january 2009 annual subscription rs. 60 - || b a p s ... khachar, bhaga doshi, chakubhai,...

January 2009 Annual Subscription Rs. 60

Following the Vedic murti-pratishtha rituals, Swamishri performs arti of the murtis for the new BAPS Shri Swami-narayan hari mandirs in eight tribal villages of the Valsad-Dharampur district in south Gujarat.In the past two months, Swamishri has performed murti-pratishthas for five new mandirs while in Gondal, eightwhile in Bochasan and six while in Sankari.

MURTI-PRATISHTHAS OF MURTIS FOR NEW BAPS MANDIRS IN TRIBAL REGIONS, SOUTH GUJARAT

TORONTO POLICE SERVICE FELICITATE BAPS FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES, 22 OCTOBER 2008, TORONTO

Over 150 officers of the Toronto Police Service attended a special function to felicitate BAPSfor its community services held at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto on 22.10.08.On behalf of the police, Chief Bill Blair presented a citation to BAPS, which read, “In recog-nition of its many vital contributions and leadership in the social, economical, and cultural lifeof our city and for the tremendous spirit of unity with the Toronto Police Service.” Chairpersonof the Toronto Police Service, Dr Alok Mukherjee, also congratulated the BAPS for inspiring individualsand the community.

Founder: HDH Pramukh Swami MaharajEditor: Sadhu SwayamprakashdasContributors: Sadhu Vivekjivandas, Sadhu AmrutvijaydasDesigner: Sadhu ShrijiswarupdasPublished & Printed by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,Shahibaug, Ahmedabad–380 004. India.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESOutside India (By Air Mail) India

Rupees Pounds US Dollars Rupees1 Year 400 6 10 602 Years 800 12 20 1103 Years 1200 18 30 160

January 2009, Vol. 32 No. 1

FIRST WORDCONTENTS4 Swaminarayan History

Festival Preparations in BotadFuldol celebrations...

7 Philosophy – Swaminarayan VedantaAn Introduction to the ShastrasThe Prasthantrayi...

14 DiscoursesDedicationSacrificing everything for God...

17 Eternal WisdomSatsangBhagwan Swaminarayan’s spiritual teachings...

19 Spirituality & ScienceSubatomic Particles andMultiple UniversesScience in the Vachanamrut...

21 Bhajan History Tãro Chatak Rangilo ChhedloAlbelã Re... Instant composition by Brahmanand Swami...

22 VicharanPramukh Swami Maharaj’s Vicharan

25 BAPS News■ Prayers for Peace, London■ Blood Donation Drive,

Sydney, Australia■ New Publications

Speech is a very important and powerful toolwe humans have been blessed with and use sogenerously in our daily life. There are manyaspects related to it: one of which is makingcomments or giving opinions. A great deal of thetime we comment or share our viewpointbecause people ask us or our work demands usto do so. In addition, we also comment to satis-fy our desire to be social and involved. However,we should try to be careful that whatever we see,hear or know does not always necessitate us topass a comment. Yet when there is an urge to saysomething helpful or positive we should share itwith others. Avoiding untimely or unwantedcomments saves time, energy and arguments.

Sometimes our comments are harsh, criti-cal or negative in nature, and at other timesthey are complimentary, useful, necessary orentertaining. We should try to make a con-scious effort in making positive and helpfulcomments.

Some make comments after careful studyand contemplation, while some are knee-jerkreactions. We should be careful that the latterdo not lead to hurts, arguments and confu-sions. Some of our comments are at bestunnecessary and at worst counterproductive.

Spiritually, one requires more restraint inspeech. Jaga Swami taught, “One should notlook at the forms, actions and faults of oth-ers.” It is because of this habit that we mostlygenerate comments and opinions. Further-more, changing the way we perceive peopleand our world will help us think and speakpositively and maturely. ◆

Website: www.swaminarayan.orgE-mail: [email protected]

SWAMINARAYAN HISTORY: TRANSLATION: SADHU VIVEKJIVANDAS

The next day when Maharaj sat downfor his puja he called for Ramchandra.Ratneshwar, his brother, informed, “He

left this morning for Sardhar with Hasan to selltobacco. Hasan has made him a partner in hisbusiness.” Shri Hari said with a frown, “DidRamchandra come here for bhajan or to con-duct business?” Immediately Maharaj called forNaja Jogiya and told him, “Send two horsementowards Sardhar right now and bring Ramchan-dra back. Tell Hasan that Maharaj has said thatRamchandra is no longer his partner. He willhave no stake in his profit or loss.” The horse-men left and in no time they caught up withHasan’s bullock cart. They informed Ramchan-dra and Hasan of Shri Hari’s order. When Ram-chandra returned Maharaj asked, “Why did yougo with Hasan without asking me? And why didyou abandon doing bhajan to put yourself inthat hassle?” Ramchandra remained silent andcrestfallen. Then Maharaj asked Ramchandra’smother, “Would you be happy if I gave diksha toRamchandra and Ratneshar and initiate them asbrahmacharis?”

“Maharaj, we have come to do your bhajan.If you initiate them as brahmacharis then theywill be able to do more bhajan. You saved Ram-

chandra this time from being swindled. And ifhe ever thinks likewise again then he will forgetto do bhajan,” replied Ramchandra’s mother.

Shriji Maharaj gave diksha to both brothers,naming Ramchandra as PurushottamanandSwami and Ratneshar as Govindanand Swami.Then Maharaj called Ladha Thakkar, DadaKhachar’s administrator, and told him, “Hasandecided to do the tobacco business withoutinforming me. Now if he incurs losses uponhimself then people will come clamouring to usfor their money. So go to the village square nowand declare publicly that Hasan has nothing todo with Dada Khachar and his family.” LadhaThakkar did as Maharaj bidded.

Shri Hari celebrated the festival of Vasant inGadhada with great joy and devotion. Thedevotees of Botad requested him to celebratethe Fuldol festival in their town. Shri Hari gavehis consent and told them to return and makepreparations. The devotees of Botad, namely,Daha Khachar, Bhaga Doshi, Chakubhai, Karsan-das, Nanchand, Mulchand, Hirabhai Vasani,Keshavji Parekh, Kansara Amarsi and otherswere pleased.

Shri Hari said, “We will invite the whole ofthe Satsang there, so make maximum prepara-tions. Devotees will arrive by different means:by bullock cart, on horses, camels and even byfoot. Therefore you’ll have to arrange for fod-der. For the devotees you’ll have to arrange for

Festival Preparations in Botad

4 Swaminarayan Bliss ◆ January 2009

After celebrating Vasant in Gadhada,

Shri Hari agrees to celebrate the

Fuldol festival in Botad...

January 2009 ◆ Swaminarayan Bliss 5

accommodation. Furthermore, to protect themand look after their belongings, you’ll have toprovide tight security. Nothing should be stolenduring the festival.”

Daha Khachar assured Maharaj, “My father,Hamir Khachar, is well known in our region forhis toughness and fighting spirit. Kano Patel isthe leader of twelve villages, and he too hasgreat influence in the region. Bhaga Doshi isthinking of calling a platoon of Arab soldiersfrom Bhavnagar. We seek your blessingsMaharaj. No thief or criminal will ever dare tocome on the outskirts of Botad.”

Shri Hari was pleased at Daha Khachar’scourage and added, “To exercise one’s braveryin the service of sadhus and devotees is also aform of bhakti. Joban Pagi will come with histeam of brave men and the king of Ghodasarwill come with his army of tribals (bhils).

Bhaga Doshi asked, “Maharaj, what otherpreparations do we need to make? We want tomake this festival so memorable that it becomesetched in the annals of Satsang.”

Maharaj replied, “We will celebrate the festi-val in Sandhgadh and conduct the discourses inBotad. So, make dual arrangements according-ly.”

The devotees returned excitedly to Botad.Preparations for the Fuldol festival commencedwith great sweat and joy. Everyone was happythat Shri Hari would spray all of them withholy, coloured water. Nanchandbhai had a newhouse constructed. The kitchen for the devoteeswas to be set up nearby. The makeshift accom-modation for sadhus was to be arrangedbeneath a giant banyan tree in the village. Anassembly hall was to be built in the shade ofneem trees. The devotees of Botad engagedthemselves in the preparations with alacrity.

Daha Khachar, Bhaga Doshi and other devo-tees started levelling the ground with shovelsand pickaxes for the assembly hall. The peopleof Botad were surprised to see them labourwhen at home they had servants and labourers

to do their chores. Several Baniya businessmentried to restrain them, “Bapu, if you allow us wewill hire some labourers to do this. Why are youdoing it all by yourselves?”

Bhaga Doshi replied, “Look, Ambrish was agreat king. He had many servants and workersat his disposal. But he served the murti ofThakorji himself. He personally exerted himselfin all the preparations. King Ambrish washedThakorji’s utensils, filtered drinking water,cleaned food grains, ground the grains intoflour, prepared meals and offered them toThakorji with devotion all by himself. But whenhe sat on his royal throne, he gave commandsto his men to carry out their stately duties. Sim-ilarly, it would be fine for our hired men andlabourers to perform the daily householdchores, but when it comes to serving Thakorji,we have to do it ourselves as his servants. Byserving God and his realized Devotee oneattains the divine state.”

