Issue: May 2015
Satsang Article
Shanti through Seva
Swamishri’s Vicharan
“Angreji”
Nilkanth News
BST - KST in Texas
Shãnti Through
Seva
Important Dates
in May
Katha Links:
Dasbhaav 1: http://goo.gl/XxTyGe
Dasbhaav 2: http://goo.gl/FdOJMN
Dasbhaav 3: http://goo.gl/YFaMHN
Dasbhaav 4: http://goo.gl/tjlBgx
Researchers from San Francisco State University surveyed 341 employees about their creative
activities, including what they do during downtime, how creative they are at work and how well
they supported their employer and co-workers.
What they discovered was that partaking in creative activities was linked to experiencing
mastery, control and relaxation, as well as reported positive work performance related
outcomes. Why? The researchers are not certain, but it’s likely that people learn new skills
through their other activities, and these skills may be applied to their daily work.
Seva gives us shanti, but only if we allow it to. By being karyakars, we are given a tremendous
opportunity to advance both spiritually and professionally. Rarely do we think of the two as
intertwined, but our Satsang and our career go hand in hand. By becoming better Satsangis,
we develop qualities that will make us better professionals: perseverance, understanding,
long-term thinking. It isn’t every that gets this opportunity. In Vachanamrut Gadhada II-59,
Shriji Mãharãj says, “… only those who have accumulated a great number of merits from
performing good deeds receive the opportunity to serve God’s Sant, but those who have a few
merits do not.”
We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to perform seva. Yet even after countless
births, we do not understand the mahima (greatness) of the opportunity awarded to us to
do seva of such a Sadhu. It is very important to understand not only this but to be sure not
to miss this opportunity for which we have worked so hard to obtain. This seva is a privilege.
In Vachanamrut Gadhada II-41, Shriji Maharaj says, “One who desires to worship God should
serve God and his devotee. Not only that, but when he gets the opportunity to serve God and
his devotee, he should feel privileged.”
Yogiji Maharaj would always perform seva with this Vachanamrut in mind – always taking the
stance that he was fortunate to be allowed to perform it. Yogiji Maharaj would only eat when
all other devotees and sadhus had finished. He would even wait until the last train came into
town, waiting to see if someone unexpectedly arrived so that he could serve them. Such was
his joy of serving others. He didn’t want to complete the seva as a task—he was truly happy
when performing his seva.
In fact, at times, Yogiji Maharaj would lock himself in a room and wash the clothes of the
yuvaks travelling with him because he would not be given or allowed to do any seva because
he was the guru. As a result, when no one was looking or when everyone was asleep, he would
go out in search for seva because he considered it a privilege to serve. This is the true mahima
of seva. It helps strengthen our bond with Maharaj and Swãmishri; it also strengthens our
bond with fellow kishores/kishoris and helps us eradicate our swabhãvs and ego as we serve
alongside others; it also improves our job performance; and most importantly, it also gives us
peace. When we do our seva, as karyakars, the right way, we will understand what it means to
experience shanti through seva.
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SHANTI THROUGH SEVA
The concept of selfless service, also known as seva, has become increasingly important in
Hinduism. However, seva is something that dates back to Maharaj’s time, and is something
that has been ingrained in BAPS thanks to the efforts of Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and
Swamishri.
Thanks to Swamishri’s grace, we have all been blessed with this opportunity to serve our
sanstha and to serve our Gurus, in the form of seva in Bal/Balika/Kishore/Kishori Mandal.
However, many of us tend to take this opportunity for granted. It is typically not one of our top
priorities because we do not place much value or importance on it. Even when we do our seva,
there are often ulterior motives such as the ability to show off one’s skills, to receive praise from
P. Santo, fellow karyakars, parents and so much more.
As such, we have the tool of seva in place. However, we might not always be using it in
the right way. For example, if a construction worker did not know how to operate different
machinery, the project would never be finished; billions of dollars could be poured into the job,
but it would have no fruit if the worker didn’t know how to use the tools. Similarly, we have the
tool of seva. However, if we do not know how to do seva properly, we will never achieve our goal
of shanti. No matter how much time or effort we put into our seva, if we don’t do it the right way,
it will yield no fruit.
Therefore, it becomes critical for us to understand how to do seva the right way. The way seva
should be done is with humility and with a desire to please Maharaj and Swami. Swamishri has
mastered this and has showcased this in various prasangs, such as the one below:
During the construction of Atladra mandir, it was very difficult to find
haribhaktos who were willing to do seva, especially seva that could cause physical
pain and more. As such, one necessary task that hadn’t been completed was
crushing the limestone into mortar. The process of mixing limestone and water,
and creating a paste generated huge amounts of heat that exacerbated the
already burning summer heat.
