Swaminarayan (Gujarati: સ્વામિનારાયણ, Devanagari: स्वामीनारायण, IAST:Svāmīnārāyaṇa) (3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, is the central figure in a modern sect of Hinduism known as theSwaminarayan Faith, a form of Vaishnavism.[ Within the faith, Swaminarayan is equated with the Supreme Being, Purushottama, or is venerated as an incarnation of Narayana from the Nara-Narayana deity pair.
Swaminarayan was born
Ghanshyam Pande in
Chhapaiya,
Uttar Pradesh,
India in 1781. In 1792, he began a seven year pilgrimage across India, adopting the name
Nilkanth Varni. He settled in the state of
Gujarat around 1799. In 1800, he was initiated into the
Uddhav Sampraday by his guru,
Ramanand Swami, and was given the name
Sahajanand Swami. In 1802, his guru handed over the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday to him before his death. Sahajanand Swami held a gathering and taught the
Swaminarayan mantra. From this point onwards, he was known as
Swaminarayan and regarded as an incarnation of God by his followers. The Uddhav Sampraday became known as the
Swaminarayan Sampraday.
Swaminarayan developed a good relationship with the
British Imperial Government. He had followers not only from Hindu denominations, but also from
Islam and
Zoroastrianism. He built six temples in his lifetime and appointed 500
paramhansas to spread his philosophy. In 1826, Swaminarayan wrote the
Shikshapatri, a book of social principles. He died on 1 June 1830 and was cremated according to Hindu rites in
Gadhada, Gujarat. Before his death, Swaminarayan appointed his nephews as
acharyas to head the two dioceses of Swaminarayan Sampraday.
Swaminarayan is also remembered within the faith for undertaking reforms for women and the poor, performing
yagnas or fire sacrifices on a large scale as well as performing miracles. He has, however, been criticised by religious leaders such as
Swami Dayananda who questioned the acceptance of Swaminarayan as God. Swaminarayan had an estimated 1.8 million followers when he died. Currently, his following is estimated between 5 and 20 million.
[edit]
Childhood as Ghanshyam
Dharmadev teaching Ghanshyam from Hindu
shastras
Swaminarayan was born on 3 April 1781 (Chaitra Sud 9, Samvat 1837) in
Chhapaiya,
Uttar Pradesh, a village near
Ayodhya, in a
Hindi speaking region in India.
[1] Born in the
Brahminor priest
caste of Sarvariya, Swaminarayan was named
Ghanshyam Pande by his parents, Hariprasad Pande (father, also known as Dharmadev) and Premvati Pande (mother, also known as Bhaktimata and Murtidevi).
[1] The birth of Swaminarayan coincided with the Hindu festival of
Rama Navami, celebrating the birth of
Rama. The ninth lunar day in the fortnight of
waxing moon in the
Hindu month of
Chaitra (March–April), is celebrated as both Rama Navami and
Swaminarayan Jayanti by Swaminarayan followers. This celebration also marks the beginning of a ritual calendar for the followers.
[3]Swaminarayan had an elder brother, Rampratap Pande, and a younger brother, Ichcharam Pande.
[4] He is said to have mastered
Hindu scriptures including the
Vedas, the
Upanishads, the
Puranas, the
Ramayana, and the
Mahabharata by the age of seven.
[5]
[edit]Travels as Nilkanth Varni
Nilkanth Varni during his travels
After the death of his parents, Ghanshyam Pande left his home on 29 June 1792 (Ashadh Sud 10, Samvat 1849) at the age of 11.
[6] He took the name Nilkanth Varni while on his journey. Nilkanth Varni travelled across India and parts of
Nepal in search of an
ashram, or hermitage, that practised what he considered a correct understanding of
Vedanta,
Samkhya,
Yoga, and
Pancaratra, the four primary schools of Hindu philosophy.
[7] To find such an ashram, Nilkanth Varni asked the following five questions on the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories:
[8]
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. In Loj, Nilkanth Varni met
Muktanand Swami, a senior disciple of
Ramanand Swami. Muktanand Swami, who was twenty-two years older than Nilkanth, answered the five questions to Nilkanth's satisfaction.
[11] Nilkanth decided to stay for the opportunity to meet Ramanand Swami, whom he met a few months after his arrival in Gujarat.
[12]
[edit]Leadership as Sahajanand Swami
Traditional iconographical portrait of Swaminarayan
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
sadhus of Ramanand Swami.
