His children should ever have implicit faith in
the loving-kindness of their Omnipresent Father." {FN15-6}
Sri Yukteswar sponsored four yearly festivals, at the equinoxes
and solstices, when his students gathered from far and near. The
winter solstice celebration was held in Serampore; the first one
I attended left me with a permanent blessing.
The festivities started in the morning with a barefoot procession
along the streets. The voices of a hundred students rang out with
sweet religious songs; a few musicians played the flute and KHOL
KARTAL (drums and cymbals). Enthusiastic townspeople strewed the
path with flowers, glad to be summoned from prosaic tasks by our
resounding praise of the Lord's blessed name. The long tour ended
in the courtyard of the hermitage. There we encircled our guru,
while students on upper balconies showered us with marigold blossoms.
Many guests went upstairs to receive a pudding of CHANNA and
oranges. I made my way to a group of brother disciples who were
serving today as cooks. Food for such large gatherings had to
be cooked outdoors in huge cauldrons. The improvised wood-burning
brick stoves were smoky and tear-provoking, but we laughed merrily
at our work. Religious festivals in India are never considered
troublesome; each one does his part, supplying money, rice,
vegetables, or his personal services.
Master was soon in our midst, supervising the details of the feast.
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