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Ascetics:
On accepting the reins of the Fellowship,
to aid His work, Lord Swaminarayan began to initiate the highest order
of ascetics known as Paramhansas - the supreme swans. At the age of only
twenty four, He initiated five hundred Paramhansas in one day. His divinity
attracted laymen and sannyasins throughout the land. Some sannyasins were
themselves heads of monasteries and religious orders outside Gujarat.
Arriving in Kathiawad, they sought the incarnation, the avatar, whose
fame they had heard of, whose vision some had perceived and whose divinity
from afar, many had experienced.
In their hundreds they converged.
This attraction to Lord Swaminarayan proved quite phenomenal, since many
belonged to the Advaita (non-dualistic) school, believing themselves as
Brahman, having no concept of worshipping a higher personal Reality.
In contrast, Lord Swaminarayan accepted Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita philosophy
(qualified non-dualism), propounding worship of God with form and of murti
puja, entailing the observation of all the bhakti rituals. In total, from
the beginning of His ministry at the age of twenty-one to the age of forty-nine,
He initiated over two thousand men as sadhus and Paramhansas.
Spiritual Grooming
From these renunciates, He demanded strict spiritual discipline and
the highest principles of asceticism, hitherto unknown in Hinduism.
To effect this, He gave them five vows, the Panch Vartamans: nishkam
- eight fold brahmacharya, nirlobh - non-greed, nirman - to rid ego,
pride and anger, to become humble, niswad - to overcome the sense of
taste and nissneh - to remain detached from relatives and material possessions.
The vow of brahmacharya prohibited looking at or touching women. In
exigencies, Lord Swaminarayan allowed the sadhus to rescue a female
by helping her physically.
Non-avariciousness meant that a sadhu could not touch money or even
ask a person to keep some on his behalf.
The vow of nirman and nissneh also meant cultivating indifference to
the body, in not pampering it. Therefore they could shave the head and
face only once a month. In addition, the ascetics had to wear coarse
saffron robes.
The saffron colour symbolises fire, whose characteristic feature is
to convert to its own colour anything thrown into it. Similarly, it
behoves a sadhu to imbibe such virtues that he remains untainted by
materialistic desires.
Lord Swaminarayan also prescribed short term vows lasting from a few
months to a year or more. Of a total of 114, known as Prakranas, one
of them advocated forsaking a place where people honoured and welcomed
ascetics with food and shelter. They had to keep moving and live in
the fields, without shelter of trees or straw heaps.
During one severe winter, a farmer came across an unconscious Paramhansa
in a field, near the village of Bhadra, in Kathiawad. He informed Mulji
Sharma (later initiated as a Paramhansa named Gunatitanand Swami). Mulji
carried home the Paramhansa, who luckily was only suffering from hypothermia.
He recovered after six hours of warming. After accepting a little food,
he left, remaining sincere to the Lord's injunction, of leaving a place
where people welcomed him.
Often, the Paramhansas received no alms for days on end. When they did,
the raw flour and grain, and any cooked items were to be mixed and bound
in a piece of cloth and doused in water a few times to remove any flavour.
From this tasteless and soggy mush, they could only have the amount
fillable in a small coconut shell once a day. Any extra they had to
give away!
In the role of the Guru, Lord Swaminarayan's personal care and spiritual
grooming to elevate the Paramhansas was unique. Hitherto, renunciates
in India usually preferred to seclude themselves in mountains, forests
or monasteries for their own spiritual endeavours. This is known as
Nivrutti Marg - path of non-action. For His Paramhansas, Lord Swaminarayan
prescribed the tougher Pravrutti Marg - path of action, to move within
society, remove samsara from the hearts of people, while still remaining
totally detached. If Nivrutti Marg was a serene bed of roses, Pravrutti
Marg struggled through the storms of a thorny samsara. During the invariable
trials and tribulations of the latter, He inspired them by writing dynamic
letters, elaborating and glorifying the vows and detailing eternal truths.
These letters were later compiled and known as Vedras - the nectar of
the Vedas. The sadhus upheld each word as sacred, to be obeyed zealously,
thus elevating them spiritually.
Persecution
Not surprisingly, the emergence of these sadhus, embodiments of saintliness
in society, filled the existing vairagis and bawas with jealousy and
fury. As people increasingly began to respect and follow the Swaminarayan
ascetics, these renunciates feared their doom; in losing their daily
bread.
