table of contents 1 appendix aashirvād app. b week 6 app....

USA YUSA YUSA YOUTHOUTHOUTH SSSABHAABHAABHA SSSAHAJANANDAHAJANANDAHAJANAND SSSWAMIWAMIWAMI MMMAHARAJAHARAJAHARAJ SSSEMESTEREMESTEREMESTER

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

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Appendix App. A - How to Use This Syllabus App. B - Sabha Arrangment App. C - Stuti: Shlokas App. D - Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari App. E - Dhun App. F - Thal App. G - Arti App. H - Ending Shloka App. I - Sabha Cleanup

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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 Saheb Dada 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 Saheb Dada 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 Saheb Dada shower their bless-ings upon you and make you eternally happy! Yours, Harshad Dada’s Jai Swaminarayan!


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Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - The Beginning of Swaminarayan History For Juniors Swamini Vato Story - Being Realistic Activity - Picnic Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - A Swaminarayan Goal Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 1

App. C App. E App. D

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TTTHEHEHE BBBEGINNINGEGINNINGEGINNING OFOFOF SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN HHHISTORYISTORYISTORY

—— PRASANG 1 ——

Ramanand Swami had led the Uddhav Sampraday of the Vishistadwaita Philosophy with sincerity

and devotion. He had heard in a prophecy that he would, one day, meet God incarnate. In August,

1800, Ramanand Swami met Nilkanth Varni in Lojpur, Saurashtra. From childhood, He showed the

highest level of devotion to all murtis of God, and at the age of eleven Nilkanth left home to travel

as an ascetic. For seven years, He travelled 12000 km throughout India from the northernmost

reaches in the Himalayas to the southernmost tip in Kanyakumari, and from the east in Ayodhya to

the west in Saurashtra. He travelled through the scorching sun and unbearable cold learning differ-

ent religious practices whilst also inspiring countless devotees to live fruitful and devoted lives. Ra-

manand Swami instantly realized Nilkanth’s glory and conveyed to all that Nilkanth was not just a

young sadhu, but God incarnate.

Nineteen year old Nilkanth settled into Ramanand Swami’s ashram, and became dear to all. He was

soon initiated into sainthood. Within six months of staying there, Nilkanth explained to devotees

the values of dharma, gnan, vairagya, and bhakti. Nilkanth won over all that He met, and set standards

for the satsang. When He asked that women and men pray separately, no one disagreed. And when

Nilkanth wished to wake up at four in the morning to teach the sadhus yoga, everyone was over-

joyed.

Ramanand Swami felt that his life’s work was complete, as he was just a ‘drum beater’ in the play-

the real actor was Nilkanth Varni. Ramanand Swami wished to bequeath Nilkanth the seat of the

Uddhav Sampraday. The other senior sadhus such as Muktanand Swami wholeheartedly accept Ra-

manand Swami’s decision.

In Jetpur, the Swaminarayan history would begin with the spiritual coronation of Sahajanand Swa-

mi. Ramanand Swami was extremely joyful that day. Finally, the dream of which he had been pro-

claiming to the entire satsang was to come true. Ramanand Swami made arrangements for a tremen-

dous celebration. Devotees from all corners of Gujarat were invited and provisions for an appropri-

ate feast had been made. Several yagna were prepared and the entire village was decorated befitting

the occasion.

On Monday, November 16, 1801, before sunrise, Ramanand Swami took Sahajanand Swami for a

ritual bath near the Bhadarganga River. Hundreds of sadhus and devotees, accompanied by a grand

procession of elephants, horse-drawn carriages, palanquins, and a marching band, followed honor-

ing Sahajanand Swami. While Sahajanand Swami bathed, Brahmins chanted Sanskrit shloka, and the

senior sadhus performed sixteen different rituals offering worship. Thereafter, Ramanand Swami

brought Sahajanand Swami to the assembly hall. Everybody had already arrived at the hall, and the

Brahmins had begun their rituals. Upon Ramanand Swami’s and Sahajanand Swami’s arrival, the

entire assembly hall stood and gave a thunderous applause. There was an air of divinity as Rama-

nand Swami seated Sahajanand Swami on the decorative, high seat. At the conclusion of the rituals,

Ramanand Swami appointed this young twenty-one year old Sahajanand as the successor and the

head of the Satsang Fellowship.

SahajanandCharitraSahajanandCharitraSahajanandCharitra

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After the spiritual coronation was completed, Ramanand Swami faced the assembly exclaiming, “O

bhakta. O sadhu! We are so lucky to be here today in the presence of this young Sahajanand Swami. I

have been telling you for years that I was merely a drum-beater in God’s play. God is now here in

the form of Sahajanand Swami. He will establish ekantik dharma, and He will take your souls to

Akshardam!”

Then, Ramanand Swami applied the ritualistic chandlo on Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s forehead.

Ramanand Swami explained, “Oh Sahajanand Swami. I have established this Satsang, and today I

give it to you. For the redemption of devotees inspire dharma, gnan, bhakti, vairagya. For upasana,

build mandirs and compose shastra. As your guru, I feel that I should gift you. But O Sahajanand

Swami! You are the supreme master and the all-doer. Please, tell me what can I offer you?”

Sahajanand Swami humbly bowed down to Ramanand Swami. Facing the assembly, He spoke to

Ramanand Swami, “ O Ramanand Swami. You are my beloved guru. Please bless me with two

boons!” Hearing this, the entire assembly became intrigued. What possibly could Sahajanand Swami

Maharaj ask from Ramanand Swami! “ Ramanand Swami, my heart trembles to know that a devotee

of God is suffering. Please, if a devotee is to suffer pain, then let that suffering instead come to me

multiplied millions of times in every pore of my body. Secondly, I pray that God’s devotee never

be in lack of food, clothing, and shelter. These are my two wishes.”

The entire assembly was struck by the heartfelt and honest prayer of Sahajanand Swami. They be-

came emotional hearing His empathy and concern for the wellbeing of devotees. Sahajanand Swa-

mi’s prayer to Ramanand Swami concluded the official ceremony. Then, a grand procession was

taken out in Jetpur as a proclamation of the inauguration.

Thereafter, Ramanand Swami called several devotees to personally meet Sahajanand Swami. One

such devotee was Mulji Sharma of Bhadra. Mulji was introduced to Sahajanand Swami. However,

Sahajanand Swami explained to Ramanand Swami that He had already met Mulji Sharma. He ex-

plained that He has known Mulji for eternity. In fact, Mulji Sharma was the human manifestation of

heaven, Akshardham. Sahajanand Swami prophesized that Mulji Sharma would be initiated as an

unsurpassed Gunatit-status sadhu.

Ramanand Swami was satisfied with his work for the satsang fellowship. He had served tirelessly,

visiting countless villages gathering devotees. He had propounded the Vishistadwaita Philosophy,

explaining to all the benefit of a prayer to God through a God-realized Saint. He had earned the

immense grace of God, and had served as the guru of God incarnate. Ramanand Swami knew that

the entire Satsang was in good hands. On 17 December 1801 (Magshar sud 13, Samvat 1858), while

meditating on his seat in Faneni, Ramanand Swami left his mortal body and went to Akshardham.

As news spread of Ramanand Swami’s passing away (Akshardham gaman), thousands of devotees

became overwhelmed with grief. At that time Sahajanand Swami took leadership and consoled eve-

ryone, “Great souls never leave this world. By obeying Swami’s commands one will not feel that he

has departed, and one will come to realize the manifest form of God.”


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JJJUNIORSUNIORSUNIORS

—— SWAMINI VATO ——

“Vishayne mārge āndhalā thāvu, baherā thāvu, lulā thavu, em thavu, pan āsakta na thāvu.” On the path of sense pleasures, become blind, deaf, and lame, but do not become attached to them. Chapter 2, Vāt 116.

“Ā lokmā be dukh chhe, te anna-vastra na male ke na pache, ne te vinānu dukh to agnānnu chhe. There are two miseries in this world: not getting food and clothing or that they cannot be digested or used; apart from these all miseries are due to ignorance. Chapter 2, Vāt 71.

“Ame to koti kalpa thayā joie chhie pan, pachās koti jojan pruthvimā āvā sādhu nathi.” 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. Chapter 1, Vāt 291.

—— PICNIC GAME ——

Materials needed: None. How to play: One person begins by thinking of a theme of food to bring to a picnic and without sharing with anyone says, ―I‘m going on a picnic and bringing cookies.‖ This indi-vidual then lets others guess what types of food they can bring and says yes or no. If the theme were desserts, if the second person asked if they Swamini Vato Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA. Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.

Swamini Vato Swamini Vato Swamini Vato ––– Activity Activity Activity ––– StoryStoryStory

Ages 5-13

—— STORY: BEING REALISTIC ——

Sapna was excited because today she was going to plant a tomato garden with her dad! She had read about plants in her science class and her teacher had given out the seeds to the best students in the class. She had worked hard all week long in class and had earned those seeds for herself. Sapna had a big plan in mind. She was going to plant these seeds, water and take care of the garden and then in a few months, when the tomatoes grew, she was going to sell them to the neighbors. After selling the tomatoes to the neighbors, she was going to collect that money and save up so that she could buy herself a PS3. Those were expensive and her par-ents had told her she had to pay half of it herself. So a couple months passed after the seeds had been planted and Sapna was still thinking of the PS3 she was go-ing to buy. She had made a list of the games she wanted with it and had already cleared a space to put it in her room. However, she became impatient and was waiting for the to-matoes to show up on her plants! They were nowhere to be seen. She would go every day to water the plants and then she would lift up the leaves and branches to search for even a single tomato. She started getting so antsy that she would go check for the tomatoes many times in the day! Sapna’s mother noticed Sapna doing this over and over again day after day. She waited for a week, and then she finally approached Sapna and told her, “Sapna, do you know the reason why your tomato plant is not growing?” Sapna replied by shaking her head. Sapna’s mother said, “You are too impatient! You keep touching the leaves and lifting the branches, so the plant gets damaged day after day even as it tries to grow. Do not be so hasty.” Moral of the story: Don’t rely on something that has not happened yet! Also phrased as, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Discussion Questions What kind of garden is Sapna going to be planting? How did Sapna get the seeds to start this garden? What is Sapna expecting to do with the money she makes from this garden? What was her mistake? What lesson is Sapna teaching us from this story?

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Word SearchWord SearchWord Search

Ages 5-13

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A SA SA SWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN GGGOALOALOAL

T here have been many avatars of God from the ‘fish God’ to the ‘half man-half lion God’ all the way

through Ram, Krishna, Jesus Christ, Moses, Allah, and Bud-dha. Each time God came on this earth, He imparted wis-dom to His devotees. He gave techniques and instruments to establish righteousness and further society. Each avatar of God was successful in its own way. Matsya, the fish God, saved the first man, Manu, by advising him to build a boat before a great flood. Narasimha, the half man-half lion, killed the tyrant Hiranyakashipu to rescue his son, Prahlada who was a devotee. Rama Bhagwan es-tablished righteousness and killed the demon Ravana. Similarly, Krishna Bhagwan killed the evil King Kansa and showed devotees true love. Jesus Christ and Allah desired to redeem mankind from their sins and to join them with God. Moses' purpose was to free the Hebrews from the Egyptians, deliver them to the promise land, and present the 10 commandments to the people. Buddha wished devotees to understand the subtle difference between materialism and spirituality, and that unhappiness stems from desire. Swaminarayan Bhagwan took birth in Chhapaiya and then traveled 12000 km across India as an ascetic. Over the course of His travels, He met many landlords and kings who were so attracted by His divinity that they offered their entire estates. But Swaminarayan Bhagwan always bluntly refused them…then one day Ramanand Swami offers Swaminarayan Bhagwan a small, tamed religious organization in Gujarat, and He accepts it with open arms? In fact, Ramanand Swami had cultivated a spiritual organization built on fundamental principles that would openly invite the Swaminarayan philosophy…What was Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s goal? The answer to that lies in Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s first name, Sahajanand Swami. Sahajanand’s literal translation is ‘to be easily happy, to have effortless inner happiness regardless of situations or circumstances around you’. When God took birth on April 3, 1781, He wished to give His devotees unconditional love, peace of mind, and liberation of the soul (moksha). Then God went back to Akshardham on June 1st, 1830… Awesome. This time, Swaminarayan Bhagwan did mankind a massive favor. For the benefit of the Sampraday, he built six huge temples, he established Acharyas, and he wrote scriptures (for example, the Shikshapatri, a code of conduct for those devotees who want to live a fulfilling life). He decid-

ed to stay on earth, to be continually manifested through a deemed Saint. The lineage of Saints that we describe today is a lineage of not just spiritually wise saints, but a lineage of Saints that are manifestations of God. We have met such a Saint today, Saheb Dada. Yet we still have established religious organization through the Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hin-dus that believe in Krishna and Rama. Why believe in Swa-minarayan Bhagwan? Remember, there is only one God. Swaminarayan Bhagwan represents the God to whom we pray, yet forms of his avatar manifested in the past as Krishna Bhagwan, as Jesus Christ, and currently as God-realized Saints! The word of God has always been the same, but it is hard to relate to what Swaminarayan Bhagwan said 200 years ago, or what Jesus Christ said 2000 years ago. Today Sa-heb Dada can easily relate the word of God to us in this modern-day world. The difference is similar to using a regular phone versus using a iPhone. Of course, we can text or call on either, but having an iPhone is like having the world in your pocket; it incorporates decades of tech-nology in a modern way. The value in perusing Holy Scrip-tures is nothing compared to the word of these God-realized Saints. In fact, these Saints are in constant com-munion with God and so whatever questions we have for God can actually be asked; talking to these Saints is tanta-mount to talking to God! The Swaminarayan goal is to recognize that God is with us, every moment of the day, through these deemed Saints. When we know that we have personally met God, when we have hugged God, touched God, and spoken to God, what more can we ask for? Whatever we wish to accomplish in this world, whatever we wish to understand from this world, and whatever we wish to enjoy in this world is possible knowing that we have met God, The Cre-ator. This time, God made sure that He did His part; He promised to stay with His devotees forever and ever through Gunatit saints.

