PHOTOS: Vedapurusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna

October 5, 2008

Vedapurusha

Saptaha

Yajna

2008

The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother in the Bharathabhoomi or India. The Navarathri festival or 'nine day festival' becomes 'ten days festival', Dusshera, meaning 'ten days', with the addition of the last day, Vijaya-dashami which is its culmination. On all these ten days, the various forms of Mother Mahisasura-mardini (Durga) are worshipped with fervour and devotion. The goddess is invoked as a spiritual force called Durga also known as Kali in order to destroy all impurities during the first three days. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth in all sense of the term. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of

wisdom,Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, devotees seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.And at Puttaparthi, this festival is celebrated in all its fervour and spiritual intensity. It marks the beginning of the Vedapurusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna with the Vedapurusha, our beloved Swami, presiding over the Yajna in the morning and imparthing Jnana in the evning, either through His discourses or through the inspiration He lends to scholars. The 3rd of October was to mark the beginning of this magnificent homam (fire sacrifice) as a homage and prayer for all humanity. The Kulwant hall had been decked to its brilliant best. The strains of the sacred Nadaswaram filled the air and the smell of incense filled hearts with the sense of deepest devotion. A brightly caparisoned Sathya Gita marched regally, strutting around her tiny trunk, towards the Yajur Mandir. It was about 8:30 am

when an announcement was made that on this holy day Swami would grant darshan in the Kulwant hall and then all could move silently into the Poornachandra Auditorium where the Yajnam would commence. At about 8:50am, Swami arrived and He looked as fresh as a rose! Sathya Gita moved forward gently towards Him and with a tiny trumpet, offered Him a salute. Swami took apples from her caretaker and fed her. She greedily took apples from His hand and ate them. Swami was so sweetly observing her and He went on feeding her. The scene was reminiscent of what many of us devotees do - He comes to us to give Himself and we just grab at the "apples" that are there in His hand thinking that they are the "sweetest" things He can confer on us! Feeding her, Swami permitted the little elephant to move to the Kulwant hall from the back entrance and He made His much awaited entry into the darshan grounds. Moving through the ladies and gents side, He came to the front.

There He scrutinized the dhoties that the Veda chanting students had worn and all were fine. Then He moved into the bhajan hall where about a hundred students clad in saffron were chanting the Vedas along with the purohits(priests) who had arrived for the Yajnam. Swami sat there for a while listening to the chants. Then He got the traditional clothes to be presented to the priests. As per the custom, the head priest and his wife conduct a separate worship. Swami first gifetd a green silk saree to the head priest's wife. Then He proceeded to give the dhoties and angavastrams to all the priests as they bowed at His feet and sought His blessings. They immediately changed into the new clothes and were ready for "takeoff"! Swami asked, "What about the turmeric and kumkum?" Those were also kept in readiness and Swami permitted them to leave for the auditorium. Before leaving they chanted loudly in unison, some hymns and mantras and then began ton file out.

Swami then instructed the students also to follow suit. He sat by the side blessing everyone as they left for the Poornachandra auditorium. As everyone left, Swami was almost alone except for 4-5 people in the entire bhajan hall. He sat so serene and composed, looking at the altar and the walls and the lights! He was at perfect ease with Himself and just looking at Him reminded one of His statement, "When I am alone, I am God!" He need not be isolated to be alone. His is a solitude that is perfect and He moves in and out of it at Will. After a few minutes, Swami moved into the interview room after which He too made His way to the Poornachandra auditorium. There is a plethora of activitythat goes on the Poornachandra auditorium stage. From the conduction of the Yajnam while chanting Rudram to the silent reading of the Devi Bhagawatam to the strenous stretching and exercising of the Surya Namaskar. And this is shred between both groups, the priests

