BAPS and Sri Swaminarayan Sampraday (ritual, rejecting, Earth, incarnation)

[Don Penguinoini]

Hey! Calm down. No need to resort to childish name-calling.

[mahesh]

Originally Posted by satsand deshi

YOU ARE CLEARLY BRAIN WASHED.

how can i be brainwashed? How foolish of you to suggest such. What i follow has been established by Bhagwan Swaminarayan. What you follow was created in 1907. Evn you recognise that. HAHA.

What i follow is direct from the Direct scriptures of Swaminarayan Sampraday. How come you have no proff from Satsangi Jivan, Harililamrut, Nishkulanand Kavya, Purshottam Prakash, Hari Digvijay, Sikshapatri etc?

So is it me or you who is brainwashed? HAHA

[mahesh]

True Acharya’s!

The Acharya's of the Sampraday are more than mere administrative heads. They are the spiritual leaders and the Guru through whom the path to atyantik kalyan (ultimate redemption) is opened.

Sahajanand Swami (Swaminarayan) adopted Ayodhyaprasadji from His elder brother Rampratapji and adopted Raghuvirji from His younger brother Ichcharamji. He accepted the two as His own sons and handed the Northern- NarNarayan Dev Desh (diocese) to Ayodhyaprasadji and the Southern- LakshmiNarayan Dev Desh to Raghuvirji in Vadtal on VS 1882 (1826 AD) Kartik Sud 11 - Prabodhini Ekadashi (ironically on the very same day He was given the Acharya-pad by Ramanand Swami).

The NarNarayan Desh is based in Amdavad (Ahmedabad) and LakshmiNarayan Desh in Vadtal. Though known as NarNarayan Dev and Lakshminarayan Dev Gadi, both are the Swaminarayan Gadis as they are the only authentic gadis established by Lord Swaminarayan Himself.

The Acharyas are householders and their respective wives (Gadiwala) stand as the females’ Guru. The Gadi is passed on to the most capable of the Sons from their family.
The Acharya’s role is to:

• initiate followers into the Sampraday with a Samanya Diksha by giving the special guru-mantra
• initiate sadhus (monks, ascetics) by giving them the Maha-Bhagwadi Diksha
• perform murti-pratishtha, install deities in the temples
• authenticate scriptures of the Sampraday
• act as the Guru and leader of the entire Sampraday.

These responsibilities have been prescribed in the Shikshapatri, Satsangijeevan and Desh Vibhag no Lekh, and according to these shastras no other individual other than the Dharmavanshi Acharyas are permitted to carry out the above duties. Therefore, the sole authority of the above lies with the two Acharyas.

“My Bhramin, Kshatriya and Vaishya followers who have received Shri Krshna Diksha (initiation) from the Dharmavanshi (descendants of Dharmadev) Acharyas, shall wear a double tulsi kanthi (rosary) around their neck and shall wear a U-shaped tilak on their forehead, chest, and both harms.” (Shikshapatri Shlok 41)

Therefore, a Swaminarayan follower is only a genuine Swaminarayan follower once he has received diksha from the respective Acharya. A Swaminarayan sadhu is only a genuine Swaminarayan sadhu once he has been given diksha by the Acharyas.

In the Shikshapatri (62), Swaminarayan Bhagwan clearly states:
“And the form of Shri Krshna that has been given by your Acharya for the purpose of your worship and the forms that the Acharya has installed (i.e. in the mandirs) are the only forms of God worthy of worship. The rest are worthy of respect but not worthy of worship”
Therefore, the only murtis (deities) worthy of worship are those installed by the Acharyas.
In the Shikshapatri, Swaminarayan Bhagwan has placed a lot of importance on the Acharyas.

Shlok 71:
“All my followers shall never enter into debate with their Acharyas and shall serve the Acharyas with food, clothing, money etc according to their capacity.”

Shlok 72:
“Upon hearing of their coming, my followers should immediately go to greet and welcome the arrival of their Acharyas, and when the Acharya returns from the town my followers shall see them off to the outskirts of the town.”

