1) Strictness in following the rules and regulation of the religion:
His approach has always been to follow even the smallest of Lord Swaminarayan’s wishes in totality. Let’s take an example, there is a rule laid down by the Lord in his self written Scripture, the Shikshapatri, where he states that on the day of Ekadashi one should not sleep during the day. He has upheld this wish without ever faltering, regardless of circumstance or situation, no matter how critical his conditions, he has never broken this rule.  If he has honoured the minutest of wishes with such great value and importance, then there is no question as to how strictly he would adhere to the more fundamental wishes of the Lord!

There was a time when he had no turmeric to put in his Khichadi. If someone gave him a fist full of grain to make Khichadi for that day’s meal, the question of where the grain for his next meal would come from, still remained open
During the criticality of such hardship, somebody suggested that he should keep some money for such emergencies and if it was not of use at this stage in his life, it would surely be of use a later stage in life.
He would promptly reply in full confidence, “ I have shaved my head for Lord Swaminarayan, so will it not be him who will worry for me? I would never ever surrender the strength and faith of the Lord in favour of living with the security of money!..”
He made great efforts to teach devotees of the ways in which to truly please the Lord.  He would perform 2000 pradikshana (revolving around the Lord’s murti) and 2000 prostrations to the Lord.  He was devoted to following the five rules laid down by the Lord and in ensuring that others also abided by them.  He would not tolerate even the smallest of habits such as tea drinking, and would insist on individuals to quit such habits. All these qualities were embedded in and very much part of PP.Bapji’s nature.

2) Attitude to selfless service:
At the age of 75, his enthusiasm for the offering of selfless service puts even youngsters to shame. On the day of full moon discourse gatherings, he would rise in the early hours of the morning, lay down a sack and sit midst a heap of potatoes to peel and chop them. 
He was not bothered about dirt sticking to his robes or body. He would not leave such duties despite persuasion from devotees who came to visit. He would often collect plastic bags, left over building material, small pieces of wire and the likes during the afternoon without anyone knowing. Fellow saints would often try to relieve him of these duties and he would respond, “Why, is it only for you to please the Lord, do I have no duty to please him?”
During the festival of Uttarayan, when bagfuls of grain are donated, he helps to sort and separate the grains. This is such an unusually divine sight.  He would not allow the smallest of donations, by the poorest of donors to go unnoticed….many would say “Why are you serving at this age> There are many worshippers around you to whom you can delegate.” He would humbly reply, “If even a quarter kilo, donated by worshippers fails to reach Lord Swaminarayan through me, then I cannot be considered worthy of comparison to even a courier! Even, a courier ensures that the goods assigned to him for delivery are delivered wholly intact, exactly as sent by the sender, so can I not even be worthy of being comparable to him? During the time that this quarter kilo of grain remains undigested in my stomach, if I cannot ensure the good of the donor, in the apparent and divine life, then I am not worthy of being called a saint of Lord Swaminarayan!” In this way, PP Bapji, values donations and ensures and encourages that it they are utilised with care and discretion.  In this way, his followers have also learnt to become selfless in their service.  

3)  Simplicity:
As the famous saying “One who has a simple life can be named a Sadhu” goes, PP Bapji is an icon of simplicity. His speech, diet, attire, accomodation, his seating arrangements are all simple ….infact his whole life is a testimony to simplicity. Although, he is the spiritual leader of such a large fellowship, if you look closely, his robes still contain holes and he has ordinary frames on his glasses. He writes small notes on tiny scraps of ensuring that no blank spaces are wasted… and where do you think he keeps these note papers? ….call it his furniture or his cupboard or his personal space but these scraps of note paper are kept in n his glasses case. ..

He often shares an old memory … “I had a pair of shoes worth Rs.4/- which I wore for 14 years…now tell me, in light of this fact would inflation be a threat to me, or would I be the threat to inflation?…”

He would never change his wardrobe regardless of season or environment. He also insists his followers to adopt simplicity in their lives.
If a devotee comes to him with the scent of any perfume on their clothes, or dye in their hair, he would express an immediate dislike.
He has always refrained from any form of attachment to lavish possessions and tastes and urges his devotees to develop the same resistance.