Swamishri knew that the work had to be done as it was his Guru’s wish. So,
despite the potential for pain and discomfort, Swamishri willingly started mixing
the limestone. He asked others to join in this seva, but the other devotees tried
to dissuade Swamishri from performing this task. They explained how this heat
can cause one to become blind and have drastic health effects. Slowly, the flow
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of devotees trickled down until Swamishri was left alone finishing up this seva.
Soon, blisters and scars started appearing all over Swamishri’s body. The marks
would burn and were painfully difficult to deal with as they caused a lot of pain.
At the same time, Shastriji Maharaj was in Bharuch as he had a fever. He was
resting there for a couple of days. During this brief period, Shastriji Maharaj
called Swamishri to do katha. Swamishri had arrived in Shastriji Maharaj’s room,
and he noticed Shastriji Maharaj lying down. Shastriji Maharaj asked about the
construction process in Atladra and saw Swamishri’s body. Immediately, Shastriji
Maharaj asked what happened. At that time, Shastriji Maharaj was lying down. He
got up, called Swamishri closer, and placed his hands over where Swamishri had
the blister marks. While doing so, Shastriji Maharaj said the Swminarayan mantra
for roughly 2-3 minutes. He gave Swamishri ashirvaad and said, “Don’t worry.
Maharaj will cure you. You have done this seva to make Maharaj happy, so Maharaj
will make sure nothing bad will happen. Stay here for a few days, do katha and
everything will be all right.”
From this prasang, it becomes crystal clear that Swamishri’s only desire while doing seva
is to please Maharaj and his Gurus. If this wasn’t the case, Swamishri could’ve left the work
unfinished. He could’ve requested that he be put into a different seva. He could’ve forced
someone else to do it. However, understanding that it was his Guru’s wish and knowing that this
would make him happy, Swamishri put his best foot forward and gave his all for his seva. He
sacrificed his body, his time and so much more to please his Guru. He had no other thoughts
while doing this seva other than to please Shastriji Maharaj.
In this way, if we can constantly reflect and see if we do our seva to please Swamishri, we
will be able to make a change for the better. Understanding where we are lacking in terms of
our purpose of doing seva will allow us to make a change for the better. Using this prasang as
motivation, if we can shift our perspective and truly do our seva to please Swamishri, shanti is
definitely within reach.
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Swamishri’s
Vicharan
Precious Moments
It was the evening of March 16, 2015. Swamishri
had taken a shower, and a meeting had been
scheduled. P. Mahant Swami, P. Doctor Swami,
P. Ishwarcharan Swami, P. Gnaneshwar Swami,
and P. Narayanmuni Swami were present with
Swamishri. They were meeting to make certain
decisions for the sanstha. When the P. Santo
entered the room, Bapa was doing chesta, so
they sat around his bed.
Upon seeing them, Swamishri folded his hands
and said Jai Swaminarayan. The sevak P. Santo
left. Just before leaving, P. Narayancharan
Swami said, “shall they start the meeting?” Bapa
said, “sharu karo!” He said it so loud and clear that
everyone in the room was a bit surprised.
After the meeting had taken place, the P. Santo
asked Bapa, “barabar che, ke kaiy fer faar karvo
che? Aap kaho tem kariye.” Swamishri spoke
again, “barabar chhe.” After this, Swamishri
called all the P. Santo near and gave them
aashirvad by putting his hand on their heads. P.
Narayanmuni Swami said, “Bapa tame to bahu
hoshiyaar cho, atyare keva bolya, aam kayam
bolta ho ne hasta ho toh?” (You’re very clever.
What if you spoke more often and laughed
more—wouldn’t everyone be happy?)
After this 15-20 minute meeting, the sevak P.
Santo came in and P. Yogvivek Swami asked P.
Narayanmuni Swami if Bapa had said anything.
P. Narayanmuni Swami said, “Bapa toh bahu
badhu boliya.” Then, P. Yogvivek Swami asked
if he spoke in English or Gujarati. But before
anyone else could answer, Bapa answered,
“angreji.” (English.) Everyone started to laugh,
and P. Narayanmuni Swami said, “Akshardham
ni bhasha boliya,” (he spoke in the language of
Akshardham) making Bapa laugh even more.
While the atmosphere during the meeting was
tense, Swamishri was casually joking around
with the P. Santo. Swamishri still has the unique
ability to change the mood of the atmosphere
with just one word. Even at this age of 94, he
still does seva and takes part in meetings like
this when there are important decisions being
made for the sanstha. He does all this with a
sense of dasatvabhaav that we must all look up
to. And in doing so, he feels shanti.