and the students. All had "taken gaurd" as Swami arrived on the stage. The priests sought His permission to churn and begin the sacred fire to light up the yajnam. He permitted them and then they began to churn the embers in a wooden cradle. As the first wisps of smoke rose into the air, they blew and fanned it lovingly into a flame. At the same time they took great care that no breeze or external force put it out. Showing it to all assembled, they placed it in the pit and fuelled it into a wonderful flame! The same breeze that once threatened to put out the spark now inflamed the holy fire to greater heights! Like Swami says that there will be many hinderances in the spiritual path in the beginning. But later these obstructions themselves hasten ones spiritual progress! And thus, the yajnam began and a silent thrill seemed to surge through the being of anyone who could comprehend, in part at least, the great blessing he/she was being subjected

to. Swami accepted the garlands and He also lit a candle with a matchstick. This candle was used to light up all the oil lamps on stage. The priest engaged in Surya Namaskar, as is the tradition, came to Swami and offered a flower at the beginning and fell in full prostration, the Sashtangam as it is called, to Him. Swami blessed Him and then rising, the priest circumambulated Swami before continuing His prayers. The students, a large group on stage, kept the chanting alive and in one corner the Devi Mahatyam or reading the glories of the divine mother was on. After a while, Swami moved across the stage to the other corner where the head priest and his wife were involved in worship. He placed a garland and recieved their prayers. All the ladies rejoiced at the close darshan that they got as He came to their side. On His way back, Swami stopped at the Homakundam. He sat observing the offerings made to the fire.. A magnificent wooden, exquisitely carved

statue depicting the various incarnations of Lord Vishu had been placed at the back of the stage. When Swami sat at the fire, the hood of the serpent on the statue seemed to form an arch over His head! Swami sat there for a while and then retired for the day.The yajnam went on till the Aarthi at about 12:00 pm. In the evening, Swami arrived again in the chair. He moved through the ladies side which was packed with children from the Primary school and the students of the Anantapur campus of the Institute also. The Veda chanting welcomed Him into what used to be called the Prashanti Vidwan Mahasabha - not that it isn't that anymore but it is not specifically called that way. The evenings during the Dusshera are used as a platform for the wisdom of elders(Swami inclusive) to be showered on all. Today as Swami went around showering the joy of His darshan on all assembled, nobody had the slightest idea as to what the proceedings of the evening

would be. Swami came on the stage and asked for the chanting to cease. Then He called the priest who performs Aarthi daily in the mandir on to the stage. Sri Narayana Bhatta was the speaker for the evening! As he was introduced, he prostrated and sought blessings from Swami. His topic was "Devi Bhagawatam". Using the 10 years of Vedic learning experience, he dwelt in a masterly manner on the significance of the Mother worship. He exhorted all to make attempts atleast to read the Devi Purana as it was in very simple Sanskrit. As he concluded his half an hour talk, Swami asked him to speak some more on the Gayathri mantra. And thus he dwelt on that too. When the speaker kept addressing the chant as "Gayathri", Swami corrected, "Gayathri Maata"( meaning Mother Gayathri). The Gayathri mantra is actually addressed to the sun God and is not a goddess as common belief is, he said. "Gayathri" is actually a meter in Sanskrit and it is used to make some of

the most powerful chants. He also went into the fascinating details and after he concluded, Swami applauded his effort. For the next 10 minutes or so, Swami and the speaker were involved in a quite animated and deep discussion. After that, Swami smiled and called a student and asked, "Can you chant the Gayathri mantra?" He did so and Swami corrected him at some places. With a loving pat on his cheeks Swami sent him back to his place and called another student- an American boy this time. This boy too was told to chant and he did so. Swami smilingly latched on to his errors and after a loving pat, sent him back. The next student tested was the Iranian boy Sathya from the primary school. He seemed to impress Swami with his chanting. Swami was in such a comfortable and calm poise. He called boys holding letters and accepted them interacting with all of them for some time. There were smiles everywhere and the silence that filled the hall was occupied

with prayers from the devotees and Grace from the Lord. Swami then asked for bhajans to begin. Three bhajans were sung during which the prasadam distribution went on. After that, Swami recieved Aarthi and retired for the day.

