Celebrating Mumbai’s 100th Ladies Special Swadhyay

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Ladies’ swadhyay gives us the opportunity to watch Minalben closely, almost as a friend. She lovingly explains complex spiritual concepts that stay in my mind, make me change my actions and thus, values start to build.
— Bhavnaben, Ghatkopar

On September 29, 2019 at Borivali’s Mega Party Hall, under Param Pujya Bhaishree’s tutelage and the presence of Pujya Brahmnishts, and a large audience of mumukshus, the 100th occasion of the Ladies Special Swadhyay was celebrated with great revelry. With diyas in their hands and divine song in the air, mumukshus welcomed Bhaishree with much warmth and joy. Two of our fellow mumukshus, Poornimaben and Chandrikaben, placed tilak on Bhaishree and venerated him with a garland. Ruchitaben and Zeel gave Bhaishree a heartfelt welcome through their graceful dance. Following on, Dulariben and Sheetal’s bhakti drenched one and all in bhaktibhaav.  

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The unimaginable loss of losing my husband and father-in-law, all in a short span of time, emotionally weighed me down. My guru gave me the strength and will to hold on during these testing times. The contribution of the ladies’ swadhyay in my life is immense. It gave me hope and courage. Minalben helped me set a routine in life that enabled me to concentrate on other things. All the time I spent around my husband’s routine was productively shifted to completing daily agnas.
— Faluben, Borivali

After that, Bhaishree’s swadhyay began on the topic of 'Willpower', in which Bhaishree said, “willpower is a powerful force and a solution to completely transform one’s life.” An unwavering faith in the Soul helps one build willpower. One should internalise the phrase “I am a pure and eternal soul”, and one will receive the benefits of willpower. We are the key to our own salvation and liberation, however we can’t achieve this without strong willpower and regular purusharth. When our body becomes weak, we must not believe we are weak, because true strength lies in the mind and in our willpower. It is only by holding your inner willpower, will faith in the Aatma strengthen.

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These swadhyays are slowly making me eligible and suitable for my ultimate goal and breaking my attachment to this body.
— Kundanben, Dadar

Bhaishree appreciated Brahmnisht Minalben’s and Brahmnisht Lalitaben’s commitment to having regular monthly swadhyays for almost seven years. Despite having an extremely busy schedule and handling numerous responsibilities in various roles, Brahmnisht Minalben’s effortless happiness and simplicity inspires every mumukshu of the ladies’ swadhyay.

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Through the ladies’ special swadhyay I have been able to know more, understand more and learn more, not only spiritually but also my worldly life. It is like a divine light, an incessant shower of love. I have learnt how to practically apply all our teachings in our daily lives as women.
— Namrataben, Vile Parle

A group of women from Borivali put together a graceful and thoughtful dance depicting Mira’s devotion to the song “Mira tere namni divani ho gayi”. This was followed by Aishwarya’s  wonderful dance performance and then, the spiritual play, “Jagruti ni Jyot”. Every actor did justice to their character, with effective dialogues and relatable situations, this play definitely touched everyone's hearts. The event ended with Dulariben, Mamtaben and Hansaben showcasing the importance of girl power with examples from swadhyays. 

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The event was compered by Rupaben and Nikitaben. As a vote of thanks Rupaben, Nikitaben, Suhaben and Kavitaben presented Bhaishree with a shawl while Hansaben, Ritaben, Mamtaben and Bhavnaben and Kokilaben presented shawls to Brahmnisht Minalben and Brahmnisht Vikrambhai respectively. 

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Bhaishree gave agna to Minalben to come to our house once a month to give swadhyay since my mother-in-law suffers from paralysis. After ten years, as a result, she has become stronger, more accepting and peaceful.
— Nandaben, Worli

“Nari tu Narayani”

Consecration Ceremony At Brahmnishth Rasikbhai’s Residence, Jetpur

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Consecrating the Lord at home provides a constant reminder of the highest virtues which one wishes to imbibe. It softens the heart, preparing one to pursue everyday activities with inner calm and focus.
— Param Pujya Bhaishree Nalinbhai Kothari

As soon as Param Pujya Bhaishree announced the auspicious date for the consecration (sthapna) ceremony at Brahmnishth Rasikbhai Patel’s residence, mumukshus Naynaben Mehta, Kirtibhai Boradia and spiritual seekers from Jetpur and Thanghad enthusiastically started preparations. 

On the auspicious day (4th September 2019), a large number of mumukshus (seekers of liberation) gathered in the lane, outside the residence, to give a grand welcome to their Enlightened Mentor, Param Pujya Bhaishree. A red carpet, a beautifully crafted arch, a huge signboard reading ‘Om, padharo Niranjan Nath Om', music, dancing feet and overflowing hearts welcomed their savior into their home and hearts.

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The devout sentiments and enthusiasm of Brahmnishth Rasikbhai and the mumukshus was clearly evident in the way they had beautifully decorated both the houses where the sthapna would take place. 

The idol of Bhagwan Parshwanath and Param Krupalu Dev Shrimad Rajchandra, images of Mahavir Swami, Param Pujya Bapuji, Pujya Bhaishree, Shivling, idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati were to be consecrated and installed inside the temple of the two houses. 

