19 September 2010 (VS 2066) Sunday, Sarangpur, India
The stage was decorated in the form of a boat. Swamishri’s puja stage symbolized the captain’s cabin with a painted curtain of ocean water in the backdrop and a large pool of water in front. Sadhus sang bhajans in Swamishri’s puja. After each bhajan an arti was performed by senior sadhus and devotees. In between Shri Harikrishna Maharaj was placed and then steered by remote control in the pool of water in a decorated boat. After his puja Swamishri steered Shri Harikrishna Maharaj’s boat through remote control. Then he blessed the devotees, “God has graced us by taking birth on earth. He blessed us with happiness through his divine life and wisdom. Subsequently, we are celebrating his life through such festivals. Shriji Maharaj celebrated on the River Und in Bhadra. God is not past and gone. He is present today. When we accumulate enough merits we get the opportunity of his association. And through it we become liberated from the bondage of material attractions, desires and ignorance. Whosoever will recollect this festival at the time of death will be liberated.”
Swamishri then performed the murti-pratishtha rituals of Nilkanth Varni for the BAPS Mandir in Jaipur. Finally, Swamishri was honoured with garlands by senior sadhus.
More than 7,000 devotees attended the celebration. Shortly after Swamishri left the stage a procession of the utsav murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Shri Harikrishna Maharaj was carried out upto Narayan Kund and then to Yagnapurush Sarovar (lake). Here the murtis were ritually taken on a boat ride and finally the murti of Ganapatiji was ritually immersed in water.