The name that is applied to the Festival celebrated with great joy by Keralites this day, Onam, is derived from the Sanskrit Shravanam and Shronam, indicating the ascendant star of the day. The month too is Shravanam. That word reminds people of the very first step in spiritual sadhana, the first of the famous nine, namely listening to Glory of God and imbibing joy there from.
Keralites believe that the Lord, who incarnated as Vamana, and Emperor Bali, who was immortalised by the Grace of that Avatar, bless that region of Bharat this day by their Presence together. In every home, they are worshipped with flowers and incense, ritual offerings, song, dance and folk sports. Tradition declares that the Emperor prayed for the chance to re-visit the area he ruled over and loved and he insisted that the Lord who led him into Self-realisation must lead him. This faith is being rewarded every year. Many do achieve the vision of both Vamana and Bali, there as well as elsewhere.
Bali was an Asura by birth but he emulated his father, Virochana, who had risen to great spiritual heights through deeds of self-sacrifice and his grandfather,Prahlada, one of the foremost devotees of the Lord. He ruled over his vast empire with vigilant care and affection. His subjects were healthy, happy and filled with gratitude. People were so prosperous and holy that there was not even a single person in want in the entire realm. (SSS Vol.17, pp. 136-137)
Sathya Sai Baba Onam greetings in Malayalam
The message of this sacred festival Onam is Love. This festival is observed to spread this message of Love among all human beings. In fact, we are born to cultivate this sacred love and share it with others. If we fail in this endeavour, our whole life becomes a waste. (SSS Vol.37, p. 197)
Onam is celebrated on the day when Emperor Bali was both humiliated and blessed by God in the form of Vamana. Bali was the grandson of Prahlada. On the Onam day, You feast on bananas, where you have first to remove the skin. For Bali to be accepted by God, the bitter cover of egoism and power-mania had to be removed. Cultivate love, and suppress pride and egoism to win the Grace of God… The essence of the message of Onam is that the tax that the Lord expects is devotion and purity of hearts.
Contrary to the popular belief that Vamana incarnated to crush the ego of Bali, the latter had no inkling of ego in him. He had achieved the state of total surrender. There are many in history who have renounced their wealth, but Bali surrenderd all and himself. So the purpose of Vamana – incarnation was to confer the boon of liberation on Bali. The three steps represent Adhi-bhautika, Adhyatmika and Adhi-daivika. The first two steps mean the identification with the body and the mind was eliminated, the third step indicating the merger of Jivatma in Paramatma. Bali had the conviction that the Lord gives and He takes, that he is but an instrument, that his divinity is to merge in the Lord… We should celebrate Onam festival not only with feast and songs but also with acts of sacrifice, charity and renunciation (like Bali).
This is the day on which the Lord in His Vamana Incarnation sent Emperor Bali to the Nether world after He had got the promise of three feet of ground (measured by the Lord’s foot) from Bali. Vamana (as an incarnation of Vishnu) used the gift of three feet of land to put down the egoism (Ahamkara) of Bali. Bali is described as Chakravarti, sovereign Lord. In every human being there is a sovereign who presides over all his qualities. The sovereign is the ego. The sovereign ego (Ahamkara Chakravarti) suppresses all the good qualities in man. Ahamkaram has another meaning. It is the very form of Aham, the ‘I’. The egoist is one who identifies the body with his Self. But you are not the body. The body is only an instrument. It is an agglomeration of material substances. How can this inert body be equated with the Self ? It is by the association of Consciousness with body that it is able to undertake various activities.
The Lord’s first foot covered this world and the second foot covered the other world. How huge the Lord’s foot would have been to cover the whole world ! How can such a huge foot be kept on Emperor Bali’s head for the third step of land? The inner significance of the three steps is that the Lord entered Bali’s body, mind and soul as he offered them to Him. Once the ego or the body consciousness is surrenderd, there is no bar to one’s realization. It is the body consciousness that stands in the way and makes you forget God. Vamana opened Bali’s eyes to help him to realize the Divine. (NNSG Vol.8, pp. 57-58)