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USA YO U T H S A B H A

GUNATITANAND SWAMI MAHARAJ SEMESTER

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Table of Contents Aashirvād Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

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My dear dikrāo, Jai Swaminarayan! As you know, Yogi Bapa started this weekly sabha, and he also stressed that all children should attend every weekly sabha. Yogi Bapa and Guruvarya Param Pujya Sahebdada shower their blessings upon all of you ‘akshar muktos.’ Do you know what you are getting from attending sabha? Let me tell you… 1. You can find your identity—who you are & why Maharaj has sent you here on Earth. 2. You have the company of good people, and you can learn discipline. 3. You learn to do pooja, you practice every day, and you do it with concentration. 4. You get good grades because you learn the art of concentration. 5. You learn to love, respect, and follow your leaders, which enhances your personal development. 6. You learn humility, how to speak respectfully, and how to perform your duties, which adds to your maturity. 7. You learn the quality of leadership by learning to follow your leader. 8. You make like-minded, good friends. 9. You learn how to maintain a friendship, and you learn that friendliness is Godliness. 10. You never feel lonely, bored or depressed because you are always within a group, and by working together with many more like-minded friends you develop creativity. 11. You can be a good devotee, a good person (human being), and a good citizen. 12. With the grace of Sahebdada your inner potential will increase to infinity! Wow! We are getting so many things—there are lots of benefits for attending sa-bha! What do you think? I know! You have decided, “I will never miss weekly sa-bha at ANY cost!” May Maharaj, Yogi Bapa, and Sahebdada shower their blessings upon you and make you eternally happy! Yours, Harshad Dada’s Jai Swaminarayan!



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MULJI’S CHILDHOOD

—— PRASANG 1 ——

In the mid-18th century, Atmanand Swami travelled throughout the holy land of Saurashtra, in

Gujarat, which is famous as the land of sadhus. Some of his devotees lived in the village of Latipur in

Halar district (near Jamnagar). One of the devotees was Vallabhji Jani. A son, Bholanath, was born to

him by the blessings of Swami. Similarly, a daughter, Sakarba, was born to Sukhdev Dave, who was

also a devotee of Atmanand Swami. Both families were delighted with their newborn children. With

the passage of time, and as instructed by Atmanand Swami, Bholanath and Sakarba joined each other

in wedlock. Atmanand Swami blessed Bholanath on his wedding ceremony.

Some time later Atmanand Swami appointed his chief disciple, Ramanand Swami (the eventual guru of

Nilkanth Varni), as his successor and ordered everybody to obey him. Having done this, he passed

away. After the death of their parents, Bholanath and Sakarba lived a pious and simple life in the small

village of Bhadra. Bholanath had deep faith in the deity Shiv. Sakarba, on the other hand, was a

staunch devotee of Bhagwan Krishna. Yet, both of them cooperated with each other and worshipped

their own deities. The couple was happy in all respects, but there was one thing lacking in their life;

they had no son. They soon set off on a pilgrimage to please and pray to Lord Shiv to fulfil their

desire for a son.

Along the way, on April 1, 1781, they stopped for the night at the home of a devotee who was a

staunch follower of Atmanand Swami. Upon hearing their story, this devotee told Bholanath,

“Remember Atmanand Swami and your desire will certainly be fulfilled.” On hearing this, there was

a spark in Bholanath’s heart. He remembered that when he was a child, Atmanand Swami, while on

vicharan in Saurashtra, had visited his home and had given him blessings on the occasion of his sacred

thread ceremony.

That same night Sakarba had a dream in which she had a vision of Atmanand Swami. Swami gave his

blessings and said, “Tomorrow, Bhagwan Purushottam will take birth at Dharmadev’s home in the

Sarvar region; and four years from now, Akshar, the abode of God, will take birth as your child. So

there is no need for you to continue on this pilgrimage.” Sakarba woke up with a start. Akshar, the

abode of God, would be born as her son! The joy of this couple knew no bounds after receiving the

blessings. They left the group of pilgrims and returned home. They had faith in Atmanand Swami’s

words and passed their days happily.

Four years later that auspicious day arrived! At Bholanath’s home on October 17, 1785, Sakarba gave

birth to a son who was the incarnation of Akshar, the abode of Purushottam. The people of Bhadra

rejoiced when they heard this good news in the delightful atmosphere of the Sharad season. After his

early morning ablutions Bholanath gave alms to the people. Women of the village came to Sakarba’s

home with various gifts and presents. They congratulated her when they had the darshan of the child.

Bholanath’s home became a place of pilgrimage!

Bholanath called an astrologer and had the horoscope of his son prepared. Seeing that the child was

born in the best possible positions of the planets the astrologer said, “Bholanath! This son of yours is a

great form of Narayan. He will become very great and will liberate countless people. He will be an

eloquent speaker and will spread the bhagvat dharma (the path to achieving moksha through bhakti

towards God and his sadhu).”

After some time Ramanand Swami arrived at Bhadra. Bholanath showed him the horoscope of his son

and requested him to give him a name. Swami named him ‘Mulji’, gave his blessings and said,

“According to the blessings of Atmanand Swami, this child is Akshar, the incarnation of the abode of

the supreme Purushottam Bhagwan who has taken birth in the Sarvar region. And that Purushottam

Bhagwan will visit your home.”

Sakarba experienced great joy in having such a gemlike son born to her. Her motherly affection was

overflowing. At the same time a unique sense of devotion also flowed from her heart when she

thought about the divine personality of her son. Her heart danced when she saw or embraced Mulji.

Anyone who saw the serene and moonlike lustre on Mulji’s face felt a divine peace. 3



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When Mulji was four years-old, he once asked for milk from his mother. Sakarba replied, “Dear son,

I’ll give it to you after offering it to Thakorji.” On hearing this, Mulji smiled and said, “Mother!

Thakorji is always present in my heart. When I eat, Thakorji eats with me. When I sleep, Thakorji

sleeps with me. Therefore, when I drink milk, he too drinks with me.” Sakarba was taken by surprise

when she heard her son’s childlike words which were profound and spiritual. Sakarba offered a glass

of milk to Mulji in order to fulfil his desire. Looking at his mother, Mulji smiled and drank the milk.

Suddenly, at that time, Sakarba looked at Thakorji. She saw a thin white line on the lips of the murti,

and she realized the truth behind Mulji’s words.


Although he was very young, Mulji was very mature. He had a natural aversion towards worldly

pleasures. Thus, he was never attracted towards eating, drinking and other such material enjoyments.

He was always engrossed in the devotion and meditation of God. On many occasions he talked about

Shriji Maharaj and made forecasts about his arrival. He was always absorbed in divine bliss as a result

of his constant union with his Lord, Parabrahma Purna Purushottam Bhagwan Shri Sahajanand Swami.

Sometimes people had the darshan of God himself manifest in the form of this child devotee.

Once, Mulji was engrossed in devotion to God. His father saw him and said, “Mulji! such devotion

should be practiced only when you are old. This is the time for you to eat, play and have fun.” Mulji

did not utter a word when he heard his father say this. Instead, he simply went out of the home.

Bholanath was pleased with his obedience. After some time Mulji returned and told his father, “You

asked me to worship God in old age, but I just went around the village and found that many old

people are sitting in the square busy gossiping. None of them remember God. So if we wait till old

age we lose the opportunity of our precious youth. How can we rely on this body?” Bholanath’s eyes

opened when he heard these words from Mulji which were full of deep understanding. He rejoiced in

his heart and stopped putting obstacles in the worship of Mulji Bhakta.


Once, Mulji was on his way to the farm with his friends. Many times he used to combine knowledge

with fun when he was with his friends. On their way to the farm they came across a well. Everyone

peeped into the well. Then Mulji threw a stone in it. As a result the moss which covered the water

dispersed and everyone could see the clear water. Mulji showed this to all the children and said, “See

how clear the water has become? Due to the moss, we could not see the water as it is. Similarly,

maya covers the jiva and does not allow the jiva to worship God.” It was then that the children asked

Mulji out of curiosity, “Have you seen God?” Mulji replied, “I see God constantly and he will

certainly come here.”

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—— SWAMINI VATO ——

“Apne to Akshardhāmma javu chhe evo ek sankalp rākhvo.” Our sole wish should be that we want to go to Akshardham.

Chapter 1, Vāt 301.

“Jenā guru Akshar hoy te Akshardhāmmā lai jāy ne Purushottamne melve.” One whose guru is Akshar will take one to Akshardham and

will unite one with Purushottam.


“Ā sādhunu to darshan karye panch mahāpāp bali jāy; pan puru mahātmya kyā jānyāmā āvyu chhe?” By the mere darshan of this Sadhu, the five grave sins are washed away; but has his true glory been understood?


“Amne to ek janma-maranno rog tāltā āvde chhe biju āvadtu nathi.” I know how to cure the disease of birth and death. But not

anything else.


“Bhagwān to tris varas Satsangmā rahyā ne have sādhu-rupe das-vis pedhi raheshe.” God (Maharaj) stayed in Satsang for 30 years and now He

will stay in the form of a Sadhu for ten to twenty

generations.


Swamini Vato

Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA.

Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.

—— THE EFFECT OF BAD HABITS ——

One day, twelve-year-old Aayush accidentally overslept

and ended up being late to school. As he walked into class,

he apologized to his teacher and admitted that he had

overslept. His teacher was understanding, so she simply

warned him to not be late again.

