Shreeji!

Volume 5, Issue 1 Satsang Times January, 2015 Gems: The Fundamental and Innermost Principle In this issue: 1. Once, Dolatrambhai of Nadiad asked , “Swami! Do you wish  Vachanamrut Gems! to one day rejoin Vartal?” Swamishri replied, “If they acknowledge the true meaning of Vachanamrut  Mahapooja! Middle-21, then I do.”

 Mahapooja Rituals! The Main Principle, Vachanamrut Gadhada Middle 21: "In addition, if a  Divine Realization of person realizes the greatness of manifest God and His devotee-saint in exactly the Bhagatji Maharaj! same way as he realizes the greatness of past incarnations of God such as Rām, , etc., as well as the greatness of past sāints such as Nārad, the Sanakādik,

Shukji, Jadbharat, Hanumān, Uddhav, etc. - then nothing remains to be

understood on the path of liberation.

"Whether this principle is understood after being told once, or after being told a Divine Days: thousand times; whether it is understood today, or after a thousand years, there is no option but to understand it. Even if one were to ask Nārad, the Sanakādik,  February 15: Shukji, Brahmā and Shiv, since they are wise, even they, using many different Aksharvihari Swami’s techniques, would point to the manifest form of God and the manifest form of the Birthday!  February 17: saint as being the only granters of liberation. They would also explain that the greatness of the manifest form of God and the manifest form of the saint is Shivratri and Jyotiben’s Birthday! exactly the same as the greatness of past forms of God and the saint.

"A person who has such a firm conviction has grasped all of the fundamental principles. What is more, he will never fall from the path of liberation. Brahmā, Summer vacation will be ending and soon it will be time for students to go back Shiv, Bruhaspati, Parāshar, etc., may have fallen from the path of due to to school/college. It is said that a good beginning indicates the work is half lust, anger, etc., but because they had the same conviction in and knowledge of Note from the Editor: done already! Having a goal is the best way to make any beginning a good the greatness of the manifest form of God and the manifest form of the saint as Please contact us at beginning. To achieve the goal, we need a plan. The plan is a guide to take they had of their past forms, they did not fall from the path of liberation. Thus, [email protected], steps and get closer to our goal. Out of grace, Dinkar Uncle, in one of his the essence of all of the scriptures is this very fact." or discourses, described our goals as a student and as a human, and the steps we [email protected] should take to achieve them. This discourse is outlined below. 2. One time, was asked, “ Swamiji, what is your with any feedback. favorite Vachanamrut?” “ Gadhada Last 7”, Pramukh Swami Maharaj replied. “When we came to the USA, we had 2 main goals: the first was to earn money

From , and the second was to preserve our dharmik sanskar (values). In this country, An Iron Nail, Vachanamrut Gadhada Last 7: “Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said Parixit and Richa’s it is difficult to maintain our culture due to the western influence. It was a to all of the devotees, "I shall now tell you My innermost principle. For a person Jay challenge to protect our kids from the bad influences and keep them in a good who desires his own liberation, nothing in this world is more blissful than God direction. That's why the satsang is important and we should have goal to keep and His saint. Therefore, just as a person is profoundly attached to his own body, a priority of satsang in our life. he should be similarly attached to God and His saint. One should also remain Additionally, we should have 2 spiritual goals: absolutely loyal to the devotee of God. But in no way should one abandon one's 1) To become Brahmaroop. loyalty to God and His devotee, even if while keeping that loyalty one's 2) To serve Parabrahma (the highest God). reputation increases or decreases, or one is honored or insulted, or one lives or When someone dies, why do we miss them? The body is still there, is it dies. In addition, one should not allow an aversion to develop towards them. not? But we don’t want the body, we want the soul that was there, that made Furthermore, one should not have as much affection towards one's body or bodily the person walk and talk, gave personality and action, etc. When we leave our relations as one has towards the devotee of God. For a devotee who behaves in body, the entity in the body has left and people don't want to be in the same this manner, even extremely powerful enemies such lust, anger, etc., are unable room afterward, because the soul has gone, which was the controller of every to defeat him." action. Satsang Times, Volume 5, Issue 1

Mahapooja The Vedic culture is the culture of yagna (sacrifices and offerings). Through yagnas, devotees offered devotion to God and deities to appease and thank them for their benevolence on mankind. In order to pay our debts to them, yagnas prevailed in the ancient times. Then, our sages prescribe the rituals of daily worship as a form of a yagna as they sense that devotees would not be able to perform the yagnas in future. Lord SwamiNarayan also has instructed His devotee to do daily pooja every day. The daily worship can be of different forms such as offering food, flowers and aarti to God and His saints, doing prostrations and pradakshina, applying sandalwood paste to them, listening to discourses, meditating upon them, remembering their divine incidents, etc. Shreeji Maharaj further instructed devotees to perform -yagna and gnan-yagna daily, by withdrawing 10 senses and mind from the worldly things andattach them to God, and keeping one’s vrutti towards God (Gadhada Middle 8).

