Swaminarayan?

[Parabrahman]

what is you people's opinion on swaminarayan? there are many times in his storys where he is called the supreme. What are your views?

[Guest guest]

Swaminarayan is like Swami Chaithanya. Bhagwan appears as Guru iin different parts at different times in Kaliyuga whenever religious dharma fails in that place. Lord Chaitanya appeared in eastern India and inculcated the fact that Sree Krishna is Supreme. Same way, Lord appeared as Swaminarayan in the western India and established the same fact. The fun is both the divisions dont consider the other as Lord and call only their guru as Lord incarnate and so the rest is left to you.

R

[Guest guest]

any other views?

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

There is already a big thread on this topic. Do a search for swaminarayan.

 

[vijay]

Heres a thread with a current discussion on swamirayana

 

http://www.hare-krishna.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=HareKrishnaNews&Number=2520&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

 

Heres an extract from the thread which i thought was pretty good.

 

Jay Sri Radha Krishna

 

I am sending this to you not out of jealousy or any inimical feelings, but

would like to know why so many people are blind to the truth. Please do not

take me wrong, as I have grown up in a family of Swaminarayana followers.

 

This is not meant to be an argument, but straight-forward statements.

 

Before I begin, let me inform the reader of the following: in the

Shikshapatri, towards the end, Swaminarayana has written that anyone who

acts against these teachings is not in his sampraday(in his sect); he also

says that his followers should follow each and every verse of the

Shikshapatri. He has also said that those who are evil minded and act in a

bad manner should not be given the Shikshapatri; this means that those who

will not act according to the Shikshapatri are not the followers of

Swaminarayana, and that they are acting in a bad manner by going against

these teachings, while at the same time claiming to be

Swaminarayana-devotees.

 

With that said, I will give two sides to the issue, and you can pick

whichever you think is right. You may agree with what Swaminarayana has to

say, or what his followers have to say.

 

***Note, the word "followers" in the following indicates the followers of

Swaminarayana.

 

Followers say: pray to Swaminarayana.

Swaminarayana says in the first verse that he himself prays to and meditates

 

on Lord Krishna, Who in His heart has Goddess Lakshmi, and at His left

Srimati Radharani.

 

If even Swaminarayana prays to Lord Krishna, they why should we not pray to

Lord Krishna?

 

Followers say: worship Swaminarayana.

Swaminarayana says: Verse 54 "Sri Radha Krishna ni je chitrapatrima tenu

aadarthaki darshan karine...". Translation: One should meditate fully on the

picture or idol of Sri Radha Krishna, and offer one's respectful obeisances

unto Them.

In verse 102, Swaminarayana has said we should perform devotional service

unto Lord Krishna with great devotion, because that is the mystery and the

message of all of the revealed scriptures.

 

 

This is a big one:

Followers say: chant "Swaminarayana".

Swaminarayana says: Verse 54 "Sri Krishna no je Astakshara mantra, teno japa

karine te pasi potanu vyavharik kaam-kaaj karvu." Translation: Only after

chanting the 'ASTAKSHARA MANTRA OF LORD KRISHNA' one should begin with other

duties, such as household duties,etc.

He has also written in verse 49: My followers should rise before dusk, and

should remember Lord Krishna Bhagavan, and then they should get ready for

the day.

Then, in verse 63, he says: our devotees should go to a temple everyday, and

should worship Him who is the husband of Srimati Radharani (Husband of

Srimati Radharani is Lord Krishna), by engaging in congregational chanting

of Lord Krishna's names with great devotion.

 

***Note: in the above argument, the followers of Swaminarayana say, as far

as I know, that the Astakshara mantra is Sri Swaminarayana because it has 8

aksharas (letters when written in Sanskrit or gujarati). However,

Swaminarayana has clearly stated that he is talking about the Astakshara

mantra of Lord Krishna in the same verse,where he says "chant the Astakshara

mantra of Lord Krishna."

 

What fool is there that cannot understand that "Swaminarayana" is not the

Astakshara mantra of Lord Krishna, when it is not even referring to Lord

Krishna when chanted?

 

Also, for those that do not know, the Astakshara mantra of Lord Krishna is:

"Shree Krishna Sharanam Mama"; translation: Lord Shree Krishna is my one and

only shelter.

 

Swaminarayana has written in verse 57 that after the chanting of the Sri

Krishna Sharanam mama mantra, the devotees should hold a lecture or study

the sanskrit mantras by Lord Krishna, and about Lord Krishna. And for those

that have not studied Sanskrit, they should simply engage Sri Krishna

Bhagavana's namakirtana (congregagtional chanting of the Holy Names of Lord

Krishna)

 

Followers say: Swaminarayana is the cause of all incarnations of Godhead,

such as Krsna, Rama, etc.

Swaminarayana says in Verse 108: And who is that Supreme

Controller(Ishavarah)? Know that ParaBrahman (the Supreme Brahman--greatest

being) purushottama (the greatest of all men) who is Lord Sri Krishna

Bhagavan(This is not talking about an incarnation of Lord Krishna, but about

Lord Krishna Himself), He is the Supreme Controller of everything manifest

and unmanifest; and that Lord Krishna is our worshipable Lord and He is the

cause of all incarnations.

