Pyaar ki pyaari murat tu,
Pyaar si pyaari sirat tu,
Jitna tuzko pyaar karu main,
Utni hi lubhaati tu.
This melodic hymn was sung by Sheetal Rupani on the occasion of the 102nd Ladies Special Swadhyay. This discourse held at Shantiniketan, Mumbai, also marked the birthday of Brahmnishth Pujya Minalben Shah.
Dressed in pristine white, she is always an enchanting sight to behold. Her charming presence enlivens every occasion. She is flawless in all that she does, be it caring for her ailing mother-in-law or looking after her grandchildren, nothing seems to burden or overwhelm her. She simply smiles through it all. Looking at her perfection and meticulousness, it is tough to fathom her detachment from it all, but a mere glance into her eyes and one can see that she is an absolute and pure observer of it all. Involved yet isolated she knows when and where to draw the line.
The Special Ladies Discourse held on 21st November 2019, was attended by 70 fortunate souls. This special occasion started with an efficacious discourse. On the occasion of her birthday, Minalben took a special ‘Seven Point Sermon’ that highlighted the journey and lifestyle changes, which a spiritual seeker needs to undertake to attain Samyak Darshan.
“Can anyone do our sadhana for us?”, she quizzed. Seeing us nod in the negative, she cited that, every action and every duty on this cosmos can be performed on behalf of us, by someone else. Nobody is indispensable in the worldly realm, but our journey towards the pinnacle of spirituality can only be carried out by us. No one can walk this path for us. We have attained this body only and only to attain Samyak Darshan, she further elaborated. She reiterated that Guru-agna is of prime importance as it is the food for our soul. She then urged each and every one present to perform all their duties, but not to the extent that your body gets famished and one is unable to perform its duty towards one's soul. Planning and prioritising is the key, she stated. Each word said by her reverberated within us, quietened us and drew us inward.
To listen to the entire swadhyay click on the video below:
This awakening discourse was followed by euphonious bhakti. Hymns were sung by Dulariben Boradia, Rupaben Jain, Dr Suhaben Nagda and Sheetal Rupani.
Mamtaben Kothari then spoke a few words about Minal ben. She correlated Minalben to the rarest of rare gems found in the sea and emphatically declared that the disciples of Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram are indeed very fortunate to have her as their guiding angel. This enlightening session was then followed by snacks.
Juggling between multiple roles of this mundane world, women are always struggling to find the gaps that can enable them to achieve their spiritual goals. This religious address highlighted the importance of sadhana, satsang and self love, thereby, accrediting and empowering each and everyone present, to take concrete steps in the direction of their true calling. As we departed, we thanked the divine for blessing the earth with this priceless gift. Her sermon had jolted us from our worldly stupor and had guided us by showing the path to eternal freedom. Feeling elated, we looked forward to many such preachings.