Introduction The brightly painted BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir is a sacred space that sustains and promotes a community within the age-old religion of Hinduism. [41] Over the next four decades, Shastriji Maharaj completed four more shikharbaddha mandirs in Gujarat (Sarangpur 1916, Gondal 1934, Atladra 1945, and Gadhada 1951). In 1992, a month-long festival was held to both celebrate Yogiji Maharaj's centenary and to inaugurate a permanent exhibition and temple called Swaminarayan Akshardham (Gandhinagar). [75] In 1961, he was ordained as a swami by Yogiji Maharaj and named Keshavjivandas Swami. [4][5][6], Since 1971, under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the BAPS has grown strongly. Mukta, Parita. GoldGiftIdeas Decorative Swaminarayan Photo Frame with Charan Paduka (Sahajanand Swami), Religious Photo Frame for Return Gift, Sadguru Pramukh Swami Wooden Momento Gift (24K Gold Plated) . Philadelphia, 1828. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society through individual growth by. The Swaminarayan ritual calendar as well as its ritual practices, vocabulary, and gestures are similar to those found among the Vallabha Sapradya and in Vaiavism in general. [105], Dharma encompasses righteous conduct as prescribed by the scriptures. One should not commit adultery. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The festival also saw 125 youths initiated into the monastic order bringing the total number of swamis initiated to more than 700 in fulfillment to a prophecy made by Yogiji Maharaj.[73]. The cryas oversee the temples, sdhus, and satsags in their respective gdis. Further duties include the administration of the Swaminarayan mantra for new male initiates, installation of temple icons, and management of the gdd' s material wealth. Swaminarayan has stated in the Vachanamrut that the association of Satpurush (true saints/devotees) opens the path to salvation. Texts and other printed materials by the founder, principal religious leaders, and followers of the Swaminarayan Movement are generally available outside of India at the larger temples connected to the different Swaminarayan sects. 17.50. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. [56] In this same year he established the Shree Swaminarayan Mission[57] as a formal organisation. Shastriji Maharaj Life and Work. The rapid temple constructions in Africa were helped by the presence of early immigrants, mainly Leva Patels, who came to work as masons, and were particularly skilled in temple building. Its religious and lay leaders are focused on the needs of Hindus in the diaspora who are creating permanent rather than temporary lives outside of India. Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, "BAPS" redirects here. Includes the full Sanskrit text of the Shikshapatri given to Monier-Williams by the crya of the Vadtal gdd in 1875. His work has been built on the foundations laid by his gurus Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj. 2 (1976): 341365. His original name was Ghanashyam Pande. [27], Shastriji Maharaj sought to publicly reveal his ideas,[19] and to worship Gunatitanand as the abode of Purushottam, c.q. Ahmedabad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith. [122]:273276, In addition to being focal points of religious activity, BAPS mandirs are also centres of culture. In the third leg of the era, the organisation saw an unprecedented level of mandir construction activities taking place in order to accommodate the rapid rise of adherents across the global Indian diaspora. On 20 July 2012, in the presence of senior swamis in Ahmedabad, Pramukh Swami Maharaj revealed Keshavjivandas Swami (Mahant Swami) as his spiritual successor. [38]:167 Brear notes, "His flair, dynamism and concern led within ten years to the establishment of many yuvak mandals of dedicated young men in Gujarat and East Africa". All Swaminarayan sects connect their devotional tradition to the historical person of Sahajanand Swami (17811830 ce), who was born near Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in northern India. [38]:20, In 1955, Yogiji Maharaj embarked on his first foreign tour to East Africa. The followers of Swaminarayan constitute a dynamic force in Gujarat society as well as among Gujaratis who have settled abroad. The exact dati, Temple Religious assemblies also take place for children and teenagers of various age ranges. Introduction swaminarayan hindu theology | Buddhism and Eastern Chronologically located between the "bhakti renaissance" of the medieval period and the early to mid-nineteenth-century Hindu revivalism of colonial India, the Swaminarayan movement is a devotional tradition rooted in Vaiavism and arising out of Gujarat in western India. G. Sundaram. 