march 2009 annual subscription rs. 60 - swaminarayan€¦ · gaja gadhvi, had accompanired ajabhai...

March 2009 Annual Subscription Rs. 60

HONOURING SHASTRIJI MAHARAJFebruary 2009

In 1949, Atladara, thousands of devotees ho-noured Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj on his85th birthday by celebrating his Suvarna Tula.The devotees devoutly weighed Shastriji Ma-haraj against sugar crystals and then weighedthe sugar crystals against gold.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of thishistoric occasion, on 2 February 2009, thedevotees of Atladara re-enacted it in the pres-ence of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Weighingscales were set up under the same neem tree (above) where the original celebration took place. On one side amurti of Shastriji Maharaj was placed and on the other side sugar crystals. Devotees dressed in the traditions ofthat period joyfully hailed the glory of Shastriji Maharaj. Swamishri also participated in the celebration by placingsugar crystals on the scales.

Then, on Sunday, 8 February 2009, the occasion was celebrated on the main assembly stage, and againSwamishri, the sadhus and devotees honoured Shastriji Maharaj (inset).

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

March 2009, Vol. 32 No. 3

FIRST WORDCONTENTS4 Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Personal MagnetismMaharaj’s divine murti...

7 Sanatan DharmaWorshipping the Charanarvind of GodAncient tradition of Sanatan Dharma...

8 Bhagwan SwaminarayanThe Sacred Charanarvind ofShriji MaharajDarshan to paramhansas and devotees...

10 Sanatan DharmaThe Sixteen Sacred SignsSignificance and benefits of meditation...

12 Bhagwan SwaminarayanBhagwan Swaminarayan’sAdornmentsHow Shriji Maharaj dressed...

17 Philosophy – Swaminarayan VedantaThe Kena Upanishad The Secret to the Source of All EnergyGod is the all-doer...

22 VicharanPramukh Swami Maharaj’s Vicharan

25 BAPS News■ Silver Jubilee Celebrations of BAPS

Swaminarayan Chhatralay, Atladara ■ Mass Vedic Mahapuja Ceremony,

Ahmedabad■ APC Vidyanagar Annual Day, Anand

The Vaishnava tradition in Hinduismbelieves that God manifests on earth in fourways: (1) through his avatars (vibhav) intimes of spiritual darkness, (2) through hisproperly consecrated murti (archa) inmandirs, (3) within the hearts of all beings astheir inner controller (antaryamin) and (4) inthe form of a guru or bona fide sadhu.

The principle that God takes a human orother forms to liberate countless souls anddestroy evil is called avatarvad. Avatar means‘one who descends’. The approximate word inEnglish is ‘incarnation’. It, however, does notexactly reflect the meaning of avatar, becausethe Hindus believe that though God himselftakes a living form and shows all the physicaltraits, he is totally divine.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan manifested onearth (1781-1830 CE) for the ultimate mokshaof countless souls. His personal form was thelocus of infinite divinity, beauty and bliss thatwas experienced by countless aspirants andthe non-initiated. His presence transformed,induced samadhi and inner peace, broughtjoy, and strengthened morality and faith in thelives of thousands.

This issue celebrates the divinity and per-sonal magnetism of Bhagwan Swaminarayanon his birth anniversary on Chaitra sud 9 (3April). The articles describe how his formimpacted the aspirants, the importance of hisholy feet that were attributed with the 16 holysigns and the clothes he wore, which arebelieved to be sacred and respected by devo-tees. ◆

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

Personal MagnetismIncidents from the life of Shriji Maharaj

It was neither day nor night;simply, dusk. Shriji Maharajwas astride Manki, hismare, trotting on the main streetin Gadhada. His sadhus, parshadsand devotees were singing bha-jans while they followedhim. The procession ter-minated at DadaKhachar’s house, where agroup of Shrimali Brah-mins were awaiting forMaharaj’s darshan.They had gathered foran annual occasionto commemoratethe death anniver-sary of a kin. Onlearning that Godwas present here,they had decided to come toDada Khachar’s house. Shriji Maharaj saw theBrahmins and dismounted. He gave his mare’scharge to Bhaguji and said, “Bhaguji, feed themare.” Then Maharaj sat on a cushioned seat onthe verandah of the east-facing room of Dada’shouse. He welcomed and honoured the Brah-mins with a smile as they entered the assembly.The Brahmins were pleased. Some even tookthe vows of initiation and became his disciples.

Among the group was an eight-year-oldBrahmin boy. He had seen and heard Maharajdismount from Manki and say, “Bhaguji, feedthe mare.” The occasion left a deep impressionon him. Decades later, when the boy hadreached his twilight years, at 78 years, he stat-ed, “The gesture and words of Bhagwan Swami-narayan left such an indelible impression in my

mind that I have not been able to for-get them.”

That child was the legendarypoet and literary giant of Gujarat,Kavishvar Dalpatram. The occasion

marked his first and last darshan ofShriji Maharaj. But amazingly, evenafter 70 years, during which his lifewas filled and impacted with somany varied mundane incidents, hisexperience of Shriji Maharaj’s dar-shan was fresh and vivid. From thisone can surmise the magnetic per-

sonality of Shriji Maharaj. The famous Gujaratipoet Nanalal, the son ofDalpatram, opines aboutMaharaj’s divine, arrest-

ing personality, “TheSwaminarayan Sampradaya

has got at one go a slew of religiouswealth like the Vachanamrut, Shikshapatri, andtraditions of dharma, poets, sadgurus, festivalsand celebrations. All these are a great fortunefor the Sampradaya and the country. But if theywere to be placed on one (weighing) pan andanother thing put on the other, then the latterwould come down. And that thing was presentwhen the seeds of the Sampradaya were beingsown. Today, we do not have that thing, but atthat time it was priceless. That thing was ShrijiMaharaj’s personal magnetism. His saint-poetshave described it on many occasions and manytimes” (Kavishvar Dalpatram Part 1).

Truly, Shriji Maharaj’s personality inspired aunique attraction and cast a spell. Wherever hewent, people swarmed to him like bees to flow-ers. So many became mentally lost and

4 Swaminarayan Bliss ◆ March 2009

BHAGWAN SWAMINARAYAN

March 2009 ◆ Swaminarayan Bliss 5

absorbed in his divine presence. Adharanand Swami, a disciple of Sadguru

Muktanand Swami, describes Shriji Maharaj’spersonality in his work, Haricharitramrut Sagar,“After fixing one’s mind on one part of God’s murtione cannot fix it on another.” If one wanted toshift one’s gaze from Shri Hari’s eyes to his nose,then it would be like moving the Himalayas. Suchwas the divine beauty and magnetism of his form.The devotees became overwhelmed and felt ful-filled by his form, from head to toe. PremanandSwami and the other saint-poets have writtenhundreds of bhajans describing his form.

One might think that such descriptions ofMaharaj’s overwhelming beauty by theparamhansas may be idealistic or expressions ofemotional tides. But such inferences could beproved wrong through many testimonies andincidents that have been recorded in Satsang.There are no hyperboles, ornamentations orwrong descriptions.

Once, Shriji Maharaj arrived at the village ofUnza. He camped by the village pond. Later,while he was discoursing to an assembly,Nityanand Swami, Parmanand Swami,Mahanubhavanand Swami and others came.The three had not taken sadhu diksha at thetime. When Nityanand Swami saw ShrijiMaharaj’s teeth he felt, “Such a set of teeth can-not be that of an ordinary human being. He istruly a God.” From that point onwards firmfaith dawned upon Nityanand Swami. He wasgiven sadhu diksha by Maharaj in the village ofMeghpur (Shri Haricharitrachintamani. 3.394).

Shano Bhagat was an aspirant born and bredin Bhadra. On one occasion he had gone to thevillage of Allaiya. There, he saw Shriji Maharajfor the first time, and his divine form becamedeeply etched in his heart. He never forgotMaharaj’s form till his last breath.

Once, Maharaj arrived in Rojid (near Sarang-pur). A local boy turned his face away out ofaversion for Maharaj. But in so doing he caughta momentary glimpse of him. And that momen-

tary darshan of Maharaj worked a miracle in hislife. He became a satsangi after Maharaj con-cluded his mortal stay. Later, he developeddetachment for mundane things and became asadhu at the hands of Acharya RaghuvirjiMaharaj. He was named Sadhu Madhusudan-das. Every year, during chaturmas (fourmonths), he performed austerities by survivingon only one fruit for the whole day (ShriHaricharitrachintamani. 3.212).

Once, while Maharaj was travelling onhorseback, he stopped by the Utavali river nearBarvala for his horse to quench its thirst. At thattime Radha, the wife of Vashram Luvana, andDayabhai Sutar’s mother came to fill their waterpots. On seeing Maharaj they were attracted byhis divinity. Once the mare finished drinkingShriji Maharaj trotted off to Gadhada. Thewomen too left their water pots by the riverside and followed Maharaj to Gadhada on foot.

