midterm exam review

Prayer
 What is the meaning
of Prayer?
 Pray: to address a
prayer to the holy spirit
of God; to make an appeal
to God with great emotion
 Prayer: a reverent
petition made to God; an
act of reverent petition to
God; a specifically worded
form used to address God
Puja
 What is the meaning of Puja?
 Puja is the act of showing reverence and the process of making a
spiritual connection with God through addressing Him with prayer
and worship.
 We can bring ourselves closer to God by concentrating all of our
senses on our representation of God.
8 Sat-sastras approved by Swaminarayan Bhagwan in
Shikshapatri
 4 Vedas
 Vyas Sutra
 Shreemad Bhaagvat
 Shreemad Bhagavat Gita
 Vidur Niti
 Yaag-na-val-kay Smruti
 Vasudev Ma-haat-miya
 Vishnu Sa-has-tra-naam
Introduction to our Sampraday
 In these references, the Swaminarayan Sampraday was originally known
as the Uddhav Sampraday and it was founded by Shri Ramanand
Swami, an incarnation of Uddhavaji.
 Later on, Ramanand Swami gave diksha to Nilkanthvarni at Piplana in
1857.
Moral Codes/Basic Vows
 What are the main moral codes,
or Panch Vartman, for the
followers of our religion?
 No drinking (alcohol, caffeine, liquor)
 No eating meat
 No theft of any kind
 No adultery
 Don’t defile others, or get defiled by
others
Niyams
 There are 11 Niyams that each devotee of the Sampraday
should follow:
 Be non-violent by any means
 Do not have any kind of relationship with women other than your wife
 Do not eat meat
 Do not drink products that contain alcohol
 Never touch widows you aren’t related to
 Never commit suicide
 Do not steal
 Never blame others for something you don’t know about
 Never bad mouth any God or religion
 Never listen to holy stories from person who doesn’t believe in God or doesn’t
follow the rules established by God
 Never eat someone’s food if they don’t follow the other niyams
Our Symbols - Kanthi
•
A necklace of beads symbolizing OUR SURRENDER to the creator
of the universe (GOD)
o Swaminarayan Bhagwan authorized two Acharyas and Saints to
give Guru Mantra

•
when offering kanthi, acharya/saints put water in right palm of person
who is accepting the kanthi and chant the ‘Sharnagat Mantra’ – ‘sacred
words of surrender’
consist of two strings
•
•
1st String: represents the SOUL
2nd String: represents the SUPREME Lord
•
•
•
•
Our Symbols - Tilak Chandlo
An auspicious ‘U’ mark on the forehead with circular mark inside
It signifies that we obey instructions from GOD and that we
surrender to God with devotion
It also symbolizes that Swaminarayan Bhagwan is always with us
Men apply the ‘U’ mark on their forehead, upper arms, and chest
o
the mark is made from powder of holy wood called
“Chandan”
o
the round mark in the center is made from “Kumkum” but
only applied on the forehead
o Women apply only the round mark with Kumkum
o * Widowed women do not apply any mark
Vachanamrut
•
“Vachan” means knowledge given through speech
by Swaminarayan Bhagwan
•
“Amrut” means eternal, live forever and Liberation
from Birth and Death Cycle
•
In the last ten years of his stay on Earth, Lord
Swaminarayan started giving his knowledge to his
devotees through speeches
•
o
while he gave speeches, SAINTS TOOK DETAILED
NOTES
o
notes taken by Muktananda Swami, Nityananda
Swami, Gopalanand Swami and Sukhanand Swami
were compiled in the form of a book
Each Vachanamrut describes the place, time and
clothes that Lord Swaminarayan was wearing
Shikshapatri
•
•
•
•
a book containing 212 Shlokas
•
it lists duties by categories like Devotees,
Acharya, Sadhus, Acharya Wives, Kings,
Brahmins and others by caste, and gender
•
it teaches the way of living a social and
spiritual life at its highest
a SHLOKA is a verse or hymn in Sanskrit
it is the book of guidance
the master key for worldly peace,
prosperity, happiness and final salvation
after death
Lord Swaminarayan
•
Lord Swaminarayan incarnated at 10:10pm on
the second of April in 1781 in Chhapaiya
•
Lord Swaminarayan assumed a mortal human
form as the son of Dharmadev and Bhaktimata
•
He has nine names:
•
•
Ghanshyam, Hari, Krishna, Harikrishna, Nilkanth
Varni, Sarjudas, Narayan Muni, Sahajanand Swami,
Swaminarayan Bhagwan
After fulfilling His mission of establishing the
Bhagavata Dharma and the task of rejuvenating
and revitalizing the ancient Vedic path, He left His
mortal body at Gadhpur on the 10th day of the
bright half of Jeth month of Vikram Samvat 1886



HENOTHEISM – worship one God without denying
the existence of other Gods.
GOD incarnated to this world in different forms.
The devotees pray to which ever form they have
faith in. The devotees of different forms of GOD are
called by different names based on which form of
GOD they worship. For Example….



Devotees of Lord Vishnu – Vaishnavas
Devotees of Lord Shiva - Shaivas
Devotees of Goddess Parvati – Shaktis
 MONOTHEISM
- All Hindus believe in one
Supreme God who created the universe. He is
all-pervasive.
 Bhagwan incarnated to this world in many
different forms.
 THE SOURCE OF ALL INCARNATIONS IS
ONE GOD…
84. My followers shall regard the
five deities named here, with
reverence – VISHNU,
SHIVA, GANAPATI,
PARVATI, AND THE SUN
How it was Initially Started
AKSHARDHAM
So first Bhagwan tells
Akshar, who orders
the muktos of
Akshardham to
create a person
named pradhan
purush.
Part 2
Pradhan Pursh then
creates maha-tatva
(chitt), which then
creates the three
ahankars. These
ahankars then make
certain traits or
people.
Part 3
These traits then form into
virat purush, who then
makes Brahma ( this is
the person that the
universe is inside of).
Brahma then creates
Marichi Prajapati, who
create Kashyap
Prajapati.
Viraat Purush
[ This is the
person that the
universe is inside
of ]
Part 4
Kashyap Prajapati
then creates all the
Devs, Demons,
Humans, Animals,
Trees, and
Mountains on the
loks.
Types of Temple

 Shikhar Temple
 Bhagwan’s Murti is made of Stone or Five Metals
 Have Shikhars (Pinnacle or Steeple) on the outside
 Hari Mandir
 Bhagwan’s Murti is made of Painting
 Have Shikhars on the inside on
The Dome and Steeple

 Steeple – Shikhar (Summit)
 Represents the mythological ‘Meru’ or the highest
mountain peak.
 Often the form of the trident of Shiva
 Dome
 Shape varies from region to region
The Inner Chamber

 ‘Garbhagriha’ or ‘womb-chamber’
 Image or Idol of the diety (murti) is placed
 Visitors cannot enter this area.
 Only temple priests are allowed inside.
The Temple Hall

 Usually decorated with painting of gods and
goddesses
 Used to sit, meditate, pray, chant or watch the
priests perform the rituals
The Front Porch

 Area where a big metallic bell hangs from the ceiling
 Devotees ring this bell to declare their arrival and
departure
Reservoir filled with water

 Used for rituals
 Used to keep temple floor clean
 May also be used for ritual bath before entering the
holy abode
The Walkway

 Around the walls of the inner chamber
 Used by the devotees to walk around the deity
 ‘Pradakshina’ – mark of respect to the temple’s God
or Goddess.
Sabha-Mandap*

 Generally seen in Swaminarayan Temples
 Used by saints to conduct katha for a large number
of devotees
 Used during festivals for celebrations
Temples

Lord Swaminarayan
established six temples
while on earth,
installing his idol as
well other God’s idols.

The first temple was
built in Ahmedabad.
The second was built in
Bhuj. The third temple
was built in Vadtal. The
fourth was built in
Dholera. The fifth
temple was built in
Junagadh. The sixth
and final temple was
built in Gadhada.

Lord Swaminarayan
established
monotheism.
BHAKTI
There are basically two major types of Bhakti:


Falaroopa - A leaf, flower, fruits or water is
gladly accepted by me if offered with
devotion and level of mind as explained in
Gita.
Sadhanroopa – This is again split into nine
type known as “Navadha Bhakti” as described
in Satsangi Jeevan, 1st Prakaran, 36th
Adhyaay.
NAVDHA BHAKTI





Shravan
Kirtan
Smaran
Archan
Paadasevan




Vandan
Dasatva
Sakha
Atmanivedan
Muktanand Swami was the one
who made the aarti, “Jay
Sadguru Swami..”
 As in most of the kirtans,
somewhere in the things there
will be the name of the swami
who has compose the product.
“Muktanand kahey mukti…”
that is the line where it list the
swami’s name. Which in this
case its Muktanand Swami.


Shikhar mandirs perform aarti 5 times
› Mangala Aarti – Dawn ~ 5am – When the Deities offer the first darshan of the
›
›
›
›

day, signifying the auspicious beginning of the day for devotees
Shangaar Aarti ~ 8am – after Deities are dressed in new clothes and adorned
with ornaments
Rajbhog Aarti – Midday – After the Deities have been offered their midday
meal
Sandhya Aarti – Evening – Sunset – When the Deities offer their special
evening audience
Shayan Aarti – Bedtime – When the Deities are about to retire for the night
Hari Mandirs perform aarti 2 times a day, Shangaar and Sandhya
Muktanand Swami wrote the
aarti on November 5, 1802.
 The village name was
KAALVAANI

