Sample 2
Professor N. Anderson
ENC1930-U5M
September 21, 2015
Impression ofGurukul inmy life
Life is an adventure in which we have many good and bad experiences. But some places or people in our lives, for some reason, stay in our hearts till our last breathe.In my past, there was a time when things were changing almost as if it was all a dream. My bad habits were transmuted into good ones. I was getting to know what the real purpose of life is, and was becoming firm in achieving it. Also, I was coming in contact with people who were truely so caring, merciful and helpful; they were trying to make me a better person every day.Although there are four things that have a direct effect on your mind; place, time, action and people. But in reality, the place is the one that has a very big impact on your minds development.
Migrating from place to place is a human behavior. But only some places create a good impression on your mind. I came across a space in my life that made my life beautiful and purposeful:Gurukul.This was a space were I spent the most amazing seven years of my life, gaining spiritual and academic knowledge with outstanding sporting activities. It was a type of religious trust standing as a tripod on its three pillars; sports, study and spirituality. I always felt calm, peaceful and joyous in its holy environment. The greenery and natural preserve with jumpy brown-haired monkeys and blue necked peacocks with its beautiful feathers always kept me fresh and joyful. The temple inside the campus was a place where I used to energize my mind with the showering of god’s love. Moreover, the holy effects of this place were enhanced by the lifestyle of the saints living there. The lessons and morals I learnt from them were like mirrors that let me see humanity in myself.
Entering the big wooden gate of the campus, it smelled like somethingwas frying due to the canteen on the left hand, just beside the gate. The crowd of devotees there showed the importance ofprasad (a food that is first served to god)in their spiritual life. As soon as you cross the 20 meter passage, you are in a big ground, which is bounded by different types of buildings. On the left side, there is a five storey building named Jogi Swami Chatralay where students live. The huge building was designed simply and was painted with a light creamy reddish-pink concentration. At the front of the building, there was a volleyball and cricket ground where students used to play in their free time. The little bit of student noise from their rooms strikes your eardrum as you stand at the center of the ground. The sweet scent of roses, mogra, chameli and many other flowers attract you to sit on the benches beside them.
On the opposite side of the main entrance is the heart of campus: the temple ofLord Swaminarayan.The amazingly designed building has many spiritual secrets hidden on its wall. The nicely carved wall and the shape of the temple make it seems like a historic monument. The top of the temple is rectangular and cone shaped, around 22 meters high. The flying of the banderole on the peak of the temple makes you feel the freedom in god’s kingdom.
Everything calms down as soon as you enter the main hall in the temple. You feel relaxed and safe from all the worldly fears. In the center, there is a beautiful idol ofLord Swaminarayanwhich was installed after performingarati (a ritual)byPujyapaad Brahmanishth Jogi Swami.On the either side ofLord Swaminarayan,there is also an idol ofNaranarayan DevandLaxminarayan Dev.The smell of incense stick near the god and the chanting of holy mantras by devotees in the temple easily connects you with god. And after sometime, you feel,with your eyes closed, like someone is holding your hand with his soft, helping and caring hand, and asking you a question,“Do you love me or my materialistic world?”
One day at night, about 9:15pm, after finishing my light dinner, I was just sitting on the ground, staring at one star in the dark blackish-blue sky with no clouds. I heard the chanting of name of god;Lord Swaminarayan,from the outer speakers of the temple. I went inside curiously and I saw that there was asatsang sabha(a religious assembly). A saint named asHariswarup Swamiwas teaching the reality, the happiness, the importance and the truth behind spirituality. I sat in thesabhafor some time and got interested in the talks of that divine saint. When I was got completely involved inthe sabha,I felt that everything he was talking about was just on my behaviors and my bad habits. So, I started noting all my weak points to change them to my stronger ones. The one thing he talked about that touched my heart the most was that he saideverything in this world is going to be destroyed at the end. Nothing is fixed or stable or forever in this world, except The God.
It was about two years from that day, after coming from myDiwalivacations, that I had the firm decision to confess all my sins to the saint who gave methe god,Lord Swaminarayan.The whole night in the bus, going togurukulfrom my native place, I was just thinking “how I will say this?” But someone was pushing me in my heart to do that. Finally, the following afternoon,hariswarup swamicame from his room to the temple as usual and, at that time, I gave him a page in which all my sins were written down in words. I was shocked when I felt he was loving me like a mother loves his child after reading that page. From a deep and brief experience of his life, he told me that what I should do in life, what things I should never do in life, how my lifestyle should be and what things I should concentrate on in the present time. And also commanded me to do eleven beads and pray to god to make me free from the sins. I felt relaxed and peaceful from that point of time on. This completely changed my life. Having a mother-son relation with him, I always desired to live with him forever. But what can we do? Everything goes on and on as per god’s will; we just should be happy, loving and hard working for him at every step of life. And should have uncompromising, limitless and undying faith in him.