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As the consecration ceremony began, Brahmnishth Vikrambhai reminded us to focus on the inner virtues and the true identity of Bhagwan and in doing so, instill Him in the innermost realms of our hearts in such a way, that one day, we can have darshan of our own Bhagwan Atma. This orientation and constant reminder to focus inward even when the eyes were transfixed outwardly at  the idol, ensured that everyone remained in a state of awareness (jagruti) throughout the ceremony.

Thereafter, Vikrambhai stirred up the atmosphere with his soulful vocals and spiritually uplifting reverberations. All mumukshus were elated to witness Pujya Bhaishree perform the ceremony. The idols were then given to the host, Rasikbhai and his family, to hold over their heads, as a way of symbolising that the Lord’s words and wishes will be supreme in the life of each and every disciple. Words fall short in describing the overflowing bhakti that came from every heart. 

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Brahmnishth Rasikbhai, from Ahmedabad, who was present at the ceremony shared that the divinity on Pujya Bhaishree’s face during the rituals was a sight to behold. 

After the consecration ceremony, everyone proceeded to listen to the inspiring discourse given by Pujya Bhaishree. Explaining the hidden depths from Parshwanath Bhagwan’s stavan, Bhaishree talked about the great importance of having an idol of the Lord to establish a connection with and the role His darshan, puja and bhakti play in the progress of the disciple on the path to Salvation. 

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As Brahmnishth Vikrambhai sang each stanza of the stavan, Pujya Bhaishree explained the underlying meaning with great simplicity and insightfulness. He highlighted the significance of focusing on the elevated internal state of Tirthankar Bhagwan while doing darshan.  

Pujya Bhaishree also added that if anyone wishes to observe the true inner state of Bhagwan Parshwanath, then the people of Jetpur just needed to observe the spiritual depths of Brahmnishth Rasikbhai Patel.  Acknowledging the spiritual heights reached by the host Rasikbhai Patel, Pujya Bhaishree said: “All of you are lucky that your family member has reached such an exalted state in these times when it is very difficult to find an Enlightened Soul (Gnani).  This village, this area and all of you who are in contact with him are very lucky that such a Gnani lives in your midst."

“તમે બહુ જ ભાગ્યશાળી છો કે તમારા ઘરે જ્ઞાની છે. આ કાળે જ્ઞાની મળવા દુર્લભ છે. અહીં બેઠા તે પણ ભાગ્યશાળી છે, આવા જ્ઞાનીનો સંગ થયો છે. આ ગામ અને ક્ષેત્ર પણ ભાગ્યશાળી છે, આવા જ્ઞાની અહીં જનમ્યા છે.”

  • પરમ પૂજ્ય ભાઈશ્રી 

In this remark, Pujya Bhaishree brought to light the importance of a living (pratyaksh) master (gyaani) on this path.

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Such was the impact of Bhaishree’s satsang and his elevated state that most of the people present had a greater understanding about the internal state of an Enlightened Master and Bhagwan.

After lunch, it was time for the Master to depart and the mumukshus present sang a self-composed farewell song that brought tears to every eye.  With grateful hearts and wet eyes, the disciples bade farewell to their Master.  

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Kunj, a young mumukshu from USA shares her experience:

“Before reaching Jetpur, I had never actually met Brahmnishth Rasikbhai Patel, but had only heard anecdotes of his advanced spiritual state. However, even in the midst of the processional welcoming for Param Pujya Bhaishree, I immediately spotted Brahmnishth Rasikbhai. He was dancing and celebrating with such immense bhakti bhaav, as if the Lord Himself had just come to his doorstep. I have been to numerous Pratishtha events in the past, but nothing compared to the supreme joy and happiness that was emanating from Brahmnishth Rasikbhai. It made me realise how we should all feel when our Guru comes to our home and even more so, when our Guru comes to consecrate Tirthankar Bhagwan’s idol in our homes.

Seeing the rest of his family and other mumukshus from the town of Jetpur, it was clear that something magical existed here in the presence of Brahmnishth Rasikbhai as he walked on the Moksh marg as shown by Param Pujya Bhaishree.”

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Paryushan Parva in Sayla - My experience

This was a unique opportunity to be able to spend the entire Paryushan Parva in Sayla. While Paryushan passes every year, this experience truly resonated with the sentiments and true goals of Paryushan, with daily pratikraman and Kalpasutra readings. However, even in the midst of what often can be considered rituals, Param Pujya Bhaishree made it a point to keep us constantly aware (jagrut). Personally, he advised me to keep the importance of dhyan at the forefront throughout all of the kriya (ritual) and spend as much free time in saadhana. In addition, he used the first 3 days of swadhyay to step by step prepare each and every mumukshu for our true goal – Samyak Darshan (knowing our true self). 

