"I have incarnated upon this earth, not to kill demons, but to uproot the demonic elements from the human mind; not to liberate man temporarily from the poverty and pain of this life but to emancipate him forever from the transmigratory cycle which lies at the root of all pains and poverty."
The
eighteenth century was one of the darkest periods of Indian History. India was
ruptured and divided because of the presence of foreign invaders and internal
warfare. People had abandoned every ethical code in pursuit of wine, women, and
wealth. The religious structure had also crumbled because of the perverted
preaching of demoralized preceptors. Gujarat was one of the most affected parts
of India.
It
was against this background that Lord Swaminarayan took birth in Chhapaiya, a
village near Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, on 3rd April 1781, in a Brahmin family.
From the very beginning, signs of his greatness were obvious. At 10, he
displayed a phenomenal mastery of Hindu scriptures. At 11, he left home for a
seven year pilgrimage on foot of the Indian sub-continent. During the pilgrimage
he performed severe austerities in the Himalayas and mastered Ashtanga Yoga
(Eight-fold Yoga). He moved from shrine, to ashram, to temple, sanctifying them,
till finally he arrived at Loj, in Gujarat. Here he met Ramanand Swami, who
initiated him into the ascetic order, naming him Sahajanand Swami. Ramanand
Swami appointed him as his spiritual successor when the latter was just 21.
On
that occasion Sahajanand Swami asked two boons of his Guru: "If your
devotee is destined to suffer a single scorpion-bite then let me, instead,
suffer the pains of millions of scorpion bites on every pore of my body. And if
your devotee is destined to carry the begging bowl then let it be my fate but
your devotee should not suffer from want of food or clothing."
Shortly
thereafter, Ramanand Swami passed away and Sahajanand Swami became popular by
the name of Swaminarayan.
Lord
Swaminarayan began his mission with an energy which was nothing short of
tremendous. His divine personality attracted masters of all fields to join his
following that rapidly grew to hundreds of thousands of which 3000 were sadhus
and among them 500 were pramhansas- sadhus of highest purity. During his very
life-time they worshipped him as the Supreme God.
He
not only subdued the obdurate and martial tribes of Gujarat but raised them to a
high spiritual level. He put a halt to yagnas which involved killing of animals.
He stopped female infanticide and the cruel practice of Sati, in which widows
were forcibly burnt. He promoted education, especially among women.
The
perverted preachers, heads of muths and ashrams, who saw in this new Movement
their death-knell, strongly opposed him and tried to crush this Movement. But he
and his sadhus could not be subdued by their repression. They exhibited by their
lives that a sadhu should be above honor and insults, should bear malice towards
none, should not be drawn towards wealth, women and tasty foods, should have no
connections with relatives, and should have only minimal wants to fulfill his
bare requirements. In fact, these were the vows given to them by Lord
Swaminarayan. With these ideals they remained invincible.
The
sadhus understood the dignity of labor and served society by digging wells and
ponds, as water was scarce. They were asked to beg for food and distribute it to
the needy from various alms-centers established by Him. They were also
instructed to contact people and tell them about the glory of God, giving them
the vows of abstaining from alcohol, meat-eating, stealing, adultery and to
discharge the duties of their station in life.
He
preached that real devotion could flourish only after one assumed atmabhava. He
also said that to reach that lofty height one has to be founded in righteousness
which rests upon chastity. He worked tirelessly in Gujarat for thirty years and
effected a peaceful revolution. The Gujarat landscape, its horizon once
dishevelled by the turbulence between 300 warring states and principalities, its
soil gashed, bleeding with insecurity, its atmosphere corroded with black
superstition and ignorance, slowly flowered under the Lord's unique touch,
tender yet firm. Where chaos and terror were a way of life, he firmly
established morality and righteousness. Welcoming one and all he crowned them
with ultimate liberation. He left this world at the age of 49, enriching
humanity with a legacy of six lofty temples, several spiritual centers, and
treasures of spiritual and moral wisdom in the two scriptures: Vachanamritam and
Shikshapatri.
But
most of all, He promised to remain ever-present on this earth through a
succession of sadhus who are in constant rapport with God. His spiritual
successors are Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji
Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj, and presently, Pramukh
Swami Maharaj.
Birth: 3 April 1781 CE (Chaitra sud 9, 1837 VS). Born in Chhapiya, near Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Age 7: Achieved excellence in the Vedas, the Upanishads and mastered all major scriptures like the Ramayan, the Mahabharat and the Puranas.
Age 10: Won a scriptural debate in Kashi.
Age 11: 29 June 1792 CE (Ashadh sud 10, 1849 VS) renounced home as a child yogi and began His long holy journey throughout India.
Age 14: Mastered Ashtang Yoga - the eight-fold Yoga, in the dense forests of the Himalayas.
Age 18: 21 August 1799 CE (Shravan vad 6, 1856 VS). Completed His seven years of austerities, of visiting holy places, and arrived in village Loj, Gujarat.
Age 21: 16 November 1801 CE (Kartik sud 11, 1858 VS). Enthroned as the spiritual head of a very large following.
Age 25: Initiated 500 sadhus into the order of paramhansas (a superior form of the ascetic order).
Age 29: Began revolutionary social reforms, challenging superstitions and malpractices like sati and female infanticide.
Age 41: Started building mandirs - temples and centers of morality, devotion and spiritual culture.
Age 45: 11 February 1826 CE (Maha sud 5, 1882 VS). Gave the sacred Shikshapatri, the holy book of ethical and spiritual disciplines.
Age 49: 1 June 1830 CE (Jeth sud 10, 1886 VS) in Gadhada, Gujarat. Left His mortal body, promising to be ever-present on earth through the succession of Brahmaswarup Sadhus.
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