Brahmanand Swami
Encyclopedia
Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampraday , known previously as the Uddhav Sampraday, is a Hindu sect established by Swaminarayan...
and one of Swaminarayan's Paramahamsa
Paramahamsa
Paramahamsa , also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a Sanskrit religio-theological title of honor applied to Hindu spiritual teachers of lofty status who are regarded as having attained enlightenment. The title may be translated as "supreme swan," and is based on the swan being equally at home...
s.
Biography
Brahmanand Swami was born Ladudan to Gadhavi Shambhudanji Aashiya and Laluba Charan in Khan village, at the foot of Mount Abu, in sirohi districtSirohi district
Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The town of Sirohi is the district headquarters.As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Rajasthan , after Jaisalmer and Pratapgarh.-Demographics:...
of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
in 1772.
At a young age In the royal court he sang poems in Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
. The Rana of sirohi, impressed with him, directed to be taught Pingal (science of constructing poetry) to the child at the cost of the state, hence Ladudan was well educated and later became a part of King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
of Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
s court. Ladudan learnt pingal and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scriptures from Ladhaji Rajput of Dhamadka, becoming a scholar in Pingal, poetry and scriptures. Ladudan earned fame and wealth by visitng stately courts of Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
among others, which were impressed by his poetry.
Initiation as Sadhu
Ladudan was in BhujBhuj
Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...
where he had heard about Swaminarayan and went to meet him. Swaminarayan was addressing a gathering in Bhuj. Ladunan was attracted to him. Swaminarayan returned to Gadhada
Gadhada
Gadhada is a city and a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. Gadhada is situated at bank of River Ghelo.- Geography :Gadhada is located at . It has an average elevation of 104 metres .- Demographics :...
with poet Ladudan. Ladudan lived a majestic and royal life befitting a courtier. He was always clad in most precious attires and was adorning jewellery befitting royalty. Swaminarayan did not like such luxurious life style but instead of preaching directly he changed Ladudan. He did so and became an ascetic. On the way from Gadhpur to Siddhapur, there is one small village named Gerita. Swaminarayan stopped at Gerita and administrated Bhagwati Deeksha (initiation as sadhu
Sadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
) to Ladudan by giving sainthood name 'Shrirangdasji.' After some time, he renamed him as Brahmanand Swami.
Works
Like Muktanand SwamiMuktanand Swami
Muktanand Swami was a sadhu and paramahansa of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.-Biography:He was born Mukund Das to Anandram and Radhabai in Amreli, Gujarat in 1758....
, Brahmanand Swami was an excellent poet. His skills and brilliance in temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
building is evident in temples like Muli
Muli
Muli may refer to:Places:*Mili Tibetan Autonomous County, or Muli from its Chinese name, of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China*Muli, Gaoqing County , town in Gaoqing County, Shandong, China...
, Vadtal and Junagadh. Besides the construction of great temples in Muli, Vadtal, Junagadh etc, Brahmanand Swami had written scriptures in Hindi and Gujarati. 'Brahmanand Kavya' is the collection of his works, a copy of which is preserved in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.