Akshar Purushottam Upasana - Gunatitanand Swami As Successor

Gunatitanand Swami As Successor

In the context of Akshar Purushottam Upasana, every spiritual Guru in Bhagwan Swaminarayan's succession is believed the incarnation of Aksharbrahman in whom the Lord resides fully and eternally. As every Guru is the same Aksharbrahman entity, the devotees feel no spiritual change, except the physical change of another successor. It is clear that the Guru is not God, but is God's ideal devotee in whom God resides eternally.

According to this philosophy, Gunatitanand Swami was the first successor to Swaminarayan. He was succeeded by Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS.

Followers of the Swaminarayan Sampraday do not accept this successorship as they believe that it is not the one established by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (they believe that the successors he decided on was the Acharya's of the Ahmedabad Gadi and Vadtal Gadi through the Desh Vibhag Lekh). BAPS states on the same Desh Vibhag Lekh that the Acharyas were meant to take care of the monetary incomes of the Mandirs belonging to both Gadis.