He started by describing the five lakshan of samyaktva, or the five virtues paving the path to self-realisation. These 5 virtues, sham (equanimity), samveg (the desire for only moksh), nirved (no other worldly desires), aastha (unwavering faith), and anukampa (compassion and empathy) are necessary for us to have in order to attain self-realisation. Bhaishree spent an entire swadhyay on each virtue, using stories and conversations between Lord Mahavir and his first disciple Gautam Swami to definitively instill the importance of these virtues. He constantly provided us with techniques to evaluate and measure our own progress as we move forward to truly embody these characteristics. One by one, he prepared us for the upcoming days, to keep our constant focus on these lakshan such that we could move further along this marg, as we adapt them into our practical reality. 

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Then, with all these tools in hand, we began the Kalpasutra readings on day four of Paryushan. It was important to understanding that at the end, as we get closer to Kevalgnaan and Moksha, we do eventually have to give up all these worldly pleasures and take diksha (renunciation). And even more so, seeing the stories of four Tirthankars, with the emphasis on Bhagwan Mahavir’s journey to Moksha, caused everyone to constantly reflect on their own journey, where they stood and what is coming. 

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The most important message, I felt, was that as living souls, we have all made countless mistakes, just like Lord Mahavira had in the past, but with the true marg and resolve, it is possible to endure all the associated karma and eventually reach salvation. His story gave inspiration, and at the same time, awareness of the mistakes and hurdles we are currently encountering, such that we can continue to push forward on this marg. 

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Every evening, as we did pratikraman, we again found ourselves evaluating our own journey and shedding light on the constant cycle of karmas. Each day, with each pratikraman, I felt lighter, as if I was shedding previous wrong-doings and, hopefully, preventing new ones from building as rapidly. However, not until Bhaishree shared the true meaning behind pratikraman, at his very last swadhyay on Samvatsari, did I feel the full effect. He shared that in pratikraman, we are leaving all vibhaav (outward sentiments that are not in the soul’s true nature) and turning to swabhaav (soul's true nature). With this awareness and sentiment, I sat for the Samvatsari pratikraman and it was a completely different experience, with total focus on staying within. 

Kunj Sheth, USA

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Prem Ni Parab - Nishtha Vruddhi Chintan Shibir

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With the noble intent of further improving the education conditions in Sayla taluka (block consisting of 75 villages) and enhancing the devotion and dedication of the teachers towards education, Prem ni Parab which entered it’s glorious 15th year (started in 2005), organised "Nishtha Vruddhi Chintan Shibir” on 20th July in the Raj Mandir of Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram, Sayla. 

It was the third event that took place since the past year and marked presence of 850 teachers, which is a big feat to gather from a Government school. The shibir was held in the presence of Param Pujya Bhaishree, Prem Ni Parab Committee members Brahmnishts Minalben and Vikrambhai and District Primary Education Officer H. H. Chaudhary. Two very distinguished speakers of the event were Professor Deepak Taraiya and Dr. Bhadrayu Vachharajya.

Introducing the event, Prem Ni Parab Project Director Mr Chandrakant Vyas emphasised upon the importance of being dedicated and committed (nishtha) to a purpose. He said the shibir was organised with the aim to bring about a shift in the thought process of the teachers.

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Bhaishree's address to the teachers

"પોતાનું કામ શ્રેષ્ઠ રીતે કરવું એના જેવો બીજો ધર્મ નથી."
- પૂજ્ય ભાઈશ્રી

Warmly welcoming teachers and principals, Param Pujya Bhaishree said:

Teachers form the basis of intrinsic strength of any nation, and when teachers impart education with full devotion and dedication, their service to the cause of a strong nation increases manifold. He narrated contextual incidences which further explained the importance of values.

He explained that commitment and single-mindedness brings discipline to life and makes us value time. There are many ways to achieve success in life, but there is only one way to give meaning to life and that is through purposefulness and wholehearted commitment. Lord Krishna had also established the importance of "Karma Yog" in Bhagavad Gita. Be it worldly or spiritual endeavours, dedicated sustained efforts is the key to progress. 

Bhaishree highlighted the quality of reverence as essential for the spiritual path and reverence towards True God, Enlightened Master and True Religion is the very core of spiritual progress. Doing one’s daily agna (spiritual duties) with sincerity will ensure progress on this path.

A teacher is also called 'Guru' because s/he bears the responsibility of uplifting humankind. Hence a teacher needs to be skilled and able to adapt to the changing needs of the world. Being experimental and creative are two important qualities of being a great teacher. Such qualities can be developed by inculcating high values and observing a disciplined life.

Concluding his address, Bhaishree said, “The upliftment of education in this entire area rests on your shoulders. You are the carrier of Prem Ni Parab and I experience pride in this.”


Professor Deepak Taraiya's Address

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An expert in Child Psychology and a resource person of UNICEF (Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh), Professor Deepak Teraiya has 21 years of experience in the field of Training, Education and Development. 

In his unique style, and sharing from his experience of being a student as well as a teacher, he said: 

Teaching is ASK: 

A - Attitude

S - Skill Set

K - Knowledge 

Teachers should take 4 values while going to teach and they are PHUL (meaning flower in gujarati):

P - Purity

H - Honesty

U - Unselfishness 

L - (Unconditional) Love.  

