Gunatitanand Swami

Gunatitanand Swami held various administrative roles, most notably as the mahant of Junagadh mandir, a position he held for forty years.^{[2]: 55 [6]: 94} In addition, he was a prominent speaker and was held in high regard as an authority on religious matters in general. A collection of his most important teachings on dharma, knowledge of the atman, detachment, bhakti, and various other matters has been published under the name Swamini Vato.^{[2]: 192 [3]: 16 [8]: 70} Gunatitanand Swami died in 1867, and a famous shrine known as the Akshar Deri was built upon the spot his cremation rites were performed.^{[1][2]: 132}

Early life

Gunatitanand Swami was born on 28 September 1784 (Aso Sud Punam, Ashadhi Vikram Samvat 1841) to Bholanath and Sakarba Jani in the village of Bhadra,

By 1809, Mulji had been in contact with Swaminarayan for many years yet his goal of becoming a swami still remained unfulfilled. Mulji continued working on his farm in the hope that he would be initiated into the swami fold at the earliest.^[6]: 17 On 21 November 1809, Mulji had a vision that Swaminarayan wanted to meet him. Once while he was digging channels in his sugar cane fields he had a vision of Swaminarayan. Swaminarayan asked him, "what have you come to do and what are you doing?" thus asking him to visit Gadhada^[6]: 18 Mulji immediately left for Gadhada and learnt of Swaminarayan's desire to initiate him as a swami. On 20 January 1810, at a grand yagna in the village of Dabhan, Swaminarayan initiated Mulji as a swami and named him Gunatitanand Swami.^[6]: 19 On this occasion, Swaminarayan again publicly confirmed that Gunatitanand Swami was the incarnation of Akshar, declaring, "Today, I am extremely happy to initiate Mulji Jani. He is my divine abode – Akshardham, which is infinite and endless".^{[3]: 158, 191, 194 [2]: 86 [12][13]: 138 [14]}

Over the next few years, Gunatitanand Swami continued serving under

In line with his understanding of the Akshar Purushottam Upasana, Gunatitanand Swami continued discoursing around Gujarat and along with his primary spiritual mission, helped initiate various social reforms throughout the region.^[7][8]: 1 In 1826, along with other prominent paramhansas, he laid the foundation stone of the Junagadh mandir.^[6]: 46 As one of the earliest Swaminarayan mandirs in the region, the mandir at Junagadh would go on to become a prominent center of learning and spiritual pilgrimage.^{[6]: 46–47 [2]: 38–46} Taking into account the socio-religious landscape of Junagadh, Swaminarayan decided to appoint Gunatitanand Swami as the mahant (religious and administrative head) due to his leadership abilities and experience. Gunatitanand Swami played a significant role in shaping the administration of Junagadh Mandir.^{[2]: 55 [6]: 47–48} His emphasis on listening to spiritual discourses and attaining spiritual knowledge became de rigueur for all aspirants. Furthermore, he encouraged devotional service as a means of putting the theory of the discourses into practice and insisted that everyone, regardless of social standing, engage in service.^{[2]: 56 [8]: 47–48} For many decades, even into his old age, Gunatitanand Swami would perform the menial task of sweeping the mandir courtyard himself despite being the head of the temple.^[8]: 17 Gunatitanand Swami served as the Mahant of Junagadh mandir for 40 years.^{[2]: 38 [6]: 94} It was during this time that Gunatitanand Swami met Pragji Bhakta, or Bhagatji Maharaj as he became known, regarded by the BAPS as his successor, .^{[2]: 56 [16]: 35} While Bhagatji Maharaj had initially served under Gopalanand Swami, he accepted Gunatitanand Swami as his guru after Gopalanand Swami told him that true liberation would only be possible through the Jogi of Junagadh (a reference to Gunatitanand Swami).^[16]: 24 Over a period of time, Bhagatji Maharaj's nuanced understanding and absolute realization of Gunatitanand Swami’s teachings, in particular the Akshar Purushottam Upasana became apparent to all.^{[2]: 56 [16]: 35–40} Furthermore his renunciation of worldly desires and strong adherence to the principles of ekantik dharma were a pivotal component of his relationship with Gunatitanand Swami who referred to him as "someone who has profound faith and spiritual zeal".^{[2]: 56 [6]: 86} According to the BAPS, Gunatitanand Swami would eventually install Bhagatji Maharaj as his successor and would often tell devotees that "I have now handed over the key to Akshardham to Bhagatji Maharaj.”^{[2]: 55–56 [6]: 87}

Legacy

Gunatitanand Swami was instrumental in the early administration of the Swaminarayan fellowship after the death of

On 16 September 1867, Gunatitanand Swami paid homage to the murti of

Considerable dissent exists among various Swaminarayan groups regarding Gunatitanand Swami's status as Akshar, with