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Swaminarayan Jayanti
Our beloved Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born on April 3, 1781, in Chhapaiya. We celebrate Bhagwan’s birth every year around this time. It’s called ‘Swaminarayan Jayanti’.
While celebrating, we remember Bhagwan’s childhood as Ghanshyam Maharaj, his teenage years as Nilkanth Varni, and his years in Gujarat as Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Indeed, there are so many prasangs we can remember to celebrate Bhagwan!
Which prasang from Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life do you like the most? Why so? |
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Jay Swaminarayan. My favorite prasang from Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life is when Nilkanth Varni was doing his vicharan, he came across a village. In that village, everyone would stay inside their homes after evening as they were scared that the lions would harm them. When Nilkanth Varni was there, everyone in the village told him to come inside for protection from the lion. But Nilkanth was brave. He stayed outside the entire night. During this time, a lion came up to him. Being in the divine presence of Nilkanth Varni, the lion fell at Nilkanth’s feet and did not harm him at all.
Aarjav Patel (8)
HIXSON, Tennessee, UNITED STATES
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The prasang that was my favourite has to be the Kalidatta one. It was about Kalidatta wanting to defeat Ghanshyam. He did evil magic, but that didn’t work on Ghanshyam because he is Bhagwan. Kalidatta was defeated.
Krupa Patel (12)
London, Harrow, UNITED KINGDOM
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The prasang that I like the most about Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the one about Joban Pagi, where a criminal plans to rob and kill Bhagwan. However, as soon as he sees Bhagwan’s face, he is transformed. From that day onwards, he gave up violence and became a devoted satsangi. I love this prasang because it shows how Bhagwan can transform even the worst of people.
Saisha (12)
Franklin Park, NJ, UNITED STATES
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There are many prasangs about Bhagwan Swaminarayan that I admire and learn from. But the one about Joban Pagi is the one I like the most. Joban Pagi was a feared bandit in India during the 18th century. He was delighted when he heard about Shriji Maharaj’s horse, which was known as Manki. Joban tried stealing Manki for three nights, but each time he saw Maharaj petting Manki, feeding Manki, or brushing Manki. Checking in Maharaj’s room, he also saw Maharaj sleeping at the same time. This left him astounded. The following day, Joban came to a discourse and asked Bhagwan for forgiveness. From that day onwards, he left behind his sinful life and became a satsangi who followed each and every niyam.
Dev Patel (13)
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
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The prasang I like the most of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life is from when he was a teenager known as Nilkanth Varni. When Nilkanth Varni was journeying across India, he saw an ill man. Nilkanth Varni decided to stay with him and help. So, as the man asked, Nilkanth Varni did. He bought groceries for him, would feed him, and would do anything he needed. After the man was healed and could take care of himself, Nilkanth Varni left. But the odd thing is that the man didn’t even say thank you or give Nilkanth Varni anything in return. Nilkanth Varni wasn’t mad or sad. That is because he wasn’t expecting anything in return – he just did it out of bhakti. The moral of this prasang is not to expect things and to do good deeds to make Maharaj raji. I like this prasang the most because I used to expect a lot. But after hearing this prasang, my whole lifestyle changed. So, now I do seva not for candy or gifts like a bracelet but for Maharaj's rajipo.
Arohi Patel (10)
Eden Prairie, MN, UNITED STATES
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My favourite is the Kalidatta prasang. One day, Ghanshyam Maharaj was playing a game called ambli-pipli (it’s like hide and seek). Kalidattta came up and did some evil magic to hurt Ghanshyam. He forged a tornado, but he got stuck in his own evil ways. Grabbing a heavy tree, he tried to crush Ghanshyam Maharaj. But because Ghanshyam was Bhagwan, he could not be victorious. Kalidatta was defeated.
Dhir Shukla (12)
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
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My favourite Swaminarayan Bhagwan prasang is the one with Joban Pagi. Once upon a time, a thief named Joban Pagi saw his white horse suffer critical injuries. After Joban pagi’s horse died, his friend told him about Shreeji Maharaj's horse, Manki. Being notified that Shreeji Maharaj had a wonderful horse, Joban Pagi went to steal it. But when he arrived to steal the horse, Shreeji Maharaj caught him. Then, he tried to steal the horse again. But Maharaj caught him once more. Joban Pagi soon realised that Shreeji Maharaj was Bhagwan, and he became a satsangi. He worshipped Bhagwan Swaminarayan for the rest of his life.