In the scripture Purushottam Prakash, the writer Nishkulanand Swami describes the instance when Swaminarayan Bhagwan established the Dharmavanshi Acharya’s.

Sahajanand Swami felt that now that He had established the grand temples and splendid Sampraday, He wanted to keep His sadhus free from the affairs dealing with wealth, power etc. He therefore decided that He would create leaders for each and every sadhu and householder, who will subsequently be responsible for the Sampraday.
This was in accordance with one of His three resolves; i.e. to establish the leaders of the Sampraday from His own family - Dharmakul.

Before declaring His intention to select His own family, Lord Shree Swaminarayan first gathered the senior sadhus/saints and followers and revealed His intention to install successors to the leadership.

The gathering that included seniors such as S.G. Muktanand Swami, S.G. Gopalanand Swami, S.G. Brahmanand Swami etc. as well as householders such as Dada- Uttam Khachar, unanimously recommended to Lord Shree Swaminarayan that He retain the leadership in His own Dharmakul and select Ayodhyaprasadji or Raghuvirji.

Lord Shree Swaminarayan was very pleased with this suggestion, for this was His own thinking as well. Since there was no room for discussion or further consideration, it was concluded that Lord Shree Swaminaryan's successors will be from His own Dharmakul and will be householders.

Sahajanand Swami then adopted Ayodhyaprasadji and Raghuvirprasadji as His own sons and made them the Acharyas – the Gurus of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

He then declared, “Those who serve these Acharyas with food, jewellery, vehicles, animals, flowers etc shall be worthy of Akshardham…………. I shall emancipate those who serve and respect these Acharyas. Through these Acharyas I shall give kalyaan (give Akshardham) to all souls………." (Purushottam Prakash Chapter 37, Verse 6-20)
“…After a lot of thought and consideration I have decided to give the Gadi to them…” (Chapter 39 Verse 8)

“Therefore all of you shall obey the Dharamkul and serve them. They are not ordinary beings; they are great Devtas (Gods). As well as being my Sons they are Brahmin and my Bhaktas and by serving them you shall earn immense happiness. All your wishes will be fulfilled, this is my command that is to remain permanently.”

“So both householders and sadhus obey their (Acharyas’) commands, and not the fancies of the mind. Do not take any actions without their consent…..do not enter into debates with them even if you are greater in knowledge or wisdom…you shall regard the Acharyas as faultless – you shall obey their commands. If you keep them pleased then I will be pleased with you because they are in place of Myself….. I am forever residing in them. I am in them, and they are in Me. I am never far from them and I give darshan (divine sightings) residing in them……….”

“I am forever residing in the Dharmavanshi Acharyas. After seeing such followers I have decided to remain here (in the satsang), therefore those who worship the Acharyas have worshipped Me.”
(Purushottam Prakash Chapter 40)

The establishment of the Dharmavanshi Acharyas was therefore immensely important for both administrative and spiritual purposes.

The constitution of the Sampraday is laid out in Desh Vibhag no Lekh, which describes in detail the functions of the Acharyas.

“….it is my command to all sadhus, bhramcharis and all satsangi's, that for the purpose of your kalyaan (emancipation) you must obey and follow the two Acharyas of Dharmavansh, and obey their commands by thought, action and speech. If this is compromised and whoever turns elsewhere (rejecting the Acharyas) will find that they will never find sukh (happiness) in this world or the worlds beyond and will experience immense distress…” (Desh Vibhag no Lekh)

[mahesh]

