Foodgrain distribution to the needy in Sudan

Raj Saubhag Ashram mumukshu, Ashokbhai Parekh sponsored and organized foodgrain distribution drive to the needy in Sudan, in cooperation with volunteers from Arham Group (mumukshus of Pujya Namra Muni) and a local Sudanese NGO.  His wife, Parulben also wholeheartedly supported and participated in the distribution drive.

A total of 2,700 cartons were distributed in various regions in the suburbs of capital city Khartoum and Omdurman. Beneficiaries consisted of previously identified needy families, who expressed gratitude and gave heartfelt blessings on receiving their precious gifts.  Among the benefactors were 50 blind people.

Wheat, flour, lentils, dal, rice, sugar, chickpeas, dates, fruit drink powder and sunflower oil were distributed to individual families in their homes by volunteers who cheerfully worked long hours in the extremely hot climate.

The governor of Omdurman City and President of Omdurman Indian Community were present to witness this humanitarian activity, which was covered by the local news channels, radio stations and newspapers.

Ashokbhai Parekh said: “This activity was carried out under the grace of our Guru, Pujya Bhaishree.  His inspiration and his krupa inspired us to serve our fellow beings.”

Goal 7: Non Judgement

Goal 7:

Non Judgement

I shall never criticise and always refrain from giving advice or opinion.

ધ્યેય 7:

નિરાભિપ્રાયપણું

હું બીજાના દોષ નહિ જોઉં અને પરનિન્દા નહીં કરું. ન હું કોઈને સલાહ આપીશ કે ન મારો અભિપ્રાય જણાવીશ.

OurCapacity to Judge: Blessing or Curse?

The capacity to see, think, understand, analyze, decide and then act is natural to us. At every step we are evaluating. Evaluation is a never ending process. In this human life, our soul is tremendously empowered. This inherent strength can become our biggest weakness too.

Since childhood we have been hearing the meaningful saying, "Never judge a book from its cover". Despite this most of us are quick to form opinions and also quick to criticise. With limited or superficial knowledge we keep pronouncing verdicts. If we reflect carefully upon this habit, it is an exercise by which we want to boost our ego. And in doing we may be unaware of the harm and damage we are causing both to others and ourselves. Talking loosely is thus a sign of immaturity. The shores of our unquiet minds are lashed with waves of thoughts. Such a chaotic mind spurts out many uncalled opinions and unsolicited advices.

The ever-changing nature of the world

Where do our strong opinions comes from? Each life experience that we endure brings us many realisations. Opinions are built and with confidence we declare judgements. However we must remember that even when our opinions are born of factual practicality, these are still our personal viewpoints and need not be universally acceptable to all. Experience too keeps varying. The context is always changing, with different activity, people involved, situations, and innovations. Yet our opinions often remain stagnant.

Ephemerality is the key characteristic of reality. In this world where everything is changing all the time, how can our fixed opinions and judgements remain valid?

Therefore we must remain utmostly cautious or rather try to restrain from expressing our viewpoint even in private gatherings. Exuding peace and dwelling in silence, we ought to remain a mere witness while we are in public domain. These days platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook make it all the more tempting to constantly share our opinions. Even in times of social injustice we must reflect if we really need to raise our concern, and voice our opinion. Reading a newspaper, on seeing a person or his clothes, visiting someone's home, eating food, hearing a piece of music we keep comparing and commenting. Even if we may not actively participate we still want to be a silent part of the gossip corner, as it seems to be most entertaining for many of us. Unnecessarily, our deluded mind remains active in other's territory. Why worry about other's business when we cannot manage our own?

For each of us, our own opinion is of much value, as we feel it is carefully formed from the deeper understanding we have of everything that exists in this world. Despite being a spiritual seeker, most of the time, our focus remains external. We continue inspecting and investigating all that comes our way. Thus we keep the gates open for the karmas to afflict our soul.

Reality can be viewed from multiple perspectives

Why do two different people view the same situation in completely different ways? Anekantvad is the spirit of Jainism. It means multiple viewpoints are possible. It is the notion that reality is perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth, yet taken together they comprise the complete truth.

Our own views are based on our own conditioning, values, education and exposure to life events as we grow up. Being non judgemental is about understanding the limitations of our perspective, and being open to other perspectives, viewing world through the eyes of others. Eventually this empathy will build our tolerance and we shall be more sensitive and more compassionate. Non judgement is to accept with free will what is noble, true and pure.

The eternal true nature of reality

Perception differs, and thus the truth too, but the fundamental principles that govern our reality, remain constant forever. Wise are those, who in light of these uniform golden rules, assess and appraise all that is happening around them.

Tirthankar Bhagwans proclaimed many such doctrines of truth. So precise and perfect, in any era of time they progressively uphold us on the path of Moksh. It is essential that we read and study them in detail for only then shall we be able to arrive at a “right judgement”.