Dhir Patel (11)
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
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Jay Swaminayan! My favourite prasang from Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s life is when he took his bhabhi's ring and bought sweets with it. He and his friends ate all the sweets, but then they made them appear back again. I like this prasang the most because in it Bhagwan teaches the mean and lying shopkeeper to be kind and honest.
Neeva Patel (11)
Toronto, CANADA
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I really like the prasang of Nilkanth Varni leaving home at the age of 11. I love this story because it encourages us to be brave.
Yashvi (7)
Whippany, New Jersey, UNITED STATES
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My favorite prasang of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s life is when he goes on his pilgrimage and helps Sevakram when he is sick. Bhagwan Swaminarayan makes a bed out of leaves for him. He also gets food for Sevakram. But Sevakram only gave Bhagwan Swaminarayan enough money to buy food for himself. Bhagwan Swaminarayan helped Sevakram for months. Even after he got better, Sevakram would eat all the food, and he’d never give any to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. And while travelling, he made Bhagwan Swaminarayan carry all his belongings, even though he was no longer sick. After, he never appreciated Bhagwan Swaminarayan for all he had done. I liked this story because it shows how much Bhagwan Swaminarayan cared for people.
Mahi (10)
Mount Laurel, New Jersey, UNITED STATES
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My favorite prasang about Bhagwan Swaminarayan is from when was a child. He was playing with his friends, and he climbed a tree and was looking towards the east. He said to Veniram, one of his childhood friends, “My devotees are waiting for me in this direction.” I like this story because it shows me that he was looking towards us!
Khush Mineshkumar Patel (9)
Etobicoke, Ontario, CANADA
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My favorite prasang is the one when Rampratapbhai went out to find Ghanshyam and saw that he was in many mandirs all at the same time.
Armaan (13)
Williamsburg, VA, UNITED STATES
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Jay Swaminaryan! My favorite prasang about Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the coin, the scripture, and the sword. The prasang shows what Ghanshyam will be when he grows up. I really like that prasang because Ghanshyam picks the scripture, and that means Ghanshyam will be a super smart scholar. Bhagwan had a lot of adventures, but that was my favorite prasang about Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
Aditya Shroff (9)
Los Angeles, California, UNITED STATES
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Jay Swaminayan! My favorite prasang about Ghanshyam is the fisherman’s choice. Because of Ghanshyam’s wish, all the fish instantly leapt back into the lake! I was also in a dance about this prasang. That is my favorite prasang.
Aashika Shroff (6)
Los Angeles, California, UNITED STATES
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Jai Swaminarayan! My favorite prasang from Ghanshyam’s life was the sword, scripture and the coin. That’s because it shows how Bhagwan Swaminarayan, even at a young age, knew he wanted to inspire others with satsang.
Eva Modi (10)
Princeton Junction, New Jersey, UNITED STATES
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My favorite prasang is the one of Ghasita, the sweetshop owner. Ghasita was greedy with his customers, so Ghanshyam called his friends, and they bought everything from his food store using Suvasini Bhabhi’s golden ring. Later, when Ghanshyam’s brother Rampratapbhai came, he scolded Ghanshyam. Rampratapbhai then demanded that Ghasita give the ring back. But the store owner said that Ghanshyam had taken his sweets in return. But Ghanshyam said this wasn’t true. They looked inside the shop and all the sweets were there!
Bhavya Patel (8)
Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES
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My favorite prasang is from Nillkanth Yatra when Nilkanth Varni travels to Mansarovar. All the swans gather around him when he is meditating. And Nilkanth Varni blesses them that, in their next birth, they will be his paramhansas.
Jay Ankur Patel (6)
Cleveland, Ohio, UNITED STATES
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I like the prasang entitled, ‘A Well of Boos!’ That’s the story of Ghanshyam going inside the haunted well. I like this story because it is interesting, and it shows that you should be brave because God is with you.
Jay (9)
Toronto, CANADA
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I like the prasang of Kalidatt because it’s like Maya vs Parabrahma fighting. This is the same fight that occurs in our hearts, and it makes me confident that Parabrahma always wins!
Naman Patel (8)
Melbourne, VIC, AUSTRALIA
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I like the prasang when Ghanshyam goes into the well with ghosts to get his mother’s pail. I like this story because it shows how brave Ghanshyam was.
Samarth (7)
COLUMBIA, MD, UNITED STATES
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My favourite prasang of Swaminarayan Bhagwan was when he was helping Sevakram during his yatra around India. I like this because it shows the light of kindness, respect and friendship.
