The Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat is embroiled in a controversy over its books, which have content that insults Hindu deities and tries to prove the supremacy of its revered Swamis. The controversy over the insult of Jalaram Bapa had barely subsided when another controversy over the insult of Dwarkadhish Bhagwan (Dwarka) of the Swaminarayan sect came to the fore. The sect is facing strong protests from the Hindu community. The situation in Dwarka is deteriorating, and the entire Hindu community, along with the Brahmo Samaj, has given the Swaminarayan sect an ultimatum to apologize within 48 hours.
The reason behind the start of the controversy is a book of the Swaminarayan sect named ‘Shriji Sankalpamurti Sadguru Shri Gopalanand Swamiini Vaat’. There are allegations that derogatory writings have been written in this book about Lord Dwarkadhish and the holy pilgrimage site of Dwarka. When OpIndia studied this book, many revelations were made. Not only Lord Krishna, but the book also contains derogatory statements about Lord Ram, Lord Shankar, Lord Hanuman and Ganapatiji. Besides, the book has derogatory statements about Goddess Chamunda, who is worshipped as an incarnation of Mother Parvati.
This article discusses, in detail, the derogatory statements written about Hindu gods and goddesses in that book of the Swaminarayan sect and the controversy regarding the derogatory writings about Lord Dwarkadhish. At one place in the book, it is said that there is no God in Dwarka. The book attempts to prove that ‘Swaminarayan’ is supreme by belittling the glory of Lord Krishna. Let us understand in detail what the controversy is and what is said in that controversial book.
What is the controversy?
Recently, a Swami of the Swaminarayan sect made derogatory remarks about Jalaram Bapa. Following massive protests across Gujarat, he went to Virpur and apologized. However, controversy erupted regarding a book of the Swaminarayan sect, which allegedly insulted Lord Krishna. People on social media are alleging that Swamis of the Swaminarayan sect are repeatedly insulting Hindu gods and goddesses to prove their Maharaj and ‘saints’ as supreme.
The name of the controversial book is -‘Shriji Sankalpamurti Sadguru Shri Gopalanand Swami’s Stories’. In story number 33 of this book, there is a comment which says, ‘Where will God be in Dwarka? If you want to have darshan of God, go to Vadtal’. Along with this, there is also a comment about the Gugali Brahmin community. Due to which the Brahmo Samaj and Hindu Samaj jointly protested in Dwarka and gave an ultimatum to the Swamis of the sect to come to Dwarka and apologize to God within 48 hours.
What is the story in that book?
While investigating the controversial book, OpIndia found that in story number 33, a devotee of the Swaminarayan sect, ‘Abasaheb’, is mentioned. The book says that he was a man of character and used to go for Gopalanand Swami’s darshan. According to the book, once he asked the Swami that his family members are ‘Kusangi’ (filthy), since they want to go to Dwarka, what should he do? In response, Gopalanand Swami says, “Where is God in Dwarka? If you want to have direct darshan of God, then go to Vadtal. There, Swaminarayan Bhagwan will fulfill your wishes.”
The book further states, “With the permission of the Swami, Abasaheb set out. But his relatives were hostile, and he insisted on going to Dwarka. Finally, he set off towards Dwarka and went to the seashore and boarded a ship, when a fierce storm arose in the sea.” According to the book, the ship sank in the blink of an eye. Abasaheb thought that it happened because he did not listen to Gopalanand Swami.
Further, the story says that while drowning, Abasaheb started chanting ‘Swaminarayan-Swaminarayan’. Regarding this incident, it is mentioned that Gopalanand Swami gave Abasaheb ‘darshan’ and asked him to take a piece of wood in his hand, and Abasaheb crossed the sea holding that piece in his hand! In the book, Gopalanand tells Abasaheb, “Your family members are your enemies from your previous birth, so they led you astray, but because you are our devotee, I protected you.”
In this story, devotees going to or wanting to go to Dwarka have been called ‘Kusangi’ (filthy) and going to Dwarka has been called ‘a false path’. Moreover, the book portrays the Swami as supreme by claiming ‘there is no God in Dwarka’. This has outraged the Hindu society in Dwarka, which has come together and given a 48-hour ultimatum to the Swaminarayan sect.
Other controversial texts in the same book
Upon further investigation of the same book, OpIndia came to know that in story number 25, on page number 44, there is also a mention of a person named Narupant Nana. According to the story, he once visits Gopalanand, who, seeing the horizontal tilak on Narupant’s forehead, smilingly asks him, ‘Which god are you a worshipper of?’ In response, Narupant says that he is a worshipper of Devi and says that Mother Chamunda is his family goddess.
After this, Gopalanand says, “Why do you worship a ‘tiny’ goddess instead of worshipping God?” Later in the same story, on page number 45, Gopalanand says, “Worship of gods and goddesses ultimately leads to the worst hell and suffering, but does not lead to welfare. Therefore, if you want to achieve the meaning of this birth, and if you abandon the worship of gods and goddesses and worship our Guru Shri Swaminarayan Bhagwan, who is the ‘Sovereign’, the incarnation of all incarnations, the cause of all causes, the one and only, then you will definitely attain unwavering happiness.”