Yogi Youth EditorialYogi Youth EditorialYogi Youth Editorial

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Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance

Name: Youth Sabha Center: Time/Date/Place of Sabha: Attendance: Sections Completed (check boxes accordingly):

□ Sahajanand Charitra: The Beginning of Swaminarayan History

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: A Swaminarayan Goal

□ Junior Story: Being Realistic

□ Junior Activity: Picninc Game

□ Other:

Outstanding Performance of the Week: Name of Certificate Winner: Please circle categories: Suggestions:

Please return this completed report to P. Swatiben Patel through email OR regular mail. E-mail address: [email protected] Home address: 7005 Glorious Light Place Columbia, MD 21044

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Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - The “Swaminarayan” Mahamantra For Juniors Swamini Vato Story - Sudama & Krishna Activity - Name Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - Swaminarayan Mahamantra Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 1


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TTTHEHEHE “S“S“SWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN” M” M” MAHAMANTRAAHAMANTRAAHAMANTRA

—— PRASANG 1 —— Ramanand Swami decided to end his stay on earth. Thinking such, he caught a fever; he lost all in-terest in food, and grew seriously weak. As he departed, he sat in a meditative posture, and bade farewell to devotees explaining, “Sahajanand Swami is God. He is the source of everything, and He controls everything. He is Lord Krishna and He is Lord Rama. Believe Him and stay in His service. I was simply a puppet of Varni by bringing you all together. This Varni will spread Ekantik Dhar-ma, and He will take you all to heaven.” On Thursday, December 17, 1801, Ramanand Swami breathed his last. Every devotee plunged into remembrance and mourning. Sahajanand Swami consoled all the devotees, asking them to take strength in their inner spirituality, “The spiritually great never leave this earth. Think of Ramanand Swami, and he will be with you.” For thirteen days, Sahajanand Swami and Muktanand Swami performed death rites to relieve the sadness of the devotees of Ramanand Swami. Then Sahajanand Swami began to cultivate the Satsang. He preached moral and ethical standards, attracting devotees. He asked that the saints de-velop virtues of truth, compassion, purity, tolerance, non-violence, service, self-control, and piety. He asked the devotees to abstain from eating meat and drinking alcohol, to practice ahimsa, to nev-er commit suicide, nor to steal from or slander anyone. Through Sahajanand Swami’s discourses, devotees’ hearts refilled with the love that they had been missing from Ramanand Swami. All were drawn towards Him, as they began to call Him by the beloved name of Shriji Maharaj. On the fourteenth day, in Faneni, twenty-one year old Sahajanand Swami gathered all the devotees and sat them down. He asked the leading devotees what their method of prayer was. Some said that they chanted the Ram-Ram dhun, while others said they chanted the Krishna dhun, Shiva dhun, or Hanuman dhun. Sahajanand Swami, in turn, asked the devotees to chant ‘Swaminarayan.’ While chanting the ‘Swaminarayan’ Mahamantra, Sahajanand Swami graced the devotees with samadhi. In this trance-like state, devotees saw their deity of choice, and then they saw that deity merge with Sahajanand Swami. Here He showed that in fact, there is just one God. That God was present on earth as Sahajanand Swami Maharaj! Those that understood this began to lovingly call Him Lord Swaminarayan. During Sahajanand Swami’s discourse on the ‘Swaminarayan’ mantra, Shitaldas felt great peace within, and felt compelled to go bow down to Sahajanand Swami. Shitaldas explained that he had travelled from central India in search of a great saint like Ramanand Swami, but was saddened that he had passed away. Sahajanand Swami Maharaj offered Shitaldas the darshan of Ramanand Swami; Shitaldas agreed as he fervently desired Ramanand Swami’s darshan. Sahajanand Swami began His divine miracle by asking Shitaldas to sit cross-legged, in an upright posture, and chant ‘Swaminarayan’. Immediately, Shitaldas experienced samadhi! In this trance-like state he saw Sahajanand Swami Maharaj seated on a throne in Akshardham. Beside Him was Rama-nand Swami and twenty-four other incarnations praying to Maharaj. Amazed, Shitaldas began to offer puja to Maharaj, Ramanand Swami, and the other avatars. He also wished to offer puja to the akshar-mukto, but there were so many! Maharaj advised Shitaldas to ask God to give him several forms so that he could do puja to all the liberated devotees. Shitaldas, thinking that Ramanand Swa-mi was God, prayed to Ramanand Swami that he could attain innumberable forms; he was unsuc-cessful. Then, Maharaj advised to Shitaldas to request the same from any of the twenty-four avatars


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Faneni: a village of the Rajkot district, Saurashtra


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of God; still Shitaldas could not achieve what he wanted. Finally, Maharaj said to Shitaldas, “Make a wish, Shitaldas, that if I, Sahajanand Swami am God manifest, that I can give you countless bodies through which you can offer puja to these devotees in heaven.” Shitaldas did just that, and no soon-er did he see countless forms of himself issuing out from his body to offer puja to the liberated souls. Then, Shitaldas turned his gaze to Lord Swaminarayan and saw infinite avatars emanating from Him and then merging back into Him. Shitaldas finally regained consciousness. With a glow of divinity on his face, he exclaimed that Sahajanand Swami Maharaj was God Himself. Lord Swaminarayan granted samadhi to several devotees like Shitaldas to show that He was God’s present manifestation on earth.

—— PRASANG 2 —— Samadhi is a state typically achieved after decades of austerities and devotion. Muktanand Swami was upset that Lord Swaminarayan was giving samadhi so freely because then the devotees would not uphold the other forms of worship. Though Muktanand Swami explained this to Sahajanand Swami with the Satsang’s best interest at heart, Muktanand Swami doubted Lord Swaminarayan’s all-powerful and controlling personality. Knowing this, Lord Swaminarayan still left Ramanand Swa-mi’s footprints on the throne of the assembly hall, and sat in a seat beside it. One day, when Muktanand Swami was in the jungle, Ramanand Swami appeared to him in a divine form. He reprimanded Muktanand Swami for doubting Sahajanand Swami’s actions, “Sahajanand Swami is God Himself. He holds this earth in his palm; likewise, He controls countless universes. Without His wish, a dry leaf cannot even fall from a tree. Believe Him to be God as He will take you all to heaven!” Hearing Ramanand Swami, Muktanand Swami became elated and convinced of the divinity of Saha-janand Swami. Muktanand rushed to see Sahajanand Swami and found Him seated in the sabha. He literally lifted Him from His seat, and placed Him on the throne. Muktanand Swami bowed to Saha-janand Swami with reverence, and instantly sang to Him, ‘Jai Sada Guru Swami, Prabhu Jai Anta-rayami!...’ (the arti that we sing today). Muktanand Swami was overjoyed with the understanding that he had met God. He forgot the ava-tars that he used to pray to, and began to focus his entire attention on Lord Swaminarayan. Never forgetting the value of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama, Muktanand Swami realized the importance of prayer to a pragat, alive, form of God. It was only through Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s association that Muktanand would achieve full confidence, full clarity and peace of mind, and ultimately attain the happiness of heaven on earth. In the arti, ‘Jai Sada Guru Swami, Prabhu Jai Antarayami!...’ Muk-tanand Swami revealed the importance of chanting Swaminarayan to the present form of God!


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“Satsang thāy tene dukh rahe nahi, te satsang te shu? Je ātmā ne Paramātmā e be ja chhe.” When satsang is imbibed, no miseries remain. What is that satsang - it is that only atma and Parmatama exist for ever. Chapter 1, Vāt 295.

“Nirantar mālā ferve, te kartā pan samjan adhik chhe, māte mukhya e vāt rākhvi.” Understanding the form and greatness of God and His holy Sadhu is greater than continuously doing mala. So keep this as the main thought. Chapter 1, Vāt 296.

“Ā vātu to jenā bhundā āshay hashe tene dabāvi daine pan upar nikle evi chhe.” These talks are such that they suppress even those with evil intentions and make their good effects felt. Chapter 1, Vāt 302.

—— NAME GAME ——

Materials needed: None. Everyone sit in a circle and place both palms, facing up, on your knees. Each person should connect with the people next to them, with each person‘s right hand on top and left hand below. One person will start and say a name by clap-ping their hand across to the person on their left. This game continues until someone repeats a name or hesitates. That individual is the kicked out of the circle and the circle closes up. Repeats start over when the entire round is finished and a winner has been determined. Swamini Vato Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA. Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.


Ages 5-13

—— STORY: SUDAMA & KRISHNA ——

When Krishna Bhagwan was 10 years old, he had a friend named Sudama. The two of them studied together with the same Guru and lived in an ashram together. After they finished their studies, the guru told them it was time to leave and join the real world. The two friends said good-bye to each other and decided to keep in touch. Years later, they had both gotten married and lived their own lives. Krishna Bhagwan had a big palace and lived there with Rukmani, who is his wife. Sudama had married a Brahmin woman and lived in a simple cottage. He had two kids and they also lived simply. As the kids were growing up, they became sad that they did not have blankets to sleep on and nice clothes to wear. Sudama’s wife asked him to go to see Krishna Bhagwan, in the hopes that bhagwan would help them out. Sudama had the idea of taking him powa*. That was Krish-na’s favorite snack when they were younger. Once Sudama was ready to go, his wife reminded him, “It’s not right to go empty-handed to Krishna Bhagwan! Were you not going to take some powa for him?” Sudama agreed, and even though he and his wife had nothing to offer in their house, his wife brought some powa from the neighborhood. With a sack of powa in hand, Sudama finally arrived at Krishna Bhagwan’s grand palace. Krishna received him with open arms, washed his feet, gave him a luxurious room to sleep in and even fed him the best food. When he saw that Sudama had brought him powa, he was overjoyed by the thoughtfulness of his friend. As Suda-ma left his friend’s palace, he was walking and was thinking of all the memories. Before he realized it, he had made it to his town but he could not find his cottage. Instead, there was a huge house with nice clothes for his children, luxurious beds and other comforts that Sudama had never had. That was when Sudama realized how giving Krishna was. Just by remembering his friend’s favorite food, it made Krishna bhagwan so happy that he gave him so many comforts. *powa: puffed rice snack, commonly eaten in India Discussion Questions Who is Sudama? How old were the boys when they studied together? What does Sudama bring to Krishna as a gift? How is Krishna bhagwan helpful to his friend? Name a time when someone was helpful to you and how that made you feel.

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Ages 5-13

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SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN MMMAHAMANTRAAHAMANTRAAHAMANTRA


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R amanand Swami went to Akshardham on Thursday, December 17th, 1801. On the 14th day following his

passing, Shriji Maharaj called an assembly and explained, “Until today, everyone in our satsang has been chanting different names of God. Some say Krishna-Krishna and some say Rama-Rama and some pray to Jesus. For unity, we should all pray with one mantra, as there is just one God. From today, with any mala, bhajan, or dhun you do, pray with the Swaminarayan mantra. We are so blessed to receive association with such a significant maha-mantra! With this simple five syllable word, God is at our doorstep. He can walk in front of us wherever we go, He can guide us through diffi-cult decisions, He can give stheertha (steady-mindedness) in otherwise emotional circumstances, and He can give us the ultimate form of satisfaction in any action and thought. Truly, with the association of the Swaminarayan maha-mantra, devotees have no worries at all! There is no caveat. Guruvarya Param Pujya Sahebdada says that chanting this maha-mantra, we will get so much more out of our social life and hobbies. It seems counter-intuitive; how can praying give one more enjoyment in life’s activities than the activities themselves? Sahebdada gives a wonderful example of a typical ‘Patel’ in Gujarat, who loves sweets, especially shrikhand. Patel’s are well known to be powerful and strong-minded. So, when a random person makes fun of this Patel, he gets so ticked off, that when he comes home to a dinner with shrikhand for dessert, he doesn’t enjoy it at all! His anger consumes him so much that even his favorite sweet cannot make him feel better. Gunatitanand Swami in his vato says “Ghana ne man ramade, ghana man ne ramade.” Some people are controlled by their mind, others control their minds. The Patel that became upset by the stranger clear-ly did not have control over his mind. The Swaminarayan Maha-mantra can help us gain control over our minds. In fact, men are consumed by their thoughts, and are stuck in a social bubble of action and reaction. Let’s say you are in school hanging out with your friends, and the bell rings, but everybody keeps on talk-ing; you also stay in the circle because you don’t want to be the only friend that leaves the others to go to class. When you do leave the circle, someone makes a comment about how you are an over-achiever for going to class on time. Then when you actually sit down in class, you can-not pay attention because you are so frustrated at the other person for making the comment. So, instead, during class, you come up with schemes and situations to get

back at him. The entire class goes by, and you did not lis-ten to a word your teacher had to say. Sahebdada explains that the Swaminarayan mantra is the solution to this constant run-around in our lives. By chanting Swaminarayan, we are directly communicating with the Supreme Power and giving our life to Him. In two short words, we are saying an incredibly powerful prayer. We are acknowledging that God is supreme, all-powerful, all-knowing, above the rules of society, above the re-strictions of the Holy Scriptures, and above human quali-ties such as greed, anger, and sex. By say-ing Swaminarayan, you are letting Swaminarayan Bhagwan into your life, and letting Him guide you through your day. With the most powerful person in the universe on your side, how can your day not be amazing? Moreo-ver, if you chant Swaminarayan with the understanding of His glory, then not only will you be protected, but you will enjoy an elevated state of energy and clarity. (You won’t have to take a nap just to clear your mind!) Most im-portantly, you will enjoy a state of sahajanand, means “eternal happiness”. You will find laughter and easiness in everything. Living proof of the benefits of the Swaminarayan Mantra is our beloved Sahebdada. We all have wonderful memo-ries of Sahebdada laughing to us with gusto. His positive and vibrant energy fills the room. In good times or bad, hectic or relaxed, Sahebdada will always be in a state of sahajanand. This is because He has lived a life in which the Swaminarayan Maha-Mantra took first priority, and the results speak for themselves. Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada explained how to use the Swaminarayan mantra. ‘Swami’ refers to a Gunatit, God-realized Saint and ‘Narayan’ refers to God. When say-ing the mantra, we should remember and offer devotion to a present God-realized Saint. This Saint serves as a me-dium to God; when we pray to the Saint, the Saint is con-veying our prayers to God. In this way, we ask the ‘Swami’ to pray to ‘Narayan’ for us. Sahajanand Swami wanted to guarantee happiness for devotees in the future, and so gave us this mantra which is applicable to any present God-realized Saint. As such, we can chant the ‘Swaminarayan’ mantra with the smruti of Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada! Truly, if we can chant Swaminarayan with the understanding of the glory of the Supreme Lord and His Saint, than we can joy all the benefits that we see in our Sahebdada!


