Swaminarayan Gurukul Parivar at their Himalayan Home

22 OCTOBER 2019, RISHIKESH:  Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji and Pujya Purani Shri Balakrishna Swamiji welcomed saints, devotees and students of the Swaminarayan Gurukul Parivar home to Parmarth Niketan for a week-long Satsang Sadhana Shibir filled with meditation, asanas, pranayama and satsang on the Holy Banks of Maa Ganga.  The camp was noteworthy for many reasons, not the least of which was the resounding message of and call for environmental protection, climate action and a Plastic Free/Clean India, particularly where Mother Ganga is concerned.  

Said Pujya Swamiji: “When we understand that our Mother Earth, Mother India and especially Mother Ganga are sacred in our spiritual practice, but we must extend this understanding to actually translate to living cleaner and greener lifestyles. Let us make it part of our nature to connect with 10 other people to become 11 – then, each of us plant 11 trees. If we commit to planting those trees…commit that our trash is our responsibility…commit that Mother Ganga is our lifeline, and that we must keep that lifeline clean and accessible….we can leave the Earth better than we found it, and that to me is the greatest offering we can give to the Divine.” 

Pujya Swamiji also joined with all of the assembled saints, and received renewed commitments from them that they would work together to further the strides made by the SGVP in their work with the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Ganga Action Parivar, DSF and Parmarth Niketan to ensure that their pledges translate into action on the ground.