i Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã As Revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan ii Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã iii A Textbook of the Satsang Examination Series: 16 Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã As Revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan Gujarati Kishorbhai M. Dave Translation Ramanbhai Bhatt SWAMINARAYAN AKSHARPITH Ahmedabad iv Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã Akshar Purushottam Upãsanã As Revealed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan A textbook for the Satsang Examinations curriculum set by Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Inspirer: HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj Previous Editions: 1995, 1996 3rd Edition: January 2011 3rd Edition, 1st Reprint: May 2012 Copies: 5,000 (Total:11,000) Price: ` 40/- (Reduced from ` 45/- by courtesy of Swaminarayan Aksharpith) ISBN: 978-81-7526-432-8 Copyright: © Swaminarayan Aksharpith All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in reviews and articles. Published & Printed by Swaminarayan Aksharpith Shahibaug Road, Ahmedabad-4 Gujarat, India. Website: www.baps.org Contents v CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................ ix 1. UPÃSANÃ .......................................................................... 1 1.1 Importance of Upãsanã ............................................................... 2 1.2 What is Upãsanã? ....................................................................... 3 2. KARTÃ ............................................................................... 4 2.1 How Is God Kartã?...................................................................... 4 2.2 Shriji Maharaj: The All-doer ....................................................... 5 2.3 Necessity of Knowing God as the All-doer .................................. 7 3. SÃKÃR ............................................................................... 9 3.1 Liking for Sãkãr......................................................................... 9 3.2 Disadvantages of Understanding God as Nirãkãr .................... 11 3.3 Origin of the Understanding of God as Nirãkãr ....................... 13 3.4 How Is God Sãkãr? ................................................................. 15 3.5 God with a Form as Well as All-Pervasive ................................ 17 3.6 God as Sãkãr in Akshardhãm and on Earth ............................. 19 3.7 Divyabhãv – Divine Attributes ................................................. 21 3.8 Necessity of Understanding Divyabhãv ................................... 24 3.9 Disadvantages of Perceiving Manushyabhãv in God and His Sadhu 3.10 Omniscience ............................................................................ 31 4. SARVOPARI ..................................................................... 33 4.1 Necessity of Faith in Divine Supremacy ................................... 33 4.2 Akshardhãm: The Highest Abode; Shriji Maharaj: The Supreme .................................................. 35 4.3 Shriji Maharaj: The Supreme .................................................. 39 vi Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã 4.3.1 In His Own Words ......................................................... 39 4.3.2 As Expressed in Swãmini Vãto ....................................... 41 4.3.3 In the Words of the Paramhansas .................................. 45 4.4 Cosmic Evolution .................................................................... 49 4.5 Parabrahman Purushottam Nãrãyan: One and Unique .......... 53 4.6 Well-known incidents ............................................................. 54 4.6.1 Shriji Maharaj’s Supremacy: As Understood from His Incidents ................................. 54 4.6.2 Shriji Maharaj’s Supremacy: As Explained by Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami ........................... 63 4.7 Questions Regarding Supremacy ............................................. 65 4.8 Above All but Respect for All .................................................. 72 PRAGAT .............................................................................. 75 5.1 Meaning of Pragat? How? ....................................................... 75 5.2 True Knowledge Is Recognizing the Pragat Form of God ........ 78 5.3 The Importance of Devotion to the Pragat Form of God.......... 80 5.4 Pragat Bhakti: The Pathway to Peace ...................................... 83 5.5 Liberation Through the Pragat Form of God or His Sadhu ...... 84 5.6 Deficiencies Resulting from Not Realizing the Pragat Form of God ........................................................... 89 5.7 The Pragat Form of God After Shriji Maharaj’s Return to Akshardhãm ............................................................ 93 5.8 Only One Pragat Form of Shriji Maharaj ................................. 96 5.9 Characteristics of the Gunãtit Sadhu ....................................... 99 5.10 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu ................................................... 103 5.10.1 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu: In the Words of Bhagwan Swaminarayan ............................................ 103 5.10.2 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu: In the Words of Gunatitanand Swami ........................ 106 5.10.3 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu: In the Bhajans of the Paramhansas ............................ 107 5.10.4 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu: In the Bhajans of Well-Known Devotee-Poets ............ 110 Contents vii 5.10.5 Glory of the Gunãtit Sadhu: In Other Shastras ........... 112 5.11 The Gunãtit Sadhu: The Pragat Form of God Yet a Loyal Servant ........................ 112 AKSHARBRAHMAN ........................................................... 115 6.1 Becoming Aksharrup and Offering Upãsanã to Purushottam with Swami-Sevak Bhãv ................ 116 6.2 The Need to Become Brahmarup .......................................... 118 6.2.1 For the Privilege of Worshipping Purushottam ............ 118 6.2.2 For Unhindered Devotion ............................................ 119 6.2.3 For Ultimate Liberation ............................................... 120 6.3 The Necessity of Aksharbrahman on the Path of Liberation .................................................................. 121 6.3.1 To Become Brahmarup ................................................ 121 6.3.2 To Know Parabrahman as He Is ................................... 121 6.4 The Infinite Glory of Aksharbrahman ................................... 124 6.5 The Form of Aksharbrahman ................................................. 125 6.6 The Forms of Aksharbrahman ............................................... 125 6.7 Aksharbrahman ..................................................................... 126 6.7.1 As Satchidãnand Chidãkãsh Radiance ......................... 126 6.7.2 As the Divine Abode .................................................... 127 6.7.3 As Divine, Personal and Sãkãr ..................................... 128 6.7.4 As the Param Ekãntik Satpurush ................................. 129 6.8 One and Unique .................................................................... 130 6.9 Relationship Between Akshar and Purushottam .................... 131 6.10 What Is Meant by Brahman Merging into Parabrahman? ............................................................... 133 6.11 Divine Qualities of Aksharbrahman....................................... 134 6.12 Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã ............................................... 134 6.13 Glory of Equal Service and Bhakti to Akshar and Purushottam ....................................................... 135 6.13 Gunatitanand Swami Is Mul Akshar: How? ......................... 137 6.13.1 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: Scriptural Evidence .................................................... 138 viii Akshar-Purushottam Upãsanã 6.13.2 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: In the Words of Shriji Maharaj ................................... 140 6.13.3 Gunatitanand Swami’s Unique Glory: As Described by Shriji Maharaj ................................. 144 6.13.4 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: In the Words of Gunatitanand Swami ........................ 147 6.13.5 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: As Revealed in Swãmini Vãto ..................................... 150 6.13.6 Gunatitanand Swami’s Unique Glory: As Described in Swãmini Vãto ................................... 151 6.13.7 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: In the Words of Gopãlanand Swami .......................... 152 6.13.8 Gunatitanand Swami’s Unique Glory: As Described by Gopãlanand Swami ......................... 154 6.13.9 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: In the Words of the Paramhansas .............................. 156 6.13.10 Gunatitanand Swami’s Unique Glory: As Described by the Paramhansas ............................. 157 6.13.11 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: Other Evidences .... 160 6.13.12 Gunatitanand Swami Is Akshar: From His Life and Work ............................................... 163 SUMMARY ......................................................................... 168 7.1 Upãsanã: What to Understand .............................................. 168 7.2 Upãsanã: What Not to Understand ....................................... 174 APPENDIX ......................................................................... 176 GLOSSARY ........................................................................ 191 INDEX ............................................................................... 206 Introduction ix INTRODUCTION He was a spiritual colossus who walked the