Childhood as Ghanshyam Swaminarayan was born on 3 April 1781 (
Chaitra Sud 9,
Samvat 1837) in
Chhapaiya, a village near
Ayodhya, then under the
Nawab of Oudh, in present-day Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh. 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). 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. Swaminarayan had an elder brother, Rampratap Pande, and a younger brother, Ichcharam Pande. 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.
Travels as Nilkanth Varni 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. He took the name Nilkanth Varni while on his journey. Nilkanth Varni travelled across India and parts of
Nepal in search of an
ashram, or hermitage, that practiced what he considered a correct understanding of
Vedanta,
Samkhya,
Yoga, and
Pancaratra. To find such an ashram, Nilkanth Varni asked the following five questions on the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories: • What is ''''? • What is ''''? • What is ''''? • What is ''''? • What is ''''? While on his journey, Nilkanth Varni mastered
Astanga yoga (eightfold yoga) in a span of nine months under the guidance of an aged yogic master named Gopal Yogi. Nilkanth Varni visited the
Jagannath Temple in
Puri as well as temples in
Badrinath,
Rameswaram,
Nashik,
Dwarka, and
Pandharpur. Nilkanth decided to stay for the opportunity to meet Ramanand Swami, whom he met a few months after his arrival in Gujarat. He 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. 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. by
Ramanand Swami, prior to his death. His sucessessional was initially opposed by some members of the group who split off, but was soon accepted as the leader of the satsang and as a manifestation of god. The Uddhava Sampradaya henceforth came to be known as the
Swaminarayan Sampradaya. According to sources he proclaimed the worship of one sole deity,
Krishna or Narayana. Krishna was considered by him his own
ishtadevata. In contrast with the
Vaishnava sect known as the
Radha-vallabha Sampradaya, he had a more puritanical approach, rather than the theological views of Krishna that are strongly capricious in character and imagery. While being a worshipper of Krishna, Swaminarayan rejected licentious elements in
Krishnology in favor of worship in the mood of majesty, alike to earlier Vaishnava teachers,
Ramanuja and
Yamunacharya.
Manifestation belief According to Swaminarayan-tradition, Sahajanand Swami was later known as
Swaminarayan after the
mantra "swaminarayan" which he taught at a gathering, in Faneni, a fortnight after the death of Ramanand Swami. According to this tradition he gave his followers this new mantra, known as the
Swaminarayan mantra, to repeat in their rituals. and claimed that they could see their personal gods. 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,
Nishkulanand Swami. This work, the
Yama Danda, was the first piece of literature written within the Swaminarayan sect. 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. Most of his followers believe that Swaminarayan is the complete manifestation of Narayana or
Purushottama Narayana - the Supreme Being and superior to other avatars. 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.
Teaching Swaminarayan encouraged his followers to combine devotion and
dharma to lead a pious life. Using Hindu texts and rituals to form the base of his organisation, Swaminarayan founded what in later centuries would become a global organisation with strong
Gujarati roots. He was particularly strict on the separation of sexes in temples. Swaminarayan was against the consumption of meat, alcohol or drugs, adultery, suicide, animal sacrifices, criminal activities and the appeasement of ghosts and
tantric rituals. Alcohol consumption was forbidden by him even for medicinal purposes. Swaminarayan's philosophy asserts that Parabrahman and Aksharabrahman are two distinct eternal realities.
Relations with other religions and the British Government 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
Muslim and
Parsi backgrounds. Swaminarayan's personal attendants included
Khoja Muslims. He also had a meeting with
Reginald Heber, Lord
Bishop of
Calcutta and a leader of
Christians in India at the time. As a result of the meeting, both leaders gained mutual respect for one another. 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. It has been observed that the
Pax Britannica in Gujarat went hand-in-hand with the Pax Swaminarayan, as both were significant in ending the violent and chaotic period Gujarat had experienced in the years before. Many of the social reforms and values that Swaminarayan preached were highly regarded by the ruling British government.
Relations with local Kathi rulers Swaminarayan maintained a close relationship with the
Kathi rulers of
Kathiawad, earning him the title "
Kathiya Bhagwan" (the god revered by Kathis) due to his adoption of their attire,
dialect, and customs. The Kathis served as key allies, offering him protection against opposition from local religious figures. Manilal Bhalaja observes that the Kathis left their homes to safeguard Swaminarayan. Additionally, they provided him with refuge during a period of concealment. The Kathis also played a significant role in resolving conflicts during Swaminarayan's temple construction, often facing interference from
princely states. A notable instance occurred when Voldan Dhadhal, a Kathi chieftain of Refada, intervened to counter opposition from Thakor Wajesinhji, the ruler of
Bhavnagar state, ensuring the successful completion of
Gopinathji Mandir of Gadhada.
Temples and ascetics 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,
Nara-Narayana,
Laksmi Narayana,
Gopinath,
Radha Ramana, and
Madanamohana. 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 introduced fasting and devotion among followers. He conducted the festivals of
Vasant Panchami,
Holi, and
Janmashtami with organization of the traditional folk dance
raas. 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. Tradition maintains that Swaminarayan initiated 500 ascetics as
paramahamsas in a single night. Paramahamsa is a title of honour sometimes applied to Hindu spiritual teachers who are regarded as having attained enlightenment. Paramahamsas were the highest order of
sannyasi in the sect. Prominent paramahamsas included
Muktanand Swami,
Gopalanand Swami,
Brahmanand Swami,
Gunatitanand Swami,
Premanand Swami,
Nishkulanand Swami, and
Nityanand Swami.
Ahmedabad and Vadtal Gadi Prior to his death, Swaminarayan decided to establish a line of
acharyas or preceptors, as his successors. He established two
gadis (seats of leadership). One seat was established at Ahmedabad (
Nar Narayan Dev Gadi) and the other one at Vadtal (
Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi) on 21 November 1825. Swaminarayan appointed an acharya to each of these
gadis to pass on his message to others and to preserve his fellowship, the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. These acharyas came from his immediate family after sending representatives to search them out in
Uttar Pradesh. He formally adopted a son each from his two brothers and appointed them to the office of acharya.
Ayodhyaprasad, the son of Swaminarayan's elder brother Rampratap, and
Raghuvira, the son of his younger brother Ichcharam, were appointed
acharyas of the
Ahmedabad Gadi and the
Vadtal (
Kheda district) Gadi respectively. 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 Vibhag Lekh. for the sampradaya. The current acharya of the Ahmedabad Gadi is
Koshalendraprasad Pande and Ajendraprasad Pande, of the Vadtal Gadi.
Death 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), He was cremated according to Hindu rites at Lakshmi Wadi in
Gadhada. == Social views ==