Jamshedpur, July 4: Following the traditions of earlier years, Guru Purnima Festival will be celebrated on behalf of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) this year as well from Saturday, 8th July to Monday, 10th July.
Rubal Agrawal, Executive Officer of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan has appealed to all devotees to participate in these celebrations in large numbers.
Agrawal said that Guru-Shishya is an ancient tradition. Ashadha Purnima day is celebrated to
express profound gratitude to the teacher and hence this festival of Guru Purnima is being celebrated.
During the sojourn of Shri Sai Baba too, the Guru Purnima festival used to be celebrated with great
fervor and thus the same importance has been given to this festival even to this day. Innumerable
devotees with impeccable faith on Shri Sai Baba flock to Shirdi every year to pay obeisance to Him and
attend the three day celebrations. Various programs have been arranged this year as well on the
occasion of Guru Purnima.
On first day of festival i.e., Saturday 8th July 2017, at 04.30 a.m. Kakad Aarti of Shri Sai will be
performed and at 05.00 a.m. there will be a procession of Shri Sai photograph and Pothi. At 5.15 a.m.
there will be a continuous reading of Sai Satcharitra. At 5.20 a.m. Holy bath of Shri Sai Baba will be
performed followed by Darshan. At 6.00 a.m. Shri Sai Padya Pooja will be carried out. At 12.30 noon,
there will be Noon Aarti. There will be a keertan from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. followed by Dhup Aarti at
7.00 p.m. At 9.15 p.m, The Palanquin Procession of Shri Sai will be taken out throughout Shirdi Town
and after the procession returns by 10.30 p.m, Shej Aarti will be offered. On this day, the Dwarakamai
will be kept open through out the night for Akhanda Parayan of holy Sai Satcharitra.
On second day of festival i.e., Sunday, 9th July 2017, at 4.30 a.m., Kakad Aarti of Shri Sai will be
performed, at 5.00 a.m. Akhand Parayan will end and a procession of Shri Sai photo and Pothi will be
taken out from the Dwarakamai to Samadhi Mandir. At 5.20 a.m. Holy bath of Shri Sai Baba will be
performed followed by Darshan. At 6.00 a.m. Shri Sai Padya Pooja will be carried out. At 12.30 noon,
there will be Noon Aarti. There will be keertan from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. followed by Dhup Aarti at
7.00 p.m. There will be a procession of the Shri Sai Chariot throughout Shirdi Town at 9.15 p.m. 9th
July 2017 being the main day of the festival, Samadhi Mandir will be kept open for Darshan throughout
the night. Hence the Shej Aarti for this day and the subsequent Kakad Aarti on 10th July 2017 will not
be held. On the specially erected platform next to Shri Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir, interested artists
will be given an opportunity to perform Sai Bhajans (Hajeri) from 11.00 p.m. to 05.00 a.m.
On third and concluding day of festival i.e., Monday, 10th July 2017, Holy bath for Shri Sai will be
performed 05.05 a.m. followed by Darshan. Padya Pooja for Shri Sai at 06.00 a.m. and Rudrabhishek at
06.15 a.m. at Gurusthan Temple. There will be a Gopal Kala Keertan and Dahi Handi program at 10.30 a.m. Noon aarti will be performed at 12.10 Noon, Dhup Aarti at 7.00 p.m. in the evening and Shejarti at
10.30 p.m. at night.
The devotees who are interested in participating in the Akhanda Parayan of Sai Satchitra to be held
on the first day of the festival at the Dwarkamai, should register their names near the platform in
front of Samadhi Mandir between 1.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on the 7th July 2017. The names of the devotees
will be finalized by way of a Lucky Draw at 6.00 p.m. During all three days of the Festival, various
regular activities such as Shri Sai Satyavrata (Satyanarayan Pooja), Abhishek Pooja will be suspended
or continued depending upon the conditions of vehicular and crowd movement in Shirdi. However, on all the three days, an open auction of various items such as clothes and other items dedicated to Shri Sai
Baba will be held.
Rubal Agrawal further said that programs by invited artists will be held at the
specially erected stage near Samadhi Mandir on all the three days from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.
Under the able guidance of Sansthan Chairman Dr. Suresh Haware, Vice-Chairman Chandrashekhar Kadam, all the Trustees and Executive Officer Rubal Agrawal, everyone including Deputy Executive Officer
Dr. Sandeep Aher, all Administrative Officers, Heads of the Departments and entire staff are putting lot
of efforts to make Guru Poornima Festival a grand success
