This is the incredible darshan of Shree Shreemad SwamiNarayan about Manasi-Seva and various seasons.
It is very practical and I have enhanced my sadhana very much due to the Grace of this darshan.
Mãnsi Pujã
23.1 In the Samvat year 1885, on the night of Ãso sud Punam [22nd October 1828], Swãmi Shree Sahajãnandji Mahãrãj was sitting on a decorated bedstead that had been placed in the yard of His residence in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã.
He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of paramhans, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
23.2 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj, out of compassion, addressed all the bhaktas and said, “A person who is a bhakta of Bhagvãn daily performs the mãnsi pujã of Bhagvãn.
A person should perform that mãnsi pujã in different ways, depending on the three seasons: summer, winter, and monsoon.
During the four months of summer.
23.3 “During the four months of summer, a person should perform pujã by first bathing Bhagvãn with cool, fragrant, pure water. He should then offer Him a beautiful, washed, thin, white khes to wear.
After seating Bhagvãn on a beautiful seat, His whole body should be smeared with fragrant sandalwood from the Malay mountains, which has been collected in a bowl after forming it into a paste.
Firstly, the sandalwood paste should be smeared on His forehead and closely observed; then the paste should be smeared on His chest, stomach, thighs, calves, and other parts of His body.
Those parts should also be observed. Then, beautiful kum-kum should be applied on His holy feet as well as on the soles of His feet, and they too should then be observed.
Then, garlands of fragrant flowers, such as mogrã, chameli, champã, and roses, as well as various jewellery, and bãjubandh and berkhã made of flowers should be offered.
A fine cloth that is not too heavy and is as white as a mogrã flower should be tied around His head; and a beautiful, white cloth which is fine and light, should be wrapped around His body.
Then, he should embrace Bhagvãn – once, or twice, or according to the degree of his love.
Then, he should touch Bhagvãn’s holy feet to his own chest and head. During the embrace, the sandalwood paste on Bhagvãn’s body, as well as parts of the garlands of flowers, may stick to his own body; and kum-kum may also stick as a result of touching Bhagvãn’s holy feet to his own chest and head.
All this should be visualised, and he should feel, ‘Sandalwood paste, kum-kum, and garlands blessed by Bhagvãn have touched my body!’
During the four months of winter.
23.4 “During the four months of winter, a person should perform pujã by first bathing Bhagvãn with warm water, and then offering Him a white khes to wear.
He should then seat Bhagvãn on a decorated bedstead with a velvet mattress that has been covered with a white sheet.
He should offer a survãl, offer a dagli, tie a rich orange reto of golden threads around His head, tie a rich reto around His waist, and place a rich reto over His shoulders.
Then, he should place various types of jewellery made of diamonds, pearls, gold, and rubies on various parts of His body, and also a pearl necklace.
After offering these clothes and jewellery, the various parts of Bhagvãn’s body should be closely observed.
A kum-kum chãndlo should also be applied to Bhagvãn’s forehead.
During the four months of monsoon
23.5 “During the four months of monsoon, a person should perform pujã imagining that Bhagvãn has returned from some village, and His white clothes have become completely drenched; or that He had gone to bathe with the paramhans in a river and has returned from there completely drenched.
After removing His wet clothes, He should be offered deep orange garments to wear, and His forehead should be smeared with yellow sandalwood paste mixed with saffron.
23.6 “During summer, a person should visualise Bhagvãn to be sitting either in an open place or in a flower garden. During winter and monsoon, he should visualise Bhagvãn to be seated in a medi, or inside a house. In particular, when offering Bhagvãn something to eat, only those foods – that are chewed, drunk, licked, or sucked – which he likes to eat should be visualised for offering to Bhagvãn.
Even if Bhagvãn does not like these foods, when offering items to Him, a person should still visualise only those items that he enjoys himself. Also, incense, oil lamps, flowers, and ãrti should be offered to Bhagvãn as appropriate.
23.7 “In this way, a bhakta who offers pujã in different ways according to the three different seasons increases his love for Bhagvãn, and his jeev benefits tremendously.
Therefore, whoever has heard this talk should remember it and daily perform the mãnsi pujã of Bhagvãn in
the way described. As a matter of fact, I have never talked about this before.”
23.8 Shreeji Mahãrãj then spoke on another topic. He said, “When Bhagvãn and His bhaktas are pleased on a bhakta, he should feel, ‘It is my great fortune that Bhagvãn and His bhaktas are pleased with me’.
Also, when they lecture him, for the purpose of teaching a lesson, he should feel, ‘It is my great fortune that they lecture me; after all, it will help in removing my flaws’. In this way, a person should be pleased even if lectured; he should not feel any grief in his mind, nor get upset, nor even regard himself as being very sinful.
He should always remain pleased. This attitude should always be remembered.”