The paramhansas have praised Maharaj tobe a ‘mine of beauty’. Just as one who digs amine keeps on finding jewels, likewise theparamhansas, who were literary giants, kept ondiscovering different facets of Maharaj’s divineform and described them.

In 1804 CE (Samvat 1860) Shriji Maharajvisited the village of Memka. The young poet,Gaja Gadhvi, had accompanired Ajabhai Patelfor Maharaj’s darshan. Shri Hari had finishedhis morning bathing ritual and was coming outof the river. On seeing his gait Gaja Gadhvi wasconvinced that Maharaj is God. He felt that noone could walk in such a manner other thanGod. Gaja Gadhvi gave up his householder’s lifeto be initiated as a sadhu by Shri Hari. He wasnamed Purnanand Swami.

The unique facet of Shriji Maharaj’s formwas his divinity. On seeing mundane thingsone’s mind gets excited and unstable. Howeveron having Maharaj’s darshan the mind becametranquil, and one’s inner instincts were eradicat-ed. Premanand Swami and Brahmanand Swamivividly lauded Maharaj’s forms.


Once, the wife of the Diwan of Dharampur-Vansda thought, “If Shriji Maharaj is God then heshould know how to eat.” She invited Maharaj fora meal at her residence. The lady was a connois-seur of cuisine. She prepared Maharaj’s plate inan orderly way, placing each of the items in asequential manner. When Shri Hare started eat-ing with his fingers, he did not allow them to besmeared by whatever he ate. The lady wasimpressed by this. Then, out of an attraction forMaharaj she entertained an inappropriatethought. In response, the all-knowing Maharajthrew up whatever he ate and left.

After this incident Shri Hari came toAhmedabad. One day, a few women devoteeshad sponsored a lunch. When the meal wasready they felt that it would not suffice. So theyasked Maharaj to permit them to cook somemore food. Shriji Maharaj refused and predict-ed, “Even the quantity you have made will beleft over. There is no need to cook fore more.”Shri Hari himself came to serve the womendevotees. As he served, the women were men-tally drawn towards his divine form. This filledtheir hearts with joy. Subsequently, they wereunable to eat all that Maharaj had served. TheDiwan’s wife was also seated in line whenMaharaj was serving. She too was absorbed inMaharaj’s divine form. To her suprise her badthoughts were dissolved.

This was a brief account of Shriji Maharaj’sdivine, magnetic personality. His divine form notonly dissolved many people’s mundane desiresbut also ignited love for God. Premanand Swamipoetically penned the incident into a bhajan,“Hãre teri Sãnvari surat chhatãdãr...”

Shriji Maharaj’s divine personality attractedthousands of aspirants. His beauty and divinitycould not be compared to any human being.The paramhansas and devotees ‘drank’ his murtiprofusely and experienced spiritual fulfilment.◆

Translation: Sadhu VivekjivandasGujarati: Sadhu Adarshjivandas

(Swaminarayan Prakash, April 2008)

HOW TO ENGAGE IN THEDARSHAN OF GOD

“While doing darshan of God one shouldnot look from side to side. The novelty anddivinity experienced in one’s heart at the timeof the first darshan of God should remainexactly the same. Moreover, one should lookat the form with a fixed gaze and then clos-ing one’s eyes, one should internalise thatform exactly as it is in one’s heart. For exam-ple, in Dharmapur, Kushalkuvarbãi did mydarshan, and at the same time, closed hereyes and internalized the form in her heart.Similarly, one should do darshan while keep-ing an attentive mind and a fixed gaze, butone should not do darshan as other ordinarypeople do. If, along with the darshan of God,one also looks at other people, cats, or dogs,then when one has a dream, one sees notonly God, but also those other objects. That iswhy one should do darshan of God with afixed gaze, not with a wandering gaze. Onewho does darshan of God while keeping one’ssight under control will feel that darshan tobe continually novel.... On the other hand, aperson who does darshan superficially, with amundane vision, would feel God’s darshanand commands to be commonplace. Althoughhe may do darshan every day, for such a per-son it is as if he has not done darshan at all.When such a person engages in worship, hismind would not remain stable. Specifically,when he attempts to concentrate on Godwhile his thinking is diffused, other objectshe may have seen would spontaneouslysprout in his mind along with God. There-fore, one should do darshan only of God. Themind of one who does darshan in such amanner remains only on God during worship.His thinking does not become diffused;instead, it becomes concentrated.” ◆

- Vachanamrut Sarangpur-2


Sanatan Dharmaor Hinduism isa goldmine ofsublime spiritual symbol-ism. Some of the mostinspiring symbols relateto the form of God.Every atom of God’sapparently human formis divine. When one wor-ships with this belief oneattains great spiritualheights.

And in this form thecharanarvind, holy feet,of God carry the mostprofound significance.

Even from a secularviewpoint, in olden days people would bow atthe feet of a ruler as an act of submission. Thisact of surrendering oneself and seeking refuge‘at the feet’ of someone more powerful andcapable provides one with protection and sup-port.

So, to surrender at the feet of God and dedi-cate oneself totally to him is the ultimateacknowledgement of one’s subservience to God,the cause and creator of all. This sentiment hasalways played a central role in the Bhakta-Bhagwan tradition of Sanatan Dharma.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the supremeavatar, manifested on earth in human form from1781 to 1830. A measure of his divinity isgauged by the fact that over 3,000 paramhansasand sadhus and two million devotees wor-

shipped him, withthe firm convictionthat he was thesupreme avatar ofGod. He taught theVedic philosophy thatone has to becomeakshar-rup and wor-ship at the feet ofP u r u s h o t t a m .Describing this doc-trine, BhagwanSwaminarayan saysin Vachanamrut Gad-hada III-7 that “adevotee should firmlykeep his mind at theholy feet of God. Just

as an iron nail that is firmly affixed to an ironsurface can never be separated, similarly, one’smind should be fixed firmly at the feet of God.”

Thus, the feet of God are worshipped withthe utmost reverence, and in doing so, one pro-gresses spiritually. Yet, even when one attainsthe elevated God-realized state, one stillremains subservient to God.

Shriji Maharaj describes this characteristic ofdevotees in Vachanamrut Gadhada II-67, “Thosedevotees of God who become brahmarup stillbehave as God’s servants and engage in his wor-ship. In this way, devotees of God attain quali-ties similar to those of God, and yet, the master-servant relationship between them is main-tained.”

This principle is exemplified in the lives of

Charanarvind in Akshar Deri, Gondal

SANATAN DHARMA

Worshipping theCharanarvind of God


In the Padma Puran, in the form of a dialoguebetween Brahma and Naradji, Veda Vyasji describesthe sixteen holy signs that are present on the feet ofGod: Eight on the right foot and seven on the left. The six-teenth may be present on either foot. Elaborating upon this,Shrimad Jivagoswami writes in his Vaishnavtoshni Tika,“When these sixteen signs are present on the feet of a per-son, understand that person as the manifest form ofParabrahman Purushottam Narayan. If an avatar has two,three, four, five or more signs, then understand the increas-ing glory of that avatar.”

Bhagwan Swaminarayan gave darshan of the sixteenholy signs on his feet to the paramhansas and devotees


the Gunatit gurus – the succession of God-real-ized Sadhus established by Bhagwan Swami-narayan and through whom he remains mani-fest on earth.

One night in Sarangpur, Shastriji Maharajwas resting in the assembly hall. Just then,some devotees from Africa arrived in the assem-bly hall. Swamishri looked at them compassion-ately. Ranchhodbhai requested Swamishri,“Swami! Please give some prasad to the devo-tees of Africa.”

“What prasad?”“Give the imprints of your feet (made with

kumkum).”Surprised, Swamishri asked, “Mine?”“Yes.”“If you want my footprints then cut off my

feet! The feet of others, except that of Maharaj,must not be worshipped.”

Swamishri’s emphatic reply left no doubt inthe minds of the devotees. After this episode,realizing Swamishri’s servitude to Maharaj,nobody ever asked for the imprints of

Swamishri’s feet.Such an understanding of servitude is evi-

dent in Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life also.Once, in London, Krishnamurti Pattani, a BAPSyouth volunteer, asked a question in reply towhich Swamishri said, “It will happen accordingto God’s wish.” Krishnamurti said to Swamishri,“For us you are our God. We will do as you say.”Correcting his understanding, Swamishri inter-rupted, “Shriji Maharaj is the only God. We arehis servants, his devotees.”

Thus, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj andPramukh Swami Maharaj have repeatedlytaught and practiced this principle of servitudeto God as a key pillar in the philosophical doc-trine of BAPS. Their every thought, word anddeed reflects worship at the two feet of Bhag-wan Swaminarayan: ‘Ham to ek Sahajãnandupãsi…’ (We worship only Sahajanand…) ◆

Translation: Sadhu AmrutvijaydasGujarati: Sadhu Aksharvatsaldas

(Swaminarayan Prakash, March 2006)

innumerable times, thus convincing them thathe was the manifest form of Purna PurushottamNarayan.

