Report on 78th Birthday Celebrations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Report on 78th Birthday Celebrations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

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78th Birthday Celebrations Report

 

 

Aum Sri Sai Ram.

 

Tens of thousands of devotees from different parts of the world

gathered to be at the Lotus Feet for this auspicious and joyous

occasion of the 78th Birthday Celebrations of our Lord, Bhagawan Sri

Sathya Sai Baba. Prasanthi Nilayam wore a festive vesture with the

Mandir being richly caparisoned with festoons and beautiful flower

decorations.

 

The week-long celebrations commenced with the traditional

Rathotsavam or Chariot Festival on the morning of the 18th of

November. This is an annual ritual in which the idols of Rama, Sita

and Lakshmana are taken in a palanquin in a procession to the Old

Mandir in the village of Puttaparthi, followed by a chariot bearing

the idol of Lord Krishna, to the accompaniment of Vedam chanting and

Bhajans by the students. In the evening, the Bal Vikas students of

Kerala presented a programme titled "Bhakta Purandaradasa" based on

the life of Saint Purandaradasa, a holy man of South India. The

presentation depicted how a worldly man extremely attached to

wealth, undergoes a change in his outlook and is inspired to

renounce all his wealth and spend the rest of his life singing the

glories of the Lord.

 

19th November 2003 was celebrated as Ladies Day. Bhagawan lit the

lamp in front of a portrait of Mother Easwaramma to mark the

commencement of the morning's programme. The students of the Sri

Sathya Sai Primary school then presented a dance programme depicting

various episodes from the Bhagawan's life. This was followed by a

drama entitled "Ek Shakti, Roop Anek", in which the different

aspects of the feminine principle like Love and Sacrifice were shown

as exemplified in the lives of Rani Jhansi Laxmi Bai and Florence

Nightingale. The evening programme had Poornachandra Auditorium as

the venue and featured talks by five lady speakers and a Carnatic

Vocal rendition by the renowned artist Sudha Raghunathan.

 

20th and 21st of November saw plays staged in the evening at the Sai

Kulwant Hall by the Bal Vikas children of Singapore and Canada

respectively. The plays elaborated on the teachings of Bhagawan and

how they are to be practiced in our daily lives, be it at the

individual level, the family level or at the community level.

 

The 22nd Convocation of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Learning was conducted in the Sai Kulwant Hall on afternoon of 22nd

November. On this day, Bhagawan as the Revered Chancellor of the

Institute blesses the students who have graduated that year and

gives His Benedictory Discourse. It is an occasion that remains as a

cherished memory in the mind of every student of the Institute.

 

The Chief Guest at this year's proceedings was Shri Bhairon Singh

Shekawat, the Honourable Vice-President of India. The students were

administered the oath to remain true to the values of the Institute

to the end of their lives. After the presentation of medals to the

students who had passed with distinction in their respective

disciplines, the ChiefGuest, Shri Shekawat, addressed the gathering.

He spoke about the unique and holy atmosphere that he pervaded the

ashram and expressed his gratitude to Bhagawan for the various

social projects that He has undertaken for the uplift of the needy

in the country. He exhorted the students to use the knowledge they

had gained during their stay in the Institute, in service of the

nation.

 

Bhagawan then delivered His Divine Benedictory Discourse. He

reminded the students of their great good fortune of having taken

birth in the sacred land of Bharat and exalted the values that a

true Bharathiya (resident of Bharat) stands for. He advised the

students that the degrees that they have earned as not as important

as the values that they have learned being students of the Sri

Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He declared that the most

important thing that students must always strive for, is the Love of

God, which is the most precious wealth that can be gained. The

proceedings concluded with the singing of the National Anthem by the

entire gathering.

 

Later that evening the students of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning presented a drama entitled "Tera Tujhko Arpan" based

on the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, that the gifts that God has

given us like the talents or skills we possess, has to be offered

back to the Lord Himself by using the gifts in the service of the

Lord. They must not be frittered away in the pursuit of wealth. The

play told the story of two singers, one who decides to make a career

out of his musical talents and the other who instead uses his gift

to sing the glories of the Lord's Name. At the height of his fame,

the career-minded singer loses his voice. His friend then advises

him to use his voice to sing for God. Only then does he regain his

voice. The evening concluded with arati offered to Bhagawan.

 

The dawn of 23rd November arrived with Bhagawan in his limitless

Compassion granting His Divine Darshan to all assembled in the Sai

Kulwant Hall, and added to their joy by going twice around the hall.

The morning programme saw three distinguished speakers addressing

the vast gathering of eager devotees. The first speaker was Justice

Bhagawati, Former Chief Justice of India. He was followed by Dr.

Jumsai, Director of the Institute of Sathya Sai Education of

Thailand and also former Member of Parliament of Thailand. The third

speaker was Dr. Michael Goldstein, Chairman of the Overseas Sathya

Sai Organisation and of the Prashanti Council.

 

Bhagawan then gave His Nectarine Discourse. He spoke on the

greatness of mothers like Putlibai and Jijabai who gave birth to

such celebrated sons of this land as Gandhiji and Chattrapathi

Shivaji. He then related various incidents surrounding His Advent

and from His Life, which with their miraculous nature, convinced all

who witnessed these incidents about His Divinity.

 

In the afternoon, Bhagawan, to the surprise and enormous delight of

all devotees, entered the Sai Kulwant Hall, dressed in a bright

yellow robe. It was a beautiful sight for all to watch as devotees

feasted on the radiant Form of the Lord. The evening programme

featured two internationally renowned musicians - Parveen Sultana

and Dana Gillespie. Mrs. Parveen Sultana began with a song composed

on Bhagawan, by her Guru, Ustad Dilshad Khan. She then went on to

regale the audience with her soulful rendition of Meera Bhajans. Ms.

Dana Gillespie, with her songs of inspiration that contain teachings

of saints and sacred books from all over the world, enthralled the

gathering and made it an evening for all to remember.

 

On the 24th the Bal Vikas children from the state of Tamil Nadu

staged a play titled "Bhaktha Ambarisha" about the Lords immense

love for His devotee and how he does not allow any disaster befall

His beloved children. The following day, the Bal Vikas children of

Bihar depicted Daasya Bhakthi, the path of servitude, which is one

of the nine forms of devotion, using episodes from the life of

Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Rama.

 

Thus concluded the 78th Birthday Celebrations of our Lord, leaving

everyone with beautiful memories to carry home and cherish.

 

Jai Sai Ram.

 

Source:

http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/birthday_report_03.htm