Aksharanand Swami, who embodied the bliss and spirituality of Akshardham, possessed a deep love for Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan and always remained absorbed in Him. Before his monastic life, his name was Pujo, and he was a native of the village Alaiya-Moda. From a young age, he had a profound love for Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, and was a true mumukshu bhakt (a seeker of liberation). Once, when a group of saints traveled through the region and arrived at Alaiya-Moda, the village princes, Pujaji and Daluji, observed their speech and conduct. This experience caused the seed of mumukshuta to sprout within them. Both brothers, Puja and Dala, felt an unimaginable spiritual attraction and were bound to Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan by a silken thread of love, sparking a deep desire to meet Him.
In Gadhpur, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan was seated in the Akshar Ordi when the two princes arrived with the saints for His darshan. They performed sashtang pranam before Him. With a joyful expression, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan said to Dada Khachar, “These saints have brought these princes to receive spiritual guidance and diksha. These two brothers are princes.” He then gave Puja and Dala samanya diksha and accepted them as followers.
Through his association with the saints, the spiritual life of the elder brother, Pujaji, began to flourish. Recognizing this, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan gave him Bhagwati diksha and gave him the auspicious name Aksharanand Swami. At that moment, he entered a state of samadhi and beheld the divine form of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, seated on a divine throne in Akshardham. He became fully convinced that the form on Earth and the form in Akshardham were one and the same, with no difference between them.
Daluji offered Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan one hundred gold coins, a shield, and a sword. The Lord then told him, “We have made your elder brother a sant to provide spiritual guidance to the people. Since you possess saintly qualities, you should remain in the service of the saints for your entire life.” Daluji accepted the command of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan with the utmost respect.
Because Aksharanand Swami was an expert in practical matters, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan appointed him as the mahant of Vadtal. Swamishree served Vadtal mandir faithfully according to the instructions of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. Despite being the mahant, he lived by the principle: “If you are assigned a humble task, consider yourself very fortunate.” He cared for both the junior and senior saints, as well as the devotees, earning their deep respect and pleasure. Aksharanand Swami remained in Vadtal until Samvat 1919, when he left his physical body and concluded his divine lila. His agni sanskar was performed between the cremation sites of Gopalanand Swami and Nityanand Swami.
We offer hundreds of salutations at the lotus feet of Sadguru Aksharanand Swami, who dedicated his life to the service of the temple built by Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, making his life fragrant with devotion and bringing joy to the satsang community.