Festivals celebrated in Prashanthi Nilayam

- I desire that our festivals and holy days should be obeserved in the right spirit, with an understanding of their deeper meaning.

"Why holy days? All the sacred festivals celebrated by the Bharatiyas are full of significance spiritually and socially. Every festival is regarded as a holy event surcharged with divinity. It must be regarded as a day dedicated to the Divinity. All festivals observed have a marvellous inner meaning. Men in general view them only in terms of external observances and celebrate them with feasts and frolic. These festivals were really intended to be used for the exclusive worship of the Divine, enjoy the bliss of that devotion and overcome pain and sorrow. These holy days were instituted for the purpose of getting rid of ignorance and cultivating right knowledge, the higher wisdom and cosmic consciousness. Man has been endowed with intelligence together with human form. Along with this, man also has been given temporary existence. Man has, therefore, to use the life span allotted to him for leading a purposeful existence by the use of his intelligence. Man, unfortunately, misuses his intelligence and gambles away his precious life."

January:

Makara Sankranti, Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Sports and Cultural Festival

February-March:

Maha Shivaratri

March-April:

Yugadi, Shri Ram Navami

May 6:

Easwaramma Day

June-July:

Guru Purnima

August-September:

Shri Krishna Jayanti, Onam, Vinayaka (Ganesha) Chaturthi

October-November:

Navaratri and Vijyadashami (Dasara), Deepavali

November 23:

Anniversary of the Advent of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

December:

Christmas

Last updated: Jul 17, 2000
Quote from Discourse The Lord as Time-Spirit, Kalyan Mandap, Brindavan, Yugadi, Apr 7, 1989