What is Shree Radha-Krishna Ashtaka?
 The Radhika Krishnashtaka (also called
the Radhashtak) is a hymn.
 It is composed of eight verses, so is called
as Ashtak (Ashta means eight).
 It is said that the person who recites this
ashtak can get Darshan of Lord Krishna
through chanting this.
 In Swaminarayan Sampraday, we recite this
daily after the aarti with great love and
devotion, as it is prescribed in the Satsangi
Jeevan (P.4, A.48).
 Also it is found that Sadguru Gunatitananda
Swami used to recite this ashtak every day
after sandhya aarti till he left this planet.
Who is Goddess Laxmi?
● Laxmiji is the goddess of wealth and prosperity
● She is the daughter of…
Bhrigu Rishi – one of the Sapta (7) Rishi
Marriage of Shree Laxmiji to Lord Narayan
● When Laxmiji got at the age of
marriage, Laxmiji’s father asked
NARADJI to find him a good
proposal for Laxmiji.
● Naradji said to Laxmiji that “Laxmi,
you should chant the hymn “Om
Namo Bhagawate Vasudevay”
Marriage of Shree Laxmiji to Lord Narayan
● Laxmiji went to forest and stood under a Berry
Tree and meditated on Lord Narayan and
chanted the mantra “Om Namo Bhagvateh
Vasudevaay” given by Naradji
● Narayan got pleased of Laxmi and gave her two
boons
First: to be united with her in
marriage
o Second: to stay with her at this place for
o
everafter.
Where did Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan install the
murti of Shri Laxminarayan Dev?
Shri Laxminarayan is installed in
Vadtal EXACTLY where the
BERRY TREE used to be located in
the village of Vadtal.
The murti was installed in
November 3rd, 1884
WHICH DEMON DID THEY DEFEAT?
Evilness was taking over on the earth through the DEMON KUNCHI.
Kunchi wanted to be powerful so he meditated on Brahmaji or The
Sun-god. Brahmaji was pleased and gave Kunchi one wish.
Kunchi wanted to be immortal and live forever but Brahmaji could
not give him that wish. So Kunchi asked for 1000 protective shields
of armour. If someone wanted to BREAK ONE SHIELD, they would
have to meditate for 1000 years and then battle him for 1000 years.
This would have to be continuous or the shield would not break. This
is not possible to be done by one person.
Bhagwan incarnated as TWINS – Shree Nar and Shree Narayan.
Bhagwan Narayan first meditated for 1000 years then battled
Kunchi for 1000 years. While that battle was going on, Bhagwan Nar
meditated for those 1000 years. Then they switch off. Bhagwan Nar
would go into battle and Bhagwan Narayan would meditate.
When 999 shields were broken, Kunchi ran to Suryadev for
protection.
Re-Birth
Suryadev protected him until Mata Kunti (Mother
of the Pandavas) asked for a son
Suryadev gave Kunchi as Kunti’s first son who was
named Karna who was born with one shield of
armour which made him invincible.
Arjun was also born to Kunti by wish of Lord
Indra.
Krishna was born to Vasudev and Devki.
Karna was the most generous man who ever lived.
He would give anything he had to anyone who asked
for it. The final shield of Kunchi or Karna was
gifted to Lord Indra when he came as the form of
a brahmin and begged for it before the battle of
Mahabharat.
Lord Krishna (Shree Narayan) drove the chariot
and Arjun (Shree Nar) was the person who battled
Karna (Kunchi) and defeated him.
Nar=born as arjun
Narayan=born as krisna.
WHAT CURSE DID DURVASA MUNI GIVE TO THEM?
the curse that
Durvasa Muni had
given them was to
get born again in
Bharatkhand.
That was the
reason they had
re-birth.
After the Curse…
Shree Nar-Narayan Dev took
birth in the village near
Ayodhya called Chhapaiya.
His name was Ghanshyam
and today is known as Shree
Swaminarayan Bhagwan
Shree Narnarayan Dev - Amdavad
Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan
installed the murti of Shree
Narnarayan dev in Amdavad
(The first Swaminarayan temple
in the world) on February 24,
1822.
Shree Narnarayan Dev were also
installed in Bhuj on May 25,
1823.
Shikshapatri Shlok 143• No transactions relating to land or money
shall be entered into even with a son, or a
friend or others except by a written
document daily attested by witnesses.
Shikshapatri Shlok 145• Expenses shall ever be incurred in proportion
to their income. They shall bear in mind that
they shall surely meet with great difficulty if
they spend more than what they earn.
Shikshapatri Shlok 146• They shall daily write accounts legibly in their
own hand after recollecting both the
amounts received as income and spent as
expense in the course of economic dealings
during the day.
Shikshapatri Shlok 147• The Satsangi Householders shall offer to the
lord one-tenth of their earnings, in terms of
money or food grains, from their own
profession or business. Those who are
economically weak shall offer only onetwenthieth part of their earnings.
Shikshapatri Shlok 152• They shall pay agreed wages in cash or kind
to the servants employed by them. If the
debt is repaid, the fact of repayment shall
not be kept secret.