|| Swami Shriji || Table of Contents 1 Appendix Acknowledgments 2 App. A - Sabha Arrangment 62 Introduction 3 App. B - Stuti: Shlokas 63 Aashirvaad 5 App. C - Bhajan - Aakhaa Divasamaa 64 How to Use This Syllabus 6 App. D - Dhun 66 App. E - Thal 67 Week 1 8 App. F - Arti 69 Prasangs - Nilkanth Leaves Ayodhya 9 App. G - Visarjan - Ending Shloka 75 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 11 App. H - Sabha Cleanup 76 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 13 App. I - Political Map of India 77 YYE - Determination, Courage and… 14 App. J - Nilkanth‘s Travels 78 Youth Sabha Report for Week 1 15 Week 2 16 Prasangs - Asceticism in the… 17 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 19 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 21 YYE - Nilkanth Varni The Ascetic 22 Youth Sabha Report for Week 2 24 Week 3 25 Prasangs - Divinity in East India 26 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 38 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 30 YYE - A Divine Purpose 31 Youth Sabha Report for Week 3 33 Week 4 34 Prasangs - Devotion from South… 35 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 39 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 41 Youth Sabha Report for Week 4 42 Week 5 43 Prasangs - Nilkanth Finds His Guru… 44 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 48 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 50 Youth Sabha Report for Week 5 51 Week 6 52 Prasangs - Stepping Stone to the… 53 Juniors: Swamini Vato - Activity - Story 56 Senior Swamini Vato - Company 58 YYE - 59 Youth Sabha Report for Week 6 61 USA YOUTH SABHA NILKANTHILKANTH MAHARAJ SEMESTER || Swami Shriji || We are grateful to the many devotees who generously contributed their time and effort to help us make this syllabus as accurate and useful as possible. We would particularly like to express our deepest thanks to Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada for giving us the inspiration and blessings to put forth this Nilkanth Maharaj Semester Syllabus. We would like to thank Param Pujya Shanti Dada, Param Pujya Ashwin Dada, and Param Pujya Harshad Dada who thoroughly reviewed and critiqued this revised edition. P. Jayesh Uncle has done an incredible amount of work for the youth as the mahant of our Allentown mandir. P. Virendrabhai, P. Shreebhai, P. Chetanbhai, P. Shanubhai, and P. Samirbhai were a constant source of en- couragement. We would like to thank P. Charvee for providing the material of the juniors‘ sabha. We would like to thank P. Nirav Malani for his artistic contributions to the syllabus. Other friends who reviewed large sections of the script are P. Shivani, P. Neil, P. Sneha, and P. Shirali. Their suggestions were invaluable in clarifying confusing concepts and in making the difficult decisions about what to include and what to omit. Thanks to Swaminarayan Aksharpith for providing Swami ni Vato. Thanks to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha and the Yogi Divine Society for providing information on the Life and Work of Nilkanth Maharaj. Special thanks to all those who assumed Regional Leadership roles and worked to create more sabha mandals. We would like to thank the sabha mandals who, under G.P.P. Saheb Dada‘s aagna and annuvruti, are conducting weekly satsang sabha with youth. These sabha have made a tremendous impact on the Hindu-American youth of our society, leading them to the path of truth and virtue. They have wholly accepted our syllabus and are implementing it with passion. The regional and local sabha leaders have worked in samp, suhradbhav, and ekta to inspire youth to attend weekly satsang sabha. Finally, as Saheb Dada would say, ‗Abhinandan Ghate...‘; there is not enough appreciation that we can give to those sabha leaders who devote time to organizing, conducting, and leading weekly satsang sabha for youth. These leaders are truly role models, and they have inspired those in their mandals to lead ideal lives. Special thanks to the following mandals for taking on this task: West (Chetanbhai) Northeast (Tejalben) San Fransisco/Fremont Mandal Landsdale Mandal Los Angeles Mandal Sciota Mandal Canada Mandal (Meghaben) Long Island Mandal Lynchburg Mandal Midwest (Ritaben) Richmond Mandal Rochester Mandal Maryland Mandal Ann Arbor Mandal Allentown Mandal Peoria Mandal Old Bridge Mandal Ferdinand Mandal Secaucus Mandal Louisiana Mandal Southeast (Rakshaben) Lakeland Mandal Holmstead Mandal 2 USA YOUTH SABHA NILKANTHILKANTH MAHARAJ SEMESTER || Swami Shriji || Sahajanand Swami Maharaj ni Jai! Mukta-Akshar-Purushottam ni Jai! Guruvarya Param Pujya Saheb Dada ni Jai!!! Saheb Dada na Sau Vhala Mukto ni Jai!!! Dear Weekly Youth Satsang Sabha Leaders, Last summer, P. P. Ashwin