Infuriated, they mercilessly sought, beat and tortured the sadhus. In
these persecutions some five hundred succumbed to their swords and pincers.
On one occasion, a sadhu named Hiradas arrived in a village for the
night and sat on the village square, chanting the Swaminarayan mantra.
Bawas already occupied most of the square. When they heard 'Swaminarayan',
they raged. They ordered Hiradas to stop chanting or else they would
beat him. He stopped oral chanting and continued mentally. But a while
later, when they saw his lips moving, one of them poked an iron pincer
in a nearby fire. He then mercilessly impaled and branded Hiradas with
the heated pincer. Pieces of burnt flesh hung hideously from his body.
Thankfully, he passed out.
During the night he awoke; excruciating pain and burns searing his body.
Despite the wounds, he somehow staggered out of the village and headed
for Gadhada.
In the morning, he arrived at Dada Khachar's court. Painfully, he shuffled
through the assembly towards Maharaj and collapsed at His feet. As his
upper garment slid off, a wave of horror swept through the assembly.
Maharaj knelt down. Hiradas painfully related the story. Tears welled
up in Maharaj's eyes. He ordered the sadhus to shift Hiradas to His
personal quarters, in Akshar Ordi. He would personally nurse him to
health, since chanting His name had invited the torturing. By His blessings
and personal care, Hiradas' wounds healed rapidly. He then zealously
resumed his preaching tours.
Some of the sadhus came from the Kshatriya - martial caste. If set upon,
Maharaj had ordered them to wish good fortune to those who insulted
them or inflicted physical pain.
None were allowed to retaliate. The willingness of the sadhus to implicitly
obey the rigorous vows, to undergo self-abnegation, to bravely tolerate
the pain and insults flung by antagonists, even to die for the Lord,
is aptly described by Parekh as a unique 'romance of discipleship'.
The sadhus were all aware that their Lord Himself had undergone greater
sufferings and harsher austerities during His seven-year forest sojourns.
Even now, as Head of the rapidly spreading Fellowship, He too remained
a target for antagonists who persistently hounded Him, hoping to kill
Him. Their impetus and sole reason centred on their murderous contempt
of Him being worshipped as God!
Many tried to dispose of Him, Ministers such as: Jagjivan Mehta - the
Diwan of Kutch, Vithalrav Balaji - the Suba of Ahmedabad, Laldas - the
Suba of Visnagar, North Gujarat, Vithalrav Devaji - the Gaekwad's Diwan
of Vadodara, in addition to bawas such as: Lolangar of Gomtipur in Ahmedabad
and Magniram - the powerful tantric of Mangrol in Kathiawad, and a group
of six bawas who came to Dada Khachar's court. Not only did they fail,
but some - such as Laldas became disciples, a subdued Magniram became
a sadhu named Advaitanand, as did the six bawas. They came to kill but
remained to serve.
Erudition
A farsighted visionary and a superb organiser, Lord Swaminarayan foresaw
the need for Satsang literature for the consolidation, perpetuation
and universal acceptance of the Sampradaya. He appointed those Paramhansas,
Sanskrit scholars prior to their joining the Fellowship, such as Gopalanand,
Muktanand, Nityanand, Shatanand and poets such as Brahmanand, Premanand
and Nishkulanand, to compose this literature. Others, He sent to Benares,
Baroda and Surat to study Sanskrit, music and poetry.
This momentous decision helped to meet the challenges in the form of
debates, thrown by antagonists amongst scholars and pundits in society.
Contemptuous of the rapid success of the Sampradaya, they slandered
it as non-Vedic, refuting its claim of Lord Swaminarayan as an incarnation
during the age of Kali.
Of many such debates, Muktanand Swami won a graceful victory at the
court of Maharajah Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda and Nityanand Swami defeated
a group of pundits in Ahmedabad. With scriptural references, both Paramhansas
successfully established the Vedic soundness of the Sampradaya and Lord
Swaminarayan as God. Lord Swaminarayan Himself routed two Vedantin pundits;
Khaya Khatri in Kutch and another in Vadtal.
