51 - Equal Importance Of Appearance And Disappearance

Sixteenth February. It was the day of appearance of Mama. Mama’s disciples were sitting in the assembly hall. Children had arrived early in the assembly hall. The disciple said, ‘Children, today is your day. Today you have to perform during assembly. Do you know, why do children perform on this day?’ Children replied, ‘Today is Mama’s birthday.’ A disciple said, ‘We should not call it as birthday of an Anadimukta. Birthday, day of demise etc. are for the beings of this world. These days are for those who are bound by Karma. For Anadimuktas, this does not apply. When they arrive on this Earth, it is called the day of appearance and when they leave this Earth, it is called the day of disappearance.'

Mama was very fond of children. He used to say, ‘Children are very innocent and straight forward. Such children are favourable to Prabhuji also. Therefore, he has gifted his day of appearance to children. We celebrate that day as ‘Satsang BAL Din’. And therefore you have to perform, today.’

A child asked, ‘Today, Mama is not in his physical body. Then why do we celebrate his birthday.... er.... sorry, I forget, his day of appearance?’ The disciple explained, ‘It is a very good question. Anandimuktas have all the divine liberating attributes of Shreeji Maharaj. They spend their lives on this Earth in an ideal manner. On this day, we remember their virtues. We intend to develop similar virtues in our lives. We pray to Maharaj and Mama that we shall sincerely endeavour to live an ideal life like Mama. By remembering his life, his virtues and his ideals we should feel inspired and strong enough to follow his footsteps and we ask for Mama’s blessings for the same. For all these reasons, we celebrate the day of his appearance.’

Another child asked, ‘Now, Mama is not there. So how could he bless us?’ The disciple explained, ‘We should never feel that Mama is not around. He is always with us in his divine form. We must pray in the Mission in front of the idols of Shreeji Maharaj, Bapashri and Mama. They listen to our prayers and respond with their blessings.’ The child asked, ‘Earlier as Mama used to bless and the troubles used to vanish. Is it possible to experience the same now also?’ The disciple assured, ‘Why not? If we pray with true feelings, then Mama would definitely respond to our prayers. And the blessings could manifest as earlier. Mama was very fond of kids. He would certainly respond to their prayers.’ A child asked, ‘We have understood why should we celebrate Mama’s day of appearance. But why do we celebrate Mama’s day of disappearance ceremoniously.’ The disciple explained, ‘An Anadimukta never comes or goes.’ The child asked, ‘What does that mean. I could not understand.’ The disciple said, ‘Anadimukta is always experiencing the bliss of unity with divine form of God. They appear on this Earth through their intent. That time also they are experiencing the bliss of unity with Maharaj. When they disappear from this Earth, they get united with the divine form of God in the form of intent. Thus, they are always absorbed into the bliss of divine form of God. Therefore, it is said that they neither come nor go. It is equally important when a Mukta appears or disappears. Memory of both the days is equally liberating.

To appear on this Earth is a play for them. Similarly to disappear from this Earth is also their divine playful characteristic. Both the days are equally important. Remembering both the days is equivalent to remembering Anadimukta himself. Remembrance of an Anadimukta helps us to cultivate new aspirations in life, understanding and ideal virtues. It inspires us to divert our senses towards God. Therefore, both the days should be remembered and celebrated by performing Brahm Yagya. Do you remember the day of disappearance of Mama?’ Children replied, ‘September, 20, 1997 A.D.’ The disciple asked, ‘Do you remember Gujarati year, month and day?’ Children replied, ‘We do not remember.’ The disciple informed, ‘Samvat 2053, Bhadrva Vadi Pancham, Saturday noon 12:25 p.m. We must remember all these details. We remember our birthday, we remember our relatives’, friends’ birthdays. Mama is our Guru. He has done many favours to us. He has taught us how to live our lives. He has blessed us in the best possible way. So many times, he has saved us from a lot of troubles. He has reformed our bad habits. He has forgiven our mistakes. He has suffered a lot for us. He has showered his affection on us. And now also he is showering his grace.

The biggest favor of Mama on us is the establishment of ‘Shri Swaminarayan Divine Mission.’ Where omnibeneficial activities are performed. We perform Brahm Yagyas like knowledge, meditation, prayer, Keertan etc. in meditation hall. We also organize the assembly for the children here. Here children can develop their hidden talents. They develop their spiritual qualities. They learn a lot of new things. Mama has established a library also. Here he has collected all types of books, like books for the children for their personal growth, spiritual books describing true knowledge about God, fables, biographies of dignitaries, recipe books for ladies, health and fitness related books, books related to education etc. He has installed idols in the Mission and has also blessed that if we go and pray there, God will accept all the auspicious prayers. What a wonderful blessing! Such infinite favours which we cannot forget. We must never forget the divine, playful life span of such a great Guru. Remembrance of the birthdays of our relatives is not at all beneficial. But remembrance of the days of appearance and disappearance of an Anadimukta is tremendously spiritual and liberating.

On these days, we must try to follow his teachings in our lives. We should sincerely try to live an ideal life like him. When we do not repeat the mistakes, corrected by him, we are his dear children in real sense.’

Today children had understood the real greatness of Mama. All the children performed the Brahm Yagya with total devotion.

Difficult words:
Endeavour - Sincere efforts
Vanish - To disappear
Manifest - To materialize
Ceremoniously - Celebrating formally

Points to ponder:
- The day of appearance and the day of disappearance of an Anadimukta are equally important. Therefore, we must remember both the days and celebrate them ceremoniously. This pleases Maharaj.
- The appearance of an Anadimukta is for the salvation of the living beings. Their lifestyle is the ideal lifestyle. Their remembrance is also liberating.
- We should never forget the favours done by an Anadimukta. We must sincerely try to follow his teachings in our lives.

Exercise

Answer the following questions:
1. Mention the day of appearance of Mama.
2. Mention the year, month and day as per English and Gujarati calender of the day of disappearance of Mama.
3. To whom has Mama dedicated his day of appearance? Why?
4. Why the day of appearance of Mama should not be called as his birthday?
5. Recently, how does Mama shower his blessings?
6. By establishing which institution, Mama has obliged us?
7. Which programs are being performed in meditation hall?
8. What type of books are there in the library?
9. What blessings has Mama granted while installing the idol?
10. When could we be called as favourite children of Mama?