Mahant Swami Maharaj was an Indian spiritual leader. He is the president of Swaminarayan Sampradaya Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu sect. He is considered the sixth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan.
Wiki/Biography
Keshav Patel (Vinu Patel) aka Mahant Swami Maharaj was born on Wednesday, September 13, 1933 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India (age 90; as of 2023). His father belonged to Anand in Gujarat, but later settled in Jabalpur and started a dairy business. When Keshav Patel was six months old, Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj visited his home in Jabalpur, blessed the newborn and gave him a Kanthi mala (basil seed necklace). Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj also named him Keshav; however, his family called him Venu.
Mahant Swami Maharaj Childhood Photos
Mahant Swami Maharaj received his education in a local English school in Jabalpur. He completed his schooling from Christ Church Boys High School, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Later, he moved to Anand, Gujarat with his family and pursued his bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Bansilal Amrutlal Agricultural College, Anand, Gujarat in 1951.
appearance
Hair color: Bald
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Mahant Swami Maharaj’s father Manibhai Narayanbhai Patel was a businessman and his mother Dahiben was a housewife.
wife
Mahant Swami Maharaj was unmarried.
Religion/Religious Views
Mahant Swami Maharaj followed Swaminarayan Sampradaya of the Hindu sect Vaishnava Sampradaya.
spiritual awakening
Keshav Patel met Pramukh Swami Maharaj for the first time in May 1951 when he was graduating with his The disciples visited the house of Keshav Patel. According to Mahant Swami Maharaj, Yogi Maharaj sincerely apologized to him for any inconvenience he may have caused while leaving his home. He believes it was at this moment that Yogi Maharaj’s unparalleled love and humility made a deep impression on him. Over the next few years, during college summers, Keshav traveled with him to different parts of India, listened to his sermons, and later became inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s lifestyle Inspired by this, he decided to become a monk.
After Mahant Swami Maharaj became a monk in 1957
Keshav Patel was appointed as Prashad by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in 1957 and was named Venu Bhagat. Vinu Bhagat became Yogi’s assistant and traveled with him for the next three years.
Vinu Bhagat (far left) with Pramukh Swami Maharaj and other disciples in Africa
spiritual journey
Enlightenment as an Ascetic
In 1960, Vinu Bhagat along with 8 other disciples were killed by Pramukh Swami Maharaj at Kapolvadi, Mumbai. He was appointed parshad. These 9 disciples are called “Nav Yogeshwars”.
Vinu Bhagat (standing in the middle) with Nav Yogeshwars
In 1961, Pramukh Swami Maharaj conferred the title of Sadhu on Vinu Bhagat and 50 other disciples. Vinu Bhagat was the first among the 51 persons to attain bhagwati dikshā, and Yogiji Maharaj named him Sadhu Keshavjivandas. After the saint’s initiation, Swamiji gave sage Sadhu Keshavjivandas the responsibility of supervising the young saint and appointed him the ‘Mahant’ of the Dadar temple in Mumbai. There he received his name: Mahant Swami.
BAPS Volunteering and Services
After the death of Yogiji Maharaj in 1971, he devoted himself entirely to the worship of his new guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He visited various states and cities across India and also visited foreign countries. Since 1971, on the instructions of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Swami Maharaj worked for the upliftment and strengthening of the Satsang community. He volunteers his services for Akshardham Initiative, Children and Youth Projects and various Satsang events during BAPS mega festivals.
world tour
In 1986, Mahant Swami Maharaj led a group of sadhus on a world tour, conducting research in Gandhinagar to produce an exhibition on Akshardham. In 1988, Mahant Swami Maharaj led a group of sadhus to Nairobi and other 17 countries to celebrate the 68th birthday of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Chairman and Guru of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
On August 13, 2016, after the death of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Mahant Swami Magharaj was announced as the new President and Guru of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. He was appointed as the sixth spiritual successor in the lineage of Swaminarayan Guru. As President of BAPS, he traveled extensively around the world organizing Satsangs and preaching.
Mahant Swami’s Satsang in Chicago
In February 2024, he visited Abu Dhabi as a state guest to attend the inauguration ceremony of the first BAPS Hindu temple in the Gulf country.
Honors and Qualifications
In 2017, the mayors of Toronto, Canada, Lilburn, Georgia, Irving, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, awarded him keys to their cities.
Facts/Trivia
- In 1977, Mahant Swami Maharaj visited North America for the first time. He traveled across the country by road, visiting devotees’ homes and various BAPS temples in the United States, meeting Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Ji built a strong Satsang community together.
Mahant Swami Maharaj’s BAPS Temple in Flushing, New York
- In 1985, Mahant Swami Maharaj attended the Cultural Festival of India (CFI) in London and unveiled the CFI commemorative book.
Mahant Swami inaugurated CFI Memorial Book
- According to many news reports, Mahant Swami Maharaj ate only food without salt and did not use any spices.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education