 

Conclusion

Let us observe Bhaishree. Ahead of any conclusion, immaculate Bhaishree will diligently first consider the relative and the absolute viewpoint. The relative viewpoint takes care of the transient nature and the absolute will consider the ceaseless aspect. The repercussions and the chain reaction is all well considered before he speaks or acts. In every situation and setting he remains diligent and yet firmly detached and divine. Weighing every word, His wisdom is Gospel's truth. Living his words, we too shall become like Him.

Those who worship the virtues consequently stop judging. Being spiritual is to remain neutral and equanimous.

ધ્યેય ૭: નિરાભિપ્રાયપણુ

જોવું, જાણવુ, વિચારવું, સમજવું  અને પછી નિર્ણય લઈને કાર્યની શરૂઆત કરવી, રોજબરોજના જીવનનો આ છે સામાન્ય ક્રમ. કાર્યની શરૂઆત હોય કે પૂર્ણાહુતિ આપણે  સતત જે કાર્ય થઈ રહ્યું છે તેનું મૂલ્યાંકન સમયાંતરે કરતાંજ  રહીએ છીએ. લાભ-હાનીનો વિચાર સતત અંતરમાં ચાલતો જ રહે છે. પારમાર્થિક  દ્રષ્ટિના અભાવે, સંસારી જીવાત્મઓનું મુલ્યાંકન લૌકિક ભાવે થતું રહે છે. તેથી જે શક્તિ ભવ તારક બને એમ છે તે જ શક્તિ મોટા ભાગના મનુષ્યો માટે  જન્મમરણ વધારનારી બની જાય છે. આ બાબત પર આપણે ગંભીર વિચારણા કરવી જરૂરી છે.

મન અને બુદ્ધિને આત્માની શક્તિ પ્રાપ્ત થતા, ન ધારેલું કાર્ય મનુષ્ય કરી શકે એમ છે. સદગુરુ   નિશ્રામાં, વર્તમાન ભવમાં, આત્માની અનંત સુષુપ્ત શક્તિઓને આપણે જગાડવી  છે.

આપણે નાના હતા ત્યારથી જ સાંભળતા આવ્યા છીએ કે પુસ્તકનું પુઠું જોઈને કે ફિલ્મના પોસ્ટર ઉપરથી તે પુસ્તક કે ફિલ્મ વિશેનો કોઈ અભિપ્રાય ન બાંધવો જોઇએ. મોટે ભાગે આપણે આપણો અભિપ્રાય ખુબ જલ્દીથી બાંધી લઈએ છીએ. પહેલી મુલાકાતમાં જ આપણે એક વ્યક્તિને સમ્પૂર્ણ રીતે ઓળખી  શકતા નથી છતાં તે વ્યક્તિનો એક દોષ કે ગુણનો પરિચય થાય ને અંતર મનમાં તેના વિશેની એક છાપ ઊભી થઈ જાય છે. તે છાપ ખોટી હોવાની પુરી શક્યતા છે.  આવો અભિપ્રાય ઘણી વાર પૂર્વગ્રહ બનીને તે વ્યક્તિ સાથેના તમામ વ્યવહારમાં અને નિર્ણયો લેવામાં આડો આવે છે.

જીવનના અનુભવોમાંથી પસાર થઈએ છીએ ત્યારે અનેક બોધપાઠો આપણે શીખતા રહીએ  છીએ. અભિપ્રાયો બંધાય છે અને સમજણ સાથે કે પછી ઉતાવળે પૂરેપૂરું સમજ્યા વગર તે અભિપ્રાયોને આપણે જાહેર કરી દઈએ છીએ.

કોઈ શહેરના એક ભાગમાં આપણે ગયા હોઈએ અને આખું શહેર હજુ જોયું નથી તો પણ જે ભાગમાં આપણે છીએ ત્યાં ગંદકી હોય તો એમ કહી દેતાં જરાય અચકાતા નથી કે આખુંય શહેર ગંદુ છે. આવા અભિપ્રાયો માત્ર આપણા અભિમાનને પોષે છે. હું જાણું છું, હોશિયાર અને ચતુર છું, મને બધી ખબર છે, એ ભાવને આપણે અન્ય પાસે સ્થાપિત કરીએ છીએ. અપરિપક્વ માનસિક સ્થિતિને કારણે આપણે આવી રીતે વર્તીએ છીએ. બને ત્યાં સુધી આપણે અભિપ્રાયો આપવા જ ન જોઇએ અને જ્યારે આપીએ ત્યારે ધીરજ કેળવીને બધીજ અપેક્ષાઓનો   વિચાર કરી તે અભિપ્રાય જાહેર કરવો જોઇયે.