In the field of music and poetry, there were the eight poet Paramhansas
of Lord Swaminarayan, namely: Muktanand, Brahmanand, Premanand, Nishkulanand,
Devanand, Bhumanand, Manjukeshanand and Dayanand. They composed thousands
of lyrics - kirtans, lauding devotion, festivals, the glory of Lord
Swaminarayan, in addition to advocating a spiritual life, to overcome
the fleeting and miserable nature of material existence.
The variety and voluminous compositions depict the exuberant devotion
the poets developed for the Lord, thus enriching Gujarati literature.1
The Bruhad Gujaratni Asmita notes that, 'In addition to the Vaishnav
Dharma, the Sampradaya which boosted the cultured music of Gujarat,
was the Swaminarayan Sampradaya ... the thousands of kirtans of Premanand
and Brahmanand in Gujarati and Vraj dialects, are Gujarat's rich legacy.'2
Brahmanand Swami alone composed over eight thousand kirtans. Hurtling
through a glittering career, prior to becoming a sadhu, in the prime
of his youth, as a royal bard extraordinaire, he revelled in the glamour;
entertaining and enthralling Maharajahs and Nawabs at the royal courts
in Jamnagar, Junagadh and Bhavnagar. With his sharp wit, suave eloquence,
and adeptness at composing instant poetry, he won their heartfelt accolades
and approbations. They literally decorated him with gold, jewels and
gems.
But at thirty-two, he met Lord Swaminarayan. The glitter and the glamour,
the gold and the glory, ground to dust. Then, on the verge of renouncing
in Gadhada, he received his richest, most tempting offer; a lifelong
invitation from the Gaekwad of Vadodara, as the royal bard, to reside
in his palace with all its luxuries, opulence and grandeur. Brahmanand
declined.3
Nishkulanand Swami, being a carpenter prior to renunciation, lacked
a formal education. Therefore it was remarkable that he composed over
twenty-three volumes, in verse, during his life - Bhaktachintamani and
Nishkulanand Kavya being the most notable.4
Premanand Swami, though Hindu by birth, was brought up by Muslim step
parents. Yet, his intense devotion to Lord Swaminarayan, reflected in
his kirtans, parallels that of Mirabai's towards Lord Krishna. He composed
about ten thousand kirtans of which four thousand are available.5
Even the Nawab of Junagadh, a connoiseur of music, rebuked the maestros
at his court, 'First listen to the kirtans of Swaminarayan's fakir Premanand,
then sing before me; for his music comes from the soul.'
A group of Premanand Swami's kirtans, known as Nitya Cheshta, describes
in loving detail, the physical persona of Lord Swaminarayan and His
daily routine. Included are moles, birth marks, the sixteen signs of
Godship on His soles, the shape of: lips, eyebrows, forehead, chest,
stomach, waist, hands and feet; His unique walking style, and sitting
posture whilst taking prasad; spending the day with sadhus and devotees
- His manner of talking, counselling, serving them food, swimming and
riding with them; every act, whether - a suppressed laugh, a soft sneeze,
a meaningful glance - was meticulously noted with divine regard.
To this day, devotees sing and visualise these sublime reminiscences
devoutly every night before retiring. This visualization, they reveal,
relaxes them physically and mentally, inducing a blissful tranquility
at heart.
In addition to his kirtans, Devanand Swami's notable contribution was
the nurturing of Dalpatram, the renowned poet of mid-nineteenth century
Gujarat.6
Devotional kirtans of Nishkulanand, Muktanand and Brahmanand were included
by Gandhiji in his Ashrambhajanavali - a compilation of kirtans sung
at his Sabarmati ashram.
Amongst all the Paramhansas, Lord Swaminarayan regarded Gunatitanand
Swami as the foremost.
Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
In His teachings, Lord Swaminarayan mentions that when the Lord incarnates
on earth, He does so with His abode - Akshardham, released souls and
divine powers.7 During His life, He revealed that Gunatitanand
Swami was His abode, Akshardham (Aksharbrahman) incarnate, His ideal
Devotee. Before His physical demise, He revealed to the Satsang of His
continued manifestation on earth through Gunatitanand Swami.8
Therefore, He enjoined all the ascetics to visit the Junagadh mandir
for one month annually, to avail of Gunatitanand Swami's redemptive
sermons.9 These teachings were later compiled, as Swamini
Vato - Swami's talks.
