Monday, 28 November 2011
Shirdi Sai Baba Aarti
Aarti is a devotional prayer that has devotees standing before the image of a deity or consecrated saint accompanied with singing of devotional songs in unison. This singing is often accompanied by other musical instruments such as bells, gongs and cymbals. In Hindu rituals aarti is a rich and vibrant event, when the deity is adorned with garlands and showered with flowers along with aromatic incense sticks and waving of panchmukhi diya or five-wicks oil lamp around His figure in clockwise.
After offering the aarti before the deity, it is brought before all the devotees, who then pass their hands by turns over the sacred flame of the aarti lamp and quickly bring them closer to their faces and heads as a gesture of receiving the auspicious energy from the holy flame.
At Shirdi, there are four aarti sessions all through the day, during which devotees congregate invoking Sai Baba, seeking His blessings. Saibaba's aarti is sung in Marathi. As a living manifestation of the abstract concept of God, Shri Sai Baba is an epitome of the supreme power that guides, protects and support. This yearning that has created a bond of love and faith between Sai and his devotee is expressed through the aarti.
Aarti is performed four times everyday in Saipuram. The day begins with the invocation of Shri Sai Baba with the morning aarti called the Kakkad Aarti at 5.15am. Madhyan Aarti or Midday aarti is held at 12noon. The evening aarti or the Sandhya Aarti takes place at 6.30pm and the day closes with Shej Aarti or Night aarti at 10pm. With Shej Aarti darshan of Shri Saibaba gets over till the next day. Priests attend on him during all these rituals and rites. During these aartis devotees make offerings to Saibaba in the form of new clothes, flowers, fruits and sweets, etc. A little bit of Udi or sacred ash is also given to the devotees as a token of love from Shri Sai at the end of the rituals.
At Shirdi, there are four aarti sessions all through the day, during which devotees congregate invoking Sai Baba, seeking His blessings. Saibaba's aarti is sung in Marathi. As a living manifestation of the abstract concept of God, Shri Sai Baba is an epitome of the supreme power that guides, protects and support. This yearning that has created a bond of love and faith between Sai and his devotee is expressed through the aarti.
Aarti is performed four times everyday in Saipuram. The day begins with the invocation of Shri Sai Baba with the morning aarti called the Kakkad Aarti at 5.15am. Madhyan Aarti or Midday aarti is held at 12noon. The evening aarti or the Sandhya Aarti takes place at 6.30pm and the day closes with Shej Aarti or Night aarti at 10pm. With Shej Aarti darshan of Shri Saibaba gets over till the next day. Priests attend on him during all these rituals and rites. During these aartis devotees make offerings to Saibaba in the form of new clothes, flowers, fruits and sweets, etc. A little bit of Udi or sacred ash is also given to the devotees as a token of love from Shri Sai at the end of the rituals.
Shirdi Sai Baba's Teachings
Sai Baba of Shirdi is the epitome of reverence a guiding force who generates supreme faith and confidence among his devotees looking for salvation and in quest of coming out of the drudgery of living. As a divine mother he is saturated with love for those who seek him. With his mission of making people about the divine consciousness and transcending the limits of mortal body, his teachings are guiding his devotees to the path of salvation. People are blessed who follow his teachings.
Among the teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi there are the cardinal principles of Sai Path called 'Shraddha' and 'Saburi'. Sai Baba looks for these two qualities in his devotees. Here are the teachings and philosophies of Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Shraddha
'Shraddha' is a Sanskrit word, which roughly means faith with love and reverence. Such faith or trust is generated out of conviction, which may not be the result of any rational belief or intellectual wisdom, but a spiritual inspiration. According to Sai Baba of Shirdi, steadfast love in God is the gateway to eternity. Baba's teaching, both direct and indirect explicate the significance of 'Shraddha'. Baba reiterates the spiritual guidance of Shri Krishna to Arjun - "Whosoever offer to Me with love or devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of pure love is readily accepted by Me".
Saburi
'Saburi'; means patience and perseverance. Saburi is a quality needed throughout the path to reach the goal. This quality must be ingrained in a seeker from day one, least he looses his stride and leaves the path half way
Purity
For Sai Baba it was not the purity of the body but inner purity that mattered. No amount of physical and external cleansing would serve any purpose if the man remained impure in mind and heart. Therefore, Baba cautioned His devotees not to make austerity as an end itself, lest they should indulge in physical mortification.
Compassion
Himself an epitome of compassion and love, Sai Baba taught compassion among his disciples. Baba often told His devotees, 'Never turn away anybody from your door, be it a human being or animal'.
Complete Surrender to the Guru
Sai Baba put Guru on a high pedestal of reverence. For Him Guru was the profound base of the path of devotion. Pointing to his physical frame, "This body is my house. I am not here. My Guru (Master) has taken me away". He asked for complete surrender to the 'Guru'.
Sai Baba's Teachings through 'Udi' and 'Dakshina'
Udi
Udi or the sacred ash was produced from the perpetual fire called 'dhuni' lit by Sai Baba in Dwarkamai at Shirdi. Explaining the meaning of life He would refer to Udi and taught that like Udi all the visible phenomena in the world are transient. Through this example Sai Baba wished to make his devotees understand the sense of discrimination between the unreal and the real. Udi taught the devotees discrimination or vivek.
Dakshina
Sai Baba would demand 'Dakshina' or alms from those who visited him. This explained the sense of non-attachment to worldly things. Hence Dakshina taught the devotees non-attachment or Vairagya.
'Shraddha' is a Sanskrit word, which roughly means faith with love and reverence. Such faith or trust is generated out of conviction, which may not be the result of any rational belief or intellectual wisdom, but a spiritual inspiration. According to Sai Baba of Shirdi, steadfast love in God is the gateway to eternity. Baba's teaching, both direct and indirect explicate the significance of 'Shraddha'. Baba reiterates the spiritual guidance of Shri Krishna to Arjun - "Whosoever offer to Me with love or devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of pure love is readily accepted by Me".
Saburi
'Saburi'; means patience and perseverance. Saburi is a quality needed throughout the path to reach the goal. This quality must be ingrained in a seeker from day one, least he looses his stride and leaves the path half way
Purity
For Sai Baba it was not the purity of the body but inner purity that mattered. No amount of physical and external cleansing would serve any purpose if the man remained impure in mind and heart. Therefore, Baba cautioned His devotees not to make austerity as an end itself, lest they should indulge in physical mortification.
Compassion
Himself an epitome of compassion and love, Sai Baba taught compassion among his disciples. Baba often told His devotees, 'Never turn away anybody from your door, be it a human being or animal'.
Complete Surrender to the Guru
Sai Baba put Guru on a high pedestal of reverence. For Him Guru was the profound base of the path of devotion. Pointing to his physical frame, "This body is my house. I am not here. My Guru (Master) has taken me away". He asked for complete surrender to the 'Guru'.
Sai Baba's Teachings through 'Udi' and 'Dakshina'
Udi
Udi or the sacred ash was produced from the perpetual fire called 'dhuni' lit by Sai Baba in Dwarkamai at Shirdi. Explaining the meaning of life He would refer to Udi and taught that like Udi all the visible phenomena in the world are transient. Through this example Sai Baba wished to make his devotees understand the sense of discrimination between the unreal and the real. Udi taught the devotees discrimination or vivek.
Dakshina
Sai Baba would demand 'Dakshina' or alms from those who visited him. This explained the sense of non-attachment to worldly things. Hence Dakshina taught the devotees non-attachment or Vairagya.
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