

The day of Vaisakh Purnima is considered most sacred by Buddhists all over the

world. This day is significant for three reasons. It was on this day that

Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born as Prince Siddhartha at

Lumbini in Nepal in 560 B.C. It is also the day when He attained enlightenment

at Gaya in India, after years of search and enquiry into the causes and remedy

for sorrow in the world. Thereafter, Siddhartha came to be known as Buddha, or

the Enlightened one. He preached that desires are at the root of all sorrow and

hence advocated the path of right conduct and the right use of senses as the way

to enlightenment. He attained Nirvana (Unity with the Absolute) in 480 B.C.,

again on the day of Vaisakh Purnima. This auspicious day is observed as Buddha

Purnima with reverence and piety by believers in the Far East countries and in

Sri Lanka and India as well.

The Buddha Purnima celebrations at Brindavan (Bhagawan’s ashram at Whitefield,

Bangalore) this year was jointly organized by devotees from Sri Lanka,

Indonesia and Taiwan. On the morning of 23rd May, Bhagawan granted Darshan in

the Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall, with a procession of temple dancers from Sri Lanka

welcoming Him into the hall. Thereafter, there were bhajans, with devotees from

Sri Lanka leading the singing. In the afternoon, three distinguished members of

the Sai family from Sri Lanka addressed the gathering. The first speaker was

Colonel Jayasuriya, deputy leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Sri

Lanka. Colonel Jayasuriya observed that the precepts of Non-violence and Peace

that were preached by Lord Buddha more than 2500 years ago are now being

rejuvenated and propagated all over the world by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Commenting on the present situation of terror and turmoil prevalent in various

parts of the world, he prayed to Bhagawan that the world needed Him in these

troubled times. He offered his gratitude to Bhagawan for undertaking the

laudable task of reforming young minds and guiding them towards leading a life

dedicated to service of society and adherence to the five human values. Sri

Munasinghe, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, who spoke next, said

that devotees of Bhagawan must be grateful to Him, for, when the world is being

torn asunder by hatred and violence, they are able to experience such happiness

and peace in His Divine Presence. Ms. Mala Sabaratnam, a prominent business

leader in Sri Lanka, narrated how Bhagawan had purged her heart of hatred and

filled it with love and understanding for her fellow beings. She recalled the

words from the Dhammapada preached by Lord Buddha, “Hatred cannot be appeased

by hatred, but by Love”, and said that this very same teaching was now

ingrained in her heart by the grace of Lord Sai.

After the talks by the distinguished guests, Bhagawan, in His munificence,

responded to the prayers of the devotees and granted His Divine Message. He

said that God is one, though He may called by different names. We must not

limit Him to the physical form, but realize that Allah, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha

are all manifestations of the same Divine principle. He dwelt on the

significance of self enquiry and said that every man, when he is born, cries

“Koham”, (Who am I?). This enquiry must persist until he attains the

realization “Soham” (I am That).After Bhagawan’s Discourse, the venue shifted

to the Sai Krishan Kalyana Mantapam adjacent to the Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall,

where devotees were treated to a dazzling cultural feast, the Dalada Maligawa

Perahara. The Dalada Maligawa Perahara is a traditional pageant that is

performed in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka, to commemorate the installation of

the holy tooth relic of Lord Gautama Buddha in the temple of Dalada Maligawa in

Kandy. The ceremony is a very elaborate one with vigorous dances to the

accompaniment of a variety of percussion instruments. Every year, the pageant

that welcomed the tooth relic into Kandy is ceremoniously re-enacted. The

ceremony in its present form dates back to circa 1750 A.D. This dance ceremony

was performed at the Kalyana Mantapam thrilling one and all with its colour and

vibrancy. At the end of the performance, Bhagawan blessed all the artistes and

permitted them to stand for photographs with Him. The ceremonies drew to a

close with Arati being offered to Bhagawan. Thereafter, Bhagawan retired to His

Trayee Brindavan residence.Jai Sai Ram!

source:srisathyasai.org.in

Attachment: (image/jpeg) BP01.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) BP02_tn.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) BP03_tn.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) BP04_tn.jpg [not stored]

Attachment: (image/jpeg) BP05_tn.jpg [not stored]