Once, Shriji Maharaj was seated under amango tree in Vartal. The paramhansas werekeenly observing the divine signs on his feet.Four wellwishers approached for Maharaj’sblessings. He stretched his legs and seeing thesixteen sacred signs on his feet, they said,“Maharaj, seeing your feet makes us think thatyou are Purna Purushottam Narayan. But look-ing at your body makes us think you arehuman. We’ve seen many assemblies like this,but nowhere have we seen so many peopleintently focused on one person. Please explainthe significance of this to us.” Shriji Maharajreplied, “Vairat Brahma prayed for 50 years and1½ pahor days of his time (one day and nightof Brahman equals 8,640,000,000 human years)so that these charanarvind manifest on thisearth. Now you may conclude as you wish.”

Shriji Maharaj was in Gadhada, when therenowned poet Ladudanji, of Khan village at thefoot of Mt. Abu, came to test him. Ladudanjihad made four wishes for Bhagwan Swami-narayan to fulfil, among which was “If Swami-narayan is God, let him show me the sixteensigns on the feet of God described in the shas-tras.” All four of his wishes were fulfilled byBhagwan Swaminarayan and Ladudanji wasconvinced that Shriji Maharaj was the supremeGod. He then accepted initiation from BhagwanSwaminarayan into the sadhu-fold and wasnamed Brahmanand Swami.

Many such incidents were witnessed by notonly his paramhansas and devotees but also bynon-devotees, testifying to the fact that Bhag-wan Swaminarayan was the manifest form ofPurna Purushottam Narayan (supreme God).

On numerous occasions, Bhagwan Swami-narayan imprinted his sacred charanarvind onthe chest of paramhansas and devotees as aform of blessings and to show his pleasure attheir devotion and service. He also gave

imprints on cloth, some of which survive evento this day. The first recorded instance of thiswas in Vansda, when Bhagwan Swaminarayanvisited the palace of Raysinhji, the son of QueenKushalkunvarba’s neice, Jitbai. Raysinhji servedShriji Maharaj in his palace for three days.Pleased by his service Shriji Maharaj offeredhim a boon. Then, as taught by his wife, thequeen, he humbly requested, “Maharaj, by yourgrace, we have all the comforts of this world.But so that we forever remember you withinour hearts and can offer worship to you dailyplease grace us with the imprints of your sacredcharanarvind.” Shriji Maharaj agreed. Immedi-ately Raysinhji presented Maharaj a large bowlof saffron-mixed sandalwood paste. However,the queen had forgotten to send a cloth onwhich Maharaj could place his imprints. BothMaharaj and Raysinhji stood looking at eachother, while others rushed to get a cloth fromthe queen. However, understanding Maharaj’shint, Raysinhji removed the new safo on hisown head and spread it out on the floor.Maharaj dipped his feet in the bowl and beganto walk on the long cloth. He walked fortysteps, imprinting his sandalwood-layered chara-narvind and giving the royals memories for alifetime.

In this way, the sacred charanarvind of Godare revered by the devout and this symbolizestheir servitude and allegiance to him. ◆

Translation: Sadhu AmrutvijaydasGujarati: Sadhu Aksharvatsaldas




RIGHT FOOT SIGNSAshtakon: Octagon

Meditating on this sign grants adevotee the fruits of ashtang-yoga(eight-fold yoga), a place in

Akshardham, which is beyond the eight barriers, andthus frees him from the cycle of births and deaths.

Urdhva Rekha: Crease LineThis sign runs from the space

between the great toe and thefirst toe to the heel of the right

foot. Meditating on this sign spiritually elevatesthe mind and takes the devotee to the highestabode, Akshardham.

SwastikThis sacred sign symbolizes the

focusing of God’s energy from allfour directions to the centre.

Meditating on this auspicious sign grants thedevotee a happy life free of misery, the ekantik(God-realized) state and rapport with God.

Jaambu: BlackberryThis sign is shaped like a jaam-

bu fruit.Meditating on this sign ensures

that a devotee’s mind does not become attachedto material objects. Also, just as the jaambufruit contains ample juices, a devotee enjoys theample juice of God’s divine form.

Jav: Barley GrainThis sign is the shape of a bar-

ley grain. It is located at the ori-gin of the urdhva rekha sign.

Meditating on this sign destroys all one’ssins, purifies the mind, and grants one theknowledge of atma and Paramatma. It alsoensures enough worldly wealth and comforts.

Vajra: Weapon of Lord IndraThe vajra is an implement as

long as a trishul carried by LordIndra. Its front portion is pointed

and oblong-shaped.Meditating on this sign helps one overcome one’s

inner enemies and removes the desires for materialpleasures, enabling the mind to focus on God.

Ankush: GoadAn instrument used to control an

elephant, comprising a pointed tipand a curved extension to the side.

Meditating on this sign enables a devotee toovercome all feelings of lust and to become strongin worshipping God. The devotee also attains thevirtues of dharma, jnan, vairagya and bhakti.

Ketu: FlagA flag sits gracefully atop a

mandir and is also carried by thechief warrior of an army. A flag

symbolizes victory.

The SixteenSacred Signs

Many paramhansas have noted the sixteen holy signs on thecharanarvind of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Among them the

descriptions by Nishkulanand Swami in Chinhachintamani andBhumanand Swami in Shri Ghanshyam Lilamrutsagar are

especially noteworthy. They describe the signs and the benefitsgained by meditating on them.

SANATAN DHARMA

Meditating on this sign symbolizes that, justas a flag flutters according to the wind direc-tion, a devotees lives by the commands of Godand attains happiness. It also helps one to over-come lust and other material desires.

Padma: LotusA lotus grows amid water and

represents the seat of Lakshmiji.Meditating on the lotus enables

a devotee to remain free of material attachmentsand focus one’s mind at the feet of God.

A lotus is able to blossom even in muddywater, similarly a devotee is able to remain free ofmaterial attachments, despite fulfilling all hisworldly obligations. Just as a lotus does not sinkinto water, a devotee is not submerged by theforces of ego, attachments and material plea-sures. The heart of such a pure devotee is like alotus, so God resides within that devotee’s heart.

LEFT FOOT SIGNSTrikon: Triangle

A triangle-shaped sign. Meditating on this sign frees a

devotee from the bondage and mis-eries of the three taaps – adhi, vyadhi, upadhi; thethree bodies – sthul, sukshma, karan; and the threestates – jagrut, swapna; sushupti. One becomesbrahmarup and eligible to worship Purushottam.

Kalash: Waterpot Bearing Coconut Shaped like a brass waterpot, this

sign is also known as amrut kalash. Itis a symbol of completeness.

By meditating on this sign a devotee attainstotal fulfillment and becomes akshar-rup.Kalashes occupy the highest spot on a mandirshikhar and so the devotee attains the highestabode, Akshardham.

Gopad: Cow’s FootprintThis sign is shaped like a cow’s

hoof. For a devotee meditating on this

sign, the vast material world becomes the size of amere cow’s hoof, thus, enabling him to easily tra-verse it to reach God. Also, just as a kamdhenu cowis worshipped, the devotee is also honoured andall the places of pilgrimage are encompassed inhim.

Dhanushya: BowBow-shaped sign, also called

megh-dhanush in the Padma Puran.The dhanush symbolizes humili-

ty and strength. Meditating on it makes a devoteehumble, wise, polite and fearless. It also enableshim to overcome lust and other base natures.

Meen: FishA fish-shaped sign. Meditating on this sign grants

a devotee stability of mind. It alsoempowers him to live life engrossed in the murtiof God rather than the ocean of materialism.

Ardha Chandra: Crescent Moon This sign is the shape of moon

on the seventh or eighth day of itswaxing-waning cycle.

The moon symbolizes peace. A devotee med-itating on this sign overcomes all miseries andexperiences inner peace and profound happi-ness. The spiritual light within glows.

Also, just as the night lotuses blossom due tothe light of the moon, the devotee blossoms withbhakti and faith through the light of God.

Vyoma: SkyThis sign represents the vast,

endless space of the sky. Space ismanifest within earth, water, light

and wind, yet it remains unaffected by them.Similarly, a devotee meditating on this signremains aloof from all material attachments, andGod resides within the purified space of his heart.He, thus, attains Akshardham. ◆

Translation: Sadhu AmrutvijaydasGujarati: Sadhu Shrutiprakashdas





BhagwanSwaminarayan’s Adornments

The adornments of Bhagwan Swami-narayan during his 49-year life onearth (1781-1830 CE) can be dividedinto four periods: (1) in childhood as Ghan-shyam, (2) as Nilkanth Varni, (3) as Sarjudasand (4) as the head of the Sampradaya.

