Pravin - Aksharpurushottam Upasana - Chapter-4

Part 1: Topic — The Need for Conviction in Supremacy

We take refuge in Shriji Maharaj with the faith that He is God, and we also do His meditation and devotional singing; but for a devotee it is even more necessary to understand that “Maharaj is supreme above all.” When this firm conviction of His supreme form is established, the fear of birth and death is removed, and discernment between the soul and the non-soul becomes firm—this itself is the foundational ground of the path to liberation.

Part 2: Conviction → Discernment → Victory over Faults

According to Shriji Maharaj’s words, the stronger one’s firm conviction in one’s ishtadev, the stronger the discernment between the soul and the non-soul becomes. When “vartā” (the correct understanding of God’s true form) is properly understood, then one does not need to make special efforts to conquer the five sense-objects and tendencies like lust and anger—they are conquered naturally; but if there remains any deficiency in understanding God’s form, then obstacles remain in avoiding faults and progressing in spiritual practice.

Part 3: Without Knowing Purushottam, There Is No Attainment of the Abode

Gunatitanand Swami clearly states that without knowing Maharaj as Purushottam (the Supreme), one cannot attain Akshardham. Therefore, the main point for a worshipper is this: to recognize Shriji Maharaj firmly as eternally divine, in a tangible form, and as the cause-and-incarnator (avatārī) of all avatars, and to keep the strength of that murti (divine form) exceedingly strong.

Part 4: A Resolve in the Jnana Path that “No Betrayal Happens”

Shriji Maharaj says that the path of knowledge should be maintained so that no betrayal (droh) of God’s form occurs. Remaining in scriptures and divine instructions is necessary, but along with that one must keep this firm resolve: “What I have attained is the supreme, eternally divine, tangible form of God who is the incarnator of all avatars.” If one’s resolve is firm, then even if one happens to go outside satsang, one’s affection does not fall away and upon leaving the body one ultimately goes to Akshardham; but one who, despite remaining in satsang/scriptures, does not keep firm conviction in God’s true form, goes after death to some other devalok/Brahmalok and does not attain Purushottam’s abode—this is strongly emphasized in the text as a warning.

Part 5: Akshardham — Above All, Beyond Maya

Akshardham is Shri Hari’s abode and it is different from the abodes/realms of other avatars and deities. All realms other than Akshardham are within maya, so the threefold suffering exists there; Akshardham is beyond maya, so suffering is absent, and therefore the happiness there is far greater. Nishkulanand Swami sings of the abode as “a mine of bliss” and “oceans of bliss,” and after attaining this abode one does not fall back—this expresses certainty.

Part 6: Other Realms Are “Like Hell,” and Abodes Are Impermanent

Shriji Maharaj says that compared to God’s Akshardham, other devaloks are described as “like hell” in the context of liberation. The reason is that abodes other than Akshardham are perishable, whereas Akshardham is imperishable. Vachanamrut also clearly states that except for God’s murti in Akshardham and the devotees residing in that abode, other realms, the deities there, and their prosperity—everything is perishable; therefore, after going there, return occurs, whereas after going to Akshardham there is no return (the sense of Gita 15.6).

Part 7: The Divine Radiance and Transcendence of Akshardham

Descriptions of other abodes include worldly substances like jewel-studded mansions and gems; but Akshardham’s hallmark is an otherworldly, divine radiance. In that mass of radiance reside Purushottam, Akshar, and the Aksharmuktas. In Shriji Maharaj’s verses and Nishkulanand Swami’s poetry, Akshardham is described as “extremely radiant, cool and serene.” Gunatitanand Swami also, in his talks, establishes Akshardham as superior to other abodes, and Shri Hari Himself says, “The Akshar-form abode is beyond all (parātpar).”

Part 8: Vachanamrut (Experience) — Maharaj Called the Abode Above All

During an illness episode, Maharaj, by yogic power, went through all realms and finally went to the abode of Shri Purushottam that is “above all,” and said that there too “I alone am Purushottam; besides Me no one is greater,” and “Those beings who have come into My refuge—I will grant them My supreme abode.” From this, both the supremacy of Akshardham and the supremacy of Shriji Maharaj as the lord of that abode become clear.

Part 9: Words from the Divine Mouth — Why Does God Speak His Glory Less?

When God manifests in human form, He conceals His divine nature and majesty, because while speaking, someone may misunderstand and their conviction may break—Maharaj expressed such restraint. Yet, just as the sun is known only when it rises, similarly the greatness of Purushottam Narayan’s form is truly understood only when He Himself reveals His own form. Therefore, the text guides us to understand supremacy through Maharaj’s own words as “self-evidence” (svatah-pramāṇ).

