Power of the Divine

In bal/balika-2 sabha this week, we explore Bhagatji Maharaj's divinity. As we narrate these prasangs, our young audience may only see the miracle. However, we must reiterate how there is more to the story than what we hear on the surface.

For example, in the case of these magicians, what's the secret behind their success? Check out the video below to see one of their famous tricks exposed on camera.

Similarly, when we hear of Bhagatji Maharaj's miracles, we may get caught up in whether he could have actually done the things he did, like giving Kanji Darji the ability have constant darshan of the murtis.

However, when are listening to a prasang that seems fictional, we are unintentionally distracted from what’s really going on. We focus too much on the “magic” part of it that we fail to understand the real core message the prasang is giving us.

Challenge the audience: Remind them that if they look at a prasang ready to discern fact from fiction, they’re missing the main message. As in the video above, they're paying attention to the "face."

So then what is the message behind these prasangs?

Bhagatji Maharaj's miracles helped devotees to focus on Shriji Maharaj, the true source of divinity.

In short, open sabha up with this wager and embrace their engagement in trying to find the hidden message.

A Jacket for the Soul

A fellow Sabhaologist has volunteered to contribute posts for bal/balika-2 mandal. We appreciate these contributions, and hope our readers do too!

With Holi on the horizon, we look at the life of Bhagatji Maharaj. He was a source of inspiration for many around him, like Mahapurush Swami, the focus of this week's presentation in bal/balika-2


Step 1: Synthesize the simple statement.

• The spiritual shirt strengthened Mahapurush Swami.
• Mahapurush Swami's faith always kept him close to the Satpurush. 
• Mahapurush Swami's became great by following agna.

Step 2: Start off with a shakeup.

• Ask balaks/balikas to draw their favorite t-shirt, and ask a few to share why it's their favorite t-shirt. 
• Ask a few balaks/balikas to bring in their favorite t-shirts, and then give each shirt to another balak/balika. Let them try to guess the owner, and have them explain their rationale. Finally, let the owner explain why it's their favorite shirt.

Step 3: Support the simple statement with stories using detail and validity. While we have only one prasang, we should still make a point to link each detail to whichever simple statement we choose. Below, we chose to link the prasang with the first simple statement.

• Pragji Bhakta's Shirt - Not only did he sew a shirt, but he also sewed a personalized shirt for Bechar Bhagat's atma. How great was this shirt? Let's look at how Bechar Bhagat's life unfolds.
• Defeating Ego - This shirt gave Bechar Bhagat the ability to sincerely listen to the Satpurush, so when Bhagatji Maharaj told him to apologize for his anger to Kothari Gordhanbhai, he complied and humbled himself. Thus, this shirt gave Bechar Bhagat the power to conquer his ego. 
• Enlightened Sadhu - With an attachment to his guru, Bechar Bhagat took diksha and became known as Mahapurush Swami. In fact, he became a scholar of the Vachanamrut! Once again, this shirt benefited him by providing gnan.
• Spreading Upasana - His attachment to the Satpurush combined with his knowledge of the Vachanamrut helped Mahapurush Swami speak only of the Akshar Purushottam upasana without fear. He even got kicked out of Satsang for his beliefs, but his attachment to God & Sant did not waver. Hence, this shirt gave Bechar Bhagat the power to conquer his fear.
• Close to the Satpurush - As we can see, this spiritual shirt really has a lot of powers, and we still have one more. This shirt made sure that Mahapurush Swami would forever remain with the Satpurush at all times. After all, his faith in Shastriji Maharaj enabled him to establish our sanstha today. 
• The Catch - How can one shirt keep us with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, give us smarts, and make us fearless? It can't... if it's kept dirty. We all wear Pragji Bhakta's shirt, but its power can only be felt if we keep it clean. When we follow Swamishri's agna, like reading the Vachanamrut, eating within our niyams, staying sincere to our studies, we keep this shirt clean, and when we disregard agna, we dirty our shirt up. The more dirt it has, the less power we have; however, dirt can be washed off. Bechar Bhagat had that opportunity. Remember, getting angry at Kothari Gordhanbhai dirtied his shirt (because it went against what Pragji Bhakta liked), but when he apologized out of respecting Bhagatji Maharaj's wishes, he cleaned his shirt up. We too can reap the power of the shirt if we keep it clean; that's the catch with this superpower shirt.

Bal/balika presentations can seem as though no preparation is needed. After all, it's just one prasang; however, it's our job as presenters to create the message that the prasang embodies. Balaks/balikas represent the future, and crafting messages that stick can help them remember their spiritual shirt as they face the trials of adolescence. 

An Ocean of Values

In each of our gurus lies an ocean of virtues and values, and a mere dive in their lives is enough to win over the heart of anyone who is brave enough to make that leap. This week in kishore/kishori sabha, we look at the charismatic personality of Bhagatji Maharaj, so let's take a look to see what lies beneath the surface.


Step 1: Synthesize the simple statement. Below are some examples taken from the syllabus.

• Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa attracted others.
• Bhagatji Maharaj performed seva with samjan. 
• Bhagatji Maharaj's enthusiasm energized others.

Step 2: Start with the shakeup.

The Fun Theory - Work sucks because it's boring. Now, a new Volkswagen-backed initative attempts to reverse that by making things that are otherwise boring into something fun. Bhagatji Maharaj applied this to his seva and made others desire it just as much. Below is one example, but more can be found at the site.

Step 3: Support with stories and examples rich in detail (concrete) and with validity (credible). Remember, take one simple statement, and link it to each story/example. In our case, we used the first simple statement below to link to a few prasangs from the syllabus.

• Crossing the River - Sure, Bhagatji Maharaj had faith, and he could have crossed the river himself without issue. However, his faith provided the assurance to others to allow them to make that journey as well. When we develop this sadhutaa, we not only gain strength, but we strengthen others. It's for that reason they find that sadhutaa attractive. 
• Girdharbhai - Bhagatji's Maharaj's sadhutaa had not gone unnoticed by Shriji Maharaj Himself, and He revealed it to Girdharbhai. When we cultivate this type of sadhutaa, we too win the attention of Shriji Maharaj Himself.
• Pavitranand Swami - Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa not only strengthened others but also provided solace to others. Pavitranand Swami turned to Bhagatji Maharaj for this very reason to ease his restless and disturbed mind. However, drugs, like alcohol, do more or less the same thing as they give us an artificial sense of well-being before draining us of our emotional energy; how was Bhagatji Maharaj any different? He was different because his sadhutaa gave everlasting solace. To cultivate such sadhutaa, one must change their character for the better, and in cultivating this character, we too will develop such attractive sadhutaa.

BONUS: The syllabus also provides a link to an article in Bliss. Below are some examples taken from that issue.

• Shastri Rangacharya, a leader of a different sampraday altogether, recognized Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa and openly offered dandvats to him. Someone with a different belief system altogether had that firm respect for Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa. While we may feel the anxiety and angst of cultivating such sadhutaa in our life out of fear of what others may say, we should realize that everyone respects sadhutaa regardless of their beliefs.  
• Sadguru Krishnaswarupdas recognized Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa and had no problems with the young Shastri Yagnapurushdas composing Sanskrit verses highlighting Bhagatji Maharaj's virtues. As we know, Sanskrit itself is an ancient language, one that has persisted with the passage of time. When we cultivate Bhagatji Maharaj's sadhutaa, our virtues are forever remembered and continue to inspire and attract many following our departure from this world.

As we noted before, the lessons one can learn from the life of the Satpurush know no limit. Let us take their experiences to support just one of their many life lessons as we gear up to share them with our audiences this Sunday.