The Swaminarayan Faith

[celina12]

[celina12]

 

DONE

[Guest guest]

BAPS Sanstha repesents the most authentic Swaminarayan Sampraday. BAPS followers are more devout and strict.

 

Jai Swaminarayan

[Guest guest]

hey nice thread

[Guest]

Jay Swaminarayan.

Biased views will not get you anywhere. Ive been a bhakt of both BAPS and the original Sampraday Bhagwan Swaminarayan Himself established. I would state that the millions of Bhakts of The original Sampraday which is authentic are too pious, strict and devout.

 

Become Nirvikalp my friend then you will see beyond these differences as well as realise whats right and wrong.

[Guest guest]

There is Prediction in Adhyaya 18 of the Vasudev Mahatmya of Skand Purana that Supreme Lord Narayan will be born to Dharma and Bhakti and abolish adharma on earth.

 

Here:

 

Well here is the Quote from Shri Vasudev Mahatmya- whivh in theSkand Puran that quotes that Akshardham is there, it is in adhyay 18 where Lord Vasudev speaks to Narad (shloka 6 and 7):

 

Asavhamhi Brahmansminakshardhamani

Radhalakshmiyuto nityam vasami svasriteyha sah

vasudevSvarupoham sarvakarmfalpradah

antaryamitaya varte svatantraha sarvadehinaam

 

Shri Narad uvaach (adhyay 19 shloka 11):

 

Bhagvanstvatprasaden tamham parmeshvaram

vasudevam samaloke stithmakshardhamni

 

Lord Swaminarayan himself has been predicted clearly here as Krishna to be born in Kaliyug in a Samvedi brahmin family, father being dharmdev and mother Murti. Both Nar and narayan born because of muni's curse(18th adhyay shloka 42, 43, 44 Shri Vasudev Mahatymyam :

 

 

Shri Vasudev uvaach:

mayaa krushnen nihataha sarjunen raneshu yeh

pravartishyantyasuraste tvadharm yada kshito

dharmdevatda murto narnarayanatmana

pravurtepi kalo brhman! bhutvaham saamgo dvijaha

munishapannrutam praptam sarshi jankamatmanaha

tattovitta gurubhyoham sadharm sthapayannaj

 

Clearly explains that I as Nar and Narayan will be born to dharm and Moorti who after a curse from muni (Dhurvasa in Badrikashram) will all be born on the earth. i as a saam vedi dvija will be born to rid of evil and prevail rightousness (sadharm).

 

if people oppose that Shloka in any way then that is there own buddhi allowing them. I believe that Lord swaminarayan Born from Dharmdev and Bhaktimata was Nar Narayan Incarnate. He promised these incarnations to take place to Brahma as he says to Narad as well as saying that:

 

after explaining many of his avtaars to Narad including Lord Swaminarayan but note No Chaitanya Mahaprabhu here!!: Shloka 46:

 

Shri Vasudev Uvaach:

yada yada cha vedokto dharmo nashishyate sureiyha

pradurbhavo bhavishyo me tadrakshaye tada tada

 

hey brahmin narad. i have not described ALL of the avtaars which i will take. there are many more which when evil prevails on Earth i take. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT JUST BECUASE CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU WAS NOT MENTIONED in the vasudev mahatmya THAT HE WAS NOT KRISHNA!! SEE WHAT I MEAN? HE WAS KRISHNA TOO AND AS A VAISHNAVI LORD SWAMINARAYAN FOLLOWER I TOO ACCEPT THAT. I ALSO KNOW FOR A FACT LORD SWAMINARAYAN WAS INCARNATE OF SHRI NAR NARAYAN. THERE CAN BE NO OTHER.

 

after narating all this to Narad lord vasudev asked Narad to go Meet Nar Narayan in Badrikashram which he does so.

 

Other sampradays will totally say "this is all fake and that it doesnt explain Lord Swaminarayan". You people are entitled to your own decision.

