Chaitra Sud 9 marks an auspicious day for Hindus as it marks the birth anniversaries of Bhagwan Swaminarayan as well as Bhagwan Ram. Bhagwan Swaminarayan stayed on this earth for 49 years, establishing authentic scriptures, glorious mandirs and a lineage of spiritual gurus through whom moksha would remain attainable for all jivas.
The North American Mahila Wing of BAPS celebrated Shri Swaminarayan Jayanti and Ram through an inspiring program themed “Hari Rijyani Ritdi”. The program portrayed the life, works and wisdom of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and the legacies He left behind for His devotees. Bhagwan Swaminarayan possessed the ability to capture the hearts of people from all walks of life and taught them how to live a righteous and moral life.
The underlying theme was a skit with a mother and daughter who are at a BAPS festival, the daughter is a devotee, but the mother is rather materialistic. By the end of the program the mother is able to grasp the concept that pleasing Bhagwan Swaminarayan and His God realized Sant is the only way to attain moksha.
The program was geared towards displaying how Bhagwan Swaminarayan has affected the lives of people even in today’s time, over 200 years later. The mahila mandal displayed their affection and understanding of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life through many different means such as, speeches, skits and bhajans. The evening came to close with a dance to the bhajan “Swaminarayan Charan Kamal Ma” and a video of Swamishri’s ashirvad.