Arya Samaj, Vasant Vihar, celebrated Rishi Bodhotsav on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of March with great fervour, enthusiasm and joy. Bodhotsav is the celebration of the spiritual awakening of the Samaj’s revered founder, Swami Dayanand Saraswati. On Shivaratri Day, a young fourteen year old Dayanand had been horrified to see rats nibbling at the fruits, sweets and other food stuff left in front of the deities in the Shiva temple. Realisation dawned on him that these idols could not be the Supreme, omnipresent, omnipotent divine power we call God. This started off Swami Dayanand on his spiritual quest which eventually led him to find solutions to all his queries in the ancient wisdom and knowledge contained in the Vedas.
Celebrating Mahatma Dayanand’s glorious life, his tireless efforts and self-sacrifice in the service of the nation and humanity at large, the three day festival included havan, bhajan and pravachan. On all three days havan was performed in the yagyashaala of the samaj from 9 am to 10 am . Along with the usual mantras of the daily havan, our respected Pandit Kamal Shastri ji recited mantras from the Purusha Sookta of Yajurveda. An aura of divinity pervaded the surroundings as the sound of the chanting of the mantras reverberated in the yagyashala.
On 1st and 2nd March, there were evening sessions as well from 6 pm to 8 pm. Shri Dinesh Kumar Pathik, son of the renowned bhajan singer, Satyapal Pathik, sang beautiful bhajans in his melodious voice and engaged the audience by encouraging them to join in the singing of the bhajans along with him. His meaningful bhajans not merely filled everyone with devotion but also conveyed strong messages of patriotism and social reform.
The Chief Speaker on all three days was Dr Sudhir Kumar Arya, the Dean of the Sanskrit Department and the Chief Proctor of Jawahar Lal Nehru University. Dr Arya is an erudite scholar and an effective orator. In his discourses he talked about the greatness of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, bringing out various facets of his personality by narrating interesting anecdotes of his life. He talked at length about the last days of his life when there were forces conspiring to poison him. Dr Arya also spoke about the true meaning of yagya. Yagya, he said, is not merely a ritualistic activity. It is through yagya that samskaras are imparted to the community. He concluded his discourse by elucidating the meaning of two Vedic mantras. A unique experience was provided by Dr Arya during one of the sessions. Accompanying him were three girls from Kashi, who are his PhD students. These young girls chanted Vedic mantras in a special way known as the Ghan path. Dr Arya informed the audience that it is with great difficulty that one masters this art. The audience were also impressed to learn that these girls knew the Vedas by heart.
The festival was very well organised and well attended on all three days. Everything went on with clockwork precision and without a hitch. The programme was beautifully compered by Ms Shashi Grover in chaste Hindi. On Sunday, 3rd March, poorna ahuti was performed and the festival concluded with a vote of thanks that was delivered by Mr Manmohan Sapra, President Arya Samaj, Vasant Vihar. However, no festival is complete without a feast. So, last but not the least, a delicious and sumptuous lunch was served for all present as part of the Rishi Langar.
