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Gunatitanand Swami
Gunatitanand Swami
Succeeded byBhagatji Maharaj
Personal
Born
Mulji Jani

(1784-09-28)28 September 1784
Bhadra, Gujarat, India
Died11 October 1867(1867-10-11) (aged 83)
Gondal, Gujarat, India
ReligionHinduism
DenominationSwaminarayan Sampradaya
Notable work(s)Swamini Vato
Monastic nameGunatitanand Swami
Organization
PhilosophyAkshar-Purushottam Darshan
Role(s)1st spiritual successor of Swaminarayan (1830-1867)
Mahant of Junagadh mandir (1827-1867)

Gunatitanand Swami (28 September 1784 – 11 October 1867), born Mulji Jani, was a paramhansa of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya who was ordained by Swaminarayan[1][2]: 22 [3]: 16 [4]: 123  and is accepted as the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), Yogi Divine Society, Anoopam Mission and Gunatit Jyot.[5][3]: 16  Born into a religious family in the small farming community of Bhadra in Gujarat, India, he first received religious education under his father's guru, Ramanand Swami before encountering Swaminarayan and becoming a swami under him at the age of 25.[6]: 19 [7] He was revered for his spiritual discourses and divine service

For the BAPS, Yogi Divine Society, Anoopam Mission and Gunatit Jyot, he embodies an essential element of the doctrine of Akshar and Purushottam.[2]: 92  They believe based on interpretation from the Vachanamrut that "Akshar is an eternally-existing spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal".[2]: 84  Furthermore, the BAPS founder claimed that Gunatitanand Swami was believed to be the first personal manifestation of Akshar in the Guru Parampara, an unbroken line of "perfect devotees" who provide "authentication of office through Gunatitanand Swami and back to Swaminarayan himself".[3]: 16 [2]: 86  The Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya do not subscribe to this theory.[2]: 55–60 

Gunatitanand Swami held various administrative roles, most notably as the mahant of Junagadh mandir, a position he held for forty years.[2]: 55 [6]: 94  In addition, he was a prominent speaker and was held in high regard as an authority on religious matters in general. A collection of his most important teachings on dharma, knowledge of the atman, detachment, bhakti, and various other matters has been published under the name Swamini Vato.[3]: 16 [2]: 192 [8]: 70  Gunatitanand Swami died in 1867, and a famous shrine known as the Akshar Deri was built upon the spot his cremation rites were performed.[1][2]: 132 

  1. ^ a b Dave, Harshadrai Tribhuvandas (2017). Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami: Life and Work - Part 1. Translated by Mangalnidhidas, Sadhu. Ahmedabad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith. p. 17. ISBN 978-81-7526-806-7.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Raymond (2001). An introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 052165422X.
  3. ^ a b c d Paramtattvadas, Sadhu (2017). An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hindu Theology. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107158672. OCLC 964861190.
  4. ^ Swaminarayan Hinduism : tradition, adaptation and identity. Williams, Raymond Brady., Trivedi, Yogi. (1st ed.). New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. 2016. ISBN 9780199086573. OCLC 948338914.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ Waghorne, Joanne (1985). Gods of Flesh. Gods of Stone. United States: Columbia University Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-231-10777-8.
  6. ^ a b Ishwarcharandas, Sadhu (2007). Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami. Ahmedabad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith. ISBN 978-81-7526-302-4.
  7. ^ Dave, H.T (1974). Leslie Shepard (ed.). Life and Philosophy of Shree Swaminarayan 1781-1830. London: George Allen & Unwin. p. 89. ISBN 0042940826.
  8. ^ Vivekjivandas, Sadhu (2002). Gunatitanand Swami : His Life and Message. Ahmedabad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith. ISBN 81-7526-199-4.