Furthermore, in one of the most authoritative scriptures the Vachamanamrut, Swaminarayan Bhagwan clearly states one of the prerequisites for attaining Akshardham
“…The devotee who is aashrit of Dharmakul (i.e. he who has received initiation from Dharmavanshi Acharya and remains loyal to the Acharya) gets a divine Brahm-state body by God’s wish…” (Vachanamrut, Gadhada Pratham Chapter 1)
So it is imperative to be a humble loyal follower of the Dharmavanshi Acharya once receiving the diksha (guru mantra) in order to be qualified to achieve a Brahm form.
Even Gunatitanand Swami, one of the main sadhus of Swaminarayan Bhagwan states “He who insults the temples, Acharyas, sadhus and satsangi’s will find his roots being destroyed and will inevitably fall from the satsang.” (Swami ni Vato Prakran 5, Vat 104)
Sahajanand Swami has decided to remain on this earth in His Acharyas. They are a version of Him. Being Purushottam Narayan Bhagwan, Sahajanand Swami kept an eternal method of attaining Akshardham by first requiring followers to obtain gurumantra or diksha and obey and respect the Dharmavanshi Acharyas. This is a system, which He has established for each and every follower. It was not a system that was to be changed or altered in the future in any way.

In S.G. Nityanand Swami's Shree Hari-Digvijay (endorsed by Lord Shree Swaminarayan) a debate between many great Vedic pundit- scholars and Lord Shree Swaminarayan is well documented.

The pundits challenge Lord Shree Swaminarayan's establishment of the Dharmavanshi Acharyas. It was argued that a householder being a leader of renunciates (sadhus etc.) was anti-Vedic and had no firm basis in the scriptures of the Sanatan Dharma.

Lord Shree Swaminarayan explained in detail how it is in fact preferable to have householders leading a fellowship that consists of male and female renunciates and grihastha - householders.

He provided scriptural evidence for this and stated examples such Vyasji, the founder of the 4 Vedas and 18 Purans and considered the 'Universal Guru' in whose memory we have 'Guru-Poornima'.

Rishi Vyas was in fact a householder. Similarly, Rishis Vasishta and Yagyavalkya were also householders as was Brahmarshi Vishwamitra. A more distinct example is of Shukadevji, who recited the Srimad Bhagwat to King Parikshit, was a shishya (disciple) of King Janaka.
Therefore, the gathering of pandits and scholars agreed that the setup of Dharmavanshi Acharyas was more than coherent with the Vedic Dharmas and was worthy of honour and admiration.

Today there exist many sects that claim they are following the philosophies of Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan, where in fact nothing could be further from the truth. As Swaminarayan Bhagwan has emphasised, there is no Akshardham for those who do not honour, obey, respect and serve the Dharmavanshi Acharyas, no matter how great a devotee they are.

It has now become necessary to question ‘Swaminarayan Temples’ whether they are in fact Swaminarayan Temples since the deities appear not to have been installed by the Dharmavanshi Acharyas, which is an outright breach of Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s likings (refer Shikshapatri Shlok 10 and then Shlok 62).

It has also become necessary to question the authenticity of ‘Swaminarayan’ sadhus. According to the scriptures mentioned, a Swaminarayan Sadhu is he who has received the initiation (maha-bhagwati diksha) from Dharmavanshi Acharya- no one else.

Once this has been appreciated, one can realise the true grandeur of the Dharmavanshi Acharyas. They are another form of Swaminarayan Bhagwan and though they appear as humans, they are at a status even higher than Akshar-Muktas. Therefore all Swaminarayan Satsangis should obtain initiation from one of the two Dharmavanshi Acharyas and remain under their instructions and always honour and respect them as they would Swaminarayan Bhagwan Himself.

[Don Penguinoini]

[mahesh]

Why Householder Acharyas?

