Birthday Prayers

(After reading the prasad list, with much prasad offered by those who had birthdays): The Supreme will observe our birthday if we pray and meditate well on our birthday to revive our promise. Our birthday is the day for us to remind ourselves why we came into the world, what we stand for, how far or how near we are to our destination. Needless to say, birthday prayers, if they are sincere, God more readily and quickly answers than on other days. On other days also He answers prayers if there is sincerity involved. Of course, everything is done in His own Way.

At the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, I happened to be in a line for the Mother’s blessings. A disciple wrote a note to the Mother, asking her, for his birthday, to allow him to have some butter, which was limited in the Ashram. Mother looked at the person and was so sad and upset. On his birthday, his prayer was to have a small quantity of butter. The Mother threw the paper away, disgusted by his birthday prayer.

If our birthday prayers are like that, God will be displeased. Birthday prayers for spiritual people should be to intensify our God-hunger. I have ruined 365 days. Now this day at least let me intensify my God-hunger. Then that is the real birthday. Other-wise, if our birthday becomes the fulfillment of earthly, silly desires, then we displease God more than anything else, more than other days.

Again, any day we pray and meditate well surely is our birthday. Every day we should pray and meditate well. Then God will observe our birthday every day.

In Pondicherry, when I was 13, 14, 15, 16 years old, every time my birthday came, I used to get an attack: “I have so much to do, so much to do. I am 15 years old, 16 years old. What have I done?” Where did I get the idea that I had so much to do, so much to do?

Then the attack disappeared when I went to see the Mother the first thing in the morning. It was all gone.