Over 1,400 devotees participated in the auspicious 3rd anniversary celebrations of the Satsang Diksha shastra at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Sydney with devotion and excitement.
In the morning, the local swamis performed the mahapuja of 500 specially prepared Satsang Diksha shastras in decorative wooden cases. The cases were sanctified by Mahant Swami Maharaj while he was in Toronto, Canada, on 29 June 2023. Mahant Swami Maharaj himself had written special blessings (in Gujarati) for these shastras: ‘The Satsang Diksha shastra is the form of Maharaj (Bhagwan Swaminarayan) and the Gunatit gurus. With this faith keep it in your ghar mandir, do darshan and offer puja.’ One shastra was given per family.
In addition, Mahant Swami Maharaj also performed pujan of a hardbound book edition of the Satsang Diksha shastra, in which he wrote (in Gujarati): ‘When you come to the mandir for darshan always read three verses from the Satsang Diksha shastra.’
In the evening, the grand celebration assembly to commemorate the Satsang Diksha’s 3rd anniversary began with a procession in honor of the Satsang Diksha written on copper plates, which Mahant Swami Maharaj had sanctified and performed pujan of on 28 December 2022 in Ahmedabad, India, during Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s Centenary Celebrations. Thereafter, youths performed traditional dances to joyously welcome this Satsang Diksha shastra, which weighs 130 kg, to Australia.
Swamis spoke about the glory of the Satsang Diksha shastra, how people live according to its teachings and how it has become an integral part of the lives of all devotees.
Thereafter, 20 males and 52 females, aged between 5 to 70, who have memorized the 315 verses of the Satsang Diksha in Sanskrit were felicitated.