Many schools of worship that have defected from the original Swaminarayan Sampraday (original sampraday = currently headed by the lineage of spiritual Acharyas descending from Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj and Raghuvirji Maharaj) believe that saints should be and have them as their Acharyas. Well this is not true nor right for a few reasons:
1) Firstly, it is Lord Swaminarayan's instructions and orders in the 'Desh Vibhagh no Lekh' and noted in all other main Swaminarayan Sampraday scriptures that the Acharya of the Swaminarayan Sampraday be appointed only from His father's family i.e. 'Dharmakul'. So really this on its own should be enough for the Swaminarayan devotees!
2) But since we have a tendency not to accept things to suit our needs, there is a very obvious and logical reason as to why Lord Swaminarayan appointed householder Acharyas AND WHY SPECIFICALLY FROM HIS FAMILY:
a) The idea of appointing householder Acharyas is not a concept brought about just a few hundreds of years ago. It is a concept well authenticated in scriptures such as Yagnavalkya Smriti written thousands and thousands of years ago. Anyway, when Ramanand Swami met Dharmadev and Bhaktimata (parents of Lord Swaminarayan), Ramanand Swami asked Dharmadev and Bhaktimata to pass the initiation 'mantra' to all the devotees earnest for their libeeration, i.e. Dharmadev to the males and Bhaktimata to the females. Very obviously, Ramanand Swami was a saint and so giving the initiation mantra to ladies would be to break the rules of being a saint. And so the mantra which was given to Bhaktimata through Dharmadev was then passed on to lady devotees. This was before Lord Swaminarayan was born and before the Acharyaship was established.
b) When an initiation mantra is given to a devotee or a saint, then only does he/she qualify to be a Swaminarayan devotee and his or her bhakti becomes authenticated to earn liberation. In other words IT IS very important that we get this mantra. Well obviously lady devotees would also like to go to Akshardham and serve Lord Swaminarayan, right??? Let's hope so. Well ok, so who is going to give them the mantra if a saint is to be the Acharya?? ...because a Swaminarayan saint is not supposed to communicate or even look at female devotees. It is for this very reason that Lord Swaminarayan appointed the Acharyas' wives as the gurus of the female devotees and made them responsible to pass on the mantra to the female devotees.
c) A logical and scientific reason given in the scriptures - When the Acharya gives the initiation mantra to a devotee, the devotee is given a new birth by the Guru. And we all know birth can only be brought about from the union of a male and a female. In our case this refers to the Acharya and His wife, refered to as the 'Gadhiwala'. Also by the way, when initiation is given all the sins of the devotee are taken away by the Acharya or the Gadhiwala. There is a ritual for the latter whereby a Yagna is held and a coconut is offered to Agni dev. And scriptures very clearly state that this can only be done by a couple or else the sacrifice is not accepted by Agni Dev and thus one of the main reasons as to why saints cannot be Acharyas.
d) WE MUST REALIZE THAT THESE HOUSEHOLDER ACHARYAS ARE NOT JUST ORDINARY HOUSEHOLDERS - THEY WERE APPOINTED AS ACHARYAS BY LORD SWAMINARAYAN FROM HIS OWN FATHER'S FAMILY (LORD'S NEPHEWS ) AND HE ADOPTED THEM AND THEIR LINEAGE (ACHARYAS' LINEAGE) AS HIS OWN SONS. SO THE LINEAGE OF ACHARYAS THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE AND DISRESPECT ARE THE GOD PERSONIFIED , SONS OF LORD SWAMINARAYAN, SEATED ON THE THRONE BY LORD SWAMINARAYAN HIMSELF AND THEIR CONTINUING LINEAGE IS ALSO TAKEN CARE BY LORD SWAMINARAYAN TO PROTECT HIS SAMPRADAY! So make no mistake, the argument is not about ORDINARY householders becoming Acharyas of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. The Dharmakul Acharyas are divine souls very close to Lord Swaminarayan and that is why their respect is commanded by ALL the devotees/saints of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. Accordingly Acharyas are very respectful and kind to their devotees and saints because of their divine nature and instructions by Lord Swaminarayan.
e) Lord Swaminarayan has instructed His followers in the Shikshapatri to worship only those images of God that have been installed by the Acharyas from the family of His father (Dharmakul Acharyas). So specifically the biggest task of inviting God in to the idols is reserved for the household Acharyas and their lineage appointed by Lord Swaminarayan
f) Lord Swaminarayan as per His instructions in the Shikshapatri prohibits saints from indulging in worldly affairs such as management of the entire Sampraday and also coming into contact with women. For this reason the HouseHolder Acharyas are best suited because they are able to engage in management affairs and their respective wives, whom Lord Swaminarayan appointed as the Gurus/Spiritual leaders for the women, can deal with the spiritual matters for women such as initiation and guidance. If Renounced Saints are appointed as Acharyas , who gives the initiation to the women??? What happens to their salvation? And no ordinary man or woman can give such initiations, only the Acharyas and their respective wives can, as per Lord Swaminarayan's instructions in the Shikshapatri, Desh Vibhag no lekh and Satsangi Jeevan
g) Lord Swaminarayan wouldn't write rules of conduct in the Shikshapatri for the Acharyas and also specifically for their respective wives, the GadhiWala, if He didn't think they had the most important place in the Sampraday as the spiritual leaders of the devotees, including saints!; to give initiation to devotees plus saints and for the Acharyas especially to install idols in the temples (the only idols which Swaminarayan devotees are supposed to worship- ref: Shikshapatri)
The initiation mantra can not be passed to masses of people made up of males and females. It has to be secretly given in the ear of the devotee. Only the Acharyas' wives can do this to the females. Saints would not be able to do this because of the rules that bind them in the Shikshapatri laid down by Lord Swaminarayan Himself.