This daily worship is the framework of the mahapooja, an updated veriosn of pooja. In the pooja, we worship God and gunatit saints, while in the maphapooja, the sentiment is to remember God, gunatit saints and all devotees of past and present. Today, in every SwamiNarayan temple, the mahapooja has become an integral part of the temple and is performed every day with great reverence. In the SwamiNarayan sect, the first mahapooja was performed by on Jeth Sud Ekadashi, 1886 VS (Wednesday, June 2, 1830 AD) in front of Gopinathji in Gadhada. Due to Maharaj‘s returning to Akshardhaam on Jeth sud 10, 1886 VS. was grief struck. To console Dada Khachar, Gopalanand Swami first performed this mahapooja. However, it didn’t become much famous after.

Although, the real credit of making it a part of daily ritual goes to . Sheereji Maharaj has commanded devotees to visit and stay in for one month every year. Obeying this command, every year, Gopalanand swami visited Junagadh. In 1901 VS, when Gopalanand swami visited Junagadh, Gunatitanand Swami requested him to perform a mahapooja to obliterate bad fate, poverty and sadness, improve livelihood, and bring prosperity to devotees of Saurashtra region, so they can easily feed those visiting the Hari-mandirs and temples. Expert in Vedic rituals, Gopalanad swami arranged God and His saints and devotees on a flat wooden board covered with special cloth (Yantra Pat), which he used for his mahapooja and demonstrated the ritual of mahapooja. On Jeth Sud Ekadashi, 1901 VS (Monday, June 16, 1845 AD), Vasudevanand Brahmchari performed the mahapooja in the divine presence of Gopalanand Swmi and Gunatitanad Swami. On this occasion, Gunatitanand swami talked about the great glory of the mahapooja and gave blessings that whoever will conduct a mahapooja in his/her name; God will fulfil all his/her desires. Gopalanand Swami gave blessing that by the mahapooja, devotees would be rid of sadness, poverty and pains of the body and mind. From then on, Achintyanand Brahmchari did mahapooja in the presence of Gunatianand Swami. Since then, mahapooja has become customary to all SwamiNarayan temples. Gunatitanand Swami spreaded the profound glory of mahappoja in the surrounding region. Devotees also experienced divine miracles by performing mahapooja.

The benefits of mahapooja are tremendous. Gunatitanand Swami often prescribed a mahapooja as a solution to devotee’s problems. Once, Vallabhbhai of Una town was legal dispute while managing the financial affairs of the town. His life, fame and wealth were at great risk. He persevered for long time, but he wasn’t finding a way out. Agonized, he consulted Gunatitanand Swami. Gunatitanand Swami asked him, “Accept Lord SwamiNarayan as the supreme God and conduct mahapoojas for 4 months. By the grace of Maharaj, all your miseries will be removed.” Vallabhbhai readily agreed. Just as when he determined to do mahapooja by accepting Lord SwamiNarayan as the supreme God, on the same night, the king of Junagadh called Vallabhji and dictated a letter to grant some rights to Vallabhbhai. He also made an arrangement for the honorably welcome of Vallabhbhai in Una. It was nothing but the blessings of Gunatitanand Swami and mahapooja.

That same trend was continued by Yogi Bapa. On January 1, 1965, Yogi Bapa spoke: “The pioneer of mahapooja was Gunatitanand swami. Achintyanand brahmchaari would do (mahapooja) and Swami would listen. Shastriji 2

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Maharaj propogated it in Vartaal. He asked me, “You do mahapooja.” I said, “I don’t know the proper way to conduct it.” “I will teach you”, Swami replied. We were not so intelligent, but Swami says, “Keep doing it, you will learn. It is ok if you miss something. But, if you follow the commands of greats, in no time, you will learn it.”

Yogi Bapa put special emphasis on conducting a mahapooja at , the memorial shrine of Gunatitanand Swami. Yogi Bapa often asked to do a mahappoja at Gondal as a panacea of eradicating devotees’ sadness and poverty. Kakaji also continued this process at Tardeo. Kothari Swami (Sokhada), Gopalbhai( Anoopam Mission), Vashibhai (Powai), Yagnapriya Swami (Delhi), and Viratbhai (Chicago) has kept the traditions alive. Today, also many devotees feel divine experience by taking part in the mahapooja.

