Please Leave Feedback via this Form
Hari Jayanti Parva - Day 5
Praptino Vichar
Stuti: [(Shrimad Sadgun Shālinam…), Jaynād (1 min)]
Kirtan: Mano Mali Che Moti Vaat (3 mins) (Click this Link to listen to the Raag of the Kirtan! )
On 13th of September 2024, Mahant Swami Maharaj gave everyone a special Aagna to follow.
Mahant Swami Maharaj's 90th Birthday Celebration, Guruhari Darshan, Sep 13, 2023, Robbinsville, NJ
Have a look at this Guruhari Darshan from 20:30-21:17 and look out for the special Aagna!
Mahant Swami Maharaj gives the solution to ALL of our problems by asking us to engage in Prapti no Vichar for 15 minutes every day. This is a direct aagna from our Guru making it our duty to carry out! Mahant Swami Maharaj has guaranteed that this will be the remedy to all of our problems so this may be an aagna from him but it is for our happiness.
What is Prapti no Vichar?
Prapti no Vichar: To carefully think about what we have attained. It is no small thing to have attained Shreeji Maharaj and so, we must seriously and sincerely think about this.
We think about many things during the day, but if we make an effort to keep on thinking about how fortunate we are to have Maharaj and Swami in our lives we will experience constant joy and peace!
Now that it is clear that this is our Guru’s aagna, how do we even do Prapti no Vichar? In the last few days, we explored how Shreeji Maharaj is Sarvopari, Sakar, Sarva Karta and Pragat. This is Shreeji Maharaj’s mahima (greatness). When we do Prapti no Vichar, we must understand the unique mahima of Shreeji Maharaj and more importantly, we must with immense joy, think about how we have attained this Bhagwan who has such profound glory.
Let’s understand this with an example
The Perfect Fantasy Island:
- Close your eyes and imagine your dream vacation Island. It can have its own theme park with roller coasters, ferris wheels and water rides. You could have a deserts parlor with mouth watering choices of ice creams, brownies, cookies and muffins. Your island can be customized with all the things you love from clothes, cars games and friends you can have it all! A perfect paradise.
- But, the second you open your eyes you realize that none of this is true. It is just you playing with your imagination. Such a perfect island could never exist in reality and even if it did, how could we attain it? The happiness of thinking of this paradise island only lasts until you keep your eyes closed!
- How could we experience permanent happiness? The answer to this is Prapti no Vichar. Whilst thinking about the perfect paradise island was just our imagination, this is not the case with the Prapti of Shreeji Maharaj. He is perfect and there is NO ONE like him. Sometimes when we look at the greatness of Maharaj as Supreme, as the All-Doer or as manifest on this earth, we think it is too far from reality or too good to be true. We forget that we have attained this Bhagwan and he has chosen us to be HIS! We can talk to Maharaj, write letters to Maharaj, hold hands with him and look into his eyes and smile! Is this not insane?! How truly, truly lucky. This perfect Bhagwan is not imaginary or out of this world, but he is real and has chosen to place his hands on our head!
When an Elephant meets an Ant:
We have heard about this analogy of an Elephant meeting an Ant many times when trying to understand what we have attained. But let’s give it some serious and sincere thought.
Greatness of the Elephant:
The elephant has a strong and hefty body with long tusks and a trunk with 4 sturdy feet. When it walks the earth shakes!
To understand the Mahima of Maharaj in the same way, let’s do a small task:
Task : Take a sheet of paper and write down ALL of the places you have seen and visited in this world. This can be countries and cities and even places like school or the hospital. Make a list of everything! Now tally up all that you have and figure out a grand total. Some of you may have 20, some 30 and some even 50!
However, no one has been to every country in this world or sailed in every ocean in this world. However, this planet earth is a part of the universe. Has anyone been on the moon? Has anyone seen Mars with their eyes? Has anyone seen Jupiter or the rings of Saturn?
We must realise how limited we are in our understanding of the world in order to understand the greatness of Maharaj.
Universe Size Comparison | 3d Animation Comparison | Stars Real Scale Comparison
Click this link above to watch a fascinating video that shows us a comparison of the planets, stars and moons of this universe.
Remember, this is just ONE universe and Shreeji Maharaj controls and sustains INFINITE such universes!! How great is he and how lucky are we’d to have attained him!!
The Elephant’s difficult journey:
The Elephant struggled to make its way to the ant through the low branches of the jungle and thin roads that couldn’t fit its large body. Yet the Elephant persevered and travelled into the jungle to meet its friend, the little ant.
Similarly, Mahant Swami Maharaj on countless occasions has explained that it was a great task for Shreeji Maharaj to even find this universe and then find this planet earth where we live out of INFINITE universes! Yet he did.
Task: For those who are up for a challenge let’s play find the grain of sugar! One member of the family can drop one granule of sugar somewhere in the room and your task is to try to find that one small grain of sugar.
It’s extremely difficult to even see the grain let alone find it and pick it up in a large room! This is what it would have felt like for Maharaj when he tried to find our world.
That Elephant came just for the Ant:
The elephant came ONLY for the ant. Other animals such as the deer, bear and tiger came to be friends with the great elephant but the elephant moved on in search for the ant.
In the same way, we have to think deeply about how Maharaj only came to this world for US! No one else! He came just for YOU! He met you personally through Mahant Swami Maharaj and will never leave you! Maharaj in Vachanamrut Jetalpur 5 explains that even devtas like Brahma Vishnu and Shiva are eager for the darshan of Maharaj and they come to see him but he has chosen to grant us the opportunity to serve him and have his labh!
Does this make you feel special?
The Elephant meets the Ant:
Finally, the Elephant sees the small sand hut of the ant. The ant hears the thudding noise of the elephants feet. It runs outside and sees that it’s his friend, the great Elephant! It is barely the size of the tip of the elephant’s tusk so the Elephant sits down on the ground to meet his dear friend! It is a day of celebration!
In the same way, Maharaj had come on this earth with a human form and has sat down on the ground like the elephant to play with us and see us smile! Maharaj will never leave the earth and he is present with us today through Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Let us reminisce about the joyous day Swamishri came to meet us in London just in the way the elephant came to meet the ant!
Guruhari Darshan, 2 May 2023, London, UK | Swagat
However, this joy is not limited to this one day. We can experience this joy again and again if we keep on thinking about this greatness of this Prapti every day! We will never have a reason to be upset or feel alone as we ALWAYS have Maharaj and Swami. Truly how lucky are we!!
(The Source of this Elephant and Ant analogy is from the Chosath Padi)
https://www.anirdesh.com/kirtan/index.php?lang=GU&part=1&no=1058
Mukhpath:
Swami ni Vato
- He who we wish to attain after death, we have attained during life; there is nothing else left to attain. (SV: 1/1)
- This moment and this Sadhu are rarely attained even after millions of years. But his glory is not fully understood, since he is in human form. (SV:1/60)
- We have attained God! So why should we feel fallen? We should feel fulfilled. (1/103)