The absolute surrender of sannyasins who had been heads of monasteries
with hundreds of renunciate followers of their own, coupled with the
unalloyed love and sacrifice by other sadhus for Lord Swaminarayan,
reflected His spiritual prowess. Many possessed great yogic powers and
as such, could themselves have been worshipped and deified.
He once asked them, 'I have not performed miraculous feats such as constructing
a bridge across the ocean, nor have I killed the ten-headed Ravana.
Neither have I held aloft the Mandrachal mountain, nor vanquished demons
such as Kansa and Shishupal. Why then do you worship Me as God?'
The Paramhansas replied, 'O Lord! Rama killed Ravana but his evil instincts
of lust and ego were not destroyed. Vaman subdued Bali, but he had already
been subdued by greed. Krishna killed Kansa and others, but they had
already succumbed to ego and greed. These inner enemies, of lust, anger,
greed and the countless others, you have eradicated from our hearts.
'You may not have built a bridge across the ocean, but you have certainly
created one between the ocean of samsara and Akshardham.
'You may not have held aloft Mandrachal or Govardhan, but You have instantaneously
pulverized our mountains of sins and purified our souls.
That is why we worship You as God.'10
And so laymen and ascetics who had thronged to Him from all over the
land, to live an existence commanded by Him, surrendering their will
to His, be granted a privileged discipleship, to gain His divine grace,
sacrificed their lives at His lotus feet. Their unalloyed love for Him
elevated them to scintillate eternally in the Satsang firmament.
Dave, op.cit.,Vol.IV.,Hiradas' persecution,pp.188-192.
Majmudar, op.cit., persecution by priesthood, p.221.
Plots to kill Lord Swaminarayan:
Dave, op.cit., Vol. III., Jagjivan Mehta, pp. 27, 28.
Dave, op.cit., Vol. II., Balaji in Fort Bhadra, pp. 529-532.
Harililamrutam, op. cit., Balaji in Fort Bhadra, 7/4.
Dave, op.cit., Vol. III., Laldas, pp. 145-149.
Dave, op.cit., Vol. V., Devaji, pp. 185, 193-196, 202-209.
Bhaktachintamani, op.cit., Lolangar, verse 57.
Dave, op.cit., Vol. II., Lolangar, pp. 560-571.
Harililamrutam, op.cit., Magniram, 5/8, 9.
Debates:
Dave, op.cit., Vol. IV., Muktanand Swami's victory at Gaekwad's court
p.73.
Harililamrutam, op.cit., with Khaiya Khatri, 6/22,23.
Dave, op.cit., Vol. III., with Vedantin in Vadtal, pp.612, 613.
Poet Paramhansas:
Bhagat, Shastri Anupam. Satsang Vanchanmala II. Amdavad: Swaminarayan
Aksharpith,
1992, Nityanand Swami, Premanand Swami.
Mazumdar, op.cit., enriching Gujarati literature, pp.221, 340.
1 Shastri, op.cit., p.359, enriching Gujarati literature, pp.
384/2-384/6
2 Shukla,Harkant. Gujaratma Shisht Sangeetno Udbhav ane Vikas
in Bruhad Gujaratni
Asmita. Nandlal K. Devluk, ed. Bhavnagar: Yogesh Advertising Service,
1970, p.421.
3 Ratnu,Mavadan Bhimji. Brahma Samhita. Kalawad, Jamnagar: Mavadan
Bhimji Ratnu,
2nd. ed., 1966, life of Brahmanand Swami.
4 Ishwarcharandas, Shastri.Satsang Vanchanmala III.Bombay:B.A.P.S.,1975,
Nishkulanand
Swami,pp.33-43.
5 Vashi, Bhavana P. Premsakhi nu kavan in Swaminarayan Sant Sahitya.
Compiler:
Raghuvir Chaudhary. Amdavad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 1981, pp. 205,
206.
6 Kavi, Nhanalal Dalpatram. Kavishwar Dalpatram. Vol.I. Amdavad:
Anand Nhanalal
Kavi,1933,1st. ed.
7 Vachanamritam, op.cit., Gadhada I-71.
8 Dave, op.cit., Vol. V., p.552.
9 Nishkulanand Swami. Purushottam Prakash, 32/13-14 in Nishkulanand
Kavya.
10 Bhaktachintamani, op.cit., verse 105.
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