Swaminarayan

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Swaminarayan
Illustration of Swaminarayan writing the Shikshapatri
Personal
Born
Ghanshyam Pande

3 April 1781[1]
Chhapaiya, Kingdom of Oudh (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died1 June 1830(1830-06-01) (aged 49)
Gadhada (present-day Gujarat, India)
ReligionHinduism
Founder ofSwaminarayan Sampradaya
Religious career
GuruSwami Ramanand

Swaminarayan (

IAST: Svāmīnārāyaṇa; 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic believed by followers to be a manifestation of Krishna[2][3][4] or the highest manifestation of Purushottama,[5][6] around whom the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
developed.

In 1800, he was initiated into the Uddhava sampradaya by his guru, Swami Ramanand, and was given the name Sahajanand Swami. Despite opposition, in 1802, Ramanand handed over the leadership of the Uddhava Sampradaya to him before his death.[7] According to the Swaminarayan tradition, Sahajanand Swami became known as Swaminarayan, and the Uddhava Sampradaya became known as the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, after a gathering in which he taught the Swaminarayan Mantra to his followers.

He emphasized "moral, personal, and social betterment,"[8] and ahimsa,[9]. He is also remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women[10] and the poor,[11] and performing large scale non-violent yajñas (fire sacrifices).[12]

During his lifetime, Swaminarayan

Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal Gadi) and Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad Gadi), with a hereditary leadership of acharyas and their wives from his own extended family,[web 1] who were authorized to install statues of deities in temples and to initiate ascetics.[13]

Biography

Childhood as Ghanshyam

Dharmadev teaching Ghanshyam from the scriptures

Swaminarayan was born on 3 April 1781 (

Samvat 1837) in Chhapaiya, a village near Ayodhya in present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.[1] Born into the Brahmin or priestly 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 the waxing moon in the 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.[20]

Swaminarayan had an elder brother, Rampratap Pande, and a younger brother, Ichcharam Pande.[21] He is said to have mastered the scriptures, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata by the age of seven.[22]

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.

Pancaratra.[24] To find such an ashram, Nilkanth Varni asked the following five questions on the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories:[25]

While on his journey, Nilkanth Varni mastered

Jagannath Temple in Puri as well as temples in Badrinath, Rameswaram, Nashik, Dwarka, and Pandharpur.[23]

In 1799, after a seven-year journey, Nilkanth's travels as a

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.[24]

Leadership as Sahajanand Swami

Traditional iconographical portrait of Swaminarayan
See also:
Swaminarayan mantra

According to the sect, Nilkanth's understanding of the

epistemological concepts of the pancha-tattvas (five eternal elements), together with his mental and physical discipline, inspired senior swamis of Ramanand Swami.[30]

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.[31]

At the age of 21, Sahajanand Swami was appointed successor to Ramanand Swami as the leader of the

Krishnology in favor of worship in the mood of majesty, alike to earlier Vaishnava teachers, Ramanuja and Yamunacharya.[35]

Manifestation belief

According to Swaminarayan-tradition, Sahajanand Swami was later known as Swaminarayan after the

Swaminarayan mantra, to repeat in their rituals: Swaminarayan.[31] When chanting this mantra, some devotees went into samadhi,[37][note 1] and claimed that they could see their personal gods.[26][38][39]

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 paramahamsa,

Calcutta, in 1825.[43]
: 81 

Some of Swaminarayan's followers believe he was an incarnation of

Purushottama Narayana - the Supreme Being and superior to other avatars.[31]

The belief of many followers that their founder was the incarnation of the Supreme God has also drawn criticism.[45] According to Professor Raymond B. Williams, Swaminarayan was criticized because he received large gifts from his followers and dressed and traveled as a Maharaja even though he had taken the vows of renunciation of the world. Swaminarayan responded that he accepts gifts for the emancipation of his followers.[46]

Teaching

Swaminarayan encouraged his followers to combine devotion and

non-dualism. Swaminarayan's ontology maintained that the supreme being is not formless and that God always has a divine form.[54] Swaminarayan's philosophy asserts that Parabrahman and Aksharabrahman are two distinct eternal realities.[55]

Relations with other religions and the British Government

The first Swaminarayan Mandir was constructed on the land granted by the British Imperial Government in Ahmedabad
.

Swaminarayan strived to maintain good relationships with people of other religions, sometimes meeting prominent leaders. His followers cut across religious boundaries, including people of

Calcutta and a leader of Christians in India at the time.[43] Bishop Heber mentions in his account of the meeting that about two hundred disciples of Swaminarayan accompanied him as his bodyguards mounted on horses and carrying 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.[58][59] As a result of the meeting, both leaders gained mutual respect for one another.[59]

Swaminarayan enjoyed a good relationship with the government of the ruling

Governor of Bombay (1827 to 1830). According to Malcolm, Swaminarayan had helped bring some stability to a lawless region.[62] During the meeting with Malcolm, Swaminarayan gave him a copy of the Shikshapatri. This copy of the Shikshapatri is currently housed at the Bodleian Library at University of Oxford.[63]

