Since 1997, AARSH at Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar, has organized four seminars annually, one each on the subjects of (1) Prominent Personalities, (2) Current Issues, (3) Philosophy and (4) Literature. The 100th seminar in this series was held in the presence of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj on 15 February 2023 at Yogi Sabhagruh, Swaminarayan Mandir, Dadar, Mumbai. The title of the seminar was ‘Pramukh Swami Mahraj’s Contributions to the Spread of Akshar-Purushottam Darshan’.
Mahant Swami Maharaj ceremonially lit the inauguration lamp after his morning puja. During the day, four sessions were held on the following topics: 1) The Virtues Described in the Shrimad Bhagvat Are Exemplified by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, 2) From Darkness to Light, 3) The Life of Women in Vedic Times and 4) Principles and Practices for Family Unity. The speakers on the above topics were: (1) Prof. Dr. Narendra Pandya, Principal, Shree Somnath Sanskrit College, Veraval, (2) Shri Prakash Pathak, Prominent Speaker, Dhule, (3) Prof. Dr. Shubhada Joshi, Former Head, Philosophy Department, Mumbai University and (4) Shri Harikrishna Shashtri, Motivational Speaker, Surat. The chairpersons for the sessions were: (1) Mahamahopadhayay Dr. Bhadreshdas Swami, (2) Dr. Vidhyasinhacharya, Chairperson, Satyadhan Vidhayapith, Mulund, Mumbai, (3) Prof. Dr. Purnima Dave and (4) Pujya Dr. Viveksagardas Swami.
The concluding session was held in the presence of Mahant Swami Maharaj from 6.00 to 8.00 p.m. On stage dignitaries included: Pujya Bhaktipriyadas Swami, Mahant, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Dadar, Mumbai; Guest of Honor Shri Rajan Velukar, Former Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University; Dr. Rudrax Sakarikar, Assistant Professor, Somaiya Institute of Religious Studies; and Prof. Dr. Shrutiprakashdas Swami, Director, AARSH, Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar.
The main lecture was by Pujya Dr. Atmatruptdas Swami, Associate Professor, AARSH, Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar. Thereafter, Shrutiprakashdas Swami gave brief details of the previous 99 seminars, and informed that their audio recordings are available on the Akshar Amrutam app by BAPS.
In conclusion, Mahant Swami Maharaj blessed the assembly and commended everyone involved for continuing the lecture series for 25 years and reaching the century mark. He attributed this feat to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s blessings. He added that Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj had shown us the right path of devotion by creating Akshar-Purshottam mandirs and that Pramukh Swami Maharaj had established research institutes like AARSH to spread this true doctrine.
The opening and concluding sessions were webcast.