Bhagwan Swaminarayan
Swãminãrãyan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) is the central figure of the Swaminarayan faith of Hinduism and is regarded as an incarnation of God.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, (North India) in 1781 AD, renounced his home at the age of 11, performed austerities in the Himalayas and traveled through India for the next seven years across 8,000 miles, before settling in an ashram in Gujarat (Western India). He then preached his doctrine of love, peace, purity and non-violence until his death in 1830. Followers believe that he lives on beyond his mortal form.
Life
Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 3, 1781 - 1830) was born as Ghanshyam Pande to a family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father's name was Hariprasad Pande (also known as Dharmadev) and his mother's name was Premvati (also known as Bhaktimata). He had two brothers, Rampratapji Pande, the older brother, and Icharamji Pande, the younger brother. After serving his parents, he left home at the age of 11 to travel over 8,000 miles throughout India on a holy pilgrimage for 7 years, 1 month, and 11 days. During his travels, Ghanshyam was given the name Neelkanth, another name for Shiva, for the intensive tapas, meditation, and yoga he performed. In many instances, yogis, rishis and sadhus were attracted to his figure in awe, for they had never before seen such a young renunciant who is so advanced in the art of meditation.
To dispel what he saw as the misinterpretation and malpractice that had befallen upon Hindu practice in the 19th century, he travelled across India in search of an ashram or sampradaya (following) that practiced what he considered a correct understanding of Vedanta, Samkhya, Yoga, and Pancaratra -- the four primary schools of Hinduism[citation needed]. He would measure the various yogis' understanding of the scriptures by asking the following five questions and assessing their responses: "What is the nature of Jiva? What is the nature of Ishwar? What is the nature of Maya? What is the nature of Brahman? What is the nature of Parabrahman?" His journey as a profound yogi eventually concluded in Gujarat, where Swami Muktananda, a senior monk-disciple of a highly respected Vaishnav guru Swami Ramananda, answered the five questions satisfactorily.
Neelkanth was pleased to see his understanding of a pure understanding of the essence of Hindu thought and practice as well as an Ashrama that was strict in abiding by the laws of Dharma, and so he decided to stay to get an opportunity to meet and become a disciple of Swami Ramananda.
Neelkanth's understanding of the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of the Pancha-Tattvas (five eternal entities as outlined above) combined with the level of his mental and physical discipline are said to have inspired even the senior sadhus of Swami Ramananda. At the age of 21, he was given the headship of the religious sect known as Uddhav Sampraday (later known as Swaminarayan Sampraday), with the blessings of his Guru Sadguru Ramanand Swami. He later became known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan after the mantra he taught. Although the name that was given by his Guru Swami Ramananda at the time of initiation into the monk order was Swami Sahajananda, he become commonly known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan, or Shreeji Maharaj or Shri Hari.
The teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan transformed a significant portion of Gujarat, Saurashtra, and even parts of Rajasthan into people of all castes, creeds, and ashramas developing "a pure understanding of spirituality" and shedding what followers believe to be false conceptions of the scriptures that had led to a long-standing practice of superstitions, violence, and killing of animals in Vedic sacrifices (yagnas). Bhagwan Swaminarayan, as a hallmark of his philosophy of temple theism and deity worship, constructed nine magnificent mandirs in: Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Muli, Vadtal, Junagadh, , Dholka, & – installing images of various manifestations of God, such as NarNarayan Dev, LaxmiNarayan Dev, Radha Krishna, Radha Raman, Revti Baldevji, etc. Bhagwan Swaminarayan made his home, in recognition of the devoted love from Dada Khachar, one of his most devoted disciples.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan's philosophical, social, and practical teachings are contained in the Vachanamrut, a collection of 273 dialogues which were recorded with precision by five of his disciples verbatim to his spoken words. As a result, the Vachanamrut is the most central scripture to attain a comprehensive knowledge of dharma (moral conduct), jnana (understanding of the nature of the atman and Paramatma), vairagya (mental and physical detachment from material pleasure or maya), and bhakti (pure, selfless devotion to God) -- the four essentialities for a jiva to attain the state of Brahman and become a perfect disciple of God. As a commentary to the practice and understanding of Dharma, Swaminarayan composed the Shikshapatri, a small booklet containing 212 Sanskrit hymns that outline the basic tenets of Dharma that all disciples should follow to live a well-disciplined and moral life.
