Today in BAPS History

17 August 2016 Sarangpur, India His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj's Final Rites

Today he has become our world, just like you were.   We feel the same elation in the swagats. We feel the same Bapa again. We see that same beautiful, mesmerising face again. We feel that same love again. We witness the same devotion to God and Guru again.   He replaced the irreplaceable. Because there was no replacing to do. You are one and the same. Aksharbrahma.

Today, a thin and softly spoken sadhu, Mahant Swami, lit the pyre. On that day, Mahant Swami was only a senior sadhu in our eyes.

Today, we realised how deep your devotion was. Guru and God were the focus throughout your life. In your final seconds, you had your beloved Thakorji on your chest. And the murti of your guru in your presence. Today, even after you have breathed your last, your devotion remains eternal. Pramukh Swami Maharaj Smruti Mandir https://youtu.be/mrYZaXNUZmg

Today, a day we would never imagine. You were invincible. You were the Bapa that would always be there. You were the Bapa we were born with. Bapa that was always a ‘given' in life. For those four days you were still before our eyes, with us. But today, you – the almighty, the powerful, the Bapa that would be there forever – were suddenly engulfed by flames.

Today, we would see your mesmerising face for the last time. Your beautiful, innocent face would light up our lives with joy. But today was different. There was only pain. The final time this earth was graced with the presence of your body... The smile that mesmerised millions... The arms that helped thousands... The hands that blessed countless... The legs that walked from house to house... All to give to joy to others.

Today, we welcomed you for the final time. For decades, your arrivals were always the most memorable. Moments that filled our hearts with elation. Today, however, our hearts were empty. Void. Numb. You taught us to perform bhakti and adorned our lives with puja, thal, arti. Today was the last arti we would offer to you.

Today, we were all the same. Age, gender, nationality, sadhu, householder - nothing mattered. We were sat, for hours, in the scorching heat, as one family. Your family. You had said 'BAPS Ek Parivar' many times, but on that day, we felt it like never before. Our hearts and minds united by our love, and grief, for you.

Bapa,   Today was a day we want to forget but that we never will. Heartache, wrenching pain, and an endless flow of tears. Wails of pain, anguish and sorrow heard in every corner. Grief is the price of love is what we realised on that fateful day.