|
Bheema Ratha Shanthi : 10 th
February 2005
Indian culture has
at its heart the noble feelings of reverence and gratitude. The
many festivals that dot the Indian calendar are all expressions
of gratitude to the various elements of the world around us that
make our lives pleasant and harmonious, and above all to God
whose grace constantly surrounds His devotees protecting them
and guiding them. The day of Ayudha Puja during the
ten-day Dasara festival, for instance, is dedicated to the
worship of the tools, machines and implements that are used in
our daily lives. The Vedas too pay homage to Nature in its
myriad forms. Reverence to one's elders is given utmost
importance in the scriptures, which declare that one's parents
are equal to God. The scriptures enjoin various ceremonies to be
performed to honour one's parents at various stages in their
life. The Bheema Ratha Shanthi is one such ritual worship that
is performed when the husband crosses his 70th year.
The ritual involves formally reenacting their marriage ceremony
and praying for good health and happiness in their lives.
The procession proceeding towards
Sai Kulwant Hall
On 10th February,
Bhagawan conducted the Bheema Ratha Shanthi for 275 elderly
couples from Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi and
surrounding villages in a grand function held at the Sai Kulwant
Hall. The procession of the couples started from the Pedda
Venkama Raju Kalyana Mantapam in Puttaparthi at 7.00 a.m. led by
the brass band and Nadasawaram troupe from the
Anantapur campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,
and a group of Banjara dancers with traditional musical
instruments.
The beautifully decorated
pandals
In Sai Kulwant Hall, where the
procession culminated, a small enclosure had been made for every
couple with elegant brass railings, and chairs were placed
within the enclosure for the couples to sit. This enclosure had
been traditionally decorated with plantain and mango leaves. The
entire hall seemed awash with brilliant colours, with banners
and decorations wherever one turned.
All set
After the couples
were seated, the officiating priests began the proceedings by
directing them to worship Lord Ganesha. The couples were helped
in performing the various
rituals by girl students from the Anantapur campus of the
University who had been assigned with this duty. The previous
evening, these students had received instructions from Bhagawan
Himself regarding their duties during the function. The rituals
were conducted in the traditional manner as prescribed in the
scriptures. On the eve of the grand ceremony, on 9th February
2005, Bhagawan had blessed the couples with ornaments such as
gold earrings studded with diamonds, gold bangles, silver
anklets along with dhotis, silk saris and glittering garlands to
be worn by the couple.
Bhagawan distributing the
Mangalasutra to the couples
Bhagawan then went
around the hall to each couple and with His own hands presented
them with a gold Mangalasutra (necklace to be placed by
the husband around the wife's neck), gold rings and silver
toe-rings. The couples were also presented watches and silver
idols of Lord Narayana and Goddess Lakshmi. One could see tears
in their eyes, overwhelmed by the bountiful blessings the Lord
had bestowed on them that day. Bhagawan's face too was radiant
with joy reflecting the bliss His devotees were experiencing at
witnessing the grand function. Even as Bhagawan was blessing
each couple thus, the priests explained the significance of this
function to the gathering and declared that is was the greatest
fortune of these couples to have it conducted by none other than
the Poornavatar Himself.
Mangalasutra being tied to the
bride
The auspicious
moment arrived for the
Mangalasutra to be placed round the wife's neck. To the
rousing sounds of the Nadaswaram and the intoning of Vedic
mantras, the couples reaffirmed their vows to each other and
exchanged garlands. Bhagawan sprinkled sacred yellow rice grains
on the couples thus sanctifying their marriage. After the
ceremony, the couples were provided with a special banquet along
with their family members, friends, relatives and all devotees
who were fortunate to attend this grand function in the Divine
Presence of Bhagawan, in the South Indian Canteen of the Ashram.
Bhagawan granting His Divine
Discourse
In the afternoon,
Bhagawan blessed the gathering with His Divine Discourse in
which He explained the significance of the Bheema Ratha Shanthi.
He said that the word
Bheema normally signified strength and valour. It does not refer
to physical strength but to the enormous will power and the
wealth of wisdom that elders possess. He said that the younger
generation should pay heed to the words of their elders and pay
them their due respect to achieve success in their endeavours.
Ms. Sudha Raghunathan seeking
Bhagawans blessings before the concert
Bhagawan's
discourse was followed by a music concert by Ms. Sudha
Raghunathan, a renowned singer in the Carnatic style of music.
Ms. Raghunathan has been a long standing devotee of Bhagawan. In
fact, she was saved from a life threatening epileptic fit by
Bhagawan when she was a two
year old child. Bhagawan appeared in the form of a villager to
the sorrowful couple, who were stranded on their way to
Bangalore after Bhagawan's birthday celebrations at Prasanthi
Nilayam, and revived their child whom they had given up as dead.
When they asked the mysterious man his name, he replied that it
was Jodi Adipalli Somappa. This name is now recited as one of
the 108 names in praise of our Lord Sai. Before the commencement
of the programme, Bhagawan materialised a gold chain for the
artiste and blessed her. Ms. Sudha Raghunathan delighted the
audience with her melodious rendition of kirtanas by
Thyagaraja (Brochevarevaru ra?) and Purandaradasa (Jagaddodharana
?) and then went on to sing devotional compositions in
Hindi and Tamil and concluded with a Sai Bhajan. At the end of
the programme, Bhagawan blessed all the artistes and accepted
Arati before retiring to His residence. Thus the
curtain came to a close for the grand ceremony.
At a time when society has all but ignored the older generation,
Bhagawan is reminding youngsters of the duties and
responsibilities they have towards their elders. This was
clearly evident from the way the programme was organised under
the Divine guidance of Bhagawan. Bhagawan out of His immense
love for the welfare of these elderly couples from the villages
had taken extra care to depute a team of doctors to conduct
medical check up, well in advance of the function, and thus
ensuring their participation. Arrangements were also made for
their to and fro transportation to make it to the function.
Those elderly couples who would find it difficult to walk were
provided with wheelchairs for free movement and there were
students and sevadals around throughout to take care of them.
Indeed, the loving care and the meticulousness with which
Bhagawan supervised the arrangements and the unparalleled
grandeur of the ceremony are an indication of the reverence and
honour that is due to the older generation. It is now for us,
His devotees, to carry the mantle of disseminating His message
to the world by living our lives by His Word.
Jai Sai Ram!
Source:
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/bheema_ratha_Report.htm
|