265 - 275 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108332989.012 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Print publication year: 2018 Access options Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. Though sometimes frustrated at the gender segregation and their inability to have direct contact with guru and sdhu s, women consider theirs a privileged position, of having a god-realized guru who powerfully guides them from a distance. A revised and updated version of an earlier text, A New Face of Hinduism: The Swaminarayan Religion, Cambridge, U.K., 1984. [9] Their history of service activities can be traced back to Swaminarayan (1781-1830), who opened alms houses, built shelters, worked against addiction, and abolished the practice of sati and female infanticide with the goals of removing suffering and effecting positive social change. A record of his diary, the second volume contains Bishop Heber's encounter with Sahajanand Swami in March 1825. [74], The mandir, known as a Hindu place of worship, serves as a hub for the spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian activities of BAPS. 1999-2023 Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha), Swaminarayan Aksharpith
At the age of nineteen, Ghanshyama, now known as Nilkantha, arrived in Saurashtra, the peninsular area of southern Gujarat. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville, NJ will inspire the onlookers through its divinity, architecture, and humanitarian efforts for generations to come. A New Face Of Hinduism: The Swaminarayan Religion| Raymond Brady Williams, Pictorial Handbook Of Technical Devices|Otto B. Schwarz, Scientific And Medical Studies On The Apparitions At Medjugorje|Henri Joyeux, Construction And Workshop Practice In Woodwork|J. Encyclopedia of Religion. [108], The fourth pillar, devotion (bhakti) is at the heart of the faith community. For both laity and ascetics, he supported varramadharma, or the fulfillment of duties according to caste, social class, and gender. Develop a deep attachment to Lord Swaminarayan and. 2023 . William Temple Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India, from Calcutta to Bombay, 18241825, vol. [81] In November 2021, the workers amended the suit to include BAPS temples across the United States and alleged that the temple authorities had misrepresented unskilled workers as specialists in stone carving and painting so that they qualified for R-1 visas. [19][note 2] According to the BAPS-tradition, Shastriji Maharaj had understood this from his guru, Bhagatji Maharaj, who had Gunatitanand Swami as his guru. Lord Shree Swaminarayan instilled into people the ideology of high morals, love and compassion for all, irrespective of caste, creed, color or gender. This equation promotes a problematic conceptualization of religion, one that uncritically conflates it with culture, language, and geography and offers a seamless portrait of Hindu traditions. Swaminarayan Jayanti today: Everything you need to know about this These devotees came from all over India and were from different walks of life: Brahmins, Shudras, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Muslims, and Parsees. The Gujarati migration patterns in the early 1970s, globalization factors and economic dynamics between India and the West saw the organisation transform into a transnational devotional movement. Despite health conditionscataract operation in 1980he continued to make extensive tours to more than 4000 villages and towns, visiting over 67,000 homes and performing image installation ceremonies in 77 temples in this first decade. The first study by a Western scholar of the ideology & history of the Swaminarayan religion. [143][144], Yogiji Maharaj constructed the mandir in the Shahibaug section of Ahmedabad, which remains the site of the international headquarters of the organisation.