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Shree Nijanand (Pranami) Sampradaya
Founder
Nijanand Swami Shree Devchandra ji(1581-1654 AD), Proponent Mahamati Prannath (1618-1694 AD)
Regions with significant populations
India, Nepal, USA, UK, AU, Canada
Religions
Hinduism, Syncretic
Scriptures
Kuljam Swaroop (Tartam Vani, Tartam Sagar, Shri Prannath Shree Mukh Vani)
Languages
Gujarati, Hindustani, Hindavi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Sindhi, Jati, Khadi

The Pranami Sampradaya, originally named Shree Nijanand Sampradaya[1], also known as Par-Nami (lit. 'The one who transcends all worldly identities[2] and Pranami — meaning “those who greet with Pranam” — is a Hindu devotional tradition with strong syncretic elements, centered on the worship of Aksharateet Parbrahm as the Supreme God') is a Hindu sect that worships Akshraateet ParBrahmn 'Shree Raj and Shree Prannath" as the Supreme God who played the divine Leelas in Brij and Raas as Shree Krishna. Shri Krishna is regarded as manifested Roop whereas Shree Raj as the essence Swaroop. It is based on the teachings of Devachandra and Mahamati Prannath compiled in their holy book, Shri Kuljam Swaroop and Beetak Saheb. Kuljam Swaroop waslater called as Tartam Vani, Tartam Sagar, Shree Prannath Shree Mukh Vani.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The sacred text of the Pranami sect, the Tartam Sagar

History

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Founded in 1621 AD, Nijānanda Sampradāya (NS) is a Hindu denomination which is based on spiritual teachings of Nijānanda Swami Shri Devchandra ji (1581-1654 AD) and its exponent Mahāmati Prānanāth (AD 1618-1694). The founder Acharya conceived the Absolute Reality as the totality encompassing the graded existences of various levels of consciousness: mainly, Kshar Purusha, Akshar Brahman and Aksharateet Par-Brahman. He introduced the concept of creative monism or ‘Sva-Lila-Adwait’ based on his realization that the non-dual Par-Brahman is beyond all worldly forms and formless, and through His ceaseless creativity, He is always engaged in self-sporting joy of perpetual love. Thus, it asserts the underlying intent of an important tenet of the Vedas which says: God is One and there is no second who is worthy of worship (Eko Brahman Dwitiyo Nasti). He explained the nature of Supreme Reality as "Swa-Leela-Dwait" (स्व-लीला-द्वैत), which means that "the One Supreme ceaselessly keep appearing in infinite different blissful forms for self-sporting joy, and then all merging into One Supreme." The Supreme’s transcendental Abode is infinite and unbounded existence of infinitely blissful divine play Often, this Faith is cited by some to belong to the Sant heritage like that of the Kabīrpanthi, Dādūpanthis, and Sikhs.[9]

Mahamati Prannath on a 2019 stamp of India.

The Praṇāmī sampradaya emerged in the 17th century in Western India, based on the teachings of Bhakti saints, Devcandra Mehtā and his foremost disciple Mehrāj Ṭhākur, later known as Prāṇanāth. Devcandra (1581–1655) was born into a wealthy Kāyastha family in Umarkot, Sindh and was initiated into the Rādhāvallabhā sect. According to sectarian tradition, Kr̥ṣṇa visited Devcandra and gave him the tārtam mantra, which gives access to the Iīlās of Kr̥ṣṇa. His disciple Mehrāj Ṭhākur aka Prāṇanāth was born into a Ṭhākur family in Jamnagar, Saurashtra. Prāṇanāth worked as a government official in Saurashtra, and travelled through Arabia, Persia, and Iraq studying the Quʾrān, Bible, and other Islamic-Christian texts. In India he founded the Mahāmaṅgalapurī Temple in Surat. In the 1677 Kumbhamelā in Haridvār, he won a religious debate in which he defeated Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva followers, and was awarded the title of mahāmati. In Jamnagar he was arrested several times for allegedly embezzling public funds.[9]

The traditions grew after Mughal Empire declined, in the wake of Aurangzeb's religious persecution of non-Muslims, when Hindu rebellion led to new kingdoms. King Chatrasāl of Bundelkhand patronized Prāṇanāth, and he lived in its capital Panna, Panna for the rest of his life until his death in 1694. The Pranami tradition welcomed all castes and religions to join the Supreme Truth Shri Krishna worship tradition. At conversion initiation, Prannathji would invite the new members to dine together regardless of whether they came from any Sanatan background. He would also explain the Pranami ideas by citing Hindu and Islamic texts to make his teachings connect with the background of the converts.[10][9]

