Indians love festivals….we only need an excuse….any excuse to celebrate!
Every year CM Delhi celebrates Sri RamaJanma Utsav, the birth of Sri Rama. Like other years, this year too Tapovan Hall was decorated….the shining lamps and the flower bedecked altar all added to the festive mood. This happens every year, so how was Ramnavami different this time round? To add to our joy we had in our midst Pujya Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda and the day took on a new meaning.
Sri Sai Ganesh Nagpal set the tone and contributed to the ambienceby invoking the presence of the Lord through his melodious bhajans. Following which Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati performed the Puja of Sri Vishnu, to the chant of the mantras of the Vishnu Sahasranama.
For Pujya Guruji Ramanavami is very special. Taking the easiest way to enter the durbar of his istadevata, to the beat of the table and the melody from the harmonium, he began by singing His glories. Immersed in love, his single pointed agenda was through Nama-sankirtan to direct the attention of the seekers to Bhagawan Himself.
Hethen began his discourse by focusing on the difference between a jiva and Ishvara. Some significant points he mentioned were:
* Jiva has desires but does not have power to fulfil them. Ishvara has all the powers to fulfil them but He has no desires.
* Man is adept at getting into trouble but does not know how to get out of them. Ishvara has the ability to solve problems but He has none.
* God gives and forgives. Man gets and forgets.
* We should pray for strength to handle our troubles or request Bhagawan to take them as his own.
He explained how Bhagawan took Avatara to free Mother Earth of the evils (adharma) that had crept in. When He took the human form (Nara rupa), the devatas not wanting to be separated from the Lord followed him as monkeys (Vanaras). Immersing the congregation in love and devotion for the Lord, he illumined the sublime essence of Sri Rama.
A vivid description of Nature brought us to the time when the Lord took birth at the stroke of noon, with the sun at its zenith. Singing lines in praise (stuti) of Rama, Guruji encouraged
devotees to pay their respects at the altar of the new born….gently rocking His cradle and
showing the light of the Aarti to the greatest of all babes!
Steeped in devotion, and enveloped with love the celebrations ended with a sumptuous bhandara!
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