Dada and P. P. Harshad Dada explained Saheb Dada‘s goal for Hindu-American youth. Saheb Dada has been relentlessly working to better the future of our youth since 1975! His sole wish is that we become successful in all of our endeavors, while simultaneously nurturing our souls with satsang. Through Thakorji‘s grace, we will have pure and powerful futures free of bad company and habits. Saheb Dada organized each sabha center into region, and assigned leaders the task of furthering satsang in the South, East, Midwest, and West regions. Harshad Dada asked us to channel into the sabha centers that are held weekly throughout the country. He asked us to provide a course syllabus so that each sabha center would teach similar material at similar times. In this way, Yogi Youth Camp leaders will know exactly what the youth have learned over the past year, and use that knowledge to cultivate their spirituality. Harshad Dada explained the importance of understanding the glory of Lord Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, and all of their spiritual successors. This is a necessity to cultivating faith in God, and practicing spir- itual beliefs such as upasana and suhradbhav. It is with Harshad Dada‘s aagna, that the youth have prepared this syllabus detailing Nilkanth Maharaj‘s life. Nilkanth Maharaj, from the age of just eleven, left home to redeem countless souls and to find a guru that could answer His eternal questions. With such a commit- ment, He left barefoot, heedless of food and water; He went to the Himalayan Mountains, to the border of China, down to the southern tip of India, and west to Gujarat. He did so to understand the cultures and attitudes of contemporary humanity, with the hope to find an institution that would allow saints and devo- tees to freely practice Mukta-Akshar-Purushottam Philosophy. Nilkanth Maharaj‘s life stories may seem appropriate just for small children, but they are actually important for all of us to understand and embed into our memories. When we stand before Thakorji Maharaj, we can see and understand His beauty much better if we can remember His life work! Then we will understand the reason that He came to Earth, and the difficulties He undertook so that He could explain to satsangis how to live happily and peacefully! So with this idea Harshad Dada directed us to begin our course syllabus with Nilkanth Maharaj. Then we will continue to Sahajanand Swami Maharaj, Gunatitanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami, and so forth. We must also note that these stories will be embellished because when looking at any incarnation of God - the stories will be created or told in a certain way in order to establish the divinity of God. For youth leaders it is important to understand the underlying message. Next, Saheb Dada has given the aagna for all youth to participate in Swamini Vato competition! We suggest that any free sabha time be spent training the youth to learn the Swamini Vato that we have provid- ed. Also, please note that the phone sabha will not be coinciding with the weekly satsang sabha syllabus! There- fore, please encourage all youth to join in on the weekly phone sabha call on Sunday, 8:00 PM E.S.T. We suggest encouraging youth to join the phone sabha firstly because it is Saheb Dada‘s aagna, and secondly because it allows the youth to interact with each other, keep in touch, and enjoy a positive atmos- 3 USA YOUTH SABHA NILKANTHILKANTH MAHARAJ SEMESTER || Swami Shriji || phere. Thank you all for wholeheartedly devoting your time to furthering the futures of Saheb Dada‘s youth. Through you, Harshad Dada‘s wish of an organized satsang sabha will reach the youth. With this in mind, Harshad Dada requests that you aim to follow the sabha manual as much as possible. This manual has been approved in full by P.P. Ashvin Dada, P.P. Shanti Dada, P. P. Harshad Dada and P. Virendra Uncle. Jai Swaminarayan! 4 USA YOUTH SABHA NILKANTHILKANTH MAHARAJ SEMESTER || Swami Shriji || 5 USA YOUTH SABHA NILKANTHILKANTH MAHARAJ SEMESTER || Swami Shriji || Jai Swaminaryan to all! Welcome to the Nilkanth 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 ar- rangement was requested by Param Pujya Harshadbhai using a one hour time slot. 1 . Sabha Arrangment - Appendix A · The sabha mandal head, or the eldest in the family, should arrange a sabha and arrange the youth in a manner explained in Appendix A. 2. Stuti: Shlokas - Appendix B · 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: Aakha Divasama - Appendix C · 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. We understand that Aakha Divasama is an evening prayer, but unfortunately, not all youth sing bhajans in the evening, and so never get the chance to learn it.