[mahesh]

<SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">On the first day of the first fortnight of Maha in Samvat year 1882, Shriji Maharaj was seated at night after evening Aarti, in the Mandapam of Shri Lakshmi Narayan on a mattress with a round pillow arranged as back rest in Vadtal. He had put on all white clothes. On all his four sides and top and under the Mandapam, Paramhansas and devotees from various places were seated everywhere.

[mahesh]

On the first day of the first fortnight of Maha in Samvat year 1882, Shriji Maharaj was seated at night after evening Aarti, in the Mandapam of Shri Lakshmi Narayan on a mattress with a round pillow arranged as back rest in Vadtal. He had put on all white clothes. On all his four sides and top and under the Mandapam, Paramhansas and devotees from various places were seated everywhere.
Shriji Maharaj then said, ' You elderly Paramhamsas ! I desire to ask you. Which are the most essential facts, a Satsangi must know ? So that he can reconcile the problems and can arrive at a proper compromise ?' Asking the question to the assembly, Shriji Maharaj said after a while, 'Let me explain it to you. This sampraday (sect) is known after the great devotee Uddhava, who incarnated as Ramanand Swami. Ramanand Swami was initiated Vaishnavi Deeksha in dream at Shrirangam by Shri Ramanujacharya. Therefore, Ramanand Swami was the disciple of Shri Ramanujacharya. And I am the disciple of Ramanand Swami. The legacy inherited from Shri Ramanujacharya by Shri Ramanand Swami is installed in me. And schould know that I have installed Dharm-kool-the descendants of Dharmadev continuing with this tradition.
Similarly, you as my disciples should not accept the way of life- life style - that I am as your Acharya and perceptor have been living. You should all strictly observe the rules prescribed for you all in this Sampradaya. Nobody should practice my deeds - or - actions. These holy discourses given by me should be fully acted upon by you all Paramhamsas and devotee-followers. Understand the core of the teaching and act upon. Also advise others to observe these rules. Saying so, Shriji Maharaj retired to his chamber for his meals. The Sadhus and devotees seated in the assembly realized that the form of Shri Krishna described as remote in Akshardham, had manifested before them presently as Shriji Maharaj, son of mother Bhakti and father Dharmadev. No one transcends him. He is the divine form for our worship and he is our perceptor too.
Vachnamrut 18 of Vadtal.

A true Satsangi should know this as Shriji maharaj states at the start of the Vachnamrut. You do not recognise this and contradict Shriji maharaj’s authentic teachings. Then how can yo ube said to be a Satsangi?

[Don Penguinoini]

Because i love god and worship. SIMPLE.