Gunatitanand Swami

Gunatitanand Swami (17 October 1785 – 11 October 1867; born Mulji Jani, or Mulji Sharma) was the first spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and one of the most prominent of the 500 paramhansas who were ordained by Swaminarayan himself. Born into a religious family in Bhadra, a small farming community in the state of Gujarat, India, he first received religious education under his father’s guru, Ramanand Swami before encountering Bhagwan Swaminarayan and becoming a sadhu under him at the age of 25. Revered for his spiritual discourses and divine service, he embodies an essential element of the doctrine of Akshar and Purushottam. Based on the teachings of Swaminarayan in the Vachanamrut, devotees of BAPS believe that “akshar is an eternally-existing spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal”. Gunatitanand Swami is 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”. The Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses of the Swaminarayan Sampraday do not subscribe to this school of thought. Gunatitanand Swami held various administrative roles, most notably as the Mahant of Junagadh mandir, a position he held for forty years. In addition to this, 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 swadharma (one’s duty), atmagnan (knowledge of the soul), detachment, devotion to God and various other matters relating to the Swaminarayan sect has been published under the name Swamini Vato. Gunatitanand Swami died on 11 October 1867 at 12.45am while resting his back against a pillar inside Gondal Mandir. His obsequies were performed on the banks of the river Gondali and a famous shrine known as the Akshar Deri was built upon the spot.