3 July 2009 (VS 2065, Devshayani Ekadashi Nirjala Upvas) Friday, Bochasan
Due to delayed monsoon rains Swamishri had instructed that prayers in the form of dhun be sung before Thakorji in the mandir and thereafter in his morning puja. After his puja was over at 8.30 am Swamishri told the sadhus to continue singing the dhun. Till 9.00 am Swamishri and all the devotees prayed for rains. Thereafter Swamishri blessed the assembly, “Today is ekadashi. Bhagwan Vaman came to King Bali and asked for three steps as charity. His guru warned him that the boy was God, and that he had come to trick him. But Bali replied what was wrong in being deceived by God. He gave his all. True devotees had sacrificed everything for God. Narsinh Mehta, Dada Khachar, Parvatbhai and others gave everything to God and in return they were blessed with eternal happiness.” Swamishri also blessed that the rains will arrive and fill all the natural reservoirs, rivers and dams.
Guru Purnima
7 July 2009 (VS 2065, Guru Prunima Gaurivrat Samapt) Tuesday, Bochasan
Prior to his morning puja, Swamishri performed the murti-pratishtha rituals of pujan and arti of murtis for the BAPS hari mandir in Wellingborough (UK). Swamishri performed his puja in his room.
The Guru Purnima assembly had commenced at 8.30 am. Satyaprakash Swami, Viveksagar Swami, Tyagvallabh Swami, Dr Swami and Mahant Swami spoke about the glory of Swamishri’s life and works. More than 60,000 devotees from all over India and abroad had gathered for Swamishri’s darshan. Stage guests Shri Ravichandran, director of IIM, Indore, Shri B.G. Patel, Vice-Chancellor of Sardar Patel University and Shri C.L. Patel, Chairman of Charutar Vidya Mandal, were honoured with garlands by senior sadhus.
Swamishri inaugurated an Mp3 and audio CD of Gunatitanand Swami’s biography (Gujarati), a CD on Swaminarayan dhun, ‘Naam Smaran’, a foot high murti of Shri Nilkanth Varni and a set of moral stories for students, ‘Sucharitam’, written by a sadhu. Thereafter, Swamishri was honoured with a variety of garlands by senior sadhus. A traditional dance on the lyric “Swaminarayan Charankamalma…” was beautifully performed by BAPS children of Mogri centre. Then a pushpanjali ritual was performed by all to offer respect to Shriji Maharaj and Swamishri.
The celebration climaxed with Swamishri’s blessings, “Today is the best of days for the whole world. Through the guru one attains spiritual knowledge and then liberation. Veda Vyas has mentioned this in the Vedas, Upanishads. Gita and Shrimad Bhagvat. Shriji Maharaj has revealed in the Vachanamrut and Gunatitanand Swami has expressed in his Swamini Vato that by taking refuge in a guru one becomes free from all bondage. By going to him one becomes liberated from maya, samsara, I-ness and Mine-ness and subsequently one becomes happy. The more one consolidates the knowledge of atma-Paramatma in one’s life the more happiness and peace one experiences in life.”After the celebration devotees were served maha-prasad.