Temples and ascetics

Swaminarayan and the Paramahamsas in Gadhada
Main articles:
Swaminarayan ascetics

Swaminarayan ordered the construction of several

Gopinath, Radha Ramana, and Madanamohana. The images in the temples built by Swaminarayan provide evidence of the priority of Krishna.[43]: 81 [64] Disciples of Swaminarayan composed devotional poems which are widely sung by the tradition during festivals.[65][66] Swaminarayan introduced fasting and devotion among followers.[67] He conducted the festivals of Vasant Panchami, Holi, and Janmashtami with organization of the traditional folk dance raas.[26]

The

Muli, Dholka and Jetalpur.[61]

From early on, ascetics have played a major role in the Swaminarayan sect. They contribute towards growth and development of the movement, encouraging people to follow a pious and religious life.

sannyasi in the sect.[70] Prominent paramahamsas included Muktanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Gunatitanand Swami, Premanand Swami, Nishkulanand Swami, and Nityanand Swami.[71]

Ahmedabad and Vadtal Gadi

Prior to his death, Swaminarayan decided to establish a line of

Desh Vibhag Lekh.[25] Swaminarayan stated to all the devotees and saints to obey both the Acharyas and Gopalanand Swami who was considered as the main pillar and chief ascetic[76] for the sampradaya.[77]

The current acharya of the Ahmedabad Gadi is Koshalendraprasad Pande and Ajendraprasad Pande, of the Vadtal Gadi.[78][79][80]

Death

Further information:
Swaminarayan Hinduism
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),

Akshardham, his abode.[26][81] He was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in Gadhada.[82]

Social views

Women

Swaminarayan insisted that education was the inherent right of all people, including women, despite considerable criticism from those in his own contemporary society who "loathed the uplift of lower caste women".[83] 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 during Swaminarayan's time, and they were able to give discourses on spiritual subjects.[84] Members of the sect consider Swaminarayan a pioneer of education of females in India.[85][86][87][88][89]

According to the author Raymond Brady Williams, "Swaminarayan is an early representative of the practice of advocacy of women's rights without personal involvement with women".[90] 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.[85][86] For calling a halt to these prevailing practices, Swaminarayan's "contemporaries naturally saw in him a pioneer of a reformed and purified Hinduism, and Swaminarayan Hinduism an 'ingrazi dharma' or British religion."[84]

Professor David Harman observed that Swaminarayan "criticized the popular shakta cults and 'gosai' and 'nath' ascetics for the contemptuous and instrumental way in which they viewed and treated women. These cults were often responsible for gross sexual abuse of women."[91] Hardiman added that Swaminarayan's view towards women was not in line with this type of misogyny and was rooted in his desire to prevent ill-treatment of women along with promoting celibacy for ascetics.[91] Swaminarayan "forbade all sadhus and sadhvis (that is, male and female ascetics) of his sect from having any contact whatsoever with members of the opposite sex."[91] This strict precept was one he likely internalized "after travelling as an ascetic throughout India [when] he was reported to vomit if approached by even the shadow of a woman".[92] To help his male ascetic followers maintain their vow of celibacy, Swaminarayan taught “the woman who attracts attention is made up of bones, blood vessels, spittle, blood, mucus and feces; she is simply a collection of these things, and there is nothing to be attractive.[91][93]

Members of the faith are defensive of the fact that some practices seem to restrict women and make gender equality in leadership impossible.[94] They are only permitted to enter special sections of the temple reserved for women or have to go to separate women's temples.[91] As with practices of niddah in Orthodox Judaism, concepts of pollution associated with the menstrual cycle lead to the exclusion of women from the temples and daily worship during the affected time.[95] Swaminarayan also directed male devotees not to listen to religious discourses given by women.[87]

In the case of widows, Swaminarayan 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.[96] 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."[87]

Caste system and the poor

Swaminarayan distributing food among the needy

After assuming the leadership of the sampradaya, Swaminarayan worked to assist the poor by distributing food and drinking water.[97] He undertook several social service projects and opened almshouses for the poor. Swaminarayan organized food and water relief to people during times of drought.[98]

Some suggest that Swaminarayan worked towards ending the

caste system, allowing everyone into the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. However partaking in the consumption food of lower castes and caste pollution was not supported by him.[53] A political officer in Gujarat, Mr. Williamson reported to Bishop Herber that Swaminarayan had "destroyed the yoke of caste."[90] He instructed his paramahamsas to collect alms from all sections of society and appointed people from the lower strata of society as his personal attendants. Members of the lower castes were attracted to the movement as it improved their social status.[49][87] Swaminarayan would eat along with the lower Rajput and Khati castes but not any lower.[99] He allowed dalits and lower caste people to visit places of worship .[100] However, Dalits - those outside of the caste system - were formally excluded from Swaminarayan temples.[101] Members of a lower caste are prohibited from wearing a full sect mark (tilak chandlo) on their forehead.[102] Even now, however, for the vast majority of Gujarat's lower-caste, Untouchable and tribal population, the sect is out of bounds.[103]