The Pranami Sampradaya is also known as the Nijananda Sampradaya, literally, 'nij' meaning, oneself or own and 'ananda' meaning bliss or joy.[11] The Pranami sampradaya's teachings tries to bridge the gap between the Eastern religions and Western religions together stating that both the Eastern and Western religions talk about the same one almighty god.[12]

The Praṇāmī sect is heavily influenced by Islam, having developed in an era of Islamic rule. Prāṇanāth claimed that Hinduism and Islam both contained the same esoteric truths, and that the Quʾrān and Vedas both revealed the same truth. According to sectarian tradition, Prāṇanāth is both the last avatār of Viṣṇu and the Mahdī and Chatrasāl is compared to ʾAlī. During his lifetime Prāṇanāth was considered to be both a Hindu sant and a Musim faqīr.[9]

The Praṇāmī corpus, like in other Bhakti movement saint traditions, an eclectic mix of vernacular languages found in central, west and north India: Hindi, Gujarati, and Sindhi.[13][14][9]

Until the early 20th century, Praṇāmīs were accused of being crypto-Muslims. They were and are treated suspiciously by others and were considered to be outcastes. In recent decades the sect has gone through Hinduization/Vaishnavization with older Islamic elements being discarded.[9]

Among other notables – Mahatma Gandhi's mother, Putlibai, belonged to Pranami sect.[15][16] Gandhi in his book My Experiments With Truth mentions about this sect - "Pranami is a sect deriving the best of Gita and Quran, in search of one goal – Shri Krishna."[17]

Krishna Pranami Mandir, in Madhya Pradesh and Buddhashanti, Nepal.

Tartam Sagar

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Târatam Vâni’ is a set of 14 books containing 18,758 divine verses, ecstatically uttered by a great personage titled Mahâmati Prânanâth (1618-94 AD) in India. During his spiritual awakening journey of about 33 years between 1657-1694 AD, a large reservoir of spiritual truths concerning Purushottama and levels of higher realities was provided first time ever to the humanity. Tartam Vani is chiefly contained in Shri Kulzam Swaroop. The word Kulzum implies spiritual prosperity, non-dual wisdom, inner secrets or journey into the heart-ocean of Supreme Beloved. And the word Swaroop means divine meta-form. Later, people gave it different names such as Tartam Sagar, Shri Mukh Vani, and Shri Prānanāth Vani. It is the principal scripture of Shri Nijānanda Sampradāya.[18]. It is a compilation of 14 books;There are fourteen books, a total of 526 chapters and 18, 758 chaupais in Tartam Vani. The fourteen books of Tartam Vani are: 1. Räs - Nectar of love and devotion, 2. Prakash (Hindi and Gujarati) -The enlightenment of Tartam, 3. Shatritu - The longings of the six seasons, 4. Kalash (Hindi and Gujarati) - The ultimate knowledge, 5. Kirantan - Poetic verses with Revelations, 6. Khilwat - Discussions of the souls with Supreme Beloved in solitude, 7. Parikrama - The Description of 25 regions (pakshas) of Abode (Paramdham), 8. Sāgar - The ocean of devotion and commitment, 9. Singar - Adornment of His magnificence, 10. Sindhi - The ultimate love towards HIM, 11. Sanandh - The Divine Deed for Supreme’s Bride, 12. Khuläsä -The findings of the Vedas and the Koran, 13. Marfat Sägar - The complete recognition (spiritual awakening), and 14. Kayāmat-Nama (small and large) - Enlightenment and Perishable Universe, [19] consisting of 18,758 verses. The text was published in 1965 for the first time. It is regarded to contain the revelation of the Vedic and Western scriptures, as well as the description of the supreme abode of Akshrateet ParBrahman, called Paraṃadhāma which transcends Goloka Vrindavan. The text is regarded to be divine and is therefore accorded equivalent worship as Akshrateet Shri Rajji.

Beetak Saheb

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Beetak Saheb (1695 AD) is the second most revered scripture of Shri Nijānand (Parnami) Sampradaya. It is an authentic biographical composition of spiritually significant events, an account of Nijānand spiritual concepts and life practices.

Beetak is in fact, the main bridge which one must pass through to enter the heart of Shri Prānanāthji's Tartamic divine wisdom. It connects the soul's journey from the Supreme Abode (Paramdham) to blissful loving plays enacted during Brij Lila, Raas Lila, the complete Jagni Leela and back to the Home - the Supreme Abode.