(1) CHILDHOODUntil the age of eleven in Chhapaiya and

Ayodhya, Ghanshyam probably wore a kediyuon the upper part and a surval on the lowerpart of the body.

(2) NILKANTH VARNIFrom 1792 till 1799, during his Kalyan Yatra

through Bharat, his garb was of a yogi. This isdescribed in the Haricharitramrut Sagar (2/1):loincloth, a mekhala (jute-like string tied at thewaist), a janoi, hair tied in a knot on the head,tilak-chandlo on the forehead, a batwo – clothbag tied at the neck to hold the shaligramknown as Bal Mukund, a two-stringed kanthi, awater gourd with cloth filter, a wooden dand(staff), wooden bowl for alms, the diary (gutko)containing the essence of the Vedic shastras thathe learnt from Dharmadeva and a mala.

(3) SARJUDASOn Shravan vad 6, Samvat 1856 (21 August

1799), he arrived in Loj and stayed atRamanand Swami’s ashram. The following day,

Muktanand Swami gave Nilkanth Varni an alfito wear. This is a long-sleeved, one-piece gar-ment reaching just below the knees. SinceNilkanth was a native from the region of theriver Sarayu, Swami called him Sarjudas. Hewore this garment until the day RamanandSwami initiated him as a sadhu.

(4) HEAD OF THE SAMPRADAYAOn Kartik sud 11, Samvat 1857 (28 October

1800) in Piplana, Ramanand Swami gave dik-sha to Sarjudas. His garb consisted of whiteupper and lower garments, a loincloth, a two-stringed kanthi, a janoi, a tilak-chandlo on theforehead and tilaks on the chest and both upperarms. Ramanand Swami named him Saha-janand Swami.

One year later in Jetpur on Kartik sud 11,Samvat 1858 (16 November 1801) RamanandSwami appointed Sahajanand Swami as thehead of the Sampradaya. Ramanand Swamiadorned him with silk garments and also com-manded him to wear rich robes whenever devo-tees gifted them to him.

After Ramanand Swami’s demise, BhagwanSwaminarayan wore simple garments such as asaffron garment, a white dhoti and a cap (alfitopi).

Only during the Holi festival in Dhoraji, onFagun sud 15, Samvat 1863 (23 March 1907),did he yield to the devotional insistence of

devotees from Surat, who gifted him rich-gar-ments which he wore. Henceforth, in accor-dance with Ramanand Swami’s command hebegan to occasionally put on richly embroideredgarments and gold ornaments embellished withgems and pearls, silk jama, dagli, angarkhu,pagh and mugat which devotees offered (seeimages on p.14).

However he innately preferred to wear sim-ple and white garments as worn by the lay peo-ple then. We glean this from the Vachanamrut,the most reliable and accurate compilation ofhis teachings, which also include descriptions ofhis garments during each discourse. From 1819to 1829, four senior and erudite paramhansas,namely, Muktanand Swami, GopalanandSwami, Nityanand Swami and ShukanandSwami compiled the Vachanamrut. Of the 273discourses, in 161 Bhagwan Swaminarayan isdescribed as wearing white garments, in 19 heis described as wearing a surval and in 93 he isdescribed as wearing a khes or dhoti.

KHESKhes as known today is a narrow band of

cloth, similar in shape to the English muffler orHindu dupatto. However, in those days, khesmeant either a gatariyu (upper garment) ordhoti (lower garment). This depended on theverb used to describe how the garment wasworn. If the verb was odhio, then khes meantgatariyu and if the verb was paheryu, this meantdhoti.

During the hot months of Chaitra, Jeth orBhadarva, he wore a gatariyu and dhoti asrecorded in Vachanamrut Gadhada II-1, 30, 34.During winter he adorned sewn garments suchas dagli and surval. During extreme cold weath-er, he wore a dagli with cotton wool stitchedinto the garment, as in Loya-1, 3 and 7. Addi-tionally, on even colder days, for extra warmth,he also wore blanket-like garments – chofal,chadar or rajai, as mentioned in VachanamrutsLoya-15, 17 and 18.

On such occasions when devotees gifted himrich silk garments of kinkhab he would wear


Warm cap with asandwich layer of cotton,

worn during winter

Kachchhi topi – wornduring the great famine of

1812-13

Dakshini pagh (South Indian)Bokani – a safo with one end tiedover the ears during cold spells,cited in seven Vachanamruts ofKariyani and Loya

Sanctified pagh of BhagwanSwaminarayan

Mugat gifted by QueenmotherKushalkunvarba of Dharampur

HEAD ADORNMENTS


Angarkhu of muslinwith stripes like the

dorianu mentioned inVachanamrut Gadhada

I-38

Red jamo made ofthicker cloth than the

angarkhu, occasionallyembroidered with gold

threads

As the name suggests, the kediyu (ked = waist)reaches the waist. It is more pleated at the chest

and shorter than the dagli. About 12 handslength (hath) of cloth was used just in the pleats!

Reaches just below the waist,usually worn during cold weather, e.g. in the

Vachanamruts of Loya

knotsknown as cus

knots

Kediyu

Dagli

ADORNMENTS ON UPPER PART OF BODY

Silk khes lined with goldenthreads, also used to tie pagh

Red-lined chofal draped inwinter

Gold-lined white silk dhoti

(Displayed in Abhishek Mandapam, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad)

DRAPES


Bhagwan Swaminarayan was often adorned with

flowers and flowers in decorative form, such as, tora,bajubandh, guchchha, gajara and garlands. The tora hungfrom the pagh or safo. The other items are depicted on theimage on the right.

The flowers included: chameli, mogra, dolariya, hajari,gulab, borsali, guldavadi, champo and karnikar (for detailssee Vachanamrut Handbook, pp. 93-104, 3rd edition,2007).

FLOWERS AND FLOWER ADORNMENTSCITED IN THE VACHANAMRUT

bajubandh

gajara

guchchha

Silk surval ofred kinkhab

(e.g. Loya-2)

ADORNMENTS ON LOWERPART OF BODY

Garment Area of Adornmentangarkhu whole bodybokani on head – one end of safo

tied over the earschadar either gatariyu or light

blanket-type drapechofal light blanket-type drape in

cold weatherdagli upper part of the bodydhotiyu odhiyu – upper part, i.e. as

gatariyupaheryu – on lower part i.e.as dhoti proper

fento tied on head or as sasharound the waist

jamo rich garment on whole bodykediyu upper part of the body

Garment Area of Adornmentkhes odhio – means gatariyu, to

cover upper halfpaheryo – means dhoti, tocover lower half

pachhedi draped in cold weatherpagh worn on head rajai draped in cold weatherrento tied on head or as gatariyu

or sashsafo tied on headshelu tied on head or as drape

(gatariyu)surval trouser-like garment, close

fitting on lower legs (seebelow)

ADORNMENTS ON UPPER PART OF BODY

Cotton surval(e.g. Loya-4, 5, 9)

them briefly and then gift them to a Brahmin.Such was his bruhad vairagya – intense detach-ment.

Before meals, he invariably first bathed andthen adorned a yellow or green silk dhotiknown as pitambar, also commonly calledabotiyu. The upper half of the body wouldeither be bare or adorned with a khes.

FOOTWEARAs Nilkanth Varni, he walked bare-footed for

seven years throughout India, tolerating allforms of rough terrain in the rocky and icyHimalayas and dangerous forest floors whichteemed with leeches, scorpions, other insectsand snakes.

After 1801, he wore hand-crafted mojdis ofleather or cotton, paduka (chakhdi) – woodensandals – exquisitely carved by devotees (seeabove).

Source references:Mukundcharandas, Sadhu. (2007).

Vachanamrut Handbook (Insights into BhagwanSwaminarayan’s Teachings). Ahmedabad:Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 3rd edition.

Vaghela, B.G. (1988). Bhagwan Swami-narayan nu Samkalin Lokjivan. Ahmedabad:Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 2nd edition. ◆

Translation: Sadhu MukundcharandasGujarati: Shri B. G. Vaghela

(Swaminarayan Prakash, April 2006)

FOOTWEAR

Ornately carved paduka (chakhdi) with metalic rattles (ghughri).The middle pair was gifted to Vakhatba of Vahelal, north Gujarat.

Cloth mojdis

SWAMINARAYAN BLISS – INFORMATION STATEMENT

I, Swami Swayamprakashdas, hereby declare that the above mentioned information is true to my knowledge.

(Signed) Swami Swayamprakashdas. Date: 5-3-2009

1. Place of Publication: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,Shahibaug, Ahmedabad-4.

2. Period of Publication: Monthly.3. Printer’s Name: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,

Shahibaug, Ahmedabad-4.4. Publisher’s Name: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,

Shahibaug, Ahmedabad-4.

5. Editor’s Name: Swami SwayamprakashdasNationality: IndianAddress: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Shahibaug,Ahmedabad-4.

