Issue: Jul 2014

Satsang Article
NC13 Reflection

Campus Corner
Connecting with Bapa

Swamishris Vicharan
Precious Moments

Swamishris
Vicharan

Precious Moments

The news has spread like wildfire; excitement levels have never been higher. Bhakti, seva, taap, and
agna/niyam levels are peaking and overflowing beyond what we all thought possible. Many have
found their own jarukho with Swamishri but now that jarukho will be filled with Swamishri Himself!
What seemed like absolutely impossible is now less than 2 months away!
Every few seconds, our phones vibrate with a new message, a new picture of Swamishri asking if
we are ready for his visit, his plan that was so expectant for him yet unexpected to all else. These
are the ways of Swami, divine ways that only he can explain to all. He is never bound by anything,
as to see a limitation in him of any sense is pure manushyabhav. He is beyond age, beyond human
body, beyond health!
During the recent sant shibir that just happened in Sarangpur a month ago, during one of the
evening sessions that the P. Santo had with Swamishri in the garden, Swamishri was asked to repeat
in English:
I am Akshar.
I am Brahma.
I am Atma.
I am Shriji Maharaj.
I am Gunatitanand Swam.
I am Bhagatji Maharaj.
I am Shastriji Maharaj.
I am Yogiji Maharaj.
I am Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
I am Narayanswarupdas.

Swamishris
Vicharan

Swamishri said all of them in English except I am

Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Now, before moving
forward though, it is essential to realize and
remember that Swamishri doesnt just say anything;
he says only what he wants to say. Even in passing or
even while laughing, whatever Swamishri says is the
truth and will come true! Sometimes we may feel that
Swamishri is just saying something to make us happy
or because we asked him to, but he will only say what
he truly wants to say and what is the truth. Many times,
it is to give us the smruti that Swamishri humbly
accepts our request and says what we ask him to but
he doesnt have to do that! So Swamishri IS Akshar, IS
Brahma IS Atma, IS Shriji Maharaj, IS Gunatitanand
Swami, IS Bhagatji Maharaj, IS Shastriji Maharaj, IS
Yogiji Maharaj and IS Narayanswarupdas! He is all of
them all-in-one! It is this divine personality who will
be in Robbinsville less than 2 months from now!
But there is more to the prasang than just this.
Swamshri said he is Narayanswarupdas but he didnt
say he is Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Now, both are
the same individual - just referred to with a different
name. But if we look at what the words mean, we
understand just how sharp Swamishri is, always has
been and always will be! Pramukh Swami means
president while Narayanswarupdas means das of
Bhagwan. Swamishri has always been Maharajs das
and his whole life has been one of complete humility.
While Swamishri knows that Pramukh Swami and
Narayanswarupdas are both the same, he only said
what he truly is and that is Shriji Maharajs das! At
93, nothing can ever get passed Swamishri, nothing
ever has, and nothing ever will! This is who we have
attained and who will be present in front of us less
than 2 months from now!
So now it is time to prepare for his journey. As
Swamishri blessed the UK with his surprise visit in
2006, 8 years from then, today in 2014, Swamishri
continues his surprise vicharan! He continues it for
us! He is all-in-one! Now, lets ensure we are all ready
mentally and increase our jodan with him as much as
we can before he arrives so when we get that smile
from him, we will know that we deserved it! But more
importantly is not to just strengthen it for this trip,
but this is something for a lifetime with the first steps
starting now...
It is important that we continue to pray for Swamishris
health so he is able to make this trip in August and
give us his laabh.

NC13 Reflection

Sculpting my life with Bapa

Walk at whatever pace you want, just dont walk backwards

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
A step Shastriji Maharaj took that thousands will never forget
He left Vadtal with only opposition
But that didnt stop him from carrying out his decision
He set out on his journey to do the impossible
Spread the Akshar Purushottam Upasana as if he was unstoppable
It was 107 years ago that he had the courage to take action
We wouldnt be who we are today if he didnt follow his passion.
Deep Patel (San Jose, CA)
Exactly one year ago, many of us took a monumental step; a step to become Ekantik. With the
grace of Swamishri, we all had the opportunity to gather in Atlanta for NC13.
If I had to summarize NC13 into a few words, it would be that Swamishri is the only constant
within my life. As Swamishris kishores and kishoris, we have all been given the necessary tools
to succeed. We are the stone, the chisel and the sculpture; using these instruments/tools, it
is up to us to continue to mold our life with Swamishri.. Through the sessions by P.Santo,
classroom activities with our group leads and talking to other delegates around us, we were
all able to truly understand Swamishris presence in our life, along with how to be courageous
and take action to ensure that we become Ekantik.

