Welcome to e-Sri Sanai, Saraswati Puja, 2009

by Sri Sandip Dasgupta

Several of us Bhaktas of Sri Sri Babathakur have often thought of contributing articles for publication in Sri Sanai. Extreme inertia, lack of focused time and lack of experience in writing for an established magazine have been key factors in preventing us from expressing ourselves. Appropriateness of topics has also been a big question mark in our minds.

Early last year, Sri Sri Babathakur asked Sri Partha Guha to look into the formation of a North American Chapter of Saccidananda Society. Per Sri Sri Babathakur’s suggestions, Mr. Guha met face-to-face with several Bhaktas in North America. He also organized a meeting between the overseas Bhaktas and Sri Sri Babathakur on the occasion of Guru Purnima in Kolkata.

At that meeting, Sri Sri Babathakur asked his Bhaktas to begin the publication of a “hand-written” magazine – preferably monthly. He wanted us to use this informal media to express ourselves on various topics. He did not limit us to write on any particular range of topics. In fact He said – “Let them contribute whatever they like”.

While we received clear guidance on starting the publication, we simply did not know where to begin. Over the 2008 Christmas holidays, some of us got together for a Bhajan session at Mr. Soubhik Pataranabis’s house in southern Oregon. It was snowing outside and we were all enjoying the savory snacks that were being dished out by the ladies in the house. This got our creative juices flowing and we quickly nominated Sroddha Patranabis and Anjan Dasgupta to be the editors. We agreed that creating a “blog” would be the closest thing to a hand-written magazine (It's pertinent to point out that Sroddha is the founder of a blog named “Banglar Bodhu” on Orkut). We also agreed that the magazine would be published quarterly. Quick emails were sent out to Bhaktas informing them of our decisions. That was the easy part – what about the content ?

As we brainstormed further we were reminded of what Subirda had once told us about Sri Sri Babathakur – he said "Tini to amader Mata, Pita, Bondhu, Shokha" …(He is our Mother, Father, Friend etc.). We soon realized that all along, He has been advising us on almost every aspect of everyday life – our diets, cooking tips, gardening tips, bringing up children, fine arts, travel, prescribing homeopathic medicines… Each of us has received customized guidance on leading a successful daily life. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to put it all together in writing and share each other’s experience ? In this issue we begin with Sharmila Dasgupta sharing cooking tips received from Sri Sri Babathakur (as related to her by her mother-in-law) .

Saraswati Puja is the auspicious day on which our Master obtained His current body. It is also the day when we all pray to Ma Saraswati for wisdom – not just material wisdom but the power to understand and realize the Supreme Wisdom being imparted by our Master. Hence we also have chosen to begin the publication of our blog on Saraswati Puja with a prayer to Ma Saraswati to enable us to:

* Share our experiences in a frank and open manner
* Learn from each other’s life experiences
* Live a successful life based on the advice and teachings of our Master
* Leave a lasting legacy of His teachings for our children and future citizens of this society.

We sincerely hope that the readers of this blog will willingly contribute their articles in the quarters to come. Your suggestions and feedback with regards to the blog are most welcome, and we request that you send them to sanai.na.editors@gmail.com

* "With the dawn of right knowledge all superimpositions of attributing adjuncts are negated fully and infinite Divine Self reveals on its own accord. ": Sri Sri Babathakur.

Devotee's experience

Devotee’s experience: Mere Coincidence or a Bhakta’s Earnest Desire Realized

by

Smt. Champa Dasgupta


Back in November 2004, I traveled to Kolkata to attend the wedding of a close relative accompanied by my husband, Shri Anjan Dasgupta and our then 2-year old child, Dev. As is often the case with folks visiting India on vacations, ours was a packed itinerary consisting of several short stops at places often separated by vast distances.

Being in Kolkata, I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity of visiting Sri Sri Babathakur for anything in the world. Time and circumstances however were not on my side. We had allocated just 4 days of our hectic India trip to Kolkata - most of that period reserved to attend the myriad ceremonies typically associated with a Hindu wedding. Also confronting us was the unpleasant development of Dev contracting a high fever on the second day of our stay in Kolkata. The incessant travel had taken a toll on the child's health. Not helping matters either was the significant distance between Behala (the site of the wedding) and the Metropolitan Cooperative Housing Society. It certainly didn’t facilitate a quick visit to Sri Sri Babathakur on short notice.