In the story, on page number 46, it is said that Mother Chamunda appeared to Narupant in a dream and said, “Hey Narupant, look, both Hanumanji and Ganapati are chanting the name of Swaminarayan, our friend (in front of Mother Chamunda) is saying to Gada Ugami that Narupant has become a satsangi, so now you should leave from here. Actually, Swaminarayan is God, now you should worship Him. We will also go there from now on.” Here, a clear insult to the Hindu goddess Mother Chamunda can be seen to show the supremacy of ‘Swaminarayan’.
Apart from that, in the same book, on page number 103, a controversial text appears that says, “Hanumanji was trembling while holding a mace in front of Gopalanand”. On page number 44, Ranchhodraiji of Dakor has also been insulted. Moreover, on page number 49, Lord Shankar has also been shown worshipping Swaminarayan and Gopalanand. Also, on page number 134, it is said that Lord Shri Krishna and Lord Shri Ram also lived in the service of ‘Maharaj’ and used to serve him.
A new controversy has emerged amidst the controversy
While the controversy over derogatory comments made about Lord Krishna in a book by the Swaminarayan sect has not subsided, a Swami has stirred another controversy by claiming that Lord Dwarkapati had prayed to Maharaj to build a temple for his residence.
In a 59-second video that surfaced on social media, Swami Neelkanth Charan of Swaminarayan Gurukul in Ved Road, Surat, is seen talking about Lord Krishna. He says in the video, “Maharaj says that when we went to Dwarka, the Dwarkapati prayed to Maharaj that if you build a big temple, a big temple, then I want to come and live there.”
Further, Swami says that after years of this, Swami Sachchidanand builds a temple at Vadtal. It is also said that after the temple is built, Dwarkapati arrives at Vadtal with Swami Sachchidanand. This video, which is going viral, has added fuel to the fire in the ongoing controversy.
Many other books also insult Hindu gods and goddesses, even Swamis do it
In the above book alone, many Hindu gods have been insulted. Apart from that, there are many books in the Swaminarayan sect, in which several vain attempts have been made to insult Hindu gods and goddesses. Apart from this, the so-called saints of the Swaminarayan sect have also repeatedly made fun of Lord Shiva, Ram and Krishna and called them part and parcel of ‘Swaminarayan’.
Recently, many such cases have come to light, in which Swamis of the Swaminarayan sect have insulted Hindu gods and goddesses and have given rise to controversy by making slanderous remarks. Recently, a Swami had also insulted the Hindu festival ‘Navratri’ by calling it ‘Love Ratri’. Now, due to all these controversies, there is anger in the Hindu society, and the Swaminarayan sect is facing the heat.
What do the priest-Brahmin community of Dwarka say?
There is a lot of anger in the Gugali Brahmin community of Dwarka regarding this entire controversy. Talking to OpIndia, Gugali Brahmin Samaj President Yagneshbhai Upadhyay has said that he, his community and the entire Hindu community will not tolerate the repeated insults to Lord Shri Dwarkadhish. He has said that along with his community, the entire Hindu community has submitted a complaint to the authorities, demanding strict action in this matter. He has also said that if any other derogatory content is found in the controversial book of the Swaminarayan sect, action will be taken against it.
He said that a Swami of the Swaminarayan sect had also commented on the Gugali Brahmins of Dwarka and called them ‘money grabbers’. He alleged that the Swami had said that the Googli Brahmins in Dwarka rob people. He further said that the saints of the Swaminarayan sect make baseless statements without any proof. Upadhyay added that insults to the Brahmo Samaj may be tolerated, but insults to the Dwarkadhish cannot be tolerated at all. He said, “Insulting the Dwarkadhish is an insult to the entire Gugali Brahmins. Both are the same thing.”
Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati calls for action against insults to Hindu gods
Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math, condemned the portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses by the Swaminarayan sect as inferior or subservient to the Gurus of the sect. He urged the entire Sanatan community to take stringent action against such portrayals. The Shankaracharya referred to a Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where an idol of Lord Hanuman is seen wearing a Tilak of the Swaminarayan sect, and Lord Hanuman has been portrayed as serving Swaminarayan and joining hands before him. Expressing strong disapproval of the portrayal of Lord Hanuman wearing the Tilak of the sect, Shankaracharya called for the removal of the Tilak from the idol and the images. He pointed out that Lord Hanuman had existed much before the Swaminarayan sect was created and therefore it does not make sense to portray him as a member of the sect.
स्वामीनारायण संप्रदाय #Swaminarayan का सनातन धर्म और वैदिक ईश्वरों को लुप्त करने का षडयंत्रकारी आक्रमण क्या है? जानिए जोशीमठ के शंकराचार्यजी से।
— Dr.Kaushik Chaudhary (@ChaudhryKaushik) March 24, 2025
इस भीतरी आक्रमण की आधिकारिक और प्रमाणित जानकारी साक्ष्यों के सहित पढ़ने के लिए यह pdf 👇
कौन है स्वामिनारायण?https://t.co/3faGpJXzQ9 pic.twitter.com/y2DxvssDtI
He said that such a false and disrespectful portrayal of Hindu gods by the Swaminarayan sect has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. He compared the disrespect of Hindu gods by the sect with the disrespect of Hindu gods by Muslims.