***In other words, Swaminarayana says that Lord Krishna is actually the

cause of all causes, the cause of all incarnations, thus proving his future

followers wrong, so to say.

 

Followers say, like many of the Western world and Eastern world: Krishna is

an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Swaminarayana says in a verse about # 111: Forms such as those with four

hands, eight hands,etc. are created by the wish of Krishna.

 

And what form has four or eight hands, etc? So, here, Swaminarayana is

talking about Lord Narayana and Lord Vishnu; Swaminarayana means that Lord

Narayana and Lord Vishnu are created by Lord Krishna, and are created by the

simple desire of Lord Krishna.

 

To make it a little more clear: This means that forms such as Lord Narayana

and Lord Vishnu are simply expansions of Lord Krishna's, and they are

created by the sole desire of Lord Krishna.

 

 

Swaminarayana has also written: Remember Lord Krishna in the morning after

waking up, and then begin daily work.

 

When Sahajananda Swami (Swaminarayana) talks about doing puja, he says to

worship Lord Krsna, to meditate on the picture or idol of Radha Krishna, and

to chant Lord Krishna's Astakshara mantra: Shree Krishna Sharanam Mama.

 

Followers say: after we die we want to go to Akshardhama.

Swaminarayana says: The abode of Goloka is very dear to me.

And what is that Goloka? It is the highest planet in the Vaikuntha planets,

in the spiritual sky. Also, it is the abode of Lord Shree Krishna Himself.

 

 

__________________________

With that said, I want to know who is a true follower of Swaminarayana? They

simply say God has many names, but all of them are the same, and that is why

they worship Swaminarayana. So, according to Swaminarayana himself, these

people are misguided and are acting in a bad manner.

 

 

Also, Swaminarayana was a devotee of Lord Krishna; and, if he started to

tell other people that he himself is the cause of all incarnations including

Lord Krishna and Rama, and to chant Swaminarayana, etc. then he has insulted

himself by going against his own teachings. I don't know if this happened

or not, so I will not argue about it.

 

 

I was confused for a while some time ago about the following: if

Swaminarayana says to worship Lord Krishna, and glorifies Lord Krishna, why

do his pastimes show that he did so many things equal to Lord Krishna.

About some time ago ago i found out the answer. Don't get mad after reading this,

but someone has simply made up the pastimes. I heard that, in the show in

the series on Zee-TV, the show where Swaminarayana gives work to a

prostitute and gives her liberation, it is from the pastimes of Lord

Krishna. So is the fighting with the wrestlers in the childhood; and

probably so much other stuff. Does Swaminarayana talk about all these

pastimes of his ever in his classes, etc. just curious.

 

Sure, Swaminarayana may have been an empowered being, or an avatara, but he

came on this earth to spread the worship of Lord Krishna, and if anyone goes

against this and worships Swaminarayana, that is wrong because when one does

that, he goes against so many teachings of Swaminarayana.

 

With that said, I want to know, is there even one true follower of

Swaminarayana on earth today? By follower I do not mean a worshipper of

Swaminarayana, but a person who follows each and every order and teaching

given by Swaminarayana in the Shikshapatri(book of knowledge). If I simply

worship Lord Krishna, but at the same time go against so many of His

teachings consciously, am I truly following Him and worshipping Him?

 

thank you and Jai Jai Sri Radha Krishna

 

p.s. if you still think that Swaminarayana is to be worshipped instead of Lord Krishna, and that he is greater than Lord Krishna, and that he is the cause of Lord Krishna's existence, i have nothing more and do not want anything more to tell you. Jay Sri Krishna

[Guest guest]

Everything is good, but except the last sentence. I dont think that Krishna exist due to SwamiNarayana. Sree Krishna is eternal and has taken form of SwamiNarayan to help the fallen souls would be more appropriate. The Guru Incarnates are not totally empowered as Lord Himself even though the Guru's are also part of Lord. But Krishna is Krishna and Chaithanya or Swaminarayana or Any Acharya is lesser than Him. Sorry...

R

[Guest guest]

 

what is you people's opinion on swaminarayan? there are many times in his storys where he is called the supreme. What are your views?

 

why do swaminarayans care so much about what people think of them? Insecurity, maybe?

[akshar]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Incorrect. He came not to spread krishna's name but his. When he was named, he was given a few name two of the senior names were Ghanshyam and Krishna so in the shikshapatri he is reffering to none other than himself. We are not insecure, in fact we could not care less but people calling us brainwashing cults? Unbearable. I agree that there is only ONE god, not just Krishna. All these avatars (i mean every single one of them) are personifications of none other than purna purshottam and their comapnions are akshar, the dwelling place of akshar. That is what AKSHARDHAM is. The home Aksharpurshottama. The meaning oof swaminarayan is:

 

Swami=Brahma

Narayan=Parabrahma

 

Henceforth, swaminarayan

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