NC13 Reflection

NC13 was a life changing shibir for thousands, including myself.

Attending NC13 ignited a passion and a fire within me, shifting
and impacting my life in numerous ways. Primarily, I feel that the
messages from this convention have really helped me to shape my
personal satsang.
First and foremost, the strength and inspiration that I gained
from NC13 has led to an increased focus in my puja and a spike
in my interest for bhajan-bhakti, katha varta, goshti and more. It
has helped me understand the importance behind creativity in
Satsang, and why it is important to think outside of the box when
it comes to personal Satsang.
Additionally, NC13 has helped me to draw parallels between
my life and Satsang. In other words, it has helped me keep
Satsang in all of my day-to-day activities. Doing this allows me
to constantly remember Swamishri in everything that I do. Its
common for us to forget Satsang when we do the things that we
love to do the most. Our minds become completely engrossed on
whatever were doing and nothing else. If we just take a moment
to try and connect doing what we love to Swamishri, it enables
us to make a connection to him that we might not have noticed
before. Every single daily activity we do can trigger us to think
of Swamishri if we just take a moment to think. Doing smruti
of Swamishri stops becoming a thing that we do at a set time;
instead, it becomes something that happens all the time. NC13
has helped me to do this. As such, my passions/hobbies and my
satsang life have stopped becoming two separate things. Instead,
they are both a part of my singular life with Bapa. P. Anandswarup
Swami mentioned that If remembering Bapa is free of cost and
if remembering Bapa is priceless, why not do it?. In this way, as
P. Anandswarup mentioned, NC13 has really helped me to attain
the priceless.

Campus Corner

Connecting With Bapa

Many kishores that live on college campuses are not able to attend their regular kishore
sabhas on the weekends. So, how can these kishores continue to develop this intense love
for the Satpurush, if are surrounded by a completely different atmosphere from the one they
grew with at home? One way a kishore can maintain his Jodhan with the Pragat Satpursh is
to stay involved in Campus Sabhas. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the
8 kishores on campus take on different responsibilities for their campus sabhas to ensure
their personal satsang maintains firm. Whether it is planning an outing, helping out with
dinner, or singing during sabha, the kishores all have connected and developed friendships
that keep them going on their personal path to pleasing Bapa.
Not only has involvement in campus sabha influenced kishores to keep Satsang as a priorty
in their life, but also has allowed kishores to develop other essential skills as well. For
example, older kishores on campuses have paved out the roads to become sucessful for
younger kishores to take. They have acted like mentors to help the underclassmen with
their class schedules, involvement on campus and networking abilities. This samp truly
ignited because of campus sabha!

SE Summer
Shibir

#sem3h

Following the success of North American Convention 2013,

Ekatik: My Life with Bapa, the summer of 2014 saw the years
major summer event return to the regional level. From June 12th
to June 15th, over 785 kishores, kishoris, and volunteers from 23
centers across the southeast region sacrificed their time, money,
and summer plans to attend the BAPS Southeast Summer Shibr
in Atlanta. The shibir focused on the overall spiritual theme of
My Mandir, My Home.
Centered on the fundamental teachings about the importance of
the mandir and how it is our home, kishores and kishoris ranging
in age from high school to college students learned that the
mandir is a special place where they can develop and consolidate
their identity in a personalized and supportive environment,
feel confidence and solidarity in pursuing their spiritual goals
with like-minded individuals, find an outlet to serve society,
and charge on the energy of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and their
guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj through bhakti rituals. A kishore
affirmed,
#sem3h (Southeast Summer Shibir: My Mandir, My Home)!
The first week of summer kicked off with a solid week of summer
shibir! To learn what what we need to attain His (Swamishris)
rajipo...To understand the legitimate way to do darshanTo live
for the Pragat SatpurushTo become ekantik #thaiyeSwamiJeva.
Aap Rijho em Raaji...To learn that our Mandir is our Life support
our Life Line My Mandir My Home...
The mandir felt more like and ultimately became home for every
kishore and kishori that attended. In fact, almost every attendee
felt like the Atlanta mandir was his or her home, as this fellow
kishore expressed,

