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Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha

November 23, 2023

"BAPS" redirects here. For other uses, see BAPS (disambiguation).

Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS; IAST: Bocāsaṇvāsī Akṣara Puruṣottama Svāminārāyaṇa Saṇsthā) is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.[1][2][3] It was formed in 1905 by Yagnapurushdas (Shastriji Maharaj) following his conviction that Swaminarayan remained present on earth through a lineage of gurus starting with Gunatitanand Swami.[4][5][6]

Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha
BAPS Akshar Deri Logo
Akshardham, New Jersey, U.S., in Robbinsville, near New York City, the world's largest BAPS temple and the largest Hindu temple outside Asia
AbbreviationBAPS
Formation5 June 1907 (116 years ago) (1907-06-05)
FounderShastriji Maharaj
TypeReligious organisation
HeadquartersAhmedabad, Gujarat, India
Location
  • 3,850 Centers
Area served
Worldwide
LeaderMahant Swami Maharaj
Websitewww.baps.org
www.pramukhswami.org

Since 1971, under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the BAPS has grown strongly. As of 2019, BAPS has 44 shikharbaddha mandirs and more than 1,200 mandirs worldwide that facilitate practice of this doctrine by allowing followers to offer devotion to the murtis of Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, and their successors.[7] BAPS mandirs also feature activities to foster culture and youth development. Many devotees view the mandir as a place for transmission of Hindu values and their incorporation into daily routines, family life, and careers.[8][web 1]

BAPS also engages in a host of humanitarian and charitable endeavors through BAPS Charities, a separate non-profit aid organisation which has spearheaded a number of projects around the world addressing healthcare, education, environmental causes, and community-building campaigns.[9]

History

Formation and early years (1900-1950)

 
Murtis of Akshar Purushottam, Bochasan

The Gunatit Guru

The basis for the formation of BAPS was Shastriji Maharaj's conviction that Swaminarayan remained present on earth through a lineage of Gunatit Gurus (perfect devotee), starting with Gunatitanand Swami, one of Swaminarayan's most prominent disciples,[4][10][11][12][5][13][note 1] and that Swaminarayan and his choicest devotee, Gunatitanand Swami, were ontologically, Purushottam and Akshar, respectively.[19][note 2] According to the BAPS-tradition, Shastriji Maharaj had understood this from his guru, Bhagatji Maharaj, who had Gunatitanand Swami as his guru.[23][note 3]

Followers of BAPS believe that the Ekantik dharma that Swaminarayan desired to establish is embodied and propagated by the Ekantik Satpurush (lit. 'a most sublime saint'[web 3][note 4]), the Gunatit Guru.[25] According to Shastriji Maharaj, Swaminarayan had "expressly designated" the Gunatit Guru to spiritually guide the satsang (spiritual fellowship) while instructing his nephews to help manage the administration of the fellowship within their respective dioceses.[10][26]: 610  As Kim notes, "For BAPS devotees, the dual murtis in the original Swaminarayan temples[note 5] imply that Swaminarayan did install a murti of himself alongside the murti of his ideal bhakta or Guru".[27]

Shastriji Maharaj sought to publicly reveal his ideas,[19] and to worship Gunatitanand as the abode of Purushottam, c.q. Swamiarayan.[6] However, his views were rejected by the sadhus of the Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses.[28][4][29][30] For the sadhus of the Vadtal diocese, the idea that Swaminarayan had appointed Gunatitanand as his spiritual successor, instead of the two acharyas, was a heretical teaching, and they "refused to worship what they considered to be a human being."[31][note 6] Shastriji Maharaj left Vadtal with five swamis and the support of about 150 devotees.[36][37][38]: 13 

Mandirs to facilitate doctrinal practice

 
Shastriji Maharaj

Paralleling Sahajand Swami's building of temples to propagate his teachings,[27][note 5] Shastriji Maharaj then set out to build his own mandir to "house the devotional representations of Bhagwan and Guru" and propagate his understanding of Swaminarayan's teachings.[12] On 5 June 1907, Shastriji Maharaj consecrated the murtis of Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami in the central shrine of the shikharbaddha mandir he was constructing in the village of Bochasan in the Kheda District of Gujarat.[40] This event was later seen to mark the formal establishment of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha,[27] which was later abbreviated as BAPS. The Gujarati word Bochasanwasi implies hailing from Bochasan, since the organisation's first mandir was built in this village.

Shastriji Maharaj spent the majority of 1908–15 discoursing throughout Gujarat, while continuing construction work of mandirs in Bochasan and Sarangpur, gaining a group of devotees, admirers, and supporters.[41] Over the next four decades, Shastriji Maharaj completed four more shikharbaddha mandirs in Gujarat (Sarangpur – 1916, Gondal – 1934, Atladra – 1945, and Gadhada – 1951).[41]

Successors

On 12 August 1910 Shastriji Maharaj met his eventual successor, Yogiji Maharaj, at the house of Jadavji in Bochasan.[38]: 16  Yogiji Maharaj was a resident swami at Junagadh Mandir (Saurashtra),[42] where Gunatitanand Swami had served as mahant.[38]: 17  Yogiji Maharaj regarded Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar and also served the murti of Harikrishna Maharaj which had previously been worshiped by Gunatitanand Swami.[38]: 17  As he already believed in the doctrine being preached by Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj left Junagadh on 9 July 1911 with six swamis to join Shastriji Maharaj's mission.[19]

On 7 November 1939, 17-year-old Shantilal Patel (who would become Pramukh Swami Maharaj) left his home[43] and was initiated by Shastriji Maharaj into the parshad order, as Shanti Bhagat, on 22 November 1939,[44] and into the swami order, as Narayanswarupdas Swami, on 10 January 1940.[44] Initially, he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures[44] and served as Shastriji Maharaj's personal secretary. In 1946, he was appointed administrative head (Kothari) of the Sarangpur mandir.[44]

In the early part of 1950, Shastriji Maharaj wrote several letters to 28-year-old Shastri Narayanswarupdas expressing a wish to appoint him as the administrative president of the organisation. Initially, Shastri Narayanswarupdas was reluctant to accept the position, citing his young age and lack of experience and suggesting that an elderly, experienced swami should take the responsibility.[45] However, Shastriji Maharaj insisted over several months, until, seeing the wish and insistence of his guru, Shastri Narayanswarupdas accepted the responsibility.[44] On 21 May 1950 at Ambli-Vali Pol in Amdavad, Shastriji Maharaj appointed Shastri Narayanswarupdas as the administrative president (Pramukh) of BAPS.[38]: 11  He instructed Shastri Narayanswarupdas, who now began to be referred to as Pramukh Swami, to ennoble Satsang under the guidance of Yogiji Maharaj.[46]

In the last few years of his life, Shastriji Maharaj took steps to preserve the growth and future of BAPS by registering BAPS as a charitable trust in 1947 under India's new legal code.[38]: 33 

Development and organisational formation (1950–1971)

After the death of Shastriji Maharaj on 10 May 1951,[47] Yogiji Maharaj became the spiritual leader, or guru, of the organisation while Pramukh Swami continued to oversee administrative matters as president of the organisation.[48] Yogiji Maharaj carried Shastriji Maharaj's mission of fostering the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana doctrine by building temples, touring villages, preaching overseas and initiating weekly local religious assemblies for children, youths and elders. In his 20 years as guru, from 1951 to 1971, he visited over 4,000 cities, towns and villages, consecrated over 60 mandirs and wrote over 5,45,000 letters to devotees.[38]: 9 

Youth movement

This period of BAPS history saw an important expansion in youth activities. Yogiji Maharaj believed that in a time of profound and rapid social ferment, there was an imminent need to save the young from 'degeneration of moral, cultural and religious values'.[49]: 219  To fill a void in spiritual activities for youths, Yogiji Maharaj started a regular Sunday gathering (Yuvak Mandal) of young men in Bombay[49]: 217  in 1952.[38]: 167  Brear notes, "His flair, dynamism and concern led within ten years to the establishment of many yuvak mandals of dedicated young men in Gujarat and East Africa".[49]: 217  In addition to providing religious and spiritual guidance, Yogiji Maharaj encouraged youths to work hard and excel in their studies. Towards realizing such ideals, he would often remind them to stay away from worldly temptations.[50] A number of youths decided to take monastic vows.[51] On 11 May 1961 during the Gadhada Kalash Mahotsav, he initiated 51 college-educated youths into the monastic order as swamis.[38]: 168  Mahant Swami Maharaj, initiated as Keshavjivandas Swami, was one of the initiates.

