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Buddha Poornima is one of the
main festivals celebrated by Buddhists all over the world. It
is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Vaishaka
(usually in the month of May). This day is triply significant
for it is believed that Lord Buddha was born, attained
enlightenment and also shed his mortal coil on this very day.
This year Vaishaka Poornima, fell on 2nd May when Bhagawan was
in Kodaikanal. Once Bhagawan returned to Prasanthi Nilayam,
the devotees from the countries of Japan, Singapore, Hong
Kong, Korea, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and
Brunei prayed to Bhagawan for the opportunity to celebrate
Buddha Poornima in His Divine Presence, and Bhagawan
graciously acceded to their prayers. Thus it was that more
than a thousand devotees and eighty five Buddhist monks from
these countries gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam for this happy
occasion.
The morning
programme on 21st May commenced with Swami’s Darshan at 9.10
a.m. amidst drum beats and sonorous chants of the hymn -
Buddham Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in the blessings of
Buddha)
Sangham Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in the company of the
virtuous)
Dhammam Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in Dharma or
righteousness)
Sathyam Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in Truth)
Ekam Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in the principle of
Oneness)
Premam Saranam Gachchami (I take refuge in Love)
At 9.20 a.m.,
Bhagawan formally inaugurated the celebrations by lighting the
lamp in front of the beautifully decorated altar of Buddha.
The first programme was a dance by the Japanese youth to the
accompaniment of Taiko drums. Taiko drums have been a part of
the Japanese religious tradition for over 2000 years, and have
been used during ceremonies in temples and shrines, inviting
God to the place of ceremony. This was followed by the
ritualistic bathing of Buddha’s statue with fragrant water. As
a symbol of inner purification, this ritual highlights the
important message that it is simple to wash away physical dirt
but much more difficult to cleanse one’s inner dirt of
ignorance, anger and greed.
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A lady monk
from Taiwan presented Bhagawan with a scripture that contained
84 different names and forms of Lord Buddha, and mantras of
mercy and compassion. The morning programme concluded with
Bhajans and Arati.
 Bhagawan returned to Yajur Mandir at
10.20 a.m. after cutting the cake specially prepared for the
occasion. A Japanese jellied sweet by name ‘Yokan’ made from
sugarcane was distributed as Prasadam to one and all.
In the evening,
Bhagawan arrived for Darshan at 4.05 p.m. He was welcomed with
Vedam chanting by the youth of Japan. Following this, Mr. Nari
Chugani, Chairman, Zone-5, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation,
offered his salutations to Bhagawan and delivered his
introductory address. Mr. Chugani began by saying that Lord
Buddha is synonymous with Ahimsa (non-violence), which is one
of the five fundamental human values espoused by Bhagawan
Baba. He recalled what Bhagawan said during His Ugadi
discourse this year. He said that without Shanti (peace)
within, one cannot follow Ahimsa and without cultivating Prema
(love), one cannot achieve peace. Therefore, all the values
hinge upon the fundamental principle of Prema that everyone
ought to cultivate. He later introduced and invited the
speakers for the evening.
The first
speaker was Dr. Venerable Bellanvilla Wimalaratna from Sri
Lanka. Dr. Wimalaratna is the chancellor of University of Sri
Jayawardhapura, Sri Lanka. He is also serving as the Secretary
General of the World Buddhist Sanga Council in Sri Lanka. He
has authored a number of books on Buddhism both in English and
Sinhalese. The learned speaker said that noble beings like
Buddha come to Earth to save the entire mankind from misery
and to shower joy on them. He said that Bhagawan treats all
the religions equally and advises that one should follow one’s
own religion better and be true to that. The
 speaker
then narrated the life story of Buddha briefly and told that
Buddha represented the apex of human development and
perfection. This perfection is latent in each and every being
and can be attained by removing the weaknesses of desire and
selfishness, and by cultivating detachment, compassion and
wisdom.