Sharing memories from his childhood, Deepakbhai gave real examples of how the attitude of teachers have a very significant, lifelong impact on all of their students. He shared, “When I was a child, I drew a caricature of my teacher in my notebook. On finding out the teacher hit me. This incident forever killed the caricaturist within me. Another incident from my childhood that I recall was how once I was mimicking teachers and other students in class. When the teacher entered the class, rather than admonishing me, she encouraged me to hone my skills. As a result, today I am acknowledged by everyone as an exceptional orator. Such is the profound impact a teacher has on a child."

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Taking the audience through his motivating and adventurous teaching journey, he said that the profession demands 'Unitive Approach' and 'Guidance Approach' in order to communicate well with the students and becoming their inspiration and go-to people during troubled times. He expressed his concerns over the fact that we have departed from our roots and thus degraded the quality of life. A teacher should love, acknowledge and encourage his students. In his closing remarks, he motivated the teachers to instil the qualities of honesty and right attitude in life and perform their professional duties selflessly.


Dr. Bhadrayu Vachharaja's Address

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Armed with 36-years' teaching experience, and decorated with the "Kalam ane kaya thi ganpati" award by Morari Bapu, Dr. Bhadrayu Vachharajani, gave up his comfortable permanent job at Bank of Baroda to follow his passion - teaching. 

An impressive orator and writer, Dr. Bhadrayu emphasised on the three domains of education: 

  1. Cognitive 

  2. Psychomotor

  3. Affective

He highlighted the importance for teachers to be well read, because, one who does not read, does not think, and one who does not think, cannot change his/her thought process. He stated the 3 aspects that should be kept in mind by teachers in today’s scenario:

  1. Teachers should be upright and have good etiquette (there are some teachers in government schools that do not dress properly; some chew tobacco even in the classroom and some who put their legs on the table while teaching). 

  2. They should be knowledgeable, health-conscious and prompt in answering questions and doubts.

  3. Teachers should have self esteem.

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Testimonial of a Teacher

Post the shibir, one of the teachers of Bhaduka Primary School, Ms. Geentanjali Dave, shared her satisfying experience on Facebook. 

Screenshot of the teacher's facebook post:

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An extract from the teacher's sharing (English translation): 

“Ever since I heard that senior educationists, Dr. Bhadrayu and Deepakbhai were going to address all of our teaching faculty, including 800 teachers, BRC’s (Block Resource Coordinators), CRC’s (Cluster Resource Coordinators –officers from the department who are assigned the tasks of providing education and other support to teachers apart from monitoring their activities), BRP’s (Block Resource Person) and TPEO’s (Taluka Primary Education Officers), I was really looking forward to learning and gaining the much needed knowledge for professional growth and development. Their speeches highlighted the importance of dedication to the teaching profession in moulding young minds, personal hygiene and inculcating humane qualities as a teacher and a member of society.

…Deepakbhai's childhood incidents moved me and made me reflect upon my own actions. I realised the powerful impact teachers have on each student. His words still echo in my heart,” concludes Ms. Geentanjali Dave

In news

The shibir got featured in the newspaper, Divya Bhaskar dated 21-07-2019

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યુવા સ્વાધ્યાય - મોંઘી મહત્વાકાંક્ષા - The Cost of Ambition - Yuva Swadhyay

Mumbai is the city of dreams or a Mohmayi Nagari as Param Krupalu Dev always said. This city never sleeps. The population of this city runs in crores and is probably more than that of a small country in Eastern Europe. Each individual here harbours dreams and ambitions, and the quest to achieve them makes him toil day and night. Everyone wants to be an achiever, however, only a handful realise what true achievement is. We belong to that minuscule category that got blessed with the invaluable gift of knowing our goal due to the presence of our benefactor and enlightened saint Param Pujya Bhaishree.

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Bhaishree believes that the youth contains a fountain of energy which, when channelised in the right direction can lead to miracles. 

In order to enrich the lives of his young disciples with spirituality, Bhaishree conducts Yuva swadhyays that deal with a specific topic. 

On Saturday the 10th of August 2019, a Yuva Swadhyay was held at Dr. Jitubhai Nagda and Dr. Suhaben Nagda’s residence at 8:30 PM. Luminescent Bhaishree chose 'Monghi Mahatvakansha' as the subject for swadhyay.

This topic elaborated on how every soul puts in tremendous effort to be happy. But Alas! his merriment is only limited to materialistic possessions like trying to acquire loads of wealth, striving to retain his youth and beauty, acquiring a beautiful and docile spouse and ensuring the best education and lifestyle for their children. Compassionate Bhaishree in his discourse not only warned his disciples against the dangers of getting caught in this rat race but also enabled them to perceive that the sole ambition of this human form should be to free the soul from the strappings of birth and death. Through a culmination of short stories with meaningful morals, empathetic Bhaishree showed the path to achieve this empyrean state. 

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In his discourse, thoughtful Bhaishree egged all those present to dig deeper and understand the truth or reality of their existence. He motivated them to analyse their dreams thoroughly and determine if they were a boon or a curse, after obtaining a clear picture of what needed to be pursued, he then asked them to chase it with all their might. He warned that the journey to attain a goal is never a bed of roses, hence one needs to be prepared to make sacrifices along the way. Effective utilisation of time, living a life free from deceit, harbouring compassion for all souls and complete surrender to the supreme were some of the paths highlighted by him. 

