Mulji Brahmachari was the personification of service and the very definition of sincerity. Mulji Brahmachari served his entire life with intense faith and exclusive devotion, preparing and serving affectionate meals (thaal) to Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. Although he was a spiritually realized soul (siddha), Mulji Brahmachari remained a dedicated servant. His yogic practice was unique; his only meditation was to have no thought other than the divine form of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, and that focus was his ultimate achievement. He remembered the Lord in all three states of consciousness.
Mulji Brahmachari’s childhood was spent in the small village of Machhiyav in Saurashtra, where he lived as the very shadow of the divine body of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, constantly accompanying Him and lovingly serving Him meals. He possessed a sturdy physique and a naturally enthusiastic spirit. Consequently, he became a favored disciple of Sadguru Shree Ramanand Swami. After receiving diksha from Ramanand Swami, Mulji Brahmachari served him faithfully until Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan ascended the spiritual throne.
From the moment Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan took the throne until He departed for His divine abode, Mulji Brahmchari served Him with a heart of total servitude (dasatva-bhav). Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself showered flowers of praise upon Mulji Brahmachari for his sincere nature and his unwavering firm resolve in celibacy (brahmacharya). Though he was extremely simple and innocent by nature, he understood the innermost thoughts and wishes of Maharaj perfectly. Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan once remarked, “Although Mukund (Mulji) Brahmachari appears to be very simple, he understands My nature exactly as it is.”
He served according to the preferences and nature of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, yet if Maharaj ever gave him a disciplinary test, he would accept it gracefully, saying, “As is the will of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan.” Once, when Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan saw Vashram Sutar applying oil to Mulji Brahmachari’s leather sandals, He tested him by saying, “We do not want a servant who has his service done by others. Go away [from Saurashtra] to Gujarat.” Obeying the command instantly, the Brahmachari left for Gujarat. He later returned to Gadhpur from Jetalpur, carrying a heavy basket of sixty pounds (dodh-maund) of mangoes on his head as an act of devotion, after which he was reinstated in his service.
In this way, the life of Mulji Brahmachari moved exactly as Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan moved. As a result, he earned the immense pleasure of Maharaj and santo. It is even recorded in the Vachanamrut that “the divine qualities found in God are present in this Brahmachari.” Thus, through the spiritual practice of service, Mulji Brahmachari became a treasury of godly virtues, and his sincere personality remains an ideal for all sadhus. Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan honored him by describing them as the inseparable pair of “Sahajanand and Mulanand.”
Alongside his personal service to Maharaj, he also rendered significant service to the growth of the Satsang. According to historical records, the final plastering work of Gadhpur Mandir in was completed under the direct supervision of Mulji Brahmachari. In Samvat 1904 (1848 C.E.), during the Jal-Jilani festival, he bid farewell to Acharya Shree Raghuvirji Maharaj and santo by saying, “The task entrusted to me by Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan is now complete.” After saying this, he had his final darshan at Akshar Ordi, returned to his seat in the siddhasana posture, and while remaining absorbed in meditation, he departed for Akshardham.