East Africa

Satsang in Africa had started during Shastriji Maharaj's lifetime, as many devotees had migrated to Africa for economic reasons. One of Shastriji Maharaj's senior swamis, Nirgundas Swami, engaged in lengthy correspondence with these devotees, answering their questions and inspiring them to start satsang assemblies in Africa. Eventually, in 1928, Harman Patel took the murtis of Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj to East Africa and started a small centre.[38]: 20  Soon, the East Africa Satsang Mandal was established under the leadership of Harman Patel and Magan Patel.[38]: 20 

In 1955, Yogiji Maharaj embarked on his first foreign tour to East Africa.[49]: 217 [52]: Chp 5 – Pg 2  The prime reason for the visit was to consecrate Africa's first Akshar-Purushottam temple in Mombasa. The temple was inaugurated on 25 April 1955.[38]: 168 [53] He also travelled to Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Tororo, Jinja, Kampala, Mwanza and Dar es salaam.[38]: 168  His travels inspired the local devotees to begin temple construction projects. Due to the visit, in a span of five years, the devotees in Uganda completed the construction of temples in Tororo, Jinja and Kampala and asked Yogiji Maharaj to revisit Uganda to install the murtis of Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. The rapid temple constructions in Africa were helped by the presence of early immigrants, mainly Leva Patels, who came to work as masons, and were particularly skilled in temple building.[54]

As a result, Yogiji Maharaj made a second visit to East Africa in 1960 and consecrated hari mandirs in Kampala, Jinja and Tororo in Uganda.[38]: 50  Despite his failing health, Yogiji Maharaj at the age of 78 undertook a third overseas tour of London and East Africa in 1970.[38]: 169  Prior to his visit, the devotees had purchased the premises of the Indian Christian Union at Ngara, Kenya in 1966 and remodeled it to resemble a three-spired temple.[55] Yogiji Maharaj inaugurated the temple in Ngara, a suburb of Nairobi in 1970.[53][55]

England

In 1950, disciples Mahendra Patel and Purushottam Patel held small personal services at their homes in England. Mahendra Patel, a barrister by vocation, writes, "I landed in London in 1950 for further studies. Purushottambhai Patel...was residing in the county of Kent. His address was given to me by Yogiji Maharaj".[56] Beginning 1953, D. D. Meghani held assemblies in his office that brought together several followers in an organized setting. In 1958, leading devotees including Navin Swaminarayan, Praful Patel and Chatranjan Patel from India and East Africa began arriving to the UK.[56] They started weekly assemblies at Seymour Place every Saturday evening at a devotee's house.[56] In 1959, a formal constitution was drafted and the group registered as the "Swaminarayan Hindu Mission, London Fellowship Centre".[56] D.D. Megani served as chairman, Mahendra Patel as vice-chairman and Praful Patel the secretary.[56] On Sunday, 14 June 1970, the first BAPS temple in England was opened at Islington by Yogiji Maharaj.[56] In this same year he established the Shree Swaminarayan Mission[57] as a formal organisation.[58]

United States

Yogiji Maharaj was unable to travel to the United States during his consecutive foreign tours. Nonetheless, he asked Dr. K.C. Patel to begin satsang assemblies in the United States.[59] He gave Patel the names of 28 satsangi students to help conduct Satsang assemblies.[59]

In 1970, Yogiji Maharaj accepted the request of these students and sent four swami to visit the U.S.[59][60] The tour motivated followers to start satsang sabhas in their own homes every Sunday around the country.[59] Soon, K.C. Patel established a non-profit organisation known as BSS under US law.[61] Thus, a fledgling satsang mandal formed in the United States before the death of Yogiji Maharaj in 1971.

Growth and further global expansion (1971–2016)

 
Pramukh Swami Maharaj

After Yogiji Maharaj's death, Pramukh Swami Maharaj became both the spiritual and administrative head of BAPS[62] in 1971.[63] He was the fifth spiritual guru of the BAPS organisation.[64] Under his leadership, BAPS has grown into a global Hindu organisation and has witnessed expansion in several areas. His work has been built on the foundations laid by his gurus – Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj.

Personal outreach (1971–1981)

Immediately upon taking helm, Pramukh Swami Maharaj ventured on a hectic spiritual tour in the first decade of his role as the new Spiritual Guru. Despite health conditions—cataract operation in 1980—he continued to make extensive tours to more than 4000 villages and towns, visiting over 67,000 homes and performing Murti Pratishtha (image installation) ceremonies in 77 temples in this first decade.[65] He also embarked on a series of overseas tours beginning in 1974 as the guru. Subsequent tours were made in 1977, 1979, and 1980.[66]

Overall, he embarked on a total of 28 international spiritual tours between 1974 and 2014.[59][67] His travels were motivated by his desire to reach out to devotees for their spiritual uplift and to spread the teachings of Swaminarayan.[68]

Festivals and organisation (1981–1992)

 
Swamis of BAPS with Pramukh Swami Maharaj in Sarangpur, Gujarat, India (2016)

The personal outreach (vicharan) of the earlier era (1971–1981) by Pramukh Swami Maharaj through traveling to villages and towns, writing letters to devotees, and giving discourses contributed to sustaining a global BAPS community.

The Gujarati migration patterns in the early 1970s, globalization factors and economic dynamics between India and the West saw the organisation transform into a transnational devotional movement.[69] organisational needs spanned from transmitting cultural identity through spiritual discourses to the newer much alienated generation in the new lands, temple upkeep and traveling to regional and local centres to disseminate spiritual knowledge. As a result, this era saw a significant rise in the number of swamis initiated to maintain the organisational needs of the community – both in India and abroad. Furthermore, having access to a greater volunteer force and community enabled the organisation to celebrate festivals on a massive scale which marked the arrival of a number of milestone anniversaries in the history of the organisation, including the bicentenary of Swaminarayan, bicentenary of Gunatitanand Swami, and the centenary of Yogiji Maharaj. Some effects of the celebration included a maturation of organisational capacity, increased commitment and skill of volunteers, and tangentially, an increased interest in the monastic path.

The Swaminarayan bicentenary celebration, a once in a life-time event for Swaminarayan followers, was held in Ahmedabad in April 1981.[70] On 7 March 1981, 207 youths were initiated into the monastic order.[70] In 1985 the bicentenary birth of Gunatitanand Swami was celebrated.[70] During this festival, 200 youths were initiated into the monastic order.[71]

The organisation held Cultural Festivals of India in London in 1985 and New Jersey in 1991.[71] The month-long Cultural Festival of India was held at Alexandra Palace in London in 1985.[71] The same festival was shipped to US as a month-long Cultural Festival of India at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey.[49]

Migrational patterns in the 70s led to a disproportionate number of Hindus in the diaspora.[69] Culturally, a need arose to celebrate special festivals (Cultural Festival of India) to reach out to youths in the diaspora to foster understanding and appreciation of their mother culture in a context accessible to them.[63][72] To engage the youths, festival grounds housed temporary exhibitions ranging from interactive media, dioramas, panoramic scenes and even 3D-exhibits.

By the end of the era, owing to the success of these festivals and the cultural impact it had on the youths, the organisation saw a need to create a permanent exhibition in the Swaminarayan Akshardham (Gandhinagar) temple in 1991.

In 1992, a month-long festival was held to both celebrate Yogiji Maharaj's centenary and to inaugurate a permanent exhibition and temple called Swaminarayan Akshardham (Gandhinagar). The festival also saw 125 youths initiated into the monastic order bringing the total number of swamis initiated to more than 700 in fulfillment to a prophecy made by Yogiji Maharaj.[73]

Mandirs and global growth (1992–2016)

In the third leg of the era, the organisation saw an unprecedented level of mandir construction activities taking place in order to accommodate the rapid rise of adherents across the global Indian diaspora. Initially, beginning with the inauguration of Swaminarayan Akshardham (Gandhinagar) in 1992. A number of shikharbaddha mandirs (large traditional stone mandirs) were inaugurated in major cities; London (1995), Nairobi (1999), New Delhi (2004), Swaminarayan Akshardham (New Delhi) (2005), Houston (2004), Chicago (2004), Toronto (2007), Atlanta (2007), Los Angeles (2012), and Robbinsville (2014).

Mahant Swami Maharaj as Guru (2016 – present)

 
Mahant Swami Maharaj

On 20 July 2012, in the presence of senior swamis in Ahmedabad, Pramukh Swami Maharaj revealed Keshavjivandas Swami (Mahant Swami) as his spiritual successor.[74]

Following the death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 13 August 2016, Mahant Swami Maharaj became the 6th guru and president of BAPS.[75] In 1961, he was ordained as a swami by Yogiji Maharaj and named Keshavjivandas Swami. Due to his appointment as the head (mahant) of the mandir in Mumbai, he became known as Mahant Swami.[76]

He continues the legacy of the Aksharbrahma Gurus by visiting BAPS mandirs worldwide, guiding spiritual aspirants, initiating devotees, ordaining swamis, creating and sustaining mandirs, and encouraging the development of scriptures.[7][77][78]

In his discourses, he mainly speaks on how one can attain God and peace through ridding one's ego (nirmani), seeing divinity in all (divyabhav), not seeing, talking, or adapting any negative nature or behavior of others (no abhav-avgun), and keeping unity (samp).[79]

In 2017, he performed the ground-breaking ceremony for shikharbaddha mandirs in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Sydney, Australia, and in April 2019, he performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a traditional stone temple in Abu Dhabi.[7]

In May 2021, six workers involved in the construction of the Akshardham temple filed suit against the temple administrators resulting in a government investigation of potential labor law violations.[80] Spokespersons for BAPS said that the claims were without merit.[81] In November 2021, the workers amended the suit to include BAPS temples across the United States and alleged that the temple authorities had misrepresented unskilled workers as specialists in stone carving and painting so that they qualified for R-1 visas. The lawsuit claims that the workers are recruited from Dalits and Adivasis, both marginalized communities in India.[82]

In July 2023, however, a dozen plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew their names from the lawsuit, citing that they were coerced and misled by an immigration advocate, Swati Sawant, into making false accusations against BAPS to stall the construction of the temple. The workers stated that Sawant lured them with a promise of citizenship in the US and gave false warnings of police action and imprisonment if they came forward and told the truth about the false allegations.[83]

Akshar-Purshottam Upasana

 
Swaminarayan Bhashyam
Main article: Akshar-Purushottam Upasana

Akshar

The philosophy of BAPS is centred on the doctrine of Akshar-Purushottam Upasana, in which followers worship Swaminarayan as God, or Purshottam, and his choicest devotee, Gunatitanand Swami, as Akshar.[84] The BAPS concurs that Akshar is the divine abode of Purushottam and "an eternally existing spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal."[84][85][86]: 158  Followers of BAPS identify various scriptures and documented statements of Swaminarayan as supporting this understanding of Akshar within the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana.[87]: 95–103  Through this lineage of the personal form of Akshar, Swaminarayan is forever present on the earth.[88] These gurus are essential in illuminating the path that needs to be taken by the jivas that earnestly desire to be liberated from the cycle of rebirth.[89][note 7]

