Muktanand Swami

About Muktanand Swami

Muktanand Swami (1758-1830) was a sadhu and paramahansa of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

Biography

He was born Mukund Das to Anandram and Radhabai in Amrapur village (Dist-Amreli), Gujarat in 1758.

When children of his age group were indulging in sports, and games Mukund sat quietly in seclusion with the closed eyes. Mukund Das learnt Vedas, scriptures and music from two teachers - Jaduram and Hathiram, both of whom were scholars in literature and fine arts.

Muktanand Swami was considered the principal disciple of Ramanand Swami. He mastered the eight folded yogic state.

Swaminarayan and Muktanand Swami

In Loj, Sadhu Sukhanand a fellow saint and devotee residing at the hermitage found a young saint with divine aura bathing by a well near the village. Impressed by the sight of the divinehb yb the young brahmchari to hermitage and introduced him to Muktanand Swami. Muktanand Swami found himself drawn towards the divine presence of the youthful saint and coming forward offered pranams. On a mutual introduction, Muktanand Swami gathered that the visitor was the son of DharmaDev and BhaktiDevi, and had spent seven years in the seclusion of the mountains and forests. His present name was Varniraj (forestdweller) Nilkanth Varni (Lord Swaminarayan). Nilkanth Varni stayed on in Loj to meet Ramanand Swami who was in Bhuj at that time.

Satsang gives great importance to Muktanand Swami, because the foundation of this great sect was laid by him by closing interactive window between hermitage and neighbour, and separated women from the gents in Satsang Sabha on instance from Nilkanth Varni.

He, though in age was senior to Nilkanth Varni (Renamed Sahajanand Swami by Ramanand Swami), but in succession to Ramanand Swami he proposed Sahajanand Swami as the successive preceptor and head of the sect. Thus Muktanand Swami lived under the auspices of Sahajanand Swami who always respected him like a Guru.

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