PARICHAY-PAPER 1 SECTION 1: SAHAJANAND CHARITRA - 6th Edition, January 2013

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1 PARICHAY-PAPER 1 SECTION 1: SAHAJANAND CHARITRA - 6th Edition, January 2013 Q.1. In the sentences below, state who is speaking to whom and when. [9] 1. It gives light to the holy and the unholy alike. (p.129) A) Shriji Maharaj to the Organizers of the festival B) When Maharaj asked the organizers of the Holi festival in Panchala if everyone had been fed, including the poor people in rags. The organizers questioned as to why sinners deserved to be fed, and Maharaj replied. 2. That s our destiny. We must suffer it. (p. 72) A) Mulji Sheth to Maharaj B) When Maharaj inquired about Mulji Sheth s wife s blindness and how it must be difficult for her because of many reasons. 3. We will extend all possible help in the construction work. (p. 143) A) Jiva Khachar and the devotees of Sarangpur to Shriji Maharaj B) When they requested Maharaj to build a Mandir in Sarangpur. Q.2. Give reasons for the following. (two to three lines each). [6] 1. The boy started crying when the barber finished Shriji Maharaj s shaving. A) The boy had asked the barber to give him some of Maharaj s hair as a memento. After completing Maharaj s haircut, the barber forgot and packed up all the hair in a bag and left, so the boy began crying. Seeing this, Maharaj asked what happen and after the boy explained, Maharaj cut some hair from his shikha and gave it to the boy. (p. 114) 2. Ghosts haunted the banyan tree in Piplana went to Badrikashram. A) Maharaj visited a haunted banyan tree on the outskirts of the town. This banyan tree was possessed by thousands of evil spirits and ghosts. Maharaj held a religious assembly under the tree and instructed the devotees to sing the Swaminarayan mantra. The evil spirits were liberated as soon as the Swaminarayan mantra fell on their ears. He freed all the ghosts from their evil existence, granted them divine bodies and sent them all to Badrikashram. (p. 4) 3. Bhagwan Maharudra decided to send the famine. A) It was the year 1869; Lord Maharudra appeared to Maharaj in the form of a Brahmin and said, Sins have greatly affected this world, your devotees have been troubled and tortured greatly by the Vaam Margis, Shakti Panthis and Kuda Panthis, who have grown menacingly powerful. Therefore, I shall send a drought. Your devotees shall not be affected. You should remain underground during the famine. (p. 88)

2 Q.3. Write short notes on any ONE of the following. (In 15 lines.) [5] 1. Imbibe virtues. (p. 158) A) Once at noon, Maharaj was serving food to the sadhus. He was serving a variety of separate dishes to the sadhus and devotees. When everyone was about to begin eating, after saying Jai, a sadhu arrived there from his tour of villages. Maharaj had exhausted everything. Now what could he do? Maharaj said to the sadhu, You hold out your pattar and start collecting food from everyone as bhiksha. The paramhansa took his pattar and started moving amongst those who were sitting there. Everyone gave the best of the dishes to him. In no time his pattar was filled with sweets. Maharaj stood between the two rows holding the saint s pattar and said, Look here, he bowed down before everyone and collected the food, and as a result, the whole of the pattar has been filled with sweets. In the same manner, if you can overcome your ego and collect just one virtue from everyone, your life will be filled with virtues. 2. Succour to the poor. (p.94) A) Maharaj invited the sadhus and devotees to Karjisan to celebrate Janmashtmi. He travelled for some period in Karjisan, Meou and Langhnaj. There lived two satsangi women in Langhnaj, one was very poor. Her name was Sonbai Bhavsar. The other was a rich Nagar Brahmin. Her name was Gangaba. Sonbai invited Maharaj and other sadhus for a meal. When Gangaba learnt about this, she approached Sonbai and told her that her food is impure and inferior so Gangaba would bring a special dish to feed them. Poor Sonbai was hurt but with great pain she agreed to the proposal. When Maharaj came to Sonbai s house he noticed she seemed upset. Maharaj asked her to explain the cause of her sorrow. Tearfully, Sonbai explained everything to Maharaj declared, Bring whatever you have cooked. I shall eat only your food. Sonbai became very happy and laid a low stool for Maharaj and offered him the food. When Maharaj had finished his meals, Gangaba, appeared, followed by a Brahmin with a prepared dish. Maharaj told her, I have eaten, I enjoyed Sonbai s food. Now share your food with Sonbai? Gangaba introspected, realized her mistake and was convinced about Sonbai s sincerity and devotion. 3. Sahajanand, the just. (p. 69) A) Maharaj was once addressing the congregation at Loya. When the religious discourse was in progress, Gangabai, who was from the Dhed community, came there. She had hearing the glory of Maharaj from a satsangi, and so had walked all the way from Chuda to Loya. Some women from Chuda were present in the assembly. Maharaj told them, Let this Gangabai sit in a corner by your side. The women started grumbling and making faces. Some of them turned their faces. Maharaj turned towards the wife of Sura Khachar and asked her, Who disposes of the dead animals from your stables or cowsheds? She replied, Maharaj! The Dheds do that job. Maharaj added further, That means whenever a cow or horse or dog or some animal dies on your premises, you do allow Dheds to enter

