Swaminarayana Hindu

[aGnani11]

Jay Shri Narayana,

 

This is my first post on this forum, but I have been following discussions here for several weeks.

 

I am interested in getting some feedback from all of you. You may have heard about the Swaminarayana organization. They are also firmly rooted in the Vaishnav philosophy, because their founder, Swami Sahajananda, was a firm disciple of Krishna. However, in the Swaminarayan sampradayas central scripture the Vachanamrut, he has often declared himself as Purushottam Narayana Himself. Thus, the disciples of Swaminarayana believe him to be equivalent to Krishna Paramatma Himself.

 

The present-day leader, Pramukh Swamiji, is a great social reformer as well as spiritual guide. He has built mandirs around the world, most recently the large Akshardhama temple in Delhi (www.akshardham.com).

 

What do you think of this Swaminarayana sect? How do you view their leader Pramukh Swamiji? I just humbly want to know what the world of Hinduism thinks of this particularly new revolution of Swaminarayana Hinduism.

[ajit12]

This is typical of hinduism rather all sects in India.Some wise seer be it Budhdha ,Mahavir,Sahjananda,Rajneesh the list is endless;comes and tries to reintroduce people to the correct path and lo!! what happens?His followers make god out of him.Same thing happened to Ram & Krisna.

God can set things right by sitting in his heaven.He does not have to take human form,do work of a human and be limited by human frailities.We have to understand that AHAM BRAMHASMI i.e. I am him .Then the concept of any human being being special god loses it's charm.If you go through Vachnaamrita you find things like eat veg. food etc. this is what god is supposed to do?So much emphasis is given to Shri Sahajanand's meeting with British governer.It does not sound like God.

My objection is not to Swami Narayan sect,but to our stupid habit of making God out of any great human beings,Be it Sahajanand or Saibaba.

[Guest guest]

"Same thing happened to Ram & Krisna."

 

You are missing a point here.

Shajanand, Saibaba and for that matter Jesus Christ preached how to love god by becoming devotees.

But Lord Krishna in Gita declares that He is Supreme and that everything emanates from Him. He advises us to surrender to Him and become His devotees (BG9.34)

 

If we assume that we all are God and Ram and Krishna are mere humans then we are totally defeating the purpose of Gita.

 

This philosophy of ourselves claiming God has caused atheism all over the world. However, this philosophy cannot provide a logical answer to a simple question: If you are God, how is Maya able to cover you, because Maya is always subordinate to God. If Maya suceeds in illuding God, then Maya is superior. However even a person with small intelligence can conclude that God is superior to Maya. In fact God is Supreme.

[Guest guest]

Pramuks Swami is not the leader. The two acharyas of the Swaminarayan faith are the original leaders which lord Swaminarayan created. he is predicted in many scriptures. In the Viswaksen samitah it also mentions the name Sahajanand as God.

So does otehr scriptures like VAsudev Mahatmyam in Skand Puran and also states about the Akshardham Lord Swaminarayan talks of which no other incarnation mentioned. So lord Swaminarayan had more than one reason to incarnate upon the earth. Before anyone actually passes judgement on the ability of him being God, i suggest they firstly read up on his life and work. They will themselves realise who Lord swaminarayan was automatically just like myself. As i to once questioned like you do today and realised i was mistaken and a fool to do such.

[maadhav]

sri sahajananda swami has said in his sikshaapatri that krishna is the supreme god and has his form. never thinnk he has no form.

 

he also has said that he is krishna incarnated as an ideal sadhu.

 

he incarnated with is abode - dhama - akshar dham - gunatitqnanda swai. later gunatitananda changed started telling that sahajananda is supreme, not krishna. that is unfortunate when even sahajananda has said his followers to never insult vaishnavas.

 

well, the time is not to argue within Hindus. they are the vedic people, and we need to unite against the anti-vedics in bharat. swaminarayans have a lot of money and strong orgnization. they an bring results when they decide to do anything. for them the current guru is god HInself. so, they do as He says, and care less what the scriptures say.

