Bhagwan Swãminãrãyãn
In which village and on what date did the grand investiture take place?
Jetpur, on 16 November 1801 (Kartak sud 11, A.S. 1858).
What fell from Maharaj’s pagh that Gunatitanand Swami and Gangaram Malla raced to retrieve?
A Haar
How many days did Pragji Bhakta take to complete the large canopy?
41
What did Shastriji Maharaj instruct devotees to do with the first photograph taken of him?
Keep it secret, hide it in a chest, and never take it out.
What did Shastriji Maharaj say Yogiji Maharaj possessed in boundless measure?
Love for the devotees.
What lesson did Shri Hari teach after Ramcharandas took a sugarcane stick without permission?
Never take anything without the owner’s permission; taking it amounts to stealing, even when it is lying on the ground.
What did Gunatitanand Swami say was the only point of the difficult nightly discourse for him?
To have darshan of Maharaj.
What three boons did Pragji Bhakta request instead of wealth?
Swami’s knowledge, realization of the place from which Swami had come, and that his jiva become a true satsangi who never remained even an atom’s distance from Shriji Maharaj.
Whose murtis did Shastriji Maharaj insist must be installed in the central shrine of Sarangpur Mandir?
Sahajanand Swami together with Gunatitanand Swami—Akshar-Purushottam.
What spiritual practice was performed after a deadly black cobra bit Yogiji Maharaj?
The sadhus gathered at Akshar Deri and intensely chanted the Swaminarayan dhun.
What four qualities did Ramanand Swami instruct Sahajanand Swami to inspire in followers?
Dharma, jnan, vairagya, and bhakti.
What did Maharaj say after applying a tilak to Gunatitanand Swami?
Look, here is our tilak,” and that there was no God like Maharaj and no sadhu like Gunatitanand Swami.
Why did Pragji Bhakta say he did not need anyone else’s help to prepare the dangerous lime mixture?
Because he had Swami’s help, which he considered more than enough.
What did Shastriji Maharaj say they had endured hardships and ‘shaved their heads’ for?
For Sahajanand Swami and Gunatitanand Swami—for Akshar-Purushottam.
What did Yogiji Maharaj and the sadhus do after receiving Shastriji Maharaj’s command during Jal-Jhilani?
They immediately returned to Gondal and restarted Akshar Mandir construction before the unannounced inspection.
Why did Shri Hari give paramhansa diksha to the sadhus during this period of persecution?
To protect them during severe persecution while allowing them to preserve their inner dharma, devotion, and spiritual discipline.
Why did Gunatitanand Swami prefer to remain with the strict Krupanand Swami?
Because correction from a great sadhu reveals one’s faults and helps a person cultivate the virtues of the guru.
What did Pragji Bhakta’s rejection of 60,000 rupees reveal about what he considered true happiness?
He valued spiritual knowledge, closeness to Maharaj, and service at Swami’s feet above wealth and worldly attachment.
According to Shastriji Maharaj, how should one recognize and serve the true Satpurush?
Recognize him through his attributes, accept his refuge, and serve him by thought, word, and deed to perfect ekantik dharma.
What did Yogiji Maharaj’s constant service to devotees reveal about how he understood devotion to God?
He believed that serving and pleasing devotees was itself devotion to God.
What two selfless boons did Sahajanand Swami request for the sake of devotees?
That devotees’ suffering be transferred to him, and that devotees never suffer from a lack of food or clothing
What did Gunatitanand Swami tell Vishvarupanand Swami to do after he exclaimed that Sahajanand Swami had placed him in a “pigeon feather” body?
He told him to forget such pride and focus on Maharaj’s murti.
According to Swami, what qualities and commitments were necessary for Pragji Bhakta to receive the three boons?
A do-or-die spirit, obedience to Swami, renouncing home, remaining with him, practising nivrutti dharma, detachment, and conviction of the atma.
What contrast in Shastriji Maharaj’s behavior immediately after confronting Thakor Saheb showed his spiritual control?
He shifted instantly from a fierce, fearless defense of Akshar-Purushottam upasana back to complete tranquility, as though nothing had happened.
What lasting physical effect remained after the cobra venom subsided, and what did witnesses conclude from the incident?
The venom had dissolved the bone in Yogiji Maharaj’s left index finger; witnesses realized the glory of Akshar Deri and the power of the Swaminarayan mantra.