Reverend Tulku
Gyurme Sonam Rinpoche was the second speaker. Rev. Rinpoche is
deeply involved in several humanitarian activities such as
looking after orphans and the aged. He travels throughout the
world teaching the Buddha Dharma and has established many
Dharma centres in USA. The revered speaker said that 2500
years ago Buddha overcame all limitations, transcended the
cycle of birth and death, and attained perfection that is the
true nature of all beings. Lord Buddha demonstrated that each
and everyone can thus attain perfection and eternal joy by
removing the inner impurities. Thus, all are Buddhas. This is
often repeated by Bhagawan also, he said drawing everyone’s
attention to the similarities in the teachings of Lord Buddha
and Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Rev. Rinpoche concluded by
saying that Bhagawan Baba is verily the incarnation of Lord
Buddha.
Next to follow
was a drama by the youth of Japan based on the life of Buddha
as narrated by Bhagawan Baba. The drama beautifully depicted
various incidents relating to Lord Buddha’s birth, how he
renounced his royal life, how he performed severe austerities
which culminate in his enlightenment, his later years and his
passing away. The drama was characterized by excellent acting
and powerful dialogues, and conveyed the teachings of Bhagawan
in the most effective manner. At the end of the drama,
Bhagawan posed for photographs with all the participants.
On 22nd
evening, Bhagawan was welcomed in to Sai Kulwant Hall at 4.30
p.m. to the accompaniment of Vedam chanting by the Japanese
youth. After Bhagawan was seated on the dais, the evening
programme commenced with traditional Japanese dances and
performance on Taiko drums and cymbals. This was followed by
choir music by the devotees from Hong Kong. They sang many
melodious songs, some of which were in English, to the
accompaniment of keyboard. The songs were in praise of Buddha
and Bhagawan Baba and also contained Swami’s teachings. They
concluded with the Bhajan “Sainatha Bhagawan”.
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Following this,
there was a closing Buddhist ceremony by name ‘Gomadaki’,
which was quite similar to the Yagnas of the
Hindu tradition. This ritual signifies the burning of bad
karma and attainment of purity. Eight Buddhist monks from
Japan headed by the high priest Nishi Mori performed the
ritual for close to half an hour. The Buddha Poornima
celebrations came to a conclusion at 6.05 p.m. when Bhagawan
accepted Arati after Bhajans and retired to His residence.
Passing away of Sai Geetha
On the evening
of 22nd May, even as the Buddha Poornima celebrations were
going on in the Prasanthi Nilayam Mandir, Bhagawan’s pet
elephant Sai
 Geetha breathed her last around 6 p.m. Bhagawan’s
devotees would recall that no festival at Prasanthi Nilayam
would be complete without Sai Geetha’s presence. She would
lead the procession clad in regal red cloth embroidered with
gold and a golden piece adorning her forehead. Her love for
Swami and Swami’s love for her were unique and unmatched. She
had the great fortune of growing up and spending more than
half a decade under Bhagawan’s care.
On 23rd May,
around 8 a.m., Bhagawan went to Sai Geetha’s stable located in
the same compound as the Planetarium. Bhagawan applied Vibhuti
on her trunk and eyes, and lovingly stroked her trunk for the
last time. He also talked to Sri Peddi Reddy, Sai Geetha’s
caretaker, about various arrangements to be made for her
burial and returned to Mandir.
Later, at 10.30
a.m., Bhagawan again came to the site to inspect the
arrangements. The carcass was shifted from the bathing area
where she had collapsed to her palatial shed, which was
constructed and inaugurated by Bhagawan just a few months
back, using cranes. After Sai Geetha was laid to rest in the
pit amidst Vedam chanting and Bhajans, Bhagawan blessed
flowers and fruits to be placed in the pit where she was to be
interred, and returned to Mandir around 12.30 p.m. There was
not a single eye that was not moist seeing the emotional send
off that Bhagawan gave to His beloved Sai Geetha.
 
May 25:
New Photos:
Sai Geetha's burial & last rights images.
Also: Eye witness account of SAI GEETHA'S "FUNERAL"- Entombment
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