Swaminarayan sharanam prapannosmi, sa patu mãm.” By reciting this mantra the guru frees the aspirant from past sins, leads him to Shriji Maharaj’s refuge and makes him a satsangi. The guru then places a kanthi made of two strands of threaded tulsi beads, around the devotee’s neck. The two strands of the kanthi symbolize the aspirant’s refuge in Akshar and Purushottam. Devotees wear this kanthi for the rest of their lives (Shikshapatri 41) God always protects a devotee who has accepted this kanthi as a symbol of his refuge. Nitya Karma (Daily Rituals ) Nitya Karma refers to our daily rituals, or actions that we perform everyday. This section details the principles in the Shikshapatri that describe a devotee’s nitya karma (specifically those described in Shikshapatri shloks 40 to 54 and 61 to 64). All sadhus and householder devotees of Shriji Maharaj should daily wake up before sunrise and meditate on God. Waking up early in the morning increases energy and mental peace. Also, rising early fills our mind with noble thoughts and in this peaceful atmosphere we experience great joy in meditation, worship and recollection of the divine incidents of God. Waking up late, however, not only deprives us of these benefits, but also gradually strips us of our virtues. Today, the habit of late rising is widespread, but it is a bad habit. So, all devotees should awake before sunrise. After going to the toilet the left hand should be washed ten times with soap and then both hands should be washed together seven times. Then sit in one place to brush one’s teeth, and clean the wash basin when finished. After brushing one should take a bath. Our scriptures emphasize the importance of taking a morning bath with clean water. A person is considered impure until he bathes in the morning. In addition, one can perform puja only after having taken a bath. It is believed that bathing with cold water on the banks of a river or a lake is best, because bathing with cold water generates strength and energy in our body. After bathing, wear washed clothes and then perform puja. One who performs puja without wearing an upper garment is considered naked. For puja, we spread two pieces of clean cloth on the floor. We should place our murtis on one cloth and sit on the other one. Our scriptures specify that it is best to use a darbhasana, mrigacharmasana, or a woollen cloth for our puja. If we don’t sit on one of these three types of mats or if we sit directly on the floor, our puja is considered incomplete. We should do puja facing east or north. Our scriptures explain that we should face these directions because
the East represents the direction of the devas. In addition, our scriptures
prohibit sitting for puja facing west or south. Kishore Satsang Pravesh
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