Divine Words of wisdom by Sathya Sai Baba – With Festivals 1. Yagna signifies discarding bad qualities into the sacred fire Your browser does not support the audio element. 1987-10-02 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description To-day brings the week-long ritual (Saptaham) to an end. Strictly speaking ‘end’ means attaining Brahman. Recognizing the truth of unity in multiplicity is what attaining Brahman means to convey. Realizing the all-pervasive nature of Lord Siva (Shiva tattwam) is the essence of Brahman. We should discard all the bad qualities and evil thoughts into the sacred fire. We should aim at nurturing good thoughts and performing good deeds, from now onwards.   2. Sanctifying oneself is the message of Devi Navaratri Your browser does not support the audio element. 1992-09-27   Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description Commencement of ‘Devi Navaratri’ signify the sanctifying of thoughts and life by worshipping nature.    3. Understand the significance of Durgashtami Your browser does not support the audio element. 1992-09-27 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description Man must make an effort to recognise and understand the inner significance of ‘Durgashtami’. In Bharat from ancient times, the inner significance of the festivals was always associated with divinity. Every small festival was used to transform the feelings into divine feelings. That was the purpose of the festival days. Today one only concerns about the external rituals of a festival like putting a photo, offering worship all in an artificial manner. The types of worship offered are devoid of devotion and sincerity and filled with meaningless rituals. One should steady one’s body to have steady mind. If one’s body is continuously in motion, how can one steady one’s mind? Mind can be compared to the water in a pot. When the pot is moved, the water inside too will move. That is why one needs to train one’s body to be still in meditation. Meditation includes control of body. A steady body holds a steady mind. Intellect blossoms only when both the mind and the body are steady. Wisdom shines when intellect blossoms and once wisdom shines, one gets liberated. One is unable to control the body and sit still for two minutes and even the sitting posture is not correct. When one sits with a bent spinal cord, the nerves ‘ida’ and ‘pingala’ get disturbed. The power of ‘Kundalini’ which travels from ‘Mooladhara’ or the last vertebra of the spine to the first, goes in the wrong way thus making today’s man a mad monkey; not just a monkey but a mad monkey! A monkey cannot sit still even for a moment; it goes on moving one limb or the other. Its looks are also not steady. The reason for man’s fidgeting is the fact that man has evolved from monkey and though he has developed, the traits of the monkey behaviour still remain. These ‘navaratris’ are celebrated to encourage sacred feelings in man and make him travel towards divinity by destroying his ignorance and ego. No one is making an effort to know the purpose of the festivals. During the Navaratri, women keep a display of dolls of various kinds and worship them. That is not what one is supposed to do. All the dolls represent the physical world which is perishable. By worshipping the perishables one has to attain the imperishable Divine; that is the power latent in man.   4. Significance behind ‘Devi Navaratri’ Your browser does not support the audio element. 1992-09-27   Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description That person is truly a human being, who is sanctified by the unity of thought, word and deed. The heart can be compared to goddess of wealth Lakshmi. The words can be compared to goddess of knowledge Saraswathi. The power of doing deeds can be compared to Goddess Durga. Hence it is said: “Manasyekam, vachasyekam, karmanyekam, aatmanam!” – Unity in thought, word and deed makes a man great. The Devi Navaratri signify that man can sanctify his life by bringing about the unity of thought, word and deed and live as human being by getting rid of ignorance.   5. Vasudhaikakutumbhakam is the message of Sankranti Your browser does not support the audio element. 1996-01-15 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description Students should behave in a very respectful manner, should respect the elders, love the parents, respect others and should develop feelings of trust towards the country. That is the nationality feeling. “This is the country I was born in. I must protect my motherland. This is my motherland. This my mother tongue, this is my religion. Is there a man courageous, who on earth who has not stood up for these feelings?” Without the feelings of- “My country, my mother tongue, and my religion” a man is like a living corpse. Those feelings must be there but just as one has the feelings of patriotism for one’s country, one look upon another’s country too in the same light. All people of different country must live in unity and harmony. It must develop into one big family. The occasion that brings forth such divine transformation is “Sankranthi’. One must achieve peace in Sankranthi, develop peace and attract peace.   6. We should change our vision and direction from Sankranti Your browser does not support the audio element. 1996-01-15 Document Download Audio Social Share Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Description What must be changed today? The vision, words and hearing must be directed in proper way. That is the true meaning of the word, “sankramana” movement. Without sacred transformation there is no use of celebrating any number of Sankranti festivals. People eat and enjoy the sweetness of the sweet pancake “ariselu”, but the sweetness lasts only as long as one eats it, later on it turns bitter. Happiness is not got by eating the pancake. Festivals are not for sweets and puddings. The significance of festivals lies