Swami Ramanand

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A portrait of Ramanand Swami

Swami Ramanand (born Rama Sharma) to a

Vaishnava which was first propounded by Ramanuja several centuries earlier. In his travels to Srirangam in southern India in his early life, Ramanand Swami said that Ramanuja gave him diksha (initiation) in a dream and appointed him in his line as an acharya.[2] Ramanand Swami then travelled West to Saurastra to spread the philosophy of Ramanuja. Before dying in 1858, Ramanand Swami passed the reins of the Uddhava Sampradaya to Swaminarayan
. [3]

Swaminarayan and initiation

Ramanand Swami was the guru of Swaminarayan.[citation needed]

Swaminarayan (then Ghanshyam Pande) left his home at age 11 on 28 June 1792 after the death of both his parents. He began a journey across

Pancaratra (the four primary schools of Hinduism).[5]

To find an ashram that correctly practised the meaning of these four primary schools of Hinduism, he asked the following five questions on the basic

categories:

While on his journey, Nilkanth Varni mastered

Ramanand Swami who answered the five questions satisfactorily. He then persuaded Nilkanth Varni to stay to get an opportunity to meet Ramanand Swami, whose disciple Nilkanth Varni later became.[6]

References

Footnotes
Bibliography

Raymond Brady Williams (2001). An introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 19 April 2009. Swaminarayan temple Cardiff.