 

Lord Swaminarayan himself declared that he was Lord Nar Narayan and because of a shraap of Dhurvasa he was born. He used Dhurvasa as a nimmitt as he wanted to be born to rid of evil. Durvasa didnt get repect in teh assembly at Badrikashram where many were theri to meet him like: Marich, Uddhav, dharmdev, vashisht, etc. These were all cursed to be born on Earth and suffer at the hands of evil. Yet Dharmdev asked for forgivness and Dhurvasa couldnt take his curse back but explained that Lord Nar Naraayn himself will be born in Kaushal desh as his Son once again and rid of evil. Thus Dhurvasa fled and so Lord Swaminarayan was born in a village in Chapaiya i think 32 km away from Ayodhya. Markandya muni named him hari, krishna, harikrishna and Nyalkaran. he was later named as Ghanshyam by his mother as he was like the clouds in colour. Then he was given names like saryu das, Nilkanth, given diksha bu Ramanand Swami who was uddhav incarnate and named him Sahajanand Swami. Then The lord gave the Mantra Swaminarayan to all. It gave the sakshatkaar of narayan who is the Swami for all (himself). He was then referred to Lord Swaminarayan. 108 names were composed for him like bhaktvatsal, adroyhay, rujve, mahapurushay, bhaktidhamatmajay, marutsutpriyay etc. He constructed temples of Lord Nar narayan (himself) and Laxmi narayan, gopinath, siddeshwar mahadev, hanumaji Maharaj etc...

[Guest guest]

here's more:

 

He was the lord himself.

Padma Puran:

II Datatrayam krutyuge,

tretayaam raghunandana,

dvapare vasudevaha,

kalou swami vrushatmaja II

 

Vishnu Dharmottar:

II Pakhandbahuleloke swami namna hari swayam,

papank nimagnam tajuddhaaryishyati II

 

II Mahadharmanvye punye,

naamna paapvinashke,

hariprasad vivrasya,

swami namna hari svayam II

[Guest guest]

During that part of the 18th century in Western India there were numerous faiths, followings, cults and movements each with different and contradicting philosophies, teachings and practices. At times there were more ‘incarnations’ of God than followers themselves. A further reason for Sahajanand Swami accepting Lord Shree Krshna into the Swaminarayan Sampraday as istadeva was because

a) Lord Shree Krshna was a true incarnation of God

b) Shree Sahajanand Swami preferred the Bhakti marga that Lord Shree Krshna propagated

c) Lord Shree Krshna was a universally accepted form of God

In fact Shree Sahajanand Swami was a great admirer of the Vaishnav bhakti tradition and adopted many of its practices for the Swaminarayan Sampraday

 

In the Shikshapatri Shlok 108 Sahajanand Swami writes

“sa sri krshnaha param brahma bhagvaan purushotamaha

upasya ishtadevo naha sarvaavirbhaav kaaranam”

"That isvara is Shree Krshna who is PraBrahma Bhagwan Purushottam and our most cherished deity (istadeva). He is worthy of being worshipped by us all (upasya). He is the cause of all manifestations and incarnations"

 

As an elaboration to this shloka, Sadguru Shree Shatanand Muni writes in Artha Dipika (Shikshapatri Bhashya):

"yaha saakshaat bhagvaan ksharakhara paraha krshnaha

sa eva svayam bhaktau dharmat aas, bhoori krupaya sri svaminarayanaha

maanushyam bhuvi naatayannijjan acharyatvadharme sthitaha

krshnam praha parokshavann tu tatonyaha sosti yatsa svayam”

 

“That live (saakshat) God (bhagvan) Krshna who is above kshar and akshar, appeared from Bhakti through Dharma as Swaminarayan; assumed a human body on the earth like a dramatist (natta). That Krshna whilst observing the (human’s) dharmas of an Acharya speaks in third person (parokshavann) but that Krshna is none other than Himself”

 

i.e. that Krshna that Swaminarayan Bhagwan speaks of is none other than Himself, however Krshna is referred to by Swaminarayan Bhagwan in third person form (parokshavann) because Swaminarayan Bhagwan is writing the Shikshapatri in the capacity of an Acharya or Guru (acharyatvadharme).