As a token of their devotion and love Bramhnisht Minal ben and Dr. Suhaben tied a rakhi to Param Pujya Bhaishree and Bramhnisht Vikrambhai. 

This year the 15th of August which is India’s Independence day coincided with Raksha Bandhan. In order to highlight the importance of both the days Bramhnisht Minalben penned a poem that emphasised on freeing our soul from this cycle of birth and death.

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The discourse left all those present, feeling light and channelised. With hands folded in gratitude and devotion, they prayed for the light of this sermon to enlighten their life, and allow each moment of their existence to be filled with elation and euphoria.

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Poem: RAKSHA BANDHAN and INDEPENDENCE DAY

(What an irony)

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15 August, one single day with duality filled celebration

One asking for protection and one seeking liberation 

Can we find a way to remove this duality?

Find bondage and freedom in one true reality?

Fortunate that we are, we have sealed our fate 

With a Sadguru who can guide and also elevate

HE can be our brother for Raksha Bandhan and HE can be our liberator 

HE can make our lives pious and HE can be our ultimate saviour 

We tie the sacred thread (Rakhi) around HIS wrist 

HE saves us from binding new karma at every little twist 

From this cycle of birth and rebirth we wish salvation 

HE leads the way with his actions, HE is our true motivation 

HE says experience the soul and remove false identity 

Look within, meditate and still your mind with sincerity 

Eventually, life is only joyful awareness and that is self-realisation 

Hang on only to HIS hand and you will surely reach your destination. 

We bow at HIS pious feet and pray to keep us near HIM 

HE is in our every breath, every prayer and every hymn.

- Brahmnisht Minal ben

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યુવા મુમુક્ષુઓ પ્રેરિત અને પ્રોત્સાહિત થાય અને તેમનું વ્યાવહારિક જીવન સંપૂર્ણપણે આધ્યાત્મિક બને, એ હેતુથી દર યુવા સ્વાધ્યાયમાં, પરમ પૂજ્ય ભાઈશ્રી વિશેષ પ્રકારનો ઉત્તમ બોધ આપતા હોય છે.

શનિવાર તારીખ ૧૦મી ઓગસ્ટના રોજ, ડોક્ટર સુહાસિનીબેન તેમજ ડોક્ટર જીતુભાઈના ઘરે રાત્રે ૦૮.૩૦ થી ૧૦.૦૦ ના સ્વાધ્યાયમાં, પ્રજ્ઞાશીલ ભાઇશ્રીએ "મોંઘી મહત્વાકાંક્ષા" વિષય ઉપર બોધ આપ્યો હતો.    

મહત્વાકાંક્ષા એટલે અસાધારણ ઈચ્છા, એવી ઈચ્છા, અભિલાષા કે મનોરથ, જેનું માહાત્મ્ય આપણા મનમાં ખૂબ વેદાતું હોય. તે પ્રાપ્ત કરવાની એવી અદમ્ય ઈચ્છા જાગે કે, એ આપણા જીવનનું મુખ્ય લક્ષ્ય બની જાય. એ લક્ષ્ય માટે સમગ્ર જીવન સમર્પિત કરી દઈયે.

સુખી થવું એ મનુષ્યની તમામ ઈચ્છાઓ પાછળનો હેતુ છે. મોટા ભાગના મનુષ્યો સંસારી સુખને જ ઇચ્છતા હોય છે, જેવા કે લૌકિક સમૃધ્ધિ, યુવાન અને દેખાવડા રહેવું, નિરોગી શરીર, સુંદર અને યોગ્ય જીવનસાથી, બાળકોનું ઉચ્ચતર શિક્ષણ અને ભૌતિક કમાણી. મુમુક્ષુઓના કલ્યાણમિત્ર છે એવા ભાઈશ્રીએ ગંભીરતા સાથે યુવાનોને ચેતવતા કહ્યું કે આ મનુષ્યભવમાં માત્ર મોક્ષની ઈચ્છા રાખી, કર્મોથી મુક્ત થવાની ભાવના ભાવી પવિત્ર જીવન જીવવાનું છે. સ્વાધ્યાય દરમ્યાન અનેક દાખલા અને પ્રસંગોની વાત કરતા, સ્વાધ્યાયનો સાર જેમાં સમાઈ જાય એવા મુખ્ય મુદ્દાઓ નીચે  બતાવ્યા પ્રમાણે તેમણે જણાવ્યા:

૧) જીવ, જગત અને જીવનનો વિચાર કરી મુક્ત થવાની પ્રબળ ભાવના કરવી. 

૨) યાદ રાખવું કે ઈચ્છા એ વરદાન અથવા તો અભિશાપ બંને બની શકે એમ છે માટે દરેક ઈચ્છા અને મહત્વકાંક્ષાને તપાસી જવી. મહત્વકાંક્ષા શુદ્ધ હોવી જોઈએ.     

૩) આપણી શક્તિઓને માપીને સાહસ કરવું.

