A unique home-to-home satsang event was organized this year as a part of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s birthday celebrations.
Swamishri’s birth tithi is on sud 8 (eighth day of the waxing moon as per the Hindu calendar), and so on Jeth sud 8 (12 June) thousands of BAPS families throughout India symbolically celebrated Swamishri’s birthday in their homes by performing sacred rituals and conducting family assemblies.
Swamishri’s unique initiative of the Ghar Sabha, which he launched decades ago, helps keep families together and provides a platform to discuss satsang concepts. For this celebration, the ‘ghar sabha’ was in effect extended to half a day, including an annakut prepared family members together to offer to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the guru parampara murtis in their home shrine.
In the early morning, each family performed samuh puja. Then, they began the assembly with guru pujan. The three-hour assembly featured videos of Swamishri, and narrations by sadguru and other sadhus of Swamishri’s incidents. Family members gave their own insights during the discussion of these incidents.
The program also featured games and quizzes that imparted inspiring messages and further revealed Swamishri’s virtues.
Families created a festive atmosphere in their homes by designing rangolis, making birthday cards and decorating their homes.
Arti and thal were offered at each ghar mandir, with all family members joining in the singing with love and devotion.
Through this celebration, every family felt the presence of Swamishri in their home. In keeping with the spirit of Swamishri’s teaching that ‘the family that prays together, stays together,’ this event helped strengthen family bonds.