 

i wish they take the lead and all other sampradayas follow his leadership to make bharat free from islam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aGnani11]

"Pramuks Swami is not the leader. The two acharyas of the Swaminarayan faith are the original leaders which lord Swaminarayan created."

 

Dear fellow bhakta,

 

I am not too familiar with the Swaminarayana sampradaya, so you might be right on this. I recently read a biography on Swami Sahajananda by Professor Raymond Williams, and in there he said that the Acharyas were established by Sahajananda for administrative purposes. The Acharyas were responsible for guiding the progress of the sampradaya and handling the treasury, as well as initiating sadhus into the eight-fold path for celibacy. In the Vachanamritam, however, Sahajananda talks only about the 'Ekantika Sadhu' who can lead one to moksa. The Acharyas should only be seen as the administrative heads, but never the spiritual heads. Pramukh Swamiji, as I understand it, is a true spiritual guru. One can easily see this when you take a look at the mandirs they are building, the quality of sadhus and disciples they have, and an international reputation.

 

Unfortunately, the sadhus of the two Acharyas have plunged into controversy and trouble with the law. This, however, is never the case for the sadhus and disciples of Pramukh Swamiji. I think the world of Hinduism should be very excited at where Pramukh Swamiji is taking modern-day Hinduism.

[Guest guest]

can be the unifying body for all Hindus! Whether Vaishnava, Shaiva, Smarta, or Shaktis!They are very organized and productive! I definately think they hold the keys to the future of Hinduism!

[Guest guest]

BAPS are not what Lord swaminarayan Originally set up. Its a breakaway from the original princples laid by God Himself.

[aGnani11]

I don't understand how the organisation BAPS is a 'break away' from what Svaminarayana originally set up. In his Vachanamritam, he continually stresses the importance of the Ekantik Sadhu and how a true guru is the gateway to moksa.

 

The "original" Svaminarayana organisations have plunged into mediocrity. The "sadhus" do not follow the eight-fold path of celibacy and the Acharyas have been brought to court on several legal issues. The previous Acharya was dethroned and a new Acharya established. Sadhus are being accused of rape, incest, and embezzlements. Is this what Svaminarayana originally set up?

 

On the other hand, Pramukh Swamiji is a spotless sadhu who has uplifted many societies around India and who has preached non-violence and built beautiful mandirs across the world. He has led thousands to quit cigarette-smoking and drinking alcohol, as well as gotten several other thousands to reconnect with the Hindu heritage and study the scriptures. How can you say that this is NOT what Svaminarayana intended? Look at what BAPS has accomplished -- magnificent mandirs around the world, a beautiful Akshardhama temple in New Delhi, social service work like natural disaster relief and free hot meals for the poor. He has upheld the Vaishnav and Visistadvaita philosophy.

 

Please explain to me why BAPS is a "break-away" from what Svaminarayana taught. Disciples and sadhus of Pramukh Swamiji are very humble and peaceful people. They practice what Svaminarayana taught by studying the Vachanamritam and the Hindu scriptures. BAPS does not get in trouble with the law and have sadhus involved in scandals.

[Guest guest]

Perhaps the memories of the murder of Manibhai (ex PA to Pramukh Narayanswarupdas) who fell out with BAPS are still fresh?

Maybe the young trainee saint abuse scandals at Sarangpur centre were well concealed by the millions BAPS spends on PR and media relations.

Don't kid yourselves. BAPS has plenty of corrupt saints as is so obvious in Neasden Temple.

 

If Pramukh Narayanswarupdas was such a mighty saint why does He insist on being worshipped everywhere? Even Swaminarayan Bhagwan only advocated the worship of Krishna.

 

Why does Pramukh Narayanswarupdas have his pictures plastered everywhere? Why does He sit on grand mighty thrones? He might not indulge in women and sense objects but he is certainly thriving on the worship and reverance he is enjoying.

