The Swaminarayan Faith (priests, ritual, moral, Earth, Kingdom)

[celina]

The Swaminarayan sect is a monotheistic faith in Vaishnava Hinduism. The Swaminarayan sect itself is divided into many sub-sects. The two most prominent are BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and the Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya claims the "original" succession directly from Swaminarayan. They have two archaryas(leaders) and 2 Gadis(diocese) for North and South divisions.
Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya Sites
ISSO SEVA
Shri Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple
Swaminarayan Temple, Wheeling, IL.
Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul, USA
Shree Swaminarayan Temple Oldham
Shree Swaminarayan Sampraday Willesden, London
Shree Swaminarayan Temple Cardiff


Acharya Succession

Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj (b. October 1971) is the current Acharya of the NarNarayan Dev Gadi of Swaminarayan Sampraday (15 October 2004–present) and the 7th Spiritual Successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the North Diocese (Amdavad NarNarayan Dev Gadi)

Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj (b. July 1966) is the current Acharya of the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi of Swaminarayan Sampraday (30 January 2003–present) and the 9th Spiritual Successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the South Diocese (Vadtal LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi)

BAPS
Spiritual Guru- Pramukh Swami Maharaj of BAPS Sect

Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born December 7, 1921 in the village of Chansad in Gujarat, India) is to be the third and current spiritual leader of BAPS and is believed to be the fifth spiritual successor to Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramukh_Swami_Maharaj

It is important to note that BAPS vs. Shree Swaminarayan Sampradaya divide is similar to the Protestant vs. Catholicism divide.


Video on Swaminarayan Faith
YouTube Video
Swamianrayan pt.1
Swamianrayan pt.2
Swamianrayan pt.3

[celina]