3 your house don t you? Then why are your grumbling here? Besides, this Gangabai is a mumukshu. In her last birth she was of the Nagar Brahmin community and was proud of her higher status in society. She never respected devotees from the lower classes. She used to dislike them. Therefore, this time she has become a Dhed by birth. If you show such class distinctions then you too shall be suffer a similar fate. Those who are proud of their varna (class) and ashram (stages of life) do not possess the qualities of saintliness. Therefore, one should not boast of one s varna or ashram. Everyone understood this fact. Their bias subsided. They made room for Gangabai. All of them learnt a new lesson in life today. Q.4. Answer ALL of the following, using one sentence (not just one word) for each answer. [5] 1. What did the Brahmins of Umreth think when they saw Maharaj? A) When they saw Maharaj, they thought, We should test the divinity of Maharaj. (p.55) 2. Why were paramhansas not prepared to take cooked food as alms? A) The chief sadguru, observed, We cannot stay at a place where we are offered such food daily. Rich food causes attachment, so we must leave. (p.52) 3. Why did Shriji Maharaj decide to appoint Mahants for each mandir? A) He stated: We have to appoint Mahants for the mandirs that we have built. The Mahant will work with a sense of belonging. We have decided to appoint separate Mahants for each mandir. (p.150) 4. What did Suvasini Bhabhi feel when she saw Maharaj? A) Suvasini Bhabhi was overcome with joy and started crying wondering, Am I seeing a dream? (p. 132) 5. What did Shriji Maharaj say while showing the tilak on Gunatitanand Swami s forehead? A) This is our tilak. No God can compare with me and no sadhu can compare with this sadhu (Gunatitanand Swami). (p.120) Q.5. From the given options, place a tick ( ) in the box next to the correct ones. [4] Note: One or more of the options may be correct. Full marks will be awarded only if all the correct options are chosen, otherwise no marks will be awarded. 1. Mitha vahala kem visaru... (p.168)

4 (1) ( ) Walked more than sixty miles in a day. (2) ( ) Would give the rest of thal to Swami. (3) Muktanand Swami consoled all. (4) Reached Gadhada on Jeth sud Bhimbhai s prayer in Kalvani (p. 5) (1) When a new king is crowned, he puts the bad people into jail. (2) ( ) Very recently you too were coronated. (3)( ) Release those jivas from hell. (4) Why should the jivas in hell remain as prisoners? Q.6. Fill in the blanks. [4] 1. Near the mandir of Buta-devi, Shriji Maharaj gave a handful of sugar to all the members of the group. (p.153) 2. In Surat Mr. Anderson asked Muktanand Swami to look after Shriji Maharaj. (p.136) 3. In Gadhada Shriji Maharaj called the Paramhansas as dumb as doves. (p.92) 4. In Vartal Shriji Maharaj gave darshan in twelve forms. (p.97) SECTION 2: SATSANG READER II - 4th Edition, April 2011 Q.7. In the sentences below, state who is speaking to whom and when. [9] 1. Learn and practise the wisdom of this Vachanamrut. (p.59) A) Gunatitanand Swami to Jaga Bhakta B) When Swami gave advice to Jaga Bhakta as Vachanamrut Gadhada I-61 was being read. 2. After attaining this knowledge return to this region and meet me. (p.12) A) Shriji Maharaj to the boy