 

Ekantik Sadhu would never EVER desire such things. Gunatitanand Swami, Muktanant Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Nishkulanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami were infinitely greater sadhus than Pramukh ever will be - yet they never insisted that their image be placed alongside God.

 

[Guest guest]

BAPS is bogus and adharmic! They are leading people down the wrong path!

[Guest guest]

It's strange how the Swaminarayans refer to their monks as saints/sants. They are simply monks, not saints. No other movement does this. Sants or saints are ususally the few spiritually enlightened ones who are an inspiration to others. By calling all the monks as saints, they are not giving the true saints their recognition.

 

You have to be exceptionally great like Sri Ramanuja, Ramanada or Tulsidas to be called a saint. Not eveyone can be called a saint.

 

But apart from that. The Swaminarayan mission are doing good work in the world for the poor people and for Hinduism. They claim decent from Sri Ramanuja's movement and follow Visistadvaita Vedanta, but I'm not sure if the Sri Vaishnavas accept them or not.

 

The Swaminarayan sect are known to have quite a bit of money and have alot of donations by rich gujarati businessmen. They are known for putting up beautiful mandirs all over the world. It is true that BAPS is a breakaway sect from the original movement who BAPS believes does not properly follow the message of Swaminrayan and they disagree with the householder succession the original movement has adopted.

 

You can read more from an unbiased source below

 

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

[aGnani11]

I will address each of your points one by one and offer reasoned answers:

 

"Perhaps the memories of the murder of Manibhai (ex PA to Pramukh Narayanswarupdas) who fell out with BAPS are still fresh?"

 

There's isn't a stinch of indication that BAPS has been involved with any violence, much less murder. A murder would have resulted in widespread press coverage, police presence, and Court indictments. Has there been any of these? BAPS Public Relations cannot 'pay off' the High Court. This sounds like unsubstantiated propaganda from anti-BAPS sentiments.

 

"Maybe the young trainee saint abuse scandals at Sarangpur centre were well concealed by the millions BAPS spends on PR and media relations."

 

You are probably referring to the scandals of the monks of the other Swaminarayana organizations. You hear about scandals from them all the time. Simply go to www.Google.com and click on 'News' and type in 'Swaminarayan'. You will find dozens of articles related to scandals that monks from the other Swaminarayan organizations are involved in. None of them are connected to BAPS. If they were, there would have been police action and press coverage. The BAPS temple in Sarangpur is a haven for spiritual advancement. If you have been there, you would agree.

 

"Don't kid yourselves. BAPS has plenty of corrupt saints as is so obvious in Neasden Temple."

 

Again, you're proposing claims without any substantiation. What is wrong with the monks at the Nesden temple? BAPS monks have NEVER been involved in scandals. Give some concrete examples from a reliable source, and then I will believe you.

 

"If Pramukh Narayanswarupdas was such a mighty saint why does He insist on being worshipped everywhere?"

 

Once again, claims without substantiation. Give me a quote, a recording, or ANYTHING that shows why you believe this. Pramukh Swamiji has NOT EVEN ONCE insisted on being worshipped. It is his disciples who honor him because he is our spiritual Guru who leads us from darkness and ignorance to light and knowledge. He has NEVER insisted on being worshipped. He also never insisted on sitting on thrones or luxurious items. Rather, it is the wish of his disciples to provide him with those things out of our love for him. Remember, Pramukh Swamiji has been the Guru of the Swaminarayan faith for well over 40 years. In the 1960s, there were no such amenities yet he continued his mission of spreading the Vaishnava philosophy and the message of Swaminarayan just as much as he is doing now at the age of 85.

 

"Ekantik Sadhu would never EVER desire such things."

