Dasara Festival
Every evening during the Dasara [10 days of Devi worship], the pundits and scholars who came for the Vedapurusha jnana yajna in 1962 gave very erudite discourses on the Vedas, Vedanta, and Shastras [holy scriptures]. Baba elucidated the points they raised. He also emphasized many points for the uplift and correction of the bhaktas [devotees] who had gathered in thousands.
It was an unforgettable scene! The sweet melody of nadaswaram [reed instrument played for festivals] filled the air, the perfume of flowers and sandalwood circled around, the cow with her charming little calf strutted in front, proud of the necklaces and jingles that it wore. Women waved arati [oil lamp waved in front of divinity] and walked on either side, holding plates of fruits.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in His resplendent robe emerged from Prasanthi Nilayam [abode of the highest peace, His ashram in Puttaparthi] with Sri Boorgala Ramakrishna Rao and Brahmasri Kameswara Ghanapad [his devotees] on either side. Behind Him were a bevy of a hundred ritwiks [ritualists], pundits, and scholars from all parts of India, decked in multicolored silk (each according to the function allotted to him in the yajna [auspicious ritualistic sacrifice]—white for those who recite the Vedas, red for those partaking in the Rudrahoma [special offering to Shiva], yellow for some of the rest). Following them were thousands of bhaktas, their faces bright with joy of this special and unique day—the day when the avatar of the Lord was assuming the guardianship of the Veda-bhaktas from Kerala to Kashmir [southern to northern India].
This human stream of joy moved to the yagnashala [site of the yagna], the charming mantapa [shrine] erected with intense devotion by hands that, though new to the task, were charged with skill and artistry by Bhagavan Himself. The intonation of the Vedic mantras by the entire group in ecstatic harmony thrilled every heart for the sacred vibration was suffused with the glory of God.
The yagna began at 9:30 am on the first day of October 1962. The Gods were invoked, installed, and worshipped as the Vedas dictated. Athi Rudrahoma [very rare and special offering to Shiva] was done, the Bhagavatham [story of Krishna and His glory], the Ramayana [story of Rama] and the Devi-bhagavatham [the glory of the Goddess] were read. The commentaries of Sankara, a great ascetic, were repeated. Suryanamaskaram [yogic prostration to the sun] with the appropriate Vedic chants was done, and the saligrama [holy object made of quartz] and the Sahasralinga [symbol of Shiva] were ritually worshipped.
The Yajurveda [part of the Vedas containing invocations used in worship], in its two rescensions?? was recited. The Samaveda [Rig-veda stanzas sung to specific tunes] and the Atharva Veda [another part of the Vedas] were also chanted. The huge gathering of bhaktas sat still with awe and admiration; they filled their hearts with the perfume of the sanathana [ancient] mantra [potent formulaic prayers]. Bhagavan was present in the yagnashala every day sitting in the midst of the Vedic pundits or moving among the bhaktas. The hills around the Nilayam that had the privilege of echoing the mantras will long remember their heavenly harmony.
One day, Baba announced to the assembly of ritwiks, pundits, and bhaktas “I am not the Person who is doing this yajna; I am the Person who is accepting it.” Ruminate for a moment on this declaration and you will realize the atmosphere of Devaloka [abode of the Gods], of Vaikuntha [abode of Lord Vishnu] itself that pervaded the yagnashala!
And the jnana yajna [ritualistic sacrifice for wisdom]! Every evening for eight days, from 3:30 to 8:00 pm, a galaxy of pundits, from Secunderabad, Warangal, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Amalapuram, Pithapuram [towns in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India], famed as specialists in scriptural lore, and as popular exponents of the Vedic message gave the gathering the substance of their long and arduous studies. And the President of these scholars, Brahmasri Uppaluri Ganapathi Sastri, the undisputed master of Vedic scholarship, explained the Vedic concept of yagna with all its attendant rituals. He also spoke about the Vedic conception of Divinity that approximated most nearly to Baba Himself, as he realized and revealed with increasing clarity as the yagna proceeded.
Baba spoke daily at the end of every series of speeches, summing up the scholarly expositions in parables and stories, revealing new facets of dharma [right action] or lifting the veil of maya [illusion] off His own mystery for a moment. He assured the Vedic pundits that that they need no longer languish in neglect and dishonor, and that He would reestablish the value of Vedic culture in the world. He further assured them that He was engaged in the task of dharmasthapana [establishment of dharma] for which He had assumed human form.
