4.4. Purity in Festival

[Full title: Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa and His Tradition (4): Purity in Festival]

The degradation of sacred festivals was another form of adharma prevailing in contemporary society. Under the guise of propitiating deities, the custodians of dharma–the sādhus and Brahmins misled society. They had introduced false modes of devotion in the form of immoral and evil rituals, such as adultery and the partaking of meat and liquor as prasāda–sanctified offerings. Gambling and licentious behavior also prevailed during festivals. In reality, the festivals became a ruse for the gratification of the senses. Therefore, Śrījī Mahārāja decided to hold prominent holy festivals by inviting devotees in mass gatherings. In these, He elucidated the import of the festivals and the specific rituals and rites to be performed. For instance, He was the first to advocate Ahiṃsaka Yajñas–a non-violent ritual of the sacred fire–to prevent the slaughter of animals such as goats.^[1]

Another example of His edification of festivals was removing vice such gambling from Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, the birthday celebration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrījī Mahārāja advocated reading of the śāstras, singing devotional kīrtanas extolling the glory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and fasting to uplift the senses onto a more sublime plane. He formulated a similar solution to abolish ribald songs, known as phaṭānā, sung during marriage ceremonies. He replaced these songs with kīrtanas glorifying the marriage of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī, composed by His sādhus. Through His sublime love and teachings, He also convinced the local pugnacious clans to renounce their lawless ways of living and turn to trade or agriculture instead.

In A Comprehensive History of India, Datta notes, “

They gave up the habit of drinking, gambling, eating meat, smoking and raised their moral standards. Sahajānandaji exhorted people to have restraint on their passions and lead a pure–God-fearing life. … Some criminal tribes even gave good citizens.”^[2]

Bishop Heber too noted the lofty level of morality established by Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa,

“His morality was said to be far better than any which could be learned from the śāstras.”^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vāghelā B. G., Bhagvan Svāmīnarayannu Samakālina Lokajīvana, Svāmīnarayan Akṣarapiṭha, 2011, p. 155

[2]:

Datta K K and Nārāyaṇa V A, A Comprehensive History of India-11, People’s publishing house, 2000, p.848

[3]:

Heber Reginald, Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India-2, John Murray Albemarle Street, 1846, p. 106.