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October 6, 2008

--- On Mon, 6/10/08, SBOI-webmaster < wrote:SBOI-webmaster <[sBOI-post] PHOTOS: Vedapurusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna"SaiBabaOfIndiaGroup" Monday, 6 October, 2008, 12:44 AM

Vedapurusha

Saptaha

Yajna

2008

The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother in the Bharathabhoomi or India. The Navarathri festival or 'nine day festival' becomes 'ten days festival', Dusshera, meaning 'ten days', with the addition of the last day, Vijaya-dashami which is its culmination. On all these ten days, the various forms of Mother Mahisasura-mardini (Durga) are worshipped with fervour and devotion. The goddess is invoked as a spiritual force called Durga also known as Kali in order to destroy all impurities during the first three days. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth in all sense of the term. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the goddess of

wisdom,Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, devotees seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.And at Puttaparthi, this festival is celebrated in all its fervour and spiritual intensity. It marks the beginning of the Vedapurusha Saptaha Jnana Yajna with the Vedapurusha, our beloved Swami, presiding over the Yajna in the morning and imparthing Jnana in the evning, either through His discourses or through the inspiration He lends to scholars. The 3rd of October was to mark the beginning of this magnificent homam (fire sacrifice) as a homage and prayer for all humanity. The Kulwant hall had been decked to its brilliant best. The strains of the sacred Nadaswaram filled the air and the smell of incense filled hearts with the sense of deepest devotion. A brightly caparisoned Sathya Gita marched regally, strutting around her tiny trunk, towards the Yajur Mandir. It was about 8:30 am

when an announcement was made that on this holy day Swami would grant darshan in the Kulwant hall and then all could move silently into the Poornachandra Auditorium where the Yajnam would commence. At about 8:50am, Swami arrived and He looked as fresh as a rose! Sathya Gita moved forward gently towards Him and with a tiny trumpet, offered Him a salute. Swami took apples from her caretaker and fed her. She greedily took apples from His hand and ate them. Swami was so sweetly observing her and He went on feeding her. The scene was reminiscent of what many of us devotees do - He comes to us to give Himself and we just grab at the "apples" that are there in His hand thinking that they are the "sweetest" things He can confer on us! Feeding her, Swami permitted the little elephant to move to the Kulwant hall from the back entrance and He made His much awaited entry into the darshan grounds. Moving through the ladies and gents side, He came to the front.

There He scrutinized the dhoties that the Veda chanting students had worn and all were fine. Then He moved into the bhajan hall where about a hundred students clad in saffron were chanting the Vedas along with the purohits(priests) who had arrived for the Yajnam. Swami sat there for a while listening to the chants. Then He got the traditional clothes to be presented to the priests. As per the custom, the head priest and his wife conduct a separate worship. Swami first gifetd a green silk saree to the head priest's wife.. Then He proceeded to give the dhoties and angavastrams to all the priests as they bowed at His feet and sought His blessings. They immediately changed into the new clothes and were ready for "takeoff"! Swami asked, "What about the turmeric and kumkum?" Those were also kept in readiness and Swami permitted them to leave for the auditorium. Before leaving they chanted loudly in unison, some hymns and mantras and then began ton file out.

Swami then instructed the students also to follow suit. He sat by the side blessing everyone as they left for the Poornachandra auditorium. As everyone left, Swami was almost alone except for 4-5 people in the entire bhajan hall. He sat so serene and composed, looking at the altar and the walls and the lights! He was at perfect ease with Himself and just looking at Him reminded one of His statement, "When I am alone, I am God!" He need not be isolated to be alone. His is a solitude that is perfect and He moves in and out of it at Will. After a few minutes, Swami moved into the interview room after which He too made His way to the Poornachandra auditorium. There is a plethora of activitythat goes on the Poornachandra auditorium stage. From the conduction of the Yajnam while chanting Rudram to the silent reading of the Devi Bhagawatam to the strenous stretching and exercising of the Surya Namaskar. And this is shred between both groups, the priests

