Bhaktraj Shree Parvatbhai was originally a devotee of Sadguru Shree Ramanand Swami. He was from the village of Agatrai in the Saurashtra region. By profession, he was a farmer. His conviction toward Ramanand Swami was unshakeable. However, at the very first darshan of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, his mind became perfectly still, and the divine form of Maharaj was etched into his heart.
Thereafter, he meditated upon Him in all three states of consciousness. No worldly illusion could succeed in enticing him. Physically, he was bound by worldly duties, but his soul was swept away in the powerful flood of bhakti. While plowing the fields, he would perform mansi puja, yet he cultivated a stability of mind that would leave even great yogis in astonishment.
The life of Parvatbhai is a spring of inspiration. While history has not been able to record every single event of his life, the lila of him performing mansi puja while plowing his field is considered highly significant. Hence, the village of Agatrai is also referred to as “Mansi Puja Dham”, as Parvatbhai was the first ever to perform mansi puja. This represents the ultimate pinnacle of karmayoga. It is only when the boundary between karmayog (path of action) and bhaktiyog (path of devotion) is blurred and forgotten that devoted personalities like Parvatbhai arise in Satsang.
He possessed a level of self-surrender (atmanivedan) and nishchay so immense that even a mountain (parvat) would seem small in comparison. Wearing coarse clothes and speaking a rustic language—yet possessing a gentle nature—devotees like Parvatbhai have greatly strengthened the spirit of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.