SE Summer
Shibir

This is MY MANDIR, and this is MY HOME! This is

the place that teaches me, nurtures me, guides me,
helps me, inspires me, and improves who I am from
within...
Through discourses from santos such as P.
Amrutnandan Swami, attendees experienced
insights from these spiritual concepts found in
Hindu scriptures and emphasized by Shastriji
Maharaj nearly 100 years ago. Participants learned
that the mandir is as relevant in their lives as going
to school, because it is a place where they can
learn life skills as well as progress in Satsang. They
learned that by coming to mandir more frequently
for seva, samagam, and bhakti, they would be able
to create jodan with Bhagwan Swaminaryan and
Swamishri. In fact, a kishore decided to elevate his
bhakti by doing a better mala as he learned from
one of his group sessions: I will start doing my
mala like Muktanand Swami did.
Furthermore, the attendees learned that it is
imperative for them to share their lives - the good
and the bad with Bhagwan and their guru so that
jodan is constant and growing. Lastly, the kishores
and kishoris participated in a number of cultural
activities, practical workshops (group sessions),
and special programs including cultural dances.
The kishores and kishories truly felt that mandir
is a place of solace for them. They found comfort
in mandir, as it is THEIR home and walked away
knowing that The one place that I know will always
be there for me Mandir.

Education

Why Not Both?

With so much of our lives dedicated to school, we find it difficult to find time for
mandir activities. Over the last few months karyakars have been receiving acceptance
from universities across the nation. Last month a few of these karayakars stories were
portrayed, however there were several more karayakars who received acceptance to top
tier programs. One of these karyakars is Yogeshbhai Kanjee from San Antonio.
Yogeshbhai graduated Sum Cum Lade from University of Texas, San Antonio with a
3.99GPA. He received a bachelors degree in both Architecture and Sound Engineering.
This fall Yogeshbhai will be attending University of Texas, San Antonio doing his masters
in architecture after receiving VIP admission into the program. UTSA is known as one of
the best graduate programs for architecture. In addition to going above and beyond in
school Yogeshbhai also excelled in mandir by doing hundreds of hours of seva.
Yogeshbhai was a sanchalak at San Antonio mandir, but with his talents in the Audio
Video department and architecture, he has also put in countless hours helping with audio
video design and drawing production for Mandir projects in North America, Australia and
Hong Kong.
A 3.99 GPA is close to essentially flawless and requires 100% dedication and effort,
hundreds of hours of seva for fellow haribhaktos requires sincerity and selflessness, yet
through the krupa of Maharaj and Swami, Yogeshbhai was able to be extraordinary in
both seva and education. Yogeshbhai exemplifies a perfect karyakar. His education was
never used as an excuse to avoid seva, rather his education benefitted with his excellence
in seva. If so many karayakars are able to do hours and hours of seva and excel in their
education, why cant we?

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NE Regional
Site Seva

On the auspicious day of June 7th, over 370 kishores,

from across the Northeast, gathered in one location
with one goal in mind. In 51 days, on August 7th, when
you see the float that you helped set up for Shobha
Yatra, when you see the stones you dusted, when you
see the dance that captures our utsah, when you see
the flowers you planted or the roads you dusted, you
will be sure to see the rajipo in Bapas eyes, and that is
when you will know why this Satpurush is the one. At
that point, the Mandir Mahotsav ni Jay will be done,
but the Akshardham Mahotsav countdown will have
just begun.
But until that moment of glory, 51 days still remain
in our story. This is our sadhana, this is our calling. This
is the new chapter of BAPS, the new monument for all
of eternity. Now we must begin the climb, shake off the
distraction slime, and make this our primetime.
Make this our hashtag, make this our mindset, make
this our drive. Put Swamishris ruchi at the forefront of
our mind, so that missing this opportunity is our only
crime. Get in on the grind, so you can make history for
all of mankind.
Lets take a moment to reflect upon this unforgettable
weekend through the video below as well as through
notes which provide us with the essence of Pujya
Tyagvallabh Swamis words of wisdom. Through the
group picture, may we all grasp the concept of Samp
and realize that although we may be full of over 370
kishores, we do seva for one person and one person
only: Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

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