Care for Traditions

Foreign activities 

SMVS aims to promote ideals such as purity, morality, humanity, modesty, and simplicity, which lie in Hinduism.  

However, it isn’t easy to sense our traditional roots while living in the Western culture of foreign lands. But there are many eager aspirants to follow on spiritual foots. SMVS directs them on spirituality to make them faithful followers and ideal citizens.  

In 1995, the first-ever Gurudev Bapji sowed the seeds of spirituality in a foreign land. Today, Sanstha’s global network has spread to many countries in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Asian continent. SMVS have eight temples and over 10 lands ready for development of temples in abroad.

To build up the strength of Satsang, volunteers and sant geared up satsang activities and mandir construction. They teach values from infant to eld. Mainly we care for them through humanity, satsang sessions, principled life, and our traditional practices. Moreover, we conduct recreational sports and activities to uphold the quotient of skill and education.  

Weekly Satsang assemblies are the center point of all these activities. Weekly, thousands of devotees participate in Satsang assemblies. These assemblies are divided according to age criteria. SMVS engage the kids in camps, competitions, debates, shibirs, and social activities to excel in their inner abilities. One-on-one sitting with a child and youth to understand their issues, situation, and expectations is a prime focus. Moreover, through cultural activity and language classes, SMVS provides the right opportunities to reach the globe.

Engaging the youth in a wide range of skill competitions and sports tournaments, SMVS shapes society. The spiritual shibir sessions provided an environment for youths to cultivate spirituality.

Yearly, sants and women ascetics visit foreign lands and conduct assemblies, festivals, Padhramani, Mahapuja, and seminars. 

Grand festivals

With the prime purpose of serving salvation and teaching theology, Bhagwan Swaminarayan started a medium of mega celebration as a point of attraction. Darshan, seva, sermons, and prasad are the main sources of salvation as they are part of the mega celebration.

Lord Shriji Maharaj, intent solely on the liberation of all souls, established countless occasions to draw seekers into his refuge, welcome them as devotees, and make them understand his supreme form. Among these various instruments, the most eminent and effective was the grand festivals—through which Lord Swaminarayan flung open the gates of ultimate liberation for thousands upon thousands. 

The primary purpose of these festivals was to give the blessings for eternal salvation to innumerable people. Hence, he also termed them the “centers of eternal salvation.” In each magnificent celebration, it consisted darshan, seva–samagam (service and fellowship), and prasad (blessed food). Such festivals were proclaimed so widely that tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands—gathered to witness and join the celebrations. There, Lord Swaminarayan personally distributed prasad to attendees and to all devotees in his circle, thereby enabling their share in the ultimate salvation.

Following this divine tradition, Gurudev Bapji and beloved Guruji Swamishri continue to uphold the “centers of eternal salvation” by organizing similar grand festivals today.

Grand Festivals Celebrated by SMVS Organisation :

1. Lord Swaminarayan’s 200th Year (Dwi-Shatabdi) Mahotsav

Dates: April 5–13, 1981 (9 days)

Location: Ghanshyam¬nagar, Ahmedabad 

Attendance: Over 4,500

2. Ghanshyam¬nagar Temple’s 10th Year(Dashabdi) Utsav

Dates: April 20–27, 1984 (8 days)

– Location: Ghanshyam¬nagar, Ahmedabad 

Attendance: Over 9,000

3. Jivanpran Abjibapashri’s 150th Year (Sardh Shatabdi) Mahotsav

Dates: December 21–27, 1993 (7 days)

સ્Location: Lunāvāda, Panchmahal

Attendance: Over 390,000

4. Bapashri Mahotsav

Dates: April 27–May 9, 1995 (13 days)

Location: Vasna, Ahmedabad

Attendance: Over 1,800,000

5. Swaminarayan Mahāmantra’s 200th Year (Dwi-Shatabdi) Mahotsav 

Dates: December 31, 2001–January 10, 2002 (11 days) 

Location: Swaminarayan Dham, Gandhinagar

Attendance: Over 550,000

6. Vachnamrut Rahasyarth Bapashri Vani’s 100th Year (Shatabdi) Mahotsav

Dates: December 17–24, 2006 (8 days) 

Location: Swaminarayan Dham, Gandhinagar

Attendance: Over 300,000

7. SMVS 25 Years (Rajat Jayanti) Mahotsav 

Dates: December 21–28, 2012 (8 days) 

Location: Swaminarayan Dham, Gandhinagar

Attendance: Over 358,950

8. Vachanamṛut 200th Year(Dwi-Shatabdi) Mahotsav 

Dates: October 30–November 3, 2019 (5 days) 

Location: Swaminarayan Dham, Gandhinagar

Attendance: 80,000

9. Jivanpran Abjibapashri’s 175th Year (Shatamrut) Mahotsav (held online during the pandemic) 

Dates: November 21–22 & November 26–30, 2020 (7 days) 

Location: Swaminarayan Dham, Gandhinagar

Attendance: 537,352

10. Anadimukt Vishwam Foundation Laying  

Date: March 25, 2024 

Location: Anadimukt Vishwam, Modasa

Attendance: Over 90,000

Seminars and convention  

Seminars and conventions are a tool to reinforce thousands of youths. Since 1995, under this program, SMVS has hosted many humanitarian, social, spiritual, and mental seminars and conventions to resolve current problems. Focusing on, expanding gaps in a family due to age differences, to rejuvenate social, commercial, and educational backward, caring orphans, build a perfect character, lead the society as a volunteer, empower inner skills, handle different people, places, things, and situations.  

Mostly, conventions are led by experts in particular fields. HDH Swamishri guides the youth through proven incidents on relation, management, cognitive thinking, and the current situation in or out of the Satsang community.

Hands-on activities of seminars and conventions are bringing tremendous life change to a community with spiritual depth and a new life.

These conventions contribute that SMVS is the institute working for humanitarian, social, spiritual, and mental upliftment.

Sant Vicharan

The power of sant preaching has spread an aura of unity, harmony, peace, love, kindness, and affection within a family and the world. They resolve strife, confrontation, hatred, and family problems. Moreover, they share the theological knowledge of God’s realization.  

Santo are the true guides who direct us on the ideal path of life without caste, creed, race, or religion discrimination. Right from the smallest tribal villages to developed countries, Santo works relentlessly. To propagate the teaching of Karan Satsang (true knowledge of Bhagwan Swaminarayan) and supreme theology, santo travels in more than 11 countries. Also, spread a message of good character and moral-spiritual values for the betterment of life. 

The tireless efforts of santo shaped ideal humans. Every year, santo conducts more than 16,000 spiritual assemblies in which millions of devotees sharpen their spiritual knowledge. Apart from this, they preach through a medium of more than 40,000 in-home visits and Mahapuja.

Their guidance inspires millions of people to commit and lead an addiction-free life. Also, devotees dispel their wrong beliefs of black magic and superstitions. In addition, realize the significance of Bhagwan Swaminarayan which signify pure worship at the home temple. Besides this, thousands of families have been spiritually cared for through personal guidance.