5 B) When the young boy pleaded to stay with Maharaj, but Maharaj advised him to go learn at a school of music. 3. I got up halfway. (p.41) A) Dada Khachar to Shriji Maharaj B) When Maharaj called Dada Khachar to the Akshar Ordi in the middle of his haircut Q.8. Give reasons for the following (two to three lines each). [4] 1. Ada started telling his followers to go to Bochasan. A) Now Ada started telling his followers to go to Bochasan. He used to say, The Akshar- Purushottam philosophy which had so far remained restricted to a corner has now spread throughout the Charotar region. Therefore, those who want to talk about or listen to it openly should go to Bochasan. (p. 73) 2. Gunatitanand Swami put his pattar in the gold plate and ate his food. A) Acharya Maharaj brought a gold plate and requested Swami to take his food in it. But he was not prepared to make any concessions in observing Shriji Maharaj s commands. As Acharya Maharaj was very insistent, he put his pattar in the gold plate and ate rotlo and dal in his pattar. (p.35) Q. 9. Write short notes on Nityanand Swami s unshakable faith in the supremacy of Maharaj (in 15 lines). [5] A) Nityanand Swami had an unshakable faith in the supremacy of Maharaj. While the Satsangijivan scripture was being written at Vartal, the question of how to describe Maharaj s form was raised. Most of the sadhus compared him with incarnations like Ram and Krishna. At that time Nityanand Swami said, Shriji Maharaj is the avatari of all avatars. He is the cause of all causes. He is the manifest supreme God, Purushottam Narayan. How can we say he is like other incarnations? The sadhus were divided on this issue. Even Shriji Maharaj himself opposed Nityanand Swami. Maharaj tried his best but Nityanand Swami was as firm as a mountain in his conviction. He didn t budge. In the end, Shriji Maharaj called him an obstinate person and excommunicated him. Nityanand Swami stopped attending the daily satsang assemblies. He stopped taking meals and engaged in constant meditation and bhajan. This continued for seven days. On the eighth day Shriji Maharaj invited Nityanand Swami to the assembly, performed his puja and offered his own garland as a token of love and appreciation for his devotion. People were surprised to see this sudden change in Maharaj s attitude towards him. Maharaj then explained to the paramhansas, Nityanand Swami is right in his understanding. A devotee must possess such qualities. You, too, should understand my form the way he understands it. (p. 4) Q.10. Answer ALL of the following, using one sentence (not just one word) for each answer. [4]

6 1. How did Shriji Maharaj appreciate Premanand Swami? A) Maharaj greatly appreciated Premanand Swami s devotion and poetry. He used to bestow divine bliss upon him in many ways. (p.15) 2. What did Bhaktimata reply when the women requested her to dwell among them? A) I am a pativrata woman, so if you all observe dharma then I will stay among you. (p.48) 3. Which mandir did Nityanand Swami contribute to significantly in constructing? A) Nityanand Swami contributed significantly in constructing the mandir at the site where Shriji Maharaj was cremated in Lakshmi Vadi. (p.8) 4. To whom did Shriji Maharaj solemnize the marriage of Dada Khachar? A) Maharaj solemnized the marriage of Dada Khachar with Jasuba, the daughter of Darbar Nagpal Varu, with great pomp. (p.43) Q.11 Select the SIX correct sentences from below and write them in the correct story sequence in the boxes. [6] Topic: Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj s atmanishtha 1. Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj ate salty dudhpak. 2. Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj had gone to a village called Ashlali near Jetalpur. 3. The sadhus lovingly served dudhpak to Acharya Maharaj. 4. To Acharya Maharaj both salt and sugar were alike. 5. He pleased the sadhus and devotees under his care. 6. He said, One should not care for taste in God s prasad. 7. While performing mansi puja, a scorpion stung him but he was not disturbed. 8. Acharya Maharaj was forgiving by nature. 9. Acharya Maharaj said, If the evil cannot give up its nature, why should the good give up their goodness. 10. His brotherhood had made him loved by all the sadhus and devotees. 11. Instead of sugar, salt had been added to the dudhpak. 12. When the sadhus sat to eat they discovered that dudhpak was salty.

