G1/2 Bhagatji Maharaj: How did Bhagatji Maharaj make his Guru raji?

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How Did Bhagatji Maharaj Make His Guru Rāji?

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Let's learn more about Bhagatji Maharaj first!

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Bhagatji Maharaj

Bhagatji Maharaj: Fact File

DOB: 20th March 1829

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Childhood Name: Pragji Bhakta

Birthplace: Mahuva

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Bhagatji Maharaj: Fact File

Mothers Name: Malubai

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Fathers Name: Govindbhai

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Bhagatji Maharaj: Fact File

Bhagatji Maharaj was the second spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He was the disciple of Gunatitanand Swami and the guru of Shastriji Maharaj.

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WHAT DOES BHAGTJI MAHARAJ'S LIFE TEACH US?

Despite remaining a householder like us Bhagatji Maharaj imbibed the virtues of sadhuta (saintliness) and attained the heights of spirituality! Bhagatji Maharaj's life shows us the 3 key steps on how to progress in satsang and make our guru raji! In todays sabha we will learn what they are.

He remained as a householder (which is why he wears white).

But first.... Time to play 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'

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Bhagatji Maharaj: Fact File

Bhagatji Maharaj was the second spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He was the disciple of Gunatitanand Swami and the guru of Shastriji Maharaj.

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WHAT DOES BHAGTJI MAHARAJ'S LIFE TEACH US?

Despite remaining a householder like us Bhagatji Maharaj imbibed the virtues of sadhuta (saintliness) and attained the heights of spirituality! Bhagatji Maharaj's life shows us the 3 key steps on how to progress in satsang and make our guru raji!

He remained as a householder (which is why he wears white).

Let's now learn these 3 steps and follow in his footsteps!

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How Did Bhagatji Maharaj Make His Guru Rāji?

Ready to Start??Let's go!

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Bhagatji Maharaj

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Make the first step...

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Bhagatji Maharaj

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DESIRE

DESIRE TO LEARN AND PROGRESS!

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Inspirational Balaks!

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Make the second step...

STEP 2

Bhagatji Maharaj

1. DESIRE

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STEP 2

HARD WORK

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Watch Prasang

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Bhagatji Maharaj

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

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How did Bhagatji Maharaj make his Guru raji?

Join us next weekend to learn about the third and final step!

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Bhagatji Maharaj

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

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How did Bhagatji Maharaj make his Guru raji?

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

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Make the third step...

Bhagatji Maharaj

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

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STEP 3

AGNAPALAN

FOLLOWING AND OBEYING THE WISHES OF OUR GURU!

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"Call Mount Girnar!"

Watering the Mango Trees

Moving the dead dog!

Bhagatji Maharaj

Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj

3. Agnapalan

Make the step to RAJIPO

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

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RAJIPO

PLEASING OUR GURU!

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Becoming One With Gunatit!

Darshan of Shriji Maharaj!

Pragat Through Pragji!

How Can We Make Bapa Raji? Where There Is A Will... There is a Way.

Rajipo

3. Agnapalan

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

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Thank You For Joining!

Rajipo

3. Agnapalan

2. Hard Work

1. DESIRE

What Can We Learn From This Prasang?

Watering The Mango Trees

Once, on his way to Sankhdavadar, Gunatitanand Swami stopped at Maliya village. He stopped to take rest in a mango field of mandir. He saw the mango trees and said “without water, these trees will all die.” The people walking with Gunatitanand Swami shouted in agreement, saying, “These trees are very dry! Someone should water them.” As soon as Pragji Bhakta heard Gunatitanand Swami’s remark, he collected two pots & started fetching water from the nearby river to water the trees. There were over three hundred mango trees, and Pragji Bhakta gave each tree four pots of water. Can anyone work out how many buckets of water that is? 1200 buckets full of water. Because he only had 2 pots, he had to water each tree twice, so it took him 600 trips back and forth from the river to water all the mango trees. By the end, he was drenched to the skin with water and sweat. Then he went to Gunatitanand Swami with water dripping from his clothes. Gunatitanand Swami was extremely pleased with Pragji Bhakta’s seva and bhakti, displayed by his agna palan.

Watering The Mango Trees

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Once, Gunatitanand Swami said to Amaidas Kothari, Bechar Bhagat Kothari and others “Kothari, I have retired and handed over all the keys to Pragji Bhakta.” Amaidas was shocked to hear this. He suspected that perhaps Swami had handed over the mandir keys to Pragji. Gunatitanand Swami instantly read his mind and said, “Amaidas, do not worry. The keys of the mandir are here with me, but I have handed over the key to Akshardham to Pragji.” When in Junagadh Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj once said, “I have spent forty years, four months and four days in this place. Now I shall move around in Satsang, visiting the devotees and shall stay at Mahuva.” Thus he indirectly referred to the fact that he was manifest in the Satsang through Pragji Bhakta.

Pragat Through Pragji!

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Time to play SLEEPING LIONS with a twist! Can you remember the order of the names?

In the game how did we all wake one another up? Why did we only wake up when our own name was called and not when someone else’s name was called?

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What happened in this prasang? Did Pragji Bhakta respond to his own name? How did Balmukunddas Swami wake Pragji up? What name did he use? Why did Pragji Bhakta not respond to his own name? Why did Pragji Bhakta only wake up when Balmukunddas Swami said: “Gunatit, please wake up.”? How is it possible to forget your own name? What can we learn about Bhagatji Maharaj from this prasang?