Beetak highlights the legacy and life works of Nijānanda Swami (Shri Devchandraji), Mahāmati Prānanāth (Shri Mihirajji), Maharaja Chhatrasal, Brahman Muni Laldas, Navarang Swami, Phool Bai, Tejkuwari, Lalbai, and many other inspirational personalities - both men and women, who dedicated their life and served the mission of Jāgani (spiritual awakening) as per the guidance of Nijānand Swami, Shri Prānanāth Ji, and Maharaja Chhatrasal Ji. It paves the path for the future spiritual practitioners by showing how to deal with challenges of life.

Rites and rituals

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The tradition is strictly vegetarian (ahimsa, non-violence to animals), non-caste tradition dedicated to Supreme Lord whom they also call as "Rajji".[11][14] Dedicated Pranami temples exist such as in Kathiawar and Gulf of Kutch region, but followers of Pranami traditions substitute it by praying and spiritual pursuits in any nearby convenient temples.[11][10] There are an estimated 5-10 million Pranamis found primarily throughout North India, particularly the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim), and Assam, as well as the eastern half of Nepal.[11]

Images and devotees at Shri Krishna Pranami temples.

Distribution

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Nijanand Sampraday followers though a minority sect of an offshoot Hinduism can be found in States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim in India chiefly. The followers of Shree Krishna Pranami Faith are spread worldwide in recent times including the countries like Nepal, United States, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Canada among others.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Brahm Muni Laldas(1695) Beetak 37/83
  2. ^ Acharya Pandit Buddhi Prakash Baajpeyi(2004), Mahan Shastrarth aur Swalilaadvait page 84
  3. ^ "Nijanand (Pranami) Faith". pranami.org.
  4. ^ Dalal, Roshen (2010). "Pranami Panth". Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  5. ^ Toffin, Gérard (2011). The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas: Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics. SAGE Publishers. pp. 144–152. ISBN 978-81-321-0524-4.
  6. ^ Toffin, Gérard (2012). "The Power of Boundaries: Transnational Links among Krishna Pranamis of India and Nepal". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. SAGE Publ. India. pp. 249–254. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
  7. ^ Shiri Ram Bakshi; S.R. Bakshi And O.P. Ralhan (2008). Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. pp. 205–206. ISBN 978-81-7625-806-7.
  8. ^ Arvind Sharma (2013). Gandhi: A Spiritual Biography. Yale University Press. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-0-300-18738-0.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Toffin, Gérard (2020). "Praṇāmī Sampradāy". Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill.
  10. ^ a b Arvind Sharma (2013). Gandhi: A Spiritual Biography. Yale University Press. pp. 10–12. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/978-0-300-1Nijanand.org8738-0|978-0-300-1[http://Nijanand.org Nijanand.org]8738-0]]. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); External link in |isbn= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d Toffin, Gérard (2011). The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas: Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics. SAGE Publishers. pp. 144–152. ISBN 978-81-321-0524-4.
  12. ^ Archana Sharma | TNN (19 November 2006). "Where Krishna meets Mohammed". The Times of India.
  13. ^ Shiri Ram Bakshi; S.R. Bakshi And O.P. Ralhan (2008). Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. pp. 205–206. ISBN 978-81-7625-806-7.
  14. ^ a b Toffin, Gérard (2012). "The Power of Boundaries: Transnational Links among Krishna Pranamis of India and Nepal". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. SAGE Publ. India. pp. 249–254. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
  15. ^ Amalendu Misra (2004). Identity and Religion: Foundations of Anti-Islamism in India. Sage Publications. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7619-3227-7.
  16. ^ Rajmohan Gandhi (2007). Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People, and an Empire. Penguin Books India. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-14-310411-7.
  17. ^ Nagindas Sanghvi (2006). The Agony of Arrival: Gandhi, the South Africa Years. Rupa & Company. p. 38. ISBN 978-81-291-0835-7.
  18. ^ Mahāmati Prāṇanātha: Jāganī sañcayana, viśvadharma sadbhāva ko samarpita śodhagrantha, varsha 1994-95, aṅka 20-21 : viśvadharma preraka Vijayābhinanda Budha Mahāmati Prāṇanātha kī Tirodhāna Triśatābdī para prakāśita (in Hindi). Śrī Prāṇanātha Miśana. 1994. p. 381.
  19. ^ A. A. Abbasi (2001). Dimensions of Human Cultures in Central India: Professor S.K. Tiwari Felicitation Volume. Sarup & Sons. p. 191. ISBN 978-81-7625-186-0.