A Summary of the Philosophical Principles of the Vachanamrut

The philosophical principles of Bhagwan Swaminarayan mentioned in the Vachanamrut have been summarized in a letter by Brahmswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj. A translation of this Gujarati text is presented here.

Guru Purnima, Samvat 2064; 18 July 2008

The five entities - jiva, ishwar, māyā, Brahman and Parabrahman - are eternal, real and forever fundamentally separate from each other.

PARABRAHMAN

Parabrahman Purushottam Narayan, the Master of Akshar, is eternal, supreme, always divine, always with a form, free of faults, beyond māyā, one and unique, and a chaitanya entity.

In his divine Akshardham, he is seated on a divine sinhāsan (throne) in his eternally divine, lustrous and teenage human form complete with two arms and all other features. He (Parabrahman) is worshipped with dāsbhāv by the murtimān (personal) form of Aksharbrahman and the brāhmic-bodied infinite muktas, who have attained similarity to Aksharbrahman.

Parabrahman is forever naturally replete with infinite liberating virtues and devoid of māyik (mundane) qualities. He is free of all faults, forever possesses all powers, is all-knowing, and is the all-doer and destroyer. He is the material and efficient cause of all creation. While remaining present in his divine Akshardham in his vyatirek (particular) form, he pervades the infinite brahmānds in his anvay (all-pervasive) form as antaryāmi and is their support.

He is always infinitely more powerful than jivas, ishwars, māyā, akshar-muktas and Aksharbrahman and is their independent controller, inspirer and shariri. By his wish, he is the giver of the fruits of the actions of all the jivas and ishwars. He is the inspirer of their ability to will, to know and to do.

Parabrahman Purushottam Narayan is imperceptible by the māyik indriyas (senses) and antahkaran (mind, etc.). While still remaining in Akshardham, by his own divine wish and out of compassion, for the ultimate liberation of infinite jivas and ishwars and to fulfil the wishes of his devotees, he manifests with all his divine virtues, powers, etc., in human form in each brahmānd and becomes visible to all.

That manifest form of Parabrahman Paramatma is Sahajanand Swami Maharaj – Shri Swaminarayan Bhagwan. He is the absolute focus of worship for us all. To forever continue his upāsanā in a manifest form even after leaving his (human) body, he always remains totally manifest in his anvay form through the Aksharbrahman guru.

He (Parabrahman) is the cause of all avatars; he is the avatāri and is the master of them all. When, by his special wish, he pervades a jiva or an ishwar for a particular task, an avatar manifests. The chaitanyas of each of these avatars are fundamentally separate from each other. Like these avatars, the chaitanyas of Vasudev and the Chaturvyuh, and the 24 murtis, like Keshav, etc., are fundamentally separate from each other.

AKSHARBRAHMAN

Aksharbrahman is separate from Parabrahman. Like Parabrahman it is one, eternal and a chaitanya entity and it is beyond the three gunas. It is forever divine, replete with infinite liberating virtues, devoid of all māyik qualities and free of all faults. The form, qualities, powers, etc. of this Aksharbrahman are dependent only to Parabrahman. And by the eternal wish of Parabrahman, it is the cause, support, controller and shariri of all of jad (inanimate) creation and chaitanya forms (jivas and ishwars) and pervades them.

Although Aksharbrahman is essentially one entity, it serves in four different ways. In its Chidakash form, Aksharbrahman pervades within and is present outside the infinite brahmānds and supports them.

In the form of Dham (Akshardham), Aksharbrahman is the divine abode of Parabrahman, the murtimān (personal) form of Aksharbrahman and the infinite akshar-muktas. There is only one such Akshardham; it is eternal and forever beyond the three gunas. Only the muktas who have attained similarity to Aksharbrahman are able to enter it.

In the personal attendant form in that Akshardham, Aksharbrahman has, like Parabrahman, a divine human form complete with two arms and all other features. He forever remains engulfed in the service of Parabrahman and is the ideal for the akshar-muktas.

