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Swaminarayan Sampradaya
The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan movement, is a Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, characterized by the worship of its charismatic founder Sahajanand Swami, better known as Swaminarayan (1781–1830), as an avatar of Krishna or as the highest manifestation of Purushottam, the supreme God. According to the tradition's lore, both the religious group and Sahajanand Swami became known as ''Swaminarayan'' after the Swaminarayan mantra, which is a compound of two Sanskrit words, swami ("master, lord") and Narayan (supreme God, Vishnu). During his lifetime, Swaminarayan institutionalized his charisma and beliefs in various ways. He constructed six mandirs to facilitate followers' devotional worship of God, and encouraged the creation of a scriptural tradition''.'' In 1826, in a legal document titled the Lekh, Swaminarayan created two dioceses, the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal Gadi) and Nar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swaminarayan
Swaminarayan (IAST: ', 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic, who is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God Krishna, or as the highest manifestation of Purushottam, and around whom the Swaminarayan Sampradaya developed. In 1800, he was initiated into the ''Uddhav'' ''sampradaya'' by his guru, Swami Ramanand, and was given the name Sahajanand Swami. Despite opposition, in 1802 Ramanand handed over the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday to him before his death. According to the Swaminarayan-tradition, Sahajanand Swami became known as Swaminarayan, and the Uddhav Sampraday as the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, after a gathering in which he taught the Swaminarayan Mantra to his followers. He emphasized "moral, personal, and social betterment," and ''ahimsa'', and is also remembered within the sect for undertaking reforms for women and the poor, and performing non-violent yajñas (fire sacrifices) on a large scale. Du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theophany
Theophany (from Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifestation of God in some tangible form." Where the deity does not take tangible form (outward manifestation), the broader term used for inward manifestation is divine revelation or divine inspiration. Where the spirit of god is manifest in a person the term used is divine incarnation, avatar or personification of the deity. Traditionally the term "theophany" was used to refer to appearances of the gods in ancient Greek and in Near Eastern religions. While the ''Iliad'' is the earliest source for descriptions of theophanies in classical antiquity (which occur throughout Greek mythology), probably the earliest description appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the specific usage for Christians and Jews, with respect to the Bible, ''theophany'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vallabha
Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu (1479–1531 CE), also known as Vallabha, Mahaprabhuji and Vishnuswami, or Vallabha Acharya, is a Hindu Indian saint and philosopher who founded the Krishna-centered PushtiMarg sect of Vaishnavism in the Braj(Vraj) region of India, and the Vedanta philosophy of Shuddha Advaita (Pure Non-dualism). He is the Jagadguru Acharya and Guru of the Pushti Marg bhakti tradition and Suddhadwait Brahmavad (Vedant Philosophy), which he founded after his own interpretation of the Vedanta philosophy. Vallabhacharya was born in a Telugu Tailang Brahmin family that had been currently residing in Varanasi, who escaped to Champaran of Chhattisgarh state while expecting shri Vallabha, expecting a Muslim invasion in Varanasi, during the late 15th century. The name Vallabha means the beloved or lover, and is a name of Vishnu and Krishna. Vallabhacharya studied the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Shat Darshan as a child, then travelled throughout the Indian subc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saṃsāra
''Saṃsāra'' (Devanagari: संसार) is a Pali/Sanskrit word that means "world". It is also the concept of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. Popularly, it is the cycle of death and rebirth. ''Saṃsāra'' is sometimes referred to with terms or phrases such as transmigration/reincarnation, karmic cycle, or Punarjanman, and "cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence". The concept of ''saṃsāra'' has roots in the post-Vedic literature; the theory is not discussed in the Vedas themselves. It appears in developed form, but without mechanistic details, in the early Upanishads. The full exposition of the ''saṃsāra'' doctrine is found in Śramaṇic movements such as early Buddhism and Jainism, as well as various schools of Hindu philosophy after about the mid-1st millennium BCE. The ''saṃsāra'' doctrine is tied to the karma theory of Hinduism, and the liberation from ''saṃs� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from '' saṃsāra'', the cycle of death and rebirth. In its epistemological and psychological senses, ''moksha'' is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge. In Hindu traditions, ''moksha'' is a central concept and the utmost aim of human life; the other three aims being '' dharma'' (virtuous, proper, moral life), '' artha'' (material prosperity, income security, means of life), and '' kama'' (pleasure, sensuality, emotional fulfillment). Together, these four concepts are called Puruṣārtha in Hinduism. In some schools of Indian religions, ''moksha'' is considered equivalent to and used interchangeably with other terms such as ''vimoksha'', ''vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aksharbrahman
Akshar-Purushottam Darshan (''Akṣara-Puruṣottama Darśana'') or Aksarabrahma-Parabrahma-Darsanam, "Akshar-Purushottam philosophy," is a designation used by BAPS-swamis as an alternative name for the Swaminarayan Darshana, Swaminarayan's view or teachings, to distinguish it from other Vedanta-traditions. It is based on Swaminarayan's distinction between Parabrahman ( Purushottam, Narayana) and Aksharbrahman as two distinct eternal realities, which in this view sets Swaminarayan's teachings apart from other Vedanta-traditions. It is an essential element for the BAPS and it's ''Akṣara-Puruṣottama Upāsanā'' ( "worship"),Swaminarayan sanshtaWorship of God with the Guru - Akshar Purushottam Philosophy/ref> in which Purushottam c.q. Parabrahman is present in a lineage of Aksharbrahman guru's, who are the abode (''akshar'') of God. Meaning In Swaminarayan theology, a distinction is made between Para Brahman, the highest Brahman which is Purushottam Narayan (God), who is reg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rūpa
