Spreading Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj's Teachings
by Sunil Gandhi In Param na Pathik né Chapter 24, Param Pujya Pappaji explains the brahmsutra, “Brahm-Swaroop na déha karta ténu nam, ané nam kartay ténu vachan, anant ganu kam karé chhé” In Swami ni Vato, Swami explains that when we have attained the great sant, it is only when we completely surrender to them and do as they say, that we
Continue readingBecome the embodiment of His agna and vachan
Swami Shreeji Pappaji Maharaj Smruti Saurabh Utsav ni Jai The brahm-niyantrit drastha-wala samaj Introduction According to Hindu theology, there are 5 eternal entities: Jiv[1], Ishwar[2], Maya[3], Brahm[4] and Parbrahm[5]. These entities, Shreeji Maharaj confirms as being eternel in His conversation with Muktanand Swami (Nilkanth Varni: An epic pilgrimage of a child-yogi, 1st Ed, Swaminarayan Aksharpith).
We all have a conviction of God. The whole world with its multitude of religions, has a belief in the Almighty to whom they pray and dedicate their lives to. However, how much conviction is there in the manifest form of God?
We all have aham (ego). Everything in our life revolves around ‘hu, mané ané pan’ that is to say we are absorbed with ‘me -the big I am, this happened to me or someone did this to me, and making excuses and not accepting our own fault.’
There is nothing more sublime than to be God’s instrument and in that, experience His total bliss. In the modern world, everyone’s lives are hectic, be it work related, family and social commitments and even in satsang. Sometimes, we become burdened by the seemingly limitless responsibilities, stresses and strains that come with it.
We only want to do one thing and that is to worship God. We are all dedicated to Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj, however despite this, if we feel any degree of unhappiness or distress, then have we truly realised the manifest Lord? We shouldn’t feel any iota of discontentment or sadness, despondency or anxiety/stress in our lives and we
Continue readingWhom have we attained? by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Bhagatiji Maharaj had said that His guru (Gunatitanand Swami) had taught Him how to offer devotion to God continuously – this is what we all wish to do. Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj has given us the same prayer in Swarup Yog, “My dear Lord, may I be lost in You every moment, every moment may You be my
Continue readingA Constant Samadhi by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Undertaking mahatmya yukt seva[1] and attending sabha to listen to spiritual discourses are the cornerstones of satsang. Both are required to progress spiritually.
If we think about the grace that has been bestowed upon us by Swaminarayan bhagwan, whereby Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj and His swarupo have come down to our level and have sanctified our lives, giving us a supreme spiritual experience, then we would realise that today we have attained divinity in person. Spiritually, this is such an opportunity for us to
We have attained divinity in person as well as a divine satsang. We have attained something precious that billions of people in the world have not attained. As such, our mind and thoughts should also be divine. Pappaji Maharaj has explained in Param na Pathik né, date 20th, that our physical self has been purified because we do
Continue readingSpiritual thinking – Mahima by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
If we have the conviction that we have attained the supreme God in manifest form then we must find our own method that will allow us to surrender to Him unreservedly with our heart and soul. Everyone will have their own way of approaching and staying in God. Some will worship God in a manner as if strolling through a
There was an occasion once when Shreeji Maharaj was very ill and was bedridden with a severe fever. Muktanand Swami, who was practiced in Ayurveda medicines, came to check Maharaj’s pulse. Whilst he was doing this, Swami became upset and a tear fell on Maharaj’s hand. Shreeji Maharaj immediately asked what was wrong.
The Supremacy of Bhagwan Swaminarayan (Sahajanand Swami Maharaj). There are many people in the world who have a belief in a god. Especially in Hinduism there are so many gods and many Hindus claim to believe in, and respect all the gods. However, Shreeji Maharaj makes it very clear in Vachanamrut G III 39 that there is only
Continue readingAho ho Aa Prapti? Part 2 by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
To live in God, to be of God, to live for God [1] To become the abode of God (brahmrup) To experience His presence and His bliss from within at every moment To see God right here and right now To receive inspiration from Him in every thought, word and deed (to join with parbrahm)
Why do we celebrate the 1st of June every year? This day is a very historic day for us as it combines three events; events that have changed the way in which we believe in Lord Swaminarayan and His teachings.
Swami Shreeji We have attained the ultimate in the manifest form of Param Pujya Pappaji and His current day swarupo. The feeling that we had the first time we met Pappaji, the conviction that we had that He is God and the feeling that I want to live in Him and for Him should remain forever. We often feel such
Continue readingVachan is the greatest form of worship by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Swami Shreeji Ahoho Aa Prapti? Part 1: Understanding what we have attained. Introduction Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj used to say that every day is our New Year’s Day, this is because every day is like a new spiritual rebirth. The compassion and grace that God has bestowed upon us is almost beyond our comprehension. Guruhari Pappaji often used to say, ‘Ahoho
Swami Shreeji Maharaj says that everyone wants to worship God, but their understanding differs. We should have only one understanding, and that is to stay submerged in Gunatit bhav.
When we are faced with major difficulties or calamities in life, it is inevitable that we turn to God. During such crisis we are able to do bhajan with great intensity and feeling such that we would never forget God. However, when these dire circumstances pass and we fall gradually back into the normal routine of life, we tend to
We have been given many scriptures and spiritual teachings, but at this very moment in time we may ask what it is that we should do in terms of devotion? When Pujya Narenbhai Thakkrar once asked Param Pujya Pappaji what He wanted him to do, Pappaji simply said, “Stay happy” (anand ma raho). This was Pappaji’s constant blessing to us
The Akshar Purushottam sanstha that was formed in 1907 by Brahmswaroop Shastrjii Maharaj. The organisation was formed to propagate the method of God realisation as per Shreeji Maharaj’s philosophy of the individual becoming brahmroop and to join with parbrahm (God).
