Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Pramukh Swami Maharaj Biography

Pramukh Swami Maharaj is the current guru and the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Followers and believers of BAPS believe that he is the manifestation of ‘’Akshar‘’, the form of the eternal abode of God. He is being approached by many followers for guidance in all aspects of life. His purpose is to provide advices to relieve the anxieties of his believers.

Shantilal Patel is the birth name of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He was born in Chansad, Vadodara on December 7, 1921. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj. Similar to his parents, he too was a follower of the Akshar Purushottam faith from early childhood. Shastriji Maharaj had blessed young Shantilal at birth and told his parents that the child is theirs and the proper time arrives, he should be given to them. He was calm and soft-spoken, yet energetic and active child in his childhood. His mind was filled with sympathy too. He was strongly inclined towards spirituality from a young age. After school, he used to go to nearby Hanuman temple to hear the speeches delivered by a holy man, Haridas.

On 7 November 1939, when Shantilal was seventeen years old, he received a letter from his guru, Shastriji Maharaj. He was asked to join them. With the permission of his parents, he left home that day itself. Shastriji Maharaj gave Shantilal primary initiation, parshad diksha in 1939. He earned the title Shastry after studying Sanskrit and the Hindu scriptures at Bhadaran and Khambhat. In the early part of 1950, Shastriji Maharaj told young Shastri Narayanswarupdas his wish to appoint him as the president of the organization. He declined it twice. On 21 May 1950 at Ambli-Vali Pol in Amdavad, Shastriji Maharaj appointed Shastri Narayanswarupdas, at the age of 28.

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Updated: February 25, 2014