Auckland: Faithful chant devotionals round the clock
More than 500 devotees attended the 24-hour non-stop devotional singing (Akhanda Bhajans) session, which the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation NZ organised on November12-13 in Auckland. Simultaneous sessions were also held in Wellington and Hamilton, where also large numbers of devotees were present. The singing took place continuously between 6pm onm Saturday and 6pm on Sunday.
This was a part of the global annual event organised by Sathya Sai Baba devotees all over the world. “It was being done not for the sake of one individual, one nation, or one community. It was for the welfare of humanity as a whole,” said one of the organisers.
The event commenced with the lighting of the ‘Akhanda Jyothi’ (sacred lamp) that was kept lit for 24 hours. The sacred lamp was lit in each country during the 24 hour period based on local time.
New Zealand was ahead of many countries to start the singing sessions, owing to its position on the time zone. As the earth revolves, lamps were lit in all countries according to the local time, and by the time the westernmost country lighted the lamp, easternmost countries had completed the ‘Akhand Bhajans’.
Before the event was completed here, the world was in a girdle of sacred lamps lit round the globe by Sai devotees. This sacred lamp not only helps to concentrate the minds of devotees but promotes also a sense of spiritual unity and harmony among the devotees.
Sai Organisation that promotes the unity of faiths has set up an example in New Zealand, by singing devotional songs in Sanskrit, English and Maori languages. The songs were dedicated to all aspects of God and faiths. It has therefore spread the message of love through the names of the embodiment of universal love.
Source: Indian Weekender
Photo Credit: Indian Weekender
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We, as leaders of faith communities, need to develop a more inclusive view of the religious other, to recognise the humanity of the religious other as a starting point. We need to recognise the essential equality of all human beings regardless of religious beliefs. We need to affirm the mutuality and interdependency of all people... We may need even to extend this and recognise that religious other may, just may, have at least some access to the Truth. We may need to accept that the religious others also adopts more or less the same set of essential universal ethical-moral principles we share; that the religious other has feelings of pain and pleasure just like us; that the religious other has similar expectations about their children and family and the preservation of life, property and security; and that the religious other has the same fears and anxieties about the world and the future, just like us.