From November 16-18, 2018, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Greenville, SC, hosted the seventh annual Volleyball and Basketball tournament - Samp Cup. This event was a gathering of over 150 yuvaks, 12 centers, 2 trophies, and one goal: Unity. 21 volleyball and 22 basketball teams pushed their physical limits to compete and bring back the trophy to their center. When time was called, it was truly magnificent of how opponents made new friends.
Each participant pushed their spiritual and mental limits to build samp (unity). The act of seeing virtues in everyone, helped them realize that each devotee is simply divine, which in turn helped to build samp. Yuvaks also learned how to condition the three major sense organs - eyes, mouth, and ears to develop samp. These are the organs by which we hear, speak, or see the faults of others, which impede our ability to see virtues of everyone and develop true samp.
As the tournament came to an end, the southeast yuvaks celebrated Atlanta as the winners for both volleyball and basketball tournaments. With memories made, each yuvak bid farewell as they eagerly waited for next year’s Samp Cup.
His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, current spiritual leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, continues to build on Yogiji Maharaj’s vision of Samp, Suhradbhāv and Ektā. Events like this tournament create an environment for youths to grow together as they cherish, encourage, and thrive in their pursuit of satsang.