Gunatitanand Swami was one of the prominent disciples of Lord Swaminarayana and was initiated by the Lord Himself. It is said that Lord Swaminarayana was extremely fond of Gunatitanand Swami.
Profile
Gunatitanand Swami was born on 28th September 1784 in the village of Bhadra, in Gujarat. His parents Bholanath and SakarbaJani were religious and they named the boy MuljiJani. Even as a young boy he did not show any interest in worldly matters. He would tell his younger brother that he would become a swami and initiate the brother too. When his father said that he could think of spiritual pursuits later in life, he began to observe the elderly. With his observations he told his father that elderly people were only wasting time and if spiritual pursuits had to be done then, it should start at a young age. So very early in life he began listening to many masters and accepted Ramanand Swami as his guru. He was sure the Lord was within him and he would soon see an external manifestation of his Lord. Ramanand Swami invited Mulji to the initiation ceremony of NeelkanthVarni who was to be renamed Swaminarayana. Swaminarayan came to be known as Lord Swaminanarayana as he was considered to be god in human form. Seeing Mulji, Lord Swaminanarayana remarked that Mulji was incarnation of Akshar Brahman, indicating that Mulji was already an exalted person.Mulji knew that Lord Swaminanarayana was his guru and waited for a few years to get his call. The call from his guru came in his dream and he immediately left for Gadhada and there on January 20th 1810, Mulji was initiated and was given the name Gunatitanand Swami. Lord Swaminanarayana soon appointed Gunatitanand Swami as the chief of the mandir in Junagadh and he remained here for the next forty years. He was a good administrator and worked tirelessly to spread the philosophy of Lord Swaminanarayana. On 16th September 1867 he left JunagadhMandir and went on a tour of the nearby villages and towns. In the Gondal, on 11th October 1867, Gunatitanand Swami left his body and he was cremated on the banks of River Gondali. He was 82. A Samadhi sthal was built where he was cremated and is called AksharDeri.
Philosophy Propounded
Gunatitanand Swami believed in the doctrine of Akshar Brahman and Purushottam. Advaita Vedanta says once a soul is liberated, the liberation is beyond all description. The Vachanamrut which is the book of Lord Swaminarayana states that liberation is becoming the Aksharrup and they believe these enlightened gurus are always available in the earth in the form of Akshar Brahman.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
Gunatitanand Swami always inspired the devotees to the philosophy of Akshar Brahman and Purushottam. Even when he held the post of the Chief he would serve people selflessly. Gunatitanand Swami’s teachings were compiled while he was still alive and it was named SwaminiVato.
