Philosophy of Succession

For the survival of Sampradaya, the spiritual heritage must be maintained. Amarkosa defines sampradaya as sampradayo gurukramah. One after another each Guru, having established harmony or identification with his predecessor, must lead the sampradaya for its successful functioning. The Guru gives knowledge to the disciple and the disciple receives it to be again imparted to his disciple. However, the primordial guru is Parabrahman, Gurureva Paramabrahma and the first disciple is Brahman or Aksara. The relationship between Aksara and Purushottama is akin to sarirasairi bhava. But all does not apprehend when each manifests separately and contemporarily, then the divine harmony between them. The co-operative identity between Brahman and Parabrahman is imperceptible in as much as the self-existent entity of Brahman is visible, and in spite of the feeling of separatism of Brahman from Parabrahman, Brahman is lost in Parabrahman by the feeling of absolute attachment. This is the relationship or divine harmony required to be maintained between Guru and sishya (pupil). In the following the Gurukrama, sishya does not become the Guru or God, but exhibits all the redemptive attributes of God or conversely God or Guru works through him. This is the spiritual legacy, enjoyed by the sishya.

Swaminarayan was the ultimate God and therefore in His life and philosophy He amply exhibited that God does not merely create but sustains the jivas, and does not merely sustain them but elevates them. The knowledge of His Self in His humanized form that is both immanent and transcendent, with infinite greatness and profundity of powers, is the only path for ultimate salvation. But when he is not on the earth, the saint who has bequeathed His spiritual legacy is equally redemptive. This is how His redemptive will is put into action for elevating the jivas.

Swaminarayan has enunciated the Divine Law that either God or His saint always manifests on the earth ultimate redemption of jivas. It is not simply the redemptive will but the redemptive action of Shree Swaminarayan that He had come not merely to sustain but to elevate the jivas, which He had passed to his Successor to sustain and take on the upward ascent. The law of redemption is thus made operative.

In order that the continuous manifestation of God is felt on the earth, the instrument for such revelation should either exist, emerge or descend. Such an instrument is either pure Brahman or one which has identified itself with Brahman, having been fully Brahmanised. Pure Brahmanised has absolutely no trace of Maya, as its content its only Parabrahman. He is the body or the divine abode-Brahman dhama-of Parabrahman and sustains Him and the infinite number of released jivas. Still by its concomitant power he inspires Prakriti-Purusha, all the cosmic Gods and the demi-gods. Aksara Brahman therefore was the first divine hierarch, who bequeathed the redemptive will and action of Shree Swaminarayan. Shree Gunatitananda Swami, the incarnation of Aksara Brahman, was the first divine hierarch of Shree Swaminarayan after He reverted to His abode.

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