૪) મહત્વકાંક્ષા એ મોંઘી છે,  સસ્તી નથી માટે અનેક બલિદાનો આપવા પડશે અને ખૂબ મહેનત કરવી પડશે.

૫) એક વાર લક્ષ્ય નક્કી કર્યા પછી આપણી તમામ શક્તિઓને તેમાં જોડી દેવી. 

૬) સમયનો સદુપયોગ કરી જીવન નિયમિત બનાવવું, સમયને શ્રમથી ભરી દેવું.

૭) પરવસ્તુ મેળવવામાં જીવનનું સાફલ્ય નથી, પુદ્દગલનું, જડવસ્તુઓનું મમત્વ છોડી, આત્મકેંદ્રિત જીવન જીવવામાં સાચી સફળતા રહી છે.      

૮) મનની તાલીમ એ ખુબ અગત્યનો મુદ્દો છે, કારણ કેળવાયેલું મન જ મહત્વાકાંક્ષાને આંબી શકે છે.

૯) મનુષ્ય ભવમાં પ્રાપ્ત થયેલી અમૂલ્ય તકોનો સદુપયોગ કરી લેવો.

૧૦) ઓછી રુચિ તેમજ આળસ અને પ્રમાદને કારણે આપણે યોગ્ય પુરુષાર્થ નથી કરી શકતા.

૧૧) ચાર કષાયોમાં, માયાએ આખા જગતને કેદ કરેલ છે. સારા દેખાવા માટે નહીં પણ અંતરથી સારા થવા પુરુષાર્થ કરવો અને યાદ રાખવું કે કીર્તિ અને કાર્યમાં ભેળસેળ ન થાય.  

૧૨)  સંસ્કાર વર્ધક અને લોકોના દુઃખ દૂર કરવાના ધ્યેયે જીવન જીવવું.

૧૩) જીવન સ્વયં તપશ્ચર્યા છે, સમર્પણ નિષ્ઠા અને સાધના દ્વારા આત્મસાક્ષાત્કાર સિદ્ધ થઇ શકે છે.

સ્વાધ્યાય પછી મીનળબહેન તેમજ સુહાસિનીબહેને પરમ પૂજ્ય ભાઈશ્રી તેમજ વિક્રમભાઈને, ભક્તિ અને પ્રેમના પ્રતીક સ્વરૂપે રાખડી બાંધી હતી. 

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જોગાનુજોગ, આવતી ૧૫ ઓગસ્ટ ૨૦૧૯  એ ભારતનો સ્વાતંત્ર્ય દિન તો છે પણ સાથોસાથ તે જ દિવસે નારીયેળી પૂર્ણિમા એટલેકે રક્ષા બંધનનો દિવસ પણ છે. તે દિવસને ધ્યાનમાં રાખી મીનળબહેને સ્વરચિત અંગ્રેજી કવિતા વાંચી હતી. જેનો સાર એ હતો કે એક બંધન એવું છે જે મુક્તિ અપાવે છે ― તે છે સદ્દગુરૂ સાથેનો શિષ્યનો સંબંધ.  

મોંઘી મહત્વાકાંક્ષાનો અર્થપૂર્ણ બોધનો  પ્રકાશ, આપણા જીવનમાં અજવાળા પાથરે એજ પ્રભુ પ્રાથના.

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LMV College - Unveiling of Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University Study Centre

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A giant leap forward:

Sayla and its surrounding villages will now have their own girl graduates.

During the Guru Purnima celebrations in Sayla, on 15th of July, the historic collaboration between L.M.Vora College of Arts and Commerce and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (affiliated to Government of Gujarat offering distance learning diploma and degree programs) was announced by Pujya Bhaishree and project director Chandrakantbhai Vyas by lighting the ceremonial lamp in the Raj Mandir.

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In a village like Sayla, where a mere 20 years ago, educating the girl child beyond primary school and sending her to high school was unimaginable; slowly but surely a tectonic shift is taking place, due to the Prem ni Parab project launched by Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram under the guidance of Param Pujya Bhaishree, over 15 years ago.  Now, girls would be able to spread their wings and become university graduates without opposition from family members and society. All this has been achieved due to the tireless efforts and vision of Bhaishree.

The available degree courses would be M.A (Master of Arts), B. Com (Bachelor of Commerce), BPP (Bachelor Preparatory Programme) and CCC Computer course. L.M.Vora College will now be one of the study centres for Dr. Ambedkar Open University.

Project director Chandrakantbhai Vyas said: “I have always explained to my girl students, that education is the main reason for all progress – intellectual, economic and social progress. The L M Vora girls students are making their place in the whole district. To all those who support educating the girl child, I say that this is superior to all other donations. When we started the Arts and Commerce college, there were 7 enrolments in the first year. Today, over 500 girls are studying in this college. In the same way, we have 11 admission applications for the graduation course, and I can foresee that this number will grow to hundreds and thousands. The ceremonial lamp that has just been lighted will drive away the darkness of illiteracy. I thank Pujya Bhaishree again and again for his unflinching support and vision.”