6. Owner’s Name: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,Shahibaug, Ahmedabad-4.


The Kena UpanishadThe Secret to the Source of All Energy

The Kena Upanishad is encompassed inthe Sãma-Veda. The Sãma-Veda comprises

of a brãhmana (chapter) called the‘Tavalakãr’. The tenth anuvãk (sub-section)of the fourth adhyãy (sub-chapter) of this

Tavalakãr Brãhmana is the Kena Upanishad.This Upanishad starts with the question ‘∑§Ÿ?’ – ‘Kena?’ ‘By whom?’ Hence it is called the‘Kena’ Upanishad. This Upanishad, which isin the form of a guru-disciple dialogue, isspread over four parts or khands with atotal of 35 mantras. The text of the Vedaprior to the Kena Upanishad contains a

detailed explanation of karma.The point at which the Veda talks about

the inspirer of all karmas marks thebeginning of the Kena Upanishad.

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


A DISCIPLE’S CURIOSITYThe Kena Upanishad begins with a ques-

tion from an inquisitive disciple: ‘∑§ŸÁ·Ã¢ ¬ÃÁÃ¬˝Á·Ã¢ ◊Ÿ— ∑§Ÿ ¬˝ÊáÊ— ¬˝Õ◊— ¬˝ÒÁÃ ÿÈÄÃ—– ∑§ŸÁ·ÃÊ¢flÊøÁ◊◊Ê¢ flŒÁãÃ øˇÊÈ— üÊÙòÊ¢ ∑§ ©U ŒflÙ ÿÈŸÁÄÃH –‘Keneshitam patati preshitam manaha kenaprãnaha prathamaha praiti yuktaha.Keneshitãm vãchamimãm vadanti chakshuhushrotram ka u devo yunakti’ (Kena Upanishad:1/1). Each phrase of this mantra is of greatimportance.

‘∑§ŸÁ·Ã¢ ¬ÃÁÃ ¬˝Á·Ã¢ ◊Ÿ—–’ – ‘Keneshitam patatipreshitam manaha.’ The mana – mind – con-templates. It is a part of the antahkaran,which comprises four aspects – mana, buddhi,chitt and ahamkãr – collectively called thefour antahkarans. Here, the word ‘mana’implies all four antahkarans. So, the meaningof this phrase is, ‘O Gurudev! Who is theinspirer who gives these four antahkaranstheir faculty to function.’

‘∑§Ÿ ¬˝ÊáÊ— ¬˝Õ◊— ¬˝ÒÁÃ ÿÈÄÃ—–’ – ‘Kena prãnahaprathamaha praiti yuktaha.’ Prãna (breath) ispredominantly air. It is needed even when weare in our mother’s womb. We unconsciouslycontinue to breathe without any intervention.Association with breath has become synony-mous to life. One who no longer breathes isconsidered dead. Moreover, it is this prãnathat propels the actions of our bodies. Prãnamoves our hands. Prãna moves our feet. Oureyes can see, but it is prãna that opens oureyelids. Prãna is of great importance in ourbodies. Here, prãna (breath) implies all fivetypes of prãna – prãna, apãna, vyãna, samãna

and udãna. Meaning: ‘Who is it that breathesthis prãna into our lives? Who gives prãna thefaculty to sustain life?’

‘∑§ŸÁ·ÃÊ¢ flÊøÁ◊◊Ê¢ flŒÁãÃ–’ – ‘Keneshitãmvãchamimãm vadanti.’ Speech can be heardeverywhere in creation. Birds chirp, and ani-mals roar, neigh, shriek, creak, bellow or growl.Man has an extensive ability to speak. We cansing various tunes and speak in different lan-guages. Here, speech implies all five organs ofaction – speech, hand, feet, anus and genitalia.Meaning: ‘O Gurudev! Who inspires the facultyof these organs of action?’

‘øˇÊÈ— üÊÙòÊ¢ ∑§ ©U ŒflÙ ÿÈŸÁÄÃ–’ – ‘Chakshuhu shro-tram ka u devo yunakti.’ Chakshu means eyes.They can see various objects. They can deciphermillions of colours. They can perceive shape,quantity and distance. The eyes have many suchcapabilities. Shrotra means ears. They contain30,000 sensitive points and can recognize over300,000 sounds. Here chakshu and shrotraimply all five organs of knowledge – the eyes,ears, tongue, nose and skin. Meaning: ‘Whoinspires the faculty of these five amazing organsof knowledge?’

Thus, the first mantra is a presentation of adisciple’s curiosity.

Now let us see the guru’s answer.

THE GURU’S ANSWER‘üÊÙòÊSÿ üÊÙòÊ¢ ◊Ÿ‚Ù ◊ŸÙ ÿŒ˜ flÊøÙ „U flÊø¢ ‚ ©U ¬˝ÊáÊSÿ

¬˝ÊáÊpˇÊÈ·pˇÊÈ—–’ – ‘Shrotrasya shrotram manasomano yad vãcho ha vãcham sa u prãnasya prã-nashchakshushashchakshuhu’ (Kena Upanishad:1/2). Paramãtmã is the giver of all strength.What is that Paramãtmã like? He is ‘manasomanaha’ – the mind of the mind. Thus, he givesthe mind the faculty to think and contemplate.He is ‘prãnasya prãnaha’ – the breath of evenbreath. Thus, he gives breath the faculty to sus-tain the body. He is ‘chakshushashchakshuhu’ –the eye of the eyes. Thus, he gives the eyes thefaculty to see. He is ‘shrotrasya shrotram’ – theear of the ears. Thus, he gives the ears the fac-

ulty to hear.Hence, it has been clearly stated that

Paramãtmã is the root inspirer of all knowledge,desires and actions. It is Paramãtmã who mobi-lizes the organs of knowledge and action, andthe antahkaran.

Parabrahman Bhagwan Swaminarayan alsosays in his discourses, “God awakens the jivafrom unconsciousness through his ‘jnãn-shakti’and makes it aware of its actions. This is knownas ‘jnãn-shakti’, the faculty of cognition. Fur-thermore, whatever action a jiva engages in, itdoes so with the support of what is known asGod’s ‘kriyã-shakti’, the faculty of conation.Finally, whatever object a jiva desires isacquired with the help of what is known asGod’s ‘ichchhã-shakti’, the faculty of volition”(Vachanamrut Gadhada I-65).

Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami hasalso said, “God is the all-doer. If we want tosleep now we cannot, and once asleep even if athief comes and robs us, we are unable to wakeup. Thus, God is the all-doer” (Swamini Vato:1/201).

With this background, the Upanishad thensheds light on another matter.

PARAMÃTMÃ IS AXIOMATIC AND OFINFINITE ENERGY

Someone may question that if Paramãtmãgives the eyes, ears, mind and other organs andantahkaran their faculty, where does Paramãt-mã get that faculty from? Is there anyone elsewho gives faculty? Such doubts are clarifiedhere explicitly: ‘ÿã◊Ÿ‚Ê Ÿ ◊ŸÈÃ ÿŸÊ˘˘„ÈU◊¸ŸÙ ◊Ã◊˜’ –‘Yanmanasã na manute yenãhurmano matam’(Kena Upanishad: 1/5), ‘ÿëøˇÊÈ·Ê Ÿ ¬‡ÿÁÃ ÿŸ øˇÊÍ¢Á·¬‡ÿÁãÃ’ – ‘Yachchakshushã na pashyati yena chak-shoonshi pashyanti’ (Kena Upanishad: 1/6),‘ÿë¿˛UÙòÊáÊ Ÿ ‡ÊÎáÊÙÁÃ ÿŸ üÊÙòÊÁ◊Œ¢ üÊÈÃ◊˜’ – ‘Yachchhrotre-na na shrunoti yena shrotramidam shrutam’(Kena Upanishad: 1/7), ‘ÿà¬˝ÊáÊŸ Ÿ ¬˝ÊÁáÊÁÃ ÿŸ ¬˝ÊáÊ—¬˝áÊËÿÃ’ – ‘Yatprãnena na prãniti yena prãnahapraneeyate’ (Kena Upanishad: 1/8).



The meaning of this is that we need toolssuch as our eyes, ears and mind in order to see,hear and think; we need breath to breathe; wecannot see, hear, think or live without these;but this does not apply to Paramãtmã. His ener-gy is not dependent on anything. AlthoughParamãtmã’s form is complete in all ways, withall divine organs, he is not dependent on toolslike the eyes and ears to see or listen. If hewishes, he could see and hear without utilizingany organs, because he is all-capable. Neverthe-less, he is also omniscient. For someone whoknows all, what remains to be known? Healways has an axiomatic, eternal and infiniteenergy. Also, despite the fact that he givescountless jivas and ishwars the organs and fac-ulty to see, listen, etc., his reservoir of energycan never be exhausted. No matter how muchyou give from infinity, infinity remains infinity.