The pundits arranged a program of prayer and offerings to Baba spontaneously. Baba was seated on an effulgent Sesha-thalpa [seat in the image of the thousand-headed serpent]. The pundits named it, “Tribhuvana-vijaya;” it was the reminder of the vijaya yatra [pilgrimage of victory] on which Baba has embarked, in answer to the prayers of good people.
Baba has often said that only those who have studied the shastras could understand Him; bhaktas, ritwiks, and pundits saw the truth of that declaration during this yagna. He called; they came, recognized Divinity and merged in the sea of bhakti.
“Some critics raise a hue and cry saying that the yajna is an occasion when a great deal of cow’s ghee [clarified butter] is wasted and a large quantity of sandalwood is burnt! Perhaps they value ghee and fuel higher than life. They calculate the price of ghee and sandalwood in rupees and paise [Indian currency] and bewail the cost of these articles, forgetting the joy that is obtained through the yajna.
Well, each one of these critics has consumed many a bag of rice in this life so far; what, may I ask is the great benefit they have done for mankind? How is the world better for all the ghee that they have consumed? Do they at least lead joyful lives? Do their relatives lead happy lives on account of them? What is the criterion for condemning something as ‘waste’? I am not obliged to anyone for anything used in this yajna; no one has been put to loss on this account. The yagna has given all of us great and lasting joy. Let the critics add up the rupee value of everything. We shall be happy with the incalculable, unforgettable ananda [bliss] we derived.
These critics ignore the fact that the ghee and the sandalwood are only symbols for more valuable offerings. The cow symbolizes the jivi [individual] and ghee is the most precious product of the cow. Therefore, when ghee is poured into the fire, it symbolizes the offering of the most precious treasure of man, i.e. the inner core of his entire personality, to the Gods. Aditya [Sun God] is the presiding deity of the eye, and the Adityayajna [ritual offering to Aditya] seeks to teach the need for all eyes to co-operate in developing united vision.
The Indriayajna [ritual offering of the senses] seeks similarly to link all hands, the instruments of kriyashakti [power of action], in one common coordinated effort. The Chandrayajna [ritual offering to the moon] likewise is an exercise in the union of hearts and the Suryayajna [ritual offering to the sun] tries to symbolize the concentration of all intellects on the solution to common problems. Those people, who do not know the significance of yajna and its deeper symbolism, are the ones who will drag in the jargon of the market place and disparage the yagna.
Everyone is aware of the principles of dharma [right action] but they walk in the path of adharma [unrighteous action]! That is a tragedy. Hunger is appeased by food; all grief is similarly assuaged by dharma. Good deeds are dharma and bad deeds are adharma. As long as there is breath in the body, one must adhere to dharma. Animals and birds do not deviate from their dharma at any time; it is only man that strays away and falls. So the Avatar has to come in human form in order to re-establish dharma among those who ignore it. Dharma and Shastra [holy scripture] are the two banks [of life] that regulate the floodwaters of sensual desire and egoism.
I must now issue a warning! Whenever a particular article becomes the object of popular demand, greedy people begin to trade on it. This is quite natural but you should be careful not to be duped. Many people have started using My name and try to eke out a livelihood by preying on devotees. Some of them say, “I have been sent by Baba to you, to your town, to your area, in order to spread His name and His glory.” Others say, “I have been specially blessed by Baba, He has revealed this to me or He has given me this boon.”
Still others say that Baba comes upon them, and talks through them, using them as media! Such people are operating now in many districts. These people also have brokers who canvas on their behalf, collect funds for them, and arrange meetings to honor them. My blessings are not for publicity and I am no ghost or spirit to ‘possess’ someone or talk through them! I wonder how devotees could believe such things. Their intelligence must be very low indeed!”
“Nowadays, the thorn-bush of atheism has spread and it threatens to destroy the valuable crop of faith in God. To counteract this, the astikas [one who believes in God] and sadhakas [spiritual aspirants], those who follow the Vedic path and study the Vedas and Shastras have to be tended with loving care and honored for their genuine greatness. I make this declaration now: I shall plant the Vedic tree here and in many other places, until all can take shelter in its shade. This is the task for which I have come. I am opening a Vedashatra Pathashala [school of Vedic learning] at Prasanthi Nilayam during this year’s birthday festival. The scholarship that you have all so laboriously acquired will find its reward. You may shed all fear and pursue your studies and ideals unhampered.
“A traveler draws his coat tighter to himself when the wind blows hard, but when it begins to get warmer, he takes his coat off. When the wind of argument blows, the coat of secular attachment is drawn closer to the body; argumentation multiplies differences and fosters the ego, but bhakti [devotion] gives the warmth that forces you to remove the coat. Argument leads to differences; bhakti leads to joy.”
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Nov. 1962