 

This is the first time I agree with you. An Ekantik Sadhu would never desire such things. But have you ever seen DESIRE in the eyes of Pramukh Swami? Have you ever heard him demand certain things? A devotee once baked him sweets to eat when Pramukh Swami visited his house. However, he accidently put salt instead of sugar! How awful would a sweet item taste if it was made from salt instead of sugar?! But Pramukh Swami never said a word and lovingly accepted the food. Does this show that he demands high luxuries? It shows his detachment from materialistic pleasure. This was in the 1950s when food was scarce and the monks often had to beg for food (and fast when they received none).

 

I appreciate your concern for finding a true Guru. One should always be careful before accepting someone as your Guru, and you are doing just that. However, it's very important that you properly investigate before you make claims that degrade a great sadhu and saint such as Pramukh Swami. Read his biographies, and you will see.

 

JAY SRI NARAYANA.

[Guest guest]

http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000416/ina16053.html

 

Vicious fight for control of Swaminarayan Trust

DARSHAN DESAI

 

--

 

VADTAL (KHEDA DIST), APRIL 15: The ink is still not dry on the sensational kidnap and murder drama of Swami Gadadharanand as the case continues in the courts, but the same murky power struggle that did him in two years ago, is back again at the 117-year-old Swaminarayan Temple in Vadtal.

 

The murder, that took over a year to unravel, shook the foundations of the 200-year-old sect and shocked thousands of devotees throughout the country and abroad. Three sadhus are behind bars as undertrials while one is out on bail for the gruesome killing. But nothing has changed for the godmen, who continue their meditated pursuit of the moolah.

 

With elections to the board of the multi-crore Swaminarayan Temple Trust just three days away, the vicious game has begun all over again with saffron-clad sadhus and their shishyas conducting a vituperative no-holds-barred campaign against one another. It was the fight for supremacy of this board of trustees, which was behind the godman's murder and of two more in 1978 and 1986.

 

Banners, posters, wall-graffiti and public meetings are on, with even AcharyaAjendraprasadji, the reigning dharma-guru of the Swaminarayan sect, himself plunging into the campaign in favour of the Acharya faction. Facing them is the Dev faction, led by the quick-witted Nautam Swami, who pulls back no punches against the dharma-guru's opulence.

 

Ajendraprasadji enjoys the luxury of three cars, a Tata Sierra, Tata Estate and Tata Sumo, he has two sprawling mansions, he is paid a monthly allowance of Rs 36,000 even as his food and other requirements are met by the temple trust. The temple trust controls 36 temples across the country, whose accumulated earnings is over Rs 12 crore, and this is besides the lavish gifts and lakhs of rupees each of the 500 sadhus at Vadtal get. Nobody could even guestimate the value of other assets and real estate owned by sadhus.

 

The godmen are wooing as many as 18,642 voters with election symbols such as elephant, Ganesh, Hanuman, Krishna, rising sun, lamp and lotus. There are 18,000 votes of Grihasthas (rich and religiously active commoners), 362 of saffron-clad sadhus, 262 Paarsads (white-clad shishyas of sadhus) and 18 Brahmcharis. They will elect the eight-member trust board, which has the Chief Executive Kothari as an ex-officio member.

 

The swamis, as earlier, remain split into two major factions. The Acharya group, representing the descendants of Lord Swaminarayan, an avtaar of Lord Krishna, and their disciples. The other is Dev Group, comprising sadhus and their trainees. Acharya group believes since the ``blood of the Lord'' runs in their veins, they should control the temple trust, and the Dev group argues the temple is nobody's ancestral property, it belongs to the devotees and the sadhus. By temple, they mean the cash, the property, the luxuries, and so the power.

 

The struggle for power between the two groups has come out in the open, with the sadhus now donning the role of street-side politicians as they hurl choicest of accusations against each other. While they tour villages to campaign through public meetings and personal contacts, even the temple premises is freely used as the propaganda field.

 

Banners hang all over the magnificent temple complex, while the writings on the walls outside call upon voters to elect those committed to the spread of the sect and its message. The names of candidates are painted on the walls with their panel numbers.