http://www.swaminarayan.org/lordswam...iography/1.htm

Bhagwan Swaminarayan


Shri Ghanshyam Maharaj


Early Days, Leaving Home

Bharatvarsha - India has been graced since time immemorial by incarnations, rishis and sadhus. Whenever evil elements stifle Dharma - righteousness, God incarnates on earth to re-establish Dharma. Lord Ramchandra in the age of Treta and Lord Krishna, at the end of Dwapar, are the two most notable.
Five thousand years after Lord Krishna passed away, into the age of Kali - darkness, the ogre of evil defiantly arose out of its banishment, once again darkening the minds and hearts of the people, its grip suffocating eighteenth century India. Severing vital nerves and arteries, it deprived the land of life-giving moral and spiritual nourishment; hindering healthy growth of the eternal values of Dharma, Satya - truth, Ahimsa - non-violence and Brahmacharya - celibacy.
Thus He incarnated as Ghanshyam on 3rd April 1781 (Chaitra Sud 9, Samvat 1837), in the rustic village of Chhapaiya, in northern India, to a Sarvaria brahmin pundit named Hariprasad Pande. He was the second of three sons; Rampratap, the elder brother and Ichharam, the younger. His mother, Premvati was lovingly known as Bhaktimata, and father Hariprasad as Dharmadev.
When Ghanshyam was three months old, a sage astrologer named Markandeya, studied His zodiac signs. He then revealed to Dharmadev,
"Since He is born in the Kark Rashi (sign of Cancer in the zodiac), His name will be Hari. His dark complexion will also confer the name Krishna and Ghanshyam. He has the virtues of tapas (austerity), detachment, yoga, Dharma, leadership, truth and vivek (power of discrimination). Therefore people will also call Him Neelkanth.
"He will establish Dharma on earth and remove pain and misery from people. He will be famed all over the land. He will also induce people with samadhi (a state of spiritual trance). He will lead people to the path of God."
About this time, Dharmadev decided to test Ghanshyam's innate instincts. He placed a gold coin, a scripture, and a sword on the floor. On all fours, Ghanshyam toddled towards these objects; trying to lift the scripture, avoiding the other two. Dharmadev jubilantly lifted and hugged Him, deducing that He would surely attain scriptural learning.
Ghanshyam's first encounter of animal slaughter for food occurred during His stay in Chhapaiya.
In a town named Ballampaddhari near Chhapaiya, the state king had recently camped with his army. Two of the soldiers were Dharmadeva's relatives. Therefore Dharmadev decided to visit them with Rampratap and Ghanshyam. When they reached the encampment, they heard goats causing a commotion in one of the tents. Dharmadev peeped inside. Horrified at what he saw, he quickly turned back. But Ghanshyam, observing Dharmadev's ashen face, also walked up to the tent in curiosity. He saw the king supervising the slaughter of the goats for food.
Ghanshyam walked away in pain. He then induced all the elephants and horses of the army to break tether and stampede towards the tent. The king bolted out first, and heard a mysterious and authoritative voice, which commanded him to beg forgivance for the killing, from the Lord who was standing in the form of a little boy nearby. The king saw Ghanshyam with Dharmadev and Rampratap. He bowed at Ghanshyam's feet, begging for reprieve from the maddened elephants. Ghanshyam not only made him promise to renounce animal slaughter but to propagate Ahimsa (non-injury in mind, action and speech for all living creatures) in his kingdom as well. The excited elephants and horses calmed down instantly, returning to their tethers.
On another occasion, Ghanshyam revived a basketful of dead fish in a lake. He then instructed the surprised fisherman not to commit such sin by changing his means of livelihood.
Having lived in Chhapaiya for a few years, the family moved to nearby Ayodhya, when Ghanshyam was five, to escape harassment from evil people.
With a marked inclination for devotion and a remarkable disinterest towards material pursuits, Ghanshyam loved to visit mandirs every morning and evening. After darshan (sight) of the murtis (icons), He would listen to the narration of divine episodes from the Ramayana, for this ancient sacred city is revered as the birthplace of Lord Rama.
Ghanshyam's divine disposition often startled but pleased the family. Engrossed in katha (scriptural exegesis) once, He forgot to return home. Rampratap, His elder brother searched for Him in the city's mandirs. On seeing Ghanshyam in one, he asked Him to return home with him. The katha nearly over, Ghanshyam suggested that Rampratap, in the meantime, have darshan in the neighbouring mandir while He Himself sat through to the end of the katha. Arriving at the nearest mandir, Rampratap, to his astonishment, saw Ghanshyam there as well. He then dashed from one mandir to the next. He saw his younger brother in each one!
Other miracles included: walking on water across a lake, and defeating adult wrestlers in contests.
At the age of seven He commenced Sanskrit studies under Dharmadev after being invested with the yagnopavit rite. By the age of ten, the child prodigy had mastered the Vedic scriptures.
Around this period, He accompanied Dharmadev, who was to chair a scholarly debate in Benares - the renowned centre of knowledge (Jnan) in India. When a tie arose, Ghanshyam, with Dharmadev's permission, gave a brilliant exposition, convincing the scholars of the soundness of the Vishishtadvait philosophy (qualified non-dualism).
Leaving Home
Soon after returning from Benares, both parents passed away. Ghanshyam then left Ayodhya, for the Himalayas, to begin His life work of establishing Ekantik Dharma, on 29th June 1792 (Ashadh Sud 10th, Samvat 1849). He was only eleven years old.
His mendicant garb consisted of only a loin cloth. He carried an icon of Bal Mukund (the Lord) and His miniature diary containing the gist of the scriptures, the result of His studies with Dharmadev.

http://www.swaminarayan.org/lordswaminaray...raphy/index.htm
BAPS is well know for building elaborate mandirs(temple). They're in Guinness Book of World Records for Neason Temple in London. And again for Chicago Mandir. But their biggest attraction is Akshardham Temple Complex. It's a big tourist destination.
Akshardham Temple Complex


Swaminarayan Info
Chicago Mandir


Neasden Temple


Religion, Migration and Wealth Creation in the Swaminarayan Movement By Rohit Barot

[celina]

http://www.swaminarayan.org/scriptures/index.htm

Swaminarayan's Scripture

The Main Swaminarayan Scripture

Digital Shikshapatri Site


Vachanamrut


Swamini Vato

[celina]

Main Vaishnava Hindu Scripture

Bhagavad-Gita
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is


Srimad Bhagavatam
Srimad Bhagavatam


Mahabharata


Ramayana

[celina]

Info on Hinduism in general:


