Gurupurnima at Prasanthi Nilayam

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Gurupurnima at Prasanthi Nilayam

 

Thousands of devotees from all parts of India and other parts of the

world gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam to celebrate the holy festival of

Guru Purmina, the day dedicated to the Teacher of all Teachers, in

the immediate Divine presence of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, with

devotional fervour. Bhagawan arrived in the fully packed Sai Kulwant

Hall at 7:30 a.m. to the accompaniment of Nadaswaram, Panchavadyam

and Veda chanting. After blessing the devotees who had occupied every

inch of space available inside and outside Sai Kulwant Hall, Bhagawan

took His seat on the dais specially decorated for the occasion.

Bhagawan gave an illuminating Divine Discourse which was preceded by

inspiring speeches by Sri V. Srinivasan, All India President, Sri

Sathya Sai Seva Organisations, Dr. G. Venkataraman, Former Vice

Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Sri Anil

Vinayak Gokak, Vice Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Learning and a student of II year M.B.A., Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning.

 

Bhagawan in His Divine Discourse spoke on the significance of Karma

Phala (result of action). He reiterated that one has to face the

consequences of one's actions and only God's grace can nullify the

effects of Karma. So one should make sincere efforts to earn the

grace of God.

 

The first speaker Sri Srinivasan stressed on the significance of Guru

Purnima Celebrations, when we pay our homage to the Teacher of all

teachers, for all that He has taught. He said Guru Purnima is the day

when the Moon is full and our hearts are full, when we receive

transcendental vibrations from the Sadguru,. He is teaching universal

love that encompasses the whole of humanity…love that makes the

impossible possible…love which raises the bar of human excellence…

protecting the faithful…and all that we need is to develop Faith in

Him, he added.

 

The next speaker Prof. G. Venkataraman gave a philosophical talk

highlighting the significance of festivals, the roles of Guru and

Sadguru and its importance in the present times when the world is

marred with strife and conflicts. He said, Gurus come and go, they

educate and elevate, but it is a very rare occasion when the Guru of

all gurus come and blesses humanity. Dispelling the wrong notion that

Guru imparts wisdom, Prof. Venkataraman, quoting Bhagawan mentioned

that the role of a Guru is to scrub and clean our hearts to see that

it shines forth with the Wisdom that is latent in it…and what the

Sadguru does is creating a thirst, a yearning for God. He urged the

devotees not to limit Bhagawan to the physical frame, but to look

inward to see the indweller in our hearts. All religions say there is

only one God and He is omnipresent. Let this day remind all of us

these ancient truths encapsulated in our holy scriptures, Prof.

Venkataraman reiterated. This is the time when we must remember God,

at a time when the world is torn with strife and conflict, plunged

into grief; we must give up hate, greed and develop love for God.

This is the day when one should reflect, not merely celebrate…reflect

on the Teachings of the Divine which have been imparted from times

immemorial… to go back to God…as He wants us just as we want Him…

Together God and Man can make this world bloom.

 

While acknowledging thanks to Bhagawan for the opportunity granted to

share his thoughts with fellow devotees on the auspicious occasion,

the student narrated incidents from the stories told by Sri

Ramakrishna and anecdotes from Sage Narada's life to stress the

importance of power of God's name. The student, echoing the greater

significance of the physical proximity of Bhagawan that is granted to

devotees, particularly to students, urged the gathering that it is

the duty of each and every devotee that he or she imbibes the

teachings of Bhagawan and put the same into practice in everyday

life. Quoting one of the recent Divine Discourses, he reminded that

God is not residing in Kailasa or Vaikuntha but is the indweller of

all hearts…one has to look deep into and understand and realize the

Supreme Truth: "I am I".

 

The last speaker was Mr. Anil Vinayak Gokak, Vice Chancellor of Sri

Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning who in his enlightening

speech gave a glimpse of the role of Bhagawan as the Supreme

Guru. `Gu' is Gunatheetha and `Ru' is Rupa Varjitha; Formless and

Attributeless. The difference between Guru and Teacher is that the

teacher imparts knowledge whereas the Guru imparts impulses hich are

transformational in nature. Mr. Gokak also stressed on the

significance of the festival Guru Purnima: The full moon has the

symbolic value both for the Guru and Sishya. The cool light of the

full moon symbolises the fully illuminated mind of the Guru. Guru

illuminates the path of divinity. For the Sishya full moon symbolises

his inner awakening and his inner awakening reaches higher levels and

in turn he expresses his gratitude to the Guru for the inner

awakening that takes place as a result of transmission of impulses by

the Guru. He urged the devotees to review, to introspect as to where

one stands and the extent of progress one has made in their spiritual

journey.

 

After the end of His Divine discourse, Bhagawan has formally released

the 5th Volume of His Biography, Sathyam Sivam Sundaram.

 

In the afternoon, students from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus enthralled one and all by bringing

the Life Story of Rama through mellifluous rendering of Ramakatha in

the immediate Divine Presence of Sai Rama.

 

sourced: http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/gurupurnima.htm

 

Love & Light

 

Deepak

 

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