After that, Aayush did a good job of getting to school

on time. But a few weeks later, he overslept again and was

late. He didn’t want to make his teacher mad at him, so he

decided it would be better to lie. Aayush told his teacher

that he had to run an important errand for his mom, and

that’s why he had been late. His teacher believed the lie and

didn’t get mad at Aayush.

Soon, Aayush grew fond of being late to school. It

allowed him to get some extra sleep in the morning, and he

never got in trouble for it. Thus, Aayush started showing up

late to school every day, and each day he would have a new

excuse to tell his teacher. From this, Aayush developed two

bad habits: being late and lying.

Now, Aayush is in college, and his habits came back to

haunt him. He misses the deadlines for his assignments, and

then he comes up with a story about why they are late.

However, his lies don’t work this time, and he ends up

failing his assignments. Also, Aayush shows up late to job

interviews, and thus he never gets a job. He tries getting rid

of his bad habits, but at this point, it’s too late. Aayush’s bad

habits didn’t hurt him when he was young, but they ruined

his life as he grew up.

Whenever we do a certain action multiple times, it

starts becoming a habit. By being careful about our actions,

we can choose whether we want to develop a good or bad

habit. It’s important for us to strive to form good habits

from an early age. Sahebdada would want us to get in the

habit of doing our daily puja and bowing down to our

parents every day. He would want us to stay away from bad

habits such as gossiping, drinking alcohol, and smoking. Keep

in mind that our habits become our lifestyle. By having good

habits, our path to God becomes smooth and clear.

Discussion Questions

What was the first lie that Aayush told?

What are two consequences of Aayush being late or lying?

Give an example of 3 good habits you should follow in your

own life.



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S ome plants and trees grow naturally straight and branch free, but the norm is usually various degrees

of curved, zigzagging and short jointed branches growing in all directions. Many types do however have the capability of growing straight given the proper stimulus, resources, and conditions. Similarly, Mulji points out to his father that none of the old people in their village are remembering God; in fact, they are all busy gossiping. Here he tells us, why wait till old age to remember God and lose the opportunity in our precious youth? Devotion to God puts us in the best situation, growing upward. Sant Bhagwant Param Pujya Sahebji asks us, when you truly attain God’s grace, what is it that you actually gain? What you gain is that no matter when, where or whatever circumstances or situations arise, the joy within you never goes, your peace remains untouched, and you never become perplexed or agitated. That is truly God’s grace! Joy is a state of mind and an experience of great pleasure and delight in our hearts. The abundance of self-help books, happiness coaches and marketing campaigns available at our fingertips now, are all designed to repeatedly enlighten us to the fact that complete happiness does not come from more money, more stuff or even big life events like getting a raise or landing that dream job. We’re reminded over and over again that happiness is a state of being, not something we do or achieve. God and our guru make tremendous efforts to reach our core so we can awaken our true self. Sahebdada tells us that it is through God’s grace, that one can progress spiritually. God’s grace does not come from giving up the world, or renouncing family, or home or material objects – it comes from living for him in word, thought and deed. It is by pleasing God that one’s ego dissolves. Through this, one’s mental attitude becomes positive, and that itself nurtures the divinity in us, gifting us with joy. Two areas where God and our guru call on us to progress spiritually are in 1) believing all of God’s devotees to be faultless and divine, and 2) overcoming the downward pull of maya. When Mulji educates his mother that offering milk to him is like feeding Thakorji himself, we are reminded of Sahebdada’s words to serve bhaktos as if you were

serving God himself. Pujya Shantidada illustrates the same by giving us an example. Say there is cake being served and a bhakt wants the biggest piece. Instead of thinking, “Oh man! Look at that person, what a fatty!” if you think, “Wow! That’s Maharaj graciously accepting prasad,” then you believe that all bhaktos connected to God and our guru are like the crown jewels worn on your head. Our goal should always be to please God. Mulji tells his friends that when the moss in the well disperses, clear water is revealed; only to help us discover that even with the stone, the innate nature of the moss is to recollect and cover up this pure existence again. Only through a Gunatit guru can the jiva shed the darkness of attachment that surrounds it, those attachments that keep the jiva from realizing God. Similarly, the force of gravity keeps us down no matter how high we jump, but scientists have figured out a method to go upwards. Sahebdada tells us that they had to create a vehicle (a rocket) that could withstand gravitational forces and temperatures that can go up to over 9,000° F while protecting the individuals inside. This is what our spiritual life is like. Maya, ego and self-centeredness constitute that downward pull of gravity and our desire to please God represents the upward motion of the rocket. To overcome this downward pull requires immense energy, and that comes from doing seva, dhun and listening to discourses as guided by a Sant who is already free of worldly desires. If we do this, we too can cross the barrier into the stratosphere and experience the weightlessness and freedom of being ego-less and realize that we are the soul; pure and clear like the water in the well. Even though the soul is enwrapped in our own version of moss, we should remember that Shriji Maharaj had a broad mind. The essential element is that the soul has embarked on the spiritual journey towards God. The fact that a person has come into the association of God and the God-realized Sant is a great thing. He/she will thus gradually gain understanding and attain liberation. If there is anything we can learn from Mulji’s parents, it is that before his birth, they kept faith in their guru Atmanand Swami’s words and passed their days happily, thereby showing us that we can do the same because we have the association of such a Gunatit sadhu today.

Spiritual Progress Towards Happiness



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|| Swami Shreeji ||

EARLY ENCOUNTERS WITH SHRIJI MAHARAJ

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Mulji was now 15 years-old. At that time the supreme God, who was born in the Sarvar region,

had completed his pilgrimage of India, and known as Nilkanth Varni, had arrived at the village of

Loj. He met Muktanand Swami there. After some time he met Ramanand Swami at Piplana.

Ramanand Swami decided to give bhagvati diksha to Nilkanth Varni on October 28, 1800. He

invited all his devotees on the occasion of this diksha ceremony. Along with other devotees Lalji

Bhakta from Shekhpat and Mulji Bhakta from Bhadra also arrived in Piplana. It was here that Bhakta

and Bhagwan – the two eternal divine forms of Brahma and Parabrahma – met for the first time in

this world.

Mulji Bhakta was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw Nilkanth Varni face-to-face for the first

time! Varni also showed his affection and embraced his dear devotee. Thereafter, he addressed all

the devotees and said. “This Mulji Bhakta is in constant union with me and, in future, he will

spread my glory.” On hearing this, Ramanand Swami said with delight, “Varni! You are right.

Mulji is very great!” Nilkanth Varni then said, “He is my abode – the manifest form of

Aksharbrahma.” In this way God himself, in the form of Varni, described in public, for the first

time, the glory of Mulji Bhakta as the incarnation of Aksharbrahma.


During his vicharan, Shriji Maharaj arrived at Alaiya in 1804. At that time devotees from Bhadra

were present there. They all requested Shriji Maharaj to visit Bhadra. So, Maharaj came to Bhadra

for the first time. Shri Hari would daily go to the river Und for a bath in the company

of Vashrambhai, Dosabhai, Rajobhai, Ramobhai, Ratnabhai, Muljibhai, Sundarji and others. On the

bank of the river there is a giant banyan tree. Shri Hari used to dive from the tree into the river.

He played water sports with the devotees and then made them sit on the riverbank to meditate.

Once, Shriji Maharaj spread a thick square piece of cotton cloth on the water surface and sat on it

together with Mulji Bhakta, Lalji Suthar and other devotees. Maharaj steered the cloth like a boat

with his yogic power. Such were his divine lila before the devotees of Bhadra!


After some time the day of Sharad Punam arrived. It was the birthday of Mulji Bhakta or Akshar – the abode of Shriji Maharaj. Maharaj announced it, and for the first time celebrated the birthday of

Akshar at Bhadra in his own presence by distributing the mahaprasad of dudh-pauva. In this way,

Maharaj explained the glory of Mulji Bhakta to all on many occasions.

One day Maharaj was to dine at Mulji Bhakta’s home. Along with Vashrambhai, Dosabhai,

Ratnabhai and other devotees Shriji Maharaj arrived very early at Mulji Bhakta’s place. Mulji had

gone to the farm for some work and Sakarba was busy cooking. Sakarba prepared a seat for

Maharaj. Maharaj sat on it and asked Sakarba, “Mother, does your Mulji ever remember me?”

“Maharaj! He remembers you all day. He does not forget you for a moment, even when he is busy

working or moving around. I feel that Mulji does not love anybody more than you in this world.”

“I also constantly remember Mulji,” said Maharaj with a smile, while looking at Sakarba. Then

Sakarba began talking about Mulji, “During his childhood he used to tell us about your divine

incidents, such as, your sacred thread ceremony, your travels in the forests, your arrival in Loj, etc.

And he told me, ‘Maharaj will certainly come here one day and eat food prepared by you.’ ”



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On hearing this Maharaj smiled and said, “Mother! you will not be able to understand, but your

son Mulji is my divine abode, Akshardham. Even while he was in your womb, and before that also,

he used to see me constantly. He is bound to me and I am bound to him. Mulji is so great that he

upholds the infinite universes within each of which are Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and the ten

incarnations. He is above Prakruti-Purush, is the form of sachchidanand, is omnipresent and is the

cause and support of everything. I perform everything through him. He is such a dedicated devotee

that I cannot live without him even for a moment. It is through his spiritual association that all the

jivas, ishwars and avatars obtain final moksha by becoming pure chaitanya Brahma. This Mulji is the

cause of all, and is pure chaitanya Brahma.”