Part 10: The Purpose of Manifestation — Superior to Other Avatars

Maharaj wrote in a note that earlier avatars manifested for a task-cause (like destroying demons) and, once the task was completed, disappeared from the earth; whereas His manifestation is as Aksharātīt Purushottam to make souls brahmarup and grant ultimate liberation. Thus, this manifestation on earth is presented not merely as an event, but as the highest manifestation for the complete welfare of souls.

Part 11: Proofs from Vachanamrut — Manifest Purushottam = The Form in Akshardham

Vachanamrut clearly states that out of compassion, the manifest Purushottam God has appeared on earth for the welfare of souls; He is the ishtadev of devotees and accepts their service. There is no difference between the form of the manifest Purushottam God and the form of God residing in Akshardham—both are one. He is the controller of Akshar and all, the God of even Ishwars, the cause of all causes, and the incarnator of all avatars; therefore, He alone is the primary worthy object of one-pointed worship (earlier avatars are also worthy of reverence, but the ultimate object of worship is this).

Part 12: “Single-essence Radiance” and “Form” — Soul/Brahman/Akshardham and Parabrahman

According to Vachanamrut, the “single-essence radiance” is called the soul/Brahman/Akshardham; and the divine murti of God within that radiance is called the essence of the soul/Parabrahman/Purushottam. “The form within that radiance is this manifest Maharaj”—this statement firmly establishes God’s identity in the manifest.

Part 13: God Present in Satsang — Avatari, Inner Controller, Radiant-Tangible

According to Vachanamrut, all avatars emerged from Shriji Maharaj who is present in satsang; He is the avatari, the inner controller of all, radiant in Akshardham, eternally in tangible form, and possessed of infinite divine majesty. He is the emperor of infinite universes and the cause of even Aksharbrahman—these statements directly strengthen supreme conviction.

Part 14: “Swamini Vato” — The Purpose of Establishing Supreme Conviction

According to the text, to establish firm supreme conviction in souls regarding His own form, Maharaj brought Akshardham and the conscious, divine associates with Him. With the sentiment “As He is in Akshar, He is not so in Prakriti-Purush etc.,” it is explained that Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami can describe Maharaj’s glory as much as anyone can, and no one else can to that extent.

Part 15: Swamini Vato — A Metaphor for Avatars and Purushottam

Gunatitanand Swami explains the glory of avatars with the metaphor of “magnetic pull (the power to draw iron)”: some avatars are like one man or ten man, while Purushottam is “a mountain of magnetism”—meaning the entire cosmos is drawn. He says: in earlier avatars, as much majesty as there is, that many souls are carried across; today, since the incarnator of all avatars and cause of all causes has appeared, even the muktas of infinite abodes are drawn into Maharaj’s murti—this is a living understanding of supremacy.

Part 16: Swamini Vato — Renunciation and the “Chintamani” Metaphor

Gunatitanand Swami gives the example that earlier scriptures had fewer accounts of wide-scale renunciation, but today even thousands of women renounce and God comes to call people from house to house—this is a sign of manifest influence. He says: other great avatars are like “parasmani,” whereas Purushottam is “chintamani”—that is, the most supreme and the giver of everything.

Part 17: Proofs from Other Paramhansas — Glory Captured in Texts

Many paramhansas immediately developed conviction in Maharaj’s supremacy due to His divine influence; and those who had only conviction of His divinity gradually attained conviction in His supremacy by experiencing extraordinary majesty and world-transcending works. Nishkulanand Swami sings of Maharaj as Parabrahman Purushottam and the incarnator of all, and in “Purushottam Prakash” and other kirtans, the glory of Akshardham, Aksharvat, and the most supreme avatar is described.

Part 18: Utpatti Sarg — Jiva, Maya, Ishwar, Brahman, Parameshwar (Eternal)

Shriji Maharaj establishes through scripture that jiva, maya, Ishwar, Brahman, and Parameshwar are all eternal (anādi). Maya is God’s power; the jiva is not a part of Parameshwar, but an eternal jiva. When the jiva takes refuge in Parameshwar, it crosses maya, becomes brahmarup, and goes to God’s abode to become a divine attendant—this is the central doctrine. Also, at dissolution only the manifest God remains, and later, through Prakriti-Purush, He creates countless universes again.