and the students. All had "taken gaurd" as Swami arrived on the stage. The priests sought His permission to churn and begin the sacred fire to light up the yajnam. He permitted them and then they began to churn the embers in a wooden cradle. As the first wisps of smoke rose into the air, they blew and fanned it lovingly into a flame. At the same time they took great care that no breeze or external force put it out. Showing it to all assembled, they placed it in the pit and fuelled it into a wonderful flame! The same breeze that once threatened to put out the spark now inflamed the holy fire to greater heights! Like Swami says that there will be many hinderances in the spiritual path in the beginning. But later these obstructions themselves hasten ones spiritual progress! And thus, the yajnam began and a silent thrill seemed to surge through the being of anyone who could comprehend, in part at least, the great blessing he/she was being subjected

to. Swami accepted the garlands and He also lit a candle with a matchstick.. This candle was used to light up all the oil lamps on stage. The priest engaged in Surya Namaskar, as is the tradition, came to Swami and offered a flower at the beginning and fell in full prostration, the Sashtangam as it is called, to Him. Swami blessed Him and then rising, the priest circumambulated Swami before continuing His prayers. The students, a large group on stage, kept the chanting alive and in one corner the Devi Mahatyam or reading the glories of the divine mother was on. After a while, Swami moved across the stage to the other corner where the head priest and his wife were involved in worship. He placed a garland and recieved their prayers. All the ladies rejoiced at the close darshan that they got as He came to their side. On His way back, Swami stopped at the Homakundam. He sat observing the offerings made to the fire.. A magnificent wooden, exquisitely carved

statue depicting the various incarnations of Lord Vishu had been placed at the back of the stage. When Swami sat at the fire, the hood of the serpent on the statue seemed to form an arch over His head! Swami sat there for a while and then retired for the day.The yajnam went on till the Aarthi at about 12:00 pm. In the evening, Swami arrived again in the chair. He moved through the ladies side which was packed with children from the Primary school and the students of the Anantapur campus of the Institute also. The Veda chanting welcomed Him into what used to be called the Prashanti Vidwan Mahasabha - not that it isn't that anymore but it is not specifically called that way. The evenings during the Dusshera are used as a platform for the wisdom of elders(Swami inclusive) to be showered on all. Today as Swami went around showering the joy of His darshan on all assembled, nobody had the slightest idea as to what the proceedings of the evening

would be. Swami came on the stage and asked for the chanting to cease. Then He called the priest who performs Aarthi daily in the mandir on to the stage. Sri Narayana Bhatta was the speaker for the evening! As he was introduced, he prostrated and sought blessings from Swami. His topic was "Devi Bhagawatam". Using the 10 years of Vedic learning experience, he dwelt in a masterly manner on the significance of the Mother worship. He exhorted all to make attempts atleast to read the Devi Purana as it was in very simple Sanskrit. As he concluded his half an hour talk, Swami asked him to speak some more on the Gayathri mantra. And thus he dwelt on that too. When the speaker kept addressing the chant as "Gayathri", Swami corrected, "Gayathri Maata"( meaning Mother Gayathri). The Gayathri mantra is actually addressed to the sun God and is not a goddess as common belief is, he said. "Gayathri" is actually a meter in Sanskrit and it is used to make some of

the most powerful chants. He also went into the fascinating details and after he concluded, Swami applauded his effort. For the next 10 minutes or so, Swami and the speaker were involved in a quite animated and deep discussion. After that, Swami smiled and called a student and asked, "Can you chant the Gayathri mantra?" He did so and Swami corrected him at some places. With a loving pat on his cheeks Swami sent him back to his place and called another student- an American boy this time. This boy too was told to chant and he did so. Swami smilingly latched on to his errors and after a loving pat, sent him back. The next student tested was the Iranian boy Sathya from the primary school. He seemed to impress Swami with his chanting. Swami was in such a comfortable and calm poise. He called boys holding letters and accepted them interacting with all of them for some time. There were smiles everywhere and the silence that filled the hall was occupied

with prayers from the devotees and Grace from the Lord. Swami then asked for bhajans to begin. Three bhajans were sung during which the prasadam distribution went on. After that, Swami recieved Aarthi and retired for the day.

For more Sai Baba News Visit:

Sai Baba Darshan News & latest event photos

http://www.saibabao findia.com/ sai_baba_ latest_darshan_ news_photos_ updates.htm

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