Sakarba felt Maharaj’s words to be like a rain of amrut! Tears ran down her cheeks. She told

Maharaj, “O Maharaj, how can I, an ignorant jiva, come to know that my Mulji is so great! Out

of attachment, I consider Mulji to be my son and have scolded him and made him work. Now

when will I be relieved of all these sins?” Shriji Maharaj told her, “Mother, you have already

achieved moksha due to your association with your great son, then where is the question of sin?

Your Mulji has countless redemptive virtues and is Gunatit – above all gunas.”

On hearing the divine words of Maharaj, Sakarba was extremely delighted. She had not realized the

greatness of her son. She had not even understood much of what Maharaj had said to her. But she

now firmly understood that Mulji is great and divine. Engrossed in the delight of her extremely

great attainment, Sakarba sat listening intently to the talks of Shriji Maharaj. Shriji Maharaj did not

tire in explaining to the devotees the glory of Mulji Bhakta.

Then Maharaj told the devotees, “O devotees! You will realize my true glory only when you’ve

realized the glory of Mulji Bhakta.” Vashram Bhatt enquired, “O Maharaj, will your glory be

understood only if the glory of Akshar is understood?” Shriji Maharaj smiled and said, “Yes, when

you understand the true glory of Akshar, and become aksharrup only then will you be able to

understand my glory. This Mulji is Aksharbrahma incarnate. The Upanishads and other scriptures

describe him as my abode and form. That Aksharbrahma is beyond everything and I am beyond

Akshar. Aksharbrahma liberates one from the ocean of life.” Like the river Ganga flowing

continuously, words continued to flow from Shriji Maharaj’s mouth. Dosabhai, Ratnabhai,

Vashrambhai and other devotees were spellbound listening to the glory of Mulji Bhakta from Shriji

Maharaj himself.

Maharaj continued, “The glory of Aksharbrahma is so great, yet if someone denies the existence of

Aksharbrahma or does not know his glory then he will become non-existent, that is his soul will

become like an inanimate object. Therefore, all aspirants must understand the glory of Akshar. Mulji

Bhakta is the incarnation of that Aksharbrahma. I am Purushottam Narayan residing within that

Aksharbrahma. If you all understand at least this much then you will all attain ekantik dharma, for

the establishment of which I have incarnated.”

Shriji Maharaj’s divine words penetrated deep into the hearts of the devotees. Everyone

was delighted. A divine serenity pervaded everywhere. All were gratified to learn the real identity

of Mulji Bhakta as the gateway to moksha. Meanwhile, Mulji Bhakta arrived there. Till

now everyone had only witnessed his divine incidents; today they had an opportunity to know his

real identity from Shriji Maharaj himself.

Maharaj then proceeded for dinner. Maharaj insisted that Mulji Bhakta should also dine with him.

Thereafter, Maharaj left and went to his lodgings. In this way, during his stay at Bhadra, Maharaj

granted divine happiness to everyone and explained the true glory of Mulji Bhakta. After some time,

Sakarba passed away to Akshardham.

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“Mokshane arthe to Bhagwān ne Sādhu e bej chhe, ne bijā sādhannu fal to dharma, arth, ne kām chhe.” For attaining moksha, there is only God and His holy Sadhu.

The fruit of other spiritual endeavors is dharma, wealth

and fulfillment of desires.


“Bhagwān ne Bhagwānnā Sādhu e be sāmu jovu ne ej joyā jevā chhe, bījāmā kāī māl nathī.” See only God and His holy Sadhu. Only these two are

worth seeing. There is no worth in anything else.


“Sarve vāt Sādhu vate chhe, māte tene mukhya rākhavā pan Sādhu gaun thāy ne gnān pradhān thaī jāy em na karvu.” Everything is gained through the Sadhu, therefore, keep him

to be the main. But do not let him become secondary and

knowledge become primary.


“Bāpnā haiyāmā strī chhe te chhokarāne paranāve chhe ne Sādhunā haiyāmā Bhagwān chhe te jīvnā haiyāmā ghāle chhe.” A father has a woman in his heart (as the most important

person), so he marries off his son; and the Sadhu has God in

his heart (as the most important person), whom he instils in

the heart of the jiva.

Chapter 2, Vāt 74.

“Ame to koti kalp thayā joīe chhīe, pan pachās koti jojan pruthvīmā āvā Sādhu nathī.” I have been observing for tens of millions of years, but there

is no Sadhu like this one on the whole of this huge earth.


Swamini Vato



—— THE BEAUTIFUL HORSE ——

There once lived a wizard that owned a magnificent

horse. The horse was beautiful, and people from many

villages praised her. Although the horse knew she was

already beautiful, she wanted to be the most beautiful of all.

One day, she requested to the wizard, “Oh wizard, you

have already given me so many good qualities and so much

beauty. I would be forever grateful if you could please give

me more beauty.” The wizard replied, “Of course, dear

horse. Just tell me what you want and I will give it to you.”

The horse excitedly responded, “I would be more

beautiful if I had a longer neck. Also, I don’t like how my

legs are so short. I think my legs need to be longer and

thinner.” The wizard granted this wish, and with a flick of

his wand, he transformed the horse into a camel. The horse

was so shocked and cried, “Oh wizard! You have turned me

into an ugly camel! No one will praise me now!”

The wizard replied, “This is what you asked for. You

wanted a longer neck and thinner legs, and I have given

them to you. You should have been happy with what I had

given you in the first place, but you always wanted more

and more. Recognize the good qualities you already have,

and be happy with those. Now that you are a camel, be

happy that you are a strong animal, even though you may

not be as beautiful as you once were.”

We are like the horse in the story. God has blessed us

with so much, yet we are quick to ask Him for more.

Imagine waking up today with only the things that you

thanked God for yesterday. What would you have? It’s

important to be grateful for all of the gifts God has given us,

because they all have some sort of good qualities, whether

we see them or not. Many people complain to God about

what they don’t have. Let’s make it a goal to thank God for

all of the lovely things we do have.


What two qualities did the horse wish to have?

What did the camel have to be thankful for?

Name 3 things that you are thankful for that God has given

you.



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W e all know the intimate story of Arjun and Shri Krishna Bhagwan. And if you don’t then worry

not, because if you walk away with just appreciating this part of the entire Mahabharat, then you’ve got it all. In 2011, Sant Bhagwant Param Pujya Sahebji spent the entire year opening our eyes and ears to a topic called “Satpurush: the Gateway to Liberation.” Shri Krishna Bhagwan told Arjun that as long as man is present (that’s us!) here on Earth, God will always be present. And Swaminarayan Bhagwan said the same thing! Except that he clarified and said, “though it will be through a Gunatit sadhu.” This is why he spent much of his life singing the praises of Mulji Bhakta. Shri Krishna Bhagwan was God himself, but how many people surrendered to him? Out of everyone in the Mahabharat, only Arjun was able to recognize Shri Krishna Bhagwan’s greatness, and he stayed fully attached with him too. Swaminarayan Bhagwan would repeatedly say, “Gunatit is my abode. He truly knows who I am. I can not manifest without him, and he can not exist without me.” Once everyone learned the real identity of Mulji Bhakta, the gateway to moksha (liberation) opened for them. You can take on a billion austerities, and you can renounce everything you have, but if your soul does not hold God, then it is useless. We need a guru, a sadhu that has attained Gunatit-bhav. If we had gone looking for a sadhu by ourselves we would have chosen one who performs miracles. A glance at Sahebdada’s life shows us that he is always easygoing, joyful and humble (to name a few of his many qualities), and his only aim is to have us attain the same state as him. That is why a Satpurush is called the gateway to liberation. Oftentimes Sahebdada asks us, “How does a mosquito attain the same speed as an eagle?” If there is a lot of wind, the mosquito would be blown away, and the eagle’s speed is so fast compared to that of a mosquito. But if the mosquito is smart enough to sit on the eagle’s eyelash, then it will go at the same speed as the eagle. To melt your ego, calm your emotions, quiet your mind and achieve real happiness you must join with a Satpurush to reach the same “speed” as him.

Mulji Bhakta was joined to God in the same way. He never forgot Shriji Maharaj for a moment, even when he was busy working or moving around, he always lived each moment in prayer to God. We’ve heard the phrase bhajan karta karta kriya karvi—while chanting the ‘Swaminaryan’ mantra, one should perform all activities—then one will feel peace within. 2min2x is a campaign that provides parents and children the motivation to brush 2 minutes 2 times a day to prevent cavity and early tooth loss. With just two minutes of brushing in the morning, your mouth becomes fresh for the next 15-18 hours. To freshen our soul, the best method of all is to do morning puja. If you do dhun for just 15 minutes, chanting Swaminarayan… Swaminarayan… Swaminarayan..., then for the remaining twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes, you will have God’s protection. And the force of this mantra increases many-fold when the Satpurush who has realized this mantra is physically manifest amongst us. If you’ve made it within Sahebdada’s vision even once, then consider yourself lucky. And if you’ve recognized him as the manifest form of God, and accepted him as your guru, then know that you are exceptionally blessed. Because once he embraces you as his devotee, your soul is awakened, and that’s when the transformation to infinite joy begins. It was a life of surrender and the glory of God etched in Mulji Bhakta’s soul that prompted Nilkanth Varni to shower him with affection and embrace his dear devotee, even though it was the first time they met!