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance


□ Sahajanand Charitra: The “Swaminarayan” Mahamantra

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: Swaminarayan Mahamantra

□ Junior Story: Sudama & Krishna

□ Junior Activity: Name Game

□ Other:



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Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - Lord Swaminarayan Uplifts Gujarati Society For Juniors Swamini Vato Story - Honesty & Truth Activity - Create a Picture Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - Maharaj’s Emphasis on Dharma Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 1


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20 20 20 21

22


24


10 min. 15 min.

15 min.


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LLLORDORDORD SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN UUUPLIFTSPLIFTSPLIFTS GGGUJARATIUJARATIUJARATI SSSOCIETYOCIETYOCIETY

—— PRASANG 1 —— After Ramanand Swami passed away, Bhagwan Swaminarayan travelled relentlessly for the spread of satsang in different towns and villages. Lord Swaminarayan’s name increased through Gujarat and He became well known for His beneficial impact on society. In fact, when Lord Swaminarayan trav-elled as a teenager across India, He had noticed flaws in temple practices and lifestyle impurities that hurt devotees. He saw the detrimental effect of these impure practices on a social level and a spir-itual level. In Gujarat, during the early 1800’s, religion was practiced in a myopic and conservative way. Those devotees had lost touch with the essence of the Vedas and Upanishads, and were unknowingly ma-ligning their spiritual essence. The social norm was a disaster! Religious festivals meant to celebrate the glory of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama were spent partying, drinking and gambling. Yagnas were himsic, involving the slaughter of animals. Bawas used tantric practices to gain followers and drained their devotees of money for their own personal uses. Normal social customs included fe-male infanticide and sati. Sahajanand Swami decided to put an end to these practices. He was progressive for his time and wanted to uplift the society at large. The ignorance of the devotees was such that they believed the immoral practices to be their dharma. No amount of reasoning or explanation could stop them in their unethical ways. Though changing the social norm was a next to impossible task, Sahajanand Swami was particularly confident, charismatic, and had a core purpose that was very pure. A common practice of this time in Gujarat was female infanticide, or dudh piti. The Rajputs and Kathis, from Saurashtra, felt that having a baby girl was a liability for the family because of the dow-ry system. To avoid future financial difficulties, the poor mothers drowned their female babies in a bowl of milk, hence the name dudh piti. It was a great challenge to explain to and reform mothers who were uneducated and diehard in their ways. Maharaj ordered all Kathi and Rajput devotees to stop this inhumane practice. When they relented, Maharaj elaborated, “By practicing infanticide you are committing a three-fold sin. Firstly, it amounts to killing of an innocent member of the family; secondly, you are committing the sin of infanticide and thirdly, you become guilty of murdering a helpless woman. Therefore you should not commit such a damnable sin.” The Kathis and Rajputs were at a loss for how to afford marrying off their daughters. Maharaj assured them that if they needed money, a support system would be arranged through Satsang, but under no circumstances should one commit this sin. Rajputs argued further that they would not settle for young men with addictions and vices to marry to their daughters. With authority, Maharaj emphasized the im-portance of putting all their cares and worries in the hands of God, who would then look after them. He also prophesied the arrival of the British, who would forcefully establish proper social customs. These divine words opened the eyes of the Rajputs and Kathis, who obeyed Maharaj with-out another question. Another common practice in Saurashtra, Gujarat was sati. This was so barbaric that the thrashing and screaming widow was forced by her in-laws to immolate herself on the funeral pyre of her hus-band. Even if she tried to escape, the in-laws would strike her and make her die with her deceased husband. When she screamed and cried for help, even her relatives would not help because they thought it was her sacred duty to die with her husband. Maharaj used love, understanding, and log-ic to eventually rid this custom from society. Specifically, He cited the scriptures and gathered pub-lic opinion against the custom. Maharaj said, “For a woman to become a sati is as grave a sin as that


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himsic: violent bawas: evil saints

dharma: religious duty


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of committing suicide… After the death of their husband, women should not lose heart and should serve God as their husband. They should remain steadfast and true unto God and worship him while obeying their son, brother, father, or father-in-law. There is no moksha for those who commit suicide. Therefore, when you have received this rare human body, it should be fully used as a means for salvation.” As the understanding from such discourses spread, all of society eventually stopped the custom of sati. These evil practices of dudh piti and sati were barbaric and treacherous; it is important to note that this was the prevailing and accepted custom of the time period. Devotees and non-devotees both took part in these rituals because they believed that it was necessary for salvation. Similar to how our ancestors accepted the common practice of slavery, similar to how the Romans accepted gladia-tor fighting, the people of Gujarat felt that dudh piti and sati were necessary for social sanctity. Mak-ing reforms in this sort of society was miraculous, and could only have been accomplished by God’s wish.

—— PRASANG 2 —— Shriji Maharaj was a champion of the women’s cause; He saved their lives and restored their dignity. Swaminarayan Bhagwan also campaigned against the misconduct of himsic yagnas. The Vedas pro-pound ahimsic yagna for summoning the deities. But over time, the tradition became skewed through the sacrifice of animals in the yagna fire. This perhaps was promulgated by the Brahmins appetite for eating meat. For societal upliftment, Swaminarayan Bhagwan conducted ahimsic yagnas and also preached the true purpose of yagna. In October 1807, a Brahmin in Bhuj named Jagjivan Mehta decided to arrange a huge yagna and invite Maharaj. Jagjivan was threatened by Shriji Maharaj, because His devotees revered Him as God. Jagjivan decided to include many goats and sheep in the yagna for sacrificial rituals with the purpose of insulting Maharaj and challenging Him in matters of scriptural knowledge and tradition. When Maharaj saw the animals being sacrificed, His heart was filled with sadness. He went to the yagna, and he declared that yagnas should be performed without any violence: “…true Brahmins should always perform sattvik yagnas, by offering things such as very old rice, barley, ghee, coco-nuts, sesame seeds (which would not grow), or anything without a jiva. These are the eternal princi-ples of the Vedas. You can never win the favor of God by sacrificing animals.” Despite Mehta’s arguments, no one could oppose Maharaj’s scriptural references, so He won the debate. Maharaj successfully established the practice of nonviolent yagnas. The Swaminarayan Sampraday had made a great name for itself by improving the quality of life for many in Gujarat. With the help of sadhus and satsangis, people got rid of their bad habits, immoral actions, and addictions. Over the course of thirty years, Sahajanand Swami managed to change the face of Gujarat. He became so prominent across the state that even the British government recog-nized Him and supported His work. Sir Malcolm, the governing head of the region, met him in per-son, and he was gifted a special, hand-written Shikshapatri by Sahajanand Swami which he brought back to the Oxford University Library in England. Sahajanand Swami changed the Gujarati lifestyle, making devotees successful, moral, and valued human beings.


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ahimsic: non-violent

sattvik: related to feel-ings of happiness and calmness in the mind


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“Antarmā tādhu hoy ne koik vachan māre te bhadko, thāy, te samādhān karvāno upāy gnān chhe.” When one is at peace within and someone speaks harshly, it causes intense anger within. The solution to this lies in spir-itual wisdom. Chapter 1, Vāt 314.

“Ā jivane māthe shāstā vinā svatantrapane to jiva dehno kido thai rahe evo chhe.” Without a controller overlooking this jiva, and in its inde-pendence, the jiva is likely to become totally subservient to the body and helpless like a worm. Chapter 2, Vāt 43.

“Karod kām bagādine pan ek mok-sha sudhārvo ne kadāpi karod kām sudhāryā ne ek moksha bagādyo to temā shu karyu?” Even by spoiling ten million tasks improve your moksha. In case ten million tasks are improved, but moksha is spoilt, what is achieved? Chapter 1, Vāt 14.

—— CREATE A PICTURE GAME ——

Materials needed: Paper and pencil Draw a picture using only the following shapes: Square, rec-tangle, triangle, circle and oval. Have one person decide what you are drawing and then everyone take five minutes to draw. Vote on the best one if you want. Swamini Vato Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA. Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.


Ages 5-13

—— STORY: HONESTY & TRUTH ——

It was Saturday morning and Joey was excited be-cause his parents said he could have a few friends over to play with. As he was eating his breakfast of Cocoa Puffs, was thinking that once everyone comes over, they could play the Wii, kick around the soccer ball or even play hide and seek. Soon it was the afternoon and his friends Mike and Jay came over. They started off playing Wii in the TV room and soon they got bored. Mike suggested they start kicking the soccer ball around. Joey didn’t think it was a good idea that they did it in the house, but soon he was having so much fun, he for-got all about it. They were kicking around the ball and dove to get it when they knocked out one of the chair legs. Joey got really nervous and decided to just pretend like it wasn’t broken and placed it underneath the chair so it looked like nothing ever happened. They decided to play another game and they soon forgot about it. The next day, Joey’s dad went into the TV room to watch some football! He saw down on his favorite chair and heard a crack. Soon, he was on the floor. Joey’s mom heard the noise and came running. Her husband was in a lot of pain and they were going to have to get his arm checked out by the doctor because it had already swollen up a little bit. While they were at the doctor, Joey’s sister Megan was left in charge. He felt really guilty because she was so worried about what would happen to their dad. When they got home, Joey noticed his dad’s wrist was bandaged up. He realized he could not take the guilt anymore and came clean. He realized that if he had told his parent’s the truth when the chair had been broken, his dad would not have gotten hurt. Discussion Questions What are Joey’s friends’ names? What were they playing when they came over? What did Joey decide to do about the broken chair? What happened because he did not tell anyone? Do you think there was a better way for Joey to have taken care of the situation? Discuss why it is not a good thing to lie and what can hap-pen if you do lie.

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Ages 5-13

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BAWAS BHUJ DHARMA

DOWRY HIMSIC JAGJIVAN

KATHIS RAJPUTS SATI

SATSANGIS SATTVIK SAURASHTRA

VEDAS YAGNAS

H I R O D A B J C B R D X M T

Z T D Q D N A I T A O J G O Y

D A H P H G S X V W S A D E V

M S K P J M U R R A V M Z B B

S W V I I T V Y J S F F T X W

S A V H J E J R W C J K S T F

K A U Y S U P Z E G S U B B G

N I A R A Z H X D H A O B L H

A B V K A G E B L D T V A T V

M C I T R S N W V V S F H T Z

R I F D T K H A Q B A S M D S

A Q K N E A R T S K N M K T E

H K A T H I S L R I G W K H H

D V C P N V K C Z A I S H F M

S T U P J A R V Z A S C Z D H


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

MMMAHARAJAHARAJAHARAJ’’’SSS EEEMPHASISMPHASISMPHASIS ONONON DDDHARMAHARMAHARMA

D harma refers to our duty in life; to live in dharma is to understand our duties and follow them sincerely.

Hindus believe that by following a dharmic path, we can approach life with confidence. Traditionally, one’s dharma is defined by his particular circumstances: age, class, occu-pation, and gender. There are two particular aspects of dharma that apply to ancient Hindu ideology. One is var-na, that one’s social life should be structured through well-defined classes (caste) and the other is ashrama. Ashrama is to live one’s life by distinct stages; these four stages can be divided into four 25 year long quarters. The first twenty-five years are for student life, the next twenty-five are for living a family life. The third stage begins at the age of 50, as a retired person, and in the final stage, one recesses from worldly affairs and lives as an ascetic. Today, dharma takes on a different meaning, and refers to a citizen’s moral and ethical beliefs as set by a certain societal norm. To follow dharma means to live as a re-spectable and honorable member of society. Particularly, we aim to be well-educated, live comfortable and eco-nomic lives, take care of others in need and please our family and friends. By following ashrama, these rules of ethical conduct set by society, we can please God by living in oneness with the rest of our community. In ancient India, varna re-fers to the four castes: Shudra (menials, artisans, laborers, craftsmen, providers), Vaishya (agriculturalists, cattle-herders and traders), Kshatriya (kings, warriors, law enforcers, admin-istrators), and Brahmin (priests), each of which strati-fied into their own personal societies. As ancient India developed and civilization was established, some citizens developed certain inclinations over others, and some citizens developed certain talents over others. As such, there was a natural dissociation into like-minded people. Those that were business oriented became friends and made alliances with each other. Simi-larly, those that were uneducated also joined together as they had similar capabilities. Today, the caste system is looked down upon as an evil segregate property of civili-

zation. But, isn’t any society capable of making the same cliques? Think back to your high school population and you will see that you also follow a structured dharmic socie-ty. Preps are typically good at sports, good at being social and rich. These are the kids that run schools,

and get picked as home coming king and queen. Jocks are also good at sports, and sometimes they date prep girls. Goths wear black, act sad, and desperately try to make statements. They may wear clothes of the opposite gen-der, make out more openly in the hallway than other peo-ple, or protest general injustices in a angry and ineffective way. Nerds typically get asked to be other people's lab partners because you're smart, sometimes get picked on for liking school too much, especially as a freshman. Emos fall into a similar category as goths only they don't try to shock quite as much. Band geeks are in band and maybe orchestra, choir, or other clubs. They tend to be clean cut, and fairly smart. Druggies sometimes come to school all drugged out and typically perform poorly in school. This is who your mom does not want you to hang out with. In fact, the separation of society into cliques is an essen-tial aspect in the progress of society. It allows for distinc-tion of personalities, and allows each group to cultivate its own particular talents. For example, nerd and druggies would never get along if they hung out together, and while the nerds would want to study and achieve success in school, the druggies would be obstacles in their path. Regardless of these cliques, all kids are party of the high school student body and attend similar gym periods, lunch periods, and live in the same town; they all cheer on the same side during sports events, and they all come togeth-er to take their class picture. As such, it is important to understand varna, as a necessity for any social entity to progress. Regardless, it is important to remember to keep harmo-ny with others as we are all different parts of one big whole. Saheb Dada repeatedly brings us together to cele-


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brate major Hindu festivals and asks us youth to volunteer our time days in advance. His goal is for us to collaborate in unity. Our national youth are very different; some are high school students, some are amidst university greek life, and some are married. Some have pursued business and others pursued the healthcare field; many of us love hindi music and dancing, and others hate the thought of sitting through Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Saheb Dada knows that we are so different yet continually asks us to work together. He knows that we have different perspectives on life, different hobbies and inclinations, and different groups of friends; regardless, He wants us to work togeth-er as one. He wants us to consider ourselves as one entire unit, and not sixty individual pieces. All our bodies may be from different families, but our souls are from Akshard-ham, and we all belong to Saheb Dada, who possesses the divine power of Shriji Maharaj and sends us to Earth to spread his message and to do his work. We must keep in mind, “Hu Bhagwanno ne Bhagwan mara.” This is the modern-day method of pleasing God.