 

Swaminarayan Bhagwan was indeed a Guru, Sadhu, Acharya, Teacher and even a devotee of Krshna. But this does not contradict His status as God.

For if this were the case then Lord Rama was a King and fulfilled His role as the ruler of Ayodhya. Lord Krshna was a cowherd and later the King of Dwarika. Also, Lord Nar Narayana were brahmchari-rishis performing tappascharya in Badrik Ashram. Does this imply that they were not God just because they were kings, a cowherd or rishis?

 

Also note:

“nanvastan sri krshnasya parabrahmatvam moolpurushsya bhagavatastu krshnashabda vachyatvam na ghatate. Dvaaparante devaki vasudevabhyam avirbhavantaram krshnam prvrtti siddheriti chettann. Vasudev gruh aavirbhaavatpragev bhagavataha krshnakhyatve sakalam brahmvaivarta puran mev pramanam”.

Shatananda Muni as a commentary to Shikshapatri Shlok 29.

 

THE ETERNAL KRSHNA THOUGH IS THE PARABRAHMA BUT THE NAME DOES NOT SUIT MOOLPURUSH (ORIGINAL CAUSAL PERSONALITY) BECAUSE THE GOD (AS MOOL PURUSH) MANIFESTED AT THE END OF DWAPARA TO DEVAKI AND VASUDEV AND THEN GARGACHARYA NAMED HIM ‘KRSHNA’.

NOTE, THAT AFTER THE BIRTH OF GOD TO DHARMADEV AND BHAKTIDEVI, MARKANDEY RUSHI NAMED HIM KRSHNA (AS WELL AS HARI AND HARIKRSHNA). THEREFORE WHOEVER SAYS THAT THE NAME ‘KRSHNA’ BECAME PREVALENT AFTER HIS ARRIVAL (IN MATHURA AT THE END OF DWAPARA TO VASUDEV AND DEVAKI) IS NOT RIGHT IN DOING SO, BECAUSE GOD'S ETERNAL NAME IS KRSHNA (ALL ATTRACTIVE) AND EVEN BEFORE MANIFESTING TO VASUDEV AND DEVAKI

BRAHMVAIVARTA PURAN USES THE TERM KRSHNA MANY TIMES OVER.

 

The Srimad Bhagavatam in 1st Skandha, 3rd Adhyay, 28th Shloka therefore declares after listing 24 avatars including Vasudev Krishna that

“ete chamsh kalaha pumsaha, krshnastu bhagavan svayam”

 

i.e. all these (i.e.24 listed including Vasudev Krshna) are various portions of the Supreme. Bhagavat refers to this same ‘eternal’ Krshna, that Artha Dipika speaks of, as Bhagwan Himself.

[Guest guest]

These works are by myself. Where did you get such?Did you copy and paste it from somewhere. Its all good but i dont agree with your (BAPS) way of worship. Its devoid of Bhagwan Swaminarayans original teachings do you know that?

 

I have studied BAPS but i do not agree with it.

[celina12]

Q.9 What is the relationship between BAPS and the Swaminarayan Sampraday?

A. Just as there are different branches in most religions, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) is an active socio-religious organization and the fastest growing branch of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

 

 

Q10 How many followers does the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha have?

A. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has over one million followers, and 680 trained sadhus. Out of these devotees, more than 45,000 are registered as active volunteers. Generally, though, anyone that attends the weekly assemblies or daily arti at the nearest mandir and follows the precepts and codes of conduct prescribed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan is considered to be a follower of BAPS.

 

FAQ-Related to BAPS Swaminaryan Sansthã-General

 

Al Jazeera God's Business Swaminarayan Hinduism 1/3

 

Al Jazeera God's Business Swaminarayan Hinduism 2/3

 

Al Jazeera God's Business Swaminarayan Hinduism 3/3

[celina12]

Swaminarayan Mantras

Om Swaminarayanay Namaha

 

Sabahi Baran Me Vo Hi Bade

[celina12]

 

 

[celina12]

BAPS Diwali Annakut Festival Worldwide 2006 1/2

 

BAPS Diwali Annakut Festival Worldwide 2006 2/2

 

BAPS Akshardham Temple Pics

Music by Amy Winehouse

 

Swamishri's Blessings

Music by Shivaree

[celina12]

Inauguration of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Nottingham, UK

 

 

After many months of efforts by the devotees of Nottingham, a new mandir was inaugurated on Monday 28 May 2007. Regular Satsang sabhas started in Nottingham in 1988 and have progressed well since then.

