Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Background

Pramukh Swami Maharaj showed strong devotion to religion since childhood. After finishing his schoolwork, he would usually rush off to the village’s Hanuman temple. He and a childhood friend would keenly listen to the sermons of a Hindu holy man named Haridas. Maharaj also spent time with Shastriji Maharaj and his disciple swamis whenever they visited the village. When he was 17 years old, his guru, Shastriji Maharaj, sent a letter asking him to join the swamis. His parents gave their permission and blessings, and he left home that day to join Shastriji Maharaj and his swamis. Shastriji Maharaj gave him “parshad diksha” (primary initiation) at Ambli Vali Pol in November 1939 and renamed him Shanti Bhagat. In January of the following year, he was named “Narayanswarupdas Swami” (the servant of the form of God).

He studied Sanskrit and the Hindu scriptures and earned the title ‘Shastri’ upon mastering scripture and philosophy. His comprehensive understanding of B.A.P.S.’s broader affairs and activities led to his guru Shastriji Maharaj appointing him the ‘kothari’ (head) of the large B.A.P.S. temple in Sarangpur. When he was only 28 years old, Shastriji Maharaj appointed him the administrative ‘pramukh’ (president) of B.A.P.S. After this, he was widely known as Pramukh Swami.

B.A.P.S. grew widely under his leadership. The organization gained hundreds of thousands of devotees globally. He did 27 international spiritual tours in more than fifty countries on five continents. He was the head of B.A.P.S.’s efforts in conducting large-scale cultural festivals (like the 1991 Cultural Festival of India in New Jersey) to foster a better understanding and appreciation of Hindu traditions. On August 13, 2016, he passed away and was mourned by B.A.P.S. followers worldwide.