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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance


□ Sahajanand Charitra: Lord Swaminarayan Uplifts Gujarati Society

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: Maharaj’s Emphasis on Dharma

□ Junior Story: Honesty & Truth

□ Junior Activity: Create a Picture Game

□ Other:



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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - Compassion of Lord Swaminarayan, Part 1 For Juniors Swamini Vato Story - Honesty in School Activity - Story Link Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - Maharaj’s Emphasis on Niyams Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 4


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28 28 28 29

30


31


10 min. 15 min.

15 min.


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TTTHEHEHE CCCOMPASSIONOMPASSIONOMPASSION OFOFOF LLLORDORDORD SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN, P, P, PARTARTART 111

—— PRASANG 1 —— Once, a grand yagna was arranged to be held in the presence of Shriji Maharaj at Jetalpur. All the women of Jetalpur were personally given wheat grains from Maharaj to grind into flour for the huge occasion. One woman, a widow named Nathi, had lost her way since the death of her husband, resorting to eating meat and killing animals. However, when she heard that Shriji Maharaj had come to Jetalpur, she strongly desired to meet him and perform service. She had the conviction that Maharaj was God Himself. During one of the Maharaj’s discourses, Nathi bravely began to walk towards the front of the sabha. As the devotees of Jetalpur recognized her, they began to insult her and stop her from going any further. When Maharaj asked who the woman was, a devotee replied that she was a sinful widow who lived such a non-virtuous life, and that even her shadow corrupted others. Maharaj replied, “If her shadow corrupts then will not the shadow of my devotees purify her? She desires to become pure. Do you want her to remain impure?” After no one responded, Maharaj continued, “Everybody has a good and a bad side, which can either purify or corrupt a person. Because you have My divine company, the virtues within you are reinforced and you live a devotional life. Allow her an opportunity to reform herself.” Maharaj called Nathi forward and asked for the reason of her arrival. She replied saying that she wished to serve Maharaj so that she could also be cleansed from her sins. Maharaj gave 20 kg of wheat grains to Nathi and told her to grind them into flour for the yagna. Everyone watched in awe at this incredible turn of events. Nathi came to sabha the very next day and offered her pranam to Maharaj, presenting four baskets of flour. She prayed, “O Lord! You have showed your generosity by giving me, a sinner, to serve you. You are truly a Compassionate Bhagwan!” Maharaj remem-bered Nathi from the day before and noticed her bruised and boil-dotted hands from grinding the flour all night. Maharaj was extremely pleased, “Sister, all your sins are forgiven. From henceforth live in purity, do not eat meat and kill animals, so that you will attain moksha and eternal happiness in this very lifetime!” Nathi was so amazed to see that God was compassionate and accepting of average villagers that didn’t even follow His prescribed niyam.


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pranam: act of bowing down in respect


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—— PRASANG 2 —— Beginning on January 3, 1810 in the village of Dabhan, Shriji Maharaj arranged for 18 days of non-violent yagnas in order to initiate Mulji Sharma into sainthood. One criminal from Vartal by the name of Joban Pagi heard about this huge event and that the thoroughbred horses of the Kathi devotees that would be there, specifically Mānki, Shriji Maharaj’s mare. He and his companions de-cided that they would steal these horses near the end of the 18-day celebrations. Three nights before the end of the celebrations, Joban and his companions stealthily entered the stables after midnight despite the heavy security. Armed with a sword and a dagger, Joban stepped towards Mānki, but suddenly stopped because of what he saw. Bhagwan Swaminarayan was stand-ing beside each horse in the stable, patting the horse on its head, feeding the horse, or giving the horse water. Joban was completely bewildered—how could Swaminarayan have so many forms? As there was no way Joban and his companions could take the horses with Shriji Maharaj watching over them, they retreated and postponed the mission to the next night. However, when the criminals arrived the next night, Joban again saw Swaminarayan attending to each horse. Dismayed, Joban told his companions that they had one more night left to try and take the horses. But on the third night, they experienced the same situation as the previous nights. The next morning, Joban and his men sat in the back of the satsang sabha. They saw Shriji Maharaj in the front and realized that he was the figure who had been attending to the horses the previous nights. Joban thought to himself, “I will only believe that he is God and surrender to him if he fulfills three sankalps for me. He should call me by name, he should be able to tell me why I have come here, and he should put a garland of flowers around my neck.” Maharaj noticed them in the back and called Joban to the front, “Aao Joban, āo! Ahi āgal āvo. After three sleepless nights, you still haven’t succeed-ed in acquiring a horse, but you have in meeting us!” Joban Pagi and his companions could stand the guilt no longer, and their hearts melted in emotion. They placed their weapons down before them and bowed at the feet of Maharaj, who said, “One wish is still left to be fulfilled.” With that, he took out a garland and lovingly placed it around the neck of Joban. Overjoyed and overwhelmed with love, Joban said, “Maharaj, I, Joban Pagi, and my accomplices have committed a crime in a holy place where our sins can be washed away.” The audi-ence was astonished that the notorious Joban Pagi had managed to get his way past all the security. Joban then revealed what he had seen every time he and his men had tried to steal the horses, and admitted that they recognized that this could only be God himself. Shriji Maharaj placed his hands on Joban’s head and stated that he would accept Joban if he gave up his immoral practices and criminality. He also put a kanthi around Joban’s neck. Joban replied, “O God, I shall do as you command. I pledge to give up all my sinful ways. I bow at your feet. My time to be saved has arrived. Maharaj, protect this wretch and sinner by accepting me.” Pleased with Joban’s transformation and recognizing his heartfelt words, Maharaj initiated him and his compan-ions as devotees. The audience could not believe their eyes, for Joban Pagi was infamous for his reign of terror across the region. Bhagwan Swaminarayan transformed the lives of many sinners in this way.


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“Nirantar sarva kriyāmā pāchhu valine jovu je, māre Bhagwān bhajvā chhe ne hu shu karu chhu em joyā karvu.” Always introspect during every task and ask yourself, “I want to worship God, and what am I doing?” Keep thinking like this. Chapter 2, Vāt 35.

“Potpotāno deh sāro lāge, gām sāru lāge, desh sāro lāge, e to daivni māyānu bal chhe.” Everyone feels that their own body, village, and country is good. This is due to the power of God’s maya. Chapter 5, Vāt 323.

“Upāsanā, āgnā ne Sādhu olakhavā e tran vānā avashya joie. Āgnāmā dhar-ma, niyam, vrat, dān, tap sarve āvi jāy.” Understand upasana, commands and the Sadhu; these three things are certainly necessary. In commands, dharma, codes of conduct, observances, donations, austerities, are all included. Chapter 5, Vāt 333.

—— STORY LINK GAME ——

Materials needed: None Everyone sits in a circle and the goal of the game is to create a story all together. One person starts off saying a word. Each person adds one more word to the story. Keep going until someone can‘t think of anything else to add. Swamini Vato Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA. Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.


Ages 5-13

—— STORY: HONESTY IN SCHOOL ——

Today was the day of the HUGE science exam in class. Megan was in Mr. Crawley’s science class and he was known as the hardest teacher in the SCHOOL. They were taking an exam on water animals, including whales, dolphins, frogs and fish. Megan had been studying for the past week but was still nervous. She was lab partners with the smartest boy in the class. His name was Jake and he always knew all the answers. They were sitting down in class when Mr. Crawley came in and passed out the exam. Megan looked down and saw the exam had lots of pages and questions, a lot she did not know the answer too. She started writing in the exam when she noticed Jake was writing them very quickly. She didn’t mean to glance but saw his answer for the first question and realized hers was wrong. She began erasing and wrote down what Jake had written. She also saw some of his answers to the True and False questions. She didn’t know a few and borrowed some answers from him. When the test was over, she was confident that she had done well. The next week, Mr. Crawley was handing tests back to everyone. The only two people who did not get their tests back were Jake and Megan. Megan started getting nervous, but because she did not want to show it she jokingly said to Jake, “He must be saving the best grades for last!” Soon class ended and Mr. Crawley called the two of them to his desk. He said, “I noticed that for quite a few questions, you both got the same ones wrong. I feel that one of you was cheating, whoever it was needs to speak up otherwise both of you will fail.” Megan could not stand to see her friend fail with her and so she quickly broke down and confessed. Her conse-quences included her having to make up the exam and earn her own grade and also write an essay on why cheating is bad. Discussion Questions What class does Megan have a test in? What is her lab partner’s name? How did Megan feel when she turned in her test? What about when she got it back? Discuss why cheating is bad and will only lead to trouble.

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Ages 5-13

29

L H M F A V F E A Y L X Y O T

S Y K S J R G Z T K A L K M X

H A F M W P P H S I N G R B D

M F U I X P R A L N O E N A Z

F Y T R Q V R V E G O N Z A D

N G L X A A K P M I S Z W K N

U A I M N S V O T N N B S I M

L B W G P B H W K D O W Y A N

Z B P G M K M T G R M A N V L

R U P L A T E J R A M A S C P

R M O K S H A S N A R X A G T

V F V I B P B K W P G B B K B

H O L O D X T Y I Q F U H E I

S Z X D G O S N A K V J A D N

L A X I H C E I V Y H C O Z T

BHAGWAN JETALPUR KING-INDRA

MOKSHA MONSOON NIYAM

PRANAM SABHA SARANGPUR

SAURASHTRA SKY YAGNA


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

MMMAHARAJAHARAJAHARAJ’’’SSS EEEMPHASISMPHASISMPHASIS ONONON NNNIYAMSIYAMSIYAMS

J ust as we follow dharma to keep in harmony in socie-ty, we keep niyam as a form of worship to God. The

Christian religion has a 40 day period of Lent. Christians take on a fast, giving up something that is a favorite, and remembering for those forty days that they are giving up that item to please God. By living in that state of mind, many Christians have noted that they experience joy, de-spite having given up their favorite food, activity, or de-sire. Similarly, as Hindus, we can follow the niyam set by God to please him, and in return experience bliss. As a part of Swaminarayan way of life, what niyam can we take on? Sahajanand Swami asked that followers of Hindu dharma should live by certain vows. They include not con-suming alcohol, meat, onions, nor garlic. Though these niyam originate from a religious perspective, scientific evidence suggests that they can improve our mental con-trol, increase stability, and trigger ‘happy’ chemicals. Admittedly, these are difficult vows to live by. In fact, our entire world and society have been developed around these base habits. Our friends even live with these habits, and so in order to live a social life, following the Hindu dharma is not so simple. One technique to succeed, Sahebdada explains, is to de-velop a friendship with a person who is on your level—develop a liking for a person who wishes to live a spiritual life, just as you do. This person may already be your friend, may be your parent, or may just be an acquaint-ance. Shriji Maharaj said that each spiritual aspirant should keep the communion of two saints and three dev-otees who wish to please God in the way that you do. Up-on developing such a friendship, you will begin to realize that you are not alone in your endeavors. In fact, the lim-iting belief that we are on our own to follow a virtuous path should be eradicated from our minds. We have heard of many stories in which Nilkanth Varni has shown us that those aspirants seeking spirituality will always find support. And so we can be confident that if today we don’t know anybody that lives in the harmonious and de-voted way that we wish to live, we will soon come across such a friend that will help us with our spiritual endeav-ors. The next technique is to understand that to completely change your life in five minutes is impossible. Sometimes as we have seen in our own lives, living in niyam is not so easy. We face obstacles, and may occasionally give up. Those who have already dedicated their lives, attempting

to live with niyam, know that there are times where there is no choice but to break niyam due to circumstances. Decide to take one niyam on at a time. Let’s say that you wish to avoid eating meat. For the first month, avoid meat on the days of Ekadashi. These are particularly holy days, and taking on a niyam for God on these days will give you extra strength. The next month, avoid meat every Thurs-day (the day devoted to your Guru) and on the two Eka-dashi of the month. The following month, do not eat meat at all at home. The following month, do not eat meat on the weekdays. And the final month, the most difficult, do not even eat meat on the weekends. In this five month process, you will have cut meat out of your system com-pletely. Five months may seem like a very long time now, but you will be following this niyam for God for the next eighty years of your life. In following this niyam, you will find renewed vigor, strength, energy, and an unparalleled happiness. Now that we have decided to live our lives for the sake of God, God will definitely help us. Sahebdada says that if we wish to live in niyam, we only have to take one step to-wards our goal. God will come running to us to help us live the way we wish to. And so, the final technique to following a niyam is to firmly establish the right mindset. We must understand that the reason we are taking on this niyamic life is that we want to please God. With this understanding, God will be pleased and help us through whatever niyam that we take on.


