Swaminarayana sect and Bhagavad Ramanujacharya Sampradaya

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From an article posted in Deccan Herald:

Swaminarayan sect was a part of the Bhakti movement and born of the

philosophy of Sahajanand Swami who was considered an incarnation of

Lord Swaminarayan. He was a powerful social activist.

 

Sahajanand Swami was born in 1781 as Ghanshyam in Uttar Pradesh. In

1792, after the death of his parents, he became a brahmachari and took

the name 'Nilkanth'. He travelled far and wide and settled in Gujarat.

He mastered the teachings of all the major philosophical traditions,

engaging in debates with their leading teachers.

 

Finally, he accepted the theological position of Ramanuja and his Vishishtadvaita as being the true one.

 

In 1800 he encountered the ascetic followers of Ramananda Swami, a teacher in the tradition of Ramanuja.

 

He was formally initiated into Ramanuja sampradaya as Sahajananda Swami and he was appointed by

Ramananda to be the next guru. He followed Bhagavad Ramanujacharya's commands. He not only did great service to Hinduism, but also attacked social

evils like superstitions, addictions, violent sacrifices and sati in

Gujarat 200 years ago. He performed many miracles and transformed evil

people into law-abiding citizens and devotees. He preached the message

of love, brotherhood, addiction-free living and respect to all. He died

in 1830. His injunctions on the practical life of a devotee are found

in the 'Shikshapatri', and his teachings in the 'Vachanamritam'.