[13]
Nilkanth Varni received
sannyasa initiation from Ramanand Swami on 20 October 1800, and with it was granted the names
Sahajanand Swami and
Narayan Muni to signify his new status.
[14]
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.
[19] He gave his followers a new mantra, known as the
Swaminarayan mantra, to repeat in their rituals:
Swaminarayan.
[14] When chanting this mantra, some devotees went into
samadhi (a form of meditation)
[15][n 1] This act is also called
maha-samadhi ("great samadhi") and claimed that they could see their personal gods, even though they had no knowledge of
Astanga Yoga.
[9][20][21] Swaminarayan also became known by the names Ghanshyam Maharaj, Shreeji Maharaj, Hari Krishna Maharaj and Shri Hari. 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,
Nishkulanand Swami.
[14][22] This work, the
Yama Danda, was the first piece of literature written within the Swaminarayan sect.
[23]
Swaminarayan encouraged his followers to combine devotion and
dharma to lead a pious life. Using Hindu texts and rituals to form the base of his organisation, Swaminarayan founded what in later centuries would become a global organisation with strong
Gujarati roots.
[24] He was particularly strict on the separation of sexes in temples.
[25] Swaminarayan was against the consumption of meat, alcohol or drugs, adultery, suicide, animal sacrifices, criminal activities and the appeasement of ghosts and
tantric rituals.
[2][26][27][28] Alcohol consumption was forbidden by him even for medicinal purposes.
[29] Many of his followers took vows before becoming his disciple. He stated that four elements need to be conquered for ultimate salvation: dharma,
bhakti (devotion),
gnana (knowledge) and
vairagya (detachment).
[30] Doctrinally, Swaminarayan was close to eleventh century philosopher
Ramanuja and was critical of
Shankaracharya's concept of
advaita, or monistic
non-dualism. Swaminarayan's
ontology maintained that the supreme being is
not formless and that God always has a divine form.
[31]
[edit]Reforms
[edit]Reforms for women and the poor
Swaminarayan distributing food among the needy
After assuming the leadership of the Sampraday, Swaminarayan worked to assist the poor by distributing food and drinking water.
[32] He undertook several social service projects and opened almshouses for the poor. Swaminarayan organized food and water relief to people during times of drought.
[33]
According to author
Raymond Brady Williams, "Swaminarayan is an early representative of the practice of advocacy of women's rights without personal involvement with women".
[34] To counter the practice of
sati (self-immolation by a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre), Swaminarayan argued that, as human life was given by God it could be taken only by God, and that
sati had no Vedic sanction. He went to the extent to call
sati nothing but suicide. Swaminarayan offered parents help with
dowry expenses to discourage female infanticide, calling infanticide a sin.
[35][36]
At that time, influential and wealthy individuals educated their girls through private and personal tuition. Male followers of Swaminarayan made arrangements to educate their female family members. The literacy rate among females began to increase, and they were able to give discourses on spiritual subjects. Within the faith, Swaminarayan is considered a pioneer of education of females in India.
[35][36][37][38][39]
[edit]Animal Sacrifices and Yagnas
Swaminarayan was against animal sacrifices as carried out by Brahmin priests during Vedic rituals, such as
yajnas (fire sacrifices), influenced by the
Kaula and
Vama Marg cults.
[40] The priests consumed "sanctified"
prasad in the form of meat of these animals. To solve this problem, Swaminarayan conducted several large scale yajnas involving priests from
Varanasi. These did not have animal sacrifices and were conducted in strict accordance with Vedic scriptures. Swaminarayan was successful in reinstating
ahimsa through several such large scale yajnas. Swaminarayan stressed lacto
vegetarianism among his followers and forbade meat consumption.
[29][39][41][42]
Disciples of Swaminarayan composed devotional poems which are widely sung by the tradition during festivals.
[43][44]Swaminarayan introduced fasting and devotion among followers.
[45] He conducted the festivals of
Vasant Panchami,
Holi, and
Janmashtami with organization of the traditional folk dance
raas.
[9]
[edit]Caste system and moksha
Some suggest that Swaminarayan worked towards ending the
caste system, allowing everyone into the Swaminarayan Sampraday. However partaking in the consumption food of lower castes and caste pollution was not supported by him.
[29] A political officer in Gujarat,
Mr. Williamson reported to Bishop Herber that Swaminarayan had "Destroyed the yoke of caste."
[34]He instructed his paramhansas to collect alms from all sections of society and appointed people from the lower strata of society as his personal attendants. He ate along with lower castes. Members of the lower castes were attracted to the movement as it improved their social status.