According to BAPS, Swaminarayan refers to Akshar in the Vachanamrut, with numerous appellations such as Sant, Satpurush, Bhakta and Swami, as having an august status that makes it an entity worth worshipping alongside God.[92][note 8] In all BAPS mandirs the image of Akshar is placed in the central shrine and worshipped alongside the image of Purushottam.[95][96] Furthermore, BAPS believes that by understanding the greatness of God's choicest devotee, coupled with devotion and service to him and God, followers are able to grow spiritually.[note 9]

Moksha

According to BAPS doctrines, followers aim to attain a spiritual state similar to Brahman which is ultimate liberation.[98] To become an ideal Hindu, followers must identify with Brahman, separate from the material body, and offer devotion to god.[99][86]: 276  As per the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana, each jiva attains liberation and true realization through association with the manifest form of Akshar, in the form of the God-realized guru, who offer spsirtual guidance.[100][101] Jivas who perform devotion to this personal form of Brahman can, despite remaining ontologically different, attain a similar spiritual standing as Brahman and then go to Akshardham.[102][103] It is only through the performance of devotion to Brahman that Parabrahman can be both realized and attained.[104]

Ekantik dharma

Devotees aim to follow the spiritual guidance of the manifest form of Akshar embedding the principles of righteousness (dharma), knowledge (gnan), detachment from material pleasures (vairagya) and devotion unto God (bhakti) in to their lives.[105]

Followers receive gnan through regularly listening to spiritual discourses and reading scriptures in an effort to gain knowledge of God and one's true self.[106]

Dharma encompasses righteous conduct as prescribed by the scriptures.[106] The ideals of dharma range from practicing non-violence to avoiding meat, onions, garlic, and other items in their diet. Swaminarayan outlined the dharma of his devotees in the scripture the Shikshapatri.[107][52]: Ch 5 - Pg 2  He included practical aspects of living life such as not committing adultery and respecting elders, gurus, and those of authority.[108]

Devotees develop detachment (vairagya) in order to spiritually elevate their soul (jiva) to a Brahmic state. This entails practices such as biweekly fasting (on the eleventh day of each half of each lunar month) and avoiding worldly pleasures by strongly attaching themselves to God.[109]

The fourth pillar, devotion (bhakti) is at the heart of the faith community. Common practices of devotion include daily prayers, offering prepared dishes (thal) to the image of God, mental worship of God and his ideal devotee, and singing religious hymns.[106] Spiritual service, or seva, is a form of devotion where devotees serve selflessly "while keeping only the Lord in mind."[110]

Followers participate in various socio-spiritual activities with the objective to earn the grace of the guru and thus attain association with God through voluntary service.[87]: 97  These numerous activities stem directly from the ideals taught by Swaminarayan, to find spiritual devotion in the service of others.[111] By serving and volunteering in communities to please the guru, devotees are considered to be serving the guru.[112] This relationship is the driving force for the spiritual actions of devotees. The guru is Mahant Swami Maharaj, who is held to be the embodiment of selfless devotion. Under the guidance of Mahant Swami Maharaj, followers observe the tenets of Swaminarayan through the above-mentioned practices, striving to please the guru and become close to God.[74]

Mandirs

The mandir, known as a Hindu place of worship, serves as a hub for the spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian activities of BAPS. As of 2019, the organisation has 44 shikharbaddha mandirs and more than 1,200 other mandirs spanning five continents.[7] In the tradition of the Bhakti Movement, Swaminarayan and his spiritual successors began erecting mandirs to provide a means to uphold proper devotion to God on the path towards moksha, or ultimate liberation.[113]: 440  BAPS mandirs thus facilitate devotional commitment to the Akshar-Purushottam Darshan, in which followers strive to reach the spiritually perfect state of Aksharbrahman, or the ideal devotee, thereby gaining the ability to properly worship Purushottam, the Supreme Godhead.[114]

Mandir rituals

The offering of bhakti, or devotion to God, remains at the centre of mandir activities. In all BAPS Swaminarayan mandirs, murtis, or sacred images of Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, BAPS gurus and other deities, are enshrined in the inner sanctum. After completion of prana pratishta or life-force installation ceremonies, the deities are believed to reside in the murtis, and are thus subjects of direct worship through sacred daily rituals.[115] In many mandirs, murtis are adorned with clothes and ornaments and devotees come to perform darshan, the act of worshiping the deity by viewing the sacred image.[116][117] Aarti, which is a ritual of waving lit lamps in circular motions to illuminate the different parts of the murti while singing a song of praise, is performed five times daily in shikharbaddha mandirs and twice daily in smaller mandirs. Additionally, food is offered to the murtis amidst the singing of devotional songs three times a day as part of the ritual of thaal, and the sanctified food is then distributed to devotees.[118] Daily readings of and discourses on various Hindu scriptures also take place in the mandir.[119] Many mandirs are also home to BAPS swamis, or monks.[120] On weekends, assemblies are held in which swamis and devotees deliver discourses on a variety of spiritual topics. During these assemblies, bhakti is offered in the form of call-and-response hymns (kirtans) with traditional musical accompaniment. Religious assemblies also take place for children and teenagers of various age ranges.[121] Throughout the year, mandirs celebrate traditional Hindu festivals. Assemblies with special discourses, kirtans, and other performances are arranged to commemorate Rama Navami, Janmashtami, Diwali, and other major Hindu holidays.[122] Members of the sect are known as Satsangis. Male Satsangis are generally initiated by obtaining a kanthi at the hands of a swamis or senior male devotee while females receive the vartman from the senior women followers.[123]: 273–276 

Mandir activities

 
Mahant Swami Maharaj performing the arti

In addition to being focal points of religious activity, BAPS mandirs are also centres of culture.[124] Many forms of traditional Indian art have their roots in Hindu scriptures and have been preserved and flourished in the setting of mandirs.[125] Many BAPS mandirs outside of India hold Gujarati classes to facilitate scriptural study, instruction in traditional dance forms in preparation for performances in festival assemblies, and music classes where students are taught how to play traditional instruments such as tabla.[126][127] Devotees view the mandir as a place for transmission of knowledge of Hindu values and their incorporation into daily routines, family life, and careers.[8][web 1]

Apart from classes teaching about religion and culture, mandirs are also the site of activities focused on youth development. Many centres organize college preparatory classes, leadership training seminars and workplace skills development workshops.[128][129][130] Centres often host women's conferences aimed at empowering women.[131] They also host sports tournaments and initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles among children and youth.[132] Many centres also host parenting seminars, marriage counseling, and events for family bonding.[133][134]

BAPS mandirs and cultural centres serve as hubs of several humanitarian activities powered by local volunteers. Mandirs in the US and UK host an annual walkathon to raise funds for local charities such as hospitals or schools.[135][136][137] Centres also host annual health fairs where needy members of the community can undergo health screenings and consultations.[138] During weekend assemblies, physicians are periodically invited to speak on various aspects of preventative medicine and to raise awareness on common conditions.[139] In times of disaster, centres closest to the affected area become hubs for relief activity ranging from providing meals to reconstructing communities.[140][141]

Notable mandirs

Notable Mandirs
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London, United Kingdom
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto, Canada
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Los Angeles, United States
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston, United States
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta, United States
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago, United States
 
Swaminarayan Akshardham (New Delhi)
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Robbinsville, United States
 
Swaminarayan Akshardham (Gandhinagar)

The founder of BAPS, Shastriji Maharaj, built the first mandir in Bochasan, Gujarat, which led the organisation to be known as "Bochasanwasi" (of Bochasan).[142]

The organisation's second mandir was built in Sarangpur, which also hosts a seminary for BAPS swamis.[143]

The mandir in Gondal was constructed around the Akshar Deri, the cremation memorial of Gunatitanand Swami, who is revered as a manifestation of Aksharbrahman.[119]

Shastriji Maharaj constructed his last mandir on the banks of the River Ghela in Gadhada, where Swaminarayan resided for the majority of his adult life.[144][145]

Yogiji Maharaj constructed the mandir in the Shahibaug section of Ahmedabad, which remains the site of the international headquarters of the organisation.[146]

Under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, over 25 additional shikharbaddha mandirs have been built across Gujarat and other regions of India and abroad.

As a consequence of the Indian emigration patterns, mandirs have been constructed in Africa, Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.[147] The BAPS mandir in Neasden, London was the first traditional Hindu mandir built in Europe.[148] The organisation has six shikharbaddha mandir's in North America in the metro areas of Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, Los Angeles, and in the New Jersey suburb of Robbinsville Township, near Trenton, New Jersey.[149]

BAPS has constructed two large temple complexes dedicated to Swaminarayan called Swaminarayan Akshardham, in New Delhi and Gandhinagar, Gujarat, which in addition to a large stone-carved mandir has exhibitions that explain Hindu traditions and Swaminarayan history and values.[150]

BAPS is constructing a Hindu stone temple in the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of United Arab Emirates, on 55,000 square metres of land. Projected to be completed by 2021, and open to people of all religious backgrounds, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the foundation stone-laying ceremony in the UAE, which is home to over three million people of Indian origin.[151]

BAPS Charities

Main article: BAPS Charities

BAPS Charities is a global non-religious, charitable organisation that originated from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with a focus on serving society.[9] Their history of service activities can be traced back to Swaminarayan (1781-1830), who opened alms houses, built shelters, worked against addiction, and abolished the practice of sati and female infanticide with the goals of removing suffering and effecting positive social change.[152] This focus on service to society is stated in the organisation's vision, that "every individual deserves the right to a peaceful, dignified, and healthy way of life. And by improving the quality of life of the individual, we are bettering families, communities, our world, and our future."[9]

BAPS Charities aims to express a spirit of selfless service through Health Awareness, Educational Services, Humanitarian Relief, Environmental Protection & Preservation and Community Empowerment. From Walkathons or Sponsored Walks that raise funds for local communities to supporting humanitarian relief in times of urgent need or from community health fairs to sustaining hospitals and schools in developing countries, BAPS Charities provides an opportunity for individuals wishing to serve locally and globally.

