MANAV PRABODHAN

PRANYAS BIKANER – A
GREAT INSTITUTION FOR
PROMOTION OF
SPIRITUALITY AND
CULTURE
by :
DR. T.K. JAIN
AFTERSCHO☺OL
centre for social entrepreneurship
sivakamu veterinary hospital road
bikaner 334001 rajasthan, india
mobile : 91+9414430763
Recently Manav Prabodhan Pranyas, Shiv Math is in news. One officer from Devsthan Vibhag has
objection on constructive activities of Shiv Math. It is ridiculous that in this great country, the
government officers of present time and busy in stopping people from doing spiritual and social
developmental work. If you want to open a casino, or a liquar bar, there will hardly be any
restriction on you. If you want to do something good for the society, there would be hurdles and
controls on you. If you really interested in wellbeing of our country, please raise your voice against
such government officers. Let us all request the government to create an environment where
sprituality and cultural development organisations dont face hurdles (not to talk about support).
The entire government system works on the model of western models. If they are promoting
something, our government will also imitate them. If the West will come and nonour Manav
Prabodhan Pranyas and recognise its contribution to the society, the government will wake up and
do the same. Isnt it a tragedy that we dont have any political leader / writer / thinker to speak or
write on this issue. Persons like me feel helpless on these occasions and cant stop the temptation to
write and post it on the websites which are for common people. Let us hope that readers like you
get arise, awake and raise their voice for bringing true emancipation of our country. Please break
the shackles of slumber and join me in changing our world. Together we can change the world.

Please read the appeal and post your signature :

http://www.indianvoice.org/interference-by-dev-sthan-vibhag-in-petition.html

Sri Laleshwar Templed or Shiv Math is the most prominent Shiv Temple in Bikaner city. It was set
up 19 May, 1880 by the then King Hon. Shri Dungar Singh in the memory of his father Hon. Sri
Lal Singh ji. It is not just a temple, it also conducts many activities for social development in the
region. Thousands of people of Bikaner region are connected to this temple as voluteers or as
devotees. They join together to work for achieving spiritual well being and development of the city.
Initiatives like this have enabled Bikaner to emerge as a cultural and spritual city.

Hon. Sri Samvit Somgiri ji joined this temple as the Mahant on 20 November 1994. basically a
Mechanical Engineer and having served as Professor of MBM Engineering College Jodhpur from
1966 to 1971, Somgiri ji is a highly learned and spiritual saint. He has authored many books for
guiding the youth of today. Due to his charismatic personality, many professors are his divotee and
frequently visit him to take his guidance and sermons. Swamiji has renovated this temple and has
given a new direction to the Shiv Math. He has extensively contributed to the publications of Shiv
Math and has also planted over 2000 trees. A large amount of land belonging to Shiv Math has been
misappropriated by different organisations.

After Joining, Hon. Samvit Somgiri ji Maharaj established a few institutions to bring cultural
transformation in Bikaner. These are :
1. Manav Prabodhan Pranyas (1996)
2. Samvit Shooting Sansthan (2002)

this organisation was set up in 1996. Hon. Samvit Somgiri ji and Rajmata Smt. Sushila Devi are the
trustees of this trust. It has been conducting Gita pratiyogita since then. I was fortunate to have
attended the Gita Pratiyogita organising meetings from 1996 to 1999. One of my friend, who was a
professor at Sri Dungar College Bikaner asked to attend the meetings. It was truely a great
experience. Some of my students also attended these meetings and got inspired to do something for
the society. My students joined together and organised a camp titled “Mind Your Mind” in which
they had a number of exercises for development of spiritual and intellectual faculties. One of the
organiser of this camp Mr. Surendra Rawat later became a saint.

In the beginning the Gita pratiyogita was organised in only a few schools. Volunteers used to
circulate the Bhagwat Gita among the students so that they could read it and there after there would
be a test. I was also a volunteer to conduct this examination. Once I went to Mahila Mandal School
and in the next year I went to ....... School. I circulated the paper and after 1 hour collected the
copies back. Every activity was well planned and well organised. I realised that the University
examination departments should learn from this organisation about how to conduct examinations. In
those days, some professors from Different colleges in Bikaner and some students used to organise
a discussion on Sri Bhagwat Gita. I also used to attend those sessions. Hon. Sri Samvit Somgiri ji
used to give discuscourse on Gita in those discussions. It used to be an extremely enlightening
discussion.

Samvit Shooting Sansthan

The mission of this trust gives a quote from Mundakopanishad (2.4) : “pranvo Dhanuh Sharo
Hratma, Brahma Tallkshymuchyte, Apramten Vedhvyam Sharvtanmyo Bhavet” - meaning : the
ultimate God is the goal and our soul is the arrow, we have to immerse ourselves using Omkar to
achieve our oultimate goal of meeting our target.

This institution aims to develop world class shooters in Bikaner using our ancient knowledge of
Yoga and meditation. With very limited resources but infinite spirit and creative innovations, this
instittuion has been able to develop a world class shooting range in Bikaner city. It has also been
able to organise many national and international level tournaments.

Some of the tournaments organised by this institution are :

1. All India Inter-university shooting Competition 2007
2. Dr. Karni Singh Memorial Shooting Competition (organised every year from 2004)

the students trained in this centre were able to achieve national fame and won many awards
including G.B. Mavalankar National Trophy (2007), 30th North Indian Shooting Championship
(2009), etc.

Lecture Series of Hon. Samvit Somgiri ji :

Many institutions invite Hon Samvit Somgiri ji for his discourse on Gita and Mahabharat. His
lectures on goals of life, Gita, Mahabharata are very enlightening. I was also fortunate that he
agreed to deliver a discourse on Gita and Management. Many of his discourses are published by
Shiv Math any person can listen to them. Recently I got an opportunity to listen to him when he
inaugurated Career Fair, organised by Swami Keshwanand University Student Guidance Bureau
and District Industries Centre Bikaner (I was a guest speaker on that occasion).