Thursday, 3 April 1997, was a special day for all Swaminarayan devotees, for it marked the 216th birthday of Bhagwan Swaminarayan (as per the Gregorian date). Pramukh Swami Maharaj arrived in the morning at the home of a devotee in Sharjah to celebrate this auspicious occasion in the presence of a handful of faithful devotees and some well-wishers.
After the low-key festivities, someone suggested to Swamishri that he should visit the Sharjah desert, which was not far from the city, and experience the undulating sand dunes of the UAE. Swamishri was not keen, but he asked a few swamis if they wished to go. So, the next day, Krishnavallabh Swami, Brahmavihari Swami, and a couple of other swamis and devotees went on a desert safari. They returned, all thrilled, and reported their experience to Swamishri. They requested Swamishri to visit the desert, which was thirsty for his divine presence.
Hence, on the morning of 5 April 1997, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, with swamis and devotees, embarked upon a desert safari in Al Khawaneej, a desert area on the border of Dubai and Sharjah. Ashokbhai Kotecha, Narendrabhai Jain and their group of experienced desert drivers who had honed their driving skills amid the shifting sands of this challenging terrain, made the arrangements.
As the cars (all four-wheel drive SUVs) approached the desert periphery, the cars stopped at a short distance. Swamishri was seated in the front seat of the first car with pillows to cushion him from the jerks of the upward journey. After the expert drivers had surveyed the scene, they sped off one by one to scale the selected sand dune. The cars zig-zagged across the sand to adjust for the shifting terrain, and finally, arrived at the top of a majestic 150-foot-high dune. Swamishri emerged from the car, and stood at the crest of the dune. In his characteristic style, he glanced at the desolate landscape, observing the surroundings. Intrigued by the view, he asked a few questions to satisfy his curiosity before taking his seat on a chair alongside Thakorji (Shri Harikrishna Maharaj), the sacred murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. A few swamis and devotees sat around him, while some swamis held their upper garments to shield Thakorji and Swamishri from the blowing sand and glowing sun.
After some casual conversation, Swamishri voiced prayers for global peace, prosperity and interfaith harmony and started chanting the Swaminarayan dhun. Then, as requested by some swamis, Swamishri removed his feet from his slippers and placed them upon the sand, a symbol of his divine blessings, and prayed for a mandir in Abu Dhabi where all could gather without hindrance to pray and do satsang. The prayer seemed like a pipe dream amid the prevailing social climate and was soon forgotten.
Little did everyone present on the top of the dune that day know that this divine prophecy would come true, albeit after 27 years, in 2024, when Mahant Swami Maharaj would inaugurate the magnificent BAPS Hindu Mandir near Abu Dhabi. This mandir stands as a testament to Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s divine vision, the power of his prayers and his desire for global harmony.
By Yagna Dave, a senior satsang activities coordinator in the UAE from 1984 to 1997