Everyone born in this world will go through their birthdays every year (unless one is born on Feb 29th of a leap year), and we also see almost every one celebrates their birthdays receiving gifts from parents, relatives and friends and usually pull a wild party too!. Small children are even made to demand for gifts from parents for their birthdays!
These birthday celebrations sometimes go so bizarre too. A news story came recently. There was a rich father who bought a costly Mercedes Benz car for his son for his birthday as a surprise. However, as his son did not like that brand and model of that car, in anger, on his birthday he drove it to the nearby river and pushed it into the river and everyone was watching how that costly car was sinking down into the river!
What good are these birthday celebrations? When we look at the psychology aspect of celebrating one’s own birthdays, it is only making his ego grow more and more.
Celebrating one’s own birthday is actually a foreign thing. They even brought a bad way where one is blowing off the lights. It is actually amangal (inauspicious). It was never part of the vedic gurukul system. In ancient India, before the British influence, people did not celebrate their birthdays. Instead, they celebrated only the appearance days of great saints and avatars and holy days.
On their own birthdays, they used to go to their gurus to get spiritual blessings (not material blessings). They carried gifts such as grains and fruits along with some dakshina to their gurus, offered them and paid their obeisances. The guru then used to bless them with more knowledge and teachings.
What would the real gurus teach?
1) First the guru would teach about the dangerous samsara ocean we have been caught into, and make the disciple cry with the intense feeling how unfortunate it is to be born in this material world and caught in this whirlpool cycle of birth, diseases, old age and death.
2) The guru would then remind his disciple about the real purpose of our life and teach how to get out of the samsara ocean, quoting from the scriptures.
3) He would also mainly point out how much time has already been wasted and how many days are now left before his coming death, as he is one more year now closer to his death!
4) He would ask the disciple to promise to chant and sing and praise the Lord more.
5) He would then console the disciple that due to his sukrti, Krishna has sent a guru for him, that he would be delivered by the grace of Guru and Krishna. Now the disciple will shed tears in joy.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona
bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya
bhakti-latā-bīja … (CC. Mad 19.151)
According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate (by his sukrti) gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.
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So, first the disciple is made to cry and then at the end he will be made to feel very happy. This is the way to spend one’s birthday.
Krishna giving a guru is only a beginning. Unless the disciple performs the sadhana and guru-seva, no progress will happen.
The purpose of human life is meant ONLY for spiritual sadhana.
labdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
manusyam artha-dam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anu-mrtyu yavan
nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat … SB 11.9.29
“After many many births and deaths, one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being.”
When the British came to India, they spoiled everything! Celebrating one’s birthday only increases the ego! By celebrating one’s own birthday, he is dragged more into maya. It does so much damage in their spiritual life. Added more to that is that nowadays the children even demand what they want for their birthday. This is very bad!
There is nothing great in celebrating one’s own birthday! It is actually foolishness.
When we are born, along with us, there is another thing we were also born with. It is our death. We see only ourselves, not the hidden death that was also born with.
So, say no to any such birthday parties. Instead, meet your guru, or talk to your guru and spend the rest of that day with devotees, and chant more rounds! Donate something to the temple. On every birthday, sing and glorify the Lord and increase your rounds of chanting!