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 Addressing over 200 college students and over a thousand other mumukshus present at the occasion, Bhaishree said: “On the spiritual path, the heart of a seeker must carry feelings of benevolence for the self and others.  It is with these very feelings that spirituality begins, for our very being is connected with every being and every element in this universe. Our upliftment resides in the upliftment of all. When our own upliftment is connected to the upliftment of all, only then will our devotion be meaningful.  Param Pujya Bapuji has graced us with this noble legacy. It is for this reason that this ashram has become not only a centre for the spiritual striving of seekers, but also a centre for empathy and empowerment for the whole extended community”.  

Adding perspective Pujya Bhaishree said: “The level of education in this entire area was traditionally, very low.  With the establishment of the high school and girls’ college in Sayla, the standard of education has improved dramatically, such that we now have over 500 girls studying in college. The situation will be further enhanced when this region will witness over a 100-girl students graduating from the University every year. To those who are familiar with the ground realities, this is amazing progress in the field of education. An educated girl is the foundation of a developed society, community and family. We are about to witness this revolution in a very short period of time.”

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Param Pujya Bhaishree’s Ashirvachan

Param Pujya Atmanandji visits Rajmandir

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સંત પરમ હિતકારી, પરમ પૂજ્ય આત્માનંદજીનું રાજમંદિરમાં આગમન  

જેમની નિશ્રામાં દેહકેન્દ્રિત જીવન આત્મકેન્દ્રિત બને, કષાયો ઉપશમિત થાય, ઇન્દ્રિયો સંયમિત વર્તે અને મન પવિત્ર તેમજ સ્થિર રહે એવા મહાપુરુષોનું પવિત્ર આગમન જ્યારે સાયલાના આશ્રમમાં થાય ત્યારે મુમુક્ષુઓ ઉત્કૃષ્ટ ભક્તિભાવથી તેમને આવકારતા હોય છે. 

છેલ્લા એક વર્ષથી પરમ પૂજ્ય ભાઈશ્રી તેમજ સર્વે મુમુક્ષુઓ જેમની આતુરતાપૂર્વક રાહ જોઈ રહ્યા હતા એવા પરમ શ્રદ્ધેય, પરમ પૂજ્ય શ્રી આત્માનંદજી સાહેબ ગુરુવાર, તારીખ ૧૮ જુલાઈ ૨૦૧૯ની સવારે ૧૦:૪૦ કલાકે સાયલા આશ્રમમાં પધાર્યા હતા. તેઓની સાથે શાંતમૂર્તિ પૂજ્ય શર્મિષ્ઠાબેન, પરમ આદરણીય, બાળ બ્રહ્મચારી શ્રી સુરેશજી તેમજ કોબા આશ્રમના અગ્રગણ્ય મુમુક્ષુઓ પણ પધાર્યા હતા.

તેમની ગાડી મુખ્ય દ્વારમાંથી દાખલ થઇ અને હર્ષવિભોર મુમુક્ષુઓએ ગરબા રમી ચહેરા પર આનંદના ભાવો સાથે તેમનું સ્વાગત કર્યું. પરમ પૂજ્ય ભાઇશ્રીએ આંટી પહેરાવી અને નાદુરસ્ત તબિયત અને સફરનો થાક હોવા છતાં પૂજ્ય આત્માનંદજી સીધા રાજમંદિરમાં પધાર્યા.

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પરમ આદરણિય મીનળબેન તેમજ બ્રહ્મનિષ્ઠ વિક્રમભાઈએ તેમનું ભાવઊર્મિઓથી શાબ્દિક સ્વાગત કર્યું અને ત્યારબાદ ૧૦૮ ઇંચ ઊંચી, પરમ કૃપાળુ દેવની દિવ્ય પ્રતિમાજીની આગળ રહેલા પડદાને શ્રી આત્માનંદજી સાહેબના હાથે બટન દબાવી ઉપર લેવડાવ્યો. ૮ મિનિટ સુધી તે પ્રતિમાના સ્વરૂપસ્થ ભાવોમાં સર્વે ખોવાઇ ગયાં! તેમના જ્ઞાન નેત્રો પ્રત્યે સહુ એવા સ્થિર થયા કે દેહભાવ ભૂલાતો ગયો. પવિત્ર ચેતના સાથે વૃત્તિઓ એકાકાર થઇ અને સર્વે ધન્ય થયાં. 

ત્યારબાદ આ સજીવન સમી પ્રતિમાજીને વર્ણવતું એક પદ વિક્રમભાઈએ ગાયું અને સમતાધારી ભાઈશ્રીએ તેમજ મીનળબેને સાથે મળી આત્માનંદજી સાહેબ તેમજ સતી સીતા સમા શર્મિષ્ઠાબેનનું શાલ ઓઢાડી બહુમાન કર્યું.

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સંતશ્રી આત્માનંદજી સાહેબને વિનંતિ કરતાં તેઓ એક નમસ્કાર મંત્ર બોલ્યા અને ત્યાર બાદ જે સૂત્ર તેમના ભાવચારિત્રની ઓળખ બન્યું છે તે તેઓએ ત્રણ વાર સહુને બોલાવડાવ્યું. “હું આત્મા છું, આપનો સેવક છું, સૌનો મિત્ર છું.” શારીરિક પ્રતિકૂળતા હોવા છતાં તેમના ચહેરા ઉપર સતત અંતરઆનંદની છાયા ઊભરાતી હતી. સંતનું સંતપણું દૈદીપ્યમાન થતું હતું. 

