page_title: Swaminarayan Sampradaya
hierarchical_section_title: Swaminarayan Sampradaya
caption_attribution_description: English: Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
context_page_description: The Swaminarayan Sampradaya is a Hindu sampradaya which was founded in 1801 by Sahajanand Swami, who is worshipped as Swaminarayan, the supreme manifestation of God, by his followers. Under Swaminarayan’s leadership the sampradaya grew to more than 100,000 followers and 3,000 swamis by the time of his death in 1830.
  In the 20th century, due to "different interpretations of authentic successorship," the sampradaya split-up into various denominations, the largest being the BAPS. All groups regard Swaminarayan as God but differ in their theology and the religious leadership they accept. The Vadtal Gadi and Ahmedabad Gadi are the oldest institutions, with a hereditary leadership which appoints acharyas, as prescribed in a document titled the ‘Lekh’. The BAPS venerates "a lineage of akṣaragurus, or living gurus, [which] has been retroactively traced back to Gunatitanand Swami."
  In the Vachanamrut, the principal theological text of the sampradaya, Swaminarayan identifies five eternal and distinct entities: Parabrahman, Aksharbrahman, maya, ishwar, and jiva.
context_section_description: The Swaminarayan Sampradaya is a Hindu sampradaya which was founded in 1801 by Sahajanand Swami, who is worshipped as Swaminarayan, the supreme manifestation of God, by his followers. Under Swaminarayan’s leadership the sampradaya grew to more than 100,000 followers and 3,000 swamis (monks) by the time of his death in 1830. 
  In the 20th century, due to "different interpretations of authentic successorship," the sampradaya split-up into various denominations, the largest being the BAPS. All groups regard Swaminarayan as God but differ in their theology and the religious leadership they accept. The Vadtal Gadi and Ahmedabad Gadi are the oldest institutions, with a hereditary leadership which appoints acharyas, as prescribed in a document titled the ‘Lekh’. The BAPS venerates "a lineage of akṣaragurus, or living gurus, [which] has been retroactively traced back to Gunatitanand Swami."
  In the Vachanamrut, the principal theological text of the sampradaya, Swaminarayan identifies five eternal and distinct entities: Parabrahman, Aksharbrahman, maya (māyā), ishwar (iśvara), and jiva (jīva). He further explains that the ultimate goal of life is moksha (mokṣa), a spiritual state of ultimate liberation from the cycle of births and deaths that is characterized by eternal bliss and devotion to God. Moksha can be achieved during one’s human life under the guidance of the manifest form of God, the Aksharbrahman Guru.
  Due to the commentarial work of Bhadreshdas Swami, Swaminarayan's teachings were recognized as a separate school of Vedanta by the Shri Kashi Vidvat Parishad in 2017 and by members of the 17th World Sanskrit Conference in 2018.
  The Guru helps the follower practice and master ekantik dharma, which consists of dharma (dharma, religious and moral duties), gnan (jñāna; knowledge of God and the atman), vairagya (vairāgya; dispassion for worldly objects), and bhakti (bhaktī; devotion) Another important practice is the chanting of the Swaminarayan mantra, a compound of two Sanskrit words, namely Swami and Nārāyaṇa. Both the religious group and its leader became popularly known by this mantra. 
  Swaminarayan instituted the sampradaya’s mandir tradition to facilitate followers’ devotional worship of God. During his lifetime, Swaminarayan constructed six mandirs: Ahmedabad (1822), Bhuj (1823), Vadtal (1824), Dholera (1826), Junagadh (1828), and Gadhada (1828). Swaminarayan’s successors have continued the tradition of installing images of God and his ideal devotee to help devotees in their ultimate aim of moksha.
  Socially, Swaminarayan’s doctrine that everyone’s true self is the atman within which God resides, led him to reject caste-based discrimination within the religious community. Swaminarayan also inspired followers to engage in humanitarian service activities, leading various denominations of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya to currently provide humanitarian service globally.
caption: Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
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