Bhaktraj Shree Mayaram Bhatt is one of the foremost householder devotees of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. A native of Manavadar (near Junagadh), he was an exceptionally loyal and ideal young devotee of Sadguru Shree Ramanand Swami.
When he became a widower at a young age, he desired to spend the long journey of the remainder of his life with the same sentiment as Narsinh Mehta:
“Bhalu thayu bhangi janjal, sukhe bhajishu Shree Gopal.”
It is good that the worldly shackles are broken; now I shall worship Shree Gopal in peace.
However, due to the persistent insistence of his family, he considered it proper to seek the advice of his guru, Shree Ramanand Swami. The moment he entered the sabha, offered his prostrations, and took his seat, Ramanand Swami already had a resolution. “Even if someone asks me after completing three wedding rounds, I would tell them not to take the fourth round and instead recommend they engage in bhajan.” Taking these words of Gurudev Ramanand Swami as the answer to his question, Bhattji remained a lifelong celibate. Not only that, but he remained detached from worldly affairs and became a prominent figure in Satsang, as well as a special recipient of Ramanand Swami’s rajipo.
Sadguru Ramanand Swami would also place Bhattji at the forefront of all administrative tasks and seek his advice and suggestions. Even while appointing Shree Nilkanth Varni to the gadi of the Uddhav Sampraday, Swami sought Bhattji’s consent. From this alone, one can understand how loyal and trustworthy a devotee Bhattji must have been.
Bhattji, who performed Satsang with the deep faith and firm conviction that Ramanand Swami was Bhagwan manifest, initially felt some mental distress during the period of the samadhi lila. However, the infinite divine grace of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan uprooted all his doubts. Consequently, Bhattji became renowned as an exceptionally loyal and righteous devotee of Maharaj.
His life was entirely dedicated to Satsang. Even though he traveled with Maharaj day and night, he would cook his own meals and carry his own belongings. His strict adherence to Dharma never hindered his firm conviction in Maharaj. He possessed complete trust and profound faith in Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. Through continuous service, he earned Maharaj’s boundless rajipo. Traveling long distances on foot was nothing unusual for him; as a result, he served as Maharaj’s messenger, delivering agyna patras (letters of command) and invitation cards from village to village without fatigue. Despite this, he never harbored any expectations.
He served the Satsang with a selfless spirit. Living a simple life with minimal needs and without any sense of hoarding, this eminent Brahmin, Shree Mayaram Bhatt, forever remained in the divine grace of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan.