The present work embodies my humble but sincere endeavor to understand Svaminarayana’s Philosophy in general and his philosophy of self in particular. From my studies, I have felt that Svaminarayan’s philosophy s a great heritage of mankind of which we can justly be proud. I have tried to grasp the basic principles of Swaminarayan in respect of the nature of self and to present the same in rational terms. My approach throughout has been constructive.
I have divided my work into five parts. Each part consists of one or more chapters. Part one contains only one chapter (the First Chapter). It purports to provide a general introduction to the subject of this work. Part two comprises four chapters (chapters two to five). It deals with the metaphysical nature of the self. Part three consists of six chapters (Chapters Six to eleven). It is concerned with the empirical nature of the self. Part Four comprises four chapters (chapters twelve to fifteen).
It endeavors to describe the fundamental concepts of the Svaminarayaniya Doctrine of Liberation and the means to attain liberation pointed out by Svamnarayana. Part five consists of one chapter (Chapter Sixteen). It attempts to compare Svaminarayan’s philosophy of self with that of Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, and Plato.
From the studies I have made certain basic principles of Svaminarayan’s philosophy of self emerge. It would be worthwhile to present here a brief statement of Svaminarayan’s philosophy of self. According to Svaminarayana, the self (Jiva) is real. It is one of the five realities accepted by Svaminaraya. The other four realities are Parabrahman(God), Aksarabrahman (eternal abode and the first servant of God,) Maya (matter), and Isvara (Cosmic God). Self is never created. It is eternal. It is neither before nor after God. It is coeternal with God. It cannot be destroyed. It is imperishable. There are innumerable selves. Self is neither part of God nor the appearance of God. It is different and distinct from God having its individuality. It eternally exists in itself. Each self is different and distinct from the other selves. Self is formless. It has no gender. It is atomic in size. But, it pervades the entire body through its consciousness. The self is the knower (jnata). It is also a doer (karta) and enjoyer (bhokta). It has three material bodies: causal (karana), subtle (suksma), and gross (sthula). Its consciousness has three states: waking (jagrata), dreaming (Swapna), and deep sleep (suspects).
God dwells in self as antaryami (indweller). God also dwells in it as saksin (witness self). God is the self of self, without God self can do nothing. The self is eternally dependent upon God for its existence and activity. Self’s metaphysical dependence upon God has been explained by Swaminarayan, souls are of three kinds: Nitya mukta, Mukta, and Baddha. Nitya Mukta's soul is eternally liberated, like Narada's. Mukta souls were once bound (Baddha ), but they attained liberation by spiritual sadhan ad the grace of God. Baddha's soul is tied to the wheel of birth and death. They have yet to attain their liberation. Due to ignorance, the self identifies itself with the body. But the self is not the body. The self is distinct from the body. The false identification of self is different from body as well as from God and constitutes real knowledge that saves from the cycle of births and deaths. When by Sadhana and by the grace of God the self gains this saving knowledge, it attains liberation. On attaining liberation, the self does not merge with God. It retains its individuality even in the state of liberation. A devotee of God, on liberation, after leaving the body goes to Aksaradhaman. God eternally resides in Aksaradhaman, the devotee of God attains a divine body. Housed in this divine body the self eternally resides there. With this divine body, it eternally worships and serves God and enjoys His blissful communion. For self, having once attained that state, there is no return from it to the mundane existence. Svami-Narayana believes that even in the state of liberation in Aks aradhaman the difference between selves continues to exist, and each self attains knowledge and bliss of God in proportion to its receiving capacity, i.e. the capacity to understand and appreciate the greatness and glory of God. Of course, Svaminarayana has admitted the eternal growth of this capacity. But the greatness and glory of God being infinite and unfathomable, the self will never be able to have complete knowledge of God and hence there will be no full stop to its growth.
For the attainment of liberation, Svaminarayana has pointed out different kinds of means of liberation. Dharma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Vairagya are the principal means of liberation, lie has also pointed out auxiliary means of liberation. The principle four means are not exclusive of each but they are complementary to each other. In Svaminarayana's view religion at its highest must express a harmonious synthesis of dharma (morality), Jnana (understanding of the metaphysical nature of the self, world, and God), Bhakti (intense love for and devotion to God), and Vairagya (detachment towards sensuous objects of the world). Such a harmonious synthesis of these four means is found in the life of an Ekantika Bhakta. In Svaminarayana's view, Ekantikapanuri is the highest form of religious life.
According to Svaminarayana although the self is metaphysically dependent upon God, it has the freedom to endeavor for its liberation. Self is free to love and worship God and adopt all or any of the means of liberation. All the same, Svami-Narayana has clarified that even if the self adopts all the means of liberation and worships God, it cannot attain liberation without the grace of God. The grace of God is the sine qua non for the liberation of the self.
Swaminarayan has accepted the possibility of Jivanmukti. If a man intensely loves God and is firmly devoted to Him, he can attain liberation here and now. Such a devotee of God attains liberation even while he is embodied.
Svaminarayana had found a master principle for his life. This master principle was the stark reality of God. He was certain about God. The reality of God and his intimate relationship with God occupies the central place in his preaching and discourses. God was much more to Svaminarayana than a mere object of worship. The intimacy and report of communion with God in Prayer exceeded everything that he experienced in men. For him the ultimate fact of giving religious value to everything in his world was God.
The age in which Svaminarayana lived and worked as an age of belief and universal faith in God. In Vacanamrta we do not find a single person asking, him whether God existed or not. The assemblies before whom he spoke were constituted of his disciples, his devotees, saints, members of royal families, and laity. They never questioned the existence of God. What they desired to know was, what kind of God was He? What is His nature? Where does He reside? What does He do? What are His attributes and powers? On these questions, Svaminarayana spoke with great authority and certitude. What he meant to convey to the persons sitting in assemblies was like this, please listen to me carefully. It is not I who speak. It is God who speaks through me. He spoke with great assurance from his profound and personal experience. In teaching his disciples to love and worship God, he communicated something of his mystic experience to them. But something remained in-communicable. His attempt to communicate the incommunicable caused great awe and wonder in his disciples.
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