Shikshapatri – “The Eternal Spring of Benediction”
Spirituality
Can you remember any incarnation of God himself who has written anything for the whole mankind???
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Don’t give too much stress to your brain 🙂
Let me tell you. No, No incarnation other than Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan has himself written anything.
The Origin
On 11th of February, Saturday 1826 (maha sud panchmi v.s.1882, vasant panchami) Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan wrote Shikshapatri. For the welfare of millions of people like us, Maharaj set down to write Shikshapatri with his own hand. Either you follow him or not, but this great scripture will enlighten your path towards better leaving till salvation.
So, let me tell you all how birth of Swaminarayan sampraday’s bhagwad Geeta means shikshapatri happens. Bhagwan Shri swaminarayan was in Vadodara at the palace of Maharaja Saiyaji Rao II. And Maharaja was requesting bhagwan shree Swaminarayan to stay some more day in Vadodara and give him benefit of satsang but Shreeji Maharaj denied and said I wanted to be in seclusion (To be lonely). Maharaja keep requesting to stay but bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan didn’t say yes and went back to vadtal. At vadtal bhagwan shree Swaminarayan set to listen Katha of dasma skandh (10th Canto of Shrimad Bhagwat Puran) and then panchm skandh Katha. That Katha finished on the day of Vasant Panchami. On that day Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan himself fed one thousand Brahmins and gave them dakshina then he went in a secluded place.
And he decided that I will write a leaflet teaching religion to devotees. Through that leaflet my devotees will know what to do and what not to do without any doubt. And that leaflet is “SHIKSHAPATRI”
Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan wrote Shikshapatri and made eight more copies to send in all eight directions to his beloved devotees.
अन्तर्हिते मयि भुवो मदीयानां च सर्वश: । स्फुटमद्वाक्यरूपा सा भवित्र्यालम्बनं भुवि ।
-(Satsangi jivan 4-43-21)
Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan says in the above shloka that “When I will go away from this earth, this shikshapatri in the form of clear sentences will be a base for all our devotees on this earth”
On 26th February, 1830 governor of Bombay Sir John Malcolm comes Rajkot to have darshan of bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan. Maharaj himself gave handwritten Shikshapatri to him. He accepts it with devotion. That pious Shikshapatri still gives us darshan at Bodleian library of Oxford University, United Kingdom.
Shikshapatri contains Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s moral, social and spiritual codes of conduct for all devotees. Shikshapatri is the divine speech of Shri Hari preaching universal brotherhood and eternal love. Shikshapatri is an unparalleled link of Indian philosophy.
Shikshapatri is fruit of Shreeji Maharaj’s penance of the entire life. This is the essence of the scripture that Maharaj studied all throughout his life. The essence of single scripture has been filled in single verse. Imagine how much time it will take if we set out to study all that scripture. Our this much time Maharaj saved and gave us 212 verses of gold.
Why Shikshapatri ?
Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan’s vision was much far than ours. he was knowing very well that in the era of social media there would be no time or interest of reading big scripture like 4 Vedas, 18 purana, 108 Upanishads, Geeta, Ramayana, Mahabharata and many more like this. I think many of you haven’t read even one of those scripture. Because we haven’t that much spare time. That’s another thing that we have much time to see newsfeed on Facebook, shuffle YouTube videos, and staring photos of each other on Instagram or enjoying web series on various OTT platforms. That’s why Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan gave us the essence of all these scriptures in the form of 212 verses.
So, reading shikshapatri is equal to reading all above scriptures. If we just follow Shikshapatri Maharaj will consider that we have followed all these scriptures .In simple words we need not to apply our personal logic ,we don’t need to find in which scripture ,in which verse which thing is written just following it is more than enough.if you do so then your salvation is sure and the doors of akshardham will always be open for you that surety Maharaj and saints are giving.
Just for a while forget all other 211 and half verses just imagine this half verse “प्रवर्तनीया सद्विद्या भुवि यत्सुकृतं महत्” has transformed life of thousands of teachers, millions of students and billions of devotees all over the world. Because the foundation of our Gurukul is built on this shloka.
Once Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel said, “If every citizen follows Shikshapatri then there will be less requirement of court and police this much Shikshapatri is powerful.”
The Life Saving Incident!!
There is one incident related to Shikshapatri how each shloka has its own value an even a single shloka can change your life.