Satpurush: The Gateway to Liberation



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

RENUNCIATION & INITIATION

13


Mulji always remained aloof from family ties, and was disinterested in worldly affairs. The day was

November 21, 1809. Mulji Bhakta was busy diverting water to his sugarcane field situated by the

riverbank. He was thinking about when Maharaj would instruct him to renounce this world. Then

suddenly, he had a vision of Shriji Maharaj in the sky. Maharaj was wearing a yellow pitambar and

a southern-style pagh.

Maharaj said to Mulji Bhakta, “What have you come for and what are you doing? The divine light

of Brahma has faded away from the world, so leave now.” Without a moment’s delay Mulji left

his work. He did not even go home, but headed for Gadhada to meet Maharaj. After that Mulji

requested Shri Hari to allow him to remain in his service.

Mulji had detached himself completely from the world and had no interest whatsoever in material

objects. In order to show others the spiritual state of Mulji, Shriji Maharaj tested him and said, “I

will make you a sadhu, but have you burnt your home or have you kept it intact?” The simple-

natured Mulji replied, “Maharaj, the home is as it is.” “Then go and burn it, and come back. I’ll

make you a sadhu after that,” instructed Maharaj.

To fulfill Maharaj’s order Mulji left immediately for Bhadra. Maharaj knew that Mulji would come

back only after burning his home. So he immediately sent Bhaguji and called him back. From the

spiritual viewpoint, Mulji had already burnt all ties of affection with his family, estate and relatives

from his heart. But he was also prepared to destroy all the physical ties. Seeing his profound

detachment Maharaj showered praise on him. After some time his younger brother, Sundarji,

arrived with a Brahmin to take Mulji back. The Brahmin addressed Mulji:

“Sansãrmã sarso rahe ne man mãri pãs jo, Sansãrmã lopãy nahi te jan mãro dãs jo.”

“He who engages in worldly activities, but has his mind on me; He who is not attached to

worldly activities, know him to be my devotee.” Mulji Bhakta replied:

“Chittki vrutti ek hai, bhãve tahi lagão; Chãhe to Hari ki bhakti karo, chãhe to vishay kamão.”

“The mind can focus only on one thing, so attach it where you like; If you wish, offer devotion

to God or indulge in material pleasures.” With these words Mulji refused to return home. Maharaj

told Mulji Bhakta, “Go home for now.” But Mulji replied, “I don’t want to go back home. I

want to remain constantly in your service.” So Maharaj explained to him to go back and said, “If

your hand is trapped under a heavy stone, it should be removed tactfully and not by force. So go

back home for the present, and come back here after convincing everybody.” Mulji obeyed

Maharaj’s order and went home. After some time he returned with his younger brother, Sundarji,

whom he had also persuaded to become a sadhu.

Darkness can never exist in the presence of the sun. Who can possibly bind one who is detached

and unchanging? To spread brahmavidya Mulji Bhakta became active in the service of Shriji Maharaj

and withdrew from all his worldly ties, like a tortoise who withdraws its limbs.


In January 1810 Shriji Maharaj held a great yagna in Dabhan to initiate his eternal devotee

Aksharbrahma Mulji Bhakta into the sadhu-fold. In this yagna (in which no animals were sacrificed),

Maharaj arranged meals for and gave donations to thousands of Brahmins, who were thus highly

satisfied. On the day of Punam, January 20, 1810, as part of the yagna’s concludsion, Maharaj

ceremoniously gave Mulji Bhakta the bhagvati diksha and named him Gunatitanand Swami.



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

14


“Nirantar mālā ferve te kartā pan samajan adhik chhe, māte mukhya e vāt rākhvī.” Understanding the form and greatness of God and His holy

Sadhu is greater than continuously saying the mala. So keep

this as the main thought.


“Ek jane lākh rūpiyānī buddhi līdhī, temaj mokshanī buddhi pan anek prakārnī motā thakī shikhāy chhe.” A person bought wisdom for 100,000 rupees. Similarly,

wisdom of the many ways for moksha can be learnt from

the God-realized Sadhu.

Chapter 1, Vāt 27.

“Bhagwān malyā, Sādhu malyā, te have haiyāmā dukh āvvā devu nahi ne prārabdhnu āve to bhogvī levu.” We have attained God, and the Sadhu, now do not let

misery enter the heart and whatever fate has in store for us,

accept it.


“Bhagwān ne Sādhu bej rākhvā etle te gharenu rākhī rūpiyā āpyā barābar chhe; māte be rākhī vyavahar karvo.” Keep only the two - God and His Sadhu. So, this is like

giving money and keeping the ornaments. Therefore, keep

(these) two and do one's trade.


“Ā sādhune vishe jene jetlo gun tetlī sadvāsanā, ne avagun tetlī asadvāsanā chhe, em samajavu.” The extent to which one sees virtues in this Sadhu is the

extent of one's good nature, and the extent of faults seen is

the extent of one's bad nature. Understand in this way.


Swamini Vato



—— THE POWER OF GENTLENESS ——

The Sun and Wind were arguing over which one of

them was more powerful. They decided to have a

competition to see who was more powerful. The winner

would be whoever could make a man remove his jacket

first. The Sun and Wind looked down and saw a man

walking through a path on a mountain. The Wind started

the competition. He blew and blew and blew at the man,

desperately trying to get the man’s jacket to fly off of him.

However, the man clutched his jacket tighter and tighter the

more the cold Wind blew. Disheartened, the Wind let the

Sun have a try. The Sun appeared in the sky, and soon the

air around the man grew warm due to the glowing rays of

the Sun. After a while, the man decided he was feeling hot,

and he took off his jacket. Thus, the Sun won the

competition.

The story shows that the Sun’s warmth and gentleness

were more powerful than the Wind’s force and strength.

Imagine someone asking you for a favor. Are you more

likely to do what they want when they yell at you, or when

they politely ask you? When we speak to others, it’s more

effective to be loving than to be harsh. When we want

something, we often try to force the results. However, the

Sun was gentle to the man, and the Sun was also patient

while waiting for the man to take off his jacket. When you

are kind to others, be patient; soon enough, you will see the

fruits of gentleness. We can see this in real life; it is

Sahebdada’s gentle nature that has won him the hearts of

many devotees. Always remember to spread love and

kindness, and many people will treat you kindly in return.


Who went first - Sun or Wind?

Was the Sun able to achieve his goal quickly? Why or why

not?

Give an example of an instance where you had to act similar

to the Sun.



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

15



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

16

S hriji Maharaj appeared to Mulji Bhakta in a vision whilst Mulji was working in a field. Maharaj asked him

“What have you come for and what are you doing?” This immediately provoked a reaction from within Mulji and he immediately departed for Gadhada to meet Maharaj. The question “what are we here for?” is one that has been asked by individuals for ages. In this busy day and age, it is probably asked less but it still surely crosses our minds every so often. The fundamental thing that all human beings pursue is happiness. Indeed, this desire is what unites us all. But looking around we can see that people use many different paths to try to achieve it. Some believe that if only they can get their basic needs met then they will be happy. And there is indeed some truth in that… for how can we focus on bigger things if we don’t have food on the table, a roof over our heads and basic security? But once those needs are met, most everyone starts looking for more. Some believe that power or status can make them happy. And these things do have their own rewards. Yet, when the pursuit of power or status is used to mask or divert oneself from one’s own inner insecurities – for example, not feeling worthy or good enough – then the underlying motives inevitably causes misery no matter how much power or status is ultimately achieved. Others believe that possessing material possessions gives happiness. And again, there is no denying that acquiring a new house, a new car or any new, shiny object causes a surge of joy. But what happens afterwards? Does that joy stay? Or is it quickly replaced by disinterest, complacency or a general lack of satisfaction? Typically one finds happiness from material possessions to be fleeting. Some search for love, believing that this most basic of human needs – the desire to love and be loved – will lead to true fulfillment and inner peace. And this probably is the closest to the truth. For as the saying goes, love does indeed conquer many things. But even love can be unsatisfying if there are conditions attached. For example, if we receive love only if we behave a certain way. Or we feel love for someone only in certain situations but not in others. It is for this reason we are gently encouraged by enlightened souls to pursue a different path to happiness.

Since all of the other pursuits yield unsatisfactory results, they point the way to a path that does offer lasting and unchanging peace, joy and happiness. And although the results are apparent in even a casual observance of their lives, we don’t need to take their word for it. We can experience it ourselves. Mulji Bhakta rushed off to join Shriji Maharaj because he had a hunger for this experience. His example is particularly inspirational due to his single-minded desire to sacrifice everything in this pursuit. He was ready to ‘burn’ his attachment to all other things. This is the very reason why Shriji Maharaj asked if he had burnt his home. It wasn’t because the physical structure had to be destroyed. It was because Mulji Bhakta had to burn his attachment to home. Meaning he had to thoroughly reject the notion within himself that the path to ultimate peace, joy and happiness would come via that avenue. For Mulji Bhakta had already realized that he would only find true happiness via a deep and continuous inner connection to the divine. This path is open to all of us regardless of our age or gender or situation in life. But it requires a certain mindset. Firstly, accepting that true lasting happiness won’t come from anything other than God. Secondly that only by immersing ourselves totally in God will we be able to maintain a continuous connection. And thirdly, that the easiest method by which we can achieve this is by attaching ourselves to a Gunatit, God-Realized Saint such as Sant Bhagwant Param Pujya Sahebji. For the Gunatit saint exists only to please God. He has subsumed all of his own wishes and desires in the interest of God’s wishes and desires. He exists only to serve the Divine. As a consequence, he has become an extension of God. Indeed Sahebdada says “He whose every moment is for God, himself becomes a manifestation of God.” Such an individual has become brahmaswarup… the very manifestation of the Supreme God on earth. Therefore whomever attaches himself to such a saint becomes attached purely and solely to God. This is the power of the Akshar Purushottam philosophy and the reason Mulji Bhagat was willing to sacrifice everything to join God.