Vegetarianism

BAPS advocates the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) and practices vegetarianism.[153][154] BAPS members are strict lacto-vegetarians that also do not consume onion and garlic as they are believed to have tamasic properties.[154][155] They only eat food cooked by their own members. To help with this BAPs have food courts serving vegetarian food at its mandirs.[154]

Notes

  1. ^ In many of his discourses in the Vachanamrut (Gadhada I-71,[14] Gadhada III-26[15] and Vadtal 5[16]) Swaminarayan explains that there forever exists a Gunatit Guru[12] (perfect devotee) through whom Swaminarayan manifests on earth[17] for the ultimate redemption of jivas.[18]
  2. ^ According to the BAPS, numerous historical accounts[20][21] and texts[22] written during Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami's time period identify Gunatitanand Swami as the embodiment of Akshar.
  3. ^ Bhagatji Maharaj over time came to believe that the doctrine of Akshar-Purushottam Upasana was the true doctrine propagated by Swaminarayan.[web 2] Bhagatji Maharaj was Shastriji Maharaj's guru, and over time, Shastriji Maharaj also became a strong proponent of the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana.[4] After Bhagatji Maharaj died on 7 November 1897,[24] Shastriji Maharaj became the primary proponent of the doctrine of Akshar-Purushottam Upasana.[4]
  4. ^ Ekantik: "complete", "absolute";[web 4] Satpurush: "good or wise man".[web 5]
  5. ^ a b From 1822 to 1828, Swaminarayan constructed a total of six shikharbaddha mandirs in Gujarat to propagate his teachings; in each he installed the murtis of a principal deity coupled with their ideal devotee in the central shrine: Nar-Narayan-Dev in Ahmedabad (1822) and Bhuj (1823), Lakshmi-Narayan-Dev in Vadtal (1824), Madan-Mohan-Dev in Dholera (1826), Radha-Raman-Dev in Junagadh (1828), and Gopi-Nathji in Gadhada (1828).[39]
  6. ^ According to the BAPS, the fundamental beliefs of the BAPS date back to the time of Swaminarayan.[32] One revelation of Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar occurred in 1810 at the grand yagna of Dabhan, during which Swaminarayan initiated Gunatitanand Swami as a swami. On this occasion, Swaminarayan publicly confirmed that Gunatitanand Swami was the incarnation of Akshar, declaring, "Today, I am extremely happy to initiate Mulji Sharma. He is my divine abode – Akshardham, which is infinite and endless." The first Acharya of the Vadtal diocese, Raghuvirji Maharaj, recorded this declaration in his composition, the Harililakalpataru (7.17.49–50).[33] The Swaminarayan-Bhashyam is a published commentary written by Bhadreshdas Swami in 2007 that explicates the roots of Akshar-Purushottam Upasana in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras.[34][35] This is further corroborated in a classical Sanskrit treatise, also authored by Bhadreshdas Swami, called Swaminarayan-Siddhanta-Sudha.
  7. ^ Members of BAPS point to numerous historical anecdotes and scriptural references, particularly from the central Swaminarayan text known as the Vachanamrut, as veritable evidence that Gunatitanand Swami was the manifest form of Akshar.[90] Swaminarayan refers to this concept specifically in Vachnamrut Gadhada I-21, Gadhada I-71, Gadhada III-26, Vadtal 5.[91] Following Gunatitanand Swami, the lineage continued on through Bhagatji Maharaj (1829–1897), Shastriji Maharaj (1865–1951), Yogiji Maharaj (1892–1971), and Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921–2016). Today Mahant Swami Maharaj is said to be the manifest form of Akshar.[74]
  8. ^ For example, in Vachanamrut Gadhada I-37, Swaminarayan states: "In fact, the darshan of such a true Bhakta of God is equivalent to the darshan of God Himself"[93] Moreover, in Vachanamrut Vadtal 5, Swaminarayan states: "Just as one performs the mãnsi puja of God, if one also performs the mãnsi puja of the ideal Bhakta along with God, by offering him the prasãd of God; and just as one prepares a thãl for God, similarly, if one also prepares a thãl for God's ideal Bhakta and serves it to him; and just as one donates five rupees to God, similarly, if one also donates money to the great Sant – then by performing with extreme affection such similar service of God and the Sant who possesses the highest qualities...he will become a devotee of the highest calibre in this very life."[94]
  9. ^ This practice is mentioned by Swaminarayan in Vachanamrut Vadtal 5: "by performing with extreme affection such similar service of God and the Sant who possesses the highest qualities, even if he is a devotee of the lowest type and was destined to become a devotee of the highest type after two lives, or after four lives, or after ten lives, or after 100 lives, he will become a devotee of the highest caliber in this very life. Such are the fruits of the similar service of God and God's Bhakta."[97]

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  4. ^ Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit, ekantik
  5. ^ Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit, satpurush