These days, we can’t always understand exactly
what Swamishri is saying due to his old age,
but like P. Narayanmuni Swami said, Swamishri
Akshardham ni bhasha bole chhe. We need to
keep that divyabhav—whatever Bapa says is
divya. He is the Satpurush—whatever he says is
divine. This will help develop our samjan.
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KST in Dallas
A Trip down Memory Lane
Kishores took a walk through Dallas Mandal’s past by visiting the previous Dallas Mandir
along with the Hyatt Regency, both of which had hosted Bapa on his America vichrans in
the past. Kishores got the opportunity to look at the sites of various prasangs that Bhaveshbhai narrated. Bhaveshbhai mentioned many prasangs involving satsangis the kishores
knew, including Bhaveshbhai himself. Afterwards, the kishores went to a local park where
they performed aarti, ate dinner, and played a game. Later in the evening the kishores were
also treated to some frozen yogurt.
An Emphasis on Faith
The theme of faith was prevalent throughout this KST session. Initially, the kishores learned
about Gadhada I – 63 in their satsang session by P. Shantyogi Swami. He discussed what
deficiency in faith looks likes, and what qualities a person with faith embodies. Kishores
learned how to have more faith in Maharaj and Swami, along with how to avoid being deficient in faith on the premise of Gadhada I – 63. To supplement this framework of faith from
the Vachanamrut, Kshitijbhai walked the kishores through a recording of Bapa’s katha in a
later session that heavily focused on faith in Yogiji Maharaj. Bapa drew from a few practical
examples that spoke of Yogiji Maharaj’s sankalps, how they came true, and how we should
have faith in our gurus.
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BST - KST in Houston
BAPS History - KST
Kaivalyamurti Swami explained the uniqueness and significance of BAPS History to the
KST kishores and fostered a sense of passion in each and every kishore. Swami began
his presentation by briefly summarizing Shriji Maharaj’s life in accordance with Kariyani 5
“Maharaj incarnated on this Earth to fulfill his devotee’s desires”. He used the lineage of
our guru parampara to enlighten the kishores on the major prasangs in our history. Swami
spoke about Bhagatji Maharaj, how he had to face so many hardships to spread the greatness of Gunatitanand Swami, and how Bhagatji Maharaj gave the knowledge of Akshar
Purushottam to Shastriji Maharaj. Swami spoke about Shastriji Maharj’s titiksha and endurance to install the first Akshar Purushottam murtis in Vadhwan while being in Vadtal.
Swami then spoke about, Yogiji Maharaj and his sankalps, creation of youth activities, and
contribution to spreading satsang overseas. Finally he talked about, Pramukh Swami and
his continuous dedication to haribhaktos was emphasized with numerous prasangs.
Vairagya made Tangible - BST
The goshti session was focused on the important elements of Vairagya. Primarily, P.
Kaivalyamurti Swami introduced the topic of Vairagya by giving examples of misconceptions that balaks often have of vairagya. The term vairagya usually scares many haribhaktos. They think it’s an extreme sadhana where we completely give everything up and detach ourselves from everything so as to have no contact with the rest of the world. But in
fact, Vairagya means having simplicity in our lives. It means to be content and satisfied
with the least. By using examples from our Guru Parampara, the balaks realized the true
importance and effect of imbibing vairagya into their lives.
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Bal Development in the Northeast
“Finding Shanti” Washington DC Bal Mandal Outing
Learning is exponential for kids, making the 6-14 age group critical for social and
intellectual development. However, social pressures and needing to ‘fit in’ can often be
stressful and present a roadblock for kids to pursue their dreams. Yogiji Maharaj recognized
the incredible potential of kids and thus started the very first bal sabhas, teaching them
satsang knowledge while mixing in games and fun. In this light, on April 4-5, with help of
three parent coordinators, eleven bal karyakars and two Kishore karyakars, over 60 balaks
embarked on a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium under the theme “Finding Shanti” with the
central message that mandir is a truly nonjudgmental and accepting place where balaks
can be themselves, find peace, and not be worried about “fitting in”.
Camp Shanti with New York Bal Mandal
In order to get the balaks of New York prepared for the upcoming Beginner’s Challenge
Exam on April 26 and Adhiveshan in general, New York Bal Mandal karyakars planned
out a special, yet brief event known as Camp Shanti. Throughout this whole event, which
lasted from, April 18-19th, balaks not only strengthened their skills involving memorization
of Mukhpath, but also realized the mahima of an Adhiveshan at the same time. Most
importantly, balaks were able to practice and receive constructive criticism for their
Mukhpath, while having a great amount of fun. Breakouts such as Battle of the Classes,
Group Study Session, Team Building Activities and more were used to make the balaks
learn and enjoy themselves simultaneously. Although each specific method of helping
the balaks varied from session to session, one aspect remained constant in all of them;
mukhpath was incorporated in every way possible.
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