58 Facts About Swaminarayan

Swaminarayan, known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic, who is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God Krishna, or as the highest manifestation of Purushottam, and around whom the Swaminarayan Sampradaya developed.

Swaminarayan emphasized "moral, personal, and social betterment," and ahimsa, and is remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women and the poor, and performing non-violent yajnas on a large scale.

Swaminarayan constructed six mandirs to facilitate followers' devotional worship of God, and encouraged the creation of a scriptural tradition, including the Shikshapatri, which he wrote in 1826.

In 1826, in a legal document titled the Lekh, Swaminarayan created two dioceses, the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi and Nar Narayan Dev Gadi, with a hereditary leadership of acharyas and their wives from his own extended family, who were authorized to install statues of deities in temples and to initiate ascetics.

The birth of Swaminarayan coincided with the Hindu festival of Rama Navami, celebrating the birth of Rama.

Swaminarayan had an elder brother, Rampratap Pande, and a younger brother, Ichcharam Pande.

Swaminarayan took the name Nilkanth Varni while on his journey.

Swaminarayan later claimed in the 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.

Swaminarayan became known by the names Ghanshyam Maharaj, Shreeji Maharaj, Hari Krishna Maharaj and Shri Hari.

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.

Some of Swaminarayan's followers believe he was an incarnation of Lord Krishna.

Swaminarayan responded that he accepts gifts for the emancipation of his followers.

Swaminarayan encouraged his followers to combine devotion and dharma to lead a pious life.

Swaminarayan was against the consumption of meat, alcohol or drugs, adultery, suicide, animal sacrifices, criminal activities and the appeasement of ghosts and tantric rituals.

Swaminarayan stated that four elements need to be conquered for ultimate salvation: dharma, bhakti, gnana and vairagya.

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.

Swaminarayan strived to maintain good relationships with people of other religions, sometimes meeting prominent leaders.

Swaminarayan's followers cut across religious boundaries, including people of Muslim and Parsi backgrounds.

Swaminarayan had a meeting with Reginald Heber, Lord Bishop of Calcutta and a leader of Christians in India at the time.

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.

Swaminarayan enjoyed a good relationship with the British Imperial Government.

In 1830, Swaminarayan had a meeting with Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay.

Swaminarayan ordered the construction of several Hindu temples and he had built six huge temples by himself and installed the idols of various deities such as Radha Krishna Dev, Nara-Narayana Dev, Laxminarayan Dev, Gopinathji Maharaj, Radha Raman Dev and Madanmohan Lalji.

The images in the temples built by Swaminarayan provide evidence of the priority of Krishna.

Disciples of Swaminarayan composed devotional poems which are widely sung by the tradition during festivals.

Swaminarayan conducted the festivals of Vasant Panchami, Holi, and Janmashtami with organization of the traditional folk dance raas.

The first temple Swaminarayan constructed was in Ahmedabad in 1822, with the land for construction given by the British Imperial Government.

Tradition maintains that Swaminarayan initiated 500 ascetics as paramhansas in a single night.

Swaminarayan appointed an acharya to each of these gadis to pass on his message to others and to preserve his fellowship, the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.

Swaminarayan formally adopted a son from his brothers and appointed him to the office of acharya.

Swaminarayan decreed that the office should be hereditary so that acharyas would maintain a direct line of blood descent from his family.

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.

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 for the sampradaya.

In 1830, Swaminarayan gathered his followers and announced his departure.

Swaminarayan later died on 1 June 1830, and it is believed by followers that, at the time of his death, Swaminarayan left Earth for Akshardham, his abode.

Swaminarayan was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in Gadhada.

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".

Male followers of Swaminarayan made arrangements to educate their female family members.

Swaminarayan 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.

Swaminarayan directed male devotees not to listen to religious discourses given by women.

Swaminarayan undertook several social service projects and opened almshouses for the poor.

Swaminarayan organized food and water relief to people during times of drought.

Some suggest that Swaminarayan worked towards ending the caste system, allowing everyone into the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.

Swaminarayan would eat along with the lower Rajput and Khati castes but not any lower.

Swaminarayan allowed dalits and lower caste people to visit places of worship.

Reginald Heber, the Lord Bishop of Calcutta, noted that disciples of Swaminarayan cut across all castes, and even included Muslims.

Swaminarayan taught that the soul is neither male nor female, nor yoked to any specific caste.

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.

In Shikshapatri shlok 1 and 108 are few places that mention that Swaminarayan prayed on Shri Krishna.

Swaminarayan is the cause of all incarnations and is thus truly worthy to be worshiped.

Swaminarayan decided to make Gadhada his permanent residence on the insistence of Dada Khachar and his sisters.

Swaminarayan instructed Shatanand Swami to write a book on his life and pastimes.

Swaminarayan then asked his disciples to do Katha of Satsangi Jeevan.

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.

In 2001, Swaminarayan centres existed on four continents, and the congregation was recorded to be five million, the majority in the homeland of Gujarat.