Bhagavan Swaminarayan
We’re often told that religion takes us backward. But the biggest social reforms in India have always come from within our Sanatan Dharma.
One example is Bhagavan Swaminarayan from Gujarat, so here’s his story.
He was born in 1781 near Ayodhya & mastered our scriptures while still a child.
At just 11, he left home alone to walk across India, calling himself Nilkanth Varni, and learning from yogis, monks, and teachers of every sampradaya - from Assam to Nepal to Rameshwaram - before finally settling in Gujarat.
There, he met Ramanand Swami, who initiated him as Sahajanand Swami, and later declared him the head of his Uddhav Sampradaya.
Soon after, Sahajanand gave his followers a new mantra - “Swaminarayan” - and they began calling him Bhagavan Swaminarayan, seeing him as divine.
He preached Vaishnava bhakti but also taught that Shiva, Devi, Ganpati, Vishnu - all are forms of the same divine, blending both Vaishnava and Smarta ideas.
But more than rituals or beliefs, his core message was dharma through ethical living. He banned meat, alcohol, adultery, and gambling for his followers, and demanded celibacy from monks.
He was a bold social reformer. He denounced sati, opposed female infanticide, promoted education and protection for women, and accepted followers from all castes, directly challenging untouchability.
He built free inns, dharmashalas, wells, ponds, and gave aid during famines. He held massive non-violent yagnas, reviving Vedic sacrifice without violent animal killing & instead promoting ahimsa - a radical shift at that time.
Before passing in 1830, he built six grand temples across Gujarat, and created a formal succession plan with two leadership seats: Ahmedabad and Vadtal Gadis.
Today, apart from these, Swaminarayan's legacy lives on through sub-sects like BAPS (which built Akshardham), SMVS, ISSO, and Gunatit Samaj, running 1,500+ temples and 5,000+ centres worldwide, with over 20 million followers.
His core message? That every soul, regardless of caste, gender, or status, deserves moksha and the right to do bhakti.
This is proof that our Dharma takes us forward towards an equal world for all.