What is Our Purpose?



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

REALIZING THE GLORY OF SWAMI

17


In March 1811 Maharaj decided to celebrate the festival of Fuldol (the festival of spraying holy

colored water) at Rathod Dhadhal’s place in Sarangpur. Sadhus and devotees from near and far

arrived in large numbers. Preparations were made for the celebration of Fuldol. But before that,

with a specific spiritual purpose in mind, Maharaj began to sing the Holi verses of Kabir:

Jogiyã tãlat janam kerã fãslã re, Premnã pyãlã Jogiyã, jug jug jiva so Jogiyã.

“The noose of the cycle of births is removed by the sadhus who have attained the spiritual state of

Brahma (Akshar). They are the cup of love. May they live for all time.” Maharaj would sing and

the sadhus would repeat. And then Maharaj would sing further:

Koti Krishna jode hãth, koti Vishnu name mãth, Koti Shankar dhare dhyãn, koti Brahmã kathe gnãn,

Sadguru khele vasant. “Millions of Krishnas join their hands, millions of Vishnus bow their heads, millions of Shivs

meditate, millions of Brahmas impart knowledge, as the Sadguru celebrates the festival of

Spring.” Maharaj stopped playing raas when he sang this stanza. He touched the stick that he was

holding to Gunatitanand Swami’s chest, drew the attention of Anand Swami and Muktanand Swami

and asked them, “Swami, who is that Sadguru?”

All the sadhus replied with one voice, “Maharaj, you are that Sadguru. Who else could it be?”

Maharaj, out of his infinite grace, explained, “These words describe the glory of a Sadguru. I am

the supreme Purushottam Narayan. And that Sadguru is this Gunatitanand Swami. The composer

of this Holi verse, Kabir, addressed and worshipped Aksharbrahma as ‘Sadguru Saheb.’ That Akshar

supports innumerable muktas and Purushottam in the form of an abode, and he is in my service in

the manifest form of Gunatitanand Swami. He has manifested today with me in the form of this

Sadguru in order to spread my supreme upasana. The glory described in the Holi verses is his

glory, and I am above him, his master; I am Purushottam Narayan, worthy of worship even by

him.”

All the sadhus were astonished when they heard the infinite glory of Swami from Maharaj himself.

How could anybody realize the glory of this young Swami when he himself always behaved in the

most humble manner?


In 1813, there was a severe drought in Kathiawad. In order to lighten the consequent burden,

Maharaj sent Muktanand Swami to Surat with a group of two hundred sadhus.

Gunatitanand Swami was also included in this group. There, just opposite the lodgings of the

sadhus, somebody had tied a mischievous monkey in an empty home. Everybody’s attention was

naturally drawn towards the monkey due to its restive movements.

One night, whilst giving a discourse, Muktanand Swami addressed all the sadhus, “See, how

restless are our senses! They always deceive us. In the opposite building there is a monkey. There

is no need for us to look there, but there is hardly anyone among us who has not seen that

monkey. If there is anybody who has not seen it, please stand up.”

Everyone was speechless as they listened to Muktanand Swami. Only Gunatitanand Swami stood up

with folded hands from among the two hundred sadhus. Seeing this, Muktanand Swami was also

surprised and he said, “Oh! You are the only one among the two hundred sadhus who has



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

18

controlled his senses. Even I have looked at that monkey.” Gunatitanand Swami constantly looked

inward and there was nothing in his heart, except the murti of Maharaj. Muktanand Swami was all

praise for Swami’s brahmic state.

During those days in Surat, all the sadhus took turns in going to the city for collecting alms. But

Swami went everyday, as instructed by Muktanand Swami. The reason was that other sadhus had

to fast invariably because they mistakenly glanced at women; but Swami had no difficulty in

observing this strict rule because he was totally absorbed in the murti of Maharaj. His companion

sadhus changed everyday, but he went out unperturbed for this service daily.

Once, while they were collecting alms, Anand Swami also witnessed Swami’s constant focus on

the divine form of Shriji Maharaj. Swami was holding the front two ends of the joli containing

alms. He was walking with his eyes looking towards the ground, calling out, “Narayan hare,

Sachchidanand prabho.” At that time, Maharaj appeared in front of Swami in a divine form,

walking backwards to give his darshan. Swami bowed to Maharaj and prayed, “O Maharaj! Please

walk in a normal manner because the ground is uneven and you might fall over.” Maharaj replied,

“How can I show my back to a sadhu like you?”

By the grace of Maharaj, Anand Swami saw and heard all this. He realized the tremendous glory

of Swami. In this way Swami collected alms for six months in Surat. Swami had no interest in

anything except the murti of Shriji Maharaj. “Yogashchitta vrutti nirodhah.” “Yoga is the control of

the natural tendencies of the mind.” This ultimate goal of Yoga was achieved by Swami through

his constant focus on the murti of Shriji Maharaj. And yet he constantly craved for the face-to-face

darshan of Maharaj.



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

19


“Pānch gune yukta evā Sant na male to ek ek gun shīkhvo ne pānche gun ekne vishe hoy evā Sant male etle pūran thayu.” If one does not find a sadhu with all five virtues, then learn

one virtue at a time from different sadhus. And when one

finds a Sadhu with all five virtues, then one becomes fulfilled.


“Jo mār mār karto koī āvto hoy to em samajvu je, ‘Mārā Swāmīnu j karyu sarve thāy chhe, pan te vinā koīnu halāvyu pānadu pan haltu nathī.’” If someone comes charging at us with the intent of beating

us, we should understand that everything happens according

to my Swami's wishes; however, without his will, no one

can stir a leaf.

Chapter 1, Vāt 88.

“Āvā ne āvā Akshardhāmmāthī āvyā chhe, evo parbhāv akhand janāy to ‘Aho! Aho!’ sarkhu rahe; pan jevā Sādhu chhe evā olkhātā nathī.” The Sadhu has come here from Akshardham. If such glory is

understood continuously, one experiences great joy. But this

Sadhu is not understood as he is.


“Ā Sādhu olkhānā e motī vāt chhe, ā Sādhu olkhāy tevā nathī, ā to pardeshī Sādhu chhe, ne olakhānā e to āshcharya jevu chhe.” That this Sadhu has been properly recognized is a great

thing, since this Saclhu is not easily recognizable. This Sadhu

is from a higher realm (Akshardham). That he has been

recognized is like a miracle.

Chapter 4, Vāt 71.

“Āvā sādhu khāsdā māre to pan Akshardhāmmā laī jāy ne bījā mashrūnā gādlāmā suvādī mūke to pan narkamā nākhe em samajvu.” Such a Sadhu may hit devotees with boots, but will still take

them to Akshardham. Others may give devotees comfortable

beds to sleep on but will send them to hell.

Chapter 1, Vāt 57.

—— WHEN GOD COMES TO VISIT ——

It was dinnertime for a religious family, and so they

prayed before eating. The mother prayed that God would

come to eat with them and bless their food. The mother

said these words every night, and her young son listened to

them. One day, the young son grew curious and asked,

“Mother, you keep asking God to come eat with us, but

why doesn’t He ever come?” The mother thought about it

and simply said, “Well, hopefully He will accept our

invitation one day.” The young son replied, “If we really

want God to come and eat with us, we should set a place

for Him at the table.”

The mother nodded at her son’s suggestion, and then

she set an extra placemat and utensils for God on the table.

As soon as she finished placing God’s napkin on the table,

someone knocked on the door. The young son excitedly

rushed to the door, thinking that God had finally come.

The son opened the door to see a small, shabby boy

there. It was snowing outside, yet the boy was barely

clothed. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. The son

stared at this boy, surprised because he had been expecting

to see God instead. But then the son smiled at the boy and

said, “I guess God was busy today, so He sent you in His

place. Dinner is ready for you! Make yourself at home.”

And the small boy took God’s empty place at the table and

had dinner with the family.

Every one of us is a divine instrument of God. We may

imagine God to be this magnificent, radiant being that we

will never see in person. In reality, we see God every day

whenever we interact with another human being. As the

story shows, God comes in many forms. Many of us wish to

serve God by performing austerities. That is fine, but it’s

important to not only serve God, but to also serve God’s

children. When we help our brothers and sisters, we will be

serving the God within them. Even though praying to God is

significant, Sahebdada also encourages us to help other people

as well. After all, “the hands that help are holier than the

lips that pray.”


What suggestion did the son make to his mother to invite

God to join them for dinner?

What did the son think of the dinner guest who ended up

joining them?

Share an example of instances where you ask God to join

you throughout your day.



