It is said in the Hindu scriptures that Bhagwan – the Supreme Being – always comes to earth to protect his creation and created when he sees that good ethical religious practices have been forgotten. Bhagwan Swaminarayan took birth in India in 1781.
Born in a small village called Chhapaiya in North India, he was named Ghanshyam and was one of three children. He had a unique childhood history and showed signs of many spiritual powers. After the death of his parents, at the young age of 11 years, he renounced home and began a pilgrimage around the whole of India which lasted just over 7 years. He travelled on his own, with hardly any clothes on, except a loincloth and proceeded to Himalayas during the midst of winter. He continued his journey throughout India finishing off in the small village of Loj in the state of Gujarat.
He soon met Ramanand Swami who announced to his disciples that the young person in front of him was Bhagwan in human form. He was initiated in the fellowship as Sahajanand and within a short time, Ramanand Swami passed over the leadership of the fellowship to the 20-year-old Sahajanand, who later became known as Swaminarayan.
A short summary of his achievements and his legacy for the path to salvation is as follows:
1. He explained that there are 5 eternal entities : Jiva (soul), Ishwar (realised souls), Maya (attachment), Brahma (the abode of Bhagwan; his closest devotee) and Parabrahma (the supreme being).
2. He gave the Swaminarayan mantra.
3. He emphasised the importance of selfless service and giving back to the local community as an essential part of life.
4. He encouraged construction of temples. Bhagwan Swaminarayan focused on developing the individual by building six mandirs that served as a place for individual worship and community service.
5. He promoted pure living and attachment to Bhagwan by creating a following based on emphasis on dharma, gnan, vairagya and bhakti. He encouraged all men and women to strictly adhere to a devout life free of addictions.
6. His two most important scriptures were the Vachanamrut and the Shikshapatri. The first is in the form of questions and answers. These are genuine dialogues that took place between himself and the sadhus or devotees, and provide clear and concise practical answers to many deep spiritual queries. Shikshapatri is a booklet explaining and providing guidance of the dos and don’ts of daily life. Aspirants read both the books daily.
7. He created a group of 3000 sadhus in his lifetime dedicated to the cause of inspiring thousands of devotees. They were to lead by example and followed the 5 vows of nishkam, nisswad, nirlobh, nissneh and nirman.
8. His most important contribution was establishing the Vedic principle of Akshar-Purushottam, revering Bhagwan (Purushottam) along with his choicest devotee (Akshar). After passing away in 1830, Bhagwan Swaminarayan remains ever present on earth through the presence of pure enlightened gurus who inspire all to tread the path to ultimate salvation.
More information on BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and on matters mentioned above for a deeper understanding can be found on www.baps.org
