Among the sadhus who contributed the lion’s share to the development of the Sampraday after the departure of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, one of the foremost name is Sadguru Shree Gunatitanand Swami. Swamishree was born in V.S. 1841 (1785 C.E.) in the village of Bhadra. His father’s name was Bholanath and his mother’s name was Sakarba. His childhood name was Mulji. He possessed a natural power of devotion from birth, and a sense of detachment (udasinya) toward worldly life developed within him instinctively. Even while immersed in the beauty of devotion since childhood, he handled worldly affairs efficiently.
Once, while Mulji Bhakta was working in a sugarcane field, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan granted him divine darshan and spoke in a mysterious, profound tone: “What have we come here to do, and what are you doing? Where has your ‘divine radiance’ (Brahmatej) withered away?” In response to this question, Mulji immediately renounced his home and worldly life to embark on the path of sanyas. He received diksha in V.S. 1866, and Mulji became “Gunatitanand Swami.” Due to his intense spiritual practice and constant alertness, he achieved such an exalted state that he experienced the continuous darshan of the divine form of Maharaj in all three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. He had reached a state where, if he forgot Maharaj for even a moment, he felt as if his palate would burst. When Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan first introduced the Tilak Chandlo on Fagan Vad 1 V.S. 1877 (1821 C.E.) in the village of Panchala, it was first applied on the forehead of Sadguru Shree Gunatitanand Swami.
Many great sadhus in the sampraday served by contributing their knowledge, poetic power, music, or scholarly brilliance, earning a respectful place in history. However, Gunatitanand Swami left a unique mark on the horizon of the fellowship with his challenging and piercing spiritual talks (vato). His unwavering faith in Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan still resonates today, purifying the ears of those who hear it. The art of delivering these spiritual discourses was a natural and unique gift of this sant. If the words did not pierce straight through the listener’s heart, then they were not Swami’s words. He served the spiritual fervor of devotion equally to everyone, from the poor to the scholars and the kings. Not only within this Sampraday but even among the Muslim residents of Junagadh, the saintliness of this great soul had a profound influence.
When Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan appointed Swami as the first Mahant of Junagadh Mandir, Swami only accepted on the condition that Sadguru Shree Gopalanand Swami would reside at the mandir for one month every year for the purpose of doing satsang. After serving as the Mahant of the Junagadh temple for nearly 41 years and delivering talks filled with the pride of supreme faith, this eminent saint renounced his body in Gondal in V.S. 1923 (1867 C.E.).