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

20



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

21

I n Western society the common mindset is to indulge the senses indiscriminately. It’s all about sense

gratification… how one can see, hear, smell and taste etc. the best things. Freedom, choice and opportunity are celebrated. Discipline, restraint and abstinence are discouraged. One can blame an economy that is based on consumption and consumerism or one can point to declining participation in religion as the cause but regardless, the emphasis is on indulgence. But what happens when we indulge without discipline and restraint? Gorging oneself on food leads to obesity and sickness. Participating in violent or aggressive forms of entertainment contributes to violent or aggressive behavior. Exposure to immoral or unethical material leads to an erosion of morals and values. For at the end of the day, everything that we consume through the senses has some kind of a physiological effect on us. It conditions us and shapes our actions, our words and our thoughts. It is for this reason that religion constantly reminds us of the need for at least some level of forethought as to what we choose to participate and engage in. For if there were no traffic lights or rules of the road in effect what would be the outcome? A great many accidents would occur. But with everyone exercising some degree of discipline in their driving, everyone can arrive safely at their destination. In the same way, we would have less “accidents” in our thinking and our actions if we lived by some level of awareness and control of our senses. Often times our senses pull us away from whom we truly are within. If we are consumed by lustful thoughts for example, we are pulled more towards attractive individuals at the expense of being truly ‘present’ and attentive to non-attractive individuals. We might even treat them differently. Is this fair or proper? Shouldn’t the beauty of one’s soul outshine their outward appearance? In this week’s prasang, Gunatitanand Swami demonstrates another, deeper reason for controlling

one’s senses. Often times our senses draw us away from internal communion with God. We may be feeling very grounded and centered in God and Guru but then experience our attention and focus drawn away by sense pleasures. Perhaps being more specific would help. Could we be observing Ekadashi as an act of profound love and sacrifice towards God and then get distracted and disturbed by being unable to eat a very tempting piece of cake? Could we be in a frame of mind where we are seeing ourselves as the soul and not the body – as our scriptures instruct – and then lose that perspective by seeing a very sensual and alluring image? Could we depart from living in God’s Will and thereby simply accepting events as they unfold and instead begin to live according to our own will by clinging, grasping and attaching ourselves to other things/outcomes via our senses? Or like in this story, could the very manifestation of God be seated before us – each of His divine words of priceless value – and we lose some of those words because we can’t maintain focus and our attention shifts to the monkeys instead? This might seem an extreme example but subtle instances like these show up daily in our lives. If our objective is to have our inner focus on God continually throughout our routine life then we must be able to be in control of our senses so they don’t make us lose that focus. This is the virtue of striving for control of the senses and the reason why the Satpurush in our lives makes this a point of emphasis, via his teachings and his niyams. So therefore rather than seeing the control of the senses to be a negative, difficult spiritual practice perhaps we can instead see it as an opportunity to further connect to the divine throughout our day-to-day lives… just like Gunatitanand Swami did.

Maintaining Awareness and Control



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

THE HUMILITY OF SWAMI

22


Although Swami was of a saintly nature he was very adept in practical matters. As a preacher he

was of the highest caliber. His speech was clear. His preaching described the glory of Bhagwan

Swaminarayan and nurtured virtues, like, supreme bhakti, dharma, gnan, vairagya and others. His

nectarine speech flowed from his lips like the constant flow of the river Ganga.

Once, in Gadhada, Swami asked four questions to Maharaj, “Which out of the following four

means is the best? To constantly meditate on God, to behave as atma, to serve the ill or to deliver

spiritual discourses.” Maharaj asked these questions to the other sadhus. Everyone replied according

to his own inclination. hen Maharaj asked Muktanand Swami, he said that meditation was the best

means. But Maharaj differed from his opinion, and said, “To deliver spiritual discourses is the best

means. The first three endeavors are only for one’s own moksha, while the last one gives moksha

to both the speaker as well as the listener.” After this incident Swami decided to talk continuously

about the glory of Maharaj and never to allow any lull to creep in.

Whenever Maharaj was in Gadhada he would grant happiness to his devotees through his lila.

Once, Gunatitanand Swami had also come there. Maharaj, on many occasions would declare the

glory of Swami as his choicest devotee. On one occasion Maharaj called the eighteen sadgurus – Muktanand Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Nityanand Swami, Anand Swami, Gunatitanand Swami,

and others – for lunch at Dada Khachar’s darbar. Maharaj made them sit in a circle and began to

serve them himself. Maharaj said to all the sadhus, “All of you should learn to dine in the manner

in which Gunatitanand Swami dines.”

So Brahmanand Swami said with tongue-in-cheek, “The sadhu eats very well.” Hearing this

Maharaj said, “It is not as you understand it to be. This sadhu, in fact, relishes the taste of my

murti and puts food in his stomach just as one puts grains into a jar. Moreover, he hides his

powers and behaves in a humble manner, otherwise, the number of people which follow me

would also follow him.”

Learning this opinion of Maharaj, Brahmanand Swami acknowledged and said, “Yes Maharaj, he is

a great sadhu.” Similarly, Maharaj was once serving food to the sadhus at Panchala. Gunatitanand

Swami was taking his meals with Atmanand Swami seated on one side and Krupanand Swami on

the other. Seeing this, Maharaj smiled and said, “Oh! A goat between two tigers.” Thereafter,

Maharaj took four motaiya ladoos in his hands and addressed Kalyanbhai of Vanthali, “Kalyanbhai,

do you know this sadhu? He is my abode, Akshardham incarnate. Know him.” And so saying,

Maharaj served all the four motaiya ladoos to Swami. Thus, Kalyanbhai and others who were

present realized the true glory of Gunatitanand Swami.


Once, Maharaj arrived at Kariyani from Gadhada. From here Maharaj wanted to go to Vartal for

the festival of Ram Navmi or Hari Jayanti. But suddenly nineteen sadhus fell ill. Maharaj said, “I’ll

give the fruits of one hundred festivals to whoever stays to serve these ailing sadhus.” But nobody

was prepared to leave Maharaj and stay behind to serve the ailing sadhus. Only Swami, who

always knew Maharaj’s inner wish, volunteered. Maharaj was very happy and said, “Kudos to this

sadhu! He has not let me down.”

Maharaj then left for Vartal. Swami served the ailing sadhus with enthusiasm. By the grace of

Maharaj all the sadhus recovered fully. There were still a few days to go before the festival, so



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

23

Swami expressed his desire to go. All the sadhus gave their consent willingly and requested Swami

to embrace Maharaj on their behalf. Swami reached Vartal by constantly remembering Maharaj

along the way. Maharaj was very happy to see Swami for having served the ailing sadhus, and

embraced him nineteen times.

From the very beginning, Swami was in Muktanand Swami’s group. But other sadgurus, like,

Krupanand Swami, Bhai Atmanand Swami, Mota Ramdas Swami, Brahmanand Swami and others

requested that he be placed in their group. So, Maharaj used to post Swami to each group in turn.

Everyone wanted him due to his modesty, service-mindedness, politeness and constant love for

spiritual discourses. Each group treated him with love and respect. When Atmanand Swami was

sick, Swami remained in his group to care for him. After Atmanand Swami’s recovery, and with

his permission, Swami joined Krupanand Swami’s group.

Krupanand Swami was extremely affectionate towards Maharaj. He disliked even the slightest

disobedience in carrying out Maharaj’s orders. He disapproved of any behavior outside the rules of

Satsang. Therefore, only those sadhus who were patient and who only saw the virtues in others

continued with him. That’s why Swami preferred to stay in his group. Once somebody asked him,

“Why do you like to be with Krupanand Swami?” Swami replied, “Unless a person is disciplined

by elders he cannot imbibe the virtues of seniors. One cannot find out one’s own merits and

demerits without being told. Only those who obey the guru can cultivate the virtues of great

people. Krupanand Swami is forthright, so I prefer to remain with him.”



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

24


“Motā Sādhuno avgun nahi hoy ne kāī dosh hashe to tenī Bhagwānne fikar chhe, pan Motā Sādhuno avagun hashe tenu to pāp vajralep thāshe.” If one does not perceive faults in the great Sadhu but himself

has faults then God will worry about them for him. But if

one perceives faults in the great Sadhu, then his sin becomes

cast in iron and cannot be redeemed.

Chapter 4, Vāt 87.

“Motā sāthe jīv jode tyāre dosh talī jāy chhe ne tenā gun āve chhe, temā drashtānt: jem kāchne sūrya sāmo rākhe chhe temāthī devtā thāy chhe.’” When the jiva attaches itself to the great Sadhu, then all its

faults are dissolved and his virtues are gained. To illustrate:

just as when a glass is kept in sunlight, fire is produced from

it.


“Chintāmani kāī rūpālī na hoy, tem Bhagwān ne Sādhu pan manushya jevā ja hoy pan e divya chhe ne kalyānkārī chhe. Ne manushyanu deh chintāmani chhe.” The Chintamani is not necessarily beautiful in appearance.

Similarly, God and His holy Sadhu may look like humans but

they are divine and bestowers of salvation. And this body is

like a Chintamani.

Chapter 1, Vāt 87.

“Bājro khāvo ne Prabhu bhajvā, bīju kāī karvu nathī ne rotlā to Bhagwānne devā chhe, Sādhune devā chhe, te deshe, deshe ne deshe.” Eat simple food and worship God. There is no need to do

anything else. And God and His Sadhu want to give us

food, so they will certainly give it.


“Ā vātu to jādu chhe te sāmbhale to gāndo thāy. Te gāndo te shu je, jagat khotu thaī jāy, pachhī tene dāhyo kon kahe?” These talks are magic, and one who listens to them becomes

mad! Mad in what sense? The world appears false to him

and, then who will call him wise?


