23rd November- Why is it so special ?

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!...asks Ms. Shammi Paranjape referring to the much talked about festivity in waiting.  Born in Kanpur, Shammi Paranjape graduated from Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College with English honours. She followed this up with an LLB from Mumbai’s Govt. Law College. With writing being her first love, Shammi has been pursuing her freelance journalism ever since with avid interest. She has authored a book Blossoms in the Eternal Spring, a moving memoir about spiritual discovery and the strength and joy this bestows on a person.

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 Saviour on earth and the fulfillment of the promise given by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita-‘ Yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati Bharata abhyutanama adharmasya, tad aatmanama srujyamyaham.’(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, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba took birth. However, to ascribe the term ‘Birthday’ - to the Birthless 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 Darshan’ 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…