એક ખોટો અભિપ્રાય અન્યના જીવનને ઘણું નુકશાન પહોંચાડે છે તેનો ખ્યાલ સુધ્ધાં નથી હોતો. અભિપ્રાય આપવાની આવશ્યકતા નથી ત્યાં પણ દોઢ ડાહ્યા થઈએ છીએ. કોઈએ સલાહ માંગી નથી પણ આપણે આપવા તત્પર હોઈએ છીએ. શું કામ બીજાના જીવનમાં હસ્તક્ષેપ કરતા હશું. પોતાનું  જીવન વ્યવસ્થિત જીવી શકતા નથી અને બીજાની ફિકર અને ઉપાધિઓ દૂર કરવાનાં પ્રયત્નોમાં જોડાયને આપણે શું સિદ્ધ કરવા ઈરછીએ છીએ? મહાપુરુષો એમ કહે છે “હે જીવ તું તારું સંભાળ”  

આ જગત સતત બદલાતું રહે છે. અહીં કશું સ્થિર નથી. જ્યાં આવી બાહ્ય પરિસ્થિતિ હોય ત્યાં આપણે જાહેર કરેલા અભિપ્રાયો  કેટલા સાચા નીવડે ? તદ ઉપરાંત દરેકની જોવાની દ્રષ્ટિ, જીવનના મૂલ્યો, અભિગમ તેમજ રસ અને રુચિ જુદાં હોય છે. દરેકનું સત્ય અહીં  જુદું છે. કર્મો અનુસાર દરેક પોતનું જીવન જીવે છે. વ્યક્તિનો સ્વભાવ અને પ્રકૃતિઓ પણ જુદાં  છે. આ દુનિયામાં દરેક વ્યક્તિ પોતાના અંગત અભિપ્રાયોથી પોતાનું જીવન જીવી રહ્યો છે. માટે કંઈ પણ અભિપ્રાય ન આપતાં મૌન રહેવું એજ ઉત્તમ છે. જ્યારે બધા સાથે હોય ત્યારે આપણે અંતરની શાંતિ અને આનંદની મસ્તીમાં જીવવાનો પુરુષાર્થ કરતા રહેવું. જ્ઞાતા અને દ્રષ્ટાભાવે અલિપ્ત અને અસંગ રહેવું.

જો સમાજમાં હિંસા, દુરાચાર અન્યાય થતા હોય ત્યારે અહિંસાત્મક રીતે તેનો વિરોધ કરવો પણ જરૂરી છે.

છાપું વાંચતા,  કોઇએ પહેરેલાં કપડાં કે આભૂષણ જોઈને, કોઈનું ઘર જોયા બાદ, વાનગી કે ભોજન ખાઈને, સંગીત સાંભળીને, ચિત્રો જોઈને, જીવનમાં ડગલે ને પગલે, આપણે સતત સરખામણી કરતા રહીએ છીએ અને સંકોચ વગર પરમ સત્યની ઉદઘોષણા કરતાં હોઈએ તેવી રીતે આપણા  મતને જાહેર કરીએ છીએ. આપણા માટે આપણો એ મત ખુબ અગત્યનો છે. આપણે એમ માનીએ છીએ કે વિશ્લેષણ કરવાની શક્તિ અને ઊંડી સમજણમાંથી આપણે કંઈ  કહી રહ્યા છીએ. આ જગતમાં આટ આટલા વર્ષોં શું  અમસ્તા ગાળ્યા છે , એવું અભિમાન સ્પષ્ટ અંતરમાં રહ્યું છે પણ તે અજ્ઞાન વશ વેદાતું નથી. આપણા અભિમાનને આપણે બીજા માટેની કરુણા તરીકે ઓળખાવીએ છીએ.

આધ્યાત્મિક સાધક હોવા છતાં આપણા લક્ષની ધારા બહારમાં, પર પદાર્થોને જોવામાં અને તેમાંથી  સુખ મેળવવા રોકાયેલી રહી છે. પુદગલના રૂપ, રસ, ગંધ અને આકાર આપણી એકાગ્રતાનો વિષય બની છે. આમ આશ્રવના દ્વારો આપણે ખુલ્લાં રાખીએ છીએ અને કર્મો આવીને આત્માને આવરી લે છે. આપણી કુતૂહલ વૃતિ  એવી છે કે કાર્ય સાથે જોડાયેલા ન હોય તો પણ બધું જાણવા માટે ઉત્સુક રહીએ છે. પરનિંદા અને  વિકથામાંથી આનંદ મેળવીએ છીએ. આવી માનસિકતા હોય ત્યાં આધ્યાત્મિક ભાવમાં, ધર્મધ્યાનમાં જીવ કેવી રીતે ટકી શકે.?

જૈન ધર્મમાંથી  અનેકાંતવાદની  દ્રષ્ટિ પ્રાપ્ત થાય છે. એક વસ્તુને વિવિધ નયથી જોવાની અને સમજવાની આ અદભૂત રીત છે.  બે વિપરીત નય કે દ્રષ્ટિકોણ હોય છતાં તે બન્ને એક બીજા પ્રત્યે પ્રેમ અને આદર ભાવ રાખી શકે અને હળીમળીને રહી શકે છે. અભિપ્રાયોથી મુક્ત થવું એટલે પોતામાં સમાઈ જવું. કોઈ પ્રતિભાવ આપવો નહીં ઉદયનો શાંત સહજ સ્વીકાર અને આવકાર. કોઈ ફરિયાદ નહીં, કેવળ મનનો રાજીપો. અસંગ, અલિપ્ત જીવન.