4) Importance on communion:
            His day starts at 3am and ends at midnight. These hours are filled purely with devotion and religious duties.  When Lord Swaminarayan went on preaching journeys, there was a saying associated to him, “Where there is a lamp there is no toothbrush and where there is a toothbrush there is no lamp” This was the extent of the Lord’s journeys. P.PBapji continues this and is a testimony to this saying in the modern day. Even today, P.P Bapji attends two major religious concerts in a single day. Many have witnessed P.P. Bapji attending a function in Godhra (Panchmahal) in the morning and then attending a function in Swaminarayan Dham (Ghandinagar) in the evening.  
He travels three to four hundred kilometers in a day during preaching journeys and still shows no sign of fatigue, sleep, or irritation, his face is still full of happiness. At this age, his endless efforts of twenty hours a day continue with the same passion. If he is ill and someone says “Why, don’t you take your medication and take a rest from your spiritual lecturing, continue when you feel better,” then he will respond promptly, “Spiritual lectures are my medication, if you allow me to continue then I will recover, I feel no pain during this time.”
The aged devotees of Zhalawad are living witnesses to times when P.P Bapji would visit them and spend the whole night in religious discussion.
Old devotees of Ghantila still recall the time when P.P Bapji visited them and stayed for 15 days.  For the entire duration, P.P Bapji would provide us with continuous religious lectures which started at 9pm and went on until 4am. At 4am, P.P Bapji would go for his morning rituals whilst all the farmers would go straight to the fields for their farming duties. This continued every day of his stay.
There were times when P.P Bapji would want to go from Kalupur to Ghanshyamnagar (Odhav) temple and as he had no money for the rickshaw fares, he would carry his things on his head and walk barefooted and deliver religious speeches upon reaching his destination. He dealt with the heat from the sky and the heat from the ground and no protection against either elements, but he was not deterred.  He had no venue for his spiritual lectures and so every Sunday he would give spiritual lectures on the wall of the Maleksaban Stadium in the direct heat of the sunlight.  An orange cloth from his robes was draped on a tree and this was the landmark which helped devotees to find his temporary lecture theatre.  Such was the hardship he endured to provide religion to all who were interested, yet he never lost faith or hope.
Gradually, people came to know about his lectures and started to attend regularly. P.P Bapji was full of determination and would wake up very early and by 5am he would have cooked khichadi for his evening meal.  The flow of devotees would start from the time he finished cooking and went on continuously. His lectures would not cease even if there was only one person in his audience. This would continue all day until 10pm at night when the doors to the temple would close. It was at this point, that he could eat the Khichadi he had prepared early in the morning.  P.PBapji often reminisces, “that I didn’t have turmeric to put in the khichadi, so the use of ghee or oil is out of the question, but the khichadi was not of importance, my focus was on Shriji Maharaj and Bapa and this dissolved any hardship.”
Sometimes he would open peanut pods and satisfy his hunger on the peanuts which came from within and sometimes he had nothing to eat and went without a meal. Even today, at the age of 73, he exerts the same effort and delivers his spiritual lectures with the same passion. When P.P Bapji delivers his spiritual lectures on the Vachanmrut in Surendranagar, he conducts continual 10 hour sessions for two days in a row.  Even though he suffers from diabetes, which requires him to empty his bladder regularly, he does not pause.  He continues without a break saying “When I deliver Spiritual lectures I forget everything.” Even though he is so active in his efforts he still feels that he could do more.  He often requests his disciple saints to organise 24hour events and reassures them that he will not feel fatigue or hunger or the need to sleep…..such is the incomprehensible passion which he feels for religion.