Becoming One With Gunatit, His Guru

Over time, through his sheer desire, hard work and steadfastness in following agna, Bhagatji Maharaj had become completely immersed in his guru. Once, Gunatitanand Swami asked Balmukunddasji to call Pragji Bhakta, who was fast asleep. Balmukunddasji called him thrice, “Wake up, Pragji Bhakta. Gunatitanand Swami is calling you.” But Pragji did not wake up. So, he returned to Gunatitanand Swami and said, “Pragji Bhakta is fast asleep. I called him by his name but he did not wake up. Gunatitanand Swami smiled and told him to go back and say, “Gunatit, please wake up.” Balmukunddasji again went to Pragji Bhakta and called out, “Gunatit, please wake up.” Immediately Pragji Bhakta woke up and came to Gunatitanand Swami. Gunatitanand Swami said, “Pragji is dead. He has become Gunatit.” Thus, he explained the greatness of Pragji Bhakta to all.

"Gunatit, please wake up!"

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1. Next

One day, Gunatitanand Swami called Pragji Bhakta with an unexpected command, “Pragji, go and call Mount Girnar. The poor fellow has been performing austerities for ages. I want to redeem him.”

What would we do if we were Bhagatji Maharaj? What would we think?

Mount Girnar is a mountain in Junagadh, Gujarat

Call Mount Girnar

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Pragji rushed to call Girnar. Some people laughed, and others criticized for not using logic. We would probably laugh too – a mountain is not going to come to sabha just because you called it! Everyone thought Pragji was being silly. They remarked, “Do you really expect Girnar to come. You should use caution in carrying out commands.”

Call Mount Girnar

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Pragji Bhakta replied, “Except for those commands which are against the beliefs of religion, it is the duty of a haribhakto to carry out all the commands of his guru without any hesitation. I will go to Girnar and call him. Whether he wants to come or not is up to him.” In that way, Pragji Bhakta followed Swami’s agna without thinking too much! He knew that Swami would be raji, and so he did not hesitate for even a second! Similarly we too should follow our gurus agna without any hesitation!

Call Mount Girnar

Why do we sometimes hesitate to follow Bapa's agna even if he has told us? What can we learn from this prasang?

Call Mount Girnar

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If i asked you to go outside and ask the trees to come inside and join our sabha... What would you think? Would you do it?

1. Prasang

Pragji went and saw the dead dog lying on the stones. He thought that he should remove the dead dog himself only then would the work continue. He changed his clothes and removed the dead dog. Then he took a bath and returned to the mandir. The work restarted once again. Gunatitanand Swami was greatly pleased. Some people made faces, while others criticized Pragji for acting as a scavenger. On hearing this, Swami observed, “Every living being is, in a sense, a scavenger. What wrong has been committed by Pragji in helping the work restart by removing the dog? After all, he has acted according to my wishes.”

Removing The Dead Dog

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During the construction of the haveli in Junagadh, stones had to be moved from one area to another. All of a sudden there had been a pause in the work and the stones were no longer being moved. Swami asked Pragji, “Why has the supply of stones from outside stopped?” Pragji went to see what was happening and saw a dead dog lying on the slabs of stone were outside the mandir. Everybody thought that a scavenger (someone who removes dead animals) would come and remove the dead dog.

What would you do in this situation?a) Take a break thinking: "Thank God, we can all rest and take a break whilst someone else moves the dog."b) Quickly find someone or something which can remove the dogc) Move the dog yourself

Removing The Dead Dog

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If we saw a dead mouse in the shoe racks what would we do? Would we scream? Would we complain? Would we ask someone to take it away?

1. Prasang

Gunatitanand Swami did not tell Bhagatji Maharaj to remove the dead dog. So why did Bhagatji Maharaj move it?Bhagatji Maharaj knew that Gunatitanand Swami wanted the construction work to continue. However the dead dog was an obstruction and unless someone moved it the work would not continue. Therefore, he removed the dog himself so that the work could continue and Gunatitanand Swami would be pleased.

Understanding Bapa's Inner Wishes

Similarly Bapa cannot always physically be by our side to tell us what to do and not to do. Sometimes we have to try and think: "What would make Bapa raji in this situation?" and act accordingly. Can you think of any examples like this where we have use our own initiative by thinking what would make Bapa raji?

How Can We Make Bapa Raji? What One Thing Have You Learnt From Bhagatji Maharaj's Life Which You Will Try To Imbibe?

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Upon seeing the Pragji Bhakta’ s desire, hard work and commitment to following agna, Gunatitanand Swami became extremely pleased upon him. Pragji Bhakta had selflessly served his guru, through mind and body, with deep devotion and love for three-and-a-half years. Now Gunatitanand Swami wanted him to experience the divinity of God. He asked Pragji Bhakta to sit in meditation in a secluded place. On the tenth evening of his meditation, Pragji Bhakta saw an intense light in which he had the darshan of the graceful divine murti of Shriji Maharaj. Shriji Maharaj graced him and said, “I am under the loving command of Swami and you have won Swami’s heart. Therefore, I am now at your command, too.” Pragji Bhakta’s joy knew no bounds. His heart danced with joy! Once, some Darbars asked Gunatitanand Swami, “Swami, instead of giving all your spiritual powers to some Brahmin, sadhu or scholar, why have you given it to this tailor?” Gunatitanand Swami smiled and replied, “I was reluctant to give it to him. But he overpowered me by his selfless, sincere service, love and devotion. In fact, I could not help giving it to him.”

Darshan of Shriji Maharaj!

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