Dinkar Uncle often explains, “Mahapooja should not be mechanical.” Sometimes, we feel that the mahapooja is monotonous, for we take part in everyday or every week. However it should be performed with renewed faith and energy every day, as we are attending it first time. Every day, when we eat food, we don’t feel it repetitive. We eat with the same enthusiasm and vigor, if not more every day. Furthermore, a good cook tries to add varieties in his food every day. A good player tries to improve his skill sets every day. A good leader perseveres daily to bring changes. Similarly, the mahapooja is the platform of innovation of our devotion to God. The feeling of redundancy should be replaced by the novice thought of greatness of God and His devotees. Rather than feeling bored, energy should be spurring out from us.

Furthermore, several rituals, which are suggested by our sages for some specific reasons, are performed during the mahapooja. As these rituals are ancient, we may not understand the importance of it. Explaining this, Dinkar Uncle says, “The mahapooja should be a heart trip, not a head trip. If we think with our logical mind, the doubt and confusion will arise. If we think from our heart, our energy will be multiplied as if mahapooja is the power house. Our faith will be increased and divinity will be experienced.”

One time, after completing the mahapooja, we were putting mahapooja back. While doing that, our focus was somewhere else in chatting. Dinkar Uncle immediately explained, “These images and items of mahapooja are the manifestation of God and His saints. When we invoke them during the mahapooja, they manifest through these images and items. So, when we handle them, we should do it with high reverence, as if they are the real forms of God.” Mahapooja Rituals: Such is the importance of the mahapooja! We pary to Maharaj, Gunatitanand Swami, Dinkar Uncle and gunatit saints that we imbibe the importance of the mahapooja in our life and participate in it with utmost devotion and sincerity. The three parts of a mahapooja are: mantra (chant: SwamiNarayan), (spiritual process: mahapooja vidhi or ritual), and yantra (vehicle or physical tool: yantra paat or platform with Swaminarayan Bhagwan and Gunatitanand Swami in the center and the names of saints and devotees placed in all directions).

The ritual invocation involves inviting and praying to God and His devotees. Up to 16 sopaaree or betel nuts (or a multiple of 16, up to 64) are placed on the mahapooja table around Swaminarayan Bhagwan and Gunatitanand Swami, each representing a gunatit saint or mukta (liberated entity). They guard devotees from all 64 directions. While the goal of the process is to unite with God, ritualistically, it involves 16 major steps or offerings (if not physically, done in maansi or mentally through the imagination). Prior to this, the poojaree (performer of the mahapooja) purifies the self (nyaas-vidhi and pranayam) and the atmosphere (digra-kshanam), making them divine. The poojaree then brings sanctity to the performed place, by invoking holy pilgrimage places (kalash- sthapanam), followed by doing poojan to the flame (dipa-poojanam), conch (shankh-poojanam), and bell (ganth- poojanam). 3

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Dhyanam and aahavanam - welcoming God and saints Aasanam - offering of respective seats Paadyam - washing holy feet Ardhyam - offering of flowers Aachmanam - offering of water Snanam - washing idols with warm water and offering of panchamrutam (made of milk, yogurt, butter, honey, and sugar) Vastram - offering of clothes Yagno-pavitram - janoi, tying of holy thread Chandanam - poojan, applying sandalwood paste Akshata - offering of rice Dhoopam - lighting an incense stick Dipam - lighting a divo (flame) Naivedhyam - offering of prasadam (food) Aartee - ritual of circling light around the image of God, accompanied with a specific bhajan (devotional song) Dakshinaam - thanking God and the poojaree

Before ending, there is a prayer asking for forgiveness (kshamapanam) if any mistake has been knowingly or unknowingly committed or any discrepancy remains in the mahapooja. He urges God and His saints to come again in their divine manifestations and remain within devotees' hearts eternally. Kshamapanam is followed ultimately by visarjanam (completion prayer) and a shanti-paath (well-wishing prayer for all). Divine Realization of Bhagatji Maharaj

[On 03/16/2014, on the celebration of Holi and Dhuleti, a new devotee had come enquiring about kriya yoga. Dinkar Uncle answered as follows.]

