Vavania, Morbi and Rajkot Jatra 2016

Vavania, Morbi and Rajkot Jatra

6th September 2016

The week-long Jain festival of Paryushan aims to cleanse the heart and soul of ill-feelings borne towards any and every living being by seeking and granting forgiveness for hurt caused through thoughts, words or deeds. Cultivating the quality of forgiveness and humility elevates the soul, opening the door to virtues like compassion and kindness.

Every year mumukshus of Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram accompany Param Pujya Bhaishree for a spiritual Jatra to the birthplace of our Aradhya Dev Param Krupalu Dev –Vavania, Morbi and Rajkot.  This ritual was followed by Param Pujya Bapuji diligently as a mark of respect to our supreme benefactor Shrimad Rajchandra.  This year, on the 6th of September, mumukshus departed for the pilgrimage in the morning hours.

Morbi

The first port of call was Morbi, the place where Shrimadji was married to Jhabakba. Visiting these premises mumukshus could sense the pure vibrations emanating here – the place where Shrimadji was required to enter into matrimonial alliance inspite of being completely detached inwardly.  This is the power of karma.  Requesting eternal companionship of Shrimad, mumukshus sang soulful bhajans like “જોડે રેહજો રાજ”.

Vavania – the birthplace of Shrimadji

As the entourage arrived at the beautiful Janma Bhuvan and Rambai Mandir - Vavania, they felt a sense of divinity and awe.  The grandeur and the serenity filled everyone with a sense of gratitude. Inspirational quotes of Shrimadji were engraved at the entrance and entry doors of the entire Bhuvan.

After lunch, mumukshus assembled at the Swadhyay hall.  Each mumukshu was absorbed in his own sadhna – either doing meditation, or reading the quotes all over the place or in deep contemplation and introspection.

As Pujya Bhaishree arrived, he first bowed his head in reverence to the idols of the Tirthankara, Chandraprabhu Swami, Rushabdev Swami and Mahavir Swami Bhagwan.

On the right side of the Mandir was the Guru Mandir, in which the idol of Param Krupalu Dev was placed.  Mumukshus sang devotional songs like “Amee bharela ae nayan, Het bhinu ae vadan, Yaad aave aaj”, and chants of  “Dev Krupalu, Dev Krupalu, Dev…” filled the air and their hearts, reverberating through the halls, enhancing the divinity of the place.

One mumukshu said: “A thought that came to my mind was that such a great Yug Purush was born is such a remote place, but this shows that even great elevated souls and saints have to bear the fruits of their own karma.”

Rajkot

The last destination of the tour was Rajkot. This city to all the followers of Shrimadji denotes an element of sadness.  This is the place where Shrimadji breathed his last as he continued on his great onward journey to salvation, Moksh.

Mumukshus visited the Samadhi Mandir, the place where Shrimadji was cremated. Even the Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi paid rich tributes to his spiritual master, his Guru – Shrimadji here.   

Here also after a short Bhakti session, the tour proceeded to Narmada Mansion, the place where Shrimadji spend the last few months of his great life as he recuperated from his illness.  Shrimadji had even written an extremely memorable and inspiring spiritual poem here and it was in Narmada Mansion, that this divine soul breathed his last.

As the pilgrimage drew to an end, mumukshus departed while making a resolve to follow Shrimadji’s teachings more diligently.

Gurupurnima Celebrations 2016

Gurupurnima

19th July 2016

“It is an incomparable journey,
Where the Guru leads you from the visible to the invisible;
From the material to the divine;
From the ephemeral to the eternal.”

Gurupurnima is day to celebrate our teachers. 'Guru' means darkness (gu) to light (ru). A guru is one who guides us from our dark ignorance to the light of knowledge, truth and reality. The enlightened teacher is a living example of his teachings. He manifests the truth and teaches through example. Those true disciples develop the vision to see the inner enlightened soul and recognise its shining virtues. Today we sing and celebrate those virtues. We bow down to the compassion of our Guru who illuminates the path of liberation.

In our living teacher, Param Pujya Bhaishree, remains a living path, a thread of truth, a lineage of enlightened souls. As we celebrate him today we celebrate all those teachers of the lineage of truth.

Below you can watch Param Pujya Bhaishee's swadhyays on Gurupurnima day in Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram. Two poems, composed by Shree Gangasati, were sung and and explained.

Gangasati poem 'Gupt Ras'. Duration 23 mins.

Gangasati poem 'Jya lagi laagya bhaagya'. Duration 13 mins.

During the course of the 3 day celebration alongside the swadhyays, a Panch Kalyanak Maha Pujan was conducted, a Parshwa Padmavati Pujan took place, Bhruhad Alochana was recited, the newly renovated Bapuji's Kutir was unveiled, vocational work kits were donated on behalf of Ashirvad Trust and a cultural programme took place.

The cultural programme

With overflowing devotion, all mumukshus gathered outside Pujya Bhaishree's kutir to welcome him and be blessed by his grace. Enthusiastic chants and devotional singing added to the divinity of the morning.

The day culminated with a grand finale - The Cultural Program.

Along with Sufi songs and dances, a play on the life of King Janak, came the crowning glory: Life of Devotee - Rajjab. Words are insufficient to describe the performance of the main actors Guru Dadu Dayal (played by Nayan Doshi) and disciple Rajjab (played by Mehul Mehta). The enitre act, dialogues and the message delivered through the play captivated the audience, holding them spellbound. It was an act par excellence.