Why is there no Ram Darbar murti in swaminarayan temples

[Guest guest]

Can someone from that sect answer the question? Do you reject Ram as bhagvan?

[maadhav]

krishna has said in gita that bhakti has to be avyabhichariNi - single pointed - one path, one guru, one deity or ishta deva.

 

so, like Hk's swaminarayans are serious about it.

 

internally all the hindus can do so, but externally i pray that all the hindus tell the world that their book is gita, and krishna is their god. so, if non hindus want to discuss or challange hinduism, they need to be directed to gita only. that simplifies the burden of debating with non hindus.

 

[Guest guest]

In Temple in Neasden they have moorthi of SitaRam

[Guest guest]

 

lowest level: the guru (e.g. Prabhupada)

 

medium level: incarnations (e.g. Caitanya)

 

highest level: Supreme Lord (e.g. Krishna)

[Guest guest]

I am not from the sect but I do go to all temples.

From what I have learned that there are many fractions within Swaminarayan Sampraydaya. ( e.g. Vadtal, BAPS, Maninagar, Vasna, Kalumpur, Rajkot, Anumpan Mission, Sokhada etc...) Every sect is led by a main saint and they interpretes Shikhapatri and Vachanmrut ( The two main books teaching philosophy of Sriji Maharaj oor Bhagwan Swaminarayan) differtly. E.g. if you go to Anupam mission temple or some of the BAPS temples , you will find Murties of Lord Rama/Sita and Lord Krishna/Radha. While some other sects believes that Murties of Devis are prohibited in the temple as their Saints are forbiddent to see females.

 

i am not a scholar on the subject so please confirm my observations with diffent people for differnt sects within Swaminarayan Sampraday.

 

Vipul Patel..

[Guest guest]

1) I have no knowledge of Swaminarayana Sampradaya, but having seen texts from the Shikshapatri, it is clear that no interpretation is needed. The only time interpretation is needed is when:

 

a) time place and circumstance is so different that it is required

 

b) there is an apparent contradiction in the scripture

 

- the shikshapatriis perfectly compatible with Bhagavad Gita, therefore people should follow what Swaminarayan said: WORSHIP KRSNA AS THE SOURCE OF ALL INCARNATIONS.

 

- there is not one quote in Shikshapatri claiming that Swaminarayan is God, so where do these bogus interpretations come from?

 

[Guest guest]

Jay Shri Swaminarayan,

 

My name is Chirag Patel, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. I am 19 years old and am a firm follower in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sampraday. I have been a firm follower ever since I came to be, and I think that I can show some light on the ignorance that people tend to have of the Swaminarayan faith.

 

First of all, Lord Swaminarayan states in the Shikshapatri to believe and follow Lord Krishna as God. This is true to an extent--we have the murtis of Lord Radha-Krishna installed in mostly all 550 of our BAPS temples across the world. But the idea of the ignorant saying as to why we interpret Lord Swaminarayan as the Supreme God is cleared this way: Lord Swaminarayan is the Supreme Godhead. If you were to study the life and philosophy of Lord Swaminarayan, you would understand this. And it is not a mere interpretation. He only mentions worshipping Lord Krishna in the Shikshapatri so people can become firm in their Vaishnav beliefs of that time--at that time, Lord Swaminarayan was establishing the Swaminarayan Sampraday--He would not go around telling people that He Himself is God to everyone. Think about it--if you went around telling everyone you were God, do you think people would believe you?

 

Look back into the history of Hinduism--none of the deities proclaimed themselves to be God to the public, not Lord Ram, not Lord Krishna, not any God. Yet, they did allow their strongest and most appropriate devotees to see their divine form--Krishna to Arjun, Ram to Hanuman and Vibhishan, and so on and so forth. Other wise sages and rishis already knew they were God and did not need this kind of revelation.

So, just as the incarnate forms of the Lord were established as Gods through their actions and their purposes for incarnation, Lord Swaminarayan also is established in that same way as the Supreme Lord. Just think--if this is not true, then why did Lord Ram worship Lord Shiva's murti? Why did Lord Krishna worship Vishnu and Shiv?

 

Lord Swaminarayan, however, does explain His true self in the holiest book--the Vachanamrut. In this scripture, He reveals His divine attributes and divine qualities as the Supreme Lord to His devotees and to His most austere followers. Maybe you should review this text and re-think your views and thoughts before making your own ignorant interpretations.

 

Your remarks are directed to all Swaminarayan followers in a very hurtful--and in your own words, 'bogus' manner. As a Hindu, we are all brothers, so why hurt your own kind? Why discriminate within your own family? Maybe you should re-think how strong you are in your own faith and religion...have you fully understood the value and concept of Hinduism?

 

Ignorance within our Hindu religion is what makes our religion weak. Look at other religions--Islam, Christianity, etc.--they are so firm within their faith. We Hindus can't get over telling other Hindus that their God is better or more powerful than the other's God. Eliminating ignorance is our best bet and our strongest salvation.

 

This is just a small dose of information. If you would like to know more about the Swaminarayan Sampraday and BAPS, please contact me at chiraghp79@gmail.com. Or, if you think you should hear from a more experienced source, please feel free to visit our website at www.baps.org. Here you will find information about Lord Swaminarayan in detail. You will also find much information about our temples, philosophy of Lord Swaminarayan, and our activities. But in any case, please email all of your questions and comments to me at my email address. Thank you.

 

Jay Swaminarayan,

Chirag Patel

 

[BinduMadhav]

Chirag,

 

Nice to read your note. I would like to point out a few inaccuracies in your note.

 

{Look back into the history of Hinduism--none of the deities proclaimed themselves to be God to the public, not Lord Ram, not Lord Krishna, not any God. Yet, they did allow their strongest and most appropriate devotees to see their divine form--Krishna to Arjun, Ram to Hanuman and Vibhishan, and so on and so forth. }

 

Lord Krishna knew and everyone around Him knew that Lord Krishna was Bhagavan Himself. Same with Lord Rama. If you read Valmiki Ramayan or Tulsidasji's Rama Charita Manas, you will understand that. Same with Srimad Bhagavatam and Mahabharat of Parashara Vyasa. Both Lords Rama and Krishna showed their true forms throughout their lives.

 

{...-if this is not true, then why did Lord Ram worship Lord Shiva's murti? Why did Lord Krishna worship Vishnu and Shiv?}

 

This is not entirely true. Lord Rama never worshipped Siva according to Valmiki Ramayan. Srimad Bhagavatham does not talk about Lord Krishna worshipping Siva. Mahabharat shows Lord Krishna having done Tapas towards Siva, but that is mainly to set an example to other humans. Lord Krishna truly loved Siva because Siva is His best devotee.

 

On the other hand, just because Swami Narayan writes something in his book, it does not become true. Swami Narayan's works are neither Shruti nor Smriti and therefore cannot and should not be considered to be God's work.

 

But, as long as you understand that Swami Narayan worshipped Lord Krishna and loved Him, you can worship Swami Narayan as a great Guru. I and my friends worship Siva as a great devotee of Lord Krishna and as a Parama Vaishnav. But we know the difference between Siva and Lord Krishna.