External links

  • BAPS Website

November 23, 2023
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BAPS redirects here For other uses see BAPS disambiguation Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha BAPS IAST Bocasaṇvasi Akṣara Puruṣottama Svaminarayaṇa Saṇstha is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya 1 2 3 It was formed in 1905 by Yagnapurushdas Shastriji Maharaj following his conviction that Swaminarayan remained present on earth through a lineage of gurus starting with Gunatitanand Swami 4 5 6 Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan SansthaBAPS Akshar Deri LogoAkshardham New Jersey U S in Robbinsville near New York City the world s largest BAPS temple and the largest Hindu temple outside AsiaAbbreviationBAPSFormation5 June 1907 116 years ago 1907 06 05 FounderShastriji MaharajTypeReligious organisationHeadquartersAhmedabad Gujarat IndiaLocation3 850 CentersArea servedWorldwideLeaderMahant Swami MaharajWebsitewww wbr baps wbr org www wbr pramukhswami wbr orgSince 1971 under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj the BAPS has grown strongly As of 2019 BAPS has 44 shikharbaddha mandirs and more than 1 200 mandirs worldwide that facilitate practice of this doctrine by allowing followers to offer devotion to the murtis of Swaminarayan Gunatitanand Swami and their successors 7 BAPS mandirs also feature activities to foster culture and youth development Many devotees view the mandir as a place for transmission of Hindu values and their incorporation into daily routines family life and careers 8 web 1 BAPS also engages in a host of humanitarian and charitable endeavors through BAPS Charities a separate non profit aid organisation which has spearheaded a number of projects around the world addressing healthcare education environmental causes and community building campaigns 9 Contents 1 History 1 1 Formation and early years 1900 1950 1 1 1 The Gunatit Guru 1 1 2 Mandirs to facilitate doctrinal practice 1 1 3 Successors 1 2 Development and organisational formation 1950 1971 1 2 1 Youth movement 1 2 2 East Africa 1 2 3 England 1 2 4 United States 1 3 Growth and further global expansion 1971 2016 1 3 1 Personal outreach 1971 1981 1 3 2 Festivals and organisation 1981 1992 1 3 3 Mandirs and global growth 1992 2016 1 4 Mahant Swami Maharaj as Guru 2016 present 2 Akshar Purshottam Upasana 2 1 Akshar 2 2 Moksha 2 3 Ekantik dharma 3 Mandirs 3 1 Mandir rituals 3 2 Mandir activities 3 3 Notable mandirs 4 BAPS Charities 5 Vegetarianism 6 Notes 7 References 8 Sources 9 External linksHistoryFormation and early years 1900 1950 nbsp Murtis of Akshar Purushottam BochasanThe Gunatit Guru The basis for the formation of BAPS was Shastriji Maharaj s conviction that Swaminarayan remained present on earth through a lineage of Gunatit Gurus perfect devotee starting with Gunatitanand Swami one of Swaminarayan s most prominent disciples 4 10 11 12 5 13 note 1 and that Swaminarayan and his choicest devotee Gunatitanand Swami were ontologically Purushottam and Akshar respectively 19 note 2 According to the BAPS tradition Shastriji Maharaj had understood this from his guru Bhagatji Maharaj who had Gunatitanand Swami as his guru 23 note 3 Followers of BAPS believe that the Ekantik dharma that Swaminarayan desired to establish is embodied and propagated by the Ekantik Satpurush lit a most sublime saint web 3 note 4 the Gunatit Guru 25 According to Shastriji Maharaj Swaminarayan had expressly designated the Gunatit Guru to spiritually guide the satsang spiritual fellowship while instructing his nephews to help manage the administration of the fellowship within their respective dioceses 10 26 610 As Kim notes For BAPS devotees the dual murtis in the original Swaminarayan temples note 5 imply that Swaminarayan did install a murti of himself alongside the murti of his ideal bhakta or Guru 27 Shastriji Maharaj sought to publicly reveal his ideas 19 and to worship Gunatitanand as the abode of Purushottam c q Swamiarayan 6 However his views were rejected by the sadhus of the Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses 28 4 29 30 For the sadhus of the Vadtal diocese the idea that Swaminarayan had appointed Gunatitanand as his spiritual successor instead of the two acharyas was a heretical teaching and they refused to worship what they considered to be a human being 31 note 6 Shastriji Maharaj left Vadtal with five swamis and the support of about 150 devotees 36 37 38 13 Mandirs to facilitate doctrinal practice nbsp Shastriji MaharajParalleling Sahajand Swami s building of temples to propagate his teachings 27 note 5 Shastriji Maharaj then set out to build his own mandir to house the devotional representations of Bhagwan and Guru and propagate his understanding of Swaminarayan s teachings 12 On 5 June 1907 Shastriji Maharaj consecrated the murtis of Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami in the central shrine of the shikharbaddha mandir he was constructing in the village of Bochasan in the Kheda District of Gujarat 40 This event was later seen to mark the formal establishment of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha 27 which was later abbreviated as BAPS The Gujarati word Bochasanwasi implies hailing from Bochasan since the organisation s first mandir was built in this village Shastriji Maharaj spent the majority of 1908 15 discoursing throughout Gujarat while continuing construction work of mandirs in Bochasan and Sarangpur gaining a group of devotees admirers and supporters 41 Over the next four decades Shastriji Maharaj completed four more shikharbaddha mandirs in Gujarat Sarangpur 1916 Gondal 1934 Atladra 1945 and Gadhada 1951 41 Successors On 12 August 1910 Shastriji Maharaj met his eventual successor Yogiji Maharaj at the house of Jadavji in Bochasan 38 16 Yogiji Maharaj was a resident swami at Junagadh Mandir Saurashtra 42 where Gunatitanand Swami had served as mahant 38 17 Yogiji Maharaj regarded Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar and also served the murti of Harikrishna Maharaj which had previously been worshiped by Gunatitanand Swami 38 17 As he already believed in the doctrine being preached by Shastriji Maharaj Yogiji Maharaj left Junagadh on 9 July 1911 with six swamis to join Shastriji Maharaj s mission 19 On 7 November 1939 17 year old Shantilal Patel who would become Pramukh Swami Maharaj left his home 43 and was initiated by Shastriji Maharaj into the parshad order as Shanti Bhagat on 22 November 1939 44 and into the swami order as Narayanswarupdas Swami on 10 January 1940 44 Initially he studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures 44 and served as Shastriji Maharaj s personal secretary In 1946 he was appointed administrative head Kothari of the Sarangpur mandir 44 In the early part of 1950 Shastriji Maharaj wrote several letters to 28 year old Shastri Narayanswarupdas expressing a wish to appoint him as the administrative president of the organisation Initially Shastri Narayanswarupdas was reluctant to accept the position citing his young age and lack of experience and suggesting that an elderly experienced swami should take the responsibility 45 However Shastriji Maharaj insisted over several months until seeing the wish and insistence of his guru Shastri Narayanswarupdas accepted the responsibility 44 On 21 May 1950 at Ambli Vali Pol in Amdavad Shastriji Maharaj appointed Shastri Narayanswarupdas as the administrative president Pramukh of BAPS 38 11 He instructed Shastri Narayanswarupdas who now began to be referred to as Pramukh Swami to ennoble Satsang under the guidance of Yogiji Maharaj 46 In the last few years of his life Shastriji Maharaj took steps to preserve the growth and future of BAPS by registering BAPS as a charitable trust in 1947 under India s new legal code 38 33 Development and organisational formation 1950 1971 After the death of Shastriji Maharaj on 10 May 1951 47 Yogiji Maharaj became the spiritual leader or guru of the organisation while Pramukh Swami continued to oversee administrative matters as president of the organisation 48 Yogiji Maharaj carried Shastriji Maharaj s mission of fostering the Akshar Purushottam Upasana doctrine by building temples touring villages preaching overseas and initiating weekly local religious assemblies for children youths and elders In his 20 years as guru from 1951 to 1971 he visited over 4 000 cities towns and villages consecrated over 60 mandirs and wrote over 5 45 000 letters to devotees 38 9 Youth movement This period of BAPS history saw an important expansion in youth activities Yogiji Maharaj believed that in a time of profound and rapid social ferment there was an imminent need to save the young from degeneration of moral cultural and religious values 49 219 To fill a void in spiritual activities for youths Yogiji Maharaj started a regular Sunday gathering Yuvak Mandal of young men in Bombay 49 217 in 1952 38 167 Brear notes His flair dynamism and concern led within ten years to the establishment of many yuvak mandals of dedicated young men in Gujarat and East Africa 49 217 In addition to providing religious and spiritual guidance Yogiji Maharaj encouraged youths to work hard and excel in their studies Towards realizing such ideals he would often remind them to stay away from worldly temptations 50 A number of youths decided to take monastic vows 51 On 11 May 1961 during the Gadhada Kalash Mahotsav he initiated 51 college educated youths into the monastic order as swamis 38 168 Mahant Swami Maharaj initiated as Keshavjivandas Swami was one of the initiates East Africa Satsang in Africa had started during Shastriji Maharaj s lifetime as many devotees had migrated to Africa for economic reasons One of Shastriji Maharaj s senior swamis Nirgundas Swami engaged in lengthy correspondence with these devotees answering their questions and inspiring them to start satsang assemblies in Africa Eventually in 1928 Harman Patel took the murtis of Akshar Purushottam Maharaj to East Africa and started a small centre 38 20 Soon the East Africa Satsang Mandal was established under the leadership of Harman Patel and Magan Patel 38 20 In 1955 Yogiji Maharaj embarked on his first foreign tour to East Africa 49 217 52 Chp 5 Pg 2 The prime reason for the visit was to consecrate Africa s first Akshar Purushottam temple in Mombasa The temple was inaugurated on 25 April 1955 38 168 53 He also travelled to Nairobi Nakuru Kisumu Tororo Jinja Kampala Mwanza and Dar es salaam 38 168 His travels inspired the local devotees to begin temple construction projects Due to the visit in a span of five years the devotees in Uganda completed the construction of temples in Tororo Jinja and Kampala and asked Yogiji Maharaj to revisit Uganda to install the murtis of Akshar Purushottam Maharaj The rapid temple constructions in Africa were helped by the presence of early immigrants mainly Leva Patels who came to work as masons and were particularly skilled in temple building 54 As a result Yogiji Maharaj made a second visit to East Africa in 1960 and consecrated hari mandirs in Kampala Jinja and Tororo in Uganda 38 50 Despite his failing health Yogiji Maharaj at the age of 78 undertook a third overseas tour of London and East Africa in 1970 38 169 Prior to his visit the devotees had purchased the premises of the Indian Christian Union at Ngara Kenya in 1966 and remodeled it to resemble a three spired temple 55 Yogiji Maharaj inaugurated the temple in Ngara a suburb of Nairobi in 1970 53 55 England In 1950 disciples Mahendra Patel and Purushottam Patel held small personal services at their homes in England Mahendra Patel a barrister by vocation writes I landed in London in 1950 for further studies Purushottambhai Patel was residing in the county of Kent His address was given to me by Yogiji Maharaj 56 Beginning 1953 D D Meghani held assemblies in his office that brought together several followers in an organized setting In 1958 leading devotees including Navin Swaminarayan Praful Patel and