Historically, the movement that Bhagwan Swaminarayan started can be seen to have a significant effect in the state of affairs of Gujarat and Rajasthan, for the amount of social work he conducted can be seen as one of the major factors leading to the stabilization of Gujarat during the 19th century[citation needed], a time where the British Empire and the Muslims of the north were gaining a stronger foothold. The advent of the Swaminarayan Sampraday is arguably the strongest influence in 19th century India to provide a resurgence of Hindu philosophy and practice, defying significant outside influence and a widespread misinterpretation and malpractice of the Hindu texts, injecting a strong ideal of non-violence, religious and cultural tolerance, and simply developing a pure love for God. The abolition of the prejudice and segregation that had resulted from the caste system is another hallmark of Bhagwan Swaminarayan's social work to reach out to all people and open the gateway of spiritual discipline and participation in the congregation (which Bhagwan Swaminarayan referred to as Satsang).
Thus, Bhagwan Swaminarayan transformed the inherited Uddhav Sampradaya, which was passed to him by his guru , into the fellowship known today as the Swaminarayan Sampraday.
According to writer Raymond Williams, Swaminarayan mandirs exist on four continents and have a total following of over five million and a saint order of well over 3,000.[1]
Appreciation
During a short span of 28 years and 6 months, i.e. from Magshar to Jeth of Samvat year 1858, Lord Swaminarayan moved from village to village, between Dwarka in the West and Dakor in the East, between Siddhpur in the North and Dharampur in the South of Gujarat, Kathiawad and Cutch for the uplift of mankind. And what was the result of this continuous journey? According to the history of the Sampraday, there was practically no big temple, i.e. Shikharbandh or small, i.e. Harimandir in the beginning of the Samvat year 1858. But by the end of the 1886, there were six big temples at Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Vadtal, Dholera, Junagadh, and Gadhada and about 650 small ones, and by the end of the Samvat year 2036, there were in the Sampraday about 60 big temples and about 3500 small ones.
In the beginning of the Samvat year 1858, number of followers was about a thousand but by the end of 1886, it rose to "5 lacs (500,000) Gruhastha families (a family means 5 members) and about 1800 Tyagis (300 Bralimachnes, 1000 Sadhus and 500 Palas)", and by the end of Samvat year 2036, it was more than double. Bishop Heber of Calcutta who, with the Collector of Kheda, had darshan of Lord Swaminarayan at Nadiad in 1826 AD., exclaimed with great surprise, "Oh! How nice it would be if I had such a large faithful and distinguished band of followers !" Nanalal, a great Gujarati poet, in his translation of SHIKSHAPATRI writes "just as solar Luminaries move round the sun and Nakshatramal move round the moon, a bright circle in the form of Sadhus who were celibacy and non- attachment-Incarnate moved round Sahajanand Swami." (Suraj farti surajmal chhe ane Chandra farti nakshatramal chhe a vi Shri Sahajanand Swami farti brahmacharya ane vairagya ni sakshat moortio sami santpal sobhati). Justice Ranade described Lord Swaminarayan "As a great last Hindu Reformer" K. M. Munshi, Vijayray Vaidya and other reputed Gujarati writers described Him as a great Jyotirdhar of Gujarat.
Several civil and military officers of the time, noted with profound respect and high surprise in their dispatches and journals that "Regions and people who were most mischievous and turbulent and law-breakers have now, under the benign influence of Lord Swaminarayan, become most peace-loving, orderly law-abiding, God-fearing citizens." Sir John Malcolm, the then Governor of Bombay, specially came down to Rajkot in February, 1830 A.D., to have a darshan of Lord Swaminarayan, and whole-heartedly thanked Him and expressed his feelings of deep and respectful gratitude for the work of restoration of law and order and maintenance of peace, done by Lord Swaminarayan, without resorting to arms and ammunitions or without the help of ruling princes in Gujarat, Kathiawad and Cutch. History notes that there were during this century other great reformers like Keshavchandra Sen, Raja Rammohan Roy, Dayanand Saraswati, Ramkrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekanand, Mrs. Annie Beasant.
Charity
FOOD AND WATER FOR THE NEEDY
As soon as, Lord Swaminarayan assumed the Acharyaship of the Sampraday first thing that He did was, to provide food and drinking water for the needy. With this merciful end in view, He opened Sadavritas at several places like Manavadar, Loj, Agatrai, Shader, Meghpur, Sardhar, Methan, Dhoraji, Jamvadi, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Faneni, Sankali, Jetpur, Kotda, Gadhada, Kariyani, JetaIpur, Ahmedabad etc. He ordered His Sadhus to give food-grains (unbaked) to all needy persons, especially to the pilgrims and to the Sadhus, irrespective or their caste and creed. Under personal supervision, He got started digging wells and ponds at several places like Mangrol, Kariyani and other places, where there was scarcity of drinking water. This had a very healthy effect on the minds of the people.