ત્યારબાદ સ્વાધ્યાયમાં પ્રજ્ઞાશીલ ભાઇશ્રીએ પૂજ્ય છોટાબાપુજીનો પુષ્પાબેન ઉપર લખેલ પત્ર નંબર ૨૧ લીધો હતો. મૃત્યુની ભય પ્રકૃતિનો પ્રશ્ન પુષ્પાબેનનો હતો. જવાબમાં છોટાબાપુજી કહે છે કે “મૃત્યુ વિષે મનમાં જેટલા ઘોડાઓ ઊઠે છે તેના તમે સાક્ષી રહી શકો છો. પહેલા ભળેલા રહેતા તે હવે ક્રમે કરી છૂટાં રહેવાય છે તો તે ભય પ્રકૃતિ ઊછળી ઊછળી સામે આવતી તેના તમે સાક્ષી ખરા કે નહિ? સાક્ષી આત્મા હંમેશા નિર્લેપ, અપરિણામી તથા અક્રિય છે. તેમાંથી ઉપયોગનો કે જ્ઞાનનો પ્રવાહ ચાલ્યો આવે છે. આપણા જ્ઞાનનો પ્રવાહ કે ઉપયોગનો પ્રવાહ, તે નિર્લેપ આત્માની સમય સમય જ્ઞાન અવસ્થા, તે દેહના ધર્મો, સુખ દુઃખ કે જ્ઞાન ઇંદ્રિયોની સાથે બંધાયેલા છે. એટલે દરેક ઉદય વખતે આપણે જાગૃતિ રાખવાની છે કે આપણે નિર્લેપ ચેતન છીએ, સાક્ષી છીએ.” 

શાંતભાવે ભાઇશ્રીએ સમજાવ્યું કે ઇન્દ્રિઓની પાછળ મન છે અને મનની પાછળ આત્મા રહ્યો છે. જો આત્મા મનને પ્રેમથી નિયંત્રિત કરે તો ઈન્દ્રીઓ સંયમિત રહે. સાક્ષીભાવે આ જગતમાં અકરતૃત્વબુદ્ધિએ કાર્યો કરવાનાં છે. ઉપયોગને પરવસ્તુઓથી પાછો વાળી સ્વકેન્દ્રિત કરીને બહિરાત્મભાવને ત્યજી અંતરાત્મભાવમાં સ્થિર થવાનું છે. તેમ કરતા આપણે અસંગ, નિર્લેપ અને નિ:સ્પૃહ રહી શકીશું. ભય કે આંતરિક ચંચળતા નહિ રહે. ચિત્ત પ્રશાંત થતા આપણે આત્માનંદને અનુભવીશું. 

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ત્યારબાદ પ્રેમમૂર્તિ શર્મિષ્ઠાબેને બાપુજીની સાથેની પ્રથમ મુલાકાત યાદ કરી હતી અને કહ્યું હતું કે મને બાપુજી મારા પિતાતુલ્ય લાગતા હતા અને સાયલા આવી છું તો એવું લાગે છે કે હું મારા પિયરે આવી છું. આત્મસિદ્ધિની એક મહત્વની કડીનો ઉલ્લેખ કરીને કહ્યું કે,  

“સ્વચ્છંદ મત આગ્રહ તજી, વર્તે સદગુરુ લક્ષ;

સમકિત તેને ભાખિયું, કારણ ગણી પ્રત્યક્ષ.”

આપણા સમર્પણભાવમાં ક્યાંય કચાશ ન રહી જાય અને આજ્ઞાઓનું પાલન અપૂર્વ રુચિ તેમજ પૂર્ણ શ્રદ્ધાન સાથે થાય તે બહુ જરૂરી છે. પ્રત્યક્ષ નિશ્રામાં આમ વર્તાશે તો જીવ સમ્યગદર્શન અવશ્ય પામશે.

છેલ્લે વિક્રમભાઈએ રાજમંદિર વિષે થોડી માહિતી આપી અને સૌ બેઝમેન્ટમાં રહેલી પરમ કૃપાળુ દેવની ખડગાસન મુદ્રાની પ્રતિમાજીનાં દર્શન કરવા ગયા, જ્યાં સ્તુતિ કર્યા બાદ કૃપાનિધાન આત્માનંદજી સાહેબે એક ભજનની પંક્તિ ગાઈ હતી. 

અન્નપૂર્ણામાં સૌએ સાથે ભોજન લીધા બાદ થોડો આરામ કરી બપોરના ૩:૧૫ આસપાસ તેઓ કોબા જવા માટે રવાના થયા. બે સંતો અને મુમુક્ષુઓનું આનંદસભર મિલન તેમજ પારમાર્થિક પ્રેમની પવિત્રતાનો દિવ્ય અનુભવ જીવનભર આપણે માણતા રહીશું.