Also, He built mandirs, and installed murtis, which will always remain on earth. [52][53] Following a request of devotees from Bhuj, Swaminarayan asked his follower Vaishnavananand Swami to build a temple there. Before doing that, he appointed acharyas to continue his lineage. [25][29][note 3], The sampradaya grew quickly over the 30 years under Swaminarayan's leadership, with British sources estimating at least 100,000 followers by the 1820s. OptimusView/cc by-sa 4.0. In the documentary, Stanley claims Elvis died by suicide. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSchteiner2001 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFChangela0000 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFBhadreshdas2016 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFParamtattvadas,_Sadhu2017 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFParamtattvadas20178,_13-14 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFWilliams2001 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFJacobs2010 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWilliams2001 (, google.com/books/edition/Introduction_to_Swaminarayan_Hinduism/ODdqDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=gadiwala&pg=PA261&printsec=frontcover, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMelton2020 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFPatel2018a (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMosher2006 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFwilliams2018 (. [25][128][126][127][note 13], Various branches of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya differ in their belief of how to attain moksha. Toothi "most of his thought, activities and even methods of most of the institutions which he has been building up and serving, have the flavour of Swaminarayanism, more than that of any other sect of Hindu Dharma."[73]. , 1, vm yasya sthit rdh rca yasysti vakasi , vndvanavihra ta rka hdi cintay 1 , Translation: With all My heart, I meditate on Shri Krishna, who resides in the divine abode Vrindavan; with Radha on his left and Shree residing within his heart.[115][116]. HH Mahant Swami Maharaj was born to Dahiben and Manibhai Narayanbhai Patel on 13 September 1933 (Bhadarva vad 9, Samvat 1989) in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. [107], The Swaminarayan Gadi (Maninagar) was founded in the 1940s by Muktajivandas Swami after he left the Ahmedabad diocese with the belief that Gopalanand Swami, a paramhansa from Swaminarayan's time, was the spiritual successor to Swaminarayan. Members of a lower caste are prohibited from wearing a full sect mark (tilak chandlo) on their forehead.[70]. Hagiograpic accounts report that 11 year old Gyansham engaged the pundits and was able to present so exquisite and rarified grasp of paradox and metaphysics that all present yielded to him in rapture.[5]. [100][102][103] As articulated in the BAPS-theology of Akara-Puruottama Upsan,[web 11] BAPS adherents, following Shastriji Maharaj, believe that Swaminarayan introduced Gunatitanand Swami as his ideal devotee, from which a spiritual lineage of gurus began,[104][25][10] reflecting Shastriji Maharaj's idea that a form of God who lives "before one's eyes" who is to be worshipped is necessary for aspirants to attain moksha (liberation). Photograph: Christian. [10][22][26][27][10][28] The BAPS, split-off in 1907 from Vadtal Gadi, venerates "a lineage of akaragurus, or living gurus, [which] has been retroactively traced back to Gunatitanand Swami."[25]. As a result, the king freed all the ascetics he had imprisoned. [19] He declared Krishna to be his ista devata. "[261], BAPS-sadhu Mangalnidhidas acknowledges that Swaminarayan accepted the caste system, which according to Mangalnidhidas may have been "a strategic accommodation to the entrenched traditions of the various elements in Hindu society,"[262] but acknowledging that this may have had "unintended negative consequences such as the reinforcement of caste identities. Swaminarayan's philosophical, social and practical teachings are contained in the Vachanamrut, a collection of dialogues recorded from his spoken words by five followers. In 1792, he began a seven year pilgrimage across India, adopting the name Nilkanth Varni. Male followers of Swaminarayan made arrangements to educate their female family members. Other Names: Hari, Krishna, Hari-Krishna, Nilkanth (given by Markandey Rushi in Chhapaiya), Sahajanand Swami, Narayan Muni (given by Ramanand Swami in Piplana), Swaminarayan (given by Himself in Faneni), Birth Date: Chaitra sud 9, VS 1837 (2nd April 1781) - Ramnavmi, Birthplace: Chhapaiya, near Ayodhya in Kaushal-Desh (later moved to Ayodhya), Fathers Name: Dharma-Dev (Dev-Sharma) (son of Bal-Sharma and Bhagyavati), Fathers Birth Date: Kartik sud 11, VS 1796, Mothers Name: Bhakti-Mata (Bala, Premvati) (daughter of Krishna-Sharma and Bhavani), Mothers Birth Date: Kartik sud 15, VS 1798, Brothers: Rampratapji (married to Suvasini-Bai), Ichharamji (married to Variyari-Bai), Start date: Ashadh sud 10, VS 1849 the day he left Ayodhya, Age at start: 11 years, 3 months, and 1 day, Length of van-vicharan: 7 years, 1 