બદલાતા જગતમાં દ્રશ્ય અને દ્રષ્ટિકોણ બન્ને પર્યાયંતર પામતા રહેશે. માયાવી જગતનું સત્ય ક્ષણિક હોય છે છતાં આ જગત જે સિદ્ધાંતો ઊપર ચાલી અને ટકી રહ્યું છે તે સર્વે અફર છે, શાશ્વત છે. તે સિધ્ધાંતોને બરાબર સમજી મનમાં ધારણ કરી જીવન જીવવાનું છે. તે સત્ય એવું ને એવું રહે છે. દ્રષ્ટિ, દ્રષ્ટિકોણ આવું  કશું તેમાં નડતું નથી. તીર્થંકર ભગવાને તેમના નિર્મળ જ્ઞાનમાંથી  આ સિધ્ધાંતો ભાખેલા છે. તેમની દ્રષ્ટિથી આ જગતને જોવાનો પ્રયત્ન કરશું તો તે અનેરૂ દેખાશે. છ દ્રવ્ય સ્વરૂપે તે જગતને આપણે જોતાં થઈશું. પછી આપણા તમામ અભિપ્રાયો મોક્ષ તરફ લઈ જશે.

કોઈ પણ નિર્ણય લેતાં પહેલાં  પરમ પૂજય ભાઇશ્રી શાંત ચિત્તે જે કંઈ છે તેને પ્રથમ ધીરજ રાખી સમજવાનો પ્રયત્ન કરશે. પછી તુલનાત્મક રીતે વ્યવહાર અને નિશ્ચયનો તેઓ ઉત્તમ સમન્વય સાધીને નિર્ણય લેશે. તેઓ આદર્શ છે. તેઓ પોતાનો અભિપ્રાય ભાગ્યેજ જાહેર કરતા હોય છે. સામે વાળાનો દ્રષ્ટીકોણ, વિચારધારા, ઉદેશ બધું વ્યવસ્થિત સમજીને વ્યવહાર કરશે. ઓછું બોલશે અને મધુર સ્મિત વેર્યા કરશે. એમનો ઉપદેશ અને આજ્ઞાને જીવનમાં ઉતારી આપણે તેમના જેવાં થઈ શકીશું.

ઉપસંહાર

જે ગુણો તરફ કેન્દ્રિત થાય છે તે અભિપ્રાયો આપતા નથી. ઉચ્ચતમ આધ્યાત્મિકતા એ જ કે  સમતા અને સમાધિભાવમાં  સમાય જવું, સમાયને રહેવું.

Truth Circle: The Employer and the Help

The Employer and the Help

Mumbai

A native of Morbi, named Lallu, had been working as Shrimad Rajchandra’s domestic helper for many years. When Lallu was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, Shrimad decided to take complete care of him and nursed him till his very final moments. He would place Lallu’s head on his lap and stroke his hair gently.

Shrimad says, “When someone hires a domestic worker, their intention is to make him work more than what he is being paid for. Due to difficult financial circumstances and other limitations, the worker is unable to start his own business or pursue another profession. Although, he is capable of doing so, he does not have the capital to start with.

An employer, whose intention is to trick the helper into working more for lesser pay, is considered even more lowly and miserable than the helper himself. Therefore, a person who wishes their domestic help well, offers support when needed, shares the workload when the worker is overburdened and is compassionate, is the most ideal employer.”

- Inspirational Stories of Shrimad Rajchandra page 175

શેઠ અને નોકર

મુંબઈ

મોરબીનો વતની, લલ્લુ નામનો નોકર, ઘણાં વર્ષોથી શ્રીમદ્જીને ત્યાં કામ કરી રહ્યો હતો. મુંબઈમાં હતો ત્યારે તેને કૅન્સરની ગાંઠ નીકળી હતી. શ્રીમદ્જી તે લલ્લુ નોકરની જાતે સારવાર કરતા. પોતાના ખોળામાં તેનું માથું મૂકી અંત સુધી તેની સંભાળ તેમણે લીધી હતી.

શ્રીમદ્ કહેતા : "જ્યારે કોઈ શેઠ એક ગરીબ વ્યક્તિને નોકર તરીકે રાખે છે, ત્યારે તે શેઠ નોકરના પગાર કરતાં વધારે કામ લેવાની બુદ્ધિથી એની સાથે વ્યવહાર કરે છે. નોકર ગરીબ સ્થિતિમાં હોવાથી, તે વેપાર આદિ કરી શકતો નથી. જોકે તે માણસ વેપાર આદિ કરી શકે તેમ છે, પરંતુ ધંધો કરવા માટે મૂડી નહીં હોવાથી નોકરી કરે છે.

