Swaminarayan, also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic who played a crucial role in the development of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. His teachings and life practices were aimed at promoting Hindu values such as dharma, ahimsa, and brahmacarya. Swaminarayan was born in 1781 as Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. At the age of 11, he embarked on a seven-year pilgrimage across India, during which he engaged in welfare activities. In 1799, he settled in Gujarat and was initiated into the Uddhav sampradaya by his guru, Swami Ramanand, taking the name Sahajanand Swami. Upon Ramanand's death, Sahajanand Swami took over the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday and taught the Swaminarayan Mantra. This marked the beginning of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
Swaminarayan had a cordial relationship with the officials of the then ruling East India Company and had followers from different religions, including Islam and Zoroastrianism. He built six temples during his lifetime and appointed 500 paramahamsas to spread his philosophy. In 1826, he authored the Shikshapatri, a book containing social principles in Sanskrit. Swaminarayan passed away on 1 June 1830 in Gadhada, Gujarat, and was cremated according to Hindu rites. Before his death, he appointed his adopted nephews as acharyas to lead the two dioceses of Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Swaminarayan is remembered for his efforts to promote gender equality and help the poor, as well as for his non-violent yajñas (fire sacrifices) performed on a large scale.
Swaminarayan was born in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India on April 3, 1781. His parents, Hariprasad Pande and Premvati Pande, were Brahmins from the Sarvariya caste. They named him Ghanshyam Pande. Swaminarayan's birth coincided with the Hindu festival of Rama Navami, which celebrates the birth of Lord Rama. Swaminarayan's followers also celebrate this day as Swaminarayan Jayanti and the beginning of their ritual calendar.
According to a Swaminarayan legend, sage Durvasa cursed Narayana from the Nara Narayana pair to be incarnated on earth as Swaminarayan. Swaminarayan had two brothers, Rampratap Pande and Ichcharam Pande. He was an exceptional student and had mastered several scriptures, including the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata, by the age of seven.
After the death of his parents in 1792, 11-year-old Ghanshyam Pande set out on a journey in search of an ashram that practiced what he believed to be a correct understanding of Hindu philosophy. He took the name Nilkanth Varni and travelled across India and parts of Nepal, asking five questions about the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories to find the right ashram.
During his travels, Nilkanth Varni learned Astanga yoga from an aged yogic master named Gopal Yogi and reportedly cured King Rana Bahadur Shah of his illness in Nepal. He visited several temples across India, including the Jagannath Temple in Puri and temples in Badrinath, Rameswaram, Nashik, Dwarka, and Pandharpur.
After seven years of wandering, Nilkanth Varni arrived in Loj, Gujarat, where he met Muktanand Swami, a senior disciple of Ramanand Swami. Muktanand Swami answered Nilkanth's five questions to his satisfaction, and Nilkanth decided to stay to meet Ramanand Swami. During this period, he took up severe penance to remove any physical attachment to his family, as he later wrote in the Vachnamrut.
Sahajanand Swami, also known as Swaminarayan, was a spiritual leader who received sannyasa initiation from Ramanand Swami in 1800. After Ramanand Swami's death, Sahajanand Swami was appointed as his successor and leader of the Uddhav Sampradaya, which later became known as the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. He preached the worship of one sole deity, Krishna or Narayana, and rejected licentious elements in Krishnology in favor of worship in the mood of majesty.
Sahajanand Swami gave his followers a new mantra, known as the Swaminarayan mantra, which is repeated in their rituals. He became known by various names, such as Ghanshyam Maharaj, Shreeji Maharaj, Hari Krishna Maharaj, and Shri Hari. Some of his followers believed he was an incarnation of Lord Krishna or the complete manifestation of Narayana.
However, Sahajanand Swami's belief in his divine incarnation drew criticism. Some criticized him for accepting large gifts from his followers and dressing and traveling as a Maharaja, despite taking vows of renunciation. In response, he stated that he accepted gifts for the emancipation of his followers. Overall, Sahajanand Swami's teachings and leadership have had a significant impact on the Swaminarayan Sampradaya and its followers.
Swaminarayan, a spiritual leader, emphasized the importance of combining devotion and dharma in order to lead a virtuous life. He founded an organization that was rooted in Hindu texts and rituals, and was particularly strict about separating the sexes in temples. Swaminarayan prohibited the consumption of meat, alcohol, drugs, adultery, suicide, animal sacrifices, criminal activities, and appeasement of ghosts and tantric rituals. He also believed that ultimate salvation required conquering four elements: dharma, bhakti, gnana, and vairagya.
Swaminarayan maintained good relationships with people of other religions and even met with prominent leaders from other faiths. His followers included people from Muslim and Parsi backgrounds, and his personal attendants included Khoja Muslims. Swaminarayan also had a good relationship with the British Imperial Government, and the first temple he built in Ahmedabad was constructed on land granted by the government. Swaminarayan met with Reginald Heber, Lord Bishop of Calcutta, and Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Bombay, who praised Swaminarayan for bringing stability to a previously lawless region. During his meeting with Malcolm, Swaminarayan gave him a copy of the Shikshapatri, which is now housed at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.