—— THE CIRCLE OF KINDNESS ——

Once upon a time, a car mechanic was driving his dirty

truck on an empty road. On the side of the road, there was

a helpless elderly lady whose car had a flat tire. The man

pulled over and approached the lady. Because of the man’s

shabby appearance, the lady shivered nervously as he walked

closer, but the man smiled at her reassuringly. He calmly

told her, “Don’t worry, madam. My name is Bryan

Anderson. You look like you have a flat tire, and I can fix

that for you.” Bryan then stooped down under the car and

ended up getting a few scratches on his arms while replacing

the flat tire. He replaced the tire in no time.

The lady thanked him and asked him how much she

should pay him. Bryan insisted on receiving no payment.

Bryan told her that many selfless people had helped him

when he had needed it, and they had expected nothing in

return. Bryan told her he only wanted one thing from her,

“When someone needs your help, think of me and think of

this moment, and then help them.”

Then, they parted. The lady needed a break during her

journey home. She stopped at a rundown cafe and ordered a

meal. The waitress had a cast on her broken arm, yet she

still cheerfully served the lady. The lady could see the pain in

the waitress’s eyes and immediately thought of Bryan

Anderson.

The lady then placed a hundred dollars at the table with

a note that said, “Thank you for being a great waitress.

Please accept this money and continue spreading kindness.”

When the waitress read the message, she immediately started

crying tears of happiness, since her family was in desperate

need of the money.

That night, the waitress went home and saw that her

husband was already asleep. He must be tired from trying to

earn enough money to keep their family alive. The waitress

saw some scratches on her husband’s arms. She

sympathetically leaned toward him and whispered in his ear,

“Don’t you worry, Bryan Anderson. God is always there for

us.”

What goes around comes around. God is always

watching us when we help others. As Sahebdada would say,

“To serve humanity is to serve God.” By fulfilling our duties

of helping others when they need our assistance, we are

playing our part as God’s children. In return, God will help

us through our own difficult times.


What did Mr. Anderson tell the elderly lady when she asked

how much to pay him?

What did the elderly lady do for the waitress at the diner?

Give two examples of how you can be nice to someone

without any expectations in return.



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|| Swami Shreeji ||

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P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

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T his week, we will discuss four important ideas that are portrayed in the stories from the Gunatitanand

Charitra. Maharaj asks His sadhus the best method of prayer. Is it meditation, soul-consciousness, charity, or preaching? Maharaj selects ‘delivering spiritual discourses’ as the most important of them all. He explains that preaching not only helps you understand your own sense of spirituality, but also helps others understand a different perspective. All of us have our own relationship with our guru and with God. Some of us like to meditate and some others prefer to help out in an organized charity. Others prefer to do neither, but yet somehow all of us are equal in God’s eyes. When Maharaj says that giving ‘spiritual discourses is the best means,’ the common phrase ‘sharing is caring’ comes to mind. Giving can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, but can also be the most rewarding. When a spiritual discourse is given, the speaker shares his knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is not necessarily a hard science, but rather about personal achievements through life experiences. Sharing your own experiences in life, speaking about your struggles and wins, can give so much light to others going through similar experiences. Swaminarayan Bhagwan explains to his top sadhus in layman terms that sharing life experiences with friends whether it pertains to spirituality (or not) is one of His favorite methods of prayer/devotion to God. Maharaj applauds Gunatitanand Swami saying that ‘He eats very well.’ At that point in time, in a small village in Gujarat, grains were a very valuable commodity and Swami was probably eating large quantities of food. The group of sadhus were clearly jeering at him for not being sadhu-like by failing to show restraint. Maharaj showed us a different perspective. He said that Gunatitanand Swami relishes the taste of His murti and eats as if ‘putting grains into a jar’ (imagine flour being poured into a barrel). Maharaj shows us a different perspective than what the other sadhus see. They see a man enjoying his meal, and Maharaj sees a man admiring the spirit of God. What was actually happening is between Gunatitanand Swami and God. Maharaj teaches his sadgurus not to judge a book by its cover. To the naked eye, Gunatitanand Swami is eating

delicious freshly cooked food. Internally, he is totally thinking about God and is hardly conscious of what he is eating. In satsang, you may be witness to something that seems wrong to you, but understand that you have no idea what is going on internally, as Maharaj is the all-doer. Deep down, a seemingly evil-minded person (in your eyes) may be acting in a way that is innocent and beautiful. Maharaj goes on praising Swami saying that ‘He hides his powers and behaves in a humble manner.’ Modern day society does not value humility enough. We can only get ahead if we show off our strongest attributes, so there is no room for the nice guy. Imagine if Lebron James purposely scored with a gentle layup instead of his classic slam dunk! Would he be as exciting if he were his humble self; moreover, would he get the huge Nike endorsements? Where does humility fit into a formula where self-confidence resulting from individual achievements equals success? Maharaj goes on to recognize Swami saying that he is a ‘goat between two tigers,’ a rather uncommon praise. In this metaphor, typically a goat would never survive such an ordeal. In this prasang we see the stark contrast between the spiritual world and materialistic world. Maharaj called Swami ‘humble...like a goat’ and still he was regarded as one of the greatest sadhus in Swaminarayan history. If he can achieve such greatness with such a humble attitude, perhaps we can also be successful without boasting about it. In the second prasang, only Gunatitanand Swami stays back to help the sick sadhus. The way the story is told, Gunatitanand Swami makes a sacrifice to miss the festival when nobody else wants to. Funnily enough, the sadhus get better just in time for Gunatitanand Swami to attend to the festival. When we sacrifice our wants and goals, we think that we are missing out on the fun or that we will never get what we want. Maharaj shows that self sacrifice isn’t a losing scenario. Instead of viewing the ‘ailing sadhus’ as an obstacle in the road, Swami sees it as a blessing. We get opportunities to serve our peers and our community constantly, especially in satsang. Next time we are given seva, think of Swami knowing that the outcome can be positive regardless of the situation.

A Different Perspective



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

UNION WITH THE ALMIGHTY

27


Once, Maharaj was conducting an assembly in the Akshar Ordi. Muktanand Swami, Gopalanand

Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Shuk Muni, Mulji Brahmachari, and other sadhus were present. At

that time Swami had gone with Krupanand Swami to the river Ghela for a bath. Here, while

bathing, Swami’s foot got trapped in a crevice. It was difficult to free it. At that time Maharaj

gave darshan and asked Swami to get it out slowly. Maharaj, at that precise moment, said the

same words to others in the Akshar Ordi. Hearing such an irrelevant remark, Brahmanand Swami

asked Maharaj about it. Maharaj again said, “Please remove my foot otherwise it will break.”

Mulji Brahmachari asked, “Maharaj, you are sitting here on a cot, so how can your foot break?”

So Maharaj smiled and said, “The foot of my abode, Gunatit, was trapped in a crevice and was

taken out with great difficulty.” In this way Maharaj showed his oneness with his abode, Akshar

(Gunatitanand Swami).


After the devotees who had come for the festival had dispersed, the devotees of Mahemdavad

requested Maharaj, “Please send a learned sadhu to our village to defeat the Vedantis and spread

Satsang.” Mahemdavad was a stronghold of Vedanti Brahmins. They prevented people from

becoming satsangis by using their pseudo-knowledge of Vedant philosophy. Maharaj tried to send a

learned sadhu but nobody was prepared to go. At last He ordered Swami to go with the devotees

to Mahemdavad.

When the Vedanti Brahmins of the village heard of Swami’s arrival, they came to the mandir to

defeat him in debate. Soon, there was a large congregation in the mandir. Swami addressed them,

“Pundits! You have merely theoretical knowledge of Brahma, and have learnt only to repeat,

‘Aham Brahmasmi’. But you have neither achieved the brahmic state nor have you realized God.

Shukdevji had attained the brahmic state and was thus above material attractions and passion for

women. Shukdevji possessed the all-pervading brahmic energy and, therefore, when Vyasji called

him he replied through a tree. If you have attained a similar brahmic state, come here and reply to

me from this pillar.

“But you have not attained that brahmic state. Your mundane desires have not gone yet. You

indulge in numerous ploys even for a penny. You have many friends and enemies. Your ego has

not yet dissolved. Also, you have not lost the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. You have not attained

equilibrium in good or bad taste. For you, a delicate and a rough touch do not mean the same

thing. You are still fascinated by attractive material objects. A sweet sound still charms your ears.

So, you repeat the phrase ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ like a parrot, but you can’t be called Brahma.

Na hi svãtmãrãmam vishayamrugatrushnã bhramayati. ‘Sensuous pleasures, which are like a mirage, cannot lead one who is a knower of atma astray.’

“When you attain that state, you will not have to tell others ‘I am brahma’. People will

automatically come to know that. Shukji or Jad Bharat never went around telling everyone. But

the world knew of their brahmic state. Where there is incompleteness, there is ego. So as long as

you merely utter ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, you are incomplete, and you worship only the letters and

not the spirit behind them. Shri Krishna has said in the Bhagvad Gita:

Atmaupamyena sarvatra samam pashyati yoarjuna; Sukham vã yadi vã dukham sa yogi paramo matah.



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‘O Arjun, one who, like he sees himself, sees everyone equally in matters of happiness or misery,

that yogi is superior.’

“Have you attained that state? Do you have a desire to share the happiness as well as the woes of

others? When somebody’s son dies you preach to him the knowledge of Brahma, but when your

goat dies, you shout and cry.