30


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance


□ Sahajanand Charitra: The Compassion of Lord Swaminarayan, Part 1

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: Maharaj’s Emphasis on Niyams

□ Junior Story: Honesty in School

□ Junior Activity: Story Link Game

□ Other:



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Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - Compassion of Lord Swaminarayan, Part 2 For Juniors Swamini Vato 21 Story - Vivek’s Dilemma Activity - Name Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - The Benefit of God’s Refuge Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 1


9

11 11 11 12

13


18


10 min. 15 min.

15 min.


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TTTHEHEHE CCCOMPASSIONOMPASSIONOMPASSION OFOFOF LLLORDORDORD SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN, P, P, PARTARTART 222


In the year of 1811, the monsoon was late to come and Saurashtra had entered a state of extreme drought. A devotee from Sarangpur, Jiva Khachar, called upon Shriji Maharaj to bless the land with His presence so that some rain may come. Maharaj readily agreed and arrived within a day. As He was dining, Maharaj commented that King Indra would have to cause rain for devotees like Jiva Khachar. Maharaj glanced in the direction of the sunset, and suddenly, a dark cloud emerged from that direction. Jiva Khachar noticed the cloud and told Maharaj that King Indra was arriving. However, Maharaj spoke prophetically that Indra was angry, explaining that the ensuing rain would cause more loss than the drought itself. The rain became more and more intense as lightning flashed across sky, and the mud houses in the village began to collapse. Maharaj instructed Jiva Khachar to take him to his new home because his current home would collapse because of the rain. As they arrived at the new house, Jiva Khachar noticed that his fellow villagers were in trouble. He promptly left to take care of them, and Maharaj was very pleased. That night, a villager pleaded to God, “O God! Come quickly. The main beam of my house is ready to collapse any moment. It will crush my children and cattle to death.” Shriji Maharaj heard the vil-lager’s plea, and quietly, He went outside and approached the villager’s house. He saw that the main beam of the house had broke and was about to collapse. Quickly, he bore the burden of 10-15 people and held the beam up, instructing the residents to leave the house with their cattle and children. Maharaj returned to Jiva Khachar’s home and went back to sleep. By morning, the rain had stopped. In the morning, Mulji Brahmachari, Maharaj’s attendant, noticed a huge gash in Maharaj’s arm during his bath and asked how he got it. After Maharaj explained the story, Mulji Brahmachari was annoyed, remarking that the person he had helped was not even a devotee. However, Maharaj replied, “That is true, but he called out to God for help. So, I had to go!” When Jiva Khachar learned of the residents that had been saved the night before, he told Maharaj and soon learned from Mulji Brahmachari that Maharaj was the savior himself. Jiva Khachar was amazed with the realization that Maharaj unconditionally cares for any person who seeks His help and refuge.


33

King Indra: God of rain


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

—— PRASANG 2 —— Sagram Vaghri was a sinner because he was born into the lowest possible caste, called an untoucha-ble. In fact, his job was to catch wild dogs for the King, who would then use these dogs to catch rabbits for meat. However, after meeting Shriji Maharaj, his entire life changed and he became a devout satsangi. Once, he requested to Shriji Maharaj that he visit and bless his mud-straw hut. Soon, Maharaj heeded this request and left in the middle of the night on his horse, Manki, towards the distant village of Limli where poor Sagram resided. Just before dawn, Maharaj finally arrived outside the town and called out, “Sagram, Sagram!” Sagram heard this call from his hut and, recognizing the voice of God himself, quickly opened his door to greet Maharaj. Overjoyed at the sudden arrival of their Lord, both Sagram and his wife lovingly arranged a bed for Maharaj to sit on, and as Sagram sat engrossed in darshan, his wife went to get some fresh water. Soon, Maharaj told Sagram that he was hungry, so a special meal of rotla and shāk was prepared. Although this simple meal was the best that such a poor devotee could offer, Maharaj cherished this opportunity and lovingly accepted the bhāv of Sagram and his wife. Having fulfilled Sagram’s request, Maharaj was pleased with his love, hospitality, and devotion, so he soon left the village. Some time later, Sagram and his wife were forced to leave their village due to a severe drought. On the way, Sagram found a gold anklet on the ground and thought that his wife, who was walking behind him, would be tempted to take it if she saw it. He remembered Maharaj’s command: not to crave another’s possessions. Sagram quickly covered the anklet up with dust. When his wife asked what he had done, Sagram replied that he had covered an anklet up with dust so that she would not be tempted to take it. His wife answered, “You merely covered dust with dust. I believe another’s possessions to be nothing but dust.” In this way, even the poorest, most deprived members of society held high moral values based on virtues they learned from Shriji Maharaj.


34

caste: division of Hindu society into classes


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||



“Koti koti sādhan kare pan ām vārtā karvi teni barābar thāy nahi ne bijāthi to ātli pravruttimā vātu thāy nahi.” Tens of millions of endeavors may be undertaken but they cannot match the power of these discourses. And others would not be able to deliver such discourses amid all these activities. Chapter 5, Vāt 342.

“Dukh koi mānsho nahi ne je joie te āpanne malyu chhe ne jhājhā rupiyā āpe to Prabhu bhajāy nahi te sāru āptā nathi.” Do not feel miserable, for we have got what we want. If too much wealth is given, one forgets God and does not worship Him. Therefore, He does not give it to us. Chapter 1, Vāt 129.

“Mumukshu jivane gnān pan thāy ne het pan thāy kharu. Pan satsangmā kusang chhe te ene bhundu kari nākhe chhe, māte te olakhvo.” An aspirant may develop both spiritual knowledge and affection for the Satpurush. But bad company in satsang spoils it. Therefore recognize it and stay away from it. Chap-ter 5, Vāt 348.

—— NAME GAME ——

Materials needed: None. Everyone sit in a circle and place both palms, facing up, on your knees. Each person should connect with the people next to them, with each person‘s right hand on top and left hand below. One person will start and say a name by clap-ping their hand across to the person on their left. This game continues until someone repeats a name or hesitates. That individual is the kicked out of the circle and the circle closes up. Repeats start over when the entire round is finished and a winner has been determined.

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

Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.


Ages 5-13

—— STORY: VIVEK’S DILEMMA ——

It was a rainy day and Vivek was running errands with his Mom. They first went to a video store to pick up a movie for the evening. It was Friday night and his family watched a movie together every Friday! His mother was looking for a funny movie but Vivek wanted something with spaceships and fighting. As they walked into the store, he noticed a crisp, five-dollar bill lying on the ground. He looked right and left and quickly picked it up. He put it in his pocket and started imagining the many things he could buy with that money. As he walked towards the aisle with science fiction movies, he realized he could rent his OWN movie so he did not have to watch whatever his mother got. Vivek was so lost in what to get with this money that he did not even no-tice his mother had already gotten in line to check out. He quickly ran after her and when he caught up he noticed a problem at the register. The lady was having trouble finding her money to pay for her movie. She told the man at the register, “I had a new five dollar bill in my pocket right be-fore I walked into the store. Where could it have gone?” Hearing that, Vivek became really sad. He realized the money he had in his pocket must be this lady’s… Discussion Questions Come up with an ending to this story with Vivek doing the right thing. Where did Vivek go in this story? What kind of movie was Vivek’s mother interested in? What about Vivek? What is something Vivek could have done right away after finding the money?

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Ages 5-13

36

A O A X N Q S R X X A E O V J

X I T L F I N Y V S M G S Z L

X W Z B T A G K P M X A I A K

C X P F H O L N D L K L N B R

X D X B M N R B A V W L N E A

I G A P N A G O J S L I E U L

O D F T I S A V Q T T V R J T

E R P J P N I Q E T S A C E O

N V B U K K O N W L I M S G A

R E D L Z K K S F P J C A H V

T W E Y V D A B P U N O S E Z

N T S R N F A H J H L P X L S

O O B M S Z H H I S U S T T Y

K A N T H I S U F J I B I M X

B O N T S Z D Q F J U Q P M X

ANKLET CASTE DABHAN

JOGAN-PAGI KANTHI ROTLA

SATSANGI SHAAK SINFUL

SINNER VILLAGE


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

TTTHEHEHE BBBENEFITENEFITENEFIT OFOFOF GGGODODOD’’’SSS RRREFUGEEFUGEEFUGE

I t is not a secret that God creates circumstances in our life to bring us closer to Him. Why? Because, He truly

loves us. And many of us can say that He loves us very much in hindsight, after the fog has cleared up. Some-times that fog is so dense and surrounds us for a long time, and sometimes that fog turns into an uncontrollable storm. But, when we have nowhere to go, we “give up” and turn to Him, and that’s when a ray of light makes the attempt to pierce the fog. Fortunate for us, Swaminarayan Bhagwan graced us with God forever present on earth, through a God-realized sa-dhu. For us, this is Guravaraya Param Pujya Sahebdada. I don’t know about you, but when times get tough, and they always do, I am shocked beyond belief with what Swaminarayan Bhagwan did for us! He made sure there would be God forever present for each and everyone of us. This means that when it seems we have nowhere to turn and don’t know what to do, we go straight to Saheb-dada! From doing 15 minutes of dhun to call-ing Sahebdada on the phone Himself our heart muscles relax, even if it’s just a little bit. Sometimes it’s just a small percentage, but we have in our hearts that belief, that faith, that Sahebdada is always with us and he will take care of us, that he will protect us. And herein lies the ben-efit of taking refuge in God. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. We can go from flunking out of school, to being in a huge car accident, to losing someone we love dearly. Knowing that we have Sahebdada alive and present as our divine shelter puts our body, mind and soul at ease. Many times Sahebdada references the story of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pan-davas, who is put at stake in an ugly game of dice by her husbands, in the epic story of Mahabharat. Drapaudi cries her heart out for help to each of her husbands and elder family members while Dushashan, the evil cousin who has “won” her, disrobes her sari layer by layer in an attempt to strip her naked in front of the entire assembly. It is not until Draupadi has begged with utter humiliation and ago-ny in this disgraceful scene, does she throw her hands up and cries out to Lord Krishna to protect her. That’s when He steps in and provides a never ending supply of sari on her body, eventually tiring out Dushashan, who is unable to find the end of it. Sahebdada points out that if Draupadi had cried for help from Lord Krishna when she saw Dushasan entering the room, Dushasan would have

not have even been able to step into the room, but like most, Draupadi turns to God as a last resort when it should have been her first and only. We may not encounter such harsh circumstances as Draupadi in our lives, but we can all agree that one faces happiness and misery in life like a roller coaster. Sometimes we’re riding in a boat on the water and a storm heads our way or sometimes the boat fills with wa-ter and we feel we are sinking. In either case, God is there to protect us and help us in the way that is best for us no matter what. All we have to do is just take one step forward in taking His refuge. And for us having God pragat (ever-present) in Sahebdada makes it countless times eas-ier because not only is He on earth with us, but He guides in a way to eventually attain the lasting happiness and peace of God.


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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance


□ Sahajanand Charitra: The Compassion of Lord Swaminarayan, Part 2

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: The Benefit of God’s Refuge

□ Junior Story: Vivek’s Dillema

□ Junior Activity: Name Game

□ Other:



38


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Shlokas Dhun Bhajan - Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari Prasangs - Darshan of Lord Swaminarayan For Juniors Swamini Vato 21 Story - Respecting Others Activity - Create a Picture Game Word Search (for home) For Seniors YYE - The Science of Religion Thal Aarti Ending Shloka Youth Sabha Report for Week 1


9

11 11 11 12

13


18


10 min. 15 min.

15 min.


39


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

DDDARSHANARSHANARSHAN OFOFOF LLLORDORDORD SSSWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYANWAMINARAYAN

—— PRASANG 1 —— Dharampur was a royal state in south Gujarat two hundred years ago ruled by Queen Kushalkun-varba on behalf of her grandson, Vijaydev, who was too young to take the throne. She was a practi-cal and devout ruler, and when she heard the glory of Bhagwan Swaminarayan she strongly desired to have his darshan, so she sent an invitation to Gadhada. Shriji Maharaj recognized the Queen’s genuine love and devotion, so he arranged for a whole group of devotees and paramhansas to come with him on the 400 km journey. The Queen planned a grand welcome for Shriji Maharaj, and when he arrived, he was asked to ride an elephant towards the palace. As Maharaj rode through the city, the citizens showered flowers and rice grains in celebration. Finally, Maharaj arrived at the palace, and the Queen’s eyes filled with tears as she did darshan: “O Lord, you have arrived. You made me desire for your darshan for a long time. Now my desire has been fulfilled.” Every day, Maharaj would give discourses to the Queen and the people of Dharmapur, and his paramhansas would sing bhajans. One night, when Maharaj said that he was hungry, the Queen lovingly made rotla and shāk for him. Then on the last evening of Maharaj’s stay, the Queen ar-ranged a special assembly and seated Maharaj on the royal throne. She asked, “Maharaj, why don’t you accept this kingdom? Ever since I realized your glory through your paramhansas, I have been ruling this kingdom with an understanding that this is all yours. Now that the owner is here, it is my wish to give your kingdom back to you.” Shriji Maharaj responded, “O Queen, you have not yet realized my true glory. By my wish countless universes are created and destroyed. Of what measure is your kingdom of 500 villages? I have not come to rule kingdoms. I have come to destroy evil and establish Bhagvat Dharma. I still have work to be done. Therefore, you rule your kingdom, but do not become attached to it. If you desire anything of this world, then you will have to take another birth.” The Queen promised Maharaj that there was nothing in her heart besides his own divine form. The Queen gave him clothes and a garland of flowers, and Maharaj gifted her a print of his footprints on silk cloth. Fifteen days after Maharaj’s departure, the Queen passed away and earned a place among the muktos in Akshardham. The Queen was one of many devout women devotees of Shriji Maharaj. He taught many the proper form of devotion and faith, and as a result, many women learned the true path to a divine life.


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|| Swami Shriji ||

—— PRASANG 2 —— Bhagwan Swaminarayan placed great importance in celebrating all the major festivals of the Hindu religion as an opportunity to lift souls out of the darkness and into divinity. He especially empha-sized morality and proper conduct between men and women during these festivals in order to pre-serve the pure nature of bhakti. One year, Shriji Maharaj arranged for the celebration of Rangotsav, the festival of colors, right after Holi in Vadtal. As devotees from all over Gujarat heard of the huge event, they flocked to Vadtal. Maharaj gave darshan and the paramhansas sang bhajans as devotees poured in to the lush mango grove where the event was to happen. The kumkum and colored water was prepared as the event drew nearer and nearer. When the festival started, colored water sprayed in all directions as the environment was filled with joy and bhakti. Maharaj himself playfully squirted colored water on the paramhansas and devotees. The murti of Maharaj and his divine leela fixed in the minds of all who attended the cele-brations. After a while, Maharaj clapped his hands and the festival ended. Shriji Maharaj revealed that the purpose of these festivals was so that devotees could remember the festivals during the hard times. These festivals, in the presence of Shriji Maharaj, had been rein-forced with such divine and positive feelings that when any devotee remembered these events, they would be relieved form unhappiness understanding that they had attained God manifest! These fes-tivals (samaiyas) serve the same purpose even today—so that we can always remember the eternal joy we experience whenever we are in the divine presence of our beloved Saheb Dada.


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“Bhagwānnā bhakta thayā chhe ne panch vartmān pāle chhe te to prakruti-purushthi par jaine bethā chhe.” Those who have become devotees of God and observe the five basic codes of conduct are already seated above Prakruti-Purush (i.e. in Akshardham). Chapter 5, Vāt 114.

“Man-indriyune vagar prayojane chālā chunthvāno swabhāv chhe, māte tene jānine judā padvu.” The mind and senses have a habit of provoking (desires) without any reason, so know this and remain separate from them. Chapter 5, Vāt 51.

“Bhaktimā swabhāv vadhe ne dhyānmā dehābhimān vadhe, e be gunmā be dosh jānvā ne te tālvā.” In devotion, your personality’s base instincts increase and in meditation, your body-consciousness and ego increase. Iden-tify these two faults in the two virtues (of devotion and med-itation) and overcome them. Chapter 2, Vāt 177.

—— CREATE A PICTURE GAME ——

Materials needed: Paper and pencil Draw a picture using only the following shapes: Square, rec-tangle, triangle, circle and oval. Have one person decide what you are drawing and then everyone take five minutes to draw. Vote on the best one if you want. Swamini Vato Published by: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Amdavad - 4, INDIA. Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith.


Ages 5-13

—— STORY: RESPECTING OTHERS ——

When Sahebdada was about 11 years old, Yogi Bapa was visiting his childhood hometown of Sokhda. It was the day of Uttaran, also known as India’s famous kite flying fes-tival. When Sahebdada was a boy, he LOVED flying kites all day long. The day that Yogi Bapa came to town, Sahebdada was not able to go visit him. He went the next day, when Uttaran was over. When Bapa saw him he asked, “Where were you yesterday? Why did you not come to the mandir?” When Sahebdada answered that he was flying kites, Bapa said to him, “ Guru*, we should not be flying kites.” Ever since that day, Sahebdada did not fly kites. As he got older and Anoopam Mission was founded, he held a kite festival for the young sadhak bhaiyos and the young kids in the bal mandals so that they could enjoy the festival. He acquired the string and the kites for everyone but throughout the day he just watched the others fly them. To this day, it is very rare that Sahebdada will even hold a kite string. He will only do so upon a child’s insistence or someone’s truly heart-felt request. This shows the true love that one should have towards his or her guru, and we should all attempt to devel-op this kind of love for Saheb Dada in our life. *Yogi Bapa called Sahebdada “Guru” as a loving nickname. Discussion Questions What is Sahebdada’s childhood hometown? What festival was going on the day Yogi Bapa arrived? Who did Sahebdada show respect for when he stopped fly-ing kites? How about when he arranged the kite festival? Discuss how you can show respect for your parents, friends and siblings.

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Ages 5-13

43

S A S N A H M A R A P Z D M S

D D T D R S G A H I E A S M C

Q E W U L U L L X I R G O S Y

O E V W K A P D O S L D L L I

G U N O T A Y M H R G T J A U

J A B D T K N A A N Y O P V J

U W A M E E N N I R P Z T I Z

Y V M D G X E K A H A R V T V

D I W A L I D S E V T H R S P

Y G C N S O M N N L O J D E L

R E L I G I O N O U T K I F G

A D A H D A G P R S S S M F B

Z W P S Z L P U H U A Z Z U P

P M J Y R D G C T X V T S Y U

X X Q H Y P F O H L P H Z X Q

ANNAKUT DARSHAN DEVOTEES

DHARAMPUR DIWALI FESTIVALS

GADHADA GLORY KINGDOMS

PARAMHANSAS PATOTSAV RELIGION

THRONE VADTAL


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

TTTHEHEHE SSSCIENCECIENCECIENCE OFOFOF RRRELIGIONELIGIONELIGION

A s spiritual seekers, we have found that we are tired of the constant run-around that we feel in our lives.

It seems that each major incident in our life has an uncontrollable emotional backlash that is much greater than the consequences of the incident itself. We tend ask ourselves the following: why do we get so caught up in what's going on in our lives? Why are we so tied to people that we do not want to be tied to? Why do we keep think-ing about incidents that have long passed? The reason is that we connect our mind to the bodily ‘ego,’ and not to the soul. The ‘ego’ is only capable of stimulating basic reactions such as greed, anger, anxiety, and desire. When we undergo a traumatic experience, and our mind is only linked to the ego, we experience emotions manifest as humiliation, pride, or revenge. Saheb Dada tells us that we have to learn to connect the mind to the soul. This is not a tangible effort, and it re-quires the full support of a Satpurush, God-realized Saint. We need the Satpurush to sit in our soul and take over control of our mind. When our mind is connected to our soul, we will experience positive, tranquil reactions to the events that occur in our life. How do we make the Satpurush reside permanently in our soul? We have to win over the Satpurush by following His āgna. Listening to His āgna is instrumental to connecting with the soul. When we follow our own desires, we are feeding the ‘ego.’ To connect to the soul we need to over-come the ‘ego.’ When we follow āgna by the Satpurush we are listening to what He wants, and not what our 'ego' wants. Sometimes I have received āgna from Saheb Dada that seemed unrelated to spiritual progress. Once He asked me to come travel to Los Angeles with Him. I did not want to come because I would rather carry on with my regular routine of studying and working out. I didn't see the bene-fit of going on a trip to Los Angeles when I had so much work to do. I hadn't realized at the time that listening to Saheb Dada may not seem like it had anything to do with spirituality, when in reality it had everything to do with spiritual progress! If I had listened to Saheb Dada then I would have put my ‘ego’ aside, and let the Satpurush con-trol my actions.

The second way to connect with the soul is to remember the Satpurush and all of His devotees. When I remember Saheb Dada, He takes ownership of my soul. Also, if I were to remember any devotee as a devotee of Swaminarayan Bhagwan, Saheb Dada equally takes ownership over my spirituality. That is why Saheb Dada continually asks us to keep in touch with each other, and great saints like PP Shanti Dada, PP Harshad Dada, and PP Ashvin Dada. Also when we come together for major Hindu festivals at our local mandal or in Allentown, and involve ourselves in their seva, we create strong ties with other devotees. Then, whenever we remember the events, we will also remember the devotees and Saheb Dada, thereby letting Him take ownership of our soul. When the Satpurush takes control, our mind is connected to the soul and not the bodily reactions that result from our experiences. That is the way we can experience true peace. The trick is to keep on following the Satpurush's āgna. Try your hardest to keep doing whatever He has told you to do. Whatever instruction we follow is taking us one step to connecting with our soul (e.g., with the Satpurush, or Saheb Dada), and that much closer to expe-riencing equanimity.


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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Swamini Vato

Story Presentation

Bhajan

Games

Seva Participation

Attendance


□ Sahajanand Charitra: Darshan of Lord Swaminarayan

□ Junior Swamini Vato □ Yogi Youth Editorial: The Science of Religion

□ Junior Story: Respecting Others

□ Junior Activity: Create a Picture Game

□ Other:



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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Jai Swaminaryan to all!

Welcome to the Sahajanand Swami Maharaj Semester for Sabha Mandals and Ghar Sabha! This page will help you understand how the syllabus is set up, and how to use it to your advantage. The following order and arrangement was requested by Param Pujya Harshad Dada using a one hour time slot.

1 . Sabha Arrangment - Appendix B

· The sabha mandal head, or the eldest in the family, should arrange a sabha and arrange the youth in a manner explained in Appendix B.

2. Stuti: Shlokas - Appendix C

· Once all the youth are seated properly, and all the materials have been prepared, sing the four stuti shlokas, remembering Lord Swaminarayan, Brahmaswaroop Shastriji Maharaj, Brahmaswaroop Yogiji Maharaj, and Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada.

3. Bhajan: Shobha Sagar Shyam Tamari - Appendix D

· During each semester, we will be singing different bhajans. The idea of singing just one bhajan over a period of time is that it will give the chance for youth and adults to memorize it. The bhajan has been provided in Gujarati transliterated to English, and explained in a short paragraph in English. The au-dio version to learn the tune was sent in the same email. It is Harshad Dada’s hope that through the period of Sahajanand Swami Maharaj semester, all youth will have mastered the wording, tonality, and meaning of this beautiful bhajan.

4. Readings: · The readings are in located in each week’s content. The readings aim to give the youth a comprehen-

sive understanding of Sahajanand Swami Maharaj and the point of Lord Swaminarayan’s second ten years on this Earth. The readings have been split into six weeks, so that there is an appropriate time period to cover and understand all the readings.

· The first reading is a collection of the prasangs during Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s life. Difficult words have been defined on the sides, and guided discussion questions have also been provided.

· Next are Junior Swamini Vato, ages 5-13, and Senior Swamini Vato, ages 14 and above. Regardless, Harshad Dada expects all youth to participate in next camp’s Swamini Vato competition! Please have all youth memorize one or two of the five Swamini Vato each week!

· Next, is the Yogi Youth Editorial, written by a Youth Leader explaining the significance of Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s life, and its application through Saheb Dada’s philosophies.

· Finally, if there is a restriction on time, Harshad Dada suggests that the Sabha Head focus on Saha-janand Swami Maharaj’s Prasangs, and just one or two Swamini Vato. During the span of these six weeks, the youth should be able to recite the prasangs in red-colored font, as they are very important in our Satsang. Understanding Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s life is imperative to understanding the glory and mahatmya of Lord Swaminarayan. It is difficult to have faith in our God if we do not know His life’s story. Therefore, though Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s Prasangs may seem trivial, each youth should understand and be able to rememeber and speak about the prasangs to prove that they understand Sahajanand Swami Maharaj’s Jivan Charitra!

5. Dhun - Appendix E

· Please conduct two minutes of dhun as directed in Appendix E.

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

6. Thal - Appendix F

· Permitting resources, please also conduct Thal, which is a food offering to God. This will teach the youth how to sing and conduct our Sampraday’s Thal. Appendix E shows how to arrange a Thal, and how to sing. Please note to offer the Thal to all of the deities in the mandir.

7. Aarti - Appendix G

· Conduct the ārti, following the steps in Appendix F. We have given you the full length of ending shlo-kas, but if time is restricted, simply sing ‘Krupa Karo…”

8. Visarjan: Ending Shloka - Appendix H

· To end the sabha, refer to Appendix G, and sing the ending shloka.

9. Sabha Cleanup - Appendix I

· Appendix H provides suggestions on how to conduct the cleanup of your sabha. Though we may wish to have the kids play after sitting through an hour of sabha, this is a great opportunity to teach them how to perform seva, self-less service. Get them involved in folding up the comforters and vacuum-ing the floor and serving food!

10. Activities - Located on Junior page of each week

· Param Pujya Ashwin Dada has repeatedly emphasized the importance of having fun with our youth. His logic is that since the youth are still young, they are not exposed to bad company. If they grow up with tight bonds to other satsangi youth, then when they go to high school, they will not be distracted by unfocused teenagers. Therefore, P. P. Ashwin Dada suggests that the most im-portant activity in these youth sabha is to have fun with them, and to make sure that they en-joy sabha. Then they will continue to come back and will enjoy the benefit of association with great santo such as P. P. Saheb Dada, P. P. Ashvin Dada, and P. P. Shanti Dada. As such, we have provid-ed word searches for youth to complete and other ideas for indoor games in Appendix K.

11. Youth Sabha Report · On these pages there is a form to fill out after each sabha. Please assign a youth leader the seva of fill-

ing out this form and sending it to [email protected]. · It is very important to fill out the attendance, program guide, any suggestions, AND SEND

ONE PICTURE (to [email protected]), each week! · This is so that we can forward your activity to P. P. Saheb Dada, P. P. Ashwin Dada, and P. P. Shanti

Dada, and send the pictures to Brahmanirzar. Please help us let these great santo know of your weekly satsang to make them happy!

· Please ensure that the youth are given a chance to present Swamini Vato, prasangs, sing bhajans, or do any other seva in each sabha. Present awards to participants who consistently perform outstandingly so that youth will be encouraged to participate even more. Indicate the name of the most exceptional youth sabha attendee in the Youth Sabha Report so that P. Swatiben can send you a certificate in the mail!

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact P. Swatiben ([email protected]) via email.

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

In the interest of a well-prepared sabha: Youth should distribute the following seva among themselves:

1. Gather trash, mop, and clean the sabha seating area. 2. Spread out a clean comforter on the ground. 3. Clean the mandir and utensils (ie. Ārti, divo, murti, etc.), place Shri Thakorji in a gentle, graceful manner. 4. Set up the murti on a clean asan (cloth) on a higher plane than yours. 5. Prepare the ful (flowers), divo, incense, ārti, jal (water), and prasad in front of the murti. 6. Bring musical instruments and shloka/bhajan packets for each satsangi. Have a CD player and timer

available for use. 7. Prepare a seat for the local head and person who will read the Holy Scriptures. 8. Aim for the sabha to last one hour.

How to behave in sabha: 1. Join sabha regularly and on time. Bow down to the murti respectfully and sit in straight rows. 2. During sabha, do not talk or whisper among yourselves or participate in mischief; acknowledge the

presence of Shri Thakorji. 3. Attentively participate in kirtan, dhun, prayer, shlokas, and thal-ārti with clear pronunciation, pitch, and

rhythm (use attached bhajans and correlating CDs to prepare). 4. When questions are asked, politely raise your hand to answer. Whoever is chosen to answer should

stand up and reply with his or her hands folded respectfully.

Sabha’s commencement:

1. Light the divo in front of Shri Thakorji, start the incense stick, place a garland of flowers or just flowers before Shri Thakorji, and bow respectfully with hands folded. It is acceptable if flowers are not available.

2. Meditate before the beginning of the sabha:

Sit properly (legs crossed), place your hands faced upwards on your knees and, on each hand, touch your thumb to your index finger with the other three fingers facing outward (mudra dhyān position), and with your eyes closed concentrate on the murti of Shri Thakorji.

Chant “AUM” three times, each with one long breath.

After chanting the mantra, be silent for fifteen seconds in a state of meditation.

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Stuti: (Together)

shreemad sadaguna shālinam chidachidi vyāptam cha divyākrutim jeeve sākshara mukta koti sukhadam naikāvatā rādhipam gnyeyam shree purushottamam munivarair vedādikirtyam vibhum tan moolākshara yuktameva sahajānandam cha vande sadā (Full of grandeur, with excellent qualities, ever-present in all life in a divine form. He is the king of incarnations imparting happiness to millions of souls, angels, mukta, and akshar. His praises are sung in the vedas and other holy scriptures. I ceaselessly pray to SAHAJANAND SWAMI who is associated with the original akshar.)

jenu nāma ratyā thakee malina sankalpo samoola gayā jene sharana thayā pachhee bhavatanā pherā virāmee gayā jenā gāna dasho dishe harijano gāye ati harshathee evā yagnyāpurushadāsa tamane pāye namu preetathee (By chanting his name, all negative desires and thoughts are totally dissolved. By surrendering to him, there is no longer a need to take another birth. With great joy, devotees from every direction sing about his glory. I bow down with reverence to YAGNAPURUSHDASJI - SHASTRIJI MAHARAJ)

vānee amrut thi bharee madhusamee, sanjivani loka mā drashti mā bhari divyatā nirakhatā, sudivya bhakto badhā haiye heta bharyu mithu jana nishu, ne hāsya mukhe vasyu te shree gnanjee yogirāj gurune nitye namu bhāva shu. (His speech is laced with nectar and brings happiness to this world. With love in his eyes, as seen by all his divine devotees, his face reflects laughter, and his heart reflects a motherly love. I bow down everyday with reverence to GNANJI YOGIRAJ - YOGIJI MAHARAJ)

je sākshāt mahimātanu svarupa chhe bhāgee aho yogeenā tejasvee shooraveera nitya hasatā pakshe rahe bhaktanā sarvādhāra sadāya sādhaka gane netā yuvāno tanā evā gauravapoorna ne suharada te sāhebane vandanā (The one who is the manifest form of glory, and Yogi Bapa considered him as his partner. He is bright, courageous, and ever-laughing, and remains on the side of devotees. He is the support for all aspirants, and is the leader of youths. We pay our respects to JASHBHAI SAHEB who is spiritually harmonious)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Bhajan: All should sing bhajan and follow along with the audio, with calm attention towards Shri Thakorji.

shobhāsāgara shyāma tamāree moorati pyāree re,

moorati pyāree re nākhu mārā prāna vāree re...

sundaratā joee mukhanee shashee sura lajāee re, mukha dekhādee nava shakyā vasyā gagana jāee re… shobhā...

māna haryu manidharanu shikhā kesha kāle re, avani upara rahee na shakyā gayā pātāle re… shobhā...

chanchala lochana joeene lajjā pāmyā teena re, khanjana kuranga vana vasyā, jale bodyā meena re… shobhā...

chāla chaturāee joeene gaja kare dhikkāra re, 'premānanda' kahe shira nākhe dhoola vāramavāra re… shobhā...

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Nirupan (Interpretation): This bhajan illustrates how great and beautiful the murti of Shri Thakorji Maharaj is, especially to some who has developed a strong affection for Shriji Maharaj. For example, today we see Saheb Dada's murti and be-come so happy because we love him very much. Premanand Swami describes in this bhajan how special the murti of Shriji Maharaj is to him. 'O Lord, whenever I close my eyes, and remember your murti, I become so happy, and my heart is fulfilled with joy. When I am in front of you, looking at you and listening to you, or even when I think of you, I completely forget about myself, and my thoughts converge onto you.” What is so special about this murti? Whatever is amazing and whatever is beautiful in this world, O' Saheb Dada, O' Swaminarayan Bhagwan, you are much more amazing and beautiful! 'Shobha' refers to anything that is great, and 'Sagar' is the ocean. 'Ocean of Greatness, O' God, I love your murti!' This prayer to God is that Your murti is so dear to me, that when I do darshan of You, I get so happy. It is so lovely, that I can give my life up for it. Meaning, whatever I like to do for fun, whatever I like to do pass my time, whatever I do to be happy, I am willing to give all of that up just for You. Whenever I think of God, I just give everything unto him. When Saheb Dada tells me to do something, I am willing to do it; it doesn't matter if my personal agenda gets in the way; it doesn't matter if interferes with my future, I just want to do what Saheb Dada wants me to do. We want to pray that 'O Sahebdada when you give an āgna, we can do anything in our means to fulfill it!” Verse 1 Your face is so beautiful, and there is so much divine light shining from your face; seeing this, the sun and moon even become shy! Your face is so beautiful, that the light from the sun and moon is nothing in com-parison! Verse 2 The Holy black snake of Lord Vishnu saw your beautiful long hair, and lost its pride. He couldn't even exist, and left this world! He felt that he paled in comparison against Shriji Maharaj's beautiful long hair. Verse 3 The divine light coming from your eyes is piercing. I get so happy when I look into Your beautiful eyes. Your eyes are so powerful, Saheb Dada, you know what's going on around you all the time. You can tell if I am happy or sad, if I am positive or negative. Normally birds, deer, and fish are known to have beautiful eyes, but when they saw your eyes, O' beloved Saheb Dada, the birds and deer ran back into the forests, and fish back into the sea. Verse 4 Until now we've compared a person's eyes, hair, and beauty, but now we are going to compare His walk! Your demeanor is so influential, that even an aggressive elephant would be taken aback. The elephant feels like his walk is nothing compared to that of Shriji Maharaj, and sprays dust on his head in shame. This bhajan explains how great the darshan of Shriji Maharaj is. My God is greater than anything that is amazing in this world. When we remember Saheb Dada, think about Him, see Him, bow down and pray to Him, He definitely listens to our prayers. If there is anyone worth loving in this world, it is surely Saheb Da-da. After we love Saheb Dada and God, we will have just as much love for the rest of the world, but we won't feel the sadness associated love. The love that we have for our significant others, for our family and friends will be both deeper and purer. If Saheb Dada gets the first priority in my life, than I will have no faults left in me! The trick is to believe that my Guru is all-doing, all-knowing, and has the most powerful and amazing personality. Listening to this bhajan, it is my sincere and deep prayer that I can do everything in my power to please my Guru, and hope-fully I can develop the same love for my Guru that Premanand Swami developed for Shirji Maharaj.

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Dhun: All should chant dhun for two minutes and follow along with the audio, clapping with calm attention towards Shri Thakorji. Please read the last paragraph below for more detail.

O n December 31, 1801 in the town of Faneni, Sahajanand Swami Maharaj sat amongst paramhansas, saints and devotees. At 21 years of age, He sat on the throne as the

heir of the Uddhav Sampraday, 14 days after Ramanand Swami left for his divine abode in Akshardham. In the assembly, He announced that, from now on, there will be no confusion regard-ing our upasana. Everybody should now chant the Swaminarayan Maha-Mantra. The entire assem-bly began to chant in unison, “Swaminarayan.” At once, every devotee entered a state of samadhi, and each saw his favorite deity! Some saw Lord Krishna and Lord Rama, while others saw Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. As everyone became exhilarated by the divine power of this mantra, they saw another miracle before their eyes. The deities that they worshipped walked to Sahajanand Swa-mi Maharaj and then merged into Him! In this way, He explained the meaning behind Swaminarayan Maha-Mantra. Narayan and Swami make Swaminarayan. Narayan is to worship Sahajanand Swami as Purna Purushottam, the Supreme Lord; Swami is to worship Narayan through a present-day God-realized Saint and to understand that Saint to be a manifestation of Sahajanand Swami. In this way, Sahajanand Swami came to be known as Lord Swaminarayan! Param Pujya Shanti Dada and Param Pujya Ashvin Dada have thoroughly explained to us how to perform jap of this Mantra. First, clear your mind of all thoughts. As we close our eyes, we see a blank emptiness. Then we begin to chant Swa-mi-na-ra-yan, slowly emphasizing each syllable. As we do so, we then must remember the Gunatit Saint that we worship, Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada. This is called smruti. Ashvin Dada beautifully phrases it as, "chanting the Lord's name while remembering His saint." Shanti Dada explains that chanting “Swaminarayan” while remembering Saheb Dada, or any Gunatit Saint, gives 100,000 times the fruit of simply chanting just “Swaminarayan.” Finally, the Mantra must be chanted in God's way, which is with oneness, harmony, and unity. As Ashvin Dada does, chant “Swaminarayan” in unison, clap-ping to a beat.

Swaminarayan… Swaminarayan… Swaminarayan…

52

paramhansas: Shriji Maharaj initiated 500 paramhansas in one night to spread satsang upasana: form of worship samadhi: trance

jap: chanting

smruti: remembrance

Ramanand Swami: guru of Lord Swaminarayan


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Thāl: Prepare prasad, jal, and mukhvās before starting thal. Have one of the youth offer thal to each of the deities and swaroops starting from Lord Swaminarayan.

annam chaturvidham svādu rasaih shadbhih samanvitam bhakshya bhojya samāyuktam naivedhyam pratigruhyatām shree akshar purushottamāya bhakta mandala sahitāya naivedhyam samarpayāmi

(Please accept this food which is offered to you and consists of the 6 types of taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent; and the 4 types of food: those that are swallowed, chewed, licked and sucked; while remembering God and His Gunatit Saint and all of His Devotees, we begin Thal)

Thāl (Sitting cross-legged, straight-backed, as if you are feeding Lord Swaminarayan, sing while clapping.)

māre ghera āvajo chhogalādhāree (2) (God, who wears a headdress with a tuft on the end, has come to my home)

lādu jalebee ne seva suvālee hu to bhāve karee lāvyo chhu ghāree, māre ghera āvajo… (I have prepared sweet-balls, the yellow-to-orange spirally sweet, noodles, and a sweet made from butter)

soorana poorana ne bhājee kārelā pāpada vadee vaghāree (A vegetable of the potato-family, stuffing made of butter and lentils, bitter gourd, and dumplings of lentils that are fried with spices)

vantāka vālolanā shāka karyā me to, cholāphalee chhamakāree, māre ghera āvajo… (I prepared a vegetable-curry eggplant and beans, and a salty snack)

kāju kamodanā bhāta karyā me to dāla karee bahu sāree (I made rice with cashew, and made very nice dāl or soup-curry)

leembu kākadeenā lejo athānā kadhee karee chhe kāthiyāvādee, māre ghera āvajo… (Please take pickle-curry of lime and cucumber - I also made buttermilk-curry of the Kathaiawad or southern Gujarat style)

Sahajanand Swami jamo! Gunatitanand Swami jamo! Gopalanand swami jamo! Bhagatji Maharaj, Jaga Swami, Krishnaji Ada jamo! Shastriji Maharaj jamo! Yogiji Maharaj jamo! Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada jamo!

jala ghelānee jhāree bharee che, chalu karave brahmachari (I bring a small glass of water from the Ghela river - O Swami, please accept it)

halave halave jala peevo ne tame avatāranā avatāree, māre ghera āvajo... (Please slowly drink the water - You are the supreme God)

laving sopāree ne pāna beedee vālee, taja elachee jāvantree sāree ([As an after-mint,] clove, betel nuts, and a folded betel leaf, filled with cinnamon, cardamom, and mace-spice)

nishadina āvo to bhāve karee bhetu, ema māge je’rāma brahmachāree, māre ghera āvajo… (Please come everyday, and I will lovingly hug You, says Jeram)

53


PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Ārti: Place a divet on the ārti and light it. Prepare water in a vādki (small bowl) with a spoon.

Ārti Shloka

neerājanam gruhānesha panchavartisamanvitam tejorāshi mayādattam lokānandakara prabho shree aksharapurushotamāya bhakta mandala sahitāya ārteekyam samarpayāmi (Oh Lord, delight of the world! Please accept my offering of this shower of light from five untainted wicks; while re-membering God and His Gunatit Saint and all of His Devotees, we begin Ārti)

Stand in straight rows during ārti. Sing and clap together with proper rhythm. (The mandal coordinator should make sure that every child does ārti one by one.)