Tilak (11)
Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
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I like the stories of how Dada Khachar was dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
Hitarth Bhatt (13)
Surat, Adajian, INDIA
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Bhagwan is like a mother to us. He tells us where to go in life and how to succeed. He shows us the right pathway when we are lost. Bhagwan is our light when we are trapped in the dark, and he never leaves our side. I can’t pick one prasang, so I pick all of them! They all teach us to do the right things. Example: The prasang where he let all the fish go back in the water and taught the fisherman a life lesson. There are also thousands of other such prasangs.
Niya (10)
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
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My favourite prasang of Swaminarayan Bhagwan was when he gave all the sadhus chandan and said, “Santo! Take some chandan from me, and come tomorrow after applying the tilak.” But the next day, all the santos came by applying different kinds of tilaks. Bhagwan Swaminarayan then called Gunatitanand Swami near. He then applied a tilak on Gunatitanand Swami’s forehead and said, “See, here is my tilak.” I liked this prasang, as it shows what kind of tilak chandlo Bhagwan wants us to do, and it shows the kind of connection he had to Gunatitanand Swami.
Rushi Parmar (11)
Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
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My favourite prasang is the one where Ghanshyam and his friends were playing near the river and saw a man catching fish. I like that prasang because it shows that Bhagwan cares for the animals and tells us that we don’t eat animals for that reason. Also, I liked how the man who was catching fish was put in samadhi so that he learns his lesson. He said sorry, and Ghanshyam forgave him straight away!
Naysa Patel (10)
Adelaide, South Australia , AUSTRALIA
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I like the part where Nilakath Varni traveled and, throughout his journey, he helped other people. Next, I was impressed by how he left his home at a young age and wasn’t scared. Finally, I feel inspired by all the messages in the stories, movies and videos about Ghanshyam Maharaj. We should follow those messages.
Myra Patel (9)
Mechanicsburg , PA, UNITED STATES
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My favorite story about Ghanshyam is when his parents decide to take a test about what Ghanshyam will become in the future. They lay out a gold coin, a shiny sword and a scripture. Ghanshyam selects the scripture, which showed he liked to learn and would be a scholar. I like this story because it inspires me to read satsang books.
Aashi Patel (8)
Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES
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From Mistake to Mercy
Once upon a time, in a village called Chapaiya, Ghanshyam and his friends went to play at a mango grove. They’d decided to play a game called ambli-pipli. It was decided that Ghanshyam would be “IT”. So, Ghanshyam started counting to 20. But while he was counting, a man named Kalidatta came to hurt him. Kalidatta used evil magic and created a ferocious storm. Ghanshyam’s friends were screaming for help, but Ghanshyam was calm! Kalidatta ran towards him and knocked over a tree to crush Ghanshyam. But when he bent over to check if the deed had been done, Ghanshyam was still there, smiling. Then, he glanced at Kalidatta, who began to run around in circles and crash into trees. Soon, Kalidatta was defeated, and everything was back to normal. Ghanshyam’s mom, dad, and friends were happy that Ghanshyam was safe. THE END.
I love this story because Ghanshyam knew that Kalidatta was here to hurt him. But he forgave Kalidatta and gifted him Akshardham. Ghanshyam is so generous that whatever mistakes we make, he will forgive us and take us to Akshardham.
Nishtha Patel (9)
SASKATOON, SK, CANADA
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The Evil Fisherman
Once upon a time, Ghanshyam and his friends went to the swing near the lake. They were having fun until Ghanshyam saw a big pot of fish caught by a fisherman. Ghanshyam was sad to see the dead fish. So, he used his powers to bring the fish back to life. The fish hopped back into the lake. The fisherman was in shock that his fish were gone. He saw the kids and became so mad and said, "I am coming for you!" Ghanshyam showed him what happens to sinners – Yamraj comes and punishes people who kill animals. When the fisherman was back, he got so scared and pledged to never fish again. THE END....
The reason why I like this story is that it tells us we shouldn't eat meat and harm animals. Also, Ghanshyam wanted to help the fish, and we need to be kind like him. If we are kind and follow his niyams, he will give us a happy life. If we don't, then something bad can happen, like what happened to this fisherman. And that's why I love this prasang.
Upasana Patel (10)
SASKATOON, SK, CANADA
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Once upon a time, Bhagwan Swaminarayan was in Sarangpur. He was celebrating the festival of Holi. He asked: Who is the sadguru Kabirji praises in his kirtans? A senior swami answered, ‘That sadguru is you.’ But Maharaj then answered, ‘No, I am Bhagwan. The sadguru spoken of in this kirtan is Gunatitanand Swami. He is Akshardham – the place where I forever live.’
Yagna (10)
Gurugram, Haryana, INDIA
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