Daha Khachar, too, had shed his pride of sta-tus and royalty for the preparations. His servi-tude and devotion was apparent through hislabour of love. Such was the influence and gloryof Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Once the area was levelled and cleaned acanopied hall of cloth and bamboo was set up.A stage was built in it for Maharaj. The soil wassprinkled with water to cool it. Then burlap wasspread on the grounds and cotton mattressesarranged for the devotees to sit on. Everyonewas exultant and wished to give a royal wel-come to all the invited guests, sadhus and devo-tees. Furthermore, everyone aspired to augmentthe fame and popularity of Bhaga Doshi as thetown’s prominent businessman and HamirKhachar as the leader of Botad. However, thetwo leading lights of the town were oblivious oftheir status while performing their duties likeservants.

As the days of Shri Hari’s arrival approachedthe pace of preparations increased. The devo-tees hectically started completing their assigned


duties. Their thoughts and sentiments wereawash with the imminent arrival of devoteesand Shri Hari.

On Fagan sud 13 large groups of devoteesfrom Gujarat started streaming into Botad. Eachwas conspicuous by their typical headgear andclothes. They arrived from Kutch, Halar,Khandesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and thesouthern and eastern regions of India. Theirattires, dialects and languages no doubt varied,but their tilak-chandlo and humble greeting of ‘JaiSwaminarayan’ gave them a common identity.Some even hugged one another with cama-raderie. With Bhagwan Swaminarayan as theirchief focus, all borders and differences wereerased to form a relationship of unity and respect.

Each of them was allotted living quarterswith required facilities. Security guards wereposted at each residential cluster.

The people of Botad witnessed the Swami-narayan culture at close quarters. The devotees,who had arrived from far-flung places, wereawaiting Shri Hari’s arrival. He was to arrivefrom Gadhada the next day, on the evening ofsud 14. The following day, Maharaj had sent hissadhus beforehand. Soon thereafter, Shri Hariwas seen arriving with a large retinue. The airon the outskirts of Botad broke with the wel-come sounds of shenais, bhungals, drums andrifle shots. Escorting Maharaj were the Kathidevotees, astride on their impressive thorough-bred horses. Behind them followed 100 armedparshads on their horses. Amid the parshads wasShri Hari, riding on his mare, Manki.

The chief of Botad, Hamir Khachar, his sonDaha Khachar, and several leading devotees ofBotad were eagerly waiting to welcome theirLord. The women devotees of Botad were singingauspicious songs in welcome and honour ofMaharaj. When Maharaj arrived the devotees ofBotad prostrated on the ground. Shri Hari dis-mounted from Manki, embraced and blessed thedevotees of Botad. The devotees of Merai offeredbeautiful clothes to Maharaj. Instantly Shri Hari

donned them and fulfilled their devotion. Hegave away his former clothes to Mayaram Bhatt.Then Shri Hari climbed onto Manki and the pro-cession proceeded. Following behind him wereDada Khachar, Vasta Khachar, Allaiya Khachar,Somla Khachar, Sura Khachar, Jiva Khachar andother Kathi devotees. The local devotees pro-claimed Shri Hari’s name aloud in honour. Themusicians played their auspicious tunes to wel-come Shriji Maharaj. The Kathi devotees firedtheir rifles in salutation. The people of Botadrushed out of their homes and onto galleries andterraces to watch the divine spectacle with aston-ishment and joy. The women folk showeredflower petals and rice grains as Maharaj passedby. Some even welcomed him by showering tinygold and silver balls. The whole of Botad cele-brated Shri Hari’s arrival. The procession termi-nated at the banyan tree in town.

An assembly was arranged. Shri Hari brieflyblessed the gathering. Thereafter, on seeingValibhai arrive with his shenai, Maharaj told himto play it. His rendition captivated Maharaj andhis sadhus, some of whom were expert musicians.Shri Hari praised his performance, “On hearingyou play the shenai even Tumbaru’s pride musthave been dissolved.” Valibhai replied with mod-esty, “Maharaj I am blessed when you are pleasedwith me. It has not been in Tumbaru’s fate to per-form before you, whereas, you have listened tomy rendition.” Shri Hari was pleased with himand told him to ask for something. But Valibhairemained quiet. Maharaj asked him thrice.Valibhai’s eyes welled up with tears. In a voiceoverwhelmed with love for Maharaj he said,“Maharaj, I ask for your grace.” Shri Hariremoved a gold armlet from his arm and gave itto him. Valibhai felt honoured and replied, “MyLord, you have graced me with this ornament.This will forever be my priceless treasure.” ThenValibhai touched the gold armlet respectfully tohis head, heart and eyes. ◆

(To be contd.)


WHAT ARE SHASTRAS?“‡ÊÊÁSÃ ø òÊÊÿÃ ø ßÁÃ ‡ÊÊSòÊ◊˜–”‘That which rules and protects is a shastra’.

Hindu shastras have continuously taught eternalprinciples to make man’s feelings become morespiritual, more stable, more profound and moreenlightened. They have all along inspired ritualsthat are relevant to those principles, and pro-hibited those that seem contradictory to them.They guide us by distinctly describing themeans that enable one to follow those rituals.

There is a saying in Sanskrit: •Ÿ∑§‚¢‡ÊÿÙë¿UÁŒ ¬⁄UÙˇÊÊÕ¸Sÿ Œ‡Ê¸∑§◊˜–‚fl¸Sÿ ‹ÙøŸ¢ ‡ÊÊSòÊ¢ ÿSÿ ŸÊSàÿãœ ∞fl ‚—H‘Shastras destroy all doubts and make princi-

ples that seem imperceptible tangible. They arethe true eyes of man. Therefore, one who doesnot read and associate with shastras is certainlyblind.’ In India, there are many Hindu shastras.In this article, we will acquaint ourselves withthe three foremost shastras collectively knownas the Prasthãntrayi, which have been stampedwith authority as philosophical treatises.

PRASTHÃNTRAYIPrasthãn means a shastra that establishes

principles, and trayi indicates the quantitythree. The three shastras: The Upanishads, Shri-mad Bhagavad Gitã and Brahmasutras areknown as the Prasthãntrayi.

It is only through them that a philosophicalprinciple is established firmly (prasthãpan),hence these shastras are called Prasthãn. There-fore, from ancient times, a unique tradition hascontinuously prevailed whereby Hindu sanãtanasampradayas, using the above three shastras,establish, support and promote their philosophi-cal principles. Hence, Shankaracharya, Ramanu-jacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Val-labhacharya, Ramanandacharya and all theother ãcharyas have written their commentarieson these shastras. In the same way, commen-taries on these three shastras have also beenwritten in the Swaminarayan Sampradaya aswell.

Now we will describe in detail these threeprasthãn shastras, which are considered assupreme authority in matters of philosophy.

THE FIRST PRASTHÃN:THE UPANISHADS

The German philosopher Arthur Schopen-hauer says: “From every sentence deep, originaland sublime thoughts arise, and the whole shas-tra is pervaded by a high and holy and earnestspirit…. In the whole world there is no study,except that of the originals, so beneficial and soelevating as that of the Upanishads. And there-fore the Upanishads have been the solace of mylife, they will be the solace of my death.”

PHILOSOPHY – SWAMINARAYAN VEDANTA: GUJARATI TEXT: SADHU BHADRESHDAS. TRANSLATION: SADHU PARAMVIVEKDAS

The practical and spiritually elevating philosophy of Akshar-Purushottam

revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830 CE) in the early

nineteenth century is a unique contribution to the annals of Sanãtana Hindu

Dharma. It is rooted in the Vedas and is also contained in the Prasthãntrayi:

the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gitã and Brahmasutras...

Supporting these words, Germanscholar Max Muller said: “If these words ofSchopenhauer need any confirmation, I willing-ly give mine.”

Swami Vivekanand says, “We need strength.Who will give us strength? The Upanishads area treasury of strength. They are capable of giv-ing strength.” There are many such dignitarieswho have studied and experienced the Upan-ishads with astonishment.

Truly, the Upanishads are the world’s great-est literature. The Upanishads liberate peoplemired in countless miseries and inspire themonto the path of eternal peace and happiness.They truly reveal that ‘Ã⁄UÁÃ ‡ÊÙ∑§◊Êà◊ÁflŒ˜’, ‘Onewho attains the knowledge of Paramãtmã over-comes grief’ (Chhãndogya Upanishad: 7/3/1).Moreover, ‘•äÿÊà◊ÿÙªÊÁœª◊Ÿ Œfl¢ ◊àflÊ œË⁄UÙ „U·¸‡ÊÙ∑§ı¡„UÊÁÃ’, ‘The resolute person who, havingattained the brãhmi-sthiti (brãhmic state) ofadhyãtma yoga, contemplates upon and offershis devotion to Parabrahman, becomes detachedfrom worldly delight and grief’ (Katha Upan-ishad: 1/2/12). Such mantras lead man furtherin the direction of eternal peace and happiness.What is that Paramãtmã like? ‘ÿÙ flÒ ÷Í◊Ê Ãà‚Èπ¢ ŸÊÀ¬‚Èπ◊ÁSÃ’, ‘Only Paramãtmã, who is the greatestof all, is full of bliss. The whole of creation,

which is inferior to him, contains no bliss’(Chhãndogya Upanishad: 7/23/1). How can weattain Paramãtmã? The Upanishads disclose,‘’˝rÊÔÁflŒÊåŸÙÁÃ ¬⁄U◊˜–Ô’, ‘One who becomes akshar-rup(brahmarup) attains Parabrahman’ (TaittiriyaUpanishad, Ãnandvalli, Mantra-1). And finally

giving such counsel as ‘Ÿ ¬‡ÿÙ ◊ÎàÿÈ¢ ¬‡ÿÁÃ Ÿ ⁄UÙª¢ŸÙÃ ŒÈ—πÃÊ◊˜’, ‘Disease, misery, birth and deathno longer remain for one who has attainedbrahmavidyã (the true knowledge of Brah-man and Parabrahman)’ (ChhãndogyaUpanishad: 7/26/2). Such teachings

bestow man with moksha. They give spiritual proclamations such as

‘•Êà◊Ê flÊ •⁄U º˝c≈U√ÿ— üÊÙÃ√ÿÙ ◊ãÃ√ÿÙ ÁŸÁŒäÿÊÁ‚Ã√ÿ—’, ‘Oneshould experience Paramãtmã; therefore oneshould listen to talks about him, reflect uponhim and meditate upon him’ (BruhadãranyakaUpanishad: 2/4/5). One cannot but be con-vinced that the Upanishads are truly an oceanof eternal principles and an indisputable sourceof utmost peace and supreme happiness. Sincetime immemorial, their pure, divine streamshave gifted the world with serene peace.