Part 19: Order of Creation — Akshar, Purush, Prakriti, Elements, and Universe Formation

In the creation sequence, Parabrahman Purushottam looks toward Akshar at the time of creation; from Akshar a “Purush” manifests, and when Purushottam’s entry occurs, Prakriti is activated. Then through Pradhan, Mahattattva, Ahankar, beings/objects/senses/inner instruments/deities, Virat-Purush, Brahma, Prajapatis, Kashyap, Indra and other deities, demons, and the entire moving and non-moving creation—this is how the cosmos is formed. As notes, the names of deities, ten senses, five sense-objects, and five elements are also given to clarify tattvajnana.

Part 20: Aksharatmak Purush/Mukta — Unaffected Though Facing Maya

Aksharatmak Purush or the brahmarup muktas of Akshardham are described as “without food, free, Brahman, and the cause of maya.” Even though they remain facing maya, they are not afflicted by it and have no desire for enjoyments; they are blissful in Brahman-bliss and fully fulfilled—thus the greatness of the Akshar-mukta principle becomes clear.

Part 21: The Difference between “Purush” and “Purushottam” — Removing भ्रम

Because scriptures often call the aksharatmak “Purush” as Purushottam, confusion can arise; but Shriji Maharaj clearly explains that just as there is a difference between jiva and Ishwar and between Ishwar and Purush, similarly there is a great difference between Purush and Purushottam Vasudev God, the master of all. There are many aksharatmak Purushas, but they worship and praise Vasudev’s lotus feet. This must be reflected upon and firmly seated within; otherwise, scriptural words do not remain stable in one’s understanding.

Part 22: Parabrahman Purushottam Narayan — One and Non-dual

According to the text, Parabrahman Purushottam Narayan (Bhagwan Swaminarayan) is supreme, the incarnator of all avatars, the cause of all causes, and the controller of all—and He is one and non-dual. “Only one Narayan is like Narayan”—even Akshar is not capable of becoming like God—these statements firmly establish the doctrine of oneness and non-duality.

Part 23: Well-known Incidents — Supremacy Proven through Samadhi

(1) In the incident of Shitaldas (later Vyapakanand), through samadhi he saw the twenty-four avatars and Ramanand Swami within Maharaj; when he resolved, “If Maharaj is Purushottam, may countless forms appear,” countless forms manifested—thus supreme conviction became firm. (2) For Parvatbhai, he saw the radiant murti and then one by one saw the avatars and finally saw all avatars merge into Maharaj—his conviction became firm through divine experience. (3) In the samadhi episode and Yamapuri incident, through Swaroopanand Swami, suffering beings were freed by the “Swaminarayan” mantra—this is described as proof of Maharaj’s immeasurable influence.

Part 24: The Satsangijivan Episode — Insistence on Upasana and Future “Glory Scriptures”

During the composition of Satsangijivan, there was discussion on upasana: Nityanand Swami insisted that Maharaj be written as supreme and the incarnator of all, whereas some paramhansas suggested depiction like others for public acceptability. Nityanand Swami remained steadfast; ultimately Maharaj praised his understanding—this incident shows the firmness of supreme conviction. It is also said that scriptures of Maharaj’s glory would come later and images would be installed—meaning the glory would spread more clearly over time.

Part 25: The Loj–Bhuj Episode — Maharaj’s Glory from Ramanand Swami

Ramanand Swami ordered his disciples to go to Loj to see Varni. When Lalji Sutar (later Nishkulanand Swami) did not go and went to Bhuj, Ramanand Swami reproached him and said, “That Varni is even greater than me—the transcendent Purushottam, the cause of all avatars, with non-material divine majesty.” Thus, Maharaj’s supreme glory is seen being established even from the guru’s mouth.

Part 26: Maharaj’s Manifest Influence — Paramhans Diksha and the Test of Conviction

Because of Maharaj’s fame in Saurashtra, seekers came from all regions; at just 25 years of age, giving paramhans diksha to many learned and austere seekers in a single night is presented as a sign of His divine influence. When testing the paramhansas, Maharaj said, “I have not done such heroic feats,” but the paramhansas replied that Maharaj destroyed internal demons like lust and anger, built a bridge across the ocean of worldly existence by establishing the Akshar path, and freed them from maya to grant Akshardham—therefore, He is the incarnator of all avatars.

