Sri Sathya Sai Baba Teachings

So far we have seen, the happy days culminating with the celebrations of the First year completion of the child, on the advent into this earth. By now he would have started taking few steps and developing some legible voices too. Do you hear him/she calling you  Amma/Appa or dad or mom. He does not know to call out softly. There could be some background music for your ears, in the form of crying. This is the best method for him to draw your attention to him. 

Though you have started giving him some solid food to supplement milk, this young guy not at all likes it. It is a tedious process to make him eat something. It may take lot of persuasion, feeding with tender love. You may have to tell him something funny to make him laugh. You may even take him to open area, show him some crows or other creatures. But surely you will never sing while feeding. This exercise of singing is reserved for putting him to sleep. Nice and melodious lullabies, if possible with gentle swinging of a cradles puts the child to sound sleep.

Swami had once told the story of Mother Kausalya feeding little Sri Rama. It was early night hours, and was a full moon day. The Mother had taken Rama to Royal garden enclosure. She was showing the full moon to Rama, while trying to feed Him. Sri Rama also behaved like any other child, shaking His face here and other, reluctant to take food into His mouth. Suddenly Sri Rama started to cry. He showed the Full Moon to His mother, and wanted her to bring the moon to Him. A bewildered Mother knew not what to do. Suddenly an idea struck her mind. She asked her maids to bring a large mirror from inside the Palace. She held out the mirror in such a way that the moon was reflected. She was holding the mirror with the reflection very close to Rama, who enjoyed the Moon near Him. All the while, Mother Kausalya was wondering why the moon personified Divine Child Rama, wanted the other moon for him..  Swami sang a song…(Chandra Bimba Muga Malarpoley…. (The flower like face is vigraha or idol of moon…)

For the next couple of years, the celebrations on each year of birthday celebrations may not find the ritualistic homam, as was done on the first year. It may give place for just taking the child to the nearest temple and offer worship there.   By this time, you might have spent lot of money in buying toys and other gifts. The occasional visitors to your house may also add up to the pile of toys.

All these years, even without your being aware of it, the child is slowing growing, and his hairstyle is also changing. The hair is growing longer and longer. Beware, as per old traditions, we are not allowed to give the child a haircut as we like. The first haircut is also backed up with certain religious rituals.  This ritual is called  “Chowlam”.  An auspicious day is selected, the pundit is called home, and after certain procedures, the pundit asks the father to keep the child on his lap and formally cut a few hairs with the holy scissor, ( a new one,  bought specially for this purpose). Afterwards the local barber, who is already in attendance, is called for making a clean shave of the head.  In between some parents would have made special vows, to bring the child to certain holy places, to shave off the head of the child.  If such a promise had been made earlier to certain deities, to ward of certain diseases or mishaps, then it is important to fulfill such vows.

I had seen in Prashanthi Nilayam, some lucky father keeping the child on his laps and waiting for  Swami to arrive near him. The father keeps a newly bought scissor on new plate, and holds it to Swami. Swami graciously bends down, picks up the scissor, and then cuts a few hairs from the child’s head. But now, those days are gone. You will not be permitted to carry such tools inside Darshan hall.

I had grown up sufficiently to remember my first haircut. My mother had taken up a vow to get my hair shaved off at Tirupathi. My parents could not find time for this pilgrimage.  The result was, my hair had gown very long like that of ladies. Though I looked very beautiful like girls, extra attention had to be given in tending the hairstyle every day. By the time I started attending school, all the children, especially boys started teasing me. But still, some how I like my long hair. We had been on a visit to my aunt’s house at Sri Rangam, near Trichy. From there we were to go to a famous “Mariamman” temple in a nearby place called “Chamayapuram. I remember well, that we were traveling on a bullock cart.  Quite a long travel to go by a bullock cart, but for a group of about 6 of us, that was the cheapest mode of travel. There were not many buses those days.

I did not know what was happening. After few hours of rest, they took me to a barber. I have never seen or heard about barber. I was made to sit in front of a man, who was holding a some scissors and rusty knives in his hands. First he used his scissors, and cut off the long hair. Then with the help of the knife, he shaved off my head quite clean. I was protesting and crying. But who bothers! While coming out of his place, with wet eyes, I was looking down on the floor where my long hair was placed. It was still  looked beautiful with the nice knots and blue ribbon at the tail end. I had no mind to cast it off just like that. Nobody took kind of me. I was taken to a near by well. They poured water on my head and then dressed me up. They applied some wet sandal paste on my head for cooling and soothing effect. We went to the temple for Darshan. The deity, Goddess Mariyamma looked very beautiful. Then I asked my parent a silly question.  I asked, “You told that we are offering my hair to this Goddess. Then why have you not brought it here to the temple? It is left in the barber’s place”.

Then and there, inside the temple, in presence of many other devotee visitors, I was given some beatings for my impertinent question.

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