Mumbai: Gurudevshri Rakeshji Stresses Self-Effort Alongside Guru's Guidance For Awakening Spiritual Consciousness

Mumbai: While the role of a true guru is vital for awakening spiritual consciousness, one’s spiritual preparation for the journey cannot be ignored, said Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji on the fourth day of the Paryushan Mahaparva, hosted by Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD), at the Dome at NSCI, Worli, Mumbai.

Spiritual seekers from over the globe, across age groups and backgrounds, have been gathering at the venue every morning and evening for religious discourses, devotional music, and cultural programmes to mark the eight-day Jain festival of Paryushan that began on August 20. 

In the morning on Saturday, the gathering celebrated the birth of Tirthankar Bhagwan through the Snatra Puja, accompanied by devotional songs and chants. This was followed by Rakeshji’s discourses on Natak Samaysaar. The evenings at the gathering are a setting for cultural performances, soulful bhakti, dedications by devotees, and the launch of humanitarian and social initiatives, and discourses on Shrimad Rajchandraji’s Vachanamrut Patrank 505.

In Friday evening, the children of SRMD Divinetouch, a global chain of value-education classes for children and teenagers, presented a programme called the ‘Galaxy of Grace’, where they shared their stories of transformation. The audience found the programme a moving experience as the presenters wove in personal anecdotes and experiences that celebrated the inspiration and values of Shrimad Rajchandra, the philosopher, poet, and spiritual leader in whose memory the SRMD was established by Gurudevshri Rakeshji.

The values propagated by Shrimad Rajchandra, the spiritual guru of Mahatma Gandhi, is shaping young minds, channelling their energies towards a higher purpose, and nurturing generations to come, said a SRMD spokesperson.

In his discourse, Rakeshji elucidated a fundamental principle of spirituality, both individual worthiness and association with the enlightened one, are essential for spiritual. Drawing from timeless wisdom, he explained through practical examples how both material cause, upadan, and instrumental cause, nimitt, are required for any effect, just as the clay and the potter are both necessary to create a pot. This guidance offered seekers clarity on the need of devotion and self-effort towards spiritual development.