Swaminarayan, a Hindu saint, ordered the construction of several temples and personally built six large ones, where he installed the idols of various deities, including Krishna. His disciples composed devotional poems, which are widely sung during festivals, and he introduced fasting and devotion among his followers. Swaminarayan conducted festivals with traditional folk dances, such as raas, and the construction of temples continued after his death. Ascetics have played a significant role in the Swaminarayan sect from the beginning, promoting a pious and religious life. Swaminarayan initiated 500 ascetics as paramhansas in a single night, and prominent paramhansas included Muktanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami, and Nityanand Swami.
Swaminarayan established two leadership positions, or "gadis," in Ahmedabad and Vadtal before he passed away. He appointed an acharya, or preceptor, to each gadi to carry on his message and maintain his fellowship, now known as the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The acharyas were chosen from Swaminarayan's immediate family after representatives searched for them in Uttar Pradesh. Swaminarayan formally adopted a son from his brothers and appointed him as acharya. Ayodhyaprasad and Raghuvira, the sons of his elder and younger brothers, respectively, were appointed as acharyas of the Ahmedabad and Vadtal gadis. Swaminarayan made it clear that the office should be hereditary, so acharyas would maintain a direct bloodline. Swaminarayan's document, Desh Vibhaag Lekh, details the division of his followers into two territorial dioceses. He instructed all devotees and saints to obey both the Acharyas and Gopalanand Swami, who was considered the main pillar and chief ascetic of the sampradaya. Today, Koshalendraprasad Pande and Ajendraprasad Pande are the current acharyas of the Ahmedabad and Vadtal gadis, respectively.
Swaminarayan, the founder of Swaminarayan Hinduism, announced his departure in 1830 to his followers and died on June 1st of the same year, at the age of 49. It is believed by his followers that he ascended to his abode, Akshardham, at the time of his death. Swaminarayan was cremated according to Hindu customs at Lakshmi Wadi in Gadhada.
Swaminarayan believed that everyone, including women, had the right to education, even though many people in his society at that time did not support the idea of educating women, especially those from lower castes. Wealthy families usually provided private tuition for their daughters, but Swaminarayan's male followers arranged for the education of their female family members. Thanks to his efforts, the literacy rate among females increased, and they were able to give discourses on spiritual matters. The followers of the sect consider Swaminarayan a pioneer in female education in India.
Swaminarayan was a Hindu spiritual leader who advocated for women's education and rights in a time when it was not common. He believed that education was a fundamental right for all people, including women, despite facing criticism from those who opposed the upliftment of lower caste women. Swaminarayan also opposed practices like sati and female infanticide, offering help to parents with dowry expenses to discourage these practices.
While Swaminarayan did not personally involve himself with women, he was vocal about their mistreatment in society and discouraged his followers from having any contact with members of the opposite sex. He believed in promoting celibacy among male and female ascetics, and taught his male followers to view women as collections of bones, blood vessels, and bodily fluids, rather than objects of desire.
However, some practices in Swaminarayan Hinduism, such as gender segregation in temples and restrictions on widows, have been criticized for limiting women's roles and leadership opportunities. Widows were required to be under the control of male family members and were not allowed to receive instruction in any science from any man except for their nearest relations. Despite these limitations, Swaminarayan is still considered a pioneer in advocating for women's education and rights in Hinduism.
Swaminarayan, the leader of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, was dedicated to helping the poor by distributing food and water, and undertaking social service projects such as opening almshouses. While he allowed people from lower castes to join the Sampradaya, he did not support the consumption of food by lower castes or caste pollution. Swaminarayan allowed lower caste people to visit places of worship and appointed them as his personal attendants, which improved their social status. However, he still excluded Dalits from Swaminarayan temples and prohibited lower caste people from wearing a full sect mark on their forehead. Today, the vast majority of Gujarat's lower-caste, Untouchable, and tribal population are still excluded from the sect.
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."[98] 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."[98] Swaminarayan worked thus to dispel the myth that moksha (salvation) was not attainable by everyone.[99] He taught that the soul is neither male nor female, nor yoked to any specific caste.[44][100]
Animal sacrifices and yajnas
Swaminarayan was against animal sacrifices as carried out by Brahmin priests during Vedic rituals, such as yajnas (fire sacrifices), influenced by the Kaula and Vama Marg cults.[101] The priests consumed "sanctified" prasad in the form of meat of these animals. To solve this problem, Swaminarayan conducted several large-scale yajnas involving priests from Varanasi. These did not have animal sacrifices and were conducted in strict accordance with Vedic scriptures. 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.[48][81][102][103]