Education of Females
Above reform automatically introduced another reform which was long overdue. At that time, facilities for education among the masses were sparse. There were some schools and Pathshalas in big towns and cities, mostly run with the help of charity from the well-to-do persons. In village, there were scattered village schools run entirely by private persons. But there was no school worth the name for females. Influential and rich people used to educate their girls by private personal tutions. The above order of Lord Swaminarayan required, as a first condition, that the females should at least know the art at reading and writing. All followers, males as well as females, were very keen to follow, at any cost, verbatim the order of Lord Swaminarayan. Male members of the family, therefore made immediate arrangements to educate their females. Females also fully co-operated. And within a short time, number or females who could read Shastras and give discourses thereupon in the Sampraday reached to astonishing heights. It should be noted that even today, the number of learned and wise females who are well adept in fields of Jnan, Yoga and Bhakti, is Indeed very imposing. Lord Swaminarayan did not organize any school as such for the purpose, nor did He directly ordered females to learn the three 'R's i.e. reading, writing and recitation. But His mere word of the that only females should conduct their religious assemblies worked wonders. As far as the females of the Sampraday were concerned, Lord Swaminarayan was the pioneer of female education.
Manifestation of God
One of the glorious aspects of the Hindu faith is the recognition of God's manifestations. In the Bhagavad Gita 4/7-8, Lord Krishna states, "Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya...sambhavaami yuge yuge" or "Dear descendant of Bharat [Arjun], whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominant rise of irreligion, at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the wrong, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself age after age."
The advent of almighty God in the form of Swaminarayan Bhagwan is forecasted in other ancient Vedic scriptures as well. For example, in Vasudeva 18.43-44 of Skanda Purana, Vishnu Khanda:
- 43
- Dharmadeva tada murtau, narnarayanatmana
- Pravrte-pi kalau Brahman! Bhutvaham samago dvijaha
- 44
- Munishapannrutam praptam, sarshim janakaatmanaha
- Tato-vita gurubhyoham saddharmam sthapayannaja
"When the asuras who were killed by myself and Arjuna begin to spread wickedness on earth, I will be born in a Brahmin family to Dharmadev and Murti from NarNarayana. I, with many other rishis, will receive a shaap (curse) from a Muni to come on the earth to a Samved Brahmin family to protect religion from evil.” ()
To set an example for devotees, Bhagwan Swaminarayan was a Narayan and Krishna bhakta. Devotees however realized that he was Narayan himself, Rama, Krishna, etc. being his avataras. Swaminarayan Sampraday stems from the Ramanuja sampraday, which holds Lord Narayan to be supreme and Krishna to be an avatar.
In his main work called Shikshapatri (108) he writes:
- "Sa Sri Krshnaha Param Brahma Bhagvaan Purushotamaha Upasya Ishtadevo Naha Sarvaavirbhaav Kaaranam"
That ishvara is Shi Krishna who is PraBrahma Bhagwan Purushottam and our most cherished deity (istadev). He is worthy of being worshipped by us all (upasya). He is the cause of all manifestations and incarnations.
As an elaboration to this shlok, Sadguru Shree Shatanand Muni writes in Artha Dipika (Shikshapatri Bhashya)
"Yaha Saakshaat Bhagvaan Ksharakhara Paraha Krshnaha Sa Eva Svayam Bhaktau Dharmat Aas, Bhoori Krupaya Sri Svaminarayanaha Maanushyam Bhuvi Naatayannijjan Acharyatvadharme Sthitaha Krshnam Praha Parokshavann Tu Tatonyaha Sosti Yatsa Svayam"
"That live (saakshat) God (Bhagwan) Krishna who is above kshar and akshar, appeared from Bhakti through Dharma as Bhagwan Swaminarayan; assumed a human body on the earth like a dramatist (natta). That Bhagwan Krishna whilst observing the (human) dharmas of an Acharya speaks in third person (parokshavann) but that Bhagwan Krishna is none other than Himself."
Fundamentals of the Swaminarayan philosophy
The Basic Principle of Swaminaryan Bhagawan is "Vishista-advaita" (qualified non-dualism) propounded by Ramanujacharya.
- Dharma (Religion): Virtuous conduct as defined in the 'Shrutis' and 'Smrutis' (Holy Scriptures) is known as Dharma.
- Bhakti (Devotion): Supreme love of the soul combined with the consciousness of the glory of Supreme God is known as 'Bhakti'.
- Jnāna (Enlightenment): Correct awareness about the forms of the soul, illusion, and God is known as 'Jnyana'.
- Vairagya (Renunciation): Detachment from all material possessions and absolute attachment towards God is known as 'Vairagya'.
- Māyā (Illusion): It is considered 'Tri-Gunatmika' i.e. illusion prevails in all three qualities viz. Satva, Rajas and Tamas; To be possessed by Maya is to be caught in darkness; God is the Lord of Maya who acts as the power of God; It breeds ego in one for his body and for the relatives of the body.
- Mukti - Moksha: Loving worship of God.