Chatranjan Patel from India and East Africa began arriving to the UK 56 They started weekly assemblies at Seymour Place every Saturday evening at a devotee s house 56 In 1959 a formal constitution was drafted and the group registered as the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission London Fellowship Centre 56 D D Megani served as chairman Mahendra Patel as vice chairman and Praful Patel the secretary 56 On Sunday 14 June 1970 the first BAPS temple in England was opened at Islington by Yogiji Maharaj 56 In this same year he established the Shree Swaminarayan Mission 57 as a formal organisation 58 United States Yogiji Maharaj was unable to travel to the United States during his consecutive foreign tours Nonetheless he asked Dr K C Patel to begin satsang assemblies in the United States 59 He gave Patel the names of 28 satsangi students to help conduct Satsang assemblies 59 In 1970 Yogiji Maharaj accepted the request of these students and sent four swami to visit the U S 59 60 The tour motivated followers to start satsang sabhas in their own homes every Sunday around the country 59 Soon K C Patel established a non profit organisation known as BSS under US law 61 Thus a fledgling satsang mandal formed in the United States before the death of Yogiji Maharaj in 1971 Growth and further global expansion 1971 2016 nbsp Pramukh Swami MaharajAfter Yogiji Maharaj s death Pramukh Swami Maharaj became both the spiritual and administrative head of BAPS 62 in 1971 63 He was the fifth spiritual guru of the BAPS organisation 64 Under his leadership BAPS has grown into a global Hindu organisation and has witnessed expansion in several areas His work has been built on the foundations laid by his gurus Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj Personal outreach 1971 1981 Immediately upon taking helm Pramukh Swami Maharaj ventured on a hectic spiritual tour in the first decade of his role as the new Spiritual Guru Despite health conditions cataract operation in 1980 he continued to make extensive tours to more than 4000 villages and towns visiting over 67 000 homes and performing Murti Pratishtha image installation ceremonies in 77 temples in this first decade 65 He also embarked on a series of overseas tours beginning in 1974 as the guru Subsequent tours were made in 1977 1979 and 1980 66 Overall he embarked on a total of 28 international spiritual tours between 1974 and 2014 59 67 His travels were motivated by his desire to reach out to devotees for their spiritual uplift and to spread the teachings of Swaminarayan 68 Festivals and organisation 1981 1992 nbsp Swamis of BAPS with Pramukh Swami Maharaj in Sarangpur Gujarat India 2016 The personal outreach vicharan of the earlier era 1971 1981 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj through traveling to villages and towns writing letters to devotees and giving discourses contributed to sustaining a global BAPS community The Gujarati migration patterns in the early 1970s globalization factors and economic dynamics between India and the West saw the organisation transform into a transnational devotional movement 69 organisational needs spanned from transmitting cultural identity through spiritual discourses to the newer much alienated generation in the new lands temple upkeep and traveling to regional and local centres to disseminate spiritual knowledge As a result this era saw a significant rise in the number of swamis initiated to maintain the organisational needs of the community both in India and abroad Furthermore having access to a greater volunteer force and community enabled the organisation to celebrate festivals on a massive scale which marked the arrival of a number of milestone anniversaries in the history of the organisation including the bicentenary of Swaminarayan bicentenary of Gunatitanand Swami and the centenary of Yogiji Maharaj Some effects of the celebration included a maturation of organisational capacity increased commitment and skill of volunteers and tangentially an increased interest in the monastic path The Swaminarayan bicentenary celebration a once in a life time event for Swaminarayan followers was held in Ahmedabad in April 1981 70 On 7 March 1981 207 youths were initiated into the monastic order 70 In 1985 the bicentenary birth of Gunatitanand Swami was celebrated 70 During this festival 200 youths were initiated into the monastic order 71 The organisation held Cultural Festivals of India in London in 1985 and New Jersey in 1991 71 The month long Cultural Festival of India was held at Alexandra Palace in London in 1985 71 The same festival was shipped to US as a month long Cultural Festival of India at Middlesex County College in Edison New Jersey 49 Migrational patterns in the 70s led to a disproportionate number of Hindus in the diaspora 69 Culturally a need arose to celebrate special festivals Cultural Festival of India to reach out to youths in the diaspora to foster understanding and appreciation of their mother culture in a context accessible to them 63 72 To engage the youths festival grounds housed temporary exhibitions ranging from interactive media dioramas panoramic scenes and even 3D exhibits By the end of the era owing to the success of these festivals and the cultural impact it had on the youths the organisation saw a need to create a permanent exhibition in the Swaminarayan Akshardham Gandhinagar temple in 1991 In 1992 a month long festival was held to both celebrate Yogiji Maharaj s centenary and to inaugurate a permanent exhibition and temple called Swaminarayan Akshardham Gandhinagar The festival also saw 125 youths initiated into the monastic order bringing the total number of swamis initiated to more than 700 in fulfillment to a prophecy made by Yogiji Maharaj 73 Mandirs and global growth 1992 2016 In the third leg of the era the organisation saw an unprecedented level of mandir construction activities taking place in order to accommodate the rapid rise of adherents across the global Indian diaspora Initially beginning with the inauguration of Swaminarayan Akshardham Gandhinagar in 1992 A number of shikharbaddha mandirs large traditional stone mandirs were inaugurated in major cities London 1995 Nairobi 1999 New Delhi 2004 Swaminarayan Akshardham New Delhi 2005 Houston 2004 Chicago 2004 Toronto 2007 Atlanta 2007 Los Angeles 2012 and Robbinsville 2014 Mahant Swami Maharaj as Guru 2016 present nbsp Mahant Swami MaharajOn 20 July 2012 in the presence of senior swamis in Ahmedabad Pramukh Swami Maharaj revealed Keshavjivandas Swami Mahant Swami as his spiritual successor 74 Following the death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj on 13 August 2016 Mahant Swami Maharaj became the 6th guru and president of BAPS 75 In 1961 he was ordained as a swami by Yogiji Maharaj and named Keshavjivandas Swami Due to his appointment as the head mahant of the mandir in Mumbai he became known as Mahant Swami 76 He continues the legacy of the Aksharbrahma Gurus by visiting BAPS mandirs worldwide guiding spiritual aspirants initiating devotees ordaining swamis creating and sustaining mandirs and encouraging the development of scriptures 7 77 78 In his discourses he mainly speaks on how one can attain God and peace through ridding one s ego nirmani seeing divinity in all divyabhav not seeing talking or adapting any negative nature or behavior of others no abhav avgun and keeping unity samp 79 In 2017 he performed the ground breaking ceremony for shikharbaddha mandirs in Johannesburg South Africa and Sydney Australia and in April 2019 he performed the ground breaking ceremony for a traditional stone temple in Abu Dhabi 7 In May 2021 six workers involved in the construction of the Akshardham temple filed suit against the temple administrators resulting in a government investigation of potential labor law violations 80 Spokespersons for BAPS said that the claims were without merit 81 In November 2021 the workers amended the suit to include BAPS temples across the United States and alleged that the temple authorities had misrepresented unskilled workers as specialists in stone carving and painting so that they qualified for R 1 visas The lawsuit claims that the workers are recruited from Dalits and Adivasis both marginalized communities in India 82 In July 2023 however a dozen plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew their names from the lawsuit citing that they were coerced and misled by an immigration advocate Swati Sawant into making false accusations against BAPS to stall the construction of the temple The workers stated that Sawant lured them with a promise of citizenship in the US and gave false warnings of police action and imprisonment if they came forward and told the truth about the false allegations 83 Akshar Purshottam Upasana nbsp Swaminarayan BhashyamMain article Akshar Purushottam Upasana Akshar The philosophy of BAPS is centred on the doctrine of Akshar Purushottam Upasana in which followers worship Swaminarayan as God or Purshottam and his choicest devotee Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar 84 The BAPS concurs that Akshar is the divine abode of Purushottam and an eternally existing spiritual reality having two forms the impersonal and the personal 84 85 86 158 Followers of BAPS identify various scriptures and documented statements of Swaminarayan as supporting this understanding of Akshar within the Akshar Purushottam Upasana 87 95 103 Through this lineage of the personal form of Akshar Swaminarayan is forever present on the earth 88 These gurus are essential in illuminating the path that needs to be taken by the jivas that earnestly desire to be liberated from the cycle of rebirth 89 note 7 According to BAPS Swaminarayan refers to Akshar in the Vachanamrut with numerous appellations such as Sant Satpurush Bhakta and Swami as having an august status that makes it an entity worth worshipping alongside God 92 note 8 In all BAPS mandirs the image of Akshar is placed in the central shrine and worshipped alongside the image of Purushottam 95 96 Furthermore BAPS believes that by understanding the greatness of God s choicest devotee coupled with devotion and service to him and God followers are able to grow spiritually note 9 Moksha According to BAPS doctrines followers aim to attain a spiritual state similar to Brahman which is ultimate liberation 98 To become an ideal Hindu followers must identify with Brahman separate from the material body and offer devotion to god 99 86 276 As per the Akshar Purushottam Upasana each jiva attains liberation and true realization through association with the manifest form of Akshar in the form of the God realized guru who offer spsirtual guidance 100 101 Jivas who perform devotion to this personal form of Brahman can despite remaining ontologically different attain a similar spiritual standing as Brahman and then go to Akshardham 102 103 It is only through the performance of devotion to Brahman that Parabrahman can be both realized and attained 104 Ekantik dharma Devotees aim to follow the spiritual guidance of the manifest form of Akshar embedding the principles of righteousness dharma knowledge gnan detachment from material pleasures vairagya and devotion unto God bhakti in to their lives 105 Followers receive gnan through regularly listening to spiritual discourses and reading scriptures in an effort to gain knowledge of God and one s true self 106 Dharma encompasses righteous conduct as prescribed by the scriptures 106 The ideals of dharma range from practicing non violence to avoiding meat onions garlic and other items in their diet Swaminarayan outlined the dharma of his devotees in the scripture the Shikshapatri 107 52 Ch 5 Pg 2 He included practical aspects of living life such as not committing adultery and respecting elders gurus and those of authority 108 Devotees develop detachment vairagya in order to spiritually elevate their soul jiva to a Brahmic state This entails practices such as biweekly fasting on the eleventh day of each half of