[2][39] It is said that Swaminarayan dispelled the myth that
moksha (liberation) was not attainable by everyone.
[46] He taught that the soul is neither male nor female and that everyone was equal in the eyes of God.
[2][47]
[edit]Temples and ascetics
Swaminarayan and Paramhansas in
Gadhada
[edit]Scriptures
Illustration of Swaminarayan writing the Shiskhapatri
Swaminarayan propagated general Hindu texts.
[24] He held the
Bhagavata Purana in high authority.
[56] However, there are many texts that were written by Swaminarayan or his followers that are regarded as
shastras or scriptures within the Swaminarayan faith. Notable scriptures throughout the sect include the
Shikshapatri and the
Vachanamrut. Other important works and scriptures include the
Satsangi Jeevan, Swaminarayan's authorized biography, the
Muktanand Kavya, the
Nishkulanand Kavya and the
Bhakta Chintamani.
[57]
[edit]Shikshapatri
Main article:
Shikshapatri
Swaminarayan wrote the
Shikshapatri on 11 February 1826.
[58] While the original
Sanskritmanuscript is not available, it was translated into
Gujarati by
Nityanand Swami under the direction of Swaminarayan and is revered in the sect.
[29] The Gazetteer of the
Bombay Presidency summarised it as a book of social laws that his followers should follow.
[59] A commentary on the practice and understanding of
dharma, it is a small booklet containing 212 Sanskrit verses, outlining the basic tenets that Swaminarayan believed his followers should uphold in order to live a well-disciplined and moral life.
[57]
[edit]Vachanamrut
Main article:
Vachanamrut
Swaminarayan's philosophical, social and practical teachings are contained in the
Vachanamrut, a collection of dialogues recorded by five followers from his spoken words. The
Vachanamrut is the scripture most commonly used in the Swaminarayan sect. 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), the four essentials Hindu scriptures describe as necessary for a
jiva (soul) to attain
moksha (salvation).
[60]
[edit]Relations with other religions and the British Government
Swaminarayan strived to maintain good relationships with people of other religions, sometimes meeting prominent leaders. His followers cut across religious boundaries, including people of
Muslim and
Parsi backgrounds.
[9][61]Swaminarayan's personal attendants included
Khoja Muslims.
[9] In
Kathiawad, many Muslims wore
kanthi necklaces given by Swaminarayan.
[62] He also had a meeting with
Reginald Heber, Lord
Bishop of
Calcutta and a leader of
Christiansin India at the time.
[48] Bishop Heber mentions in his account of the meeting that about two hundred disciples of Swaminarayan accompanied him as his bodyguards mounted on horses carried
Matchlocks and swords. 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.
[63][64] As a result of the meeting, both leaders gained mutual respect for one another.
[64]
Swaminarayan enjoyed a good relationship with the
British Imperial Government. The first temple he built, in
Ahmedabad, was built on 5,000 acres (20 km
2) of land gifted by the government. The British officers gave it a 101 gun salute when it was opened.
[51][52] It was in an 1825 meeting with Reginald Heber that Swaminarayan is said to have intimated that he was a manifestation of God Supreme.
[48] In 1830, Swaminarayan had a meeting with
Sir John Malcolm,
Governor of Bombay (1827 to 1830). According to Malcolm, Swaminarayan had helped bring some stability to a lawless region.
[65] During the meeting with Malcolm, Swaminarayan gifted him a copy of the Shikshapatri. This copy of the Shikshapatri is currently housed at the
Bodleian Library at
University of Oxford.
[66] Swaminarayan also encouraged the British Governor James Walker to implement strong measures to stop the practice of
sati.
[edit]Death and succession
Madan Mohan and Radha (centre and right) with Swaminarayan in the form of Hari Krishna (left), installed by Swaminarayan on the central altar in
Dholera (1826)
In 1830, Swaminarayan gathered his followers and announced his departure. He later died on 1 June 1830 (Jeth sud 10, Samvat 1886),
[52] and it is believed by followers that, at the time of his death, Swaminarayan left Earth for
Akshardham, his abode.
[9][67] He was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in
Gadhada.
[68]
Prior to his death, Swaminarayan decided to establish a line of
acharyas or preceptors, as his successors.
[69] He established two
gadis (seats of leadership). One seat was established at Ahmedabad (
Nar Narayan Dev Gadi) and the other one at Vadtal (
Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi) on November 21, 1825. Swaminarayan appointed an acharya to each of these
gadis to pass on his message to others and to preserve his fellowship, the Swaminarayan Sampraday. These acharyas came from his immediate family. He formally adopted a son from his brothers and appointed them to the office of acharya.