 

Acharya Ajendraprasadji addressed a two-day convention in the assembly hall of the temple on March 25 and 26, but his supporter Sukhdev Swami claims,``It was not an election meeting; it was religious.'' He, then, agreed that candidates of the Acharya group did participate in the convention. The message there, and in the campaign, is that the Dev group is trying to topple the Acharya to gain supremacy over the temple.

 

Nautam Swami asserted, talking to The Indian Express, ``The Acharya is behaving like a petty person, unbecoming of the leader of a sect.'' In his campaign, he tells the voters that it was during the control of the Acharya group over the temple trust, that the Acharya's pocket money was raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 36,000. That was when, he says, they allotted one more car to him, while he does not go anywhere.

 

 

2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

[Guest guest]

Your last post "Swaminarayan is Bogus" is referring to another Swaminarayan organization, not BAPS. There are several different ones out there, and most of the disturbing news and scandals that you'll read about out there (including the one you linked us to), are referring to another Swaminarayan organization, not BAPS. It is of utmost importance to note the distinction before generalizing and passing judgement.

 

Pramukh Swami is strictly affiliated with the BAPS Swaminarayan organization. Neither him nor any of the BAPS sadhus have EVER been involved in any scandals as such, over money, power, women, abuse, etc.

 

In fact, Pramukh Swami's sadhus pledge from the day they renounce the world, to follow total celibacy, as well as 4 other basic principles, those of non-attachment, non-covetousness, non-greed, and aloof from the sense of taste. The celibacy vow is so deep-rooted these sadhus keep a certain distance from females at all times. This vow is the reason so many millions of devotees and others have the utmost respect for Pramukh Swami and trust in his sadhus.

 

Hopefully these points will shed light on the crystal pure nature of BAPS and its sadhus, as well as that of such a world renouned and respected God-intoxicated sadhu like Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

[Guest guest]

BAPS is still bogus! Swaminarayan himself worshipped Lord Krishna, he(Swaminarayan) is not God! BAPS is adharmic and needs to stop preaching false religion!

 

The Teachings of Shree Swaminarayan – Krishna Consciousness

 

http://www.gitamrta.org/swaminarayan.htm

[Guest guest]

I guess this is where the beauty of the Hindu religion comes into play. Each person has his own opinion, and I respect that you believe Krishna is God. You will never hear followers of Swaminarayan "bad-mouth" other dieties like Krishna, Rama, Buddha, etc. That is also a rule in our Shikshapatri...to never talk ill of other religions, dieties, sadhus, etc.

 

Moreover, we honor Radha-Krishna at all of our BAPS temples worldwide. They are offered thaals (food dishes) 5 times daily, have arti performed before them, etc. We praise Krishna over and over, but for us we believe Bhagwan Swaminarayan to be supreme.

 

For you this belief may be different, but that is alright by us. Not everyone can be uniform. God created us each with our own preferences for food, clothing, forms of entertainment, etc., so why can't we have our own preferences for which diety we chose to worship also?

 

One point about Shikshapatri though. Even though Sri Krishna's name is mentioned 36 times, verse 203 states that for further elaboration and understanding, one should refer to the other scriptures of the sampraday. In our principle other scripture, the Vachanamrut, Bhagwan Swaminarayan himself states to all his devotees that he is supreme.

 

This teaching is not propagated so as to demean other dieties, but it is for the undestanding of our very own disciples. An analogy you can draw on is the relationship between an married couple. For each woman, her man is supreme. She is at peace with herself through that understanding. She doesn't compare her husband to others, or say that others are better. To her he is the one and only. The same things applies to devotees of the BAPS Swaminarayan sampraday. For us, Swaminarayan is Supreme. Others may have differing views, but we are content and happy at heart that we've found our Supreme God. I hope this makes things a little more clear.

[Guest guest]

I'm interested to know how does the swaminarayan movement differ from Ramanuja's Sri Vaishnavas?

From what I understand they come from this school but have made some modifications.

