I was witness to a once in an era event – Sahasravadhaan

I will remember May 1, 2024 for life. On this day, I witnessed once in an era miracle of Saraswati Sadhana achieved over more than 12 years of meditation, penance, and hard discipline by Ganivarya Dr Ajitchandrasagar ji Maharaj, a young Jain monk, under the guidance of his Guru Poojya Acharyashri Nayachandrasagar ji. In the presence of nearly 8000 people, under the dome of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium the Young Muni exhibited the power of a trained mind.

 

The organisers mentioned Sahasraavadhaan (1000 avadhaan) as “Remembering and reciting random 1000 items”. But it does not convey the unbelievable events as they unfolded on the day.

 

 

 

Attendees had settled in their chairs by 9 am. The organisers assigned sections of audience with group number. They then asked each group to ask questions for a particular group of questions. The questions could be regarding geography, history, religious mantras or shlokas, languages, mathematical puzzles, identifying a group of photos, or things etc. Each attendee had been given a book and a pen to note all the questions and match the answers later when Ganivarya Ajitchandrasagar ji gave his answers.

 

All through, Muni Ajitchandrasagar ji and his Gurudev Acharyashri Nayachandrasagar ji just sat on the stage. Utsav murti (the central character of the event) Muni Ajitchandrasagar ji was sitting with his eyes generally closed; opening them occasionally to see objects that were being shown to him. He made no notes. This process began at 930 am and went on till about 330 pm. In between there were typical disturbances like presentations, poems, and small lectures. VIPs like CM Shinde of Maharashtra accompanied by BJP minister Shri Mangalprabhat Lodha and his colleagues too visited and spoke. So, it was not just someone talking or showing objects in silent place without any interruption or disturbance, making this entire exercise even tougher. The stadium had a mela like atmosphere. In all this noise, the shishya sat silent, calm and unmoved. He even talked to VIPs!

 

 

 

At the end, it took just 35-40 minutes for Muni Ganivarya Dr Ajitchandrasagar ji to recall the objects, respond to questions, recite mantras and shlokas asked by the audience and solve mathematical puzzles too, including a 15x15 puzzle where horizontal/vertical/diagonal total was dictated by a member of the audience. He put mathematical puzzles randomly to people nominated from the audience without making any notes. Later, he spelled out the answers from his memory, cross checked by the person who had been given the calculation. This was done in various batches, with parallel questions to groups created on the spot! There were 1000 random objects, questions, puzzles in all as he finished the exercise. The dome of the indoor stadium echoes with thunderous applause for minutes together. Having achieved this feat, he or his Guru did not call it a miracle. They said, it is penance and meditation of Maa Saraswati and sadhana or practice with focus and discipline.

 

 

There are just 21 Shatadhvanis in Bharat so far. Shatadhvani means a scholar presenting this similar exercise for 100 random objects, mantras and puzzles. The present Muni ji is the only Sahasradhvani at this moment. A similar event had taken place 650 years back when a Jain muni had exhibited his prowess in a King’s court. That is why I call it once in an era, once in a yuga event.

 

To add to the magic of the day, Muni Shri asked a member of audience the to give him his time of birth. Then he asked him to hold his wrist watch in front of Muni Shri’s eyes at about 2-3 feet. After a gaze of a few minutes, the hands of the watch turned and began showing the time of the person’s birth! This happened right in front of us. Muni Shri did not even hold the watch! It was just a demonstration of power of siddhi with disciplined sadhana.

Now, a little about Muni Ganavarya Dr Ajitchandarasagar Maharaj. He left home at the age of 8 years, became shraman and disciple of Acharyashri Nayachandrasagar Maharaj at the age of 10 years. He was hyperactive and mischievous child. Gurudev let him play and one day told him to remain ‘maun’ or silent for two days to calm him down. He told him that if he felt like talking, he could just say ‘Aum Arihantanam’. This game continued for some days and then young Ajitchandra went ‘maun’ – silent – for eight years! He underwent meditation, learning agams, scriptures, memorising mantras, scriptures and different knowledge. At the age of 19 he performed his first Shatadhvani, then went on to extend this exercise to 200 and 500. Yesterday was his first public test of 1000 avadhaanas or Sahsravadhaan.

 

These great Munis have perfected this sadhana (practice and meditation) and have imparted it to 50000 students so far from their Oonjha based centre in Gujarat. They are planning to extend this to more centres and train nearly 5 lakh youngsters in coming two years. CM of Maharashtra Mr Shinde assured the organisers that he will extend it to Maharashtra schools very soon. Tests have been conducted by reputed medical institutions to see the development of brain with Saraswati Sadhana being conducted by Shree Saraswati Sadhana Research Foundation run by Gurudev and his disciple. One test was to put half the students under Saraswati Sadhana during school education and let other half be trained without Saraswati Sadhana. The difference was stark. As we all know we do not even use 5-10% of our brain. These practices raise the capability of our brain to absorb more, recall more and solve complex problems with ease.

 

 

Our Indian Knowledge system has unlimited, untapped potential to train our mind and body that our education and daily practices hardly tap; and make it do things that we hardly believe we are capable of. The epochal event of May 1, 2024 shows us the infinite possibilities to tap this potential of a young Bharat. I do hope that the Ministry of Education reaches out to these great scholars to learn about their practices and adopt them in the new education programmes.