Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 25, 2024
Koshalendra Prasad Maharaj, renowned by millions of his devotees as the ‘Acharya of the Shree Nar Narayan Dev Gadi,’ and Head of the International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) has arrived in Auckland to adorn the festive season.
He will address a public meeting at the Swaminarayan Complex, located at 10 Wentworth Avenue, Papatoetoe in South Auckland tomorrow, Saturday, October 26, 2024.
The meeting will commence at 11 am, followed by lunch.
Car Park within the Complex may be limited and controlled but devotees may be able to find space off the street and in the neighbourhood.
The visit of the Maharaj is always awaited with pious anxiety and as an epitome of kindness and social service, he has been a source of inspiration to New Zealanders, notably Dr Kanti Patel and his wife Ranjna, who have constructed the multimillion-dollar Swaminarayan Complex (complete with state-of-the-art technology and facilities) as a gift to the New Zealand communities.
About Koshalendra Prasad Maharaj
Born on October 18, 1972 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Koshalendra Prasad Pande has dedicated his life to the Swaminarayan Sampraday (or Sampradaya, meaning Sect or Tradition), promoting spiritual growth and upholding the principles of the faith. His leadership, marked by significant contributions to the community, including the establishment of new Temples and the expansion of educational and cultural programmes, has been instrumental in the growth and prosperity of the Swaminarayan Sampraday.
He is the eldest son of Tejendra Prasad Pande, the sixth Acharya of the NarNarayan Dev Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. Following the tradition of Brahmin households, Pande received his Yajñopavītam (Sacred Thread), during the bicentennial celebrations of Swaminarayan in 1981 at Kalupur Swaminarayan Mandir. He studied at St Xavier School and St Xavier College in Ahmedabad and was appointed as an Acharya on October 15, 2004.
He established NarNarayan Dev Yuvak Mandal and commenced grand celebrations of festivals in 1981, including Shardha Satabdi Mahotav, Shashti Purti Mahotsav and the Chhapaiya Nij Mandir Pran Pratishta Mahotsav.
Under his initiative, the TV series ’Jai Shree Swaminarayan’ was shown throughout the world.
About the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan Movement, is a Hindu Vaishnava Sampradaya in Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita, characterised by the worship of its charismatic found Sahajanand Swami, popularly known as Swaminarayan (1781-1830) as an Avatar of Lord Krishna or as the highest manifestation of Purushottam, the Supreme God.
According to the tradition’s lore, the religious group and Sahajanand Swami became known as Swaminarayan after the Swaminarayan Mantra, which is a compound of two Sanskrit words, Swami (Master or Lord) and Narayan (Lord Vishnu, the Supreme God).
During his lifetime, Swaminarayan institutionalised his charisma and beliefs in various ways including through six Mandirs that he constructed to facilitate devotional worship of God and encouraged the creation of a scriptural tradition.
In 1826, in a legal document titled the Lekh, Swaminarayan created two Dioceses, the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal Gadi) and NarNarayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad Gadi), with a hereditary leadership of Acharyas and their wives, who were authorised to install statues of deities in Temples and to initiate ascetics.
In Swaminarayan’s soteriology, the ultimate goal of life is to become Brahmarūpa, attaining the form (Rupa) of Aksharbrahman, in which the Jiva (life) is liberated from Maya and Samsara (The Birth and Death Cycle) and enjoys eternal bliss, offering Sadhya Bhakti, continuous and pure devotion to God.
While rooted in Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita, for which he stated his affinity, and incorporating devotional elements of Vallabha’s Pushtimarg, Sahajanand Swaminarayan gave his specific interpretations of the classical Hindu texts. As in Vishishtadvaita, God and Jiva are forever distinct, but a distinction is also made between Parabrahman (Purushottama, Narayana) and Aksharbrahman as two distinct eternal realities.
The Swaminarayan Sampradaya developed out of Ramanand Swami’s Uddhav Sampraday, a Gujarat-based Vaishnavism teacher rooted in Ramanuja’s Vishishtadvaita. It takes the name from Ramanand’s successor Sahajanand Swami, who gained fame as Swaminarayan.
About ISSO
The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) propagates the motto of its youth, ‘One God, One Leader, One Vision’ through its interdependent structure.
Acharya 1008 Shree Tejendra Prasad Maharaj (Retired) established the ISSO in North America on Vijayadashami Day in 1978. Since then it has expanded through the development of Chapters (Satsang Mandals) which have blossomed into Mandirs. The first ISSO Mandir in the world was inaugurated in Weehawken (New Jersey) in 1987. ISSO has gone on to establish more Mandirs in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles), Houston ), Detroit, Lakeland, Edison (Central New Jersey), Cherry Hill, Cleveland (OH) and Toronto (Canada). Thousands of devotees participate in regular Satsang Sabhas in the other Chapters, including New York, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Byron, Washington, Parsipanny and Raleigh.
Guru Purnima 1989 saw the establishment of ISSO Europe by His Holiness Acharya Tejendra Prasad. This Chapter established Mandirs in Leicester, Mariestad (Sweden), London, Brighton and Gatwick. The Organisation assists Satsang’s chapters in Nottingham, Edinburgh, Coventry and Birmingham.
Australasia established its first Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Sydney in 2006. This was also the first Mandir established by Koshalendra Maharaj, the seventh Heir of Lord Shree Swaminarayan. Chapters also run in Perth (WA), Melbourne (VIC), Brisbane (QLD) and Adelaide (SA).
ISSO New Zealand
The Swaminarayan ISSO Temple in New Zealand was inaugurated in Auckland in 2008 and today, with the addition of the Community Complex, it is one of the most popular venues for Weddings, Private Parties, Public Meetings, and various events of Indian Newslink.
The Temple is an important spiritual centre for Hindus. It is a stunning and ornately constructed structure with rich carvings and artwork. As well as being a place of worship, the Temple is a hub for community involvement and humanitarian initiatives. It hosts events and programmes throughout the year to benefit the local community. Its activities include food drives, health fairs, and educational workshops. The Temple is open to people of all faiths and can participate in its ceremonies and cultural and educational programmes.
