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Report: Sri Krishna Janmashtami 2020

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Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the sacred Birthday of Lord Krishna, was celebrated on Wednesday, 12 August 2020 via an online Satsang. There were 1671 views. The programme commenced at 5.30pm with Ganga Arati and concluded at midnight with the celebration of the Birth of the Lord. Bhagavan Sri Krishna was the Ishta Devata of our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda who wrote the following in Lord Krishna and His Lilas: "Lord Krishna was the highest incarnation of the great Lord Vishnu. He was the unique and crowning incarnation of all. He was the world teacher. He was the one Lord of love. His Divine form holds the heart of India captive in chains, even today. The Bhagavata, the Mahabharata, the Vishnu Purana—all proclaim with one voice that there was none to match Sri Krishna in beauty and elegance of form in all three worlds".

Our Divine Master wrote several poems glorifying the Purna Avatar of Lord Vishnu, which reveal the intimate divine relationship that the Master enjoyed with the Lord. Herewith an excerpt from the poem "There comes Krishna":

I hear his footsteps,
I know their sounds.
He comes and lifts me up,
He embraces and blesses.

KrishnaIn the book, Bliss Divine, our Master wrote about "The Lord's Teachings", especially the immortal teachings to Arjuna and Uddhava. After the Lord cleared all this doubts, Arjuna exclaimed with joy, "O my Lord! My delusion is destroyed. I have attained knowledge through Thy Grace. I am firm now and my doubts have vanished completely. I will act according to Thy word." To Uddhava, the Lord gives instructions on a variety of subjects. But the one ringing note is, "See Me in everything. Surrender yourself to Me. Do all actions for My sake. Cut off all attachments. Have perfect and unwavering devotion to Me. Sing My glories." These lessons are meant for the true seeker.

Pujya Swamiji states in his audio message, "Now the whole aim, I will give it to you in a nutshell, is to try and make the Divine Name continuous as possible, is to repeat it continuously. And that is all the Sadhana that we have to do. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, 'He attains Me easily who remembers Me constantly and daily'. So, the way to remember God constantly is to repeat His Name and later on if you meditate deeply, you will find there is no difference between God and His Name. The moment you repeat His Name, you are in contact with God.Of course, when God is realised, the Name drops off by itself. The remembrance becomes permanent. How the Mantra works we don't know, but there is a mysterious power. A certain vibration is set up. A certain particular vibration. Every word has a vibration. It has a form also. The word orange has a form. So, every Mantra has a vibration that we cannot see with our physical eyes. We can see it with the inner eye. Whenever you get a chance, whenever you pause, you should try to bring the Mantra into the mind."

The programme was interspersed with the following thought-provoking readings and a play-reading: "Krishna & Uddhava", "The Divine Ruler","Krishna's Jewels" and "Akrura". In the reading on "The Divine Ruler", humorously written, we heard how Paundraka had masqueraded as the Lord and proudly went about his daily duties giving people the false impression that he was none other than Lord Krishna. He eventually even challenged the Lord to a duel and finally met his end. Paundraka, who had been mentally identifying himself with the Lord all the time, got released from his mortal coils and attained identity of form with the Lord. Mysterious are the ways of Karma. Each man gets liberation in his own way.

In the play-reading, "Krishna's Jewels" we heard about Kala, the robber who had one great passion. It was to lay his hands on the jewels worn by Sri Krishna. After listening to the enchanting stories by the Pundit in a village home, he was determined to possess the jewels that would "set him up for life". Why should he bother about picking up a trinket here, a few coins or a cloth there? If he could find these jewels, he need never go hungry again. He could think of nothing else. After the pundit had finished his story and was on his way home, our thief accosted him and demanded to know where he could find Sri Krishna, to get hold of the jewels He was wearing. The play continues with Kala's adventure, in search of Sri Krishna and His jewels. When he eventually did meet Sri Krishna, the power of Sri Krishna's love completely transformed him.

The recitation of the verses from the Bhagavad Gita enhanced the sanctity of the event. About the Gita, our Divine Master wrote, "The greatest gift, the finest blessing that India has conferred upon the world, upon all humanity, is the sublime yet eminently practical, universal gospel of the Bhagavad Gita".
Needless to say, the well-selected Bhajans and Kirtans, so melodiously sung in unison, captured the hearts of listeners. In the DVD, "Wisdom of Sivananda", we heard the Master give a synopsis of the "Message of the Gita" and capture the essence of "Live in God". Devotees were also thrilled to hear the Master sing Bhajans in adoration of Lord Krishna.

Reading from the Peace Series. Herewith two gems from these readings:

Character is the essence of man. The sum total of all his virtues forms his character. It is been rightly said that when wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. But, when character is lost, everything is lost.

If one does wicked deeds, one is filled with hatred and disharmony. He becomes brutal and hence falls into lower births. If he does pure, virtuous actions, he moves towards Light and peace. He becomes divine. Therefore, entertain good thoughts and do righteous actions. You will enjoy eternal happiness.

Chanting whilst walking was initiated by Pujya Swami Sahajananda in South Africa. This Sadhana was undertaken vigorously by Sri Aurobindo and Mother Krishnabai, two great spiritual personalities in India. Over the years, devotees found this to be a refreshing change at the live Satsangs. Four such sessions were arranged for the online Satsang. Devotees enjoyed walking and chanting in the comfort of their homes.

We were indeed pleased to hear the devotional outpourings or our Guest Artiste, Smt Mahenthri Pillay. It was an honour, once again, to have her on our programme, singing the soul-stirring Bhajans: Nanda Kumara, Krishna Mukunda Murari and Shree Narayana. We express our profound thanks to her.

Pujya Swami Sahajananda stated that the mechanical celebration of birthdays is meaningless unless it is accompanied each year by a spiritual rebirth within us. Pujya Swamiji further mentioned, "As we celebrate the birth of the Lord, it should be our fervent prayer to entreat the Lord to take birth in our own hearts. Then, our hearts will be bubbling with joy, we will enjoy bliss and have the strength to face all the challenges of life". Let us pray to the Master to bless us with this yearning and aspiration, so that, we too, may enjoy the deep abiding peace and joy.

May Lord Krishna and Sri Radha shower Their Dvine Grace upon all! May our Divine Master and Pujya Swami Sahajananda bless all bountifully. May all attain illumination through the Grace of the Lord!

Last modified on Friday, 14 August 2020 16:01
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