WHAT DOES ‘UPANISHAD’ MEAN?“©U¬ÁŸ·lÃ ¬˝ÊåÿÃ ôÊÊÿÃ ’˝rÊÔÁfllÊ •ŸÿÊ ßÁÃ ©U¬ÁŸ·Œ˜–”,

‘That by which brahmavidyã can be known andattained is Upanishad.’ This is the philosophicalmeaning of the word. On a literal level upameans ‘near’ and nishad means ‘to sit’. It means‘to sit near’. So ‘Upanishad’ can also meanupãsanã (since, ãsana also means ‘to sit’). TheUpanishads are the shastras of upãsanã. There-fore the message of accepting the discipleship ofthe brahmaswarup guru, attaining brahmavidyãfrom that guru and offering upãsanã toParabrahman echoes from the very word ‘Upan-ishad’.THE LOCATION OF THE UPANISHADS

The base of the Upanishads are our Vedas.The Upanishads are, in fact, a specific part ofthe Vedas. The deep philosophical principles of


A gurukul in Upanishadic times

the Vedas have been concisely collected inthem. That is why they are also known asVedãnta.

WHO CREATED THE UPANISHADS?In Sanãtana Dharma the Vedas are revered

as being without beginning, eternal, and ofdivine origin. The Upanishads are a part of theVedas. Therefore, questions regarding whowrote the Upanishads and when they were writ-ten do not arise. Our sanãtana shastras clearlyexplain that at the beginning of a kalp Paramãt-mã himself sequentially manifests them as theywere before (Shrimad Bhãgavat: 3/12/37-38).For this reason the Nirukta, a supporting shastraof the Vedas and, in effect, a Vedic lexicon,states that the rishis have been inspired toreveal the Vedic mantras, but they are not thecomposers (Nirukta, Naigamkãnd: 2/11).Maharshi Parashar also says, ‘Ÿ ∑§ÁpŒ˜ flŒ∑§ÃÊ¸–’,‘There is no creator of the Vedas.’

Therefore, questions regarding the sequenceof the Upanishads – which was created first andwhich later? – are inappropriate and runcounter to sanãtana Vedic principles. Moreover,great, wise rishis, like Maharshi Manu, havecalled the Upanishads ‘•ŸÊÁŒÁŸœŸÊ ÁŒ√ÿÊ flÊ∑˜§’, ‘eter-nal divine precepts’ (Manusmriti). Though thismay not be grasped by scholars brought up inthe Western culture, or to some modern Indianswho have been influenced by their ideas, Hinduspiritual traditions accept that the Upanishadsare without beginning, eternal, and not ofhuman origin. Bhagwan Swaminarayan alsomentions in his discourses that the Upanishadsare eternal shastras.

THE STYLE OF THE UPANISHADSThe Upanishads are discourses that lead to

moksha. These discourses may be between twopeople, like that between father and son, as inthe Chhãndogya Upanishad; or between manypeople, such as that between the devtãs and

Yaksha in the Kena Upanishad. Sometimes wemay even find a discourse with oneself like thatin mantras such as ‘•„¢U ’˝rÊÔÊÁS◊’ (BruhadãranyakaUpanishad: 1/4/10). In some places we find aphilosophical question-answer discussion, likethat between six disciples and their guru, Pip-palad, as in the Prashna Upanishad; and insome places we find affectionate words of wis-dom naturally flowing from the guru’s heart,like those of Sanatsujat. In other texts we comeacross the spiritual contemplation of great med-itating yogis, like in the Shvetashvatara Upan-ishad; and in other places we come across dis-cussions regarding brahmavidyã between wiselearned rishis: like that between Yagnavalkya,Ashwal, Artbhag, Ushast, Kahod and others inthe assembly of King Janak in theBruhadãranyaka Upanishad. In this manner, theUpanishads are sometimes a school, sometimesa contemplation chamber and sometimes anassembly.

The Upanishads are full of a variety of exam-ples and illustrations. Through many short storiesthey have made deep spiritual knowledge com-prehensible. Clear logic and meaningful presen-tations make them stand out. Moreover, whatev-er has been taught in the Upanishads has beentaught in the lap of nature, on the undefiledbanks of a river, under a great banyan tree, in theextremely peaceful caves of great mountains likethe Himalayas, or under a clear, open, glitteringsky, thus making the discourses more natural andmore spiritual. Perhaps, that is why their mantrascaptivate, focus and calm the mind.

THE NUMBER OF UPANISHADSToday, more than 108 Upanishads can be

found in book form. Nevertheless, we cannotsay that there were only this many. Looking atthe extent of the Vedas we can affirm that thecollection of Upanishads in the Vedic branchesmust be just as extensive. It is unfortunate thatwe have lost a lot due to cruel foreign attacks


and our own negligence. However, whateverhas survived is ample.

Of the Upanishads that are available today,there are some which almost all the greatacharyas and scholars of the Hindu sampradayasequally accept as authoritative. There are tensuch Upanishads. A well-known shloka containsthe names: ‘ß¸‡Ê-∑§Ÿ-∑§ΔU-¬˝‡Ÿ-◊Èá«U-◊Êá«ÍUÄÿ-ÁÃÁûÊÁ⁄U—–∞Ã⁄Uÿ¢ ø ¿UÊãŒÙÇÿ¢ ’Î„UŒÊ⁄Uáÿ∑¢§ Œ‡ÊH’, ‘The ten Upanishadsare: Ishãvãsya Upanishad, Kena Upanishad,Katha Upanishad, Prashna Upanishad, MundakaUpanishad, Mãndukya Upanishad, TaittiriyaUpanishad, Aitareya Upanishad, ChhãndogyaUpanishad, Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad.’

Of these ten Upanishads the AitareyaUpanishad is the only one from the Rig Veda. TheIshãvãsya, Katha, Taittiriya and BruhadãranyakaUpanishads are from the Yajur Veda. The Kena andChhãndogya Upanishads are both from the SamaVeda. The Prashna, Mundaka and MãndukyaUpanishads are from the Atharva Veda.

The mantras of the Upanishads are known as‘Shruti’, and for this very reason the Upanishadprasthãn is also known as the shruti-prasthãn.

THE SUBJECT MATTER OFTHE UPANISHADS

The Upanishads are the shastra of brah-mavidyã. Brahmavidyã is the main subject matterof the Upanishads. What does brahmavidyãmean? Defining it, guru Angira tells his disciple,Shaunak, ‘ÿŸÊ˘ˇÊ⁄¢U ¬ÈL§·¢ flŒ ‚àÿ¢ ¬˝ÙflÊø ÃÊ¢ ÃûflÃÙ ’˝rÊÔÁfllÊ◊˜’(Mundaka Upanishad: 1/2/13). This sentencegives the definition of brahmavidyã: ‘That bywhich Akshar and Purush are known in theiractuality is brahmavidyã.’ Here, the word ‘Akshar’refers to Aksharbrahman, and ‘Purush’ refers toPurushottam, Parabrahman. This implies that themain aim of all the Upanishads is to philosophi-cally explain the divine form, virtues andgrandeur of Aksharbrahman and Parabrahman inorder to liberate every spiritual aspirant fromworldly bondage. By reading the Upanishads one

will experience how clearly, simply and naturallythis explanation has been given.

Now let us acquaint ourselves with the sec-ond prasthãn.

THE SECOND PRASTHÃN: THE SHRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITÃ

The Bhagavad Gitã is the second prasthãn inthe prasthãntrayi. From philosophers of India tothose throughout the whole world, all haverealized this shastra to be a means to gain adirection in life. After contemplating on it theyhave surrendered to it, and have never tired ofpraising it with utmost wonder. For example:

■ The Gitã is the greatest treasure ofmankind. Reading sentences like‘‚fl¸÷ÍÃSÕ◊Êà◊ÊŸ¢ ‚fl¸÷ÍÃÊÁŸ øÊà◊ÁŸ–’ (Gitã 6/29)my heart becomes overjoyed. – Emerson

■ This small book contains the solutions to allthe problems of my life. – Henry DavidThoreau

■ For ethics to reach the pinnacles of great-ness the Gitã’s precepts are second tonone. – Warren Hastings

■ The mother who gave birth to me haspassed away. But in troublesome times Ihave learnt to go to Mother Gitã. There isno room for depression for a person whobecomes a devotee of the Gitã. He alwaysremains blissful. I wish that the Gitã notonly be taught in government schools, butin each and every educational institution.It should be a shame for a single Hinduboy or girl not to know about the Gitã.– Mahatma Gandhi

■ My body has been nourished by my moth-er’s milk, but more than that, my heartand intellect have been nourished by themilk of the Gitã. – Vinoba Bhave

GITÃ: COMPOSED BY VYASA INTHE MAHÃBHÃRATA

Let us bear in mind that the Bhagavad Gitã


is a historical shastra of India. It is not an imag-ined or concocted fable invented for the pur-pose of giving counsel. This shastra has beenincluded in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahãb-hãrata, which contains eighteen parvas in totaland is written by Shri Badarayana Vyasa. Thetwenty-fifth chapter (adhyaya) of the BhishmaParva is the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gitã.

