Your birthday is the day when you are born and appear in complete physical form. That is the beginning of your physical journey. If you blow out the glowing candles, that is a social birthday. Every birthday is like a milestone on your journey and is best honored in the spirit of a retreat. You reflect retrospectively, and you also look ahead. You think about your parents and your beloved ones. If anyone has caused trouble in your life, please forgive them on your birthday. To those who have inspired, you show your indebtedness. For those who have helped you, thank them.

 

On your birthday, sit quietly and open up your inner book. You have written so many things in your diary– the invisible book you carry with you throughout your existence. You are the only one who can read your own personal book. It is not the diary you maintain at your office. It is your personal life book, stored and carefully preserved inside you. It stays with you so sincerely what you have written in your life book.

Petals of Living

In 1995, Srinivas Arka gave a very special talk on the significance of birthday. The following are excerpts from this talk.

Even if you have done something wrong, view those unpleasant situations form a positive angle, and there is some learning, some experience and some lesson. This is how you prepare yourself to write beautifully on each page of your book.

 

Here, one chapter is over. Now a new chapter is about to begin. It takes 365 days, approximately, to complete a cycle. When you arrived in this physical form, you brought a plain, clear book. You have written a few things so far. Now you read this. You don’t need glasses to read your life book. You don't need a physical light. You need inner light to read your book. The enigma of this book is that others cannot read it—only you can read and understand it. So you shed light on your book so that you can read clearly. There is always some correction. You cannot write to perfection in your life book, but you improve upon it everyday you learn something new. You want to be a better human being. Nobody wants to make a mistake. Everybody wants to be very honest, sincere and kind, but ‘Maya’-that mysterious force operates. It pushes you away from the life path.

 

Hence realized masters often offer non-verbal instructions and they give some safety regulations to follow.

Their words are very uplifting, and are best written in bold letters in your life book, so that you can easily see them and be reminded.

 

When we understand the significance of a birthday, we make it a spiritual event. The celebration is not only for you, but also for others who watch and participate. It is the anniversary of your emergence on planet Earth in this form.