Ayodhyaprasad, the son of Swaminarayan's elder brother Rampratap and
Raghuvira, the son of his younger brother Ichcharam, were appointed
acharyasof the Ahmedabad Gadi and the Vadtal Gadi respectively.
[70] Swaminarayan decreed that the office should be hereditary so that
acharyas would maintain a direct line of blood descent from his family.
[71] The administrative division of his followers into two territorial dioceses is set forth in minute detail in a document written by Swaminarayan called
Desh Vibhaag Lekh.
[8] The current
acharyas of the Swaminarayan Sampraday are
Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasad Pande, of the Ahmedabad Gadi, and
Acharya Shree Rakeshprasad Pande, of the Vadtal Gadi.
[72][73]
Decades after his death, several divisions occurred with different understandings of succession .They are refereed as "VIMUKH" (untoward) to orignal sampraday.
[74] This included the establishment of
Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), the founder of which left the Vadtal Gadi in 1905, and
Maninagar Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, the founder of which left the Ahmedabad Gadi in the 1940s. The followers of BAPS hold
Gunatitanand Swami as the spiritual successor to Swaminarayan, asserting that on several occasions Swaminarayan revealed to devotees that Gunatitanand Swami was
Aksharbrahm manifest. Followers of BAPS believe that the acharyas were given administrative leadership of the faith while Gunatitanand Swami was given spiritual leadership by Swaminarayan.
[75] The current leader of BAPS is
Shastri Narayanswarupdas. The followers of the Maninagar Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan hold
Gopalanand Swamias the successor to Swaminarayan.
[76][77]
[edit]Following and manifestation belief
Nara Narayana installed by Swaminarayan in the first Swaminarayan Temple, Ahmedabad.
According to the biographer Raymond Williams, when Swaminarayan died, he had a following of 1.8 million people. In 2001, Swaminarayan centres existed on four continents, and the congregation was recorded to be five million, the majority in the homeland of Gujarat.
[78][79][80] The newspaper
Indian Expressestimated members of the Swaminarayan faith to number over 20 million (2 crore) worldwide in 2007.
[81]
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.
[30] While no detailed statistical information is available, most of the followers of Swaminarayan share a belief that Swaminarayan is the complete manifestation of Narayana or
Purushottam Narayana - the Supreme Being and superior to other avatars.
[14] A Swaminarayan sectarian legend tells how Narayana from the
Nara Narayana pair, was cursed by sage
Durvasa to incarnate on the Earth as Swaminarayan.
[82]
Some of Swaminarayan's followers believe he was an incarnation of god
Krishna.
[30] The images and stories of Swaminarayan and Krishna have coincided in the liturgy of the sect. The story of the birth of Swaminarayan parallels that of Krishna's birth from the scripture
Bhagavata Purana.
[14]Swaminarayan himself is said to have intimated that he was a manifestation of God in a meeting with
Reginald Heber, the Lord
Bishop of
Calcutta, in 1825.
[48]
[edit]Criticism
Several decades after formation of the movement,
Swami Dayananda (1824–1883) questioned the acceptance of Swaminarayan as the Supreme Being and was disapproving towards the idea that visions of Swaminarayan could form a path to attaining perfection. Accused of deviating from the
Vedas, his followers were criticised for the illegal collection of wealth and the "practice of frauds and tricks."
[83] In the views of Swami Dayananda, published as early as 1875, it was a "historical fact" that Swaminarayan decorated himself as Narayana in order to gain followers.
[84]
The Swaminarayan faith has been linked to patriarchal class structures that subjugate women.
[85] Members of the faith are defensive of the fact that some practices seem to restrict women and make gender equality in leadership impossible.
[86]However, while "many would assert that Swaminarayan Hinduism serves a patriarchal agenda, which attempts to keep women in certain roles", Swaminarayan himself, despite considerable criticism from those in his own contemporary society who "loathed the uplift of lower
caste women," insisted that education was the inherent right of all people.
[87] In case of widows, he directed those who could not follow the path of chastity to remarry. For those who could, he lay down strict rules which included them being under the control of male members of the family. This may seem regressive, however it gave them "a respected and secure place in the social order" of the time.
[88] He also directed male devotees not to listen to religious discourses given by women. Swaminarayan restricted widows "to live always under the control of male members of their family and prohibited them from receiving instruction in any science from any man excepting their nearest relations."
[39]
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