NarNarayan Dev Gadi
Encyclopedia
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: नरनरायन देव गदी), named after NarNarayan Dev
Nara-Narayana
Nara-Narayana is a Hindu deity pair. Nara-Narayana is the twin-brother incarnation of the preserver-god Vishnu on earth, working for the preservation of dharma or righteousness...
, is one of the two Gadis (seats) that together form the Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampraday , known previously as the Uddhav Sampraday, is a Hindu sect established by Swaminarayan...
. It is headquartered at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad and controls the Uttar Vibhag.
The current Acharya of the Gadi is Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj.
History
Vadtal
Vadtal is a small village in the Kheda district of Gujarat, IndiaIt is a location of famous Swaminarayan's temple. "Gomti" is a lake in Vadtal....
, on Prabodhini Ekadashi
Ekadashi
Ekadashi , also spelled as Ekadasi, is the eleventh lunar day of the shukla or krishna paksha of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar . In Hinduism and Jainism it is considered a spiritually beneficial day...
of Vikram Samvat 1825, Swaminarayan adopted his nephews Ayodhyaprasadji Pande (Son of elder brother Ramprasadji) and Raghuveerji Pande (Son of younger brother Ichcharamji) as his sons. Establishing the two Gadis i.e. NarNarayan Dev Gadi, headquartered at Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi
LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi
The Laxminarayan Dev Gadi is one of the two Gadis that together form the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It is headquartered at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Vadtal and controls the Dakshin Vibhag....
, headquartered at Vadtal
Vadtal
Vadtal is a small village in the Kheda district of Gujarat, IndiaIt is a location of famous Swaminarayan's temple. "Gomti" is a lake in Vadtal....
, Swaminarayan instructed the two cousins to draw lots, to decide who would be seated on which Gadi.
Ayodhyaprasadji was appointed the inaugural Acharya
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an acharya is a guide or instructor in religious matters; founder, or leader of a sect; or a highly learned man or a title affixed to the names of learned men...
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 known as the Dakshin Vibhag - Southern division).
The administrative division between the two is set forth in minute detail in a document written by Swaminarayan, called Desh Vibhaag Lekh. The method by which future Acharyas are to be appointed is enshrined in the document Desh Vibhag Lekh.
Swaminarayan then instructed all the followers present to do poojan of their respective Acharyas.
Acharyas
The following table lists all the Acharyas of the Ahmedabad Gadi till date.| Acharya Number | Name of Acharya | Born on | Became Acharya on | Death | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acharya Shree Ayodyaprasadji Maharaj | 25 May 1809 | 10th Nov 1826 | 18th Feb 1868 | 42 Years |
| 2 | Acharya Shree Keshavprasadji Maharaj | 16th Apr 1835 | 18th Feb 1868 | 09th Apr 1890 | 22 Years |
| 3 | Acharya Shree Purshottamprasadji Maharaj | 07th Feb 1870 | 09th Apr 1890 | 25th Nov 1901 | 12 Years |
| 4 | Acharya Shree Vasudevprasadji Maharaj | 17th Jul 1899 | 25th Nov 1901 | 29th Nov 1937 | 35 Years |
| 5 | Acharya Shree Devendraprasadji Maharaj | 05th Oct 1922 | 30th Nov 1937 | 12th Oct 1969 | 32 Years |
| 6 | Acharya Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj | 11th Apr 1944 | 13th Oct 1969 | Present | 35 Years |
| 7 | Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj | 18th Oct 1972 | 15th Oct 2004 | Present | Present |
ISSO
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
) & Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal
Vadtal
Vadtal is a small village in the Kheda district of Gujarat, IndiaIt is a location of famous Swaminarayan's temple. "Gomti" is a lake in Vadtal....
) to practice their religious duties in harmony.
This achieved, the efforts of all the followers of the Sampraday can be polarised, allowing for joint activities to be undertaken. In turn, this will enabling followers to meet the challenges that they are faced with today in giving their youth a religious experience that they can understand and practice themselves.
ISSO Seva
In 2001 ISSO-Seva was established. It is an independent running charity under the Swaminarayan Sampraday to give a helping hand to mankind, to help the homeless and needy as well as making awareness about the modern day diseases and infections. It provides relief for when a natural disaster strikes worldwide. The charity is run by professionals and volunteers of the Swaminarayan temples and centres.NNDYM
Narnarayan Dev Yuvak Mandal is a youth orgainisation which was founded by Acharya Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj (Pre Acharya Status) in 1994 with its headquarters at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad and was created to help young people to confront the challenges of human life.This step set into motion various initiatives by this organisation to build a foundation of young people across the globe. The organisation propagates dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(duty), bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
(devotion), gnaan
Jnana
Jñāna or gñāna is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means knowledge. It has various nuances of meaning depending on the context. The idea of jnana centers around a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced...
(knowledge), and vairagya
Vairagya
Vairāgya is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the material world...
(detachment from maya
Maya (illusion)
Maya , in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection of it, created by us. Maya is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality...
).