Ātmānand Swāmi

Paramhansas

Brief Biography

Ātmānand Swāmi’s name was Abhaysinhaji before becoming a sadhu. He was born in V.S. 1798 to father Dosāji and mother Rājbā in Untavād village in Mārvād region of Rājasthān. He got dikshā from Rāmānand Swāmi. He met the 19-year-old Shrihari as Nilkanth Varni in Loj. His age was 57 at the time. Three years later at the age of 60, he got dikshā in Meghpur and was named Ātmānand Swāmi. He is also known as Bhāi Swāmi, Bhāyātmānand Swāmi, Vruddhātmānand Swāmi, and ‘Vachanni Murti’ (because he followed every word of Maharaj) in the sampradāy. He had a total disregard for his body and was stern in observing dharma. Āchārya Raghuvirji Maharaj commanded him to write the divine incidents of Maharaj as he observed them. He wrote the granth Sadguru Bhāyātmānand Swāmini Vāto. At the age of 116, after understanding the supremacy of Maharaj from Gunātitānand Swāmi, he left his mortal body in Aniyāli near Dhandhukā in Samvat 1916.

Narrative from Kishore Satsang Pravesh

Maharaj regarded the sadhus initiated by Ramanand Swami as his gurubhais – brothers of the same guru – and respectfully called them ‘Bhai’. After Bhai Ramdas Swami passed away to Dham, Maharaj appointed Atmanand Swami to Bhai Ramdas Swami’s seat. Maharaj then addressed him as either ‘Bhai Swami’ or ‘Bhai Atmanand Swami’. He is also known as ‘Vrudhatmanand Swami’ in the Sampradaya.

Bhai Swami, a native of the Marwad region, was born in 1743 CE (Samvat 1799) in a village named Untwal. To attain God he performed many pilgrimages, austerities, and other spiritual endeavours. In old age he had Maharaj’s darshan in Meghpur, a village in the Sorath district of Gujarat. Immediately, Bhai Atmanand Swami developed faith in Maharaj and took refuge under him.

He was resolute in following all of Maharaj’s commands, both minor and major. Maharaj often gave many difficult observances, yet Bhai Atmanand Swami followed each of them to the letter. As a result, he was respectfully known as vachanmurti – an embodiment of Shriji Maharaj’s words.

Once, Maharaj told his sadhus to observe khatras, a difficult form of fasting in which all the six types of taste are avoided. Six months later he ended the austerity, but Bhai Atmanand Swami was unaware of it and so continued the fast. He stopped only when some time later he met Maharaj and was told that the vow had been revoked.

Bhai Atmanand Swami had great disregard for his body. His body was covered with much hair, but he would never scrub when he bathed. As a result, small insects gradually infested his entire body. Bhai Swami disassociated himself from his body to the extent that when some insect fell from his body, he would carefully pick it up and place it back onto his body saying, “Here take it. This body is your food.” When Maharaj came to know of Bhai Swami’s detached mindset, he called him to the assembly and had a barber shave off all the hair from Bhai Swami’s body. Maharaj then made him bathe in hot water and instructed him to take care of his body.

However, Bhai Swami’s natural tendency was to not care for his own body. Once, he developed scabies throughout his entire body. Despite his condition, he had to travel from one town to another. Gunatitanand Swami was with him in his service. They had arranged for a bullock-cart to take them, however, the cart driver refused to take them all the way to the other town. Disregarding his troublesome condition, Bhai Swami reasoned, “My name is Atmanand; today, let me truly be atmanand,” and began to walk. As he marched forward, the boils on his body began to burst one by one and pus began to flow from them. his condition was unbearable. After they finally arrived at the village, Gunatitianand Swami wiped the pus off Bhai Atmanand Swami’s body and bathed him.

Seeing Atmanand Swami’s elevated spiritual state, Shriji Maharaj would often express his pleasure towards him and gift him with garlands and prasad.

As instructed by Maharaj, Bhai Atmanand Swami stayed in Dholera. At that time, he was over a hundred years old. Bhai Swami had immense affection for Shriji Maharaj. After Maharaj returned to Akshardham, Bhai Atmanand Swami stayed at Vagad. Becuase Gunatitanand Swami travelled with him and served him, Bhai Atmanand Swami had developed great respect for him as well.

Bhai Atmanand Swami once went to Nadiad with Acharya Raghuvirji Maharaj, where he accompanied him on a padhramani to a devotee’s home. There, chairs had been arranged for the elderly sadhus to sit on. However, Atmanand Swami didn’t approve of the way the chairs were arranged, because it compromised the sadhus’ vow of celibacy. The next day, he refused to go on the home visits and sent a message to the Acharya, “Our Lord made us cover our eyes with a veil, whereas you make us stand in the midst of ladies. I will only go to these padhramanis, if you remove the chairs.”

Acharya Maharaj then made arrangements so that the sadhus’ vows would not be violated. Bhai Swami was resolute in upholding his dharma. He would often say, “Desires and dharma don’t mix. If you want to uphold dharma, then you must renounce all desires; and if you want to fulfil desires, then dharma has to be sacrificed.”

When Bhai Atmanand Swami was 116 years old, he resided at Aniyali, a villiage near Vagad. Once, when Gunatitanand Swami arrived in Aniyali he met Atmanand Swami and asked, “Why doesn’t Maharaj come to take you to Akshardham?”

Bhai Swami asked, “I have been thinking the same thing. What do I have left to do?”

Gunatitanand Swami was aware of what Bhai Atmanand Swami had left to understand. By narrating episodes in which Maharaj himself had revealed his supreme greatness, Gunatitanand Swami explained that Shriji Maharaj was supreme God. He explained, “Maharaj is greater than all the avatars.”

Delighted by Gunatitanand Swami’s explanation, Bhai Swami revealed, “Up until now, I understood Shriji Maharaj as being just another avatar. However, by listening to your discourse today I now understand Shriji Maharaj’s supreme form.”

Bhai Swami also realized the glory of Gunatitanand Swami. In the past, Atmanand Swami would give prasad from his wooden bowl to Gunatitanand Swami. On this day, however, he insisted and took prasad from Gunatitanand Swami’s wooden bowl.

Gunatitanand Swami soon left for Botad. Then on 9 June 1860 (Jeth vad 6, Vikram Samvat 1916) Bhai Atmanand Swami passed away to Akshardham.

During his lifetime, Bhai Swami’s devotion to Maharaj was chiefly seen in his strict adherence to Maharaj’s commands. However, he also expressed his devotion to Maharaj by writing a text narrating Shriji Maharaj’s divine incidents.