“The false knowledge of such hypocritical pundits will no longer survive. Swaminarayan himself is

Parabrahma and many have become, are becoming and will continue to become brahma by

worshipping him. So after shedding all your hypocrisy, if you really wish to attain the brahmic

state, I can take you to Parabrahma. You may read or contemplate on many shastras but you’ll

never attain the brahmic state, unless you surrender yourselves to Parabrahma Paramatma

Swaminarayan. And I am the eternal Brahma sustaining the innumerable cosmos.”

As soon as Swami had finished his statement, floods of divine light emanated from his body. The

pseudopundits who were sitting there were dazzled. The building in which Swami was sitting

began to shake as if life had come into it. The Pundits were frightened and thought that the home

might collapse. On seeing their anxious faces, Swami smiled and said, “Don’t be afraid. It won’t

collapse. If you are brahma, absorb this light.”

Then, Swami himself absorbed the light in order to pacify them. All of them cried, “You are

indeed Brahma!” Then Swami said, “I am indeed Brahma, but Swaminarayan is Parabrahma. So if

you are convinced, come for his darshan.”

Some of them were so impressed with Swami’s divine power that they touched his feet and

became his disciples. Some of them felt defeated and went home. But from then on they were

convinced that ‘among the sadhus of Swaminarayan there is certainly a divine genius.’



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

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“Ek jan ek mandirmā pānchase rūpiyā mūkīne chālyā gayā pan etlā rūpiyā bethā bethā khāīne sādhuno samāgam karyo hot to bahu samās thāt.” One person donated Rs. 500 to a mandir and then left. But

if he had used it to live on and spent his time in spiritual

association with sadhus, then he would have gained much

more benefit.

Chapter 2, Vāt 25.

“Pūrvano sanskār hoy pan ūtarto sang male to sanskār talī jāy ne so janme sāro thavāno hoy tene rūdo sang male to tarat sāro thaī jāy.” If one is of good merits from past births, but encounters bad

company, then the good merits are destroyed. And one

destined to become good only after a hundred births

immediately becomes good, if he attains good company (of a

Satpurush).

Chapter 5, Vāt 39.

“Āpne jānīe chhīe je, āpanne Bhagwānmā het chhe pan āpnā kartā to āpnā upar Bhagwānne ne Sādhune jhājhu het chhe.” We believe that we have love for God, but God and His

holy Sadhu have even more love for us.


“Satsang shabdano arth Motā Sādhuno sang e satsang ane jene Motā Sādhune vash karyā tene Bhagwān vash thaī rahyā.” The meaning of the word satsang is 'the association of the

great Sadhu'. And one who has pleased the great Sadhu has

also pleased God.

Chapter 4, Vāt 16.

“Motāne sevyā hoy ne tenā gun āvyā hoy tene desh-kāl na lāge, te kenī pethe? To jem sūryanī āgal andhāru bhelu thaīne jāy, pan tyā rahevā pāme nahi.” If one has served the great Sadhu and acquired his virtues

then adverse circumstances will have no effect on oneself.

This is like darkness going before the Sun, but is unable to

exist there.

Chapter 1, Vāt 6.

—— HEAVEN AND HELL ——

A man asked God if he could take a trip to Heaven and

Hell. God agreed and first took the man to the doors of

Hell.

In Hell, there was a round table with a large pot of

delicious soup in the middle. People were sitting all around

the table. They had spoons to drink the soup; however, these

spoons were extremely long. The handles of the spoons were

longer than their arms, so they couldn’t get the spoonful of

soup back into their mouths. Thus, everyone in Hell was

hungry and cranky.

The man was horrified by these conditions and

immediately asked God to take him to Heaven. When the

man walked through the doors of Heaven, he was shocked by

what he saw.

The setup was exactly the same as it had been in Hell.

There was a round table with soup in the middle, and there

were people with long spoons surrounding the table.

However, the people here were not trying to feed themselves

with the spoons. Rather, they used their spoons to feed the

people across the table, since the handle was the perfect

length for that! As a result, the people in Heaven were

plump and cheerful.

The man asked God what the difference was between

Heaven and Hell. God replied, “Helping others is enough to

be the difference between misery and happiness.”

Helping others is our path to happiness. When we do

good for others, we feel ourselves glowing from inside, since

we have made others—and ultimately ourselves—happy.

Misery and happiness depend on whether we serve ourselves

or we serve others. God wants us to do seva for others. We

are the servants of God’s devotees, and being selfless and

kind to others is what a true satsangi would do. Kindness is a

choice. Choose wisely, and you will please Sahebdada.


Why is everyone in Hell cranky?

How did everyone in Heaven deal with the situation?

Share an example of when you were having trouble by

yourself but the help of someone else made it much easier to

accomplish your goal.



P A R T I

|| Swami Shreeji ||

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P A R T I

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T his week, both stories mentioned the concept of Brahma. Since it is commonly referred to in Swaminarayan Satsang,

let’s try to understand it. Brahma is one of ‘five eternal realities’ as described by Nilkanth Varni: Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, Brahma, and Parabrahma. Jiva refers to the individual soul, which in its purest form is blissful, eternal, and full of consciousness. The jiva’s power is governed by God, but because it is ensnared by maya it fails to recognize its true form and true objective in life. Ishwar is a soul that has achieved certain spiritual powers bestowed by Brahma and Parabrahma for the purpose of governing the universe and forces of creation. In mythology, Ishwars are demi-Gods—the God of the Sun, God of Wealth, God of Fertility, etc. Maya refers to a force that envelops and swallows almost everything. In our physical existence it is represented by the material world, which can be the source of our unhappiness and also instant gratification. It’s what keeps us irrational and emotional. In essence, maya takes us way from realizing that we are jivas that want to be in communion with God. The sole purpose of Brahma is to serve God. Brahma is unaffected by maya. This is the main attribute that differentiates Brahma from jiva and Ishwar. Parabrahma refers to the Supreme God. Let’s physically define Parabrahma. The Swaminarayan understanding of God is that He is all-powerful and all-knowing. God is completely aware of our entire world. God is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer. God is full of divine bliss, has a divine form shaped like a human being, and is also responsible for creating and distributing karma. Finally, he is constantly present through ‘Brahma’/God-realized Saint. Let’s understand Brahma’s relationship to God. The sole purpose and desire of Brahma is to serve the Lord, and he does so in a two-fold manner. In personal form, Brahma incarnates as the ‘ideal devotee’ to serve God. Brahma also acts a medium by which an aspirant can reach God. This personal form of Brahma is better known as a God-realized sadhu and for the Swaminarayan Satsang, Gunatitanand Swami and his spiritual successors (Sahebdada). In impersonal form, Brahma serves God by being His divine home, in which liberated souls reside. It’s heaven. In the impersonal form, Brahma is the home of God (Parabrahma). In fact, Lord Swaminarayan repeatedly has spoken that without Gunatitanand Swami, He cannot exist. Parabrahma and Brahma are tied together for eternity; neither exists without the other. Note that Sahebdada says that heaven exists on earth. There is no scientific evidence that a physical heaven exists. Rather, we want to live a life where we feel like we live in heaven on earth. Let’s understand Brahma through the stories that were read this week. Brahma is the servant of God. In the first story,

Swaminarayan Bhagwan describes his relationship with Gunatitanand Swami to show the relationship between Parabrahma and Brahma. When Swami’s foot is stuck, so is Maharaj’s. Whatever happens to Brahma, happens to Parabrahma. They are connected through mind, body, and soul; they are essentially the same being. The only difference is that Brahma remains a servant to Parabrahma, even though their powers are equal. In the second story, Gunatitanand Swami debates with Brahmins (learned scholars of the Hindu Vedas). Gunatitanand Swami’s argument is that the pundits say that they are ‘Brahma,’ but they do not act in that way. Swami goes on to explain that they are not capable of talking to God through a tree, they are greedy, have enemies, have an ego, they judge food by its taste, they like pretty things and sweet sounds. Swami explains that when you are Brahma, you don’t need to show it to others, it’s revealed by itself. Swami then declares Swaminarayan Bhagwan as Parabrahma and himself as Brahma. He proves it by having a divine light emanate from himself. Before Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s time, understanding these five eternal realities was very difficult. Only Brahmin pundits claimed to understand the knowledge, and their understanding was limited by their own spiritual progress. Swaminarayan Bhagwan eternally simplified the Hindu scriptures by showing the power of Brahma and then declaring that Brahma will live on through the ages. Today we commonly refer to Brahma as a ‘God-realized Saint,’ and Sahebdada helps us understand Hindu principles and our relationship to God.

Let’s understand how to connect to Brahma in a five step process, as explained by Dr. Manoj Soni

1. Parabrahma (God) is omnipotent. He is even greater than previous avatars.

2. God has a divine physical form. He is not a formless spirit. 3. God is forever present through Brahma/God-realized

Saint/Sahebdada 4. Develop uncommon and extraordinary love for Sahebdada 5. Join your soul with Sahebdada to overcome maya

In today’s world (including Trump world), we want to live our daily lives with bliss and peace. We want to care for the people around us, try hard to uplift the world around us, and take care of ourselves. Swaminarayan Bhagwan spoke on multiple occasions that His devotees/followers would be blessed with someone like Sahebdada. For us, Sahebdada is a friend, a grandfather, a guru, and most importantly a vehicle to communicate with God. In this way, we can better understand Hindu principles as they apply to our lives, and use that knowledge to live better, healthier, and happier lives.

The Five Eternal Realities

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