Baps

Baps or BAPS may refer to:

See also

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha

Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (IAST: Bocāsanvāsī Akshar Purushottam Swāminārāyan Sansthā), often abbreviated as BAPS (formerly Bochasan Swaminarayan Sanstha or BSS), is a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. BAPS was established as a formal organization on 5 June 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj. It was formed on the founder's doctrinal stand that Swaminarayan had promised to remain manifest in the person of Akshar, a term used to describe his chief devotee and Swaminarayan's abode. Due to the organizational emphasis on the doctrine, also spelled as the "Akshar Purushottam" doctrine, it essentially forms part of the organization's middle name. The fundamental beliefs of BAPS include the spiritual guidance through Akshar as the Gunatit Guru who is believed to be in close proximity to Swaminarayan and the necessity to identify with the living Guru as a means to acquire oneness with Akshar and offer pure worship to Swaminarayan. Gunatitanand Swami is recognized in BAPS as the foremost Akshar in the lineage of Gunatit Gurus. He was succeeded by Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj and then Yogiji Maharaj. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is the current guru and spiritual leader of BAPS.

Swaminarayan

Swaminarayan (IAST: Svāmīnārāyaṇa, 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, is the central figure in a modern sect of Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan Hinduism.

Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1781. In 1792, he began a seven-year pilgrimage across India, adopting the name Nilkanth Varni. He settled in the 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 Sampraday.

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 appointed his adopted nephews as acharyas to head the two dioceses of Swaminarayan Sampraday.

Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born Shantilal Patel, 7 December 1921; ordained Shastri Narayanswarupdas) is the current guru and is regarded as the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international Hindu socio-spiritual organization.

He is believed by his followers to be in constant communion with Swaminarayan, and ontologically, the manifestation of Akshar, the eternal abode of Swaminarayan.

Early years

Shantilal was born in the village of Chansad, Gujarat, on 7 December 1921. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj and followers of the Akshar Purushottam faith. Motibhai and Diwaliben were both involved in the Swaminarayan fellowship; Diwaliben’s family’s association with the Swaminarayan fellowship extended to the time of Bhagatji Maharaj. Shastriji Maharaj had blessed young Shantilal at birth, and had told his father, “This child is ours; when the time is ripe, please give him to us. He will lead thousands to the devotion of God. Through him, thousands will attain liberation.”