નોકર પાસેથી પગાર કરતાં વધારે લાભ મેળવવાની બુદ્ધિ રાખે, તો તે શેઠ નોકર કરતાં પણ વધારે દરિદ્ર, ભીખ માંગનાર જેવો પામર ગણાય. શેઠ જો નોકર પ્રત્યે એવી ભાવના રાખે કે આ પણ મારા જેવો થાય, શેઠ તેને જોઈતી સહાય કરે, નોકર પર કામનો ઘણો બોજો હોય તો તે વખતે તેને કામમાં મદદ કરે અને નોકર માટે હૃદયમાં અનુકંપા હોય તો તે શેઠ શ્રેષ્ઠ ગણાય.”

- શ્રીમદ્ રાજચંદ્ર - પ્રેરક પ્રસંગો - પાનું ૧૭૫

Download the pdf here

IVY Swadhyay - Mothers Day Special

If the only Prayer you said in your life was “Thank you” that would suffice!

The one person in everybody’s life, who deserves a special ‘Thank You’, more than anybody else, is our mother. Mother is special and precious, not just because she goes through pain and gives us life, but also because she knows how to give selflessly and ask for nothing in return.  She practices and teaches compassion and kindness; she is the first one to rejoice in our happiness and feel our pain, and she comforts us when we are scared or fearful.  She spreads sweet fragrance in our lives.

For a spiritually inclined person, there is twice the cause of celebration on Mother’s Day – since he celebrates the presence of his mother and the Guru in his life.

A guru like Pujya Bhaishree plays a dual role – that of a caring mother and a motivating father. He is a friend as well, who lends his ear without judging, happy in our happiness and supportive during the lean phases of our life.

Brahmnisht Minalben shared a beautiful poem describing the sacrifices made by a mother and the efforts taken by her to mould her children.

માં  કેવી  તું
કયા  શબ્દો  માં   કહું  કે  માં , કેવી  તું
પીડા  ની  પુકાર  માં , મારી  પેહલી  છીઝ  તું
મારો  પેહલો  પ્રગાઢ  વિશ્વાસ  તું
મારા  હૃદય  ના  દરેક  ધબકાર  માં  તું
કયા  શબ્દો  માં  કહું , માં  કેવી  તું
મારા  જીવન  ના  સુખનો  બાગ  તું
ક્યારેક  ગુસ્સા  માં  સૂર્ય  ની  આગ  તું

માં , કયા  શબ્દો  માં  કહું  કે  કેવી  તું
અંધકાર  ને  દૂર   કરનારો  પ્રકાશ  તું
મારી    અપેક્ષાઓ  ની  ધરતી  તું
મારી  આકાંશા  નું  આકાશ  તું
માં , કાયા  શબ્દો  માં  કહું  કે  કેવી  તું
ધાકધકતા  જીવન  પ્રવાસ  માં  શીતળતા  તું
જીવન  ને  છેલ્લી   શ્વાસ  નો  વિસામો  તું …

Br. Minalben also shared another beautiful poem by Kathleen J. Shields:

‘There are Angels God puts on this Earth
Who care for us and guide us.
You can feel their love and gentleness
as they walk through life beside us.

They do great things for us every day
they whisper in our ears,
they even hold us in their hearts
when we are filled with all our fears.

They are always there to give a hug
and try to make us smile.
They treat us with respect and love;
they treat us like their child.

God blessed me with an Angel,
I’m proud to call my own.
She’s been with me throughout my
life, been with me as I’ve grown.

She guided me the best she can,
she taught me like no other,
and I’m thankful I’m the lucky one
who gets to call her... MOTHER’

To show our appreciation and gratitude to our Mother, we must help them as much as possible and support them when they feel low.  Likewise, we must also be grateful to our Guru for leading us to eternal happiness.  There is no way we can repay our Guru for lifting us from the cycle of births and deaths.  The Guru’s efforts as well as virtues should be applauded wholeheartedly.

Voltaire said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing, it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well’.

Minalben also shared a powerful analogy of a monkey, who mistakenly thinks the rosemary seeds to be the fire-stone, and tries to ignite a fire but naturally fails in his endeavours.  Likewise, an ignorant person seeks happiness in places where there is none.

As much as appreciation is important, being ethical is equally important and it’s the very first goal of inner transformation. Stressing on some really important questions, Brahmnisht Vikrambhai asked the young mumukshus to reflect on:

• How ethical am I?
• How long does it take me to admit to something unethical that I have done?
• How do I feel when I compromise on my values? Justified? Guilty? or Sad?
• What are the things for which I compromise my values? Does my want for something cloud my understanding of the ethics of that situation or can I remain clear minded and objective?
   

Without being ethical, there is no uplifting.

It is the power of discrimination (vivek-vichar) that guides our actions. The pure mind will filter and safeguard our soul from many negative influences. Along with the pure mind, it's our inner conscience, the voice of the soul that will lead us to act appropriately.