month, and 11 days, Age at end: 18 years, 4 months, and 12 days, Years in satsang: 30 years, 9 months, and 19 days, Time on earth: 49 years, 2 months, and 1 day, Date He left earth: Jyeshth sud 10, VS 1886, Established ekantik dharma, and destroyed adharma, Initiated over 2000 sadhus, of which 500 were initiated as paramhans - He remains on earth through these sadhus, Built mandirs, and installed murtis for bhaktas to always have the darshan of Bhagvans murti, Established two seats of leadership (gadi), and two acharyas to protect and promote the sampraday, Revealed the philosophy of the Veds in simple words, Wrote shastras, and authenticated ancient shastras, and shastras written by His sadhus, Summarised the essence of all the shastras in the Shikshapatri, Organised food and water aid for people during times of drought, Stopped the practice of sati, as it was suicide/murder (some were forced) human life is only given and taken by Bhagvan, Stopped female infanticide (killing of baby girls), Encouraged the bhaktas to educate females, which meant they were able to give talks about Bhagvan, Stopped the sacrifice of animals in yagnas. The Vachanamrut is the scripture most commonly used by Swaminarayan devotees. Glenda Jackson, two-time Oscar winner and lawmaker, dies at 87 - NBC News Swaminarayan Bhagwan also wrote and narrated shastras, authenticated ancient shastras, and instructed His sadhus to write shastras. Bishop Heber himself had about a hundred horse guards accompanying him (fifty horses and fifty muskets) and mentioned that it was humiliating for him to see two religious leaders meeting at the head of two small armies, his being the smaller contingent. [27][81] He was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in Gadhada. During this journey, he did welfare activities and after 9 years and 11 months of this journey, he settled in the modern-day Indian state of Gujarat around . [59], Swaminarayan enjoyed a good relationship with the British Imperial Government. [228] These teachings were first published by Balmukund Swami in 5 chapters and then 7 chapters by Krishnaji Ada. ", According to Kishorelal Mashruwala, a Gandhian scholar cited by Mangalnidhidas, "Swaminarayan was the first to bring about religious advancement of Shudras in Gujarat and Kathiawad region [] And that became the main reason for many to oppose the Sampraday.". [30] He later claimed in the Vachnamrut that during this period, he took up a severe penance to eliminate his mother's flesh and blood from his body so that the sign of his physical attachment to family, was completely removed. During this journey, he did welfare activities and after 9 years and 11 months of this journey, he settled in the state of Gujarat around 1799. In addition, he often made references to other Hindu texts, parables, and occurrences in daily life in order not only to explain spiritual concepts, but also to provide guidance on how to live them. He was particularly strict on the separation of sexes in temples. The ninth lunar day in the fortnight of waxing moon in the Hindu month of Chaitra (MarchApril), is celebrated as both Rama Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti by Swaminarayan followers. Socially, Swaminarayan accepted caste-based discrimination within the religious community, but inspired followers to engage in humanitarian service activities, leading various denominations of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya to currently provide humanitarian service globally. As early as 1804, Swaminarayan, who was reported to have performed miracles, was described as a manifestation of God in the first work written by a disciple and paramhansa, Nishkulanand Swami. The ninth lunar day in the fortnight of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra (MarchApril), is celebrated as both Rama Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti by Swaminarayan followers. [58] During the meeting with Malcolm, Swaminarayan gifted him a copy of the Shikshapatri. Swaminarayan appointed an acharya to each of these gadis to pass on his message to others and to preserve his fellowship, the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the mercenary leader of the Wagner Group, had earned the trust of Vladimir V. Putin. The story of the birth of Swaminarayan parallels that of Krishna's birth from the scripture Bhagavata Purana. He emphasized "moral, personal, and social betterment,"[8] and ahimsa,[9] and is also remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women[10] and the poor,[11] and performing non-violent yajas (fire sacrifices) on a large scale. He wanted his body cremated, with half of his ashes buried in Fresno . [223][113] To attain this state, Swaminarayan states that the jiva needs to follow the four-fold practice of ekantik dharma[note 29] to transcend maya[224][note 30] and become brahmarup[126] and reside in the service of God. In the Shikshapatri Verse 62: 'My followers should worship only those images of the lord that are given by the acharya or installed by him. [75][76] Ayodhyaprasadji, son of his elder brother Rampratap, became acharya of the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad diocese), and Raghuvirji, son of his younger brother Ichcharam, became acharya of the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal diocese). He died on June 1, 1830 and was cremated according to Hindu rites in Gadhada, Gujarat. Soon after returning home to Ayodhya, Dharamdev died whereupon young Gyansham began his arduous, seven year journey of austerity and solitude. [234] The Harilila Kalpataru a 33,000-verse Sanskrit biographical text, was written by Achintyanand Brahmachari, at the suggestion of Gunatitanand Swami. ", Several years after the establishment of the sampradaya, the 19th-century Hindu reformer. In the early years of the sampradaya, Swaminarayan personally directed control of the spiritual and administrative duties. [58][59] As a result of the meeting, both leaders gained mutual respect for one another. Class Base of Swaminarayan Sect. He writes "they all pray to one God with no difference of castes. [50][51][52] Swaminarayan was criticized for receiving large gifts from his followers after renouncing the world and assuming leadership of the fellowship. They live as if they were brothers. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were. [26][42] It is said that Swaminarayan dispelled the myth that moksha (liberation) was not attainable by everyone. [102] Even now, however, for the vast majority of Gujarat's lower-caste, Untouchable and tribal population, the sect is out of bounds. [10][note 3], During his lifetime, Swaminarayan institutionalized his charisma and beliefs in various ways. [24], In 1799, after a seven-year journey, Nilkanth's travels as a yogi eventually concluded in Loj, a village in the Junagadh district of Gujarat. [4][5][6], According to Williams, "Some followers hold the position that Sahajanand taught that Krishna was the highest maifestation of Parabrahman or Purushottam and that he was the only appropriate object of devotion and meditation. The Swaminarayan religion was founded by Sahajanand Swami, a.k.a. On 21 November 1825, he appointed two of his nephews as acharyas to administer the two gadis, or dioceses, adopting them as his own sons and establishing a hereditary line of succession. Consequently, the worship practiced in Swaminarayan mandirs is believed to directly reach God. [1] The birth of Swaminarayan coincided with the Hindu festival of Rama Navami, celebrating the birth of Rama. [39][40], At that time, influential and wealthy individuals educated their girls through private and personal tuition. Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kalupur-Ahmedabad. [222][172] He also describes the ultimate goal of life, moksha (moka), a spiritual state of ultimate liberation from the cycle of births and deaths and characterized by eternal bliss and devotion to God. The Narnarayan and Laxminarayan Gadis believe moksha is attained by worshipping the sacred images of Swaminarayan installed by acharyas. [161], Three stances regarding the ontological position of Sahajanand Swami, c.q. Where did Bishop Heber meet Bhagwan Swaminarayan? - Quora The British officers gave it a 101 gun salute when it was opened. Starting the Prompt Design Site: A New Home in our Stack Exchange Neighborhood. [13][20] This work, the Yama Danda, was the first piece of literature written within the Swaminarayan sect. [36], According to Swaminarayan-tradition, Sahajanand Swami was later known as Swaminarayan after the mantra he taught at a gathering, in Faneni, a fortnight after the death of Ramanand Swami. The images in the temples built by Swaminarayan provide evidence of the priority of Krishna. [56] He also had a meeting with Reginald Heber, Lord Bishop of Calcutta and a leader of Christians in India at the time. [web 19][bettersourceneeded] BAPS Charities, a humanitarian services wing of the Baps, engages in medical, educational, and disaster relief efforts. Swaminarayan Sampradaya (Sect), previously known as Uddhav Sect was established by Param Pujya Sadguru Shri Ramanand Swami. #11. The Swaminarayan Temple was constructed by Swaminarayan himself, founder of Swaminarayan Sampraday almost 200 years ago. [61] He formally adopted one son from each his brothers and later appointed them to the office of acharya. [9][60] He was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in Gadhada. It grew, states Hardiman, in an era of British colonial rule where land taxes were raised to unprecedented heights, lands were "snatched from village communities", and poverty spread. [160] By 'manifest', it is understood that the very same transcendent entity who possesses a divine form in his abode assumes a human form that is still "totally divine," but "accessible" to his human devotees. "[93][note 9]. Swaminarayan . [web 5][21][23], In the 20th century, due to "different interpretations of authentic successorship,"[24] various denominations split-off from the dioceses. [245] He codified devotees' engagement with humanitarian service in the Shikshapatri, instructing followers to help the poor and those in need during natural disasters, to establish schools, and to serve the ill, according to their ability. [68] A temple in Vadtal followed in 1824,[68] a temple in