Ahnik
List 5 Ahniks that we do on a daily basis.
Any 5:
Puja, Aarti, Thal, Mansi, satsang reading, katha, guruhari darshan, Cheshta, etc...
September 13th, 2023 (On his Bithday) at Robinsville, NJ.
What is the philosophy of Bhagwan Swaminarayan - the 5 ontological (tatvagnan) entities?
Jiv, Ishwar, Maya, Brahman, and Parabrahma
Why do we offer abhisheka?
Abhisheka is offered to the Murti of God to please the lord, to show gratitude for fulfilling one's wish or as part of a worship ceremony.
What is the theme of the Adhiveshan this year?
"Satsang: The Journey to Rajipo"
What is a practical way to stay consistent in our Ahnik? Provide an example or observation specific to any chosen ahnik.
We are all aware that following āhnik has led to many feeling the sukh of Akshardham even here while alive on this earth. There is no better example than the transformation seen over the life of our Pujya Sadguru Santo. There is a great deal of joy that they derive from doing āhnik
Pujya Ghanshyāmcharan Swāmi said: “I had no spiritual understanding. But through his association, I am at peace. At first, I followed the daily āhnik because it was a niyam, but now āhnik is my life and I experience bliss.”
What does doing Prapti no vichar ential?
StepThinking about the mahima (greatness) of Maharaj, Swami, Satsang and our attaininment of them.
In the Swāmi ni vāto 1.19, Gunātitānand Swāmi says, “Even by spending tens of millions of rupees, such a sādhu is unattainable. Even by giving tens of millions of rupees, such spiritual talks are unattainable. Even by giving tens of millions of rupees this human body cannot be attained. And we, too, have had tens of millions of births. But never have we had such company of the God-Realized sādhu. Otherwise, why would we have to take birth?” We see the rarity of this human birth through this Swāmi ni Vāto. No amount of wealth would allow us to attain the Satpurush, his talks, or this human birth. It is only through God’s divine grace that in this lifetime, we were fortunate enough to have the association of this God-realized Sādhu
What are the 4 pillars of Ekantik Dharma?
Dharma, Gnan, Vairagya, and Bhakti
Why is mala used for chanting Gods name?
The mala is used to allow one to focus one's thoughts on God. It allows one to practice chanting God's name which calms and purifies the mind from agitation/worldly thoughts.
What is the importance of adhiveshan, and why are we doing it?
During the opening of Robbinsville Akshardhām, Param Pujya Mahant Swāmi Mahārāj discussed the importance of building Andar Akshardhām.
One way to build Andar Akshardhām is to take part in the Adhiveshan during the summer of 2025, where participants will have an opportunity to learn Mukhpāth and strive to earn the Rājipo of our Gurus.
What practical habit building benefits, do Ahnik offer? List minimum 3 different benefits.
Establishing Habits, Progression (gradual improvements), Maintaining Momentum, Building Discipline & Self Control, Achieving Goals, Creating Accountability and Adapting to Change.
List some practical ways/tips to maintain consistency in doing daily prapti no vichar?
(at minimun 3 distinct ways)
Fixed time of day/spot, genuine effort to complete, training one’s mind to minimize distractions, seeking advice, listening to other’s perspectives, using technology as an aid (i.e. reminders, guruhari darshan, Prapti no Vichar Video's, etc..)
List any 3 central vichars in our satsang sadhana.
Praptino Vichar
Rajipano Vichar
Mahimano Vichar
Sankhya Vichar
Atma Vichar
One God or Many Gods?
Hindu Gods comprise of innumerable avatars and deities who are worshipped and revered in various ways. Each Hindu sampradaya or religious tradition prays to/worships its own diety (ishtadevata) with faith that he/she is supreme.
Hense 1 supreme God with many manifestations.
What material would be tested in the Prathmik Mukhpath?
Aarti, Stuti, Meal Shloks (Shrimat-Sadguna & Aum Sahanavavatu), Puja Shloks (Ahvan & Punaragaman Mantra), Sabha Shloks (Gunatitam Gurum Prapya & Shriharim Saksharam), and Thal (Mare Gher)
List a few challanges/obstacles that one might face in maintaining consistency in our Ahniks.
Laziness (our Swabhavs), Maya (distractions/desire), Not prioritizing Ahnik(s), Lack of Mahima, Moli Vaat, Kusang, etc...
Do 2-miniute of Prapti no Vichar out loud.