In the form of the guru as the eternal and complete representative of Parabrahman, that Akshar manifests in a human form with Paramatma in each brahmānd so that through his (Akshar’s) divine association, he can make the jivas and ishwars who are bound in the cycle of births and deaths brahmarup, establish in them the highest level of nirvikalp nischay, ultimately liberate them and forever let them experience the manifest presence of Paramatma through himself. He (the Aksharbrahman guru) protects the traditions of the Sampradaya and graces all with the experience of the highest bliss. In this succession of Aksharbrahman gurus, Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj have appeared. This succession continues forever. At any one time, the path of ultimate liberation remains open through only one guru.

MAYA

Māyā is composed of the three gunas, it is eternally changing , jad (inanimate), a material cause of the creation of infinite brahmānds and the diverse mysterious power of Paramatma. As the cause of ego and attachment of jivas and of ishwars, this māyā has been the cause of their births and deaths since eternity.

Aksharbrahman and Parabrahman are forever totally aloof from and beyond māyā and are its shariri.

ISHWAR

Ishwar is an eternal chaitanya entity different from Parabrahman, Aksharbrahman and jivas. In comparison to Aksharbrahman and Parbrahman, ishwars are extremely powerless; but compared to jivas they possess more power and jnān (knowledge). Paramatma, through his wish, assigns them to the tasks of creation, etc. of the brahmānds. Like the jivas, these ishwars are countless in number, subtle like an atom, possess the qualities of indivisibility, etc., are jnānswarup (personified knowledge of their own self), jnātā (knowers), doers of good and bad karmas and experiencers of the fruits of those karmas.

They have been bound by māyā since eternity. Pradhan Purush, Virat Purush, the devas of their indriyas and antahkaran, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, etc. are all chaitanya entities of the ishwar category and these ishwars are fundamentally different from each other.

JIVA

Jiva is an eternal chaitanya entity different from Parabrahman, Aksharbrahman and ishwars. These jivas are countless, subtle like an atom, possess the qualities of indivisibility, etc., are jnānswarup, jnātā, doers of good and bad karmas, and experiencers of the fruits of those karmas. They have been bound by māyā since eternity.

SADHANA AND BENEFITS

To attain ultimate liberation, mumukshus (spiritual aspirants) should firmly love Parabrahman Purushottam Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the manifest Aksharbrahman guru through whom Parabrahman manifests fully and continuously. They must develop nirdosh buddhi and a feeling of the highest divinity in them. When they (mumukshus) meet either of them they should be convinced that they have met Parabrahman. By firmly associating with them through thought, word and deed they should please them immensely.

Mumukshu jivas and ishwars who endeavor in this way, through the grace of Parabrahman, having achieved ekāntik dharma, become brahmarup, that is, attain similarity to Aksharbrahman, and attain the highest bhakti to Parabrahman. All their miseries and faults are forever destroyed, and while alive, they experience the highest bliss of Paramatma.

By the wish of Paramatma, such a brahmarup devotee, on leaving the (physical) body, attains the Akshardham of Paramatma via archimārg (a divine path), and there with a brāhmic body, while serving by doing darshan with dāsbhāv, forever enjoys the divine bliss of the Lord of Akshardham, Parabrahman.

THE MEANING OF AKSHAR-PURUSHOTTAM UPĀSANĀ

Akshar-Purushottam upāsanā is not the upāsanā (worship) of two entities – Akshar and Purushotam. But it means to become aksharrup and offer upāsanā to Purushottam, i.e., to become brahmarup and offer upāsanā to Parabrahman. Therefore, when Parabrahman in human form returns to his abode he suppresses the powers of the Brahmaswarup guru and himself remains manifest on earth through him. Therefore, a mumukshu who profoundly associates with the manifest guru is, in fact, offering upāsanā only to Paramatma.

The meaning of the Swaminarayan mahāmantra is incorporated in the meaning of Akshar-Purushottam upāsanā. That is, to become swāmirup, i.e., aksharrup, and offer bhakti and upāsanā with dāsbhāv to Narayan, i.e., Parabrahman Purushottam Narayan.

CONCLUSION

Thus, these philosophical principles are Vedic, eternal, revealed by Shriji Maharaj and propagated by the Gunatit guru paramparā. So, all devotees of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha should strengthen their understanding in this way and explain it to other mumukshus.

Jai Swaminarayan from Shastri Narayanswarupdas.

Guru Purnima, Samvat 2064, Bochasan.