In one of his wisdom-filled Satsangs, Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb beautifully explained that just as we celebrate special occasions every year, such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, Holi, and the birth anniversaries or memorial days of saints and great souls, in the same way, if we wish to lead our life in the right direction and make it better, we should also celebrate the day on which we began any good habit or noble action, with the intention of making it a permanent part of our life.
By joyfully observing the anniversary of such a beginning every year, we strengthen our commitment to that habit or action. Gradually, this practice will fill our life with virtuous deeds, help us rise in goodness, and lead us to the heights of moral and spiritual excellence.As an example, Saijan shared that once in Mumbai, a man came to him along with some members of the sangat. He told Saijan that twenty-five years ago, he had heard a deeply touching and inspiring teaching from him.
Saijan had said:
“एक शर्त पर खेलूंगी प्यार प्यार की बाज़ी, जीतूं तो तुझे पाऊं, हारूं तो पिया तेरी”
“I will play the game of love on one condition—
If I win, I will attain You;
And if I lose, my Beloved, I will belong to You.”
The man said that from the day he heard these words, he embraced this spirit of love and surrender in his life. Whenever he succeeded in any task, he gave the credit to Sai; and when he failed in something, he would still think, “Whatever happened must be for the best, because it happened by Sai’s will.” Inspired by this, he had been living by the teaching for twenty-five years and had come to Saijan to celebrate the “silver anniversary” of adopting it into his life.
Hearing this, Saijan was deeply pleased and advised everyone that we too should adopt good habits and celebrate them with joy, so that by continuing such practices and inspiring future generations, we may transform the world into a heaven.
Saijan, giving another example, said that we should remain silent in moments of anger, and while eating, we should also remain silent, accepting the food as the Lord’s prasad, eating it with full respect and mindful attention. The day we begin such a practice with firm faith should be remembered and celebrated every year. By recalling and celebrating such good deeds annually, we never fall behind in improving our life, rather, we continue to progress.