Part 27: Incidents of Gunatitanand Swami — Removing Deficiency in Understanding

Through Gunatitanand Swami’s words, Maharaj’s supremacy became even firmer in satsang. (1) The reason behind Atmanand Swami’s prolonged life was a “deficiency in understanding”—after Gunatitanand Swami explained the supreme upasana and the deficiency was removed, Maharaj immediately called him to the abode—showing the necessity of correct understanding. (2) Shuk Swami said: I wrote/found this Vachanamrut, but I understood it only today—meaning the clarity provided by a Satpurush is necessary. (3) “A soul doesn’t get stuck anywhere else; it gets stuck in calling Maharaj Purushottam”—a critique of scriptural pedantry causing hesitation, and the ‘three champa flowers’ metaphor insisting on reaching the third flower—i.e., the true supreme understanding.

Part 28: Glory Established in Texts — Shri Harililakalpataru, etc.

Gunatitanand Swami propagated Maharaj’s supremacy not only through speech but also through texts: he gave Achintyanand Brahmachari the “third flower” and commanded him to write a unique scripture describing Maharaj’s supreme form with glory in every word. As a result, the glory became textual through works like “Shri Harililakalpataru,” and the text also suggests reading more incidents from other scriptures for further reinforcement.

Part 29: Q&A — How Many Avatars? Are They Equal or Different?

Some scriptures mention 24 avatars and some mention 10, but Shrimad Bhagavat describes countless avatars of Hari; therefore avatars are innumerable, and most are considered partial/kalā avatars. Though similarity may be suggested in qualities and majesty, Purushottam’s entry (anupravesh) is not the same in all, and their abodes/realms also differ, so avatars differ. Shriji Maharaj also explained a higher-lower ordering among some avatars—thus the doctrine of difference is accepted.

Part 30: Conclusion — Who Is the True Object of Worship, and the Command for the Seeker

The conclusion of this entire discussion is that Shriji Maharaj is supreme, the incarnator of all avatars, beyond even Akshar, the creator-controller of all, and eternally tangible; there is none beyond Him. Therefore, to worship and devote oneself to Him in a brahmarup manner—this is presented as His command.

Part 31: Respect for All, Even with Exclusive Conviction

Shriji Maharaj held deep respect for all deities, acharyas, and avatars of Sanatan Dharma; by installing their forms in temples He showed reverence. Yet, to keep exclusive conviction in one’s ishtadev—like the metaphor of a faithful wife—is the mark of a true worshipper. Also, under intoxication of glory, criticizing other deities/avatars is prohibited; the tradition emphasizes broad vision and appreciation of goodness, not narrow ego.

Part 32: The Guru Lineage’s Effort and Today’s Context

Maharaj’s saints and paramhansas, Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami, Pragji Bhakta, Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and the present Mahant Swami Maharaj—this guru lineage has tirelessly worked to reveal Maharaj’s form and spread devotion worldwide. In today’s time as irreligion/atheism increases, this supreme conviction gives strength to overcome demonic tendencies, and thus Akshar-Purushottam upasana is expanding as a living tradition—this firm assurance is expressed.

Part 33: Important Quotes

• “The more firm one’s conviction is in one’s ishtadev (the Supreme Lord), the more the discernment between the soul and the non-soul develops.”
  (Vach. G. Pr. 56)
• “When that spiritual discourse is understood… lust, anger, etc… will be conquered naturally… but if there remains any deficiency in understanding God’s form… the obstruction will not break.”
  (Vach. G. M. 13)
• “Without knowing Maharaj as Purushottam, one cannot attain Akshardham…”
  (Swa. Va. 3/12)
• “Compared to God’s Akshardham, other deities’ realms are described as hell in the context of liberation.”
  (Vach. Sa. 1, 4, 11; G. An. 28)
• “Only one Narayan is like Narayan; no one else becomes like Him.”
  (Vach. Lo. 13)
• “Just as a faithful wife… similarly a devotee of God does not develop affection for other avatars.”
  (Vach. G. A. 16)

Part 34: Complete Chapter Summary (1-line Bullets)

• It is not enough to merely believe—one must recognize Shriji Maharaj as the supreme Purushottam.
• Firm conviction removes fear of birth-death and strengthens discernment between soul and non-soul.
• Correct understanding of God’s form makes faults easy to conquer; deficiency creates obstacles in practice.
• Akshardham is beyond maya, imperishable, and divinely radiant; there is no return from there.
• The manifest Maharaj and the form in Akshardham are one—Vachanamrut establishes this conviction.
• Utpatti-sarg clarifies God as the controller of all and explains the Purush–Purushottam distinction.
• Samadhi/incidents/paramhansa experiences make the supremacy evident and firm.
• Keep exclusive conviction without criticizing other deities/avatars—maintain broad, noble vision.
• The guru lineage spread this pure upasana worldwide; it still provides strength against irreligion today.