Prasang 49
Absolute Conviction in Swaminarayan
In Samvat 1939, a grand murti-pratishthā (idol installation ceremony) of Ghanshyam Maharaj was held in Surat. This very event became the occasion where Shastriji Maharaj (then Yagnapurushdasji) first met Bhagatji Maharaj. At first glance, Shastriji Maharaj immediately recognized Bhagatji as his Guru and accepted him wholeheartedly.
One day, Bhagatji Maharaj asked Yagnapurushdasji, “Sādhurām! Have you attained complete conviction in Swaminarayan?”
Hearing this unexpected question, Yagnapurushdasji was surprised. Folding his hands, he humbly replied, “I have firm conviction that Maharaj is the Supreme Purushottam Narayan.”
Bhagatji Maharaj smiled and responded, “That is only half the faith! Until you firmly believe that Gunatitanand Swami is ‘Mul Akshar’ (the eternal abode of Bhagwān), your faith in Swaminarayan is still incomplete.”
Yagnapurushdasji, with his sharp wit and rational mind, replied, “My Guru, Vignānānand Swami, is an extremely learned and highly experienced swami who had a direct association with Shriji Maharaj. Yet, he never mentioned such a concept to me. So, where did you get this new teaching?”
Seeing his sincerity and intellect, Bhagatji Maharaj was pleased and confidently replied, “Your Guru knows this truth too.”
Yagnapurushdasji proposed a plan to test this: “If you make my Guru say this himself, then I will believe it.”
The following day, Bhagatji Maharaj visited Vignānānand Swami while he was seated on his āsan (seat). Meanwhile, Yagnapurushdasji secretly hid beneath his dholiyo (cot) to overhear the conversation.
Bhagatji Maharaj casually asked Vignānānand Swami, “Swami! In your time, there was a teaching that Gunatitanand Swami is ‘Mul Akshar.’ Can you please recall that for me?”
Hearing this, Vignānānand Swami looked around cautiously and then softly replied, “Yes, I have heard this directly from Shriji Maharaj many times. Gopālānand Swami also frequently explained this principle. This truth is deeply embedded in my soul.”
Upon hearing this confirmation, Yagnapurushdasji immediately emerged from under the cot and boldly asked, “Swami! Why have you never told this to me before?”
Vignānānand Swami was initially startled, but recognizing his faithful disciple, he calmly explained, “Even now, many devotees struggle to understand and accept Shriji Maharaj’s supremacy as Purushottam. So, how could I have revealed that Swami is Akshar? But now that you have heard it, know that this is the truth, and keep it firmly established in your heart.”
Had Shastriji Maharaj only kept this truth to himself, he would not have become Shastriji Maharaj! Instead, he firmly resolved: “If this Akshar-Purushottam knowledge is true, then it must be spread across the world!” From this one decisive moment, the foundation of Akshar-Purushottam Siddhānt’s propagation was laid.