Reginald Heber, the Lord Bishop of Calcutta, noted that disciples of Swaminarayan cut across all castes, and even included Muslims. He writes "they all pray to one God with no difference of castes. They live as if they were brothers."[104] Furthermore, in a meeting with Swaminarayan, he noted that "[Swaminarayan] did not regard the subject as of much importance, but that he wished not to give offense (to ancient Hindu system); that people might eat separately or together in this world, but that above "oopur" pointing to heaven, those distinctions would cease."[104] Swaminarayan worked thus to dispel the myth that moksha (salvation) was not attainable by everyone.[105] He taught that the soul is neither male nor female, nor yoked to any specific caste.[49][106]

Animal sacrifices and yajnas

Swaminarayan was against animal sacrifices.[107] To solve this problem, Swaminarayan conducted several large-scale yajnas involving priests from Varanasi. Swaminarayan was successful in reinstating ahimsa through several such large-scale yajnas. Swaminarayan stressed lacto vegetarianism among his followers and forbade meat consumption, codifying the conduct in the Shikshapatri.[53][87][108][109]

Scriptures

Neem tree in Gadhada

Swaminarayan propagated general Hindu texts.

Satsangi Jeevan, Swaminarayan's authorized biography, the Muktanand Kavya, the Nishkulanand Kavya and the Bhakta Chintamani.[111]

Shikshapatri

Main article: Shikshapatri

Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri on 11 February 1826.

Acharya Tejendraprasad of Ahmedabad has indicated in a letter that he is not aware of any copy from the hand of Sahajanand older than this text.[113] Swaminarayan in various places of Shikshapatri describes Krishna as the greatest entity.[115][116]

Vachanamrut

Main article: Vachanamrut

The Vachanamrut (IAST: Vacanāmṛta, lit. "immortalising ambrosia in the form of words") is a sacred Hindu text consisting of 273 religious discourses delivered by Swaminarayan from 1819 to 1829 CE and is considered the principal theological text within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.[117]: 6  Compiled by four of his senior disciples, Swaminarayan edited and approved the scripture. As followers believe Swaminarayan to be Parabrahman, or God, the Vachanamrut is considered a direct revelation from God and thus the most precise interpretation of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and other important Hindu scriptures.[117]: 13–14, 45 [118]: 173  This scripture is read by followers regularly and discourses are conducted daily in Swaminarayan temples around the world.[119]: 21–27 

Satsangi Jeevan

Main article:
Satsangi Jeevan

Satsangi Jeevan is the authorised biography of Swaminarayan.[117] The book contains information on the life and teachings of Swaminarayan.[120] It is written by Shatanand Swami and completed in Vikram Samvat 1885.[117] Swaminarayan decided to make Gadhada his permanent residence on the insistence of Dada Khachar and his sisters.[121] Swaminarayan instructed Shatanand Swami to write a book on his life and pastimes.[118]

To enable Shatanand Swami to write from His childhood, Swaminarayan had blessed Shatanand Swami with Sanjay Drishti - special power to see the entire past right from His childhood.[118]

Once written by Shatanand Swami, this book was verified and authenticated by Swaminarayan. He was much pleased to read the book. Swaminarayan then asked his disciples to do Katha of Satsangi Jeevan.[118]

Legacy

Schisms

Decades after his death, several divisions occurred with different understandings of succession. 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 sect while Gunatitanand Swami was given spiritual leadership by Swaminarayan.[122] The current spiritual and administrative leader of BAPS is Mahant Swami Maharaj. The followers of the Maninagar Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan hold Gopalanand Swami as the successor to Swaminarayan.[123][124] The current leader of this sect is Purushottampriyadasji Maharaj.[125]

Growth

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.

Indian Express estimated members of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism to number over 20 million (2 crore) worldwide in 2007.[129]

Reception

The manifestation belief and Swaminarayan's teachings were criticized by Hindu reformist leader

Vedas, his followers were criticised for the illegal collection of wealth and the "practice of frauds and tricks."[130] In the views of Dayananda, published as early as 1875, it was a "historical fact" that Swaminarayan decorated himself as Narayana in order to gain followers.[131]

In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi in the letter to his nephew, expressed that Swaminarayan's values didn't align perfectly with his interpretation of Vaishnavism and the love taught by Swaminarayana was all about sentimentalism. According to Gandhi, Swaminarayan had not grasped the essence of non-violence.[40][100] In 1924, Gandhi applauded efforts of Swaminaryan and added that "what was accomplished in Gujarat by one person, Sahajanand [Swaminarayan], could not be accomplished by the power of the State".[132]

See also

  • Akshar-Purushottam Darshan

Notes

  1. ^ The word samadhi has different meanings in Hinduism. It may refer to a form yogic deep meditation. As a cause of death, it refers to the act of consciously and intentionally leaving one's body at the time of death.[32]
  2. ^ 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.[41]

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  122. ^ "Swaminarayan". Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
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  128. ^ Marcus J. Banks (1985). Review: A New Face of Hinduism: The Swaminarayan Religion. By Raymond Brady Williams. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1984. Pp. xiv, 217. Modern Asian Studies 19 pp 872-874
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Sources

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Further reading

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