Due to the supreme grace and guidance of Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale, Sanatan Sanstha was established in the year 1999. Before this, under the aegis of Sanatan Bharatiya Sanskruti Sanstha, Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale spread Spirituality in society through various mediums such as discourses, study classes, satsangs, etc. Among these, one important medium was the organisation of public meetings.
From 1996 to 1999, Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale organised more than 250 public meetings in various Districts of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. Thousands of people benefited from these. Many among them began sadhana (Spiritual practice) from the very day they attended the meeting.
This Article sheds light on some aspects of public meetings organised by Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale.
1. Objective in organising public meetings
The main goal of our life is to obtain Anand (Bliss). Only the science of Spirituality teaches how to obtain Anand. Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale says, “Even if people do not understand the subject of Spirituality today, it will reach their subconscious mind in seed form. As a result, if not today then tomorrow, if not in this birth then in a future birth, the people present here will certainly begin to perform sadhana (Spiritual practice).”
While explaining the subject in the meetings, Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale would perceive what was in the minds of the audience and guide them accordingly. Hence, the doubts in everyone’s mind about sadhana would get resolved. As a result, many spiritually curious individuals present in those meetings have today become seekers. This itself is the fruit of the meetings conducted by Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale.
2. Preparations for the public meetings
A. Preparing cloth banners : A major aspect of publicity for the meetings was the cloth banners put up at various places. Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale would get these banners prepared by seekers. This satseva was carried out at the Mumbai Sevakendra.
B. Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale teaching seekers screen printing on banners : After the mission of spreading Spirituality grew, it was decided to perform this satseva through screen printing. This was completely new for the seekers. Questions such as which type of cloth should be selected for the banner, what should its colour be, and which colour ink should be used for writing on it were all taken care of. All these aspects were taught by Gurudev. For the writing to be printed, a stencil had to be prepared first. Thereafter, this stencil was fitted into a wooden frame and then it had to be developed in a dark room. This was the most difficult part of the entire screen printing service.
During printing, utmost care had to be taken to ensure that the colour did not spread on the cloth, because even a single stain would render the banner unusable. Thus, this satseva had to be performed with great precision.
C. Seekers not experiencing fatigue even after printing banners throughout the night : Through the medium of banner printing, Gurudev taught us how to perform satseva perfectly and excellently. Due to this, concentration and yearning for sadhana developed in us. For nearly 3 years, many seekers (who would go to work during the day) would do the banner printing satseva throughout the night; yet they never felt tired.
From this, it is evident that Gurudev Himself was teaching us satseva and was also giving us the Shakti (Divine Energy) and Chaitanya (Divine consciousness) to perform it. It is difficult to describe in words the grace He has bestowed upon us seekers.
3. Skilful planning of publicity for the public meetings
In every District, planning for the public meeting used to begin several months in advance. If the number of seekers in a particular District was less, seekers from nearby Districts would come there to perform satseva. Through this, Sachchidananda Parabrahman
(Dr) Athavale fostered a sense of unity and family feeling among seekers.
A. Other mediums adopted for publicising the meeting :
1. People were invited to the public meetings by distributing invitation cards. These cards also contained information on the upcoming public meetings, enabling people to inform their acquaintances.
2. Putting up posters at various places in the village / city
3. Writing information about the meeting on the walls of seekers’ houses and on the railings of bridges along the roads
4. Printing invitations for the public meeting in local newspapers to invite curious individuals
5. Publicising the meeting throughout the area using loudspeakers
6. Organising rallies of seekers to promote the public meeting. Complete care was taken to ensure that traffic was not disrupted due to such rallies. On the day of the meeting, rallies of two-wheelers and four-wheelers were also organised. At no point did these rallies obstruct traffic.
From this, it becomes evident how much effort was taken to invite curious individuals to the public meeting. Today, such publicity can be easily carried out through social media; however, 25 years ago, despite the lack of modern facilities, the manner in which Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale organised and publicised these meetings reflects His remarkable planning ability.
B. Dharmarath made to transport materials required for the meetings : A truck was used to transport all the materials of the public meetings from one village to another. It was called the ‘Dharmarath’. Sachchidananda Parabrahman (Dr) Athavale had selected spiritual messages which were painted on the vehicle in large letters; thus spreading Spirituality through it as well.
People travelling along the route would notice this unique Dharmarath and attend the meetings. In this way, the Dharmarath also served effectively as a medium of publicity.
The internal arrangement of the Dharmarath was distinctive and designed as per Gurudev’s guidance. The arrangement of materials inside it was also meticulously planned.
B1. Experience of Mr Abhay Vartak, a Dharmapracharak of Sanatan Sanstha, on how materials were loaded and unloaded from the Dharmarath : Unloading the materials brought by the Dharmarath for the meeting and reloading them after the meeting was an exciting and blissful satseva. Many seekers present at the meeting would voluntarily participate in this. A human chain of seekers would be formed to bring the materials near the Dharmarath.
Thereafter, the responsible seekers would arrange the materials inside it. Gurudev had taught that the items required first should be placed in the front, and those needed later should be kept at the back. Accordingly, the materials were arranged systematically and skilfully. Never did it happen that delicate items such as loudspeakers were damaged by iron objects.
The time available for reloading the materials onto the Dharmarath was very limited, as after completing a meeting in one village / city, the Dharmarath would immediately proceed to another for the next meeting. (Mr Abhay Vartak, Spokesperson, Sanatan Sanstha)
– Mr Yogesh Jaltare (Editor-In-Chief, Sanatan Prabhat Media Group) (2.5.2024)
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