We decided to visit Sri Sri Babathakur on the penultimate day of our stay in Kolkata (by which time the majority of the wedding ceremonies would have been over) before embarking on a cross-country trip to our next destination – the holy town of Shirdi, made famous by the great saint Sri Sai Baba. Per our plans, I called Sri Sri Babathakur on the eve of our departure from Kolkata. I sought His permission for a darshan, but He replied that a darshan would not be possible as He had some work to attend to that evening. In His loving way, Sri Sri Babathakur chided me about neither bothering to let Him know of our plans, nor caring to ascertain His availability until the very last moment.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed at not being able to see Him. I also felt angry and guilty for not letting Sri Sri Babathakur know of our plans ahead of time. With heavy hearts we boarded the Gitanjali Express from Howrah to take us to Nasik, from where we commenced the onward journey to Shirdi by employing the services of a cab.

Upon arriving in Shirdi and checking in to one of the local hotels, we proceeded immediately to the Samadhi mandir, the resting place of Sri Sainath. The ambiance inside the temple was serene to the say the least. After paying our homage to Sri Sainath, we stopped by a delightful little cafeteria located within the premises of the temple itself serving warm snacks and tea to weary devotees. As we sat on a bench savoring our tea, Anjan suddenly drew my attention in the direction of a figure seated underneath a tree in the distance. He was deeply engrossed in conversation with a flock of devotees gathered around Him. ‘Look’ my husband exclaimed ‘Doesn’t He quite look like Sri Sri Babathakur’! I couldn’t believe my eyes, for the figure in question indeed looked exactly like our dear Sri Sri Babathakur! Dressed in white from head to toe (i.e. white cap, white shirt, white dhoti, white socks), He even had a support stick and wore glasses similar to those belonging to Sri Sri Babathakur.

I continued observing the Sadhu Maharaj ji from a distance. I remember Anjan saying something to the effect, ‘Since you couldn’t visit Sri Sri Babathakur in Kolkata despite wanting so badly to do so, His Holiness Himself has traveled to Shirdi to grant you a darshan.’ The longer I stared at the Sadhu, the louder this voice within me kept saying, “Sri Sri Babathakur is Omnipotent, He is Omniscient, He surely must know how much I wanted to have His darshan!” Mere words cannot describe the feelings of pure joy and tranquility that enveloped me as I walked the few steps to where the Sadhu Maharaj ji was seated and touched His feet – fully believing in my heart that I was touching the Holy Feet of Sri Sri Babathakur.

After paying our respects to the Sadhu, we headed back to the cafeteria again to buy more tea and snacks. Along the way, all we could talk about was the amazing experience we had just been through and the immense joy it had brought us. Hurriedly grabbing our snacks, we made a beeline for the spot where the Sadhu Maharaj ji had been sitting. It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes since we had last seen Him at that very location - yet neither He nor any of the devotees we had observed conversing with Him could be spotted! We searched for Him all around the temple premises but couldn’t locate Him. Come to think of it, we never ever saw Him again during the entire duration of our 3-day long stay in Shirdi.

Four years have elapsed since the occurrence of this incident. Over time, the identity of the Sadhu I had come across at Shirdi (i.e. Sri Sri Babathakur Himself, or somebody baring a striking resemblance to Him) has become a moot point for me. What has instead assumed greater significance is the realization (or to be more accurate, the faith) that it was Sri Sri Babathakur Himself Who had orchestrated the chain of events on that fateful day. It was He who had set things up in a way that made it possible for me to experience the kind of pure bliss I could only attain through a darshan of Him!

It wouldn’t be honest of me to claim that dealing with the daily struggles of life doesn’t on occasion dim my Faith. Doubts about the Good Lord’s sense of fairness and His love for me creep into my weak mind every now and then. I am however eventually reminded of the following quote from Gita:

“Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service to Me, bow down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because you are very dear to Me”

Surely few things in life if any, are more reassuring than the awareness of the Almighty unconditionally loving us and steadfastly looking out for our best interests. His love for us, His devotees far exceeds the love we could ever have for Him!

* "Self- Knowledge reveals to him only, who acquires the right
Knowledge.": Sri Sri Babathakur.