THE FORM OF THE BHAGAVAD GITÃContaining 18 chapters, this shastra consists

of 700 shlokas. Of these, 1 shloka is spoken byDhritarashtra, 41 by Sanjaya, 84 by Arjuna and574 by Shri Krishna.

THE STYLE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITÃThe Gitã is a discourse. A divine discourse

between an incarnation of God and a devotee.Therefore it is a dialogue. This dialogue hasbeen composed in verse using poetic metres likeanushtup and others. From a literary point ofview the Gitã is full of poetic virtues: melody,depth of meaning and propriety. This may bethe reason why it has become the poem thattruly touches man’s heart.

The Gitã is the third discourse in the Mahab-harata. The Mahãbhãrata itself is a discourse

between Vaishampayana and Janmejaya. Withinthat discourse we find the discourse betweenSanjaya and Dhritarashtra. Within that dis-course, Sanjaya speaks of the discourse betweenShri Krishna and Arjuna. In this way the Gitã isthe pre-eminent discourse of this triplet of dis-courses in the Mahãbhãrata.

THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF THEBHAGAVAD GITÃ

‘ßÁÃ„UÊ‚¬È⁄UÊáÊÊèÿÊ¢ flŒ¢ ‚◊È¬’Î¢„UÿÃ˜’, ‘To clari-fy and nourish the meanings of theVedas by means of history and the

Puranas.’ In accordance with this tradi-tional principle, the work of the Gitã is to clarifyand nourish the meanings embedded in theVedas and Upanishads. So it can be said thatbrahmavidyã, regarding the forms of Brahmanand Parabrahman that have been mentioned inthe Upanishads, has been further clarified in theGitã. The only difference is that the philosophythat has been given in the Upanishads isparoksh (indirect), whereas in the Gitã it ispratyaksh (direct). For this important reason theGitã, as well as being presented as the shastraof brahmavidyã, has also been presented as a‘Yoga Shãstra’. Yoga means attachment or com-munion. This is a shastra that joins or attachesone with the manifest form of Paramãtmã. Per-haps that is why the manifest form of God,which possibly may not be understood from theVedas and Vedantas, etc., even after an in-depthstudy, has been explained in the Gitã very clear-ly, without hesitation, repeatedly, and resolutely.Hence, it has been said for the Gitã, ‘‚flÙ¸¬ÁŸ·ŒÙªÊflÙ ŒÙÇœÊ ªÙ¬Ê‹ŸãŒŸ—– ¬ÊÕÙ¸ flà‚— ‚ÈœË÷Ù¸ÄÃÊ ŒÈÇœ¢ ªËÃÊ◊ÎÃ¢◊„UÃ˜H’, ‘The entire Upanishads are like a cow,Krishna is the milkman, Arjuna is the calf onseeing which milk flows into the udders of thecow, and the milk of that cow is the nectar-filled Shrimad Bhagavad Gitã, which the intelli-gent devotees also drink.’

Also in the Gitã are: valiant talks that make


Bhagwan Krishna teaches the Gita to Arjuna


cowards courageous; precepts regarding ãtmã-consciousness that abolish body-consciousness;calmness even in the midst of the ferociousnessof the worldly ocean; extraordinary clarificationof the roots of bondage – sattva, rajas andtamas; the gunãtit state (brãhmi-sthiti) of thepure ãtmã above those three gunas; the brãhmicstate; the devotion that has to be offered toParamãtmã once one has attained that state andclear guidance regarding that devotion, etc.What isn’t there in the Gitã? Truly, the Gitã isan ocean in a pitcher.

The Gitã follows the Upanishads. Thereforeit is known as the smruti-prasthãn. Many com-mentaries have been written on this smruti-prasthãn. Bhagwan Swaminarayan has alsogiven the Bhagavad Gitã a place amongst hiseight principal shastras (Shikashapatri 94). Inhis discourses he has from time to time quotedreferences from it. In some places he has givenoriginal and profound meanings of someshlokas. He has time and again recited the Gitãand has had it recited. That is why we find thatin the Swaminarayan Sampradaya much litera-ture has been written based on the Gitã. This initself shows the spiritual value of this shastra.

Now let us acquaint ourselves with the thirdprasthãn.

THE THIRD PRASTHÃN: THE BRAHMASUTRAS

The Brahmasutras are the third prasthãn ofthe prasthãntrayi. Shri Badarayana Vyasa, the sonof Parashara, is the author of this shastra. Thisshastra has been written and based on the shrutisof the Upanishads and the smruti shastras.

THE NAME ‘BRAHMASUTRAS’Sutras that describe Brahman and Parabrahman

are the Brahmasutras. In other words ‘brahmasu-tras’ are those in which brahmavidyã (whichdescribes Brahman and Parabrahman as in the pre-cepts of shastras like the Upanishads and the Gitã)

has been logically proved and decorated.THE FORM OF THE BRAHMASUTRAS

This shastra has been written in sutras.‘•À¬ÊˇÊ⁄U◊‚ÁãŒÇœ¢ ‚Ê⁄UflŒ˜ ÁflEÃÙ ◊Èπ◊˜– •SÃÙ÷◊Ÿfll¢ ø ‚ÍòÊ¢‚ÍòÊÁflŒÙ ÁflŒÈ—H’, ‘That which has just a few syllables,doesn’t contain big sentences, is able to containthe essence of what is to be said, is not confusing,etc. are attributes of a sutra.’ Maharshi Vyasa haswritten this shastra according to these attributes,thus it is a sutra-shastra. The shastra comprisesfour chapters (adhyãyas), each of which has foursub-divisions called pãds, each pãd consists ofsub-topics called adhikarans. Each adhikaranconsists of one or more sutras.

THE STYLE OF THE BRAHMASUTRASThe style of the Brahmasutras is based on

logic. The principles that have been taught inthe Upanishads have been presented here in alogical manner. In the whole shastra, whenevera principle has to be clarified or proved, theauthor first establishes the point of discussion,then presents the possible doubts, putting con-trary ones first. Thereafter, refuting them withstrong logical arguments, he presents the rightargument. Then, finally, he announces the con-clusion. Due to this rational style, the Brahma-sutras have become famous as the tark-prasthãn. Also, as the extremely detailed andextremely profound principles of Vedãnta arediscussed in this shastra in an intellectualdebate form, this shastra is studied and dis-cussed more by scholars than by lay readers.

THE BRAHMASUTRAS AS VEDÃNTA-DARSHAN, UTTARA-MIMÃNSÃ

Sãnkhya-darshan established by MaharshiKapil, Yoga-darshan established by MaharshiPatanjali, Nyãya-darshan established byMaharshi Gautam, Vaisheshik-darshan estab-lished by Maharshi Kanad, and Purva-mimãnsãestablished by Maharshi Jaimini are five wellknown darshans in India. Each darshan’s sutra-


shastra, written by their acharyas, is alsorenowned. In this same sequence of darshans isMaharshi Vyasa’s Brahmasutra.

The Upanishads are called vedãnta, andsince their principles are shown here they arealso known as Vedãnta-darshan. Furthermore,this has been written after the Purva-mimãnsã(the prior-mimãnsã), sutras written by Shri Jai-mini based on rites and rituals. Therefore, thesesutras are also known as the Uttara-mimãnsã(the latter-mimãnsã).

THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF THE BRAHMA-SUTRAS

The brahmavidyã that has been expounded inthe Upanishads has again been proved here in alogical form. If we take an overview of the shas-tra we find that in the first chapter decisive con-clusions have been given on who is the creator ofthe world? Why it was created? Who is the sup-porter of everything? Who is omniscient? Whocontrols all? Why? And other questions whichhave baffled the minds of men throughout histo-ry. Sometimes doubts that are raised from theshruti mantras themselves are also solved.

The second chapter is prominently refutation-al. Here, doctrines that are contradictory to Vedic

Sanãtana principles (like that of nirbij Sãnkhyaand Yoga) are thoroughly tested with logic. Thelogical flaws, misunderstandings, misconcep-tions, or hindrances to moksha are pointed out inthe contradictory doctrines. Then, using truearguments the principles that are in accordancewith the shrutis are authentically declared true.As a result the principles have become more stur-dy, powerful and effective.

The third chapter of the Brahmasutras is achapter on endeavours. Ultimate moksha is thegoal of all spiritual aspirants. Upãsanã – devotionto Paramãtmã – is the chief endeavour to attainthat goal. Here, we find the method of that devo-tion explained. Moreoever, one who wants tooffer devotion to Paramãtmã must attain the stateof akshar or brahman. How can one perfect thisendeavour which has been established in theshrutis and smrutis? For this, how should one’srelationship with the brahmaswarup guru be?How should one control one’s mind and senses?Also, other matters regarding spiritual endeavourhave been presented here with extreme clarity,resoluteness and responsibility.