Dholera in 1826,[68] a temple in Junagadh in 1828[68] and a temple in Gadhada, also in 1828. [6], In 1799, after a seven year journey, Nilkanth's travels as a yogi eventually came to an end in Loj, a village in the Junagadh district of Gujarat. However partaking in the consumption food of lower castes and caste pollution was not supported by him. "The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Shri Swaminarayan temple, known as a mandir, is a 162-acre complex which broke ground in 2009 and is set for completion in 2017," the NBC News reports. He also incarnated to take mumukshu bhaktas to Akshardham, by imparting knowledge of His svarup, dharma, vairagya, and bhakti. Was Guru Nanak's son a follower of the Hindu philosopher Nimbarka? [56] While Sahajanand's ethical reforms have been regarded as a protest against immoral Pushtimarg practices,[57] Sahajanand was in fact influenced by and positive towards Vallabha and other Vaisnava-traditions,[58] and he incorporated elements of Vallabha's Pushtimarg,[19][58] popular in Gujarat,[59] to gain recognition. [19][note 5] His reforms may have been primarily targeted against Tantrics, and against practices "associated with village and tribal deities. The chandlo is a red symbol made of kumkum to symbolize Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and prosperity. [5][6][7][8][9] According to the tradition's lore, both the religious group and Sahajanand Swami became known as Swaminarayan after the Swaminarayan mantra, which is a compound of two Sanskrit words, swami ("master, lord"[web 1][web 2]) and Narayan (supreme God, Vishnu). [67][68], In his discourses recorded in the Vachanamrut, Swaminarayan mentions that humans would not be able to withstand meeting god in his divine form, hence God takes human form (simultaneously living in his abode) so people can approach, understand and love him in the form of an Avatar. [62][63] As teachers and preachers, they were instrumental in spreading Swaminarayan's teachings throughout Guajarat, which aided to the rapid growth of the sampradaya,[63][25] and they created the "sacred literature" of the sampradaya, In 1792, he began a seven-year pilgrimage across India at the age of 11 years, adopting the name Nilkanth Varni. The homes of Swaminarayan devotees contain ghar mandirs, or home shrines, which serve as spaces for the daily performance of worship and ritual activities such as arti, thal, and reading sermons or scripture. [112][113], Swaminayaran's siddhanta ("view," "doctrine") emerged within the Vedanta tradition, particularly the Vaishnava tradition as articulated by Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, and Chaitanya. Newest 'swaminarayan' Questions - Hinduism Stack Exchange [141][note 16], Vairagya is dispassion for worldly objects. [50][51], The first temple Swaminarayan constructed was in Ahmedabad in 1822, with the land for construction gifted by the British Imperial Government. [web 20] The Swaminarayan Gadi (Maninagar) diocese primarily hosts health camps and other social services in the UK, Africa and North America. [web 17] The text consists of approximately 1,478 excerpts taken from Gunatitanand Swami's sermons. A few days later, Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS, visited Jabalpur, where he blessed the newborn child and named him Keshav. [15][16][3] In 1826, in a legal document titled the Lekh, Swaminarayan created two dioceses, the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal Gadi) and Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad Gadi), with a hereditary leadership of acharyas and their wives,[web 3] who were authorized to install statues of deities in temples and to initiate ascetics. Ayodhyaprasad, the son of Swaminarayan's elder brother Rampratap and Raghuvira, the son of his younger brother Ichcharam, were appointed acharyas of the Ahmedabad Gadi and the Vadtal Gadi respectively. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. For this reason, first incorporating common and observable aspects of Vaishava culture would have mitigated his appearing unknown, made Sahajanand's aims seem less drastic, and contributed to advancing his local influence in with an aura of rootedness. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. In 1800, he was initiated into the Uddhav sampradaya by his guru, Swami Ramanand, and was given the name Sahajanand Swami. [33] The oldest copy of this text is preserved at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University and it is one of the very few texts written by Sahajanand Swami himself. Male followers of Swaminarayan made arrangements to educate their female family members. [54][113] The Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency summarised it as a book of social laws that his followers should follow. Following planning, construction commenced in 1822, and the temple was built within a year. Using Hindu texts and rituals to form the base of his organization, Swaminarayan founded what in later centuries would become a global organisation with strong Gujarati roots. Their descendants continue the hereditary line of succession. [43] The priests consumed "sanctified" prasad