With the blessings of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, sadhus from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, London started the rituals for the consecration of the murtis at 12 noon with the chanting of Vedic verses.

The murtis of Shri Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj, Shri Radha-Krishna, Shri Ram-Sita-Hanumanji, Shri Shiv-Parvati-Ganpatiji and the Guru Parampara were consecrated at the new mandir.

After the ãrti, everyone had the opportunity of performing darshan of the murtis and the Annakut that was offered.

In the assembly that followed, Yogvivek Swami spoke of the importance of a mandir in shaping our lives. Chris and Richard Hawthorne who have supported the Sanstha in many ways were also present for the ceremonies and were thanked by the trustees.

 

Inauguration of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Nottingham, UK

[celina12]

BAPS Centenary Celebrations

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, London

Tuesday 5th June 2007

 

 

The Centenary Celebrations of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha were celebrated with great fanfare on Tuesday 5 June at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden. The festival commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first mandir opened by Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj in the village of Bochasan on 5 June 1907, where he had consecrated the murtis of Akshar-Purushottam in the central shrine of the Mandir.

Devotees from all over the UK flocked to the gates of the Neasden Mandir from early morning to behold the beautifully adorned deities in the sanctum sanctorum, replete with sumptuous offerings of vegetarian food. The Annakut offering included hundreds of items of food, snacks, sweets, fruits and juices devotionally prepared by volunteers.

On this auspicious occasion, devotees and visitors were provided with an opportunity to ceremoniously bathe the murti of Nilkanth Varni. The evening arti was followed by a shobha-yatra where devotees participated in a festive procession around the complex of the mandir as the fervour continued with colour and sounds.

Following prasadam, the evening programme opened at 8.30pm with special blessings by Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, broadcast live from Mombasa. He spoke of the untiring efforts of Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj in propagating the Vedic philosophy of Akshar-Purushottam. His inspiring words set the tone for a majestic evening’s celebrations with reflection of the humble roots of the Sanstha in 1907 and remembrance of the great figures that had developed the organisation amidst immense hardship and challenges.

The event was interspersed with short sketches and video presentations before the grand finale with the united chanting of the Shaurya Geet. The auditorium echoed with the passionate voices of sadhus and devotees offering their personal contributions to the celebrations.

 

http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/uk/2007/06/baps100years/index.htm

[Guest guest]

NAr NArayan Dev Ni JAy.

[Guest guest]

What?

[Guest guest]

I think he stated nar narayan dev ki jay. You know Nar Narayan the avtaar? Cool

 

Nar Narayan dev ki jay too!!!

[Guest guest]

thanks!

[Guest guest]

The temples are truly magnificent!

[Guest guest]

 

The temples are truly magnificent!

 

it is. I love the carvings

[Guest guest]

 

 

Control your sense of taste. Neither hoard nor deposit money or property in any form.

Shloka: 189, 190

 

that isn't practical.

[Guest guest]

 

that isn't practical.

Them rules if you look at the Sikshapatri are for Sadhus. So for them it is very practical. Also if you want to see such sadhus who practice such go to Bhuj mandir and you will see how practical it is.

[Guest guest]

 

Them rules if you look at the Sikshapatri are for Sadhus. So for them it is very practical. Also if you want to see such sadhus who practice such go to Bhuj mandir and you will see how practical it is.

 

I thought the Shikshapatri was for the common followers of Sahajanand?

[Guest guest]

 

I thought the Shikshapatri was for the common followers of Sahajanand?

 

 

You need to read it again my friend.

 

Sikshapatri is for:

all mankind. So it prescribes the rules for those of teh sect and also those not of the sect.