Today is a very auspicious day, since we are celebrating the birthdays of 3 gunatit saints - Bhagatji Maharaj, Jasbhai Saheb (Saheb Dada) and Mukundjivan Swamiji (Guruji). All these 3 enlightened entities are the representation of kriyayoga. Before Bhagatji Maharaj came to Gunatitanand Swami, he was the disciple of Gopalanand Swami. Gopalanand Swami was a very enlightened and powerful saint. Pleased with Bhagatji Maharaj’s devotion, he had promised Bhagatji Maharaj that "I will show you the abode of God." When Gopalanand Swami was ready to leave his body, Bhagatji Maharaj humbly reminded him, “Now, who will show me the abode of God?” Gopalanand Swami asked him to go to Gunatitanand Swami in Junagadh for he would fulfill the promise. Immediately after Gopalanand Swami’s passing away, Bhagatji Maharaj was grief-struck as he was missing his . He had little desire to go and see Gunatitanand Swami in Junagadh, which is hundreds of miles away from him. Once, Bhagatji Maharaj was visiting the Gadhada temple and there he met a saint who invited him to come along to Junagadh with him. Remembering his guru’s promise, Bhagatji Maharaj agreed. When he arrived in Junagadh, Gunatitanand Swami said to him, "How did a lost deer in the jungle come here? But now that you have come here, your final journey will end here." Gunatitanand Swami was such a powerful clairvoyant that he knew Bhagatji Maharaj’s final journey would end here.

Bhagatji Maharaj did a lot of seva (service) which is part of kriya yoga, and in doing that he really pleased his guru. The purpose of kriya yoga is to please the guru, and by pleasing the Guru, you please God. When the guru is pleased you know you are on right track. How do we know that? We have to tune with the guru and his/her planning. Gunatitanand Swami was a very elevated guru, and Bhagatji Maharaj made a wish in his heart that no matter what he would please him. Without paying any heed to my body, mind, soul, I will please my Guru."

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Bhagatji Maharaj was a tailor by trade. Once there was a big celebration in Junagadh temple. Gunatitanand Swami asked him to stitch up a massive canopy. Normally, this would take several months for few people to finish the task, but Bhagatji Maharaj finished it in a few weeks. He was extremely focused, efficient and had an intense zeal and goal to please his Guru. He was doing dhun (chanting of ) entire time. Upon seeing all this, Gunatitanand Swami told him, "I am very pleased, now you go back to your town, and you will get lots of money, acres of land, 2 wives, and you will leave a prosperous and happy life." These were all worldly attractions and Gunatitanand Swami was testing him to see if he wanted all this or the real thing. Bhagatji Maharaj folded his hands and said “I have been in Gopalanand Swami's company all these years, and in your company all these years, and neither of you have ever given any value to these things. If you are truly pleased, please give me your knowledge, please show me the place (Askhardham) where you have come from and make my soul so that I may not remain even an atom’s distance away from God.” Again Gunatitanand Swami wanting to test his resolution asked, "This is a very difficult roadway, are you ready?" Bhagatji Maharaj prayed humbly replied "Yes, I am ready."

After some time and a series of testing incidences, Gunatitanand Swami asked Bhagatji Maharaj, “How is your progress?” He said “Yes, I feel very blissful and happy in your company but I still want to see God (SwamiNarayan Bhagwan).” Once Gunatitanand Swami called him and said to him “Please sit in meditation, freeing you from all activities. I want to give you the ultimate bliss of God.” Bhagatji Maharaj was overjoyed to hear this. Bhagatji Maharaj meditated for nine days as per Gunatitanand Swami’s instructions. On the tenth day, Swami asked him “Pragji, can you see anything within?” Bhagatji Maharaj said “Yes Maharaj, I can see the sadhu and I am offering devotion to him.” Swami said “As you can see the sadhu now, you will soon be able to see everything else too. Please continue to meditate properly.” Later that evening, God gave Bhagatji Maharaj His divine darshan. No sooner did the divine darshan ended, Gunatitanand Swami came and asked Bhagatji “So, did you experience bliss or not?” Bhagatji Maharaj fell at his feet and said, “Maharaj, I have experienced so much happiness. You have made me fulfilled.” Continuing to hold his feet, Bhagatji Maharaj prayed and asked “Swami, Maharaj normally wears richly embroidered clothes, but I saw him wearing divine saffron garments. What could be the reason for this?” Swami replied “You have love for the sadhu; hence you saw God in the form of a sadhu. Look inside your heart again and tell me what Maharaj looks like now.” Bhagatji Maharaj looked again and was elated and he said, “Now Maharaj appears to be full of light and divinity. He has adorned a crown and he is wearing silk garments, golden clothes and ornaments.”

This way Bhagatji Maharaj received the divine darshan of God due to Swami’s grace and he became in tune with God and Swami. Thus he became a gunatit saints.

Today if we want to pray to have darshan of God, we want to pray to have darshan in saffron clothes (in the form of a saint). Such a darshan would be right for our elevation and progress. It would make us mature and knowledgeable not only about God but also His saints. If we know only about God, it would be limited knowledge. But if we know God along with His saints, then that would be elevated knowledge. That is what we want to pray!

Jay SwamiNarayan!

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