The fourth chapter has been called ‘the chap-ter of results’. The result of all endeavours, theform of supreme moksha, has been expoundedhere. That which the Upanishads have called theroute of archi, etc., the path by which muktas whoattain moksha move towards Akshardham, hasbeen explained here. Declarations in which way amukta attains a divine body and experiencessupreme happiness for eternity doing the darshanand devotion of Parabrahman in Akshardhamhave been given here.

Truly, having created such a shastra based onlogic, Maharshi Vyasa has given today’s scholarsa direction of true thought.

In this way we have briefly described theprasthãntrayi: The Upanishads, Shrimad Bha-gavad-Gitã and Brahmasutras. Now in laterissues we will see how eternal principles havebeen established from these three prasthãns.

◆

Veda Vyasa


Our tradition is based on renunciation.Today, that tradition is visiblethrough your dedication and contri-

butions. You have all served humbly with body,mind and wealth, solely with the wish to pleaseGod. You have understood the glory of God,Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj as it is,otherwise it is very difficult to leave your per-sonal attachments and worldly work to engagein this service.

In the olden days people had a foot-highthreshold at the front door. GunatitanandSwami used to say that although it was only afoot-or-so high, crossing that step to engage inmandir service was as difficult as climbing overa wall millions of miles high. It is possible only

Following the inauguration

of the newly built Haveli at the

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

in Chicago on 23 October 2000,

Swamishri blessed the assembly and

acknowledged the dedicated

services of all…


if one understands the true glory of God fromdeep within one’s heart, and that ultimately thisis what has to be done, and that one day all thiswork, business and wealth will be left behind. Ifone has not realized the glory of God, wherewill one go?

So, from the time of Shriji Maharaj, manypeople have served with true understanding.For example, Samat Patel from the time ofBhagwan Swaminarayan, and many others uptotoday have maintained this tradition. In Shastri-ji Maharaj’s time there was Bhudharbhai ofNagasar, Ashabhai (Mota Swami), Ishwarbhai,Motibhai Bhagwandas (of Anand). Their dedica-tion and sacrifice were exemplary. They did notwish for worldly pleasures or fame, but onlythat God is pleased. They believed that every-thing they had was God’s, and so should beused for him. Our body, mind, wealth, familyand everything else belong to God.

What are the characteristics of a true satsan-gi? In the Vachanamrut, Shriji Maharaj has saidthat one who dedicates one’s wealth, propertyand family to God is a true satsangi.

Even now, we have seen that whenever occa-sions like this arise people have offered serviceby delaying their personal work, leaving theirjobs and adjusting time from their businesses.People have even delayed their marriages toserve. This is because people have realized theimportance and glory of their service and thatsuch an opportunity will not come again. Theyrealize that money can be earned later, but suchan occasion to please God will not come again.

After countless births, we have this opportu-nity to serve Bhagwan Shriji Maharaj, his abodeGunatitanand Swami, Shastriji Maharaj andYogiji Maharaj with this human body. Without aworthy recipient one’s sacrifices are useless.However, your sacrifice here will bear fruit sincethe Lord of Akshardham, Purushottam NarayanBhagwan Shriji Maharaj, is the acceptor and hewill bless you. Yogiji Maharaj was also such aworthy acceptor of our services.

To guide us, Devanand Swami has written abhajan: ‘Viveki narne em vichãrine jovu…’ Hedescribes that the wise realize that to donate tounworthy people is like planting seeds in saltyland – it will not bear fruit. Such unworthy peo-ple do and see things that are inappropriate.The wise realize that serving such people doesnot bear fruit and does not give peace, just as awise businessman realizes what will give profitsand what will result in losses.

Similarly, on the path of moksha, serving atthe wrong place is like trying to pass through awall by banging one’s head against it. It is notpossible. But if one uses the door one can easilypass through; the God-realized Sadhu is thedoorway to moksha. Pleasing such a Sadhupleases God. Serving such a Sadhu bears fruitbecause he has no worldly desires, no wish forworldly fame or glory. He is focused only onGod. We have seen Yogiji Maharaj – his life wastotally God-centred and he had no materialdesires. So, he was a worthy recipient.

In the Mahãbhãrata, there is the story ofDraupadi. She tore a strip of her expensive sarito tie on Bhagwan Shri Krishna’s injured finger.In return, Bhagwan Krishna protected her fromhumiliation by the Kauravs with an inex-haustible supply of saris. Also, Sudama giftedgrains to his childhood friend, Shri Krishna, andreceived a golden palace in return.

So, by serving a worthy recipient, you willattain peace in worldly life and God will cometo take you to his abode afterwards so you willattain Akshardham.

Again, one who possesses true wisdom anddiscrimination will not give to dishonest andunworthy people. They realize that just as roast-ed seeds are incapable of sprouting if planted,similarly giving to unworthy people does notresult in any gain.

So, our objective is to gain control over thefive indriyas and mind. This is difficult to do.However powerful a person may be, this is notpossible except by surrendering to God or his


holy Sadhu – who have control over theindriyas and mind.

Once, Gunatitanand Swami was in Suratwith a group of sadhus led by MuktanandSwami. In a house opposite their lodgings was amonkey, which constantly moved around dis-tracting all the sadhus in the assembly, exceptGunatitanand Swami since he had total controlover his indriyas and mind. GunatitanandSwami was focused on the discourses takingplace in the assembly. When we sit in theassembly, we observe who comes and goes andso our mind wanders. But we should rememberthat we are seated to listen to the discourse onGod, to have his darshan and worship him.

If we have control over the five indriyas, wewill not do bad things, not see bad things, notlisten to bad things, not say bad things. Also,the mind troubles us. It is very mischievous andfluctuates like a flag in the wind. Even whileseated here in the assembly and having come tolisten to the discourses, it will think of otherthings. This spoils both things, since neither isdone properly.

Shukdevji told king Parikshit, “Forget allyour royal responsibilities, wealth, body and lis-ten attentively to the discourses believing thatyou are the atma.” In this way Parikshit attainedmoksha in seven days. When we realize theglory of God, the indriyas and mind can be con-trolled.

A sadhu who has attained such control is asuitable recipient. So, whatever we do for himis returned infinite-fold. That is, one will notlose out at all. The greatest thing of all is thatone will permanently escape from the cycle ofbirths and deaths and attain the bliss ofAkshardham.

So when the need arises, one should con-tribute. This will give one inner peace. YogijiMaharaj used to sing, “Avsar ãvyo re rana ramvãtano…”, meaning, the time has come to enterthe battlefield and fight. At such times thecourageous are eager to go to battle. They do

not think about what will happen to their fami-ly, wealth or property. They are focused on win-ing the battle. For them it is win or die. For us,also, when an opportunity to serve arises, donot let it pass. If you drag your feet and keepmaking excuses, then it is not possible to serve.One has to sacrifice for this. If we sacrifice witha true understanding of his glory, God ispleased. God does not ask for everything wehave. He only asks for ten percent. By contribut-ing this much you will attain peace. So, oneshould serve according to one’s capacity.

Dubli Bhatt was a poor Brahmin and beggedfor alms to make ends meet. He had saved 13dokdas (a currency in use at the time) – aninsignificant amount even then. This was all hehad and he donated them all to Shriji Maharajfor the Gadhada mandir. Maharaj was delightedand blessed him profusely.

So whenever the occasion arises, serve inwhatever way you can through mind, body andwealth. Maharaj will be pleased.

Even those who see the good in this servicewill be redeemed. When Shriji Maharaj built theGadhada gate, one shepherd held his turban,looked up to the top of the towering gate andpraised it wholeheartedly, realizing that ShrijiMaharaj was God. As a result, Maharaj came toliberate him at the end of his days. So, evenfrom such ordinary services, moksha is possible.Since, there are none as worthy as God and hisholy Sadhu to offer our services to.

You all have attained that opportunity. MayMaharaj bless you and grant you eternal peace.

◆

Translation: Sadhu Amrutvijaydas

Muktanand Swami, 23 years older than Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830 CE), hadwitnessed his divine exploits from the time Bhagwan Swaminarayan had entered RamanandSwami’s ashram in Loj. For many years Muktanand Swami maintained a personal diary,recording the divine incidents and spiritual teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

These extensive details were used by Siddhanand Muni (also known as AdharanandSwami), one of Muktanand Swami’s disciple-sadhus, to compose poetic verses in a variety ofmetres in the Hindi-Vraj language. This voluminous, comprehensive and authoritative work isfamously known throughout the Swaminarayan Sampradaya as Haricharitamrut Sagar. Itdescribes in great detail the life, work, incidents and teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Unfortunately, Siddhanand Swami passed away before he could complete writing about thelast five years of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life.

The Haricharitamrut Sagar (HCS) is revered as one of the most important shastras of theSwaminarayan Sampradaya. The HCS comprises 29 major sections called Purs. Each is subdi-vided into chapters called Tarangs. Within each tarang are verses in a variety of poetic metres.

About 40 years ago, a handwritten copy of the 29 volumes of HCS was located by Brah-maswarup Yogiji Maharaj. He arranged for the entire shastra to be accurately scribed byKrishnabhai and other devotees of Nadiad.

Since then, a concise Gujarati translation has been published, focusing mainly on thedivine incidents of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. However, the HCS is also a unique and rich storeof Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s divine teachings.

Thus, with the blessings of Pragat Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and underthe guidance of Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami, Pujya Aksharjivan Swami undertook a thoroughreview of the HCS to extract the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. These nuggets of spiri-tual treasure were translated into Gujarati and sorted into a variety of topics, such as, Sat-sang, Dharma, Abhav-Avgun, Bhakti, Ekantik Dharma, and others. Subsequently, this compi-lation of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s inspiring and insightful spiritual teachings has been pub-lished in Gujarati under the title Purushottam Bolya Prite.

