Prakash Diwas

Winter had gone by and spring was in its full bloom. Mother Nature had sprinkled hues and colours of different shades everywhere. It looked as if the entire earth was a vast canvass and Nature was depicting colourful pictures, each one more beautiful than the other. At places were seen scenes of snow melting from the mountains, murmuring water-falls from the springs, soft burst-opening of buds in the gardens and blooming flowers swaying to and fro with a sense of pride. A pleasant chill in the air and a peculiar and unnoticeable fragrance wafted by the gentle breeze. In the riot of green and yellow colours, crops swaying and waving in the fields. From far and near, in this enchanting weather, nightingale and cuckoo singing in full throat – coohoo, coohoo; peehoo, peehoo. Branches of trees, swinging and stretching in the gust of wind, rustling of leaves and whispers of nature.

What a romantic weather! It felt as if nature was dancing to cosmic music; as if Lord Shiva was containing the angry Ganga, descending from Heaven in his locks; as if through the melting snow, He ushered the holy Ganga on planet Earth. Branches of trees swaying in the strong winds appeared as if the wild locks of Lord Shiva were waving in the wind. Sometimes, one got the feeling that Lord Shiva, the Creator of this Universe, taking the form of Nataraja, was dancing in ecstasy. In such an environment, seventy years ago, on the Festival of Basant Panchmi (30th of January 1938), Param Pujya Guruji, the manifestation of Lord Shiva, blessed us all by taking birth in village Hariana (Distt. Hoshiarpur, Punjab).

Guruji’s  ‘Prakash Diwas’  is celebrated on every ‘Basant Panchmi’ at ‘Samadhi Sthal’,   Neelkanth Dham, Masoodabad (behind Power House), Najafgarh, New Delhi, with great devotion and enthusiasm.  ‘Samadhi Sthal’  is decorated with flowers and their fragrance permeates the air.  Hundreds and thousands of devotees assemble at ‘Smadhi Sthal’,  form a  long and unending queue from morning till late in the evening and, in a very disciplined and  patient  manner,   pay  their  obeisance  to  Guruji  and receive blessings from revered Mataji,  Mukhya Pradhan Shishya,  Shri R.C. Malhotraji (popularly known as Papaji) and other Gurubhais and are guided in the right direction.  The faces of devotees reflect  enthusiasm,  faith,  satisfaction  and  happiness.

A large number of devotees and ‘sewadaars’ from all over the country come and take their respective responsibilities with devotion and dedication. ‘Bhandara’ is served to every single devotee who visits ‘Smadhi Sthal’ throughout the day. In addition, on the auspicious ocasion of Pujaya Guruji’s Prakash Diwas, a special prasaad (sweet rice in yellow colour) is also distributed to the devotees. Yellow colour is a symbol of Guru. It also represents renunciation. Everyone seems to be in a festive mood.