The true significance of Birthday Celebration

 The true significance of Birthday Celebration

Love Offering to Shri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj on his 106th Birth Anniversary - 24.9.2022  (Prime Disciple of Swami Sivanandaji and Ex President of The Divine Life Society

Every human being regards a birthday as a special day in one’s life and celebrates it annually withgaiety and zest. The birthday of leaders is also celebrated by their followers to share joy. The mode of celebration changes with time and place but the spirit of celebration remains intact. What makes a birthday such a special day in one’s life? Bhagavad Gita expounds the explicit truth that death is certain for a born and rebirth is inevitable for the dead and one should not grieve over the inevitable. But why should we rejoice and not stay neutral? 

First of all, birth as living being marks the arrival of life on earth and Lord Krishna holds that I am life in all beings jivanam sarva bhuteshu and life perpetuates as long as it can because it has a mission to fulfill. We can perceive the divine more readily in sentient than in any insentient being.

Life is an annual reminder that human birth is unique among all the species biologically and spiritually; Homo sapiens is the most evolved species biologically but at the same time it is the first rung of a spiritual ladder and the human being is the only species eligible for spiritual advancement. Other species lead a structured life and even deities in heaven can rejoice due to their virtuous past deeds butcannotevolve further. Birthday reminds us of the lofty purposes of human life and gives us an opportunity to take stock of our endeavors and accomplishments versus the set goals in the bygone year andfine-tune them for future life. Birthday marks forward onward movement in our life journey from Brahmacharya ashram (student life) to Grihastha ashram (house holder’s life), to Vanaprastha ashram (life of seclusion) to Sannyas ashram (life of renunciate)

A birthday is an occasion to thank God and its creation for keeping us alive for one full year providing all needs of our life with many gains and some incidental losses with some hidden messages for the remaining life. A birthday is a day of good wishes, hope, and prayers. One should aspire to become a wiser and better individual with every passing year. While we receive gifts in many forms, we ought to give return gifts by consolidating our friendship with God and its creation to build harmonious, transparent, and loving relationships with the self and world around us.

Birthday also sounds a word of caution that life is shortened by one year that was probably more vigor filled than the years to follow and unlike the T20 match we are not very sure of the remaining lifespan although one should aspire to live for 100 years in the spirit of karma yoga as enunciated in Isa Upanishad and reset the priorities and strategy of life from time to time.

The question often arises in our mind why do we celebrate the birthday of ascetics and wise men when birth belongs to the body and they recognize that their true self is immortal Atmanthat is beyond body-mind- intellect apparatus? It will be interesting to ponder their own thoughts.

Birthday celebration of great men is akin to worship of God. A spiritual wave is created that gives impetus and enhances zeal to attain the Goal of life viz,. God- realization, says Swami Sivananda. All that you havelearned, believed, reflected, and meditated upontill now must be lived with a calm resolution, strong determination, and firm faith, says Swami Chidananda.

Mata Amritanandamayi holds that she is happy to see her children happy in rendering social service and loving one another on the occasion. She is happier when children regard her birthday as a day of wiping tears of those who are suffering. While celebrating the birthday of great souls like Christ and Krishna, we recite prayers to bless us to realize the eternal ‘I’ in me and to make this prayer part and parcel of our spiritual life.The implication is that an individual transforms into a Universal and a state of absolute unity, peace and bliss prevails.

Swami Krishnannada said that incarnations of God are supposed to come with power of divinity and hence we celebrate birthday of incarnations. As against this, sages, siddhas and spiritual masters depart with the power of divinity, and celebrating their punyatithi (death anniversary) is even more relevant.Maharshi Aurobindo explains that taking birth on this earth is a golden opportunity to grow with the unique divine portion in a man called ‘the Psychic being’ whereby a man can aspire, surrender to the divine and achieve the higher state which is difficult even for the gods. A birthday is an occasion to renew this realization and endeavor to accomplish the vision and mission of one’s life.

Jayant B Dave