With this issue of Swaminarayan Bliss, we begin a series featuring the English translationsof these teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

SATSANG

SATSANG1. Shri Hari said to the senior devotees,

“The ignorance due to attachment is overcomeby the Sun in the form of satsang. This satsangis of two types: of God and God’s devotee. Byengaging in satsang, (worldly) attachment is

overcome; and when attachment is overcome,the material pleasures seem like poison. Onlyone who has resolute determination and aninner wish can persevere in practicing satsang.One should daily inspect to ensure that one’sdetermination for satsang is not reduced.

ETERNAL WISDOM: TRANSLATION: SADHU AMRUTVIJAYDAS


“One who practices satsang throughout lifewith the highest determination and sincerelyobserves the niyams and dharma, will go toAkshardham.”

2. At the home of Bhagwan Thakkar inSankali village, Shri Hari said, “In the evening,all devotees should get together daily to holdspiritual discourses and should shun kusang.Adharma is kusang. Dharma enhances (the gloryof) satsang. One who practices satsang, over-comes the ocean of life. A person of any back-ground who practices satsang will certainly beliberated from the cycle of births and deaths.The manifest form of God travels throughoutthe Satsang.”

3. In Gadhada, Shri Hari said to King Abhay,“When one renounces satsang, I, too, renouncethem. While practicing satsang, you will remainfearless. By serving me, you will not suffer forwant of food and clothes. But by leavingsatsang, you will experience misery.”

4. In the village of Ingorada, Shri Hari nar-rated the glory of satsang, “The talks of satsangare like the Sudarshan Chakra. Devotees wholisten to them and imbibe them are protectedday and night by them.”

5. In Sarangpur, Shri Hari revealed the gloryof satsang, “One who practices satsang easilyattains Akshardham, which is beyond the infi-nite brahmands, and masters the jiva. Countlesssuch yogic powers are attained by satsang. Oth-erwise, even one who dedicates his life toattaining ashtang-yoga, tolerates many physicalhardships, or lives on air and fruits is inferior.Without satsang it is not possible to cross theocean of life. The merits of those who practicesatsang (at present) are indescribable. The solepurpose of the indriyas and antahkaran is topractice satsang.

“The (countless) jivas lament for those whohaving attained a human body remain alooffrom satsang. Whatever pleasures have beenenjoyed exist only upto Prakruti-Purush; andeven they are destroyed by Time. Those who

practice satsang understand this talk.”6. In Methan, after lunch, Shri Hari returned

and said to the devotees, “In this world, the jivarepeatedly attains everything: mother-father,son, wife, property, elephants, horses, and what-ever else it wishes, but it is difficult to attain theassociation of a Sadhu. There is no joy greaterthan that of the association of a Sadhu; I havegiven this joy to all. Imprint this talk in yourhearts. If you forget, it is of no use. If one has achintamani and remains poor, then one has notrecognized it. Understand such a person to beof worldly (inferior) outlook.”

7. In Gondal, Shri Hari sat on a swing in thepalace of Hathisinh and said, “For one who, inthis fleeting human body, has attained satsang,all miseries are forever banished. Thus, preservesatsang.”

8. In Junagadh, Shri Hari talked to theNagars about the glory of satsang, “Without sat-sang, the seed of moksha never sprouts. Grainsmay be stored in containers for thousands ofyears, but without soil and water, they willnever sprout. Similarly, no work is accomplishedwithout yoga (association) – not today and noteven after countless births.

“A favourable time is attaining satsang andthe darshan of a sadhu. Apart from that, all isunfavourable time. By practicing satsang, thejiva becomes different – it attains purity. Satsangis where there are no other talks except thoserelated to moksha, where there are daily spiritu-al discourses and bhajans about God, wherethere is no place for worldly objects and wherethere is a natural attraction for God. That whichmakes one forget about God is all kusang. Aninner wish for any thing other than God is alsokusang. That which yokes the mind to God issatsang.”

9. Speaking to the villagers of Babra, ShriHari, said, “The sins of all who practice satsangare destroyed. An inner wish for anythingexcept God is a sin. Such sins are washed awayby the association of a Satpurush.” ◆


Ashish: Hey, dad! Good to see you back.How was your sales trip to the north?

Mukesh: Oh, just the usual, son. How wasschool today?

Ashish: It was interesting. We had someadvanced physics lessons.

Mukesh: And what did you learn? Ashish: Well, it isn’t really part of our

school course, but it included some interestinglessons on what quantum physics is all about.

Mukesh: That sounds interesting, tell meabout it.

Ashish: Well, some of it was maths whichyou wouldn’t understand, but I’ll try to explainit in simple terms....

Mukesh: I like your honesty in saying that! Ashish: The first thing is that quantum

physics deals with very, very small particles –sizes which we can’t even imagine. It’s likesmaller than protons and neutrons.

Mukesh: I thought you were more con-cerned about huge worldwide issues like globalwarming, why bother about such small things?

Ashish: Because these small things makeup the big things!

Mukesh: I know, I know, just teasing. Go on. Ashish: OK. At that extremely small level,

scientists have begun to really understandthings only in the last 30 to 40 years. Theyalready know a lot about the physics which con-trols large things like planets. They’re trying tounderstand the physics of small things and putit together with the physics of big things.

Mukesh: Can’t each size of things just haveits own rules, like baseball has one set of rulesand basketball has different ones?

Ashish: You really weren’t your scienceteacher’s favourite student, were you?

Mukesh: I don’t know, I rarely saw her any-way – I was usually running away from schoolsomewhere. . .

Ashish: Lay off on the jokes, will you, dad.The scientific rules that govern all of our worldare connected, but the scientists still need tofigure out a lot to fill in the gaps and combineeverything into one ‘grand unified theory’. Thistheory will explain everything, including gravity,the big bang and the behaviour of atoms andsmaller particles.

Mukesh: Like finding the holy grail will

Subatomic Particles andMultiple Universes

SPIRITUALITY & SCIENCE: RITESH GADHIA


solve all of humanity’s problems? Ashish: This is science, dad, not religion. Mukesh: Well, religion can include science,

and its knowledge does exceed that of science. Ashish: Don’t kid me. Religion is nice, but

its about values, ethics and prayer. Not scientificfacts.

Mukesh: Well then, do you know thatBhagwan Swaminarayan, two hundred yearsago, described quite a bit of physics? In someways, he talked about dicoveries which scien-tists have made only recently. I could give youmany examples, from his explanation of theatma to his talks about maya and Akshardham.

Ashish: Show me. Mukesh: Okay, first, he said that his abode,

Akshardham, is eternal, and then described it inmany discourses with the sadhus and devotees.It is clear from his description that he is speak-ing of a place outside our universe, outsidewhat Einstein and others have described asspace-time. There is no ‘time’ in Akshardham, itis forever.

Ashish: Okay. Any more proof, say, from theVachanamrut or something that’s written down?

Mukesh: Here’s the Vachanamrut – open itto Gadhada I-45. Read it. Maharaj says thateven if you split an atom many times, you willend up with akash – space. And what didRutherford realize after his experiments in1910, about a hundred years after Maharaj?That the atom was mostly empty space! Andeven this was not really proved until later.

Ashish: Yeah, our science teacher told uslast month that if an atom was the size of ahuge dome like the one in Rome’s St. Peter’sBasilica, the nucleus at the centre would still bethe size of a grain of sand, with its electronsand neutrons circling it at the dome’s perimeter.That’s a lot of empty space in between.

Mukesh: Yes, it is, and that’s what ShrijiMaharaj explained to mostly uneducated, butextremely fortunate villagers in Gujarat, twocenturies ago.

Ashish: I never realized that BhagwanSwaminarayan would’ve spoken about scienceand physics.

Mukesh: Oh yes, and there’s quite a bit ofthat in the Vachanamrut and even in Gunati-tanand Swami’s Vato. For example, Maharaj andGunatitanand Swami often mention multiplebrahmands.

Ashish: That’s multiple planets, right?Mukesh: No, its multiple universes. Read

those passages again. It’s clearly about multiple– infinite, actually – universes, with millions ofplanets and stars in each.

Ashish: And what did they say about theseinfinite universes?

Mukesh: Gunatitanand Swami often men-tions in his Vato that we are extremely fortunateto have darshan of Maharaj and the Satpurushin our world, from among the infinite universes.We are lucky to be here on earth, which he hasselected from among the countless brahmandsto manifest. And you know, this is even newerthan the space-inside-atoms concept. Scientistsare still discussing this, though there are many,like Britain’s Astronomer Royal Martin Reeswho believes in this on the basis of theoreticallystrong mathematics and physics.

Ashish: I will have to read our scriptures in adifferent light now. Imagine if I could find somescientific facts even more exciting than these.

Mukesh: I’m sure that you’ll be going on avoyage of discovery in the shastras. To help youbegin, I’ll give you two clues. One, look for ‘fire inwater’, which Maharaj mentions more than oncein the Vachanamrut, but was not known to sci-ence till the 1970s. And two, look for an even bet-ter physics theory than the one we’ve discussed.

