It is not incumbent that members of a family should live in a large house, however, it is necessary that they should have a broad-minded outlook. A family is not a commercial outfit or a government system where its members have to abide by disciplines out of fear or compulsion. There is a need for rules and regulations in the house, but they should be followed with ease and love, and be practised out of respect rather than out of pressure. This can only happen when members accept each other with broad-mindedness and generosity.

When a person gets angry for a minor mistake made by someone, the consequences are far greater and more destructive than the loss or effect due to that small mistake. By doing ghar sabha the members gradually become attuned to positive understanding, which enables them to tolerate and forgive another’s mistake, cultivate patience, take care of that person and rein in their own anger. Countless families have been liberated from anger and other personal faults due to ghar sabha.

Divyangbhai Master of Vadodara elaborates, “My wife’s nature was very volatile. Daily, she had differences and friction with my mother. When we started doing ghar sabha she did not sit with us for one-and-a-half years. But when she started attending a gradual change occurred in her nature. Her relationship with my mother improved. Now, whenever someone in the house misplaces something she does not get angry.”

Miteshbhai Bhatiya of Jamnagar writes, “I was very hot-headed. I used to simply burst out with anger on trifle matters, which caused anguish and conflicts in the house. Sometimes, there used to be friction between me and my customers and as a result my business declined. But by Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s inspiration I commenced doing ghar sabha, and in five years I became calm and quiet. Today, there is peace at home and due to my friendly relations with the customers I have benefited monetarily.”

Pankajbhai of New Jersey writes, “Due to my furious nature I used to get mad at my children for small things. As a result my wife became averse to me and my parents didn’t like my edgy nature either. Because of this, friction started between me and them. Thereafter, with Swamishri’s agna we started ghar sabha and read the book Swabhav Vash Sansar. We got answers in the ghar sabha to the problems arising out of our swabhavs. Slowly, we became tolerant and broad-minded and things took a turn for the better in our lives. We started understanding each others’ greatness and realized that each one of us was right in his or her own way. We thus came closer to each other and our bitterness vanished.”

Janaksinh of Odarka describes the efficacy of practising ghar sabha, “Because of ghar sabha internal unity, camaraderie and love has increased in our family. When our land and property were divided among us three brothers we did not require the presence and help of a committee of five neutral persons from the village. We discussed among ourselves and decided upon three parts and received the title deeds of each share at Doctor Swami’s hands. When we divided the property as part of our social arrangement all the female members of our house were sad and expressed that they did not want to be separated from each other. The reason behind these sentiments was the observance of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s instruction to hold ghar sabha.”

Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s instruction to do ghar sabha has worked wonders in countless families by solving internal frictions, personal problems and blessing all with inner peace and enlightenment. Ghar sabha has empowered innumerable individuals and families to become flexible and broad-minded in their inter-personal relations. Ghar shabha has also resolved issues related to land and property entitlements after the death of parents and curbed conflicts that were on the verge of resulting in murders or legal proceedings.

Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s contribution in providing ghar sabha as a master key to unlocking and resolving a wide spectrum of problems and conflicts will forever be appreciated and remembered, and leave countless more families indebted to him. May we regularly practice in order to experience a happy ambience and divinity in our homes and also inspire others to do ghar sabha.

On 18 May 2018, during an evening satsang assembly in Chennai,
Mahant Swami Maharaj spoke in Gujarati about the need to do ghar sabha.

When a mother-in-law believes her son’s wife to be her daughter then all conflicts between them will end. However, when a mother-in-law remains suspicious of her daughter-in-law then things will get out of hand. Pramukh Swami Maharaj revealed a solution to this, ‘To be mutually accommodative [anukul thavu].’ Only by understanding others can one become accommodative.

Suspicion is a terrible thing; it ruins a home. No one in the house can live with peace and happiness. And mostly, there’s no solid reason behind one’s suspicion. One makes a mountain out of a molehill. One who is suspicious of someone believes his suspicion to be true. Everyone believes what they say [or think] is right; they never understand. They feel, ‘I am right and the house should run the way I say.’ To solve this, Pramukh Swami Maharaj had shown a wonderful means – ghar sabha.

Through ghar sabha the family members come to trust each another, and, thereafter, all problems get solved. One’s son or daughter will not ask for something unnecessarily, because they understand. And parents should try to help them as much as possible. Subsequently, even if there is little in the house there will be peace because all conflicts have been solved. On the other hand, if a billionaire suspects of something [wrong in his house] he will not be happy and peaceful. The reason for samp [harmony] lies in samjan [understanding]. One who becomes accommodative [anukul] and gives up his wilful resolves [man dharya muke] then he becomes happy. However, if he believes that he is right then he will never ever be happy. Ghar sabha enables one to understand others and accept what they say.

In the beginning, you may not get success [in doing ghar sabha], but, gradually, you’ll get the hang of it. When one [person in the family] understands then the second person will also understand and then everyone will understand. The effects of [ghar sabha] will take place slowly and then solidly. It takes time for everyone in the family to adjust with each other, and then peace and happiness will prevail. Today, countless families experience such peace. If you want to experience the miracle of ghar sabha then start doing it.