When a person is able to applaud goodness, be kind and humble, honest and uncompromising where integrity is concerned, only then can the Guru’s teaching bear fruit.

We must take example from the life of Pujya Bhaishree.  His every action is the epitome of virtue, patience and mindfulness.  Let us cultivate these qualities and walk on the path shown by the Master.

75th Ladies Swadhyay

The 75th ladies swadhyay was held on 30th April, at Brahmnisht Minalben’s residence in Mumbai.

Pujya Bhaishree graced the occasion and gave a discourse on a poem written by Ganga Sati.  He likened Minalben to Ganga Sati and the lady mumukshus to Paanbai.

Briefing the mumukshus about the life of Ganga Sati, Pujya Bhaishree said that she was an elevated, enlightened Vedanti Saint, who composed many divine, meaningful bhajans.   Her life reflected her writing and many bhajans were composed to guide Paanbai on the spiritual path.  (There are 2 version of Ganga Sati’s relationship with Paanbai – one version says that Paanbai was her daughter-in-law and another version says that Paanbai was her maid who was part of her dowry) Ganga Sati’s husband Kahalchand, was also deeply spiritual. 

According to traditional account, he utilized his spiritual powers to prove himself in the presence of the villagers.  Later, regretting this misuse of powers (since people would now be attracted to him due to these powers rather than his spirituality), Kahalchand decided to take samadhi and end his life. Gangasati urged him to let her take samadhi too but he refused and instructed her to wait until she had perfected Paanbai, her daughter-in-law/maid on path of devotion.  Obeying the instructions of her husband, Ganga Sati through her bhajans and devotional songs, laid out the path for Paanbai and then accepted Samadhi. 

પરિપૂર્ણ સતસંગ હવે તમને કરાવું,
ને આપું જોને નિર્મળ જ્ઞાન રે,
જનમવા મરવાનું તમારું મટાડીને
ધરાવું અવિનાશીનું ધ્યાન રે ... પરિપૂર્ણ.

નામરૂપને મિથ્યા જાણો ને
મેલી દેજો મનની તાણાવાણ રે,
આવો બેસો એકાંતમાં ને તમને,
પદ આપું નિર્વાણ રે ... પરિપૂર્ણ.

સદા રહો સતસંગમાં ને
કરો અગમની ઓળખાણ રે,
નુરત સુરતથી નિજ નામ પકડીને
જેથી થાય હરિની જાણ રે ... પરિપૂર્ણ.

મેલ ટળે ને વાસના ગળે,
ન કરો પુરણનો અભિયાસ રે,
ગંગા રે સતી એમ બોલિયાં,
થાય મૂળ પ્રકૃતિનો નાશ રે ... પરિપૂર્ણ.

Ganga Sati says: “I will bequeath to you true knowledge herewith.  Let go of our beliefs in births and deaths, and strive to attain the Absolute Truth – that which is beyond life and death.  Do not associate yourself with this body, your name and the thought processes of the mind. Seek solitude and immerse yourself in satsang.  Strive to know your Atma – which is the absolute truth.  Know your Atma –which is timeless.  This striving will help you rid yourself of negative qualities."

Pujya Bhaishree elaborated further.  He highlighted the immense benefits that will accrue from consistent satsang. This was a fail proof way overcoming one’s attachment to this transient, material world and walk on the path of spirituality. 

• Until he reaches his goal (the Atma), the mumukshu should seek refuge of an enlightened Master and immerse himself in satsang.
• This satsang will help him overcome his bad qualities and inculcate purity
• Every mumukshu should aim to be consistent and single-minded in his pursuit of purity.
• Sansaar-bhaav has ensured that we are constantly taking new births and dying new deaths.
• Pujya Bhaishree added that only the followers of a true Guru can understand the underlying, deep meaning of the last part of the above composition.  

Swadhyay was followed by skits and dance performances, by the mumukshus, highlighting all that they hadlearned; a cake-cutting ceremony and dinner.

We rise by lifting others - Seva activity by Raj Saubhag Dubai Mumukshus

On a warm morning of 12th May, 43 enthusiastic volunteers gathered in Sajja labour camp in Sharjah to distribute to 450 + 50 (total beneficiaries 500) labourers - rice, sugar, dal, dry fruits, dates, biscuits, t-shirts and caps.  This was part of the seva activity undertaken bymumukshus on a regular basis.  Surging ahead the labourers gratefully received their share, smiling widely on receiving the precious gifts. 

A total of 1500 kilos of foodgrains, 225 kilos of dates, 50 kilos of nuts and dried fruits were repackaged into individual bags and distributed.  The task of repackaging took 3 days, and volunteers participated in the entire process wholeheartedly and selflessly, fully aware that the smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.


We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone

IVY Swadhyay - Ayambil Oli

The auspicious ‘Ayambil Oli’ also called ‘Navpad oli’ had just ended on 11th April; so, in this IVY swadhaya, Pujya Minalben shed light on the history and importance of this festival and its value in a true seeker’s life.