Thus, the primary teaching is that Paramãt-mã is the all-doer.

Even though Paramãtmã is the all-doer, onewho, due to one’s arrogance, does not believehim to be so, and believes oneself to be thedoer is ignorant and foolish. This is like a dogthat walks under a cart thinking that it is hewho is moving it. To explain this, this Upan-ishad features a conversation between the dev-tas and a yaksha.

THE DEVA-YAKSHA DIALOGUEOnce there was a battle between the devas

and the asuras. Due to the power of Paramãtmãthe devas won. However, the devas forgot aboutthe grace and the all-doership of Paramãtmãand became arrogant. They began to boast,‘•S◊Ê∑§◊flÊÿ¢ Áfl¡ÿÙ˘S◊Ê∑§◊flÊÿ¢ ◊Á„U◊ÁÃ’ –‘Asmãkamevãyam vijayosmãkamevãyam mahi-meti’ – ‘This victory is due to our own effort andstrength. This is our own glory.’ CompassionateParamãtmã thought, ‘The asuras were overcomethrough my grace, but now the poor devas havebeen overcome by evil (asuri) instincts. If thisarrogance increases, the victory over the asuras

will only result in misery. To attain true bliss,the devas should attain the knowledge of who isthe root source of all energy.’ With this thought,Paramãtmã took the unusual form of a yaksha(a deity). As they celebrated, the devas saw thisyaksha but could not recognize who it was(Kena Upanishad: 3/2). Agni-deva (the deva offire) was sent to inquire further. Before Agni-deva could ask anything, the yaksha asked,“Who are you?” (Kena Upanishad: 3/2.)

‘•ÁÇŸflÊ¸ •„U◊S◊ËÁÃ– ¡ÊÃflŒÊ flÊ •„U◊S◊ËÁÃ–’ –‘Agnirvã ahamasmeeti. Jãtavedã vã ahamasmeeti.’– ‘I am Agni,’ he replied (Kena Upanishad: 3/4).

The yaksha asked further, ‘ÃÁS◊¢SàflÁÿ Á∑¢§flËÿ¸◊˜?’ – ‘Tasminstvayi kim veeryam.’ – ‘What isyour ability?’ (Kena Upanishad: 3/5).

‘•¬ËŒ¢ ‚flZ Œ„Uÿ¢ ÿÁŒŒ¢ ¬ÎÁÕ√ÿÊÁ◊ÁÃ’ – ‘Apeedam sar-vam daheyam yadidam pruthivyãmiti’ – ‘I canburn anything on earth,’ boasted Agni-deva(Kena Upanishad: 3/5).

Hearing this, the yaksha placed a blade ofgrass in front of him and asked him to burn it(Kena Upanishad: 3/6). Agni tried to burn itwith all his might, but ‘ÃãŸ ‡Ê‡ÊÊ∑§ ŒÇœÈ◊˜’ – ‘Tannashashãka dagdhum’ – ‘he could not burn theblade of grass’ (Kena Upanishad: 3/6). There-fore, embarrassed and disappointed, Agniturned back without obtaining any informationabout the yaksh. He told the devas, ‘ŸÒÃŒ‡Ê∑¢§ ÁflôÊÊÃÈ¢ÿŒÃŒ˜ ÿˇÊÁ◊ÁÃ’ – ‘Naitadashakam vignãtum yade-tad yakshamiti’ – ‘I cannot understand who thisyaksha is’ (Kena Upanishad: 3/6).

Vayu-deva (the wind-god) was then sent. Healso had the same conversation with the yaksha.‘What is your ability?’ the yaksha asked.

‘I can blow away everything on earth!’replied Vayu. The yaksha put a blade of grass infront of him and asked him to blow it away.Vayu tried, but it did not move at all. He triedagain with all his might, but the blade of grassdid not move even the slightest. His ego wasshattered. Embarrassed and disappointed, hedid not even remember to ask the yaksha whohe was, and returned, crestfallen.

When both these devas returned unsuccess-ful, Indra himself prepared to go. But whenIndra reached the spot, the yaksha disappeared.In his place, Indra saw a beautiful woman. Itwas the goddess Parvati. Indra asked her aboutthe yaksha. She revealed, “The yaksha wasParamãtmã himself. It is due to him that youwere victorious against the asuras.” Hearingthis, Indra realized that they had been falselyarrogant and that the true glory is that ofParamãtmã’s since he is the all-doer. Indrahumbly departed and Parvati disappeared. Indrathen informed the devas. Being the first devas toattain the knowledge of the all-doership ofParamãtmã, Indra, was considered to be thegreatest amongst them.

The essence of this conversation is that evil(asuri) instincts can only be overcome by thegrace of Paramãtmã. Without his strength andwill nothing can be done to even a blade ofgrass. Therefore, one should never be arrogant.

Let us now understand the means given inthis Upanishad to grasp the essence of Paramãt-mã’s all-doership.

¬˝ÁÃ’ÙœÁflÁŒÃ¢ ◊Ã◊˜‘Pratibodhaviditam matam’ – ‘This statement

can be understood through pratibodh’ (KenaUpanishad: 2/4).

Pratibodh are the precepts understood fromthe guru in order to understand Paramãtmã’sform and qualities.

The understanding of Paramãtmã’s all-doer-ship is exemplified in the guru’s life. Thus, hestrengthens this understanding in our livesthrough his words and actions.

In 1970, some devotees who were descen-dents of Bhaga Doshi (a staunch devotee fromBotad in the time of Bhagwan Swaminarayan)had come to meet Yogiji Maharaj in Mumbai.While meeting Yogiji Maharaj, they said,“Swami! You have attained a great feat. Youhave done what hadn’t been done even in ShrijiMaharaj’s time. You have spread satsang outside

Gujarat, even to London.” Hearing this YogijiMaharaj said, “What are you saying? Youshouldn’t say that. Shriji Maharaj is the all-doer.It is by his grace that satsang increases. Who arewe? If a dog walks under a cart and believesthat he is moving it – then it is wrong. It is Shri-ji Maharaj who does everything. Victory is byhis grace.”

Guruhari Pramukh Swami Maharaj oncesaid, “Just like a puppeteer remains in the back-ground and controls the puppets in a puppetshow, Paramãtmã controls the strings of all. It ishis great energy within us. That is why we areable to do whatever we do. Everywhere in theworld it is by his energy that anything is done.Therefore we should remember that all thecredit goes to him.”

We should repeatedly reinforce this preceptof pratibodh.

One who imbibes this divine understandingin their life also attains a reward just as divine.This is shown in this Upanishad.

THE REWARD: IMMORTALITY‘•◊ÎÃÊ ÷flÁãÃ’ – ‘Amrutã bhavanti’ – ‘One

attains immortality’ (Kena Upanishad: 1/2,2/5). Immortality means ultimate liberation.Knowing Paramãtmã as the all-doer means thatone is free from ignorance, desires, evil-instinctsand misery. However many activities a persondoes, he does not feel the slightest burden ofthem. He doesn’t get tired or fed up. His abilityto work remains ever-fresh and continuouslyincreases. He cannot be shaken by praise orinsult. He always keeps a steadfast intellect. Hehas attained liberation and is thereforeabsorbed in happiness, peace and supreme bliss.

On 4 July 2003, in Ahmedabad, at 11.00a.m., the head of the Gujarat Legislative Assem-bly, Prof. Mangalbhai Patel, came for PramukhSwami Maharaj’s darshan. He asked Swamishri,“How do you run all these 500 mandirs andspread satsang internationally so calmly?”Swamishri smiled, joined his hands and said, “I



don’t run them. It is Paramãtmã who runseverything. He is the all-doer. If we believe weare the doers, then in some actions we will suc-ceed, and in others we will fail. Then webecome disappointed and lose heart. My guruShastriji Maharaj taught that if we carry a potof water on our heads, we constantly feel itsburden. But if we dive into water, we have tonsof water above our heads, yet we don’t feel theslightest burden. That is why we constantlybelieve that we don’t do anything, it is Paramãt-mã who is doing everything. That is how werun this organization.”

On 20 July 1985, in London, as a mark oftheir devotion, the devotees weighed PramukhSwami Maharaj with sugar-crystals, and in turnweighed the sugar crystals with gold.Swamishri’s address on this occasion reflects hisfeelings and understanding. Swamishri said,“First, I bow to Parabrahman Sarvãvatãri PurnaPurushottam Bhagwan Swaminarayan, whogave me this body. Second, I bow to my gurusShastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj, whoblessed me and accepted me. Without theirgrace I would not be standing here. Nothinghappens without Paramãtmã’s grace. The beliefthat ‘I am doing this’ is false. Paramãtmã is theall-doer. Even a dry leaf does not move withouthis wish. Without the grace of Paramãtmã, noone is capable of doing or saying anything.Everything is created, sustained and destroyedby Paramãtmã’s energy. If we understand thisglory then we will no longer be egoistic. With-out Paramãtmã’s energy, even a roastedpopadom cannot be broken.”