Cooking Tips from Sri Sri Babathakur

Please click on the write up to view an enlarged version.


* "To know I am not the doer nor the enjoyer nor even the experiencer is
right Knowledge." : Sri Sri Babathakur.

The Lost Dreams

The Lost Dreams

by

Sri Soubhik Patranabis

During the Christmas weekend while browsing through books at a bookstore in the Medford Mall, I came across one in the bestseller section titled ‘The Last Lecture’ by Randy Pausch.

It looked very impressive from the cover illustration and whatever else I could lay my eyes upon in the brief time I had before being pulled away by my son, desperate to show me the dinosaur book he liked! To make a long story short, I bought the book and started reading about a dying man’s last lecture on how his childhood dreams came true – the realization of those dreams and the rediscovery of his childhood.

We have all had dreams growing up - some got realized, some didn’t. Those who dared to dream will be able to tell us how their dreams got realized, and to what extent. I feel sorry looking at children today, being subjected to so much pressure from all sides. Schools and parents want a child to not only be a scholar, but also a painter, a litterateur, a sportsman - all rolled in one! Busy trying to realize the dreams of his parents, the little child doesn’t dare to dream of his own, fails to develop his capabilities or worse, never learns to think in his own way. If he isn’t allowed to dream and think independently, how can his creativity ever develop? The Masters tell us that the Knowledge of Knowledge is within one’s own Self, and one needs to realize it. Bookish knowledge makes one so dependent, so ‘one track’ – there’s hardly a way to come out of it. Taking in something unconventional, something new becomes extremely difficult. Look around, and you’ll find millions of people just following what the politicians and the religious institutions want them to see. They don’t even stop for a minute and evaluate if what they are doing or following is indeed right.

Why are we so bothered with differences from the outside? Before finding fault with others, we need to explore how right we are about our own beliefs. Instead of trying to discover the inner truth, everyone seems to be very concerned about the outer differences. Not only inter-religious differences, but intra-religious differences too play a major role. It is surprising that from time immemorial, people have killed each other on the basis of something that’s of no importance at all! A true Realizer doesn’t have any religion – He is unified with the whole world.

But who is a Realizer? How can we become one? Surely engaging in wishful thinking or merely aspiring to become a Realizer doesn’t help much - for the mind should be free of even the smallest of ambitions and aspirations. Self-analysis is the most important thing that is needed. A constant practice is required to ‘Shun the I’, and surely conventional thoughts don’t help out there.

Who then can help guide us towards becoming a Realizer? “Tadbidhhi Pronipateno poriproshneno sheboya – Oikhane boshe achhe Guru – Guru bina nahi mele Gyan “ - the Guru knows best who needs what medication, as Thakur Sri Ramakrishna had said. He needs to be an ‘uttam boidya’, one who can successfully persuade the disciple to have the needed medication.

Our pranam to the SadGuru :

Brahmanandam parama sukhadam kevalam jnanamurtim

dvandvaateetam gagana sadrusam tatvamasyadi lakshyam

ekam nityam vimala machalam sarvadheesaakshibuutam

bhaavaateetam triguna rahitam sadgurum tam namaami

The meaning of the aforementioned mantra is:

"I salute to that Sadguru who is the source of eternal bliss,

supreme happiness, who has true wisdom,

who is beyond the dualities, who is infinite,

whose attention is always on the divine, who is unique,

eternal, pure, steady, and who sees with the eyes of wisdom

who is beyond thoughts and beyond three gunas ".

(Ref : The Secret Mantra from Guru Gita by Dr. Satyavati Kandala )

* "Knowledge is that which reveals the light and which embraces all intelligences and the rest.": Sri Sri Babathakur.

A picture story of Saraswati Puja, 2008

A Picture Story

by

Sri Siddhartha Dasgupta


In 2008, I attended the Saraswati Puja at the Saccidananda Society. It was the very first time in my life that I was in Kolkata on the occasion of Saraswati Puja. As most of you are aware, Babathakur’s birthday falls on Saraswati Puja.