Hinduism is a collection of religions, instead of one religion. Hinduism(or Sanatana Dharma, real name) has four major sects Vaishnavism, Saivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Vaishnavism(most common), the worship of Lord Vishnu, or his avatars, being the biggest. Vaishnavas worship God in the form of Avatars i.e. Vishnu, Rama, Krishna etc...All Vaishnavas subscibe to the belief in a personal God, having form, having shape, and incarnate as a human being. Avatars descend into human form during time of unrighteousness, moral decay, violence, and famine. In Hinduism Avatars are descibed in scripture and predicted. Vaishnavas also believe in Nirguna Brahman or attributeless Brahman(God without form). And all Hindus in general believe in reincarnation, karma, vegetarianism, dharma, ahimsa(non-violence) and accept the Vedas as revealed scripture.
Vaishnavism, (Vishnu worship[or any of the nine avatars]) majority in North India. Responsible for mainstream Hinduism. Bhagavat Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ramayana etc... In Vaishnavism there are dozens of sects Iskcon, BAPS Swaminarayan, Sri Vaishnava, Gaudiya Vaishnava being only some of many.

Personal God

In general Hinduism considers God not just as the Supreme All-powerful Gigantic One, Who commands the humanity to tread the way He/She/It says, but also a personal God Whom the individual can worship out of love and not necessarily out of fear ! The fear brings one only upto certain point and beyond that it repels, but love takes through to the point. Devotion or bhakti as often referred to is a very key concept in Hinduism, even for the philosophically inclined ones. While the shashtras - be it vedas, Agamas, purANas - describe the Glory of God, one finds abundance of stotras that praise the God in love.
God is Formless or with Form ?
For Hindus God, as is, is beyond any attributes of form, color, shapes ... That is, God does not have any specific form or name. In this state God is referred to as nirguNa brahman (attributeless god). However God takes forms as perceived by humans and this perceived form is called saguNa brahman (god with (good) attributes). These forms could range from calm to fierce to yogic (1). Each form has its significance. For example when one is depressed and sees the form of God Strong and Powerful, the seeker feels the moral boost that God would definitely be the support for the right thing. Similarly when in an auspicious ceremony would like the God to be the calm provider of boons. In a spiritually elevated state, the choice would be the yogic form of God. The forms provide a basis for the Hindu worshipper to easily pursue the otherwise incomprehensible Supreme. So Hinduism supports both form as well as formless worship of the God. Whether one worships in saguNa or nirguNa way, it is ultimately the same God.

http://www.shaivam.org/hipgodco.htm (saivism)

Bhagavat Gita-Most Important Vedic Scripture
Veda Base

Hindus do not believe in Gods, in a plural sense. They believe in One Supreme God expressed in many forms. Hinduism is monotheistic! Vaishnavism, the largest Hindu denomination, subscribe to Vishnu as Supreme Brahman, and worship him alone. Also it is important to understand the difference between the Ultimate Supreme Godhead(Vishnu(in Avatar form)) or Brahman(formless God) and Devas. A Deva is the equivalent to an Angel in the Abrahamic tradition. Devas are subservient to the Supreme Lord Vishnu Brahman. Devas are gods, like Ganesha, Shiva, Durga, Indra, Hanuman etc... They are eternal servants to the Lord. But are not the Supreme Lord and Vedic scripture says that they shouldn't be worshipped. But of course people do anyways. That's why people view Hinduism as polytheistic. But Hinduism is purely Monotheistic at it's core.

Devas in Classical Hinduism

History of Vaishnavism

Hinduism

In English, the Sanskrit word Deva is usually translated as "god" (though sometimes left as "Deva"), which certainly gives a polytheistic appearance to Hinduism. Many Hindus say that this is a poor practice, because the best word for God in Sanskrit is Ishvara (the Supreme Lord). The Devas may be better translated as angels or demigods. They are celestial beings with supernatural powers, but also weaknesses. They grant material benefits to humans upon praying and sacrificing to them, though they don't carry the message of Ishvara to the humans as in Abrahamic religions (a category of such beings also exist, called "devaduta" or "duta"). Examples of such devas are Indra, Mitra, Ashvins, Varuna, etc. Buddhism and Jainism also use the word "deva", but in different senses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels#Hinduism

The other major sects in Hinduism, besides Vaishnavism, are Smartism, Shaivism, Shaktism. Shaivism(or Saivism) is followed mainly by South Indians. They worship Lord Shiva as supreme and have their own scripture, besides the most popular Bhagavat Gita.
Saivism
All Saivism

[celina]

Varnas -The four classes of society/The Original Caste System

Hindu society has traditionally been divided into four classes, based on profession:

the Brāhmanas (also anglicised as Brahmins): teachers and priests;

the Kshatriyas: warriors, kings and administrators;

the Vaishyas: farmers, merchants, herdsmen and businessmen; and

the Shūdras: servants and labourers.