Ashish: Hey, that’s an interesting assign-ment. Give me a couple of weeks, I’ll find out ifthere’s a reference to the Superstring Theory inthe Vachanamrut, or maybe even somethingmore advanced. And I’ll find that ‘fire-in-water’too. ◆


Tãro Chatak Rangilo Chhedlo Albelã Re…

BHAJAN HISTORY: TRANSLATION: SADHU AMRUTVIJAYDAS


Shriji Maharaj had introduced a newrule. He kept a berkho, a mala made ofsmall betel nuts, and he would throw

it at anyone caught dozing during an assembly.Once, a discourse by Shriji Maharaj was in

progress during an assembly in Gadhada.Maharaj noticed that Brahmanand Swami hadfallen asleep. So, without delay, Maharaj threwthe berkho at him. As soon as it hit him, Brah-manand Swami was startled awake and ques-tioned, “Maharaj, why did you hit me with theberkho?”

“Because you were sleeping. After all, a ruleis a rule!”

“But… Maharaj! I wasn’t sleeping, I had myeyes closed and was composing a bhajan,”countered the witty Brahmanand Swami.

Maharaj laughed at Brahmanand Swami’sattempt to clarify about himself and said, “Thenlet us hear the bhajan.”

“OK, Maharaj. But on one condition. I willsing one line and then everyone has to repeat itin chorus,” Brahmanand Swami said.

“Yes, yes. We agree. But now quickly start tosing,” Maharaj said impatiently.

So, the instant poet Brahmanand Swamibegan,

“Tãro chatak rangilo chhedlo Albelã re…”One after another, Brahmanand Swami com-

posed a verse while the previous one was beingsung by the assembly. In this way he composedfour pads. Maharaj was pleased and admitted,“Swami! I made a mistake. You were intentlymeditating on my form, yet I struck you withthe berkho.”

Maharaj knew the truth, but wanted Brah-manad Swami to reveal it himself. So, on hear-ing Maharaj’s apology Brahmanand Swami

admitted, “No Maharaj! You have not made amistake. Using my poetic skills I composed eachverse while the assembly sang the previous one.So you were actually right in throwing the berk-ho at me.”

The whole assembly exploded with laughteron hearing Brahmanand Swami’s honest expla-nation.

The lyrics of the first verse BrahmanandSwami instantly composed are:

Tãro chatak rangilo chhedlo Albelã re;Kãi naval kasumbi pãgh rangnã relã re…tekShir ajab kalangi shobhti, Albelã re…haidãmã rãkhyã lãl…rang 1Molidu chhãyu motie Albelã re…Fuldã ni sundar for…rang 2Ghere range guchchh gulãbnã Albelã re…Joi bhramar bhame te thor…rang 3Tãri pãghaladinã pechmã Albelã re…Mãru chittadu thayu chakchur…rang 4Brahmãnand kahe tãri murti Albelã re…Vanadithe ghelitur…rang 5O Lord! The bright red colour of your new

turban is overflowing…It looks supremely resplendent on your

head; in my heart all I see is red (1).O Lord! Pearls are studded on the headgear;

and the fragrance of flowers spreads every-where (2).

Tassles of deep red coloured roses danglefrom the headgear; seeing them how can theeyes wander away? (3).

O Lord! My unstable mind has been trappedand stabilized by the net of your turban (4).

O Lord! Says Brahmanand, on seeing yourmurti one will become ecstatic (5).

◆


3 November 2008, Gondal; Labh PanchamPrior to his morning puja Swamishri blessed

the large family of the late Daji Bapu. Altogeth-er, 42 members, from 7 years to 76 years, hadpilgrimaged by foot from Rajkot to Gondal.

After his morning puja Swamishri performedthe pratishtha rituals of pujan and arti of theNilkanth Varni abhishek murti to be consecratedat the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Rajkot.Swamishri inaugurated the decennial celebra-tion of Rajkot mandir by waving the BAPS flag.

During the last five days a parayan wassponsored by Shri Chhotubhai Ajmera. Everymorning Brahmadarshan Swami explained theVachanamrut and in the evenings ViveksagarSwami elaborated upon the Bhaktachintamani.Today was the concluding day of the parayan.Swamishri blessed the evening assembly,“Gondal is a great tirtha like Akshardham. ShrijiMaharaj and Gunatitanand Swami are divinelypresent in Akshar Deri. Yogiji Maharaj had said,‘Maharaj will bless one with liberation for what-ever good deeds one performs here. This is theglory of Akshar Deri.’ Bhaktachintamani con-tains the divine incidents of Maharaj. It

describes how God sat, ate, bathed, met others,brought joy to them and played raas. It may allseem ordinary to us, but the devotees perceivedthem with divine glory. All actions of God bless-es one with moksha.”

9 November 2008, Bochasan; Dev Prabod-

hini EkadashiToday was Dev Uthi Ekadashi. The memo-

rable day also marked the appointment of ShrijiMaharaj as the head of the Sampraday and suc-cessor by his guru Ramanand Swami, and theparshad diksha of Swamishri by ShastrijiMaharaj. A variety of vegetables (shakotsav)were arranged before Thakorji. Swamishri diddarshan and performed arti of Thakorji in thethree shrines. Thereafter Swamishri performedhis morning puja with a variety of fresh vegeta-bles arranged around him. Viveksagar Swamidiscoursed about the history and significance ofthe occasions that marked the day. Finally,Swamishri blessed the assembly, “Today is Pra-bodhini Ekadashi. God is always awake. Henever sleeps. He keeps us awake and vigilant sothat we do not commit any moral lapses. He

November 2008

Gondal, Limbdi, Bochasan, Sankari, Tithal (Kosamba)

Murti-pratishtha arti for newBAPS hari mandirs, Porda,...

Devotees engaged in Swamishri’spuja darshan, Sankari

Prayer Assembly for victims ofMumbai Terrorist Attack, Tithal

Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s

VICHARAN


protects us and awakens us from slipping intoaddictions and bad habits. We celebrate festivalsto please God and the joy we experience is dueto God. Happiness does not lie in worldlyobjects but in God. Whatever is associated withGod becomes divine and lustrous.” Swamishrithen took a brinjal, galka, ambalu and ginger,one by one, and spoke about their benefits.Then he added that all should remember thisoccasion, for it would give inner peace.

13 November 2008, Bochasan; Kartaki

Punam (Dev Diwali)A grand annakut was arranged in all three

shrines of Thakorji in the main mandir.Swamishri performed arti at all three shrines.

The celebration assembly commenced at8.00 a.m. Swamishri arrived at 10.00 a.m.Viveksagar Swami narrated incidents ofSwamishri with respect to the Bhagavad Gitã’skarma yoga. Ishwarcharan Swami elaboratedupon Swamishri’s deep belief in God as the all-doer. Tyagvallabh Swami narrated incidents ofSwamishri’s understanding of God’s glory.Kothari Swami discoursed about how the Shik-shapatri is weaved into Swamishri’s life. MahantSwami talked about Swamishri’s brãhmic stateand Dr Swami explained about what remainedto be done after attaining association with aguru. Thereafter, several invited guests werehonoured on stage. Then, senior sadhus hon-oured Swamishri with garlands, during whichBAPS youths from the town of Adas performeda traditional dance. An offering of mantra push-panjali was made to Thakorji and Swamishri byeveryone.

Finally, in his blessings Swamishri said,“While performing your worldly duties alwayskeep God in the forefront and remember thatyou are doing everything to please him. Sciencehas gifted us with many blessings. But theyhave been achieved due to God’s powers. He isthe all-doer. One who feels egoistic, nourishing

the feeling that ‘I did it’, will fail to progress.Instead, one should nourish feelings that what-ever one has been able to achieve is all due toGod’s doership.”

Twenty-four thousand devotees took prasad.

14 November 2008, BochasanSwamishri performed the murti-pratishtha

rituals of Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj, Radha-Krishna dev and Guru parampara for BAPS harimandirs in Sojitra, Danteli, Porda, Valasan,Bakrol, Ranoli, Badalpur and Bhadarmiya. Formost of the hari mandirs mentioned the formermurtis would be replaced by the newly conse-crated ones.

15 November 2008, Bochasan, Sankari At 4.45 p.m. Swamishri departed from

Bochasan and travelled 235 km to Sankari. Enroute, devotees of Vasad, Dabhoi, Rajpipla,Netrang, Mandvi and Kadol had assembled bythe roadside for darshan. Swamishri arrived atthe BAPS mandir in Sankari at 8.35 p.m., aftertravelling for 3 hours and 50 minutes.Swamishri was briefly welcomed with garlands.

16 November 2008, SankariA welcome assembly was held in the

evening. A traditional Swagatam dance was per-formed by children. After speeches and bhajansby BAPS youths, Swamishri was garlanded bysenior sadhus. In conclusion, Swamishri blessedthe assembly, “Yogiji Maharaj daily prayed inthe Akshar Deri for Satsang, sadhus andmandirs to increase manifold. At that time itseemed that Yogi Maharaj was merely utteringwords. But today we see, through his grace, theimmense growth of Satsang. The aim of ourbirth is to become akshar-rup and worshipPurushottam. You may do your daily work butyou must have one aim. It’s like a businessmanwho has one target – how to earn more! Thosewho study at college have the aim of acquiring


a degree. One should perform such works in lifethat God becomes immensely pleased. By doinggood work in the day one gets sound sleep…”

More than 18,000 devotees attended the sat-sang assembly.

19 November 2008, SankariSwamishri performed the murti-pratishtha

rituals of six BAPS hari mandirs; Sirpur andSahada (Khandesh region), Khanjroli, Mad-harkui, Kamalapor and Sathvav.

23 November 2008, Kosamba (Tithal)Swamishri performed the murti-pratishtha

rituals of murtis for BAPS hari mandirs in NaniVahiyal, Lilapor, Fadvel, Sirpur (Khandesh) andkutir mandirs in Magod and Marla.