in the form of meat of these animals. The temple is built in white marble and is dedicated to God Narnarayan Dev incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was aware of his death before it happened and he informed his departure to his followers. At what age Swaminarayan died? - Pfeiffertheface.com [9][36][37] After his parents' death, he renounced his home at the age of 11 and traveled for 7 years as a child yogi around India, taking the name Neelkanth, before settling in the hermitage of Ramanand Swami, a Vaishnava religious leader in present-day Gujarat. [97] According to the BAPS, Swaminarayan described a spiritual mode of succession whose purpose is purely soteriological,[97] reflecting his principle that a form of God who lives "before one's eyes" is necessary for aspirants to attain moksha (liberation). They are both Vishnuist sects. "Within philosophy, just as r akara's Vednta is identified as the Advaita Darana, r Rmnuja's Vednta is identified as the Viidvaita Darana, r Madhva's Vednta is identified as the Dvaita Darana, r Vallabha's Vednta is identified as the uddhdvaita Darana, and others are respectively known; it is in every way appropriate to identify Sri Svminryaa's Vednta by the title: Akara-Puruottama Darana. In 1830, Swaminarayan gathered his followers (both lay and monastic devotees) and announced his departure. Members of the lower castes were attracted to the movement as it improved their social status. His parents were Ajay Sharma (father) and Sumati (mother). The Swaminarayan Sampraday view these breakaway organization's as vimukh (against the source). Notable scriptures throughout include the Shikshapatri and the Vachanamrut. It contains views on dharma (moral conduct), jnana (understanding of the nature of the self), vairagya (detachment from material pleasure), and bhakti (pure, selfless devotion to God), as well as on the four essentials that Hindu scriptures describe as necessary for a jiva (soul) to attain moksha (salvation).[36]. "[259][260], BAPS-member Parikh attributes this statement to "deep-rooted rigidities of age-old varna-stratied society," and speculates that "Possibly, Swaminarayan sought to subtly subvert and thereby undermine the traditional social order instead of negating it outright through such prescriptions. [25], According to the sect, Nilkanth's understanding of the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of the pancha-tattvas (five eternal elements), together with his mental and physical discipline, inspired senior swamis of Ramanand Swami. [138][139] Another aspect of the practice of dharma is the Swaminarayan diet, a type of vegetarianism, similar to that practiced generally by Vaishnava sampradayas, that entails abstaining from animal flesh, eggs, onions, and garlic. Pramukh Swami Maharaj obituary | Hinduism | The Guardian [208], Cultural and theological instruction is also delivered on this day of weekly congregation. [49][9][39] He was a charismatic personality,[3] and in the early period of the Swaminarayan movement, followers were often induced into a visionary trance state interpreted as samadhi, either by direct contact with Swaminarayan or by chanting the Swaminarayan mantra, in which they had visions of their "chosen deity" (istadevata). In Loj, Nilkanth Varni met Muktanand Swami, a senior disciple of Ramanand Swami. Muktanand Swami, who was 22 years older than Nilkanth, answered the five questions to Nilkanth's satisfaction. The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan movement, is a Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja 's Vishishtadvaita, [note 1] [note 2] characterized by the worship of its charismatic [3] founder Sahajanand Swami, better known as Swaminarayan (1781-1830), as an avatar of Krishna [4] [5] [6] or as . [50] In 1830, Swaminarayan had a meeting with Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay (1827 to 1830). CNN . Thus all the wealth and institutions are effectively under the control of men. [84] Members of the sect consider Swaminarayan a pioneer of education of females in India. He taught mumukshu bhaktas that the jeev is neither male nor female and that everyone is equal in the eyes of Bhagvan, Had good relationships with the British Imperial Government, so they gifted Him with land to build a mandir in Amdavad, Maintained good relationships with people of other religions; had followers from other religions; even though some of His attendants were Muslims, they wore a kanthi and followed the panch-vartman, Gave the Governor of Bombay, Sir john Malcolm, a copy of the Shikshapatri (is kept in Bodleian Library in Oxford UK). Arti is performed five times per day in shikharbaddha mandirs and twice per day in hari mandirs. [11] He constructed six mandirs to facilitate followers' devotional worship of God,[12][13][14] and encouraged the creation of a scriptural tradition. [25], According to Williams another, more accepted idea, is that "Sahajanand was a manifestation of Krishna,"[163] an understanding reflected in the Ahmedabad and Vadtal mandirs, where statues of NarNarayan and Lakshmi Narayan are enshrined, but where Swaminarayan's uniqueness is also emphasized.