- Ātman (Self): Recognition of the ātman, after which one experiences a transcendental bliss, is achieved through bhakti-yoga as outlined in the Bhagavad Gitā, according to the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan. It is the source of energy and is the real knower; It pervades the entire body and is the essence that differentiates matter and life; in character it is inseparable, impenetrable, indestructible and immortal.
- Paramātman (The Supreme Soul): It is omnipresent within the souls, just as soul is present in the body; it is independent and is the one whom rewards the fala (fruits) to the souls. It is the source of infinite material universes and the First Cause. It has no prior causes, and is the inherent cause of all effects (i.e. law of causality or the Hindu concept of karma). S. Radhakrishnan, a renowned Hindu scholar, writes "The Supreme is described as a kavi, a poet, an artist, a maker or creator, not a mere imitator...even as art reveals man's wealth of life, so does the world reveal the immensity of God's life," (p. 86, The Principal Upanishads). That Paramātman to have manifested is Bhagwan Swaminarayan according to his followers.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan's Succession
Prior to his death, Bhagwan Swaminarayan decided to establish a line of acharyas, or preceptors as his spiritual successors. (Williams 1982:61-97).[2]
He established two gadis (seats) — one in Ahmedabad (Shree Nar-Narayan Dev) and one in Vadtal (Shree Laxmi-Narayan Dev) — on Tuesday, November 21, 1825 CE (Kartik Sud 11 Samvat 1882, Ekadashi). Bhagwan Swaminarayan then appointed an acharya to each of these two gadis to pass on his message to others and to preserve his fellowship, Swaminarayan Sampraday. These acharyas came from his immediate family; he formally adopted a son from each of his two brothers, Rampratap and Ichcharam, and appointed them to the office of acharya. Ayodhyaprasad, son of his elder brother Rampratap, was appointed Acharya of Ahmedabad Gadi, and Raghuvira, son of his younger brother Ichcharam, was appointed Acharya of Vadtal Gadi. Bhagwan Swaminarayan decreed that the office should be hereditary so that acharyas would maintain a direct line of blood descent from his family.[3]
The institution of a hereditary line of religious specialists is common in Hinduism but what is unique in Bhagwan Swaminarayan's institution of this office is that he designated an administrative division of the followers into two territorial dioceses. This administrative division is set forth in minute detail in a document written by Sahajanand (Bhagwan Swaminarayan), called Desh Vibhaag Lekh.[1].[4]
Hence, followers of the Swaminarayan Sampraday accept the acharyas as spiritual successors. The Shikshapatri Slokh 3[5], Vachanamrut - Vadtal 18[6], The Desh Vibhaag Lekh Slokh 10[7], Nishkulanand Kavya - Purushottam Prakash Prakar 37-40[8], provide what followers of the Swaminarayan Sampraday believe to be direct scriptural references in which Bhagwan Swaminarayan recognizes acharyas as the rightful spiritual successors.The current Acharyas of the Swaminarayan Sampraday are Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj, of the Ahmedabad Gadi, and Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj, of the Vadtal Gadi.
Followers of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS, on the other hand, believe that Gunatitanand Swami was the spiritual successor to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. They point to several occasions in which they believe Bhagwan Swaminarayan revealed to devotees that Gunatitanand Swami was manifest. These instances claimed by the devotees of BAPS have come to embody the philosophy known as Akshar Purushottam Upasana. This philosophical difference led to the creation of BAPS in 1907, by Shastriji Maharaj, who was believed by the devotees of BAPS to be the third spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, when he left the Vadtal Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday and was excommunicated post hoc.[9] The current leader of BAPS is Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Followers of the Swaminarayan Gadi believe that Gopalanand Swami was the spiritual successor to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. This difference in belief of succession led to the creation of Swaminarayan Gadi in the 1940s. Sadhu Muktajivan, who is claimed to be the fifth successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, left the Ahmedabad Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday and was excommunicated post hoc. The current leader of the Swaminarayan Gadi is Acharya Swamishree Purushottampriyadasji.
The disputes in successorship have not ended with the formation of BAPS and Swaminarayan Gadi. Many other groups have been formed after splitting from BAPS and Swaminarayan Gadi due to differences in belief.
References
- ^ Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism, Raymond Brady Williams, 2001.
- ^ William, Raymond (2001). Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 34.
- ^ William, Raymond (2001). Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 35.
- ^ William, Raymond (2001). Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 36.
- ^ Shikshapatri Slokh 3 – Acharyas as head of all Swaminarayan devotees.
- ^ Vachanamrut Vadtal 18 – Fundamentals of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.
- ^ The Desh Vibhaag Lekh Slokh 10 – Acharyas as my Spiritual Successors.
- ^ Purushottam Prakash - Glory of Acharyas.
- ^ William, Raymond (2001). Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 54.