each lunar month and avoiding worldly pleasures by strongly attaching themselves to God 109 The fourth pillar devotion bhakti is at the heart of the faith community Common practices of devotion include daily prayers offering prepared dishes thal to the image of God mental worship of God and his ideal devotee and singing religious hymns 106 Spiritual service or seva is a form of devotion where devotees serve selflessly while keeping only the Lord in mind 110 Followers participate in various socio spiritual activities with the objective to earn the grace of the guru and thus attain association with God through voluntary service 87 97 These numerous activities stem directly from the ideals taught by Swaminarayan to find spiritual devotion in the service of others 111 By serving and volunteering in communities to please the guru devotees are considered to be serving the guru 112 This relationship is the driving force for the spiritual actions of devotees The guru is Mahant Swami Maharaj who is held to be the embodiment of selfless devotion Under the guidance of Mahant Swami Maharaj followers observe the tenets of Swaminarayan through the above mentioned practices striving to please the guru and become close to God 74 MandirsThe mandir known as a Hindu place of worship serves as a hub for the spiritual cultural and humanitarian activities of BAPS As of 2019 the organisation has 44 shikharbaddha mandirs and more than 1 200 other mandirs spanning five continents 7 In the tradition of the Bhakti Movement Swaminarayan and his spiritual successors began erecting mandirs to provide a means to uphold proper devotion to God on the path towards moksha or ultimate liberation 113 440 BAPS mandirs thus facilitate devotional commitment to the Akshar Purushottam Darshan in which followers strive to reach the spiritually perfect state of Aksharbrahman or the ideal devotee thereby gaining the ability to properly worship Purushottam the Supreme Godhead 114 Mandir rituals The offering of bhakti or devotion to God remains at the centre of mandir activities In all BAPS Swaminarayan mandirs murtis or sacred images of Swaminarayan Gunatitanand Swami BAPS gurus and other deities are enshrined in the inner sanctum After completion of prana pratishta or life force installation ceremonies the deities are believed to reside in the murtis and are thus subjects of direct worship through sacred daily rituals 115 In many mandirs murtis are adorned with clothes and ornaments and devotees come to perform darshan the act of worshiping the deity by viewing the sacred image 116 117 Aarti which is a ritual of waving lit lamps in circular motions to illuminate the different parts of the murti while singing a song of praise is performed five times daily in shikharbaddha mandirs and twice daily in smaller mandirs Additionally food is offered to the murtis amidst the singing of devotional songs three times a day as part of the ritual of thaal and the sanctified food is then distributed to devotees 118 Daily readings of and discourses on various Hindu scriptures also take place in the mandir 119 Many mandirs are also home to BAPS swamis or monks 120 On weekends assemblies are held in which swamis and devotees deliver discourses on a variety of spiritual topics During these assemblies bhakti is offered in the form of call and response hymns kirtans with traditional musical accompaniment Religious assemblies also take place for children and teenagers of various age ranges 121 Throughout the year mandirs celebrate traditional Hindu festivals Assemblies with special discourses kirtans and other performances are arranged to commemorate Rama Navami Janmashtami Diwali and other major Hindu holidays 122 Members of the sect are known as Satsangis Male Satsangis are generally initiated by obtaining a kanthi at the hands of a swamis or senior male devotee while females receive the vartman from the senior women followers 123 273 276 Mandir activities nbsp Mahant Swami Maharaj performing the artiIn addition to being focal points of religious activity BAPS mandirs are also centres of culture 124 Many forms of traditional Indian art have their roots in Hindu scriptures and have been preserved and flourished in the setting of mandirs 125 Many BAPS mandirs outside of India hold Gujarati classes to facilitate scriptural study instruction in traditional dance forms in preparation for performances in festival assemblies and music classes where students are taught how to play traditional instruments such as tabla 126 127 Devotees view the mandir as a place for transmission of knowledge of Hindu values and their incorporation into daily routines family life and careers 8 web 1 Apart from classes teaching about religion and culture mandirs are also the site of activities focused on youth development Many centres organize college preparatory classes leadership training seminars and workplace skills development workshops 128 129 130 Centres often host women s conferences aimed at empowering women 131 They also host sports tournaments and initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles among children and youth 132 Many centres also host parenting seminars marriage counseling and events for family bonding 133 134 BAPS mandirs and cultural centres serve as hubs of several humanitarian activities powered by local volunteers Mandirs in the US and UK host an annual walkathon to raise funds for local charities such as hospitals or schools 135 136 137 Centres also host annual health fairs where needy members of the community can undergo health screenings and consultations 138 During weekend assemblies physicians are periodically invited to speak on various aspects of preventative medicine and to raise awareness on common conditions 139 In times of disaster centres closest to the affected area become hubs for relief activity ranging from providing meals to reconstructing communities 140 141 Notable mandirs Notable Mandirs nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London United Kingdom nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto Canada nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Los Angeles United States nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston United States nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta United States nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago United States nbsp Swaminarayan Akshardham New Delhi nbsp BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Robbinsville United States nbsp Swaminarayan Akshardham Gandhinagar The founder of BAPS Shastriji Maharaj built the first mandir in Bochasan Gujarat which led the organisation to be known as Bochasanwasi of Bochasan 142 The organisation s second mandir was built in Sarangpur which also hosts a seminary for BAPS swamis 143 The mandir in Gondal was constructed around the Akshar Deri the cremation memorial of Gunatitanand Swami who is revered as a manifestation of Aksharbrahman 119 Shastriji Maharaj constructed his last mandir on the banks of the River Ghela in Gadhada where Swaminarayan resided for the majority of his adult life 144 145 Yogiji Maharaj constructed the mandir in the Shahibaug section of Ahmedabad which remains the site of the international headquarters of the organisation 146 Under the leadership of Pramukh Swami Maharaj over 25 additional shikharbaddha mandirs have been built across Gujarat and other regions of India and abroad As a consequence of the Indian emigration patterns mandirs have been constructed in Africa Europe North America and the Asia Pacific region 147 The BAPS mandir in Neasden London was the first traditional Hindu mandir built in Europe 148 The organisation has six shikharbaddha mandir s in North America in the metro areas of Houston Chicago Atlanta Toronto Los Angeles and in the New Jersey suburb of Robbinsville Township near Trenton New Jersey 149 BAPS has constructed two large temple complexes dedicated to Swaminarayan called Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi and Gandhinagar Gujarat which in addition to a large stone carved mandir has exhibitions that explain Hindu traditions and Swaminarayan history and values 150 BAPS is constructing a Hindu stone temple in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi the capital city of United Arab Emirates on 55 000 square metres of land Projected to be completed by 2021 and open to people of all religious backgrounds the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony in the UAE which is home to over three million people of Indian origin 151 BAPS CharitiesMain article BAPS CharitiesBAPS Charities is a global non religious charitable organisation that originated from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha BAPS with a focus on serving society 9 Their history of service activities can be traced back to Swaminarayan 1781 1830 who opened alms houses built shelters worked against addiction and abolished the practice of sati and female infanticide with the goals of removing suffering and effecting positive social change 152 This focus on service to society is stated in the organisation s vision that every individual deserves the right to a peaceful dignified and healthy way of life And by improving the quality of life of the individual we are bettering families communities our world and our future 9 BAPS Charities aims to express a spirit of selfless service through Health Awareness Educational Services Humanitarian Relief Environmental Protection amp Preservation and Community Empowerment From Walkathons or Sponsored Walks that raise funds for local communities to supporting humanitarian relief in times of urgent need or from community health fairs to sustaining hospitals and schools in developing countries BAPS Charities provides an opportunity for individuals wishing to serve locally and globally VegetarianismBAPS advocates the principle of ahimsa non violence and practices vegetarianism 153 154 BAPS members are strict lacto vegetarians that also do not consume onion and garlic as they are believed to have tamasic properties 154 155 They only eat food cooked by their own members To help with this BAPs have food courts serving vegetarian food at its mandirs 154 Notes In many of his discourses in the Vachanamrut Gadhada I 71 14 Gadhada III 26 15 and Vadtal 5 16 Swaminarayan explains that there forever exists a Gunatit Guru 12 perfect devotee through whom Swaminarayan manifests on earth 17 for the ultimate redemption of jivas 18 According to the BAPS numerous historical accounts 20 21 and texts 22 written during Swaminarayan and Gunatitanand Swami s time period identify Gunatitanand Swami as the embodiment of Akshar Bhagatji Maharaj over time came to believe that the doctrine of Akshar Purushottam Upasana was the true doctrine propagated by Swaminarayan web 2 Bhagatji Maharaj was Shastriji Maharaj s guru and over time Shastriji Maharaj also became a strong proponent of the Akshar Purushottam Upasana 4 After Bhagatji Maharaj died on 7 November 1897 24 Shastriji Maharaj became the primary proponent of the doctrine of Akshar Purushottam Upasana 4 Ekantik complete absolute web 4 Satpurush good or wise man web 5 a b From 1822 to 1828 Swaminarayan constructed a total of six shikharbaddha mandirs in Gujarat to propagate his teachings in each he installed the murtis of a principal deity coupled with their ideal devotee in the central shrine Nar Narayan Dev in Ahmedabad 1822 and Bhuj 1823 Lakshmi Narayan Dev in Vadtal 1824 Madan Mohan Dev in Dholera 1826 Radha Raman Dev in Junagadh 1828 and Gopi Nathji in Gadhada 1828 39 According to the BAPS the fundamental beliefs of the BAPS date back to the time of Swaminarayan 32 One revelation of Gunatitanand Swami as Akshar occurred in 1810 at the grand yagna of Dabhan during which Swaminarayan initiated Gunatitanand Swami as a swami On this occasion Swaminarayan publicly confirmed that Gunatitanand Swami was the incarnation of Akshar declaring Today I am extremely happy to initiate Mulji Sharma He is my divine