 

Also with this shift from worshipping Krishna to Swaminrayan, could it be that in the early days when Shikshapatri was written that they were more like Sri Vaishnavas worshipping Krishna, but later on when Vachanamrut was written and Swaminarayan declares himself to be God they started worshipping him?

 

I'd still like to know why Swaminarayans refer to their monks as saints.

[Guest guest]

If I wrote a book proclaiming I am god, would you follow? Is that all it takes to start a religion these days? This is wyy Hinduism has faded over time! Every year a new guru claims to be God, and dumb lackeys follow. Stop creating new Gods to worship and just worship Lord Krishna. Or, If you plan to create new god, DO NOT call yourselves Vaishnavas. Vaishnavas are those who worship Vishnu/Krishna as supreme.

 

P.S. what is the scriptual basis for worshipping Swaminarayan, the guru, as Supreme Lord?

[aGnani11]

"I'd still like to know why Swaminarayans refer to their monks as saints."

 

I agree that monks should not be referred to as saints. Not everyone is a saint. The only time when you hear monks being referred to as saints is when the person saying it simply doesn't know the difference in the meaning. It is a mistake in translation. We call them sadhus in Gujarati/Hindi, and when people try to translate the word 'sadhu' to English, they mistakenly say 'saint', which is incorrect. I agree that BAPS should stop calling them saints. I do, however, agree in calling Pramukh Swami, the most respected monk and spiritual leader of the Swaminarayan sect, as a Saint. You can collect thousands of testimonials and see that people in the tens of thousands have reconnected with Vedic traditions and with God.

 

"If I wrote a book proclaiming I am god, would you follow? Is that all it takes to start a religion these days?"

 

Remember, the disciples of Swaminarayan did not blindly accept anything. The sampradaya that Swaminarayan inherited was strictly Vaishnav with Sri Krishna being the central ishtadev. The monks of the sampradaya were incredibly brilliant scholars of Sanskrit. They were well-versed in the Scriptures and many of them engaged in formal debates with Advaitas and Vedantis proclaiming Brahman as the universal entity. The monks that Swaminarayan became the leader of were no ordinary sadhus.

It was because of Swaminarayan's profound personality that the monks and disciples of Swaminarayan in the early 19th century accepted him as an incarnation of the Supreme Himself, very similar (in fact, exactly like) the avatar of Krishna. If you study Swaminarayan's life, he mastered ashtanga yoga within 4 months, and travelled throughout the length and breadth of India, searching for pure spirituality. Swaminarayan was actually a brilliant scholar Himself. You can confirm this by reading his spoken Vachanamritam (which is available for purchase on www.Amazon.com).

 

Once you see what kind of personality Swaminarayan was, you can then see why his disciples viewed him in equality with Krishna Paramatma Himself. I personally do not see a difference between Krishna and Swaminarayan. I think they are both incarnations of the Supreme. Once you read into the kind of spiritual knowledge they possessed, it is not difficult to see divinity in Swaminarayan.

 

This is also the beauty of Hinduism. The Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests on Earth more than once. He manifests in all varieties and at several different time periods. The followers of the Swaminarayan faith view Swaminarayan, because of his divine personality comparable to Krishna Himself, as yet another incarnation of the Supreme.

 

Also, please do not resort to insulting on this board. Let us keep this discussion civil and scholarly. We are all Hindus and share more commonalities rather than differences.

[Guest guest]

P.S. what is the scriptual basis for worshipping Swaminarayan, the guru, as Supreme Lord?

[Guest guest]

Srimad Bhagavatam

 

SB: 2.7.2 www.vedabase.net PURPORT A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

In order to guard against the invention of unauthorized incarnations of God by the fanciful, less intelligent persons, the name of the father of the bona fide incarnation is also mentioned in the authorized revealed scriptures. No one, therefore, can be accepted as an incarnation of the Lord if his father’s name, as well as the name of the village or place in which he appears, is not mentioned by the authorized scriptures. In the Bhagavata Purana the name of the Kalki incarnation, which is to take place in almost four hundred thousand years, is mentioned along with the name of His father and the name of the village in which He will appear. A sane man, therefore, does not accept any cheap edition of an incarnation without reference to the authorized scriptures.