This incident happened in our Rajkot Gurukul. Once purani Premprakashdasji Swamiji was telling students that “To follow Shikshapatri is very easy just you need to follow some of the shlokas not every shloka because some shlokas are for King, some are for saints, some are for brahmachari, some are for married ladies, and some are for widows. You need not to follow all which are not related to you so there will be few shlokas which comes under your category.”
One of the students who was listening to this said ” Swamiji you are right. Even we need not to follow shlok no. 14 because why we should do suicide there is no reason for that.
Swamiji stoped him and said “ketan ,don’t forget this shloka no 14. This shloka must be followed. this is for everyone. “Ketan said” okay Swamiji I will remember this.” Maybe Swamiji could see something special beyond our vision.
आत्मघातस्तु तीर्थेऽपि न कर्तव्यश्च न क्रुधा । अयोग्याचरणात् क्वापि न विषोद्बन्धनादिना ।।१४।।
(None shall ever commit suicide even at the place of pilgrimage, out of anger or out of guilt due to commitment of a sinful act, one shall never commit suicide even at the place of pilgrimage, by means of taking poison or by strangulation or by plunging into a well or by jumping from the hilltop. (14)
Many years passed ketan went to his regular life out of Gurukul. he was having diamond business in Bhavnagar. Due to some reasons Ketan caught into debt and Ketan felt that now I have no way out. He buys poison bottle he went to his room he prepares one cover in that cover he put paper of his will and a letter to his family.
After putting all this he thought let me remember bhagwan swaminarayan and saints. He was constantly crying, and he set down on floor and keep his eye close. First, he remembers Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan, then he remembers Shastriji Maharaj and suddenly he remembers Purani Prem Prakash Swamiji and he remembers what Swamiji told him.
Swamiji told me to remember that shloka no. 14 and not to commit suicide. He threw away poison bottle & decided not to do suicide. Tomorrow onwards I will try my best to recover my business and within few years he manages to clear all his debt and passed his life by following Shikshapatri until his last breath.
The Glory of Shikshapatri
Shikshapatri teaches us behavior of an ideal human being with piousness of thoughts, speech and behavior with moral values. Bhagwan Swaminarayan has instructed His devotees in matters of health, hygiene, dress, diet, etiquette, diplomacy, finance, education, friendships, morality, habits, penance, religious duties, celebrations and other areas.
Even today also governments need to tell us where to spit and where to urinate. That thing bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan told us before approximately 200 years. Maharaj is not only worried about just human beings and animals like cow ,buffalo,ox or horses but he even thinks about trees,A child inside the womb,lices and bugs too. he wrote that one shouldn’t intentionally kill a fetus or small insects.
Shri Krishna said Bhagwat Gita to Arjun to fight enemies who were standing in front of him, but Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan wrote Shikshapatri to fight our inner enemies like Anger, Greed, Infatuation, Envy and Jealousy. Shikshapatri is the modern Gita helping man in his own battle of life.
What Shikshapatri is?
Shikshapatri is a set of practical rules with emphasis on self-improvement rather than correcting the world. Shikshapatri is the core of all the scriptures. It is an educational bulletin for his dependent followers. Shikshapatri is the commandment and the set of norms for all His Satsangis and saints. Shikshapatri is the textbook of religion in practice. Shikshapatri is the master key of an ideal life. It is a powerful scripture and is the ladder for an upward flight for emancipation. Like axiomatic religion, Shikshapatri is the eternal commandment holding eternal majesty.
bhagwan shree Swaminarayan has clearly mentioned that Shikshapatri is a personified form of His own divine self to be read and worshiped daily by all His followers. Whether you believe in swaminarayan sampraday or not, but if you follow this Shikshapatri your life, health and wealth will be much better.
Spiritualism is a subject of practice not of mere deliberation. Which is well explained in Shikshapatri. Swaminarayan Bhagwan had most effectively defined in his Shikshapatri the terms: Jiva (soul), Ishwar (cosmic God) and Maya (eternal entity). He has explained in His Shikshapatri the form of Dharma (ethical duties), Gyan (the knowledge of the Ultimate), Vairagya (detachment and asceticism) and Bhakti (devotion).
Now what?
So, if you haven’t started reading yet, let’s start from today only and if you are reading and following it, then make your family and friends read and follow it. And be a witness of their happiness and complacency.
Thank You
Jay Swaminarayan