Ārti

jaya sadguru svāmee, prabhu jaya antarayāmee, sahajānanda dayālu, (2) balavanta bahunāmee… (Victory to Sadguru, victory to the omniscient Lord, the merciful, almighty Sahajanand has innumerable names)

charana saroja tamārā, vandu kara jodee; (2) charane sheesha dharyāthee, (2) dukha nākhyā todee… (With folded hands, I pay my respects at your lotus feet, my mind at your divine feet, all my unhappiness is dissolved)

nārāyana narabhrāta, dvijakula tanudhāree; (2) pāmara patita uddhāryā, (2) aganita naranāree… (Bestower of supreme bliss, You took birth in a brahmin family, you have rescued the poor, the sinners and countless other men and women)

nitya nitya nautama leela, karatā avināshee; (2) adasatha teeratha charane, (2) koti gayā kāshee… (As the indestructible Lord, you continuously display many facets of your personality, all sixty-eight holy places and many million holy places like Gaya and Kashi rest at your feet)

purushottama pragatanu, je darshana karashe (2) kālakarmathee chhootee, (2) kutumba sahita tarashe… (Whoever has darshan of manifest Purushottam, he and his family will be liberated from the bonds of time and action)

ā avasara karunānidhi, karunā bahu kidhee, (2) muktānanda kahe mukti, (2) sugama karee sidhee… (On this occassion you have graced all of us and Muktanand Swami declares that you have made a simple path to liberation)

jaya sadguru svāmee, prabhu jaya antarayāmee, sahajānanda dayālu, (2) balavanta bahunāmee… (Victory to Sadguru, victory to the omniscient Lord, the merciful, almighty Sahajanand has innumerable names)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

After ārti, take some water in a spoon and take one round around the ārti thāli with the spoon clockwise. Then, put the water back in the thāli or bowl. Do this three times. With your right hand, give ārti to Shri Thakorji three times. During this time, make sure to chant Swaminarayan dhun.

Then in unison, please respect the deities by saying—“Sahajanand Swami Maharajni Jai, Akshar Purshottam Maharajni Jai, Shastriji Maharajni Jai, Yogi Maharajni Jai, Pratakshya Dham Dhami Ane Muktoni Jai, Guruvaraya Param Pujya Sahebni Jai, Saheb na Vhala Mukto ni Jai Jai Jai.” One child should then give ārti to all sabha attendees. The ārti thāli should be put in a safe place.

How to take ārti: After taking ārti, place your hand on your head, ears, eyes, mouth, and heart in this order. Then, say the fol-lowing prarthana in your mind.

Hey Maharaj, Hey Swami, Hey Saheb! Mari buddhi, shravan shakti, drashti, vani, ane hridayni bhavana divya banavsho.

Ending Aarti Shlokas (Ashtako): (Together)

Prayer to Lord Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami:

krupā karo muja upare sukhanidhi sahajānanda (Please grace me, the giver of happiness, Sahajanand Swami)

guna tamārā gāvavā buddhi āpajo sukhakanda (Giver of happiness, please give me the intellect to sing Your divine qualities)

akshara purushottama je pruthavee upara padhāreeyā (Akshar and Purushottam have both come on this earth)

aneka jeeva uddhāravā manushyatana dhāree rahyā (To liberate the souls, They have taken birth in human form)

pragata purushottama je sukharupa sahajānanda (The present form of God is Sahajanand Swami)

mool akshara eja chhe svamee gunāteetānanda (And God's Eternal Abode is Gunatitanand)

e beunā guna gāvavā vichār kare chhe mati (My intellect yearns to sing Their qualities)

gati āpo ehavee ferafār nava rahe rati (Please give me the speed such that not a single lapse remains)

Prayer to Purna Purushottam, Lord Swaminarayan: janmyā kaushala desha vesha batukano, lai teerthmāhee pharyā rāmānanda malyā svadharma chalavyo, yagnādi motā karyā motā dhāma rachyā rahyā ghadhapure be deshe gādee karee antaradhyāna thayā nathee haree tame, gunāteete chho pragata You were born in the land of Kaushal and as a young boy, You left on a pilgrimage After meeting Ramanand Swami, You spread the faith and performed great sacrifices In Gadhpur [Gadhada], You constructed holy places and started two principal places of worship Lord SwamiNarayan, You have never left us are always present in the form of Gunatit saints

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

je utpatti tathā sthiti laya kare vedo stuti uchchare jenā romasu chhidramā anusamā brahmānd koti fare māyā kala ravi shashee suraganau āgnyā na lope kshana evā aksharadhāmanā adhipati shree swāminārāyana (His divinity creates, sustains, and destroys - prayers to Him are recited in the scriptures. Millions of planets rotate in every pore of his being like atoms. Forces such as illusion, time, the sun, the moon, and all the respective gods do not for even a moment disobey his command. I bow down to the Lord of Akshardham, LORD SWAMINARAYAN)

Prayer to Anadi Mul Akshar Murti, Gunatitanand Swami: mahādhyānābhyāsam vidadhatamajastram bhagavatah pavitre samprāptam sthitimativaraikrāntikavrushe sadānandam sāram paramaharivārtāvyasaninam gunāteetānandam munivaramaham naumi satatam (He has the habit of incessant meditation and ceaseless prayer to Lord Swaminarayan. Thoroughly engrossing himself in the Lord, He is in the blissful highest liberated state. He is habituated to Lord Swaminarayan's sermons – I pay my obeisance to GUNATITANAND SWAMI)

Prayer to Mahamukta Raj, Gopalanand Swami: sādhyo ashtāngayoga pragata haritanee, preeti māte prayatne shodhee vedāntatatvo sakala grahee leedhā, jema sindhuthee ratne ādhi vyādhi upādhi pranata jana tanee tālee keedhee samādhi gopālānandasvāmee sakala gunanidhi vandumāyā abādhi (He mastered the eight-fold yoga practice for the love of the present form of God. Like pearls from the ocean, he got the essence of the original holy texts and imbibed them. He removed all three senses of unhappiness of devotees and gave divine trance. GOPALANAND SWAMI is full of all qualities - void of illusion, I bow down to him)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Bhagatji Maharaj: shobhe nirguna moorti vaibhavabharee gnyānopadeshe poorā chhe bhandār samagra sādhu gunanā sarvagya māyāpārā aishvaryo sahu chhe nijāshrita tanā je doshahantā sadā preme prāgajee brahmarup gurune vandu ja vandu mudā (His divine image is beyond the three qualities and is full of powers - filled with knowledge, He is the greatest teacher. He is a treasure of all divine saintly qualities and is totally beyond illusion. All powers are under his control and he removes all faults. I lovingly and joyously bow down to BHAGATJI MAHARAJ)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Jaga Swami: iti gunanidhivantā, bhakta jāgā dhimantā, bhoomi para ehi santā, pancha doshānihantā shritahita anusaratā moola agnyāna haratā ghana sama sukha karatā janopadeshe vicharatā (JAGA SWAMI is full of divine qualities and highly intelligent. On this earth, he is the saint who takes away the faults of the five desires. He does good to all devotees at his shelter and takes away their root ignorance. He gives God's happiness and goes around spreading the divine message to devotees)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Krishnaji Ada: shree rājadurga nagare vimale vaseene shreejee svarupa mahimā hradaye dhareene sthāpyo prakāsh moola aksharano pratāpee tvām krushnajee guruvaram sharanam prapadhye (He lived in Rajkot and without any kind of faults. He kept the glory of Gunatitanand Swami in his heart. He established the divine light and glory of Gunatitanand Swami. We take the shelter of the divine master, KRISHNAJI ADA)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Shastriji Maharaj: jenu nāma ratyā thakee malina sankalpo samoola gayā jene sharana thayā pachhee bhavatanā pherā virāmee gayā jenā gāna dasho dishe harijano gāye ati harshathee evā yagnyāpurushadāsa tamane pāye namu preetathee (By chanting his name, all negative desires and thoughts are totally dissolved. By surrendering to him, there is no longer a need to take another birth. With great joy, devotees from every direction sing about his glory. I bow down with reverence to YAGNAPURUSHDASJI - SHASTRIJI MAHARAJ)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Yogiji Maharaj: vānee amrut thi bharee madhusamee, sanjivani loka mā drashti mā bhari divyatā nirakhatā, sudivya bhakto badhā haiye heta bharyu mithu jana nishu, ne hāsya mukhe vasyu te shree gnanjee yogirāj gurune nitye namu bhāva shu. (His speech is laced with nectar and brings happiness to this world. With love in his eyes, as seen by all his divine devotees, his face reflects laughter, and his heart reflects a motherly love. I bow down everyday with reverence to GNANJI YOGIRAJ - YOGIJI MAHARAJ)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Kakaji: jenee amrutavānee to vahee rahee sākshāta maheemārupe jenee brāhmee stithi aho! lina kare subhavya akshara pade, sharanāgata nija alpa jeeva sahunā shreeyārtha tatpara rahe kākā snehalasindhu divya vibhune haiyu to vandana kare (His continuously flowing eloquent speech is full of the glory of God. His liberated, divine state reveals the grandeur of Akshar. He is always prepared to bring happiness to every soul who has surrendered to him. I bow down with all my heart to that fountain of divine love, KAKAJI)

Prayer to Brahmaswaroop, Pappaji: jenee vānee vishe akhanda vahetee surāvalee brahmanee kintu thaee agnyāta alpa sameepe rasabasa sahumā rahee jeeve je alamasta svameeshreejeemā chhe mokshadātā valee pappā jogeesvaroopa vibhu charane jhukee rahu bhāvathee (There is an incessant flow of the music of divinity in his discourses while befriending everyone, he chooses to be humble and hide his divine status. His blessings have the power to liberate us, and he joyously lives in communion with Shriji Swami. I bow down with respect to PAPPAJI, the incarnation of Yogiji Maharaj)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Prayer to Pragat Gunatitbhav Sant, Hariprasad Swami: dikshā arpee aho gunāteetasamee jene guru jogee kākā ne valee āpa divya dvayanu advait anokhu ja chhe bhede sākshee anantanā svaroopa ā shāstree maharājanu evā svāmee hariprasāda charane vandana sadā hu karu (Yogiji Maharaj initiated him in the same manner as Shriji Maharaj initiated Gunatitanand Swami. His divine relation-ship with Kakaji is so harmonized, that they are both one. He has 'pierced the witness' of countless souls; with divine qualities like Shastriji Maharaj. I touch the lotus feet of HARIPRASAD SWAMIJI)

Prayer to Pragat Gunatitbhav Sant, Ashkarvihari Swami: nishthā to paripoorna addabhuta aho jenee svaroope deese moorti siddhadashā anādinee kharee ne dhairya sākshāt vase prāsāde nija dhāma chaitanya vishe svāmee birājee gāyā svāmee aksharanā vihāree tamane chhe sarvanee vandanā (The one who has full faith in the present form of God – he has eternally mastered the divine image and has extreme patience. Yogi Bapa resides in his soul. AKSHARVIHARI SWAMIJI, everyone bows down to you)

Prayer to Pragat Gunatitbhav Sant, Pramukh Swami: shobho sādhugune sadā sarala ne jakate anāsakata chho shāstreejee guru yogeejee ubhayanee krupātanu pātra chho dhāree dharmadhurā samudra sarakhā gambheera gnyāneja chho nārāyanasvaroopadāsa guneene snehe ja vandu aho (You are always simple, saintly, and have no worldly attachment. You are the recipient of the grace of both Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj. You have spread the word of God, and your knowledge runs deeper than the oceans. I bow down with reverence to you, Narayanswaroopdas - PRAMUKH SWAMIJI)

Prayer to Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada: je sākshāt mahimātanu svarupa chhe bhāgee aho yogeenā tejasvee shooraveera nitya hasatā pakshe rahe bhaktanā sarvādhāra sadāya sādhaka gane netā yuvāno tanā evā gauravapoorna ne suharada te sāhebane vandanā (The one who is the manifest form of glory, and Yogi Bapa considered him as his partner. He is bright, courageous, and ever-laughing, and remains on the side of devotees. He is the support for all aspirants, and is the leader of youths. We pay our respects to JASHBHAI SAHEB who is spiritually harmonious)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Ending Shloka (Visarjanam):

shreepatim shreedharam sarvadeveshvaram (The husband of Shree [i.e., Lakshmi], who sustains Lakshmi, the God of all demigods)

bhaktidharmātmajam vasudevam harim. (The son of Bhakti and Dharma, Lord Vasudev)

madhavam keshavam kāmadam kāranam (Sweet as honey, with beautiful hair, the fulfiller of all wishes, the reason of all reasons)

swāminārāyanam neelakantham bhaje… (We worship Lord Swaminarayan, Sahajanand Swami Varni)

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PPPARTARTART III

|| Swami Shriji ||

Ending of Sabha: After prostrating respectfully (dandvat pranām) before Shri Thakorji five times, stand in line, and one by one, touch the feet of Shri Thakorji and any grahasto, sabha coordinators, and vadilo (respected elderly) in sabha. Before you leave for home, be sure to take prasad. All the children who come to sabha should be given a chance to do some kind of seva and encouraged to participate as much as they can. For example:

1. Trash – One child should sweep. 2. Mopping – One child should do. 3. Seat (āsan) – One child should prepare. 4. Shri Thakorji – One child should prepare and set up murti. 5. Flower garland (pushpa) – One child should set up. 6. Divo – One child should do. 7. Incense (aggarbatti) – One child should prepare. 8. Aarti – One child should prepare. 9. Thal – One child should prepare. 10. Reading stories – One child should do. 11. Prasad – One child should give. 12. Attendance – One child should take.

Eventually, every child in the sabha, one by one, should be given a responsibility.

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