L K Advani at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission on Saturday. (Express photo)Former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani Saturday attended the mahayagna held in memory of Dada J P Vaswani at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission on its third day on Saturday. The three-day Mahayagna, the first “in remembrance of the master”, was observed with prayers, sevas and satsangs from July 11 to 13.
Advani, who had links with Dada and the Mission, spent at least three hours at the event, sitting silently with folded hands. “On the observance, he chose to remain silent, emphasising that words wouldn’t do justice when encapsulating the memory of Dada,” said a Mission press release. Advani refused to speak to the media.
On this observance, Didi Krishna Kumari, sent out a message in remembrance and love, saying, “Today brings with itself boundless blessings. Our thoughts turn to our beloved Dada, just as they do every day, every moment of every day. Exactly one year ago, unfurling his golden wings, he ascended to the Land of Truth. Never could we have thought that our beloved would leave us so swiftly, so suddenly. Day by day, the yearning grows stronger, the longing grows deeper. But nothing, no force can keep Dada away from us. He is not apart from us, he is a part of us.”
On July 11, the evening witnessed bhajan renditions by singer Shailendra Bharti. This was followed by a recorded talk of Dada on “overcoming the fear of death”. In it, he spoke of the distinctness between the body and soul. “While the body dies, the soul lives on.” He appealed to all to be fearless in death.
‘Thus Spake Dada Vaswani,’ and ‘Make the Right Choice’ — two new books and a special edition of East and West Series, a monthly magazine of the Mission, were also released at the event.
On July 12 when Dada Vaswani attained “samadhi” last year, prayers were held. A Prabhat Pheri was taken out amidst chants of ‘Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Dada Shyam, Dada Shyam’. “It has been pouring since the last few days and when it did not this morning, I knew it was Dada’s love, yet again, protecting us, shielding us,” said Shobha Budhrani, who had arrived for the Prabhat Pheri from Singapore. “The scene this morning was blessed, I felt so secure and so loved. Every step I took, it felt as though Dada was walking with me. I do not have words to express,” said Neena Daryanani, who had come from Hong Kong.
The afternoon session had bhajans, kirtans and sevas. Seva activities were carried out where items were distributed among 19 girl students of St Mira’s, including cash, lunch box, water bottle, pen and pencil.
On July 13, akhand kirtans and sevas were conducted in which a month’s ration was distributed to needy families. Artificial limbs were distributed to 33 patients in the Mission, who were a part of the Satara Artificial Limbs Camp.