Rūpa () means "form". As it relates to any kind of basic object, it has more specific meanings in the context of Indic religions. Definition According to the Monier-Williams Dictionary (2006), rūpa is defined as: :* ... any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour (often pl.), form, shape, figure RV. &c &c ... :* to assume a form ; often ifc. = " having the form or appearance or colour of ", " formed or composed of ", " consisting of ", " like to " .... Hinduism In Hinduism, many compound words are made using ''rūpa'' to describe subtle and spiritual realities such as the ''svarupa'', meaning the form of the self. It may be used to express matter or material phenomena, especially that linked to the power of vision in samkhya, In the Bhagavad Gita, the Vishvarupa form, an esoteric conception of the Absolute is described. Buddhism Overall, ''rūpa'' is the Buddhist concept of material form, including both the body and external matter. More specifically, in the Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soteriology
Soteriology (; el, σωτηρία ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions. In the academic field of religious studies, soteriology is understood by scholars as representing a key theme in a number of different religions and is often studied in a comparative context; that is, comparing various ideas about what salvation is and how it is obtained. Buddhism Buddhism is devoted primarily to liberation from ''Duḥkha'' or suffering by breaking free of '' samsara'', the cycle of compulsory rebirth, by attaining nirvana. Many types of Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana (or Tantric), emphasize an individual's meditation and subsequent liberation from ''samsara'', which is to become enlightened. However, the Pure Land traditions of Mahayana Buddhism generally focus on the saving nature of the Celestial B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a title affixed to the names of learned subject. The designation has different meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism and secular contexts. ''Acharya'' is sometimes used to address an expert teacher or a scholar in any discipline, e.g.: Bhaskaracharya, the expert mathematician. Etymology The Sanskrit phrase ''Acharam Grahayati Acharam Dadati Iti Va'' means ''Acharya'' (or teacher) is the one who teaches good conduct to one's students. A female teacher is called an ''achāryā,'' and a male teacher's wife is called an ''achāryāni'' In Hinduism In Hinduism, an ''acharya'' is a formal title of a teacher or guru, who has attained a degree in Veda and Vedanga. Prominent acharyas in the Hindu tradition are as given below : * Adi Sankaracharya * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nar Narayan Dev Gadi
The Naranarāyan Dēv Gadī, named after NarNarayan Dev, is one of the two ''Gadis'' (seats) that together form the Swaminarayan Sampraday. Its headquarter is at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad and controls the Uttar Vibhag. The Acharya of the Gadi is Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj. History In Vadtal, on Prabodhini Ekadashi of Vikram Samvat 1825, Shree Swaminarayan adopted his nephews Ayodhyaprasadji Pande (Son of elder brother Rampratapbhai) and Raghuveerji Pande (Son of younger brother Ichcharambhai) as his sons. Establishing the two Gadis i.e. NarNarayan Dev Gadi, headquartered at Ahmedabad and LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi, headquartered at Vadtal, Swaminarayan instructed the two cousins to draw lots, to decide who would be seated on which Gadi. Ayodhyaprasadji was appointed the inaugural Acharya of the NarNarayan Dev Gadi (also known as the Uttar Vibhag - Northern division), whilst Raghuveerji became the inaugural Acharya of the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi (also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi
The Laxminarayan Dev Gadi ( Gujarati:- લક્ષ્મીનારાયણ દેવ ગાદી) is one of the two gadis (diocese) that together form the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It is headquartered at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Vadtal and controls the ''Dakshin Vibhag Lekh''. There is currently an active court case regarding the Vadtal Gadi. Gujarat High court has stayed the order removing Ajendraprsadji Maharaj until a final verdict is reached. He cannot enjoy the right of acharya during the proceedings. The dev paksh faction has appointed Rakeshprasad as their acharya in the Gadi. Siddhant paksh maintains that Ajendraprasad Pande is the current Acharya of the Vadtal Gadi and welcome his son, Nrigendraprasad Pande, to officiate at functions in Swaminarayan temples in his absence. History In Vadtal, on Prabodhini Ekadashi of Vikram Samvat 1882, Swaminarayan adopted his nephews Ayodhyaprasadji Pande (Son of elder brother Rampratapji) and Raghuveerji Pande (Son of y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Institutionalisation
In sociology, institutionalisation (or institutionalization) is the process of embedding some conception (for example a belief, norm, social role, particular value or mode of behavior) within an organization, social system, or society as a whole. The term may also be used to refer to committing a particular individual or group to an institution, such as a mental or welfare institution. The term may also be used in a political sense to apply to the creation or organization of governmental institutions or particular bodies responsible for overseeing or implementing policy, for example in welfare or development. During the period of the industrial revolution in Europe many countries went through a period of "institutionalization", which saw a large expansion and development of the role of government within society, particularly into areas seen previously as the private sphere. Institutionalization is also seen as an important part of the process of modernization in developing count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