[Guest guest]

Statements and opinions do not change fact.

It is hard for Hare Krishna people to accept there is another incarnation of God no matter what evidence is presented before them. There is ample evidence in the scriptures forecasting the coming of Sahajanand Swami or Swaminarayan Bhagwan.

 

In the same way, it is difficult for BAPS to accept that they are a blatant misrepresentation of the true and original Swaminarayan Sect. Yes, there are asuri elements present everywhere, even during the time of Swaminarayan and Krishna themselves.

It does not change the fact that BAPS are a complete offshoot cult based on some mickey mouse Akshar Purushottam philosophy which cannot be verified by any scriptures, let alone the Vachanamarut, Geets or Bhagavatam.

 

[aGnani11]

I do not understand those of you who are talking this way of Sri Swaminarayan and of BAPS. It is one thing to deny the greatness of Swaminarayan and Pramukh Swamiji. This is completely fine with me. However, it's totally different when you resort to insulting the movement.

 

Please ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do Swaminarayan followers and BAPS VIOLATE the Vedas in any way?

 

2. Is BAPS and Pramukh Swamiji immoral in any way?

 

3. Does the Swaminarayan sect thrive from the four endeavors of dharma, gnana, vairagya, and bhakti?

 

4. Did Sri Swaminarayan uphold the Vaishnava and Visistadvaita philosophy?

 

5. Is BAPS currently involved in widespread social service and helping the poor/disadvantaged?

 

6. Does BAPS and Pramukh Swamiji celebrate all major Hindu festivals such as Janamashtami, Mahashivratri, Ramnavmi, Ekadashi, and many others?

 

You should think about these questions. BAPS under Pramukh Swamiji has experienced phenomenal growth. We celebrate Hindu festivals with great enthusiasm and happiness. We perform Vedic non-violent yagnas and rituals for all occassions. We stress Sanskrit/Gujarati/Hindi literacy for the American/British youth who are engulfed in Western culture. The Swaminarayan sect of BAPS under Pramukh Swamiji has created a new revival of Vedic and Upanishadic traditions. ISKCON is also a beautiful tradition, and do you hear Swaminarayan followers insulting ISKCON?

 

Since we are both Vaishnava sampradayas, we should be united. We have more similarities rather than differences. Pramukh Swamiji stresses the rivival of Vedic and Bhagvat sanskruti and culture. This is why you see youths living in America and Britain still living the Indian and Hindu culture. How can you insult such a pure and pious sadhu such as Pramukh Swamiji. I hope you reconsider your opinions on him.

 

Jay Sri Narayana.

[Guest guest]

Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born to Dharmdev who was born as Hariprasad and Bhaktimata born as Premvati.

 

It is stated in the Padma puran (one of the 18 purans of our religion as directed by god supreme):

 

Datatrayam krutyuge,

tretayaam raghunandana,

dvapare vasudevaha,

kalou swami vrushatmaja

 

This means that in satyug I (god) will be born as Datatray, in tretayug as Rama, son of the raghu clan, in dwaparyug I will come as Krishna, son of Vasudev and in kaliyug I will come named Swami, son of Dharm (Dharmadev).

 

It also states in Vishnu dharmottar:

 

Pakhandbahuleloke swami namna hari swayam,

papank nimagnam tajuddhaaryishyati

 

Mahadharmanvye punye,

naamna paapvinashke,

hariprasad vivrasya,

swami namna hari svayam

 

This means that in kaliyug where evil triumphs, I Purna Purushotam will arrive on the earth named Hari. I will redeem many souls and increase their punya (good deeds). I named as Swami will be born to Hari (Hariprasad, orginal name of Dharmadev).

 

I hope this satisfies you as regards to the "scriptural evidence" you were looking for regarding the legitamacy of Bhagwan Swaminarayan's Avtaar.