Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani’s 1st Mahayagna – observed with prayers, sevas and satsangs at Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune
He speaks to us in silent ways,
He blesses us in unseen ways,
His love enfolds us in limitless ways,
He is ever with us!
— Didi Krishna Kumari, Working Chairperson, Sadhu Vaswani Mission
The Mission in remembrance of the Master, held a 3-day observance of the 1st Mahayagna (Anniversary) of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani on 11th July to 13th July.
On this observance, Didi Krishna Kumari, sent out a message in remembrance and love, saying, “Today brings with itself boundless blessings. Our thoughts turn to our Beloved Dada, just as they do every day, every moment of every day. Exactly one year ago, unfurling his golden wings, he ascended to the Land of Truth. Never could we have thought that our Beloved would leave us so swiftly, so suddenly. Day by day the yearning grows stronger, the longing grows deeper. But nothing, no force can keep Dada away from us. He is not apart from us, he is a part of us.”
11th July: The evening witnessed bhajans renditions by Shailendra Bharti, acclaimed singer, who through his vocals and lyrics left the devotees teary-eyed, longing for one glimpse of the Master. Following this, Rev. Dada’s recorded talk on ‘Overcoming the fear of death’ was played. In it, he spoke of the distinctness between the body and soul. While the body dies, the soul lives on. He emphasized that man attaches and identifies himself with the body he wears but in reality, he is not the body. He enunciated on the fear that is attached to death and the teachings of sages of ancient times included meditating on death, the fact that only one thing is certain and that is death. He appealed to all to be fearless in death and create a connection with God. ‘Thus Spake Dada Vaswani,’ & ‘Make the Right Choice’ – two new books and a Special Edition of East & West Series, a monthly magazine of the Mission was released.
12th July: the day Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani attained Samadhi, the morning awoke to solemn prayers. The silence that echoed, as Prabhat Pheri began, in the early hours of dawn, when the sun was yet to rise to, was resounding. The dawn procession through the neighbourhood of Sadhu Vaswani Mission invoked the divinity in the early hours with chants of ‘hare ram, hare ram, dada shyam, dada shyam’. “It has been pouring since the last few days and when it did not this morning, I knew it was Dada’s love, yet again, protecting us, shielding us. How beautiful and serene was the atmosphere this morning! It was truly divine,” said Shobha Budhrani who had arrived for the Prabhat Pheri from Singapore. “The scene this morning was blessed, I felt so secure, so loved. Every step I took, it felt as though Dada were walking with me. I do not have words to express,” said Neena Daryanani who had come all the way from Hong Kong. Following the Prabhat Pheri was the morning satsang- a recorded upadesh of Rev. Dada in Sindhi wherein, again he spoke on the fleeting nature of life and how death alone is a constant. He spoke on the true homeland that our souls have descended from and now living in forgetfulness of God and of our true home. The afternoon session had bhajans, kirtans and sevas. Beginning with the Srimad Bhagwat Gita shloka, followed by a vachan from the Nuri Granth, bhajans rendered the atmosphere divine and celestial. Alongside were carried out seva activities wherein items distributed among the school girls of St. Mira’s included, cash, lunch box, water box pen and pencil to 19 students. At the same time, to 73 needy families, a month’s ration and cash of thousand rupees were given which included coconut oil, toothpaste, washing and bathing soaps, sugar, tea, cooking oil, pulses and more. “Dada was full of love, gratitude and forgiveness. I was touched attending yesterday’s talk, today’s upadesh and today’s observance. Time and again he has been emphasizing on the impermanence of the body. Even though he might not be here, I know, he is by us, guiding us and protecting us,” said one of the devotees. The evening session saw the presence of Kaajal Chandiramani, an exalted singer who engulfed the satsang hall in her mellifluous voice. Later, the recorded upadesh by Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani was on the cosmic breath that is the life within us without which there is no identity, no life within us. He spoke of the true wealth one must gather before going back to God. The wealth is that of connection with God, living in his remembrance and love and doing acts of service. After the satsang Deepak Yatra was held wherein every devotee lit a lamp and placed before Rev. Dada’s life-like image at his Mahasamadhi. And the day concluded with the night vigil satsang at the Satsang Hall.
13th July: the day when Rev. Dada’s body was consigned to the flames, was observed in solemn and earnest prayers. A Daridra Narayan seva was conducted wherein the needy and poor were served a filling morning meal that included pulav, subji, pav, samosa, gulab jamun and chocolate. The recipients were seen chanting Dada Shyam as they slowly queued up in discipline to accept the prasad in gratitude and love. The afternoon session was initiated with akhand kirtans and seva that included distribution of a month’s ration to needy families. Artificial limbs were distributed to 33 patients in the Mission who were a part of the Satara Artificial Limbs Camp. A total of 103 prostheses have been distributed in the camp. Shri L. K. Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister of India attended the day 3 of the Mahayagna. To him, dear was Rev. Dada and he held a close association with the Mission. On the observance, he chose to remain silent emphasising that words wouldn’t do justice when encapsulating the memory of Rev. Dada. Jaya Row, Vedanta Speaker, too graced the observance. Speaking a few words, that had the audience rapt in attention, she said, “We are blessed to be born in a country that has seen lineages of saints and mahatmas. Of these, Dada was one. He was one who taught us the great truth that ‘Brahman satyam, jag mithya,’ that God alone is the truth, the world is an illusion. He taught us so many things, from vegetarianism to love to light and I believe the best way to offer homage to Rev. Dada is to live his message.” The session concluded with the serving of langar- fellowship meal. The final and the evening session of the 3-day observance concluded with bhajans, kirtans and recorded upadesh of Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani and Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani.
The institutions of the Mission also conducted various sevas on this sacred occasion.
