August 2009 Annual Subscription Rs. 60 - Swaminarayan Sanstha

BAPS FESTIVAL: TRANSLATION: SADHU VIVEKJIVANDAS
GURU PURNIMA
7 July 2009, Bochasan
Prior to his morning puja, Swamishri
performed the murti-pratishtha rituals
of pujan and arti of murtis for the BAPS
hari mandir in Wellingborough (UK). Swamishri
performed his puja in his room.
The Guru Purnima assembly had commenced at
8.30 am. Satyaprakash Swami, Viveksagar Swami,
Tyagvallabh Swami, Dr Swami and Mahant Swami
spoke about the glory of Swamishri’s life and
works. More than 60,000 devotees from all over
India and abroad had gathered for Swamishri’s
darshan. Stage guests Shri Ravichandran, director
of IIM, Indore, Shri B.G. Patel, Vice-Chancellor
of Sardar Patel University and Shri C.L. Patel,
Chairman of Charutar Vidya Mandal, were
honoured with garlands by senior sadhus.
Swamishri inaugurated an Mp3 and audio CD
of Gunatitanand Swami’s biography (Gujarati),
a CD on Swaminarayan dhun, ‘Naam Smaran’,
a foot high murti of Shri Nilkanth Varni and a
set of moral stories for students, ‘Sucharitam’,
written by Sadhu Priyadarshandas. Thereafter,
Swamishri was honoured with a variety of
garlands by senior sadhus. A traditional dance on
the lyric “Swaminarayan Charankamalma…” was
beautifully performed by BAPS children of Mogri
centre. Then a pushpanjali ritual was performed
by all to offer respect to Shriji Maharaj and
Swamishri.
The celebration climaxed with Swamishri’s
blessings, “Today is the best of days for the whole
world. Through the guru one attains spiritual
knowledge and then liberation. Veda Vyas
has mentioned this in the Vedas, Upanishads.
Gita and Shrimad Bhagvat. Shriji Maharaj has
revealed in the Vachanamrut and Gunatitanand
Swami has expressed in his Swamini Vato that by
taking refuge in a guru one becomes free from all
bondage. By going to him one becomes liberated
from maya, samsara, I-ness and Mine-ness and
subsequently one becomes happy. The more one
consolidates the knowledge of atma-Paramatma
in one’s life the more happiness and peace one
experiences in life.”
After the celebration devotees were served
maha-prasad.
18 Swaminarayan Bliss August 2009