6) Strong values and principles:
“No compromise in principles and no negotiation in adherence to religious rules” this is a key saying which P.P Bapji quotes regularly.
Even individuals in positions of power may compromise on their principles, because it helps them to achieve their goals, or because they are embarrassed or even because they are concerned to impress others  and are fearful of causing offence. P.P Bapji says, “If we spend millions of rupees on great festivals and celebrations, but do not please Lord Swaminarayan in doing so, and remain focused on pleasing people instead, then these events are not worthy of being classified as religious events for Lord Swaminarayan – they are merely public gathering. People may be impressed and the world may be stunned but if we have failed in pleasing the Lord, then what was the point in spending the millions?
A man once suggested printing advertisements in the monthly Ghanshyam publication, in order to generate income from advertising revenue. P.P Bapji was not pleased and replied, “This magazine advertises the ruler of Akshardham, it is not meant not for worldly advertisements.”
Many have suggested using various forms of entertainment to entice the public, such as serving tea, fancy food and drink and ice-cream in order to generate income and public interest.  However, where these suggestions go against our principles and rules, no mater how profitable they may be, P.P Bapji will reject the proposal immediately.
We should establish temples which have the level of purity to meetsthe desires and expectations of Lord Swaminarayan.
P.P Bapji’s principles ensure that the Lord’s supremity is maintained before progressing further and it is for this reason that we have been graced with an opportunity to serve the Lord.  Without these principles the result are akin to a circus performance.

7) Consistency:  
P.P Bapji believes in strict punctuality and insists upon this from others. If he has committed to a time, his car is guaranteed to arrive on time. He is very particular in keeping his commitments.  He arrives 5 minutes early to all his lectures, and is seated before his devotees arrive.  His eagerness to share knowledge far exceeds the eagerness of his audience in receiving it.  He fully believes Shriji Maharaj to be the spokesperson and force behind all deeds, but will never leave anything to chance and he insists on preparation and organisation. He will never take credit for any action and the fact that the Lord is the performer of all actions and the force behind all, is the essence of his divine life.
Once P.PBapji came to visit Sadguru Munni Swami (Keshavpriyadasji Swami), Sadguru Munni Swami said, “I have allocated my seating cushion, my room and all which I had to my disciples, I do not have anything left to give you.” In response, P.PBapji replied, “ I do not want any of your things, all I want is to inherit your great principles,  please grant me that.” Sadguru Munni Swami was very pleased and showed great happiness upon P.PBapji.        
P.P Bapji first embarked upon religion through an 80 year old man. At that time, P.P Bapji was only 23 years of age and he would say “It is a total mismatch, but what to do? I had to start in religion somehow, didn’t I?” Today, this small start has evolved into a mature tree, yet P.P Bapji never accepts praise for this progress and instead, he always gives the credit to Lord Swaminarayan and Sadguru Munni Swami, recognising it to be the result of their happiness and blessings.
The first 50 years of his life was not as easy as we would wish to think. He has fought many obstacles and difficulties, upholding his two prime principles to offer us this great source of inspiration.
P.P Bapji says that one should never pray to Lord Swaminarayan for one’s personal gain. Yet, with the grace and blessings of Sadguru Munni Swami a divine being has appeared. From a practical perspective, although he was a Chartered Accountant, he was above the 3 virtues and in total control over the 5 senses, such a divine being, astute in all qualities attributable to a perfect saint, has been assigned with a great service to progress Karan Satsang.  P.P Bapji has initiated this being into sainthood naming him Satyasankalpdasji Swami.  In return, he has presented the entire fellowship with the royal route to earning the happiness of Lord Swaminarayan and an invaluable path to a divine life.
Lord Swaminarayan was caught gazing deeply at the moon during a full moon festival. The saints asked him, “Maharaj what are you gazing at?” The Lord replied, “Like this moon boasts its fullness, I want my saints and devotees, to be complete so that I can form a divine fellowship.”
Today, 175 years after the event, a pure fellowship, based on faith in the supremity of the Lord, a fellowship which lives in divinity and lives life in the Lord’s happiness, has emerged through this guru-disciple partnership. It is they who have breathed life into this long outstanding wish of the Lord and put this sect on a phenomenal footing.  They have gifted this sect, with the accomplishment of the truly impossible and complex task of promoting faith in the supremity of the Lord and enabling the practice of the status of Anadi Mukta. It is without doubt that the fruits of their efforts will be enjoyed by societies, countries and universes. “To count, they not countable, to select they are not selectable”   such are the infinite qualities flowing from within this divine being, Guruvarya Param Pujya Bapji and we bow at his divine feet and offer him the highest salutation…..