Swaminarayan, also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic around whom the Swaminarayan Sampradaya developed, and whose life and teachings brought a revival of central Hindu practices of dharma, ahimsa and brahmacarya. He is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God.Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya in Gonda district, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1781. In 1792, he began a 7-year pilgrimage across India at the age of 11 years, adopting the name Nilkanth Varni. During this journey, he did welfare activities and after 9 years and 11 months of this journey, he settled in the modern-day Indian state of Gujarat around 1799. In 1800, he was initiated into the Uddhav sampradaya by his guru, Swami Ramanand, and was given the name Sahajanand Swami. In 1802, his guru handed over the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday to him before his death. Sahajanand Swami held a gathering and taught the Swaminarayan Mantra. From this point onwards, he was known as Swaminarayan. The Uddhav Sampraday became known as the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
Swaminarayan developed a good relationship with the British Raj. He had followers not only from Hindu denominations but also from Islam and Zoroastrianism. He built six temples in his lifetime and appointed 500 paramahamsas to spread his philosophy. In 1826, Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri, a book of social principles. He died on 1 June 1830 and was cremated according to Hindu rites in Gadhada, Gujarat. Before his death, Swaminarayan divided the Swaminarayan Sampradaya into two gadis or dioceses. He appointed his adopted nephews as his own sons and made them into acharyas to head the Ahmedabad (Nar Narayan Dev Gadi) and the Vadtal (Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi) dioceses on 21 November 1825. Swaminarayan is also remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women and the poor, and performing non-violent yajñas (fire sacrifices) on a large scale.
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Some of their strengths
Swaminarayan has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Intuitive, Passionate, Generous, Bold, Extroverted, and Intelligent.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Swaminarayan is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who is known for being fun and creative.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Swaminarayan well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Ambitious and Forceful
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Swaminarayan as someone who is ambitious, hard-working, determined, and intelligent.
A person who has a knack for identifying opportunities, has amazing concentration and focus, who can work independently, who likes starting new things, and who is somewhat of an intellectual.
Social and Intuitive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Swaminarayan is someone who values forming deep friendships and relationships, and who has strong intuition and reasoning skills .
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Swaminarayan tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of Swaminarayan's challenges
While Swaminarayan has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Swaminarayan can be Short-tempered, Impulsive, Arrogant, Status-seeking, Careless, Relentless, and Inflexible.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of Swaminarayan's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
Swaminarayan must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive.
Relentless and Inflexible
Swaminarayan is someone who can be relentless, obsessive, and inflexible, who can be confrontational with work colleagues, can have difficulty communicating feelings and be somewhat reclusive, and who can be self-destructive, overindulgent, and extravagant.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, Swaminarayan also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.