That same day, someone came to meetSwamishri and insulted him with inappropriatewords. Nevertheless, there was no disturbancein Swamishri’s feelings. He remained in thesame internal state of bliss during the insult ashe had during the grand honour in front ofthousands of devotees just a few hours earlier.This is the astounding result of understandingthat Paramãtmã is the all-doer.

The Upanishad then explains the importanceof immortality.

REALIZE THIS IN THIS BIRTH!Life is uncertain. No one knows when death

will come. In such circumstances there can beno delay in understanding this. One can’t keeppeace on hold. One can’t wait for happiness.That is why the Upanishad says, ‘ß„U øŒflŒËŒÕ‚àÿ◊ÁSÃ Ÿ øŒflŒËã◊„UÃË ÁflŸÁc≈U—’ – ‘Iha chedavedee-datha satyamasti na chedavedeenmahateevinashtihi’ – ‘One who has attained the aboveunderstanding has attained true liberation righthere. Otherwise one should be understood tohave suffered the greatest loss’ (Kena Upan-ishad: 2/5).

Therefore, we should put aside our lazinessand negligence. We should surrender to a guru,accept his precepts and thus attaining the graceof Paramãtmã we should attain immortality inthis very life.

©UÄÃÊ Ã ©U¬ÁŸ·Œ˜ – THIS IS THE ESSENCEIn this way, Paramãtmã is the all-doer. He is

the one who gives the indriyas and antahkarantheir ability. We should not be falsely arrogantand believe that ‘I am the sole doer’. Thus, giv-ing the disciple the key to liberation and peace,the guru concludes, saying, ‘©UÄÃÊ Ã ©U¬ÁŸ·Œ˜’ –‘Uktã ta Upanishad’ – ‘This is the essence. This isthe Upanishad. I have passed it on to you’(Kena Upanishad: 4/7). Thus, we have obtainedthe essence of the root source of all energy inthis Upanishad. ◆


VICHARAN1 to 31 January & 1 to 8 February 2009

Surat, Atladara (Vadodara)

11 January 2009, Surat: Poshi Punam,200th Diksha Anniversary of Gunati-tanand Swami

More than 10,000 devotees had pilgrimagedby foot from different suburbs to the mandir forSwamishri’s morning puja darshan. Childrensang bhajans, presented a speech and story,recited Swamini Vato and performed a skit inSwamishri’s puja.

In the evening satsang assembly more than35,000 devotees were present. The assemblyprogramme was themed upon the ‘Future ofBAPS’ and presented by BAPS children andyouths. Finally, Swamishri blessed the mam-moth assembly, “In everything one requires faithin God and trust in a bona fide sadhu. With thatone can achieve the impossible. Who hadthought that science would advance so rapidly?However, we see planes flying in the air. God isthe father of science. He has a broad vision toliberate countless souls. Yogiji Maharaj sowished and satsang flourished in India andabroad. When he spoke one felt it was not pos-sible, but we see it to be a reality today. YogijiMaharaj had noble thoughts…”

14 January 209, Surat; UttarayanThe evening assembly was in celebration of

Uttarayan. Traditionally, it is a day of kite-flyingand donations. But with the severe economicrecession in the diamond houses thousandswere affected. Bearing the financial hardship ofdevotees in mind Swamishri had instructed thatno arrangements for receiving donations bemade and that only a satsang assembly wouldbe arranged.

A drama, ‘Guru Dakshina’, on the theme of

faith and sacrifice for God, scripted by JayendraVinchhi, was performed by youths. A new pub-lication, Prasangam, written by Sadhu Priyadar-shandas was inaugurated by Swamishri.Swamishri also blessed Narayanprasad Swamifor achieving the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’in the faculty of art. Thereafter Swamishri wasgarlanded by senior sadhus. Finally, Swamishriblessed the assembly, “Man does not know ofthe glory of God and thus does not become arecipient of his power. Such a beautiful worldhe has created. His creation cannot be totallyunderstood through our intelligence. Sciencehas made great advancements, but it cannotcreate what God has done. So, one whobecomes a devotee becomes a recipient of God’spower…”

18 January 2009, Jhadeshwar (Bharuch)A series of discourses on Vachanamrut was

delivered by Brahmadarshan Swami. Finally, inthe evening satsang assembly Swamishriblessed, “When one becomes a devotee of Godone attains peace in this world and Akshard-ham. It is through spiritual knowledge that oneattains them. Without true knowledge one can-not understand the truth. One should ceaseless-ly engage oneself in listening to spiritual dis-courses, kirtan and bhajan. Whatever worldlyhappiness one experiences is due to the pres-ence of atma within. Liberation is attainedthrough knowledge of God.”

22 January 2009, Jhadeshwar (Bharuch)After concluding his morning puja

Swamishri performed the pratishtha rituals oftwo BAPS hari mandirs: Jolva and Karantha.


25 January 2009, VadodaraIn the evening satsang assembly children of

BAPS Vidyamandir (school) performed tradition-al dances and delivered speeches. Finally,Swamishri blessed the assembly of devotees,“Those who take the path of bad company spoiltheir academic performance, life and family.Those who do satsang progress and becomehappy. Satsang comprises of four things: (1) Godwho is truth and eternally existing, (2) Sadhu,(3) Shastras, and (4) Dharma. When one obeysand follows these four things one experiencespeace in one’s life, family, responsibility and busi-ness….”

28 January 2009, VadodaraSwamishri performed the pratishtha rituals

of murtis to be installed in the newly built BAPShari mandir at Viramgam and the re-pratishthaof murtis for the hari mandir in Nenpur.

31 January 2009, Vadodara; VasantPanchmi Celebration

The Vasant Panchmi celebration assemblytheme was agna, upasana, sadbhav and paksh.Ishwarcharan Swami, Viveksagar Swami, DrSwami and Mahant Swami discoursed on thefour subjects. On Swamishri’s arrival a tradi-tional dance by youths and a procession of themurtis of Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj wereperformed and carried out. Swamishri inaugu-rated two publications: Ham Pahachane byAksharjivan Swami and Shatanand Muni’s HariGita. After the garlanding ceremony Swamishriblessed the assembly, “Shastriji Maharaj spreadthe mission of Shriji Maharaj. Yogiji Maharajfostered it and today through their wishes ithas spread in India and abroad. Many types ofwork are done in the world, but those thatplease God are of honour to us. Worldly cele-brations are for entertainment and joy but theydo not bring peace to our soul. For inner peaceone must take refuge in God and offer devo-tion to God. The more we imbibe the knowl-

edge given by God the more we experiencepeace within…”

1 February 2009, VadodaraPrior to his morning puja Swamishri per-

formed the foundation-stone laying rituals ofpujan, arti and mantra-pushpanjali for theshikharbaddh mandir in Mahuva. The seniorsadhus had completed the preliminary ritualsbefore Swamishri’s arrival. Swamishri blessedthe devotees of Mahuva and said, “The mandirwill be one of the best. Maharaj will liberateyou all and take you to Akshardham…”

The Akshar-Purushottam Chhatralay (APC –hostel) in Atladara was celebrating its silverjubilee on this day. The students of the hostelsang bhajans in Swamishri’s puja.

In the evening Swamishri arrived for thesilver jubilee celebration of APC. A traditionaldance was in progress on stage. A brief videoshowed clippings of 25 years of APC. Adrama, ‘Navyugnu Nirman’, written by Yogen-dra Swami was enacted by youths. ThereafterSwamishri was honoured with garlands bysenior sadhus. In all 1,350 students had stayedand graduated from the hostel. Finally,Swamishri blessed the assembly, “Through thehostel one’s life is transformed, enriched withvalues and a feeling of pride and glory isgained. Yogiji Maharaj was a great sadhu whodreamed and wished of such things. ShastrijiMaharaj built mandirs to establish the knowl-edge of Akshar-Purushottam. Yogiji Maharajfostered that knowledge immensely and that iswhy he made great wishes. The thought ofestablishing a chhatralay was his. The first onewas in Vidyanagar. He called it a college ofbrahmavidya. Where there are no values, theeffects of bad company takes over. Today’syouths are interested in drinking, gamblingand immoral behaviour. That was why YogijiMaharaj desired for the establishment of chha-tralayas. Through them one is saved fromkusang. The youths (who presented the stage


programmes) have been inculcated with valuesand that is why they have presented what wehave seen today…”

3 February 2009, Vadodara Swamishri performed the murti-pratishtha

rituals of murtis for BAPS hari mandir in Jesing-pura, and the re-pratishtha of murtis for thehari mandir in Antoli and Nilkanth Varni forNew York mandir.

