TORONTO: Satsang Diksha Scripture transcribed to English Braille to make it accessible to the visually challenged Satsang Diksha, a scripture written by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, has been transcribed into English Braille by the CNIB Foundation in Toronto to make it universally accessible to the visually challenged.
His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, wrote the Satsang Diksha scripture in Gujarati and has expressed his wish to make it available for all so that everyone can benefit from its messages and guidance.
The original Gujarati text was first rendered into Sanskrit.
Thereafter it has been translated into several languages including Hindi, English, Marathi, Punjabi, Swahili, French, Portugues, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish and Russian.
Translations into other languages are in progress and will help devotees worldwide. For the benefit of the visually challenged, an English Braille version has also been prepared by the respected CNIB Foundation (formerly known as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind) in Toronto.
The Foundation generously and enthusiastically undertook the task to transcribe the entire scripture into English Braille.
The first copy of this historic publication was blessed and inaugurated by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj in Nenpur, Gujarat, India, on December 3, 2020.
Based on the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the ‘Satsang Diksha’ scripture comprises of 315 uplifting aphorisms, which describe the philosophical principles and daily personal practices of devotion to be understood by all devotees of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
Executive Director of the CNIB, Suzanne Decary-van den Broek, said, “CNIB welcomed the opportunity to support BAP Swaminarayan Sanstha in creating an accessible braille version of one of their scriptures.
As an organization dedicated to transforming our communities into beacons of accessibility and inclusion, braille remains an essential tool to independence for people who are blind or partially sighted. It opens the door to literacy, access to information, equality, education and employment.
“While technology can level the playing field for people with sight loss, it isn’t always an appropriate or available option. The scripture is a perfect example of something that should be available for people to access whenever and however they choose.”
“The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha sincerely appreciates the wholehearted efforts and generosity of the CNIB Foundation in making the Satsang Diksha scripture available to all those who are visually challenged”, said Chandrakant Sachdev of BAPS Canada.
The Satsang Diksha scripture in Braille is available through the Centre for Equitable Library Access for registered members who would like to read the scripture. Individuals can also request copies through their local libraries in Canada.