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- 4 March 2005
(V.S. 2061, Maha vad 8) Friday, Mahesana, Kalol, Vidyanagar
- At 10.00 am Swamishri
departed from Mahesana and arrived at 10.45 am in Kalol.
Swamishri attended a public satsang assembly. In his blessings
Swamishri said, “Bhagwan Swaminarayan had not preached
about religious conversion but about transforming the evil
nature of people. This is social service. What the law cannot
do, religion can. The injunctions of our shastras are true.
People who do not abide by them are being errant and wayward…
By going to the mandir our mind becomes steady. The mind
is restless like a monkey. To make it calm we have God,
who is steady and calm. We have achieved external progress,
but for the progress of atma we have dharma and our scriptures.
To steady the wavering mind one should read the shastras
and listen to discourses of sadhus”
After the assembly Swamishri arrived at the BAPS Swaminarayan
Mandir in Kalol and performed pujan and arti of the murtis.
- In the late afternoon
Swamishri departed from Kalol and travelled to Vidyanagar
for the 40th anniversary celebration of Akshar Purushottam
Chhatralay (APC). The celebration marked forty successful
years of the Chhatralay since its inauguration by Yogiji
Maharaj on 20 June 1965. Swamishri was welcomed by ex-students
of APC and senior sadhus. In his blessings Swamishri narrated
the history of the making of the Chhatralay, “It was
Yogiji Maharaj’s wish to build a Chhatralay. Ambalal
Kalyan Yojna donated the land. Then the youths and sadhus
dug the foundation pit… Yogiji Maharaj desired that
youths should have character and academic excellence. This
would help create a better society. One should not be tinged
by the colours of materialism…”
Swamishri would be presiding during the 2½ day celebration.
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- 5 March 2005
(V.S. 2061, Maha Vad 9) Saturday, Vidyanagar
- The programme
agenda of the 40th anniversary celebration of APC included
speeches, dramas and reminiscences from sadhus, and ex-students.
During his blessings Swamishri said, “Yogiji Maharaj
used to say that this is a college of Brahmavidya. The more
one realises the glory of satsang the more one experiences
happiness. Yogiji Maharaj wanted to redeem you from what
you have been doing for endless births and that is why you
have this college (APC). He was different. He would make
all happy, give a pat and a fast. In this way he inspired
moral disciplines in life. His was the law of love. Shriji
Maharaj and Shastriji Maharaj also used the law of love.
With love one’s worldly desires and ignorance get
dissolved and one’s inner self gets purified…”
- In the evening,
the Charutar Vidya Mandal (governing body of all colleges
in Vidyanagar) organised a felicitation programme for sadhus
who had graduated from its colleges. Dr Swami, Mahant Swami
and Shri C.L. Patel, chairman of Charutar Vidya Mandal,
addressed the august gathering. Shri C.L. Patel said, “I
am an ordinary person. When I was selected as head I was
anxious as to whether I would be able to handle the responsibility.
Many used to say that I would run away in six months, but
I had the blessings of Swamishri. Swami told me that Shastriji
Maharaj is with you. It is through Swamishri’s blessings
that I am able to perform my duties well. Thereafter the
executive members honoured Swamishri, senior sadhus and
sadhus who formerly stayed in the Chhatralay.
After a question-answer session with sadhus, Swamishri blessed
the assembly of 6,500 devotees and wellwishers, “Shastriji
Maharaj had blessed this land. Though he was in poor health
he sat in an oxen cart and showered flower petals and chanted
the dhun. This land is a holy place. Those who come here
are blessed with spirituality and knowledge. This town is
a pilgrim place of knowledge. Many of our sadhus had formerly
studied here and now they are offering their services to
society. They travel to villages inspiring people to give
up addictions. This is a great service to society.”
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- 7 March 2006
(V.S. 2061, Maha vad 11) Monday; Vidyanagar, Anand, Gamdi, Vaghasi,
Vidyanagar
In Anand, Swamishri performed
the murti-pratishtha rituals of pujan and arti of murtis for
five BAPS hari mandirs for the villages of Thamna, Balasinor,
Piplata, Khijalpur and Yoginagar. Thereafter Swamishri blessed
the devotees.
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- 8 March 2005
(V.S. 2061, Maha vad 13) Tuesday, Vidyanagar, Mahelav; Shivratri
At 6.30 pm Swamishri
arrived in Mahelav. First he went for darshan at Shastriji Maharaj’s
birthplace. After darshan, Swamishri chanted dhun for the successful
completion and inauguration of Akshardham in New Delhi, centenary
celebration of BAPS in 2007, etc. Thereafter Swamishri went
for darshan of the shrine where Dungar Bhagat had narrated the
Mahabharat. After reaching the mandir Swamishri blessed the
devotees gathered for a satsang assembly.
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