7 Note: (1) 3 marks will be awarded for the correct line numbers only if all the six sentence numbers are correct and (2) 3 marks will be awarded only if all the sequence of sentence numbers is correct. Otherwise no marks will be given. Write the correct sentence numbers Correct sequence of sentence (p.33) Correct Numbers: 1,3,4,6,11,12 Correct Sequence: 3,1,12,11,4,6 Q.12. Rewrite the incorrect sentences below in relation to the sentence heading. [4] Note: Marks will be awarded only if a completely correct sentence is written. Otherwise no marks will be awarded. Example: Sadguru Nityanand Swami: On Maha vad 9, V.S. 1902, in the presence of Acharya Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj, Gunatitanand Swami, Paramchaitanyanand Swami, Kripanand Swami and other sadhus, he passed away at Ahmedabad. Ans. Sadguru Nityanand Swami: On Magshar sud 8, V.S. 1903, in the presence of Acharya Raghuvirji Maharaj, Gopalanand Swami, Shuk Muni, Shunyatitanandji and other sadhus, he passed away at Vartal. 1. Bhaktaraj Dada Khachar: Once, while returning after taking bath in river Falgu in Sarangpur, Maharaj saw some munis camping in the open air on a hillock. By looking at this, Maharaj said, It will be good if we build a Pathshala for this munis. A) Bhaktaraj Dada Khachar: Once, while returning from the river Ghela in Gadadha, Maharaj saw some bawas camping in the open air on a hillock. He said, These bawas are living here in the open. It will be good if we build a dharmashala or something for them. (p.38) 2. Acharya Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj: Shriji Maharaj founded a pure ashram by establishing mandirs and by initiating efficient devotees. But the problem of place for mandirs was a trying one. A) Acharya Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj: Shriji Maharaj founded a pure Sampraday by establishing mandirs and by initiating intelligent sadhus. But the problem of managing the mandirs efficiently was a trying one. (p.31) 3. Sadguru Nityanand Swami: There is a village called Chhapaiya near Delhi. A Baniya called Ram Sharma lived there. His wife s name was Vanitadevi. This pious couple led a pure life and worshipped God.

8 A) Sadguru Nityanand Swami: There is a village called Datiya near Lucknow. A Brahmin called Vishnu Sharma lived there. His wife s name was Virjadevi. This pious couple led a pure life and worshipped God. (p.1) 4. Premsakhi Premanand Swami: After some days a black smith passing by suddenly saw the girl lying in the root of the tree. His joy knew no bounds on seeing the girl. A) Premsakhi Premanand Swami: After some time a carder passing by suddenly saw the child lying in the hole of the tree. His joy knew no bounds on seeing the child. (p.11) SECTION 3: ESSAY Q.13. Write an essay on any ONE of the following. (In approximately 30 lines.) [10] 1. Solution of problems: Pramukh Swami Maharaj. (Swaminarayan Prakash (Gujarati) December 2015, pp. 22 to 25) 2. Tributes paid by Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi. (Swaminarayan Prakash (Gujarati) September-October 2016, pp. 69 to 75) 3. Divine experiences of the living and non-living body of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. (Swaminarayan Prakash (Gujarati) September-October 2016, pp. 91 to 93, 89)