Observed twice a year, Aymbil Oli involves special fasting in which a person eats one meal a day consisting of boiled grains with no spices, seasoning, oil or greens.  Eating fruits, vegetables, milk or yogurt is also forbidden for 9 days.  Special prayers are offered to the 9 auspicious pillars of Jainism - Arihant, Siddh, Acharya, Upadhya and Sadhu along with Gnaan, Darshan, Charitra, Tap.

Minalben highlighted the importance of Ayambil Oli through the inspiring story of King Shripal and his wife Mayna Sundri.

During the time of 20th Tirthankara Munisuvarat Swami, who lived approximately 1.1 million years ago, King Singhrath ruled over Champa-nagar.  A son was borne to him by queen, Kamalprabha.  The young prince was named Shripal.

King Singhrath’s brother Ajitsen was an ambitious man who was waiting for an opportunity to usurp the throne. On the death of King Singhrath,  Ajitsen conspired to get rid of the 5-year old crown prince, Shripal.  Anticipating his evil intent, Queen Kamalprabha fled into the jungle with her infant son.  Fearing for their lives, the queen hid her son among a group of 700 lepers and escaped from that place to save her life.

Unaware about his true identity and growing up with the lepers, the young prince (now named Umar Rana) contracted leprosy, but since he grew up to be an intelligent young man with exceptional leadership qualities, he was named leader of this group.  Under his leadership the troupe travelled place to place and one day arrived in Ujjayini city, which was the capital of Malwa region.

The king of Ujjayini was Prajapal and his queen Roopsundri. They had two beautiful, intelligent and skillful daughters – Sur Sundri and Mayna Sundri, whom they loved equally.

Deciding to test his daughters, the King asked them: “By whose favor, do you enjoy all these amenities, skills and luxuries?”

The elder daughter, Sur Sundari replied, “Father, it is because of your generosity and care, that I have acquired all these amenities, skills and luxuries.” Extremely pleased by her answer, King rewarded her appropriately.

Expecting a similar response from his younger daughter Mayna Sundari, King eagerly waited for her to answer. Mayna replied: “With all due respect and gratitude to you father, everything that I have acquired today, is the merit of my own past karma”.

While Sur Sundri’s reply was not a lie, but Mayna Sundri’s perspective was indeed the Truth; a truth that germinated from her spiritual inclinations and reflected her philosophical beliefs.

Exasperated by this unexpected reply, King decided to teach Mayna Sundri a lesson. He ordered his men to find the ugliest man in the city so he could get his daughter married to him. The soldiers spotted Umar Rana (infected by leprosy), who was in the city at that time and presented him to the king.

To spite the supposed insolence of his younger daughter, the King instantly got Mayna married to leper Umar Rana, and immediately sent them away. On the other hand, the king looked for a suitable match for Sur Sundari and got her married to Prince Aridaman of Shankhapuri.

Mayna was a deeply religious and elevated soul. She accepted her fate and the leper as her husband and took good care of him. Being a devout lady, she would visit temples and participate in sermons and discourses given by monks.

One day Mayna Sundari and her husband went to see Jain Acharya Munichandra who was a well-known scholar.  On learning about his leprosy, the monk advised both of them to do penance through fasting and worshipping of the sacred Siddhchakra for four and half years.

At the end of four and half years, Umar Rana (Shripal) was miraculously cured of his disease and now resembled his real, handsome self. Feeling happy and blessed both Mayna Sundari and Umar Rana continued fasting during Ayambil (twice every year).

Shripal now embarked on a mission to reclaim what rightfully belonged to him, which was the throne of Champa Nagar.  On achieving hisgoals, Shripal happily passed the rest of his life as King of Champa-nagar.

Siddhchakra, Navpad is a popular yantra or mandala (mystical diagram) used for worship in Jainism. Navapad, includes 5 supreme beings, having 108 virtues in all, and 4 right virtues/Gunas.

Panch Parmesthi:

Arihant: Ari means Enemy and Hant means destroyer. Thus, prayingto the Arihants means praying to the one who has conquered his inner enemies such as anger, greed, ego, and deceit and lives in perfect equilibrium. Out of 108 virtues, Arihant pad has 12 attributes.

Siddh, the liberated soul, without a physical form, also called the Vitraga, has 8 attributes.

Acharya, the spiritual master, first among all the saints, teaches the Holy Scripture through self-practice and has 36 attributes.

Upadhya, spiritual teacher, second among the Guru Tatva, is one with knowledge and teaches in absence of Acharya. Upadhya pad has 25 attributes.

Sadhu, the monk, is third among the Guru Tatva, who has left their worldly belongings and observes 5 Mahavrat and has 27 attributes.

