Sadguru Shree Ramanand Swami wss the founder of the Uddhav Sampraday. He is considered the incarnation of Uddhavji. Due to the curse of Durvasa Rishi, he was born in the city of Ayodhya in the home of Vipra Ajay and Mother Sumati. He manifested on the morning of Shravan Vad 8, Janmashtami, in Samvat 1795 (1739 C.E.). His childhood name was Ramsharma.
Growing in virtue, Ramsharma brought joy to his parents while influencing his family and community with his commitment to personal dharma, devotion, and detachment (vairagya). After receiving his yagnopavit, he renounced his home in search of a true Sadguru to study the Vedas. Traveling from Ayodhya, he met a perfected Guru named Atmanand at the foothills of Girnar in Junagadh. He took initiation (diksha) and was named Ramanand Swami. Through the practice of ashtanga yoga, he reached a state of spiritual perfection. However, when he experienced a vision of formless light (nirakar tej) in samadhi, he became apprehensive and left his formless-worshipping Guru to travel toward South India.
In Shrirang Kshetra, he received initiation through the lineage of Acharya Ramanujacharya through divine vision. In samadhi, he was also blessed with the vision of Bhagwan Shree Krishna, which made him feel spiritually fulfilled. However, local residents could not tolerate the growing fame of an outsider. Disturbed by their harassment, Ramanand Swami moved to Vrindavan. While performing spiritual austerities there, he again received the darshan of Bhagwan Shree Krishna, who inspired him to leave that place and head toward Saurashtra to establish a new fellowship. Thus, Ramanand Swami arrived in Saurashtra and commenced the foundation of the new Sampraday.
Establishing his own views based on the principles of the Ramanuj-darshan, he propagated the path of devotion (bhaktimarg) across the land of Saurashtra. Discussions of his divine knowledge began to spread from village to village. The fellowship was strengthened through the establishment of devotee circles and sadavrats (charitable food centers) in various places.
In V.S. 1856 (1800 C.E.), Shravad Sud 6, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself arrived at the Loj ashram in the form of Nilkanth Varni. In Piplana, Ramanand Swami gave diskha to Nilkanth Varni and gave Him two names: “Sahajanand Swami” and “Narayan Muni.” In V.S. 1858, with unanimous consent in Jetpur, he handed over the reigns of the Uddhav Sampraday to Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. Having completed his mission of preparing the way for Shreeji Maharaj, Ramanand Swami eventually departed from his physical body in the village of Fareni on Magshar Sud 13 V.S. 1858 (1802 C.E.). According to the divine will of Maharaj, he was freed from the curse of Durvasa and attained a divine form in Akshardham. The Uddhav Sampraday founded by Sadguru Ramanand Swami subsequently became known as the Swaminarayan Sampraday.