Feel free to include any vachanmrut reference, swami ni vato, kirtan lines, shloka's/sakhi's, etc.. from MEMORY! (not phone).
Answer may vary, as long as it was logical trail of thought, and met the time requirement.
The source of ultimate happiness in Satsang is ____________. How else can we experience this happiness?
Blank 1: Satpurush, understanding his anuvrutti, and following his agna.
There are other aspects within satsang that also allow us to experience this happiness – mandir, association with fellow satsangis, etc.
On May 10, 2020, in Nenpur, Param Pujya Mahant Swāmi Mahārāj wrote a 12-page letter on Prāpti no vichār. In there, He states, “The santo and and haribhakto who have come into association with Mahārāj and Swāmi and have faith (conviction) in the manifest form (pragat) are all divine...the amount of dasbhav and divyabhāv we have for bhakto, that is how much joy we will get from this prāpti.”
How can one put a permanent end to all doubts and questions?
As one advances in spiritual sadhanas, one is blessed by the guru and God with higher levels of spiritual experience. The Guru's words are the essence and core of a devotee's sadhana. In so doing, doubts and questions are resolved and he or she is blessed with liberation.
For the Purna Mukhpath, provide the range of modules needed to be completed for each of the 4 different levels of competition: Mahant, Pramukh, Yojiji, and Shastriji.
Mahant: 5-10 modules
Pramukh: 11-17 modules
Yogiji: 18-24 modules
Shastriji: 25-35 modules
What is the motivation for our Ahniks? Explain how we can use it to overcome challanges/obstacles that we face in preforming our Ahniks consistently.
Finding motivation for consistency can be challenging, but when we have clarity of our goals and definition of our personal values, following our ahink becomes that much easier.
Motivation: Satpurush's Rajipo, becoming Brahmarup, or being the best version of ourselves, etc...
Aligning our daily activities with our values can provide intrinsic motivation. When we believe that our actions are meaningful and in line with what we value, we are more likely to remain consistent in following through with our āhnik.
On his 90th Birthday, what was one specific benefit of preforming daily 15 miniutes of Prapti no Vichar mentioed by our Guru Pu. Mahant Swami Maharaj ?
[Praptina] Vicharma Badha Prashanonu Samadhan Thai Jay (Doing Prapti no vichar provides solution to all problems)!
(Time Stamp - 22:15)
Vishwas in the Satpurush:
One would suspect that many of us feel we have implicit trust in the guru. Others may believe they have that trust but do not act congruently. Why is there such a disconnect between our beliefs and our actions?
Complacency plays a large role, particularly with regards to the daily contemplation of what we have attained and what our long-term goals are.
-> We are only willing to trust up to a certain comfort level.
-> We have mān of our own identities. We have swārth (selfish motives), and agnan (ignorance) - a lack of understanding of our identity.
-> Distractions - we have faith in the Guru and willingness to grow, however, we fail to think about factors that distract us from acting on the willingness to make change - subtle distractions such as social media and what we consume, to physical distractions like the company we keep.
'Om' consists of three sounds A, U, and M. What do these letters symbolize - the essence of Vedas?
*there are a few things that they symbolize
Three letters symbolize:
-> three states (waking, dream, and deep sleep)
-> three gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas)
-> three deities (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva)
-> 3 of the 4 veda (Rig, Yajur, and Sama)
-> three worlds (bhur/bhuloka, bhuvaha/bhuvarloka, and svaha/svarloka)
There are 35 modules, provide the name/category for any 10 modules.
You can not use your phone.
1. Abhav-Avgun
2. Agna
3. Akshar-Purshottam Siddhant
4. Antardrashti
5. Ashro
6. Atma Vichar
7. Atmabuddhi & Dradh Priti
8. Bhakti
9. Daspanu & Man & Nirmanipanu
10. Divya Sakar
11. Divyabhav
12. Gun-Grahan & Sambandh no Mahima
13. Katha Mahima & Katha Varta
14. Kshma
15. Kusang
16. Niyam-Dharma
17. Pragat
18. Prapti no Vichar
19. Prarthana
20. Rajipo
21. Sahan-Shilta
22. Samp, Suhradbhav, Ekta
23. Sankhya Vichar
24. Sarva-Karta
25. Sarvopari
26. Satpurush no Mahima
27. Satsang
28. Satsang Reading
29. Seva
30. Shurvirta & Himmat
31. Smruti
32. Sukh
33. Swabhav
34. Upsana & Swarupnishtha
35. Vishwas & Shraddha