Mar - Kirpal Singh

was on the day of our Beloved's birthdayat four in the morning. The dearones gathered in the court yard in frontof Master's house to sing loving songsof worship. Everything had been decoratedwith long garlands of beautifullyarranged flowers. The singing wenton for about one hour. It was so enchantingI shall never forget it. Finally, Mastercame out in answer to our pleas. Hewas accompanied by Darshan Singh,His son, who spoke briefly. Then Mastergraced us with His words. Therewas an air of gravity about Him andHis message carried a note of urgency.He said that our real birthday is whenwe rise above body consciousness, andat that time, He will truly celebrate. Hesaid also quoting Christ, "I am the Lightof the world as long as I am in theworld," and emphasized that we mustwork while it is day,-that no one canwork when night time comes.Tearfully, we went back to our roomsto reflect on Master's message and toget a little rest before the day's activitiescontinued.Satsang once again was held in thepark as there were too many people forthe Ashram. Canopies had been set upand a large stage to accommodate all theillustrious speakers. Spiritual leadersfrom all over India, representing manydifferent religions and sects, were presentto pay tribute to One who has doneso much to unite humanity and bringtrue Spirituality to so many.Speaker after speaker had his turn atthe microphone, each one singing Master'spraises. The evening Satsang wasmore of the same, with heads of differentreligions participating; the awareness ofthe Master's greatness is widespread andall wished to acknowledge Him as theliving symbol of Light and Love.I must say that for me, as impressiveas the speakers were, the most enjoyableand beneficial part was having Master'sDarshan for so long a time. We Westerndcvotees had the privilege of sitting veryclose to the stage. What a blessing, toreceive His gracious glances for so long!The next day, the 7th, was the anniversaryof Manav Kendra FoundationDay, and another meeting was held inMaster's honor, this time at a large hallcalled the Vigyan Bhavan or "place forspeeches." Here Master was presentedwith the Abhinandan Patra,* an addressof acknowledgment, devotion, and respect,by Raja Mahendra Pratap Ji onbehalf of the heads of different faiths,government and social organizations,and thousands of devoted followers.There were about twenty speakers payingtribute to Master for having createdsuch marvelous institutions as RuhaniSatsang and Manav Kendra for the benefitand service of mankind-for "manmaking"as Master puts it. Severalgroups and individuals sang in beautifulethereal voices-including Taiji (BibiHardevi) , whose loving and devotedsongs are exceptionally beautiful. Everyoneon stage presented Him with a lei ofIlowers and tried to place them aroundHis beloved neck, but each time, in Hisusual humble way, Master would stopthem and place them around the neckof the giver. This meeting lasted a longtime-about four hours. We from theWest felt privileged to have been invitedas the ceremony was such an importantand moving one.Initiation was held the following day,with over 1,000 persons being initiated!Almost everyone saw Light, and the fewwho did not were given a special sittingby the Master. It was amazing, with somany there, how He was able to give attentionto each one.'"See page 20.SAT SANDESH