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Christmas Celebrations:
December 24th and 25th
It is a remarkable
feature of festival celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam that they
are not confined to any particular religion or deity. They are
universal in character emphasizing the underlying unity of all
religions and the fundamental message of love and peace. Indeed,
Bhagawan had declared in a discourse delivered on the occasion
of the First World Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organizations at Mumbai in July 1968: "This is a human form in
which every Divine entity, every Divine Principle, that is to
say, all Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest".
Thus, we see today, devotees professing different faiths being
drawn to Bhagawan from all over the world, seeing in Him the
Name and Form that is most dear to them, and also deriving the
bliss of celebrating their religious festivities in His Divine
presence.
December 24th Evening:
Carol singing by overseas devotees
The Christmas
celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam this year commenced on the
evening of December 24th with carol singing by the overseas
devotees, first by a choir consisting of children, followed next
by the adults. The Sai Kulwant Hall was tastefully decorated for
the occasion. Two platforms were erected on either side of the
main portico, on which small statuettes were placed. One
depicted the scene of Nativity, with the child Jesus and the
parents Joseph and Mary, in the manger where He was born.
Another showed the three wise men from the East who had brought
gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the divine child.
Christmas trees were placed on either side of the idol of Lord
Ganesha in the center of the portico. Decorative stars and the
angels and cherubs usually associated with Christmas, were hung
at various places in the Mandir.
Early on the morning of December 25th, after the chanting of
Suprabhatam at 5.30 a.m., there was carol singing by overseas
devotees. Bhagawan granted Darshan to the multitudes who had
gathered in the Sai Kulwant Hall at 7.30 a.m. The morning
programme commenced with a rendition of Christmas carols and
songs by the brass band of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher
Learning. This was followed by carol singing by the students of
Bhagawan's university and school. After arati was offered to
Bhagawan and prasadam had been distributed to the devotees,
Bhagawan retired to His residence.
Sai Kulwant Hall decorated
on the occasion of Christmas
That afternoon,
after Darshan, Bhagawan blessed three speakers to address the
assembly. Ms. Rita Bruce, the first speaker, is a long-standing
devotee and an author of books on parenting basing on the ideals
taught by Bhagawan. She spoke on the theme, 'Dharma for Women',
emphasizing the role and responsibility women have in
transforming the children of today into value-based citizens of
tomorrow. Dr. Keki Mistry, a dentist based in Mumbai, was the
next speaker. He narrated his experience of being miraculously
cured by Bhagawan of a persistent cough caused by a tumour in
his tracheal region, after all efforts by the best medical
professionals had failed. He said that it is important to regard
God as one's close and long-standing friend and not as someone
distant from us. The last speaker, Mr. John Behner, Zonal
Chairman of the International Sai Organization (Zone 2),
recalled that it was Bhagawan who had taught him his first
lessons on the importance of service to one's fellow beings
through His own example, and narrated the incident that had
inspired him to take up service as a sadhana (spiritual
exercise). After the Christmas celebrations of 1974, Bhagawan
had organized a dinner for the overseas devotees and He went
around serving food to the devotees Himself. When Bhagawan
approached Mr. Behner and his wife, they expressed their
gratitude to Bhagawan. Bhagawan smiled at them and said, "It is
My duty". This made a deep impression on the speaker that the
Lord of the Universe could perform such a humble task and
consider it His duty. He said that the teachings of Bhagawan and
the message of Jesus were one in their emphasis on Love towards
all creation.
December 25th Evening:
Bhagawan delivering His Divine Discourse
Bhagawan, in His
discourse that evening, said that we must pray to God, not for
the fulfillment of our worldly desires, but for God alone. "When
we secure God's Grace all our desires get fulfilled by
themselves", He declared, bringing to mind words Jesus had said
two millennia ago: "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what
ye shall drink ?but rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all
these things shall be added unto you." (Luke 12:22?31). He
enjoined on the devotees to develop the firm conviction that all
are children of God and install Love for God in their hearts. He
concluded the discourse with the Bhajan, "Prema Muditha Man Se
Kaho?"
After arati was offered to Bhagawan, He moved amidst the
concourse of devotees, blessing them all and filling everyone's
heart with joy, before retiring to His residence.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Jai Sai Ram!
Source:
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/Christmas_04_Report.htm
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