abode Akshardham which is infinite and endless The first Acharya of the Vadtal diocese Raghuvirji Maharaj recorded this declaration in his composition the Harililakalpataru 7 17 49 50 33 The Swaminarayan Bhashyam is a published commentary written by Bhadreshdas Swami in 2007 that explicates the roots of Akshar Purushottam Upasana in the Upanishads the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras 34 35 This is further corroborated in a classical Sanskrit treatise also authored by Bhadreshdas Swami called Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudha Members of BAPS point to numerous historical anecdotes and scriptural references particularly from the central Swaminarayan text known as the Vachanamrut as veritable evidence that Gunatitanand Swami was the manifest form of Akshar 90 Swaminarayan refers to this concept specifically in Vachnamrut Gadhada I 21 Gadhada I 71 Gadhada III 26 Vadtal 5 91 Following Gunatitanand Swami the lineage continued on through Bhagatji Maharaj 1829 1897 Shastriji Maharaj 1865 1951 Yogiji Maharaj 1892 1971 and Pramukh Swami Maharaj 1921 2016 Today Mahant Swami Maharaj is said to be the manifest form of Akshar 74 For example in Vachanamrut Gadhada I 37 Swaminarayan states In fact the darshan of such a true Bhakta of God is equivalent to the darshan of God Himself 93 Moreover in Vachanamrut Vadtal 5 Swaminarayan states Just as one performs the mansi puja of God if one also performs the mansi puja of the ideal Bhakta along with God by offering him the prasad of God and just as one prepares a thal for God similarly if one also prepares a thal for God s ideal Bhakta and serves it to him and just as one donates five rupees to God similarly if one also donates money to the great Sant then by performing with extreme affection such similar service of God and the Sant who possesses the highest qualities he will become a devotee of the highest calibre in this very life 94 This practice is mentioned by Swaminarayan in Vachanamrut Vadtal 5 by performing with extreme affection such similar service of God and the Sant who possesses the highest qualities even if he is a devotee of the lowest type and was destined to become a devotee of the highest type after two lives or after four lives or after ten lives or after 100 lives he will become a devotee of the highest caliber in this very life Such are the fruits of the similar service of God and God s Bhakta 97 References Mamtora 2021 A Patel 2018 Gadhia 2016 p 157 a b c d e Williams 2001 p 55 a b Rinehart 2004 p 215 a b James 2017 a b c d NN 2019 p 51 a b Kim 2001 p 418 422 a b c Clarke 2011 pp 40 49 a b Kim 2001 p 317 Kim 2005 a b c Kim 2009 p 363 Paranjape 2005 p 117 129 Swaminarayan 2006 p 147 148 Swaminarayan 2006 p 630 631 Swaminarayan 2006 p 534 Williams 1984 p 92 Dave 1974 p 178 a b c Dave 1974 p 186 Dave 1974 p 89 Acharya Viharilalji Maharaj 1911 Shri Kirtan Kaustubhmala 1st ed Published by Kothari Hathibhai Nanjibhai by the order of Acharya Shripatiprasadji Maharaj and Kothari Gordhanbhai p 13 Raghuvirji Maharaj Acharya 1966 Shri Harililakalpataru 1st ed Translated by Sadhu Shwetvaikunthdas Mumbai Sheth Maneklal Chunilal Nanavati Publishers Paranjape 2005 p 117 Ishwarcharandas Sadhu 1978 Pragji Bhakta A short biography of Brahmaswarup Bhagatji 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diaspora Abingdon Oxon Routledge p 52 ISBN 978 0 203 83705 4 a b c d e Kurien Prema A 2007 A place at the multicultural table the development of an American Hinduism Online Ausg ed New Brunswick NJ u a Rutgers Univ Press p 105 ISBN 978 0 8135 4056 6 Jones Constance A Ryan James D 2008 Encyclopedia of Hinduism New York Checkmark Books p 431 ISBN 978 0 8160 7336 8 Kurien Prema A 2007 A place at the multicultural table the development of an American Hinduism online ed New Brunswick New Jersey Rutgers University Press p 106 ISBN 978 0 8135 4056 6 Kim 2001 p 77 a b Jones Lindsay 2005 Encyclopedia of religion Detroit Macmillan Reference USA Thomson Gale c2005 p 8891 ISBN 978 0028659824 Bhagwan Swaminarayan s Spiritual Lineage BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Retrieved 29 August 2016 Williams 2001 Sadhu Amrutvijaydas December 2007 100 Years of BAPS Amdavad Swaminarayan Aksharpith p 169 ISBN 978 8175263772 Staff India West BAPS Inaugurates Stone Mandir in New Jersey India West Archived from the original on 25 August 2014 Retrieved 26 May 2020 Pramukh Swami s Vicharan BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Retrieved 29 August 2016 a b Kim Hanna Hea Sun 2012 A Fine Balance Adaptation and Accommodation in the Swaminarayan Sanstha Gujarati Communities Across the Globe Memory Identity and Continuity Edited by Sharmina Mawani and Anjoom Mukadam Stoke on Trent United Kingdom Trentham Books 141 156 doi 10 1111 rsr 12043 9 clarification needed a b c Williams 2001 p page needed a b c Pramukh Swami s Work BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Retrieved 29 August 2016 Rudert Angela Carol May 2004 Inherent Faith and Negotiated Power Swaminarayan Women in the United States MA thesis Cornell University hdl 1813 106 700 BAPS Sadhus BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Retrieved 29 August 2016 a b c Final Darshan and Rites of Pramukh Swami Maharaj BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Retrieved 13 August 2016 Kulkarni Deepali December 2018 Digital Murtis Virtual Darsan and a Hindu Religioscape Nidan International Journal for Indian Studies 3 2 40 54 Mangalnidhidas Sadhu 2019 Sacred Architecture and Experience BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Robbinsville New Jersey Ahmedabad Gujarat India Swaminarayan Aksharpith p 100 ISBN 978 19 4746 101 7 Writer Staff 12 September 2017 BAPS Temple holds installation of 1st pillar Mandapam and Visarjan in New Jersey News India Times Retrieved 21 December 2019 Everything we know about the UAE s first traditional Hindu temple The National 21 April 2019 Retrieved 21 December 2019 Guruhari Ashirwad YouTube YouTube Retrieved 21 December 2019 Correal Annie 11 May 2021 Hindu Sect Is Accused of Using Forced Labor to Build N J Temple The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 12 May 2021 Choi Joseph 11 May 2021 Federal agents probe Hindu sect for using forced labor to build New Jersey temple TheHill Retrieved 12 May 2021 Correal Annie 10 November 2021 Hindu Sect Accused of Using Forced Labor at More Temples Across U S The New York Times Charges against Robbinsville Akshardham temple false The Times of India 16 July 2023 ISSN 0971 8257 Retrieved 24 July 2023 a b Williams 1984 p 73 Gadhada I 21 The Vachanamrut Spiritual Discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan Ahmedabad Swaminarayan Aksharpith 2003 2nd edition ISBN 81 7526 190 0 pg 31 a b Paramtattvadas Swami 2017 An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hindu Theology Cambridge University Press ISBN 9781316611272 a b Williams Raymond Brady 2004 The Holy Man as the Abode of God in Swaminarayan Hinduism Williams on South Asian Religions and Immigration Collected Works Ashgate Publishing Ltd Williams 2001 p 55 92 Kim 2001 p 65 Kim 2001 p 76 Williams 2001 p 92 Kim 2001 p 453 455 Vachanamrut Gadhada I 37 The Vachanamrut Spiritual Discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan Ahmedabad Swaminarayan Aksharpith 2003 2nd edition ISBN 81 7526 190 0 p 65 Vartal 5 The Vachanamrut Spiritual Discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan Ahmedabad Swaminarayan Aksharpith 2003 2nd edition p 536 537 ISBN 81 7526 190 0 Williams 2001 p 86 Williams 1984 p 112 Vachanamrut Vartal 5 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Lectures 2010 on Saturday June 5th 2010 ChinoHills com Archived from the original on 28 July 2013 Retrieved 11 January 2013 BAPS Care International launches relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims India Herald Retrieved 11 January 2013 BAPS Charities helps victims of tornadoes IndiaPost 20 May 2011 Retrieved 11 January 2013 Kim 2009 p 8 9 Williams 2001 p 112 Williams 2001 p 19 Kim 2009 p 9 Kim 2001 p 86 Kim 2009 p 13 14 Kim 2009 p 11 12 Traditional Hindu temple opening in Robbinsville part of BAPS community 29 July 2014 Kim Hanna 2007 Gujaratis in the West Evolving Identities in Contemporary Society Ch 4 Edifice Complex Swaminarayan Bodies and Buildings in the Diaspora Newcastle UK Cambridge Scholars Publishing pp 67 70 ISBN 978 1 84718 368 2 PM Modi officially launches foundation stone laying ceremony for first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 11 February 2018 Clarke 2011 pp 40 49 Paranjape 2005 p 119 Clarke Matthew 2011 Development and Religion Theology and Practice Edward Elgar p 42 ISBN 978 0857930736 a b c Vegetarianism baps org Retrieved 27 March 2023 Vegetarian Diet baps org Retrieved 27 March 2023 SourcesPrinted sourcesClarke Matthew 2011 Development and Religion Theology and Practice Northampton Massachusetts Edward Elgar Publishing pp 40 49 ISBN 9781848445840 Dave H T 1974 Life and Philosophy of Shree Swaminarayan 1781 1830 London George Allen amp Unwin ISBN 0 04 294082 6 Gadhia Smit 2016 Akshara and Its Four Forms in Swaminarayan s Doctrine Swaminarayan Hinduism Oxford University Press pp 156 171 doi 10 1093 acprof oso 9780199463749 003 0010 ISBN 978 0 19 946374 9 James Jonathan D 2017 Transnational religious movements faith s flows Thousand Oaks ISBN 9789386446565 OCLC 1002848637 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Kim Hanna 2001 Being Swarninarayan the ontology and significance of belief in the construction of a Gujarati diaspora Ann Arbor Bell amp Howell Information and Learning Company Kim Hanna H 2005 Swaminarayan Movement in Jones Lindsay ed Encyclopedia of Religion 15 Volume Set vol 13 2nd ed Detroit Mi MacMillan Reference USA ISBN 0 02 865735 7 archived from the original on 29 December 2020 via Encyclopedia com Kim Hanna December 2009 Public engagement and personal desires BAPS Swaminarayan temples and their contribution to the discourses on religion International Journal of Hindu Studies 13 3 357 390 doi 10 1007 s11407 010 9081 4 S2CID 4980801 gt Mamtora Bhakti 2021 BAPS Pramukh Swami In Jacobsen Knut A Basu Helene Malinar Angelika Narayanan Vasudha eds Brill s Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online Retrieved 5 February 2020 NN October December 2019 BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Today Hinduism Today Himalayan Academy Retrieved 22 November 2019 Paranjape 2005 Dharma and development the future of survival New Delhi Samvad India Foundation p 117 ISBN 81 901318 3 4 A Patel Aarti 2018 Secular Conflict Nidan International Journal for Indian Studies 3 2 55 72 Swaminarayan 2006 The Vachanamrut Spiritual Discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan An English Translation Amdavad Aksharpith ISBN 81 7526 320 2 Williams Raymond Brady 1984 A New Face of Hinduism Cambridge Cambridgeshire Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 27473 7 Williams Raymond 2001 An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism New York Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 65279 0 Williams Raymond Brady 2018 An introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism Third ed Cambridge United Kingdom Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 1 108 42114 0 OCLC 1038043717 Rinehart Robin 2004 Contemporary Hinduism Ritual Culture and Practice Library of Congress ISBN 1 57607 905 8 Web sources a b 1 200 young adults from North America attend Spiritual Quotient Seminar India Herald 30 June 2010 Retrieved 11 January 2013 Bhagatji Maharaj s Life Realisation BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Bhagatji The Greatest Ekantik Saint Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit ekantik Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit satpurushExternal linksBAPS Website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha amp oldid 1182772693, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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