Pillars of Jainism:

Gnaan – Darshan – Charitra – Tap: Right Knowledge – Right Faith - Right Conduct – Right Penance

Right Faith: It is to cultivate right and utmost faith in the Trinity -SatDev, SatDharma and SatGuru.  Our goal is to be happy in all given circumstances. The right approach is to have faith in the Trinity and adopt one of the following ways to be happy – Be content, Become a witness, Rise above the situation, Make amends in the thinking – Adjust oneself instead of trying to change the situation.
Right Knowledge: I am not the body; but the soul inside the body is my true self.
Right Conduct: Being truthful, adopting non-violence, no stealing and being content
Right Penance: There are different types of penance. One done for the right reason to gain right knowledge, get rid of Karmas is the right penance. Observing chauvihar, doing ekashna, upvaas etc are modes of penance. The ultimate penance is ‘iccha nirodh’ – getting rid of all desires.

Thus, we bow down to 5 supreme spiritual souls and resolve to win over our inner enemies and scale spiritual heights.

Mahavir Janma Kalyanak Celebration in the UK

We greeted the Mahavir Bhagwan’s Janma Kalyanak on a glorious spring day on 9 th April. Mumuxus, full of enthusiasm and anticipation, gathered at Niranjan, Bentley Priory to celebrate this auspicious day.

Palak began our morning with her melodious voice, reciting the stuti of panch parmeshti and our gurus followed by one for Vir Prabhu. 

Br Minalben, with her enchanting voice, recited Navkar Mantra, followed by a stuti for all our gurus before her swadhyay. She started by highlighting the paramount importance of Bhagwan Mahavir’s teachings. She cited the example of how a small spark can set fire to a whole house with its contents. Similarly, a small spark, kindled by Bhagwan’s teaching, can bring about true realisation.

She asked everyone whether they were ready to kindle that fire in their hearts, then they should join her in the journey.

She read letter 105 from Vachnamrutji which, she said, needed no explanation as both Bapuji and Bhaishree had explained it many times in the past.

She explained took five points from the letter for discussion:

1. Who is eligible for being Bhagwan Mahavir’s disciple? One who is desirous to serve at the true guru’s feet.

2. We are the inheritors’ of Bhagwan’s legacy and for that we should be courageous and fearless. We should not show cowardice in face of obstacles but be brave and have the fortitude to overcome the obstacles progress.

3. Bhagwan described the virtue of forgiveness as an ornament for the brave and that it was the magnificent gateway to Moksha. Greatness lies not only in forgiving but also in forgetting the whole episode.

4. The fundamentals of Jain dharma are based on Syadvad (multifaceted view). It is only the Omniscient who can see the whole truth, a true seeker is never insistent on a particular view point.

5. After observing the above four points – one must try to recognise their own true nature. They must realise the soul merely resides in the body and should not remain deluded it is the body.

Br Minalben told us that we all have the shelter of a true guru, we have been shown the path and have been given the means to progress on the path. She encouraged us to strive vigourously on the path and wished everyone success in their perseverance assuring us, realisation is possible in this lifetime.

Br Vikrambhai accompanied by Hiren sang the last composition by Param Krupaludev – ‘Iche che Jogijan’ in his typical style, setting the scene for Bhaishree’s swadhyay.

Bhaishree had undertaken considerable preliminary studies of the subject he wanted to cover in his swadhyay. He started by citing the 150 th birth anniversary of Param Krupaludev and 2615 th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir. He mentioned that Krupaludev’s spiritual development had been evolving since the time of Bhagwan Mahavir which has benefitted us tremendously. He cited various quotations of Krupaludev regarding Bhagwan Mahavir, and then referred to Letter 254, highlighting the qualities of one eligible to be addressed as a mumuxu.

He then embarked on his main subject for the swadhyay, Letter 680, which Krupaludev had written on Bhagwan’s birth anniversary (Chaitra Sud Teras). This letter was not addressed to anyone but was a personal note. Each word from it oozes with compassion, the reason for which, is explained half way through the note. Krupaludev starts by referring to his own inner state where there is no desire left. By dwelling ceaselessly within his own true nature, even his desire for moksha has subsided. It is only someone like him can ask the God that ‘even though you are pleased with my inner state what else is there for you to offer me?

‘By residing within my nature all my materialistic activities have come to an end and that is my supreme bliss’.

Krupaludev wrote this note on witnessing a procession of people, celebrating Bhagwan Mahavir’s birth anniversary dancing and merry making, as it passed by his shop. He noted in his observation that people who lacked the true wisdom, did not understand the true path. They imagined the path in their own minds and acted in a variety of ways to seek liberation and all they had achieved was extending the cycle of their rebirths – my selfless compassionate heart is crying out in pain.

Bhaishree concluded the swadhyay by citing more quotations of Krupaludev of how Bhagwan Mahavir’s true message is misinterpreted and the misinterpretation being propagated leading to thousands of people continue sinking in to the quagmire of the materialistic word.

There were a few more stavans on Bhagwan Mahavir to end the swadhyay session for the day.