Sanatan Jyoti - Bharat Sevashram Sangha

ETERNAL LIGHT ♦ SANATAN JYOTI ♦ 2013Maghi PurnimaSucheta SadhukhanThere are primarily three reasons Bharat Sevashram Sangha celebrates MaghiPurnima in month of February every year. Yugacharya Swami PranavanandajiMaharaj is the founder of Bharat Sevashram Sangha. He was born on theauspicious Maghi purnima day in 1896 at Faridpur District, now it is in Bangladesh. Itwas also Maghi purnima when Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj attained Divineillumination in 1916 and one year later in 1917 on the very same Maghi Purnima dayhe founded Bharat Sevashram Sangha.The Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a socio-religious organization which takes interestnot only in spiritual enhancement of people; it takes care of social, economical,medical and other problems of society.The Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a group of spiritual brotherhood of monks andselfless workers dedicated to the service of humanity.It is mentioned earlier, Srimat Pranavanandaji Maharaj was born on the auspiciousMaghi purnima day. His father’s name was Shree Bishnu Charana Das and mother’sname was Mother Sarada Devi. Before his birth his mother had a miraculous dreamthat Great-God Sankara was incarnating Himself as her son. Eventually the dreamcame true. When he was born, the neighbors were charmed to see the newbornbaby. They said Oh! It is not a human baby, it is a perfect and smooth figure of theLord Shiva engraved in stone. Since his childhood he was quiet, serious, unattachedto the worldly affairs. As the boy grew, attributes of the great lord Shiva graduallybecame apparent in him. The boy had a pleasant look and his speech was full ofnectar. He had a great physical strength. Acharyadeva used to do lots of exercise tobuild his muscles. He gave the proof of his strength many times and on manyoccasions. But his diet was only boiled potato and rice. One day on of his friendasked him you eat only rice and potato, I eat fish, meat but you are lot stronger thanmine. How it is possible? He said we need to practice self-discipline. Friend asked,how do you practice self-discipline? He said I practice self-discipline for perfect selfcontrol. Through diet- control, hearing control, speech control the mind and fivesense-organs can be controlled and the Almighty power can be attained.In 1913, he was initiated in yoga by great yogi Baba Gambhiranathji. Then he spent3 consecutive years in divine meditation in his village. Eventually his success cameand he attained the divine illumination. Since then a great divine power purified byvigorous austerity manifested in his body.After the break of his divine Samadhi, he announced his massage for the people ofthe world-“This age is the age of great awakening. This age is the age of great unity.This age is the age of great adjustment. This age is the age of great salvation.BHARAT SEVASHRAM SANGHA OF NORTH AMERICA, CHICAGO 21