Bhagavan Satya Sai Baba's birthday on 23.11.2008 - 3.

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23rd November- Why is this year it is so special?

 

A thousand full moons ago a day dawned that was to brilliantly enhance

the destiny of mankind. The glorious day saw the birth of a Divine Babe,

in a tiny hamlet of South-India, who would be called Sathya (truth) and

who would usher in a golden era of great moral and spiritual

regeneration. The blessed dawn was a culmination of the ardent prayers

of holy ones for a Savior on earth and the fulfillment of the promise

given by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita:

 

" yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya, glaanir bhavati bhaarata, abhyutanaama

adharmasya, tad aatmaanam srujyaamyaham. "

 

(O Bharata whenever there is a decline in dharma and rise in adharma I

shall incarnate myself to save the world.)

 

23rd November 1926 stands for the glorious day when this Divine promise

was redeemed and the Avatar of the age, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

took birth. However, to ascribe the term " Birthday " - to the Birth less

One - seems inappropriate; 'Advent' would be better suited to describe

the magnitude of the event of the Supreme, Adorable and Venerable One

coming into our midst in a human form! However, though Advent it is,

devotees lovingly refer to it as the 'Birthday' of their Beloved Guru

and Master and go all out to celebrate it joyously every year. Baba, the

Master of supreme detachment and Embodiment of perfect bliss at all

times needs no fanfare of celebrations, but devotees do! They wish to

mark out the day that brought all auspiciousness to earth and made

available to them, the boon-conferring feet of their Lord! No wonder

then, that the day arouses a mystical fervor amongst millions around the

world, those fortunate ones who have been drawn into the Divine fold.

These fortunate cover people from all faiths creeds and countries as one

of the principle messages of Sai is the Divine unity of man and the

essential harmony of all faiths. However, what is significant is that

the spiritual excitement ignited in the juggernaut of Sai devotees seeks

to express itself not in wasteful expenditure or ostentation but in the

upholding and celebration of the glorious ideals underlying the mission

of the Avatar. Devotees know that the only 'Gift' that will be

acceptable to Baba is to Live His message.

 

Every Birthday is special and significant for devotees but this year it

was even more so. This was because a unique historic event called

" Sahastra Poorna Chandra Darshana's marked the celebrations. This is

a practice enjoined by the Vedas where a human being completing eighty

years or more and who has thus had the good fortune to witness a

thousand full moons in his lifetime is honoured and felicitated. The

Vedic right is supposed to confer all nature of blessings through the

ritual poojas and the yagnas associated with it. But in the case of our

Lord, should it not be the full moon that should be felicitated for

having witnessed eighty-two glorious years of the Avatar's Divine

mission on earth!

 

A key aspect of Baba's mission which is now manifesting itself in all

richness is the restoration of the Vedas. The Vedas represent India's

richest cultural and spiritual heritage. They embody timeless wisdom and

are universal. They are the fountainhead of all knowledge. It is said,

that being the Word of God Himself they contain verily the secrets of

creation. David Frawly a Vedic researcher has said that the Vedas

represent the most extensive and exalted spiritual teaching the world

has ever known. Today when moral structures are crumbling and the spirit

of man is being crushed under the weight of rank materialism and

technological encroachment mankind needs the pure restorative

injunctions and guidelines of the pristine Vedas as never before. By

participating in Vedic rites and encouraging the daily chanting of the

Vedas by students and devotees, Baba is building an atmosphere which

will allow for the growth of Vedic culture, within the modern framework.

 

Every Avatar comes with a mission suited to the particular time and

place. The power of the presence of a Spiritual Master is truly great

and when it is the Supreme Light guiding man's faltering steps back

to the goal, the scope and scale of transformation is phenomenal. It

touches all. In the furtherance of His Divine mission Baba has

tirelessly been working for the welfare of humanity for eighty-two

years. With His divine love, He has been melting hearts and making

flowers bloom in deserts. His methods are unique and infallible. He has

only one task, to foster all of mankind and establish the unity of all

peoples as one. He has by His Divine example motivated the multitudes to

take to righteous paths and 'Love all, serve all'. His teachings simple

on the face of it are the nectarine drops of wisdom that can sweeten

life and restore it to wholesome fullness and beatitude. His story is a

story full of action. And He exhorts all to follow His example even if

it means folding up the prayer mat and putting away the rosary into the

bag, for 'Hands that help are holier than lips that pray'. His is the

splendid inspiration behind the loving seva sweeping the world and

gathering all the needy into its fold. His is the dynamic spirituality

of action, where selflessness replaces selfishness and the act of seva

becomes the holy offering placed at His lotus feet. His is the

unconditional pure love that is touching and healing hearts and

effecting miracles of transformation.

 

This is just a tiny glimpse into the mystique of twenty-third November -

a date that will surely be circled in gold by the moving finger of time

and bedazzle generations to come.

 

(Courtesy: Sai devotee-net)