LORD SWAMINARAYAN

The Swaminarayan Sampraday is a Bhakti Sampraday founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan on 31 December 1801 CE. It belongs to the Vaishnav tradition and represents the purest form of the Hindu religion. It focuses its faith on salvation through total devotion - bhakti - to the Supreme God developed through dharma, jnan and vairagya (righteousness, knowledge and detachment).

Lord Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, was born on 3 April 1781, in the village of Chhapiya, near Ayodhya, North India. Having mastered the scriptures by the age of 7, He renounced home at 11 to embark upon a 7 year spiritual pilgrimage on foot across the length and breadth of India. Eventually settling in Gujarat, He spent the next 30 years spearheading a socio-spiritual revolution. With a faithful following of 500 Paramhansas, He established the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, introducing social reforms, serving the poor and the needy, challenging superstition,
addictions and blind faith. His work concentrated on promoting personal morality and moulding spiritual character.

In a life span of 49 years, He enriched humanity with six majestic mandirs, revealed the Vedic philosophy of Akshar Purushottam worship, and imparted deep spiritual wisdom in the sacred scripture - Vachanamrut. In His own lifetime, He was worshipped as the supreme God by hundreds of thousands of devotees. And He promised to remain ever present on earth through a succession of spiritual Gurus - Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and presently Pragat Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Today the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Bhakti sampradaya, has emerged as one of the most progressive and purest forms of Hinduism, internationally known as the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. We present a brief sketch on the life and work of Lord Swaminarayan in an appealing graphic and descriptive form.

Lord Swaminarayan enlightened innumerable souls by His charisma, drew thousands together and fired them with a spirit of do-or-die for Him, relieved the unscrupulous Kathis and Kolis of their thievish tendencies, revived the lost ethical precept of Brahmacharya, resuscitated the degenerated ascetic order, taught the ideal of self-control and righteousness to the Gurus and Acharyas who had fallen from their duties, emancipated women by assigning them their rightful status in society and in the Fellowship, morally uplifted the lower classes, encouraged literary and musical activities, performed yagnas which did not involve animal sacrifice, inculcated the doctrine of tolerance, revived ethical and moral values and devotion, taught the glory and grandeur of God and founded and propagated Bhagwat Dharma on the principles inculcated by Bhagwan Veda Vyas - such was Sahajanand Swami." - Kishorelal Mashruwala (great Gandhian thinker).