[145]. During their Hindu wedding ceremony, Gaurav gave Ivanna a Pote, a long green necklace called . More so than the original sect, BAPS is a global movement and, early on, it embraced new technologies to support its transnational growth. [113], The offering of bhakti, or devotion to God, remains at the centre of mandir activities. Swamiarayan. Contains account of author's meeting with the English translator of the Vachanamritam, H. T. Dave, and Swami Jnanjivandas, the third living guru in the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. BUDDHISM Acharya, Raghuvirji Maharaj; Sadhu Shwetvaikunthdas (Translator) (1966). In BAPS, women have parallel leadership positions and activities to men. [97] To become an ideal Hindu, followers must identify with Brahman, separate from the material body, and offer devotion to god. "Caste, Religion, and Sect in Gujarat: Followers of Vallabhacharya and Swaminarayan." WHO WE ARE. Since it's founding, BAPS and its living gurus have traveled to wherever Gujaratis have gone, openly addressing immigrant-diaspora issues of resettlement, cultural loss, and community building. Yogiji Maharaj believed that in a time of profound and rapid social ferment, there was an imminent need to save the young from 'degeneration of moral, cultural and religious values'. As part of its social reform activity, BAPS has established temples and charitable projects in dalit (formerly referred to as Untouchables or harijan ) and adivasi (autochthonous groups or tribal communities) villages in Gujarat. "The Vaishava Religion, with Special Reference to the iksh-Ptr of the Modern Sect called Svmi-Nryaa." His life and work speak for themselves. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Their wedding ceremony took place at the stunning BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto. [98][85]:276 As per the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana, each jiva attains liberation and true realization through association with the manifest form of Akshar, in the form of the God-realized guru, who offer spsirtual guidance. Additionally, sdhus from the original movement have left to form their own institutions that sometimes (e.g., Swaminarayan Gurukuls) but not always (e.g., Swaminarayan Gadi) retain an affiliation with their gdd. Scholars of modern Gujarat history are critical of this cooperation, arguing that the Swaminarayan movement's alignment with the British reflected its bias toward promoting its own caste and class interests at the expense of other groups either unable or unwilling to yield to Anglo-colonial hegemony. His address was given to me by Yogiji Maharaj". [70] On 7 March 1981, 207 youths were initiated into the monastic order. [49]:217[52]:Chp 5 Pg 2 The prime reason for the visit was to consecrate Africa's first Akshar-Purushottam temple in Mombasa. [38]:9. [74], Following the death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 13 August 2016, Mahant Swami Maharaj became the 6th guru and president of BAPS. Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha ( BAPS; IAST: Bocsavs Akar Puruottam Svminryaa Sasth) is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. WHAT WE DO. Ahmedabad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith. Jva (also tman ) stands for the eternal, indivisible, and genderless entity, often translated as soul. In Swaminarayan devotionalism, my is understood, at the most general level, to be primordial matter (prakti) or that which conceals the knowledge required for jva to attain moka, the liberation from sasra, the cycle of rebirth. Key Highlights. An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hindu Theology provides a thorough, balanced and incisive analysis of the tradition's key sources, doctrines and practices, written in a clear and accessible style. The satsag' s hope is to achieve this release in the current lifetime and thereafter to exist as brahmarpa, in identification with brahman, in akaradhama, alongside puruottama and akara. The Concept of Social Service in the Philosophy of Sri Swaminarayan. Due to his appointment as the head (mahant) of the mandir in Mumbai, he became known as Mahant Swami. . In many of his discourses in the Vachanamrut (Gadhada I-71, According to the BAPS, numerous historical accounts. Maynard, Sleazy Riders: A Guide To The Sleaziest Biker Flicks Ever Made|Dr. [41], On 12 August 1910 Shastriji Maharaj met his eventual successor, Yogiji Maharaj, at the house of Jadavji in Bochasan. Members of BAPS point to numerous historical anecdotes and scriptural references, particularly from the central Swaminarayan text known as the, For example, in Vachanamrut Gadhada I-37, Swaminarayan states: "In fact, the darshan of such a true Bhakta of God is equivalent to the darshan of God Himself", This practice is mentioned by Swaminarayan in Vachanamrut Vadtal 5: "by performing with extreme affection such similar service of God and the Sant who possesses the highest qualities, even if he is a devotee of the lowest type and was destined to become a devotee of the highest type after two lives, or after four lives, or after ten lives, or after 100 lives, he will become a devotee of the highest caliber in this very life.