Param Pujya Bhaishree and Gurumaa's Birthday Celebration
24th Nov 2016
On Param Pujya Bhaishree's birthday over 400 mumukshus gathered in Mumbai to celebrate his divine presence in our lives, and Param Pujya Gurumaa's rare spiritual achievement.
Br. Minalben and Br. Vikrambhai, overflowing with adoration and gratitude, spoke and sang about Bhaishree and Gurumaa's pious qualities. They then asked Bhaishree to give us the gift of his precious words. He began by sharing that when he hears praises about himself he immediately thinks of his own guru Bapuji, touching us all with this humble sentiment.
Param Pujya Bhaishree spoke about the spiritual quest of the seeker that wishes to awaken to his own truth. He first reminded us that to progress on this path we must be fully motivated to know the truth about reality. If we are comfortable in our slumber then not even a powerful guru can awaken us. We are often enticed by the small pond of our existence, limiting ourselves with walls and boundaries and not looking beyond to the vast ocean that lies just ahead. Like a fish swimming obliviously in water, we may never come to understand what water is.
Borrowing from ancient Vedantic stories, as well as contemporary tales of the likes of Rabindranath Tagore and Helen Keller, Bhaishree's spared no effort to bring this point home: we must never lose strength in our quest for awakening. He ended by quoting from Shrimad Rajchandra's Letter 856 about the 5 strength: jignasha, vichar, vairagyay, dhyan, gnan (spiritual thirst, contemplation, detachment, meditation and true understanding).
This powerful discourse was followed by a dinner break, and then mumukshus returned to the hall for another treat: a play on Raja Kumarpal.
Raja Kumarpal was a Gujarati King of the 12 Century. He was a great patron of Jainism and his name is still heard today when the Mangal Divo is sung during the Aarti in Jain derasars around the world.
The play showed us how Kumarapala spent his early life in exile to avoid persecution by his elder brother and predecessor Jayasimha Siddharaja. He ascended the throne after Jayasimha's death. Kumarpal was a disciple of Shree Hemchandra Maharaj Saheb and the play recounted many inspiring stories from his life in which the teachings of Jineshwar Bhagwan guided him through his life. It was wonderful to see how Raja Kumarpala practiced dharma to become a loved ruler and humble friend to all people and animals living in his kingdom.