To experience the bliss of God is to realise God. The trouble is that we are unable to experience unbroken communion with God. The thirteenth century German mystic, Meister Eckhart [1] once wrote: We ought not to let ourselves be satisfied with the God we have thought of, for when the thought slips the mind, that God slips with
Shreeji Maharaj once asked Muktanand Swami how many thoughts he had in his mind. Muktanand Swami picked a hand full of dirt and said that he had as many thoughts as the grains of dust slipping from his hand; that is the mind is full of thousands of thoughts that are difficult to control.
For those who have the conviction of the manifest God, to have divine vision is to: Realise that at this very moment we are living in Akshardham. We are not in our place of dwelling or place of work, we are not in our town or city, we are not in England or India, we are not even
Continue readingMaintaining divya bhai by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Nirdosh buddhi is the divine acceptance that God is the all-inspirer and all-doer. It is not looking at the faults of others, criticising or gossiping.
When we try to focus our minds on God we find that our minds are filled with thoughts of the day, activities that we need to do or problems that may be worrying us. We have to stretch our minds to stay in God whereas worldly thoughts flow freely. But we see that Guruhari Param Pujya Pappaji and the swaroopo
Continue readingPragat prabhu ne pratyaksh karo by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Sarvopari no aashro is the complete refuge in the supreme God. It is the total reliance on Him just as a child relies upon its parents without any doubt or reservation. It is the realisation that every second of every minute of every day that He is the all-doer (Vach. Jetalpur 5). We are the most fortunate of all as
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Guruhari Param Pujya Pappaji was once seated in the Param building at the old London Jyot. There a haribhakta asked Pappaji whether it is possible for any sadhu to be able to liberate people. Pappaji said that this is only possible by sincere prayers to the Gunatit Sant. Whilst in a state of parbrahm, Pappaji also said that only 5% of prayers
Every member of the Gunatit Samaj undertakes seva in one form or another. Some seva are clearly seen, others may be less obvious but all are important in there own right. Some people donate money, some do physical seva, others do pujan or
We all want to devote our lives to God, but often we struggle to do so. Param Pujya Pappaji has explained in Pratam ni Pathik ni the brahm sutra: “There is greater spiritual power in chanting His name than in His physical body, but even greater power lies in living by His commands” In fact we have to keep
Continue readingThree Steps to Heaven by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
In order to stay in God, when we have a free moment, we can: do dhun (chant the Swaminarayan mantra) do smruti (remember Guruhari) do antardrashti (introspect within)
As per Vachanamrut G I 1, to constantly engage the mind in God is the most difficult attainment. This type of bliss is seldom felt continuously. This is because we seek solace and refuge in things material rather than spiritual and we do not take the time to allow God to take his place in our consciousness. We seek escapism
Continue readingMaking time to commune with God by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Lord Swaminarayan has the desire to make one million Manvar ships full of souls free from Kal, Karma, Maya, and to make each and every soul there a guaranteed member of Akshardham. The only condition for such liberation is Sambandh Yog, that is, the contact with a Gunatit Sadhu either by deliberate surrender or by accidental contact. To put this into
Continue readingMission of Lord Swaminarayan and His Gunatit Saints
Introduction A haribhakta once asked Shreeji Maharaj how it is possible to realise God when the body is composed of maya (crude material elements), whilst God Himself is divine and beyond maya? Maharaj replied that if we occupy the senses in devotion, then those senses will be filled with God and also become divine; God can then be realised.
We all do seva in one form or another. Some seva are visible but others are more subtle, for example looking after family members and bringing up children with good sanskar is also seva. Even going to work is a seva; once, a UK Jyot sister bemoaned about having to go to work because Guruhari Pappaji was in the UK
Continue readingSeva – A Divine Vision by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Swami Shreeji To Earn the Grace of God One of Param Pujya Pappaji’s great brahmsutras is, “Speak less, work more. Let your results speak for you.” People express their bhakti in different ways. Some are very outward in their acts of devotion, showing a lot of emotions and need close contact with the guru and Guruhari. Others are more reserved
Continue readingTo Earn the Grace of God by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
All satsangi have a desire to achieve oneness with God. Our goal is to feel His presence and bliss from within at every moment so that we see Him here and now. This is what is meant by ‘Pragat prabhu ne pratyaksh karo”, that is, to have a personal relationship with Guruhari Pappaji who is the manifest form of God
Continue readingComplete samarpan (surrender) is supreme bhajan by Pujya Sunilbhai Gandhi
Whenever we are faced with difficulties in our life, we often do not have enough trust in God to ride the storm, to remain happy and be totally confident that everything will work out in the best possible way; we are often filled with doubts and worries.
Param Pujya Kakashri once spoke the words, “Pragat prabhu ni orkhan to chhe, chhe ne chhe ja, gaiya ja nathi, gaiya ja nathi, gaiya ja nathi” – “We have the association of the manifest form of God, He has not gone, He has not gone, He has not gone.” Guruhari Pappaji Maharaj manifested on this earth on Bhadarava vad