25 November 2008, TithalA grand annakut was arranged before

Thakorji in all the three mandir shrines.Swamishri performed arti.

At 10.45 a.m. Swamishri and senior sadhusperformed the re-pratishtha rituals of theabhishek murti of Nilkanth Varni in the rangmandap. Thereafter, Swamishri blessed thepratishtha assembly.

27 November 2008, TithalAfter informing Swamishri of the terrible

news of a terrorist attack in Mumbai he per-formed abhishek of Nilkanth Varni and prayedfor peace.

In the evening Swamishri sat in a meetingwith senior sadhus and instructed that no festi-val be celebrated in Mumbai (Swamishri’s 88thbirthday celebration and silver jubilee of theBAPS mandir in Dadar) and a prayer assemblybe arranged instead at all Satsang centres. Acancellation announcement of Swamishri’sbirthday celebration was posted on theSanstha’s website.

PRAYERS FOR PEACE

28 November 2008, Friday, TithalA prayer assembly was held from 5.30 p.m.

for the peace of those killed and an early recov-ery for those injured in the terrorist attack.Brahmadarshan Swami, Viveksagar Swami andDr Swami addressed the assembly. ThereafterYogicharan Swami sang “Vaishnav jan to...” and“Sant param hitkari...”. Finally, Swamishriblessed the assembly, “Today, you have gatheredhere in large numbers. This reflects your faith inGod, faith in dharma and faith in the preach-ings and bhajans of our rishis and great devo-tees. We have gathered to pray for peace to pre-vail everywhere. When the sentiments of doinggood to others are consolidated in us then therewill be peace within and without. By reading orlistening to the teachings of Rama and Krishna,the Vedas and Upanishads, and stories of devo-tees in the Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharataand Gita one gets auspicious thoughts. Theshastras are our culture and mandirs are also apart of our culture. They have given us goodthoughts; thoughts of doing good for others.

“Our guru, Yogiji Maharaj, was a great santand very holy. He always used to say ‘May Goddo good of all.’ He never wished otherwise,even for those who insulted him or pained him.God or his Sadhu do not wish ill of anyone. It isbecause of one’s base natures (swabhavs) thatone performs bad deeds. And then one has tosuffer for one’s sins. The more good one doesfor others, the more benefit one gets. We prayto Shriji Maharaj in this prayer assembly for thegood and happiness of all.”

A peace prayer (shanti paath) and dhunwere sung for those who were killed in the ter-rorist attack. More than 40,000 devotees partici-pated in the peace prayer and arti.

◆

- Gujarati text: Sadhu Priyadarshandas

Translation: Sadhu Vivekjivandas

PRAYERS FOR PEACE29 November 2008, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London

Prayer assembly, London, UK Prayer assembly, Toronto, Canada Prayer assembly, Mumbai, India


After the horrific and tragic series ofterrorist attacks in Mumbai betweenWednesday 26 November and Satur-

day 29 November 2008, BAPS SwaminarayanSanstha, UK, held a Special Prayer Assembly atthe BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neas-den, London, on Saturday 29 November 2008.

The assembly was organized for people of allfaiths and local communities to join in prayerfor all those killed, injured and affected by thedeplorable acts, and for peace and normalcy tobe restored as soon as possible.

In remembrance of each of the innocent liveslost in Mumbai, 195 candles were lit along thecentral aisle of the haveli Prayer Hall.

The evening began with a traditional reli-gious recital that was sung by all those gatheredas an invocation to the Divine. This was fol-lowed by a recital of ancient Vedic verses andpeace prayers by sadhus, youths and children ofBAPS, London.

Many dignitaries, Members of Parliament,well-wishers and supporters had sent their mes-sages of condolence and sympathy.

The Prime Minister of Great Britain, The Rt.

Hon. Gordon Brown MP, had also sent a specialletter of condolences for the occasion in whichhe stated, “Temples serve as a place of reflec-tion and comfort as thousands gather to praytogether following the callous attacks in Mum-bai.”

In his keynote address, Yogvivek Swami alsorelayed the message of His Holiness PramukhSwami Maharaj: “We pray that no country, peo-ple or community ever have to deal with such ahorrific attack again.... Violence is not theanswer to terrorism. We encourage peoplearound the world and especially in Mumbai tostay calm and at peace. BAPS SwaminarayanSanstha will continue to offer its support in thistime of tragedy.”

The assembly concluded with two minutes ofsilence and the arti ceremony.

Such prayer assemblies for the victims of theMumbai terrorist attacks and their families wereheld at all BAPS centres in India, UK, NorthAmerica, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

◆

B A P S N E W SBAPS NEWS

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in Syd-ney organized a blood donation drivewith the help of the Australian Red

Cross Society on 6 December 2008 at the BAPSShri Swaminarayan Mandir.

The Red Cross provided a donor mobile thatwas capable of collecting blood from four indi-viduals at a time. Each donor was registered

before they were able to donate their blood.The entire process from registration to collec-tion lasted approximately one hour per donor.

The response to the drive was tremendous.By the time the donor mobile left the Mandir at5.00 p.m., at least 60 people had been able todonate blood. More than 40 individuals wereasked to donate at the local Parramatta BloodBank that afternoon or later in the week.

Healthy vegetarian snacks and light refresh-ments were served to all donors throughout theday.

Jane Whitfield of the Australian Red CrossSociety commended BAPS on the well orga-nized blood donation drive and reiterated theimportance of giving blood and the many livessaved by such contributions. ◆

BLOOD DONATION DRIVE 6 December 2008, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Sydney, Australia

NEW PUBLICATIONS


Over 12 million in the USA, 3.5

million in the UK and hundreds of

millions more worldwide are total-

ly committed to a vegetarian diet.

More are joining them everyday. It

is now the thinking and caring

person’s diet.

Vegetarianism: A Hindu Perspec-

tive is a concise overview of the

health, environmental, eco-

nomic and spiritual benefits of

adopting a vegetarian diet.

God and his holy Sadhu are a

source of infinite eternal, divine

virtues. By observing their lives and

applying their messages, all spiritual

seekers can experience the ultimate

Truth.

Eternal Virtues reveals the life of

Pramukh Swami Maharaj based

upon the divine virtues described

in the Shrimad Bhagvat. His life

guides all towards contentment,

divine joy and spiritual fulfilment.

A Hindu Perspective

Author: Sadhu MukundcharandasPages: 92 ISBN: 81-7526-390-3

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are

going to get.” Mark Twain’s thought-evoking words leaves us

thinking: who likes surprises? Since, everyone wants their life

planned. Often, so much time and energy is spent in planning that

we forget that even our meticulous plans are subject to change. In

his youth, Pramukh Swami Maharaj faced one such surprise, which

entirely altered the course of his life. It was a test of his tyaga – he

passed.A short letter from guru Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj is all it

took for him to let go of his life. He had aspirations of pursuing higher

education to study English. But, at the word of his guru, his tyaga

was spontaneous. Famous sages and kings have in the past renounced

worldly life after months or years of contemplation: Gautam Buddha,

Mahavir, King Bharat and Bhartruhari all considered their options

and made a calculated decision based on their experiences. For young

TyagahaTyaga is renunciation:

letting go of those things that hinder one’s quest for moksha.

This tradition of renouncing has persisted inIndia for thousands of years.

The Upanishads explain the importance of tyaga:

“One who wants to attain God must letgo of all worldly attachments.”

The ultimate form of tyaga is not just letting go, but also

selflessly sacrificing one’s self for the benefit of mankind.

Pramukh Swami Maharaj has lived this true form of tyaga.

He left his home, his relatives, his ambitions and those dear

to him to selflessly give his all for humanity.

The tale of his tyaga begins from when he was in his

teens and is exemplified by the ease with which

he renounced on receiving the call of his guru,

Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj.

55

àÿÊª—

Spiritual Attributes ofPramukh Swami Maharaj

Translation: Yogi TrivediPages: 264 ISBN: 81-7526-395-4

PRAYER ASSEMBLIES FOR PEACE AND CONDOLENCE, NOVEMBER 2008

Following the tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Swamishri appealed to all BAPS centres in India and abroad tohold prayer assemblies for peace and condolence to the victims and their families.

Thousands of devotees in India, USA, Canada, UK, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Australia, New Zealandand other countries attended these prayer assemblies. In addition, many local and national dignitaries joined thedevotees in prayer.

In these prayer assemblies, Vedic prayers for peace were recited.

The photographs are from prayer assemblies at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandirs in the USA:1. Charlotte, 2-3. Edison.

1

2

3

PRAYER-CONDOLENCE ASSEMBLY, TITHAL, 28 NOVEMBER 2008

Due to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Swamishri’s 88th Birthday and MumbaiMandir’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations were cancelled. Also, Swamishri in-structed that all BAPS centres worldwide cancel his birthday celebrationand hold prayer assemblies instead. Thus, in Tithal (Valsad), over 40,000devotees gathered for the prayer-condolence assembly in Swamishri’s pres-ence and joined him in prayer for the victims and their families.

Printed and Published by Sadhu Swayamprakashdas on behalf of Swaminarayan Aksharpith and Printed at Swaminarayan Mudran Mandir, Shahibaug

Road, Ahmedabad - 380 004 and Published from Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Shahibaug Road, Ahmedabad - 380 004. Editor: Sadhu Swayamprakashdas.

Prayer assembly

http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2008/12/mumbaiprayer/index.htm

january 2009 annual subscription rs. 60 - || b a p s ... khachar, bhaga doshi, chakubhai,...

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