Bhagatji Maharaj
| Bhagatji Maharaj | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Personal | |
| Born | Pragji Darji 20 March 1829 Mahuva (present-day Gujarat, India) |
| Died | 7 November 1897 (aged 68) |
| Guru | Gunatitanand Swami |
| Disciple(s) | Shastriji Maharaj |
Bhagatji Maharaj (Gujarati: ભગતજી મહારાજ) (20 March 1829 – 7 November 1897), born as Pragji Darji, was the second spiritual successor of Swaminarayan in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a Hindu denomination. Through his spiritual discourses he was instrumental in propagating the knowledge that Swaminarayan was Purushottam, the Supreme Being, and that his own guru, Gunatitanand Swami, was Akshar, the divine abode of God. His spiritual realization and elevated spiritual practice as a low-caste householder set new precedents and acted as a bulwark against the idea that spiritual elevation was confined to upper castes. He passed on the knowledge of the Akshar-Purshottam Upasana to his closest disciple, Shastriji Maharaj, who later founded BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in 1907. His extraordinary spiritual service and unflinching devotion towards Gunatitanand Swami elevated him to an exalted status among devotees of the Swaminarayan sect both past and present.
Pragji was born on 20 March 1829 in the small, bucolic town of Mahuva into a family of tailors. His father was Govindbhai and his mother was Malubai Darji. As a young child, Pragji was greatly inclined towards devotion and spirituality and often visited the nearby Laksmi-Narayan mandir (which still stands today) to offer his devotion. He frequented the Malan River and gave impromptu talks to his friends on the importance of worshipping God. He would often indulge in childish pranks, selling an ornamental portion his mother’s sari on one occasion to feed a group of sadhus, that were evidence of his spirited good nature. Pragji was introduced to the Swaminarayan faith when Sadguru Yoganand Swami visited the local Swaminarayan mandir and initiated him as a satsangi.
When Pragji was ten years of age, Acharya Raghuvirji Maharaj and Sadguru Gopalanand Swami visited the nearby village of Pithvadi. Due to his devotional nature, the young Pragji was chosen to perform the welcoming pujan rites of the two eminent spiritual leaders. This initial contact with Gopalanand Swami whetted Pragji’s appetite for Satsang and he made a dedicated effort to remain in the company of Gopalanand Swami in Vadtal as often as possible. As Pragji’s devotion and love for Gopalanand Swami increased, he expressed a wish to be initiated into the sadhu fold. However, Gopalanand Swami instructed him to remain a householder explaining, “If you attain spiritual knowledge from the sadhus, then even while leading the life of a householder you will not be able to forget God and His holy Sadhu.” Thus, Pragji Bhakta demonstrated the denomination's teaching that anyone could attain realization of God, even a low-caste householder, since spiritual attainment is determined by devotion, non-attachment, and spiritual understanding and practice. One day, Gopalanand Swami delivered what was at that time a prescient message to Pragji that would lay the foundation for his future discipleship under Gunatitanand Swami. Gopalanand Swami said, “Pragji, You must go to Junagadh. All the promises [of attaining spiritual realization] I have made to you will be fulfilled by the Jogi of Junagadh (an allusion to Gunatitanand Swami).” Unable to grasp the significance of this statement, Pragji did not immediately set out for Junagadh. However, when Gopalanand Swami lay on his deathbed, he once again alluded to "keeping his vision towards the Jogi of Junagadh." When Pragji sought clarification, Gopalanand Swami gave Pragji an insight into the Akshar-Purshottam philosophy by saying, “Gunatitanand Swami - the Jogi of Junagadh - is the incarnation of Akshardham. He is Swaminarayan's divine abode, and Swaminarayan is not even an atom's distance away from him." Gopalanand Swami further declared that if Pragji wished to attain ultimate liberation, he should go to Gunatitanand Swami in Junagadh.
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