Before the spring of 2008, I had never seen Saraswati Puja outside of the San Francisco Bay Area (where I stay). I had however heard from some of Sri Sri Babathakur’s devotees that celebrating Saraswati Puja in His presence is a completely different experience, with His revealed bhajans performed after the Puja. I had once seen a video of Saraswati Puja being celebrated in Sri Sri Babathakur’s presence. The video captured all the happenings of that day – from morning until night – and featured Shri Kedar Narayan Bodas (the singer of Sri Sri Babathakur’s revealed bhajan albums) singing a few bhajans. A unique thing I found about the Saraswati Pujas conducted at the Saccidananda Society and other parts of Kolkata was that they were held on the actual day of the Puja - unlike the Saraswati Puja I attend in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Puja is typically celebrated on the nearest Saturday/Sunday, since most people aren’t be able to attend to the festivities on the actual day of the Puja due to work, school, and other commitments.

On Feb 11th 2008, my dad, grandmother and myself arrived at the Society around 10:15am. We saw that the Puja had already started, with Sri Sri Babathakur sitting on a chair, facing the devotees. The puja took place on the topmost floor of the society. A large number of devotees from outside Kolkata were also attending the Puja.

Saraswati Puja being performed in the morning at the Saccidananda Society

I sat down and observed the Puja, taking pictures from time to time. At around 12:45 pm – I saw Sri Sri Babathakur sitting in His chair, facing the audience, dressed in white colored clothes, with two hands up.

Sri Sri Babathakur’s pose showering blessings on devotees

Close up view of Ma Saraswati

Soon after that, there were quite a few batches of anjali and prasad. I think I was in the first batch. Devotees of Sri Sri Babathakur prepared the prasad plates.

Prasad plates being prepared by devotees of Sri Sri Babathakur

This was followed by lunch – of which khichuri (my favorite) was the main item. We went to stand in the lunch line, but there were no spoons available – I had never eaten without a spoon before! My father and Utsav Dada (another devotee of Sri Sri Babathakur from New Jersey) went to get spoons from somewhere else.

An interesting thing about the lunch was that it was prepared by a special cook in Kolkata. Back in the Bay Area, the Saraswati Puja that I usually attend has both lunch as well as dinner catered by an Indian Restaurant! The taste of the khichuri was very unique.

After lunch, I left the society to rest at my grandparents place. We returned to the Society in the evening to attend the arati and bhajan sessions. When we entered the society at around 6:30pm, Sri Sri Babathakur left the topmost floor (where the Puja had taken place in the morning) and went back to the second floor. Attending the arati was a unique experience because I don’t remember attending arati at any of the Saraswati Puja functions in the Bay Area. The outside of the society was decorated very nicely with lights.

Priest performing the evening arati

The evening arati was followed by a bhajan session performed by certain devotees of Sri Sri Babathakur, who reside in Kolkata. This in turn was followed by dinner prasad at around 8pm.

Bhajan session by certain devotees of
Sri Sri Babathakur residing in
Kolkata

Attendees having the dinner prasad

The “Bishorjon Puja” took place the day after the Saraswati Puja. This again was a new experience for me since in the Bay Area, Ma Durga’s and Ma Saraswati’s pratima are reused in the following years!

Before Ma Saraswati was bade farewell, Sri Sri Babathakur delivered a speech on “Why do we do Saraswati Puja”. Some of Sri Sri Babathakur’s devotees were seen dismantling certain stuff in preparation for the bhashan.

Then, at around 1:30pm, the Murti of Ma Saraswati was brought down. People said that it would be loaded onto a Van – I expected to see a real van like a Honda Odyssey or a Maruti! But I soon realized that Ma Saraswati would actually be riding on a rickshaw after seeing Her being loaded onto one. By 1:40pm, Ma Saraswati was already at the bhashan place.

By 1:45pm, Ma Saraswati’s bhashan into the nearby lake was completed.

bhashan

In summary, it was a very unique experience for me. I look forward to attending Saraswati Puja in the company of Sri Sri Babathakur again.

I am also attaching a picture of the Saraswati Murti used in the Puja that I usually attend in the Bay Area. Incidentally, the Saraswati Puja will occur on a Saturday this year. And the Bay Area Puja that I usually attend will also be celebrated on the actual day of the Puja - January 31st, 2009.

* "To know that I am not the doer nor the
enjoyer nor even the experiencer is right Knowledge." : Sri Sri Babathakur.