Each of these classes was called a varna, and the system was called Varna Vyavasthā. Some say it is debatable whether the Varna Vyavasthā system is an integral part of Hinduism or not and whether or not it is strictly sanctioned by the scriptures. The Shruti texts make very rare mentions of this system, without providing explicit definitions. But the Bhagavad Gītā (4.13) explicitly mentions that the four varna divisions are created by Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord. And the Smṛiti texts (including the Manusmriti) are more explicit in their categorisation of the classes and framing rather strict rules about this system. During its early development, the social structure was based upon the profession. The Gītā (4.13) explicitly says that one's varna is to be understood from one's qualities and one's work, not one's birth. It is noteworthy that many great sages became Brahmins. Vishvāmitra was a Kshatriya king before he became recognized as a great Brahmin sage. Vālmiki, once a robber, became a great sage while Veda Vyāsa was the son of a fisherwoman. A hymn from the Rig Veda says :

"I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn......"
(Rig Veda 9.112.3).

Though historians do not agree on the specific period, the social system later became hierarchical and based upon birth, leading to the evolution of several sub-castes (along with a class of outcastes — now known as Dalits — outside the Varṇa Vyavasthā) and the practice of social discrimination of the Shūdra and Dalit classes, eventually forming the caste system as we know of today.

http://www.hinduwiki.com/index.php?t...ashrama_Dharma

The religious institution of Varna-ashrama Dharma is followed in most Vaishnava Sects of Hinduism. Varna is simply an occupational structure for society. In varna there are four tiers Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras. All are important for a functioning society. You determine your varna by your skills and ability. Not by birth or race.
Brahmins are all religious clergy, gurus, saints, sadhus and the intellectual class(anyone with a Ph.D or graduates degree) etc......Kshatriya are the politicians, officers, soldiers etc....Vaishya are the business men, farmers, artists/painters/photographers etc... Shudras are the working class people to poor people. Those are the only four stations in varna ashrama dharma, there is nothing higher or lower. Whether a society labels these position the same or not , they still exist. Every functioning society must have these positions. In hinduism being in one of these stations doesn't carry any negative connotations. It's just something that exist. It's not race based or birth based, it's based on your skill/ability. That's not only fair it's practical, IMO.
In Hinduism there is no Caste, but there is Varna, which is very different system. There is more mobility and evolution with varna ashrama dharma then there is with the static cultural implementation of caste system, which evolved from varna. But it's not the same system.

[celina]

One thing to note is the four major Sects tend to draw heavily from the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Also under the sub-branch of Vedanta, Swaminarayan Sampraday is VishishtAdvaita Vedanta. Vishishtadvaita was propounded by Ramanuja.

Swaminarayan Sampraday was the sect established by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) Bhagwan Swaminarayan was handed the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday (later known as Swaminarayan Sampraday) from his Guru Sadguru Ramanand Swami, to continue and to propagate the teachings and philosophy of Vishishtadvaita, which originates from the Ramanuja Sampraday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaminarayan_Sampraday

[celina]

Why the name Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)?
Answer: The first mandir of the organization was established in Bochasan, a small town near Anand in the state of Gujarat in India hence the word Bochasanwasi, which means based in Bochasan. The words Akshar Purushottam signify our basic belief in worshiping God, Purushottam, along with his ideal devotee, Akshar. Shri is an adjective used as a prefix to a name to give respect, such as Shri Mohandas Gandhi. Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the God (Purushottam) worshipped by BAPS followers, and His name is part of the organization's name. Sanstha is the Sanskrit word for organization. Thus, the name Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).

http://kids.swaminarayan.org/thingstoknow/27to30.htm

[celina]

(29) The main beliefs of our Sanatan Vedic Hindu Dharma.
Ans: 1. Sanatan Hindu Dharma is the oldest religion in the world.
2. Sanatan Hindu Dharma is based on the Vedas.
3. Our main incarnations and deities are: Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadev, Ganapati, Hanuman, Surya. Main goddeses: Parvati (Durga), Sarasvati and Lakshmi.
4. The main beliefs are: Avatarvad: (Incarnation of God on Earth Karmavad: (there are consequences of all actions good or bad Punarjanmavad: (reincarnati