• 31 July 1999 : Saturday, Mumbai - Johannesburg
  Swamishri left Mumbai at 1.48 a.m. (IST) and reached Johannesburg at 10.24 a.m.(IST).
• 1 August 1999 : Sunday, Lenasia
  Silver Anniversary Celebrations, S. Africa Satsang Mandal
• 7 August 1999 : Saturday, Durban
  113 devotees participated in a yagna for World Peace.
• 8 August 1999 : Sunday, Durban
  Grand Parade on eve of Murti-Pratishtha ceremony. Five beautiful floats with the murtis of deities passed through the streets of Durban. 1,000 devotees and well wishers participated in the 2½ km procession.
• 9 August 1999 : Monday, Durban
  Consecration ceremony - Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Mandir. Four thousand devotees and well-wishers attended the ceremony.
• 15 August 1999 : Sunday, Lilongwe (Malawi)
  Vice President, Hon. Justin Malewezi, welcomed Swamishri.

31 July 1999, Saturday (Ashad Vad 3, V.S. 2055), Lenasia

• Swamishri and an entourage of 8 sadhus were welcomed in an evening assembly at the ‘Patidar Samaj Hall’. Swamishri, in his blessings, said, "... There are many philanthropists in this world. Some donate food, give employment, offer clothes as charity and give knowledge. Such charitable acts make us happy in this world but do not redeem us from dehbhav (body-consciousness) and bless us with atmabhav (atma-consciousness). A true sadhu dissolves the inner ignorance and enlightens us with the knowledge of God. He is the giver of the highest good. The holy sadhu helps us give up our base nature and bestow us with virtues. He remedies our diseased soul and that is why he is the greatest philanthropist..."

5 August 1999, Thursday (Ashad Vad 8, V.S. 2055), Gaberon (Botswana)

• Swamishri was honored by the President of Botswana, H.E. Festus G. Mogae, at the State House. Swamishri blessed him and the country for progress and success. The President said his country allowed freedom of worship and he was honored to welcome him.

7 August 1999, Saturday (Ashad Vad 11, V.S. 2055) Durban

• After having lunch, a kishore asked Swamishri, "Swami my mind wonders off while doing puja." Swamishri: "Have you seen a Chimpanzee?"
  Kishore: "Yes."
  Swamishri: "Well the mind is like a monkey. Whenever you sit down for devotion and bhajan the mind wanders off because one desires to see worldly things. The mind is maya. It will not sit down for the darshan of God but it will concentrate for hours while watching T.V. When you go to the mandir the mind feels like leaving immediately. The same applies when you are listening to a religious discourse. But while watching T.V, you sit for hours because you like it and appreciate it. Similarly, when you start liking God and Satsang, then your mind will not wander off and desire to see and experience worldly things."
  Kishore: "How can we always have divyabhav (divine feelings) for you?"
  Swamishri: "When you understand the glory then you will experience divine feelings. We love our friends and know their greatness so we never find faults in them. Because you have understood the glory of friendship you don’t feel bad or find fault even when your friends scold you. Likewise, if you realise the glory of God and His holy sadhu you will never find faults in them."

8 August 1999, Sunday (Ashad Vad 12, V.S. 2055), Durban

• Reporter, Ibrahim Patel and Cameraman Chris from the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation took a video interview of Swamishri.
  Q: What is the purpose of inaugurating the mandir and of what significance will it be to the residing Hindus?
  Swamishri: God has created the world. For the purpose of worship, the murti of God is established in a mandir. People can also offer prayers to Him and be blessed with peace of mind, good thoughts and be inspired to perform good deeds.
  Secondly, because of the hectic day to day activities, one is left with lingering thoughts in the mind at the end of the day. By having darshan of the Lord in the mandir, experiencing the arti and listening to the sound of bells, one’s mind becomes pacified. The mandir makes a person good. By inspiring devotion towards God, a person becomes free of his base nature, evil qualities and worldly desires and attains God’s divine abode. The mandir preserves character and righteous feelings in a person. And through the holy sadhus residing in the mandir, one gets guidance and inspiration. So through the mandir, one is exposed to and blessed with the benefits of one’s culture, dharma, scriptural reading and association with sadhus. This is the significance of mandirs and that is why they are created.
  Q: What is your message for the new Millennium?
  Swamishri: As we are approaching the new Millennium, there is one very clear statement that today man has become corrupt in so many ways. He is thinking more and more about the ways and means to attain mundane happiness. And he does this at the cost of inflicting pain and loss to thousands of people. We see a great greed for power regardless of the misunderstanding and conflict it spawns. New researches and discoveries are made to destroy people. People produce and peddle drugs and alcohol to harass mankind, to make it miserable and destroy it. For the New Year one should endeavor to free oneself from addictions, vices and base nature. (swabhavas). Man should strive to earn money rather than kill someone for it. May people respect and love each other. We also wish that there should be projects that inspire peaceful coexistence and publication of wholesome literature. To enhance faith in God more mandirs should be established, people should study the holy scriptures, respect and love the holy saints - when such feelings arise in people then the country will benefit and progress all the more..."

13 August 1999, Friday (Shravan Sud 2, V.S. 2055), Lusaka (Zambia)

• During the evening assembly the Minister of Agriculture, Zambia, Shri Suresh Desai, and the Indian Ambassador H.E. Shri Atri were honored. In his address, Shri Suresh Desai praised the noble work of Swamishri and the tranquility and beauty of Akshardham monument.

15 August 1999, Sunday (Shravan Sud 4, V.S. 2055), Lilongwe (Malawi)

• The Vice President of Malawi, Hon. Justin Malewezi, honored and welcomed Swamishri in an assembly of 400 aspirants.
  In his blessings Swamishri stated, "It is said in the Vedas that we are all God’s children. So there should be no distinctions of religion, caste or country. The world is one family. By sustaining such feelings we will experience peace within ourselves and bring peace to others..."

• God says to Naradji, "To my mind there is no one greater than the sant (holy sadhu)." But why is the sant the greatest? Because he communicates the true glory of God to man and inspires profound faith for Him. .