8 February 2009, VadodaraIn the morning and evening a shibir on the

Vachanamrut was conducted by BrahmadarshanSwami.

The highlight of the evening satsang assem-bly was the tula (weighing) of ShastrijiMaharaj. Sixty years ago, in 1949, ShastrijiMaharaj’s Suvarna Tula was held in Atladra. Hewas weighed against sugar crystals and afterShastriji stepped down from the balancing scalejewellery and gold were placed by devotees. Tocommemorate that occasion a giant scale wasarranged on stage with the utsav murti of Sha-triji Maharaj seated on one pan. The stage back-drop was a scene from Dada Khachar’s darbar.

On Swamishri’s arrival Kothari RajeshwarSwami explained the glory and importance ofthe tula celebration. Thereafter Swamishri washonoured with garlands by senior sadhus. ThenSwamishri blessed the assembly, “You have allgot the auspicious thought of celebrating andremembering the suvarna jayanti (golden birthanniversary) of Shastriji Maharaj. The life inci-dents of God and celebrating his glory bringpeace to one’s soul. One may attain any objectof this world but one will not experience innerpeace. But God’s incidents, bhakti and serviceto him imbues one with peace.

“A devotee of God finds no happiness otherthan in God. He finds nothing besides God to bethe best. One should read our shastras. Readthe Vachanamrut and Swamini Vato. Listen tothe Bhagvat, Bhagvad Gita and Upanishads. You

will feel happy and joyful, because they aredivine. By listening to them with devotion onewill experience joy. Shriji Maharaj establishedthe sampradaya and gave the knowledge ofAkshar-Purushottam. Shastriji Maharaj studiedit and confirmed it to be true…”

At 7.30 p.m. the Suvarna Tula programmecommenced with pujan, on Swamishri’s behalf,by Viveksagar Swami of the murtis of Harikrish-na Maharaj and Shastriji Maharaj. The murtiswere placed on the tula (scale). Swamishriplaced small sugar crystal bags on the scale.Then all sadhus and devotees placed sugar crys-tal bags on the scale. Swamishri remained seat-ed, giving darshan to all. The celebrationinduced joy and devotion in the hearts of all.

HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARYSURAT

4. Over 35,000 devotees and well-wishersattended the Sunday satsang assembly.

5. Seven hundred female devotees observeda waterless fast and pilgrimaged by foot tomandir.

7 & 12. Mass satsang initiation ritual ofbabies by Swamishri.

8. Rural Day celebration in which devoteesfrom rural areas pilgrimaged by foot to mandir.

JHADESHWAR22. Mass satsang initiation ritual of babies

by Swamishri

VADODARA28. Celebration of Shikshapatri day.Celebration of Brahmanand Swami day.Celebration of Nishkulanand Swami day.3 Feb. Celebration of Guru Hari day.4. Celebration of Nilkanth Varni day.Celebration of Shri Hari day.Celebration of Yogiji Maharaj day. ◆

- Gujarati text: Sadhu Priyadarshandas

Translation: Sadhu Vivekjivandas

Agrand two-day celebration was heldon 31 January and 1 February 2009to mark the Silver Jubilee of the

BAPS Swaminarayan Chhatralay at Atladara,Vadodara, in the presence of Pramukh SwamiMaharaj.

Many past students had come from differentparts of India as well as from USA and Aus-tralia to celebrate the last 25 years of the BAPSChhatralay in which they had enriched theirlives with values of Discipline, Dedication,Determination and Faith in God.

Beginning in 1983 with less than 30 stu-dents, the Atladara Chhatralay was, in fact, thefirst ever inaugurated by Pramukh SwamiMaharaj. Since then, it has developed graduallywith an annual intake of over 150 students liv-ing in a modern purpose-built campus justacross the road from the BAPS Mandir.

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations comprisedthree sessions featuring light-hearted skits andmeaningful debates on various topics that alsoshowed how to balance studies with satsang.The sessions were capped with inspiring talksfrom Mahant Swami, Dr Swami and Viveksagar

Swami on topics such as character-building,cultural values and hard work.

One of the special guests over the two dayswas Dr Kamlesh Lulla, the Chief Scientist andDeputy Director of NASA in Houston, USA.

The Chief Guest of the event was DrRameshchandra Goyal, Vice-Chancellor of M.S.University, who emphasized the need of sacredknowledge as an integral part in moulding thelives of students and that the BAPS Swami-narayan Chhatralay caters for the all-rounddevelopment of youngsters.

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations concluded inthe presence of Pramukh Swami Maharaj whohas selflessly inspired, encouraged and guidedhundreds of students towards higher valuesthroughout the last 25 years. The students per-formed a colourful and lively traditional folkdance, and a drama on how to avoid the evilinfluences of kusang.

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations broughttogether old and young students who haveshared a common experience over the past 25years. The event itself was a memory to cherishfor a lifetime. ◆


SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS OFBAPS SWAMINARAYAN CHHATRALAY

31 January to 1 February 2009, Atladara, Vadodara, India

Presentation by Chhatralay students Sadhus and students honour Swamishri with a garland

B A P S N E W SBAPS NEWS


MASS VEDIC MAHAPUJA CEREMONY21 February 2009, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad

The BAPS Chhatralay in Vidyanagar cel-ebrated its 45th Annual Day on Sun-day 22 February 2009, with a specialprogramme in the presence of Pujya MahantSwami and Pujya Tyagvallabh Swami and over3,000 present and past studentss and devotees.

The main feature of the assembly was adrama entitled ‘Katha Manni, Vyatha Manavni’written by Jnanratna Swami. The drama depict-ed the vastly different outcomes in the lives of

two youths who are placed under a variety offinancial ad mental burdens. The story showeda poor satsangi youth who is able to cope withall the mental, physical, financial and socialpressures in his life due to his faith in God.However, another youth, who has only fleetingcontact with satsang and little faith in God,breaks down mentally under the pressure ofsocial responsibilities. The story goes on toreveal how, through prayer and reinforcementof satsang he had been exposed to, the secondyouth is able to recover.

Thereafter, youths of the Chhatralay wereawarded prizes for their academic achievementsand for their performances in the various activi-ties of the Chhatralay.

The assembly concluded with an inspiringaddress by Mahant Swami, who spoke aboutmaintaining faith in God in all situations to helpone cope with the ups and downs of life.

◆

APC VIDYANAGAR ANNUAL DAY22 February 2009, Akshar Farm, Anand

Traditional dance by Chhatralay students

Arti during the Vedic mahapuja ceremony

Over 1,200 kishores and kishoris par-ticipated in the collective VedicMahapuja ceremony held at BAPSShri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, onSaturday, 21 February 2009.

This annual prayer assembly is held primari-ly for the benefit of students appearing for their

Standards 10 and 12 Board Exams and collegestudents.

The main mahapuja ceremony was per-formed on stage by sadhus, while each of thestudents seated in the audience also participat-ed by performing the Vedic rituals.

Prayers were offered to BhagwanSwaminarayan, devas and gurus by and on behalf ofthe students for success in their forthcoming exams.

Following the mahapuja ceremony, there wasa speech inspiring confidence and positivethoughts in the students in the final run up totheir exams. The assembly concluded with amotivating video show, depicting that a personcan achieve whatever targets he sets.

The students left with the message thatprayers and efforts will bring success and peace ofmind. ◆

SHILANYAS RITUALS OF MANDIR IN MAHUVAShastrij Maharaj had wished to build a shikharbaddh mandir in Mahuva, the birthplace of Bhagatji Maharaj. To

fulfil this wish, a grand mandir has been planned on a seven-acre site on the outskirts of Mahuva.(Above) Swamishri performs pujan of shilas for the shilanyas ceremony of the new mandir (Atladara, 1 February ’09).(Below) Senior sadhus and devotees perform the shilanyas ceremony in the presence of 5,000 devotees in

Mahuva, 19 February 2009.

SWAMISHRI’S VICHARAN(Above) Swamishri greets the devotees during morning dar-

shan in Bharuch (22-1-2009).(Below) Swamishri performs morning puja on the occasion of

Vasant Panchmi celebration (31-1-2009).(Inset) Swamishri welcomes and honours Jyotish-pithadhishvar

Shrimad Shankaracharya Shri Madhavashramji of Joshimath toBAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Atladara (3-2-2009).

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.

Front Cover Page Inside Front CoverInside Back Cover Back Cover PageCONTENTSPersonal MagnetismWorshipping theCharanarvind of GodThe Sacred Charanarvind of Shriji MaharajThe Sixteen Sacred SignsBhagwan Swaminarayan’s AdornmentsThe Kena UpanishadVicharanSilver Jubilee Celebrations of BAPS Swaminarayan ChhatralayMass Vedic Mahapuja CeremonyAPC Vidyanagar Annual Day

march 2009 annual subscription rs. 60 - swaminarayan€¦ · gaja gadhvi, had accompanired ajabhai...

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