Christmas Satsang

Radhae Radhae

My humble pranams to my brothers and sisters of the Divine Truth

Christmas is just around the corner, for me it’s always been a day for celebration. It’s a day when I think that Christ was born but also a day where I celebrate the love of my life Radha Krishna together under the Kalpabriksha tree.

When I was younger Swamini Shushree Gopeshwari Devi will come to Malaysia after the annual Sadhana program had finished in India. At times she would stay with us till the New Year to conduct satsang. During that period we would celebrate Christmas in unique fashion. A day before the 24th of December we would go out to the small forest and look for a Pine tree and we made sure it was at least 5 feet tall in minimum height. It was an arduous task getting the tree chopping it down and putting it into the back of the car with its fern like twigs jutting out of the car window we would drive through town bringing it back home.

Once we were home we would get a pot and plant the tree into a pot placing stones and dirt to make the tree stand tall and erect. We would then move it into the house hall where we conduct satsang and make an altar with the tree in the background. We then decorated the tree with tinsels and small photos of cut out Radha Krishna in various forms and sizes and decorate them like any other Christmas tree, we would even throw in the blinking lights to make it beautiful and under this tree if could get a deity of Krishna with a cow we would place them there. We would then place pictures of Radha Krishna and of Shri Maharaji our beloved guru. The altar would be decorated with fresh flowers and beautiful garlands. In short we would try to create a small Vrindavan.

On the eve of Christmas everything would be ready; Prasad would have been cooked and placed in small bowls for offering of Bhog (food offering). We would do chantings and Gopeshwari Devi would tell us about the significance of celebrating Christmas in that way.

The tree would be named Krishna tree, and Shri Krishna sits there under that tree with Radha Rani. The love play between the Divine couple would take place just like how Shri Maharaji describes it in his Pad Kirtans. We as devotees of the Lord keeping that in mind meditate upon the loving form the Divine Couple and sing the Kirtans. The great tree is like the Kalpavriksha tree (the wish fulfilling tree). The only wish that we would ask for is that we want to be in the service of the Lord in this life and the life after. The Divine cow is Kamadhenu (the wish fulfilling cow) and we would ask her for nothing but Bakthi in our hearts. With this in mind we the devotees celebrate Christmas.

Aarati is performed at the end of the satsang and we would eat the Prasad. After that the younger devotees would continue doing the Kirtan chanting till midnight and do the Aarati again. We sometimes exchange gifts in the spirit of family amongst satsangees.

It’s been a while such a celebration has taken place over these years. I have missed that spirit of brotherhood that we have shared amongst satsangees. A celebration of such nature brings us closer together, understanding and helping each other in Sadhana Bakthi with encouragement to do better in the spiritual side. Perhaps this year may see that happening, who knows. May you all have a blessed Christmas.

Radhae Radhae

Dr Gopal Raja