The Supreme Lord Maha Vishnu is the source of all divine incarnations within the universe. The Lord incarnates within this universe to re-establish righteousness and to protect the souls of his devotees. Because of this, Lord Swaminarayan incarnated on April 2nd, 1781, in Chhapaiya village, Uttar Pradesh, India. Lord Swaminarayan did this to establish Bhagavat Dharma, which consists of Dharma (moral duty), Gyan (knowledge), Vairagya (detachment from Maya), and Bhakti (devotional love of God). Bhagavat Dharma is also known as Vedic Sanatan Dharma. Vedic Sanatan Dharma is the natural way of life, based on Vedic wisdom.
Lord Swaminarayan taught the Vedic Dharma to uplift humanity and offer us all a better way of life within the universe. Lord Swaminarayan has taught us Vedic Dharma through his books; Shikshapatri (letter of direction), Vachanamrutham (words of nectar), and Satsangi Jivan (biography of Lord Swaminarayan, written by Shatanand Muni with the approval of the Lord himself). Lord Swaminarayan had five hundred sadhus (saints) who were all Vedic Scholars and Liberated Souls. They contributed to the spreading of Vedic teachings. Some of the most notable of these include Muktananda Swami, Gunatitanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami, Nishkulanand Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Nityanand Swami, Shukanda Swami, Premananda Swami, and Devananda Swami.
Our great Saints with Lord Swaminarayan:
- Gunatitanand Swami
- Gopalanand Swami
- Muktananda Swami
- Brahmanand Swami
- Premananda Swami
- Shukanda Swami
- Shatanand Swami
- Nityanand Swami
- Bhumanand Swami
- Atmanand Swami
- Majukeshananda Swami
- Devananda Swami
- Akhandananda Swami
- Adharananda Swami
- Five hundred Nanda Santo in all
- They are all Vedic scholars, writers, poets, and musicians
In 1948 his Holiness Shastriji Maharaj Dharmajivandasji Swami established Swaminarayan Gurukul, Rajkot Sansthan, in Gujarat, India. He became a pioneer within the Udhav Sampradaya by establishing the Gurukul system to continue the preaching of Vedic Dharma in its original form as taught by Lord Swaminarayan. His Holiness Shastriji Maharaj was supported in this work by great sadhus and devotees such as Purani Swami Premaprakash Dasji, Niranmukat Dasji Swami, Jogi Swami Hariprakash Dasji, and devotees such as Tribhovanbhai Gaurishankar Vayas (poet & scholar) and other great devotees.
Our Sadgurus at the time of his holiness Shastriji Maharaj:
- Purani Swami Premaprakash Dasji
- Niranmukta Dasji Swami
- Jogi Swami Hariprakash Dasji
- Kothari Swami Harijivan Dasji
- Hariprasad Dasji Swami
Sadgurus with present spiritual master Devakrishna Dasji Swami:
- Lakshminarayan Dasji Swami
- Gyanswarup Dasji Swami
- Ghanshyam Jivan Dasji Swami
- Narayan Das Swami
- Devaprasad Dasji Swami
- Dharamavallabh Dasji Swami
- Krishna Priya Das Swami
- Santvallabh Dasji Swami
- Tayagvallabh Dasji Swami
- Govind Dasji Swami
- Nirbhaya Dasji Swami
- Nilkanth Dasji Swami
- Hari Priya Dasji Swami
- Shruti Prakash Dasji Swami
Our Vedic scholar leaders in the USA:
- Devaprasad Dasji Swami (Director/Promoter of Vedic Dharma in North America)
- Krushna Swarupa Dasji Swami
- Shanti Priya Dasji Swami
Our householder devotees and leaders of Swaminarayan Gurukul USA since the time of his holiness Shastriji Maharaj to present:
- Mr. Dhirubhai Jerambhai Babaria (Dallas, TX.)
- Mr. Manubhai Haribhai Patolia (CA.)
- Mr. Chaturbhai Nagajibhai Vaghasia (NJ.)
- Mr. Gordhanbhai Lakshmanbhai Paghadal (NJ.)
- Dr. Chaturbhai Jerambhai Babaria (Phoenix, AZ.)
Our ladies wing devotees who have contributed to Vedic culture since the time of his holiness Shastriji Maharaj to present:
- Mrs. Jayaben D. Babaria (Dallas, TX.)
- Mrs. Nirmalaben M. Patolia (CA.)
- Mrs. Vinaben C. Vaghasia (NJ.)
- Mrs. Rupalben C. Babaria (Phoenix, AZ.)
Swaminarayan Gurukul Santo Domingo:
One of the disciples of his holiness Shastraji Maharaj, Shri Chaturbai Jerambhai Babaria visited Latin America to pursue higher education and eventually established the International Swaminarayan Spiritual Center in Santo Domingo, DR (Latin America) on January 27th, 1983, now known as Swaminarayan Gurukul Santo Domingo.
Later his holiness Shastriji Maharaj visited Santo Domingo on August 13th, 1986, and blessed many devotees changing their lives forever. While he was there he radiated divine light within the entire country. Thereafter, Pujaya Jogi Swami Hariprakash Dasji, P Mahant Swami Devakrishna Dasji, P Devaprasad Dasji & Devotee Dhirubhai J Babaria have kept continuity for the Satsang in Latin America.
Over the last few years, Shastri Mukunda Swarup Dasji has visited Santo Domingo and has helped to spread the message of Lord Swaminarayan.
In the history of the Sampradaya, one of the lady devotees Mireya Bobadilla (Ma Saraswati) translated Shikshapatri and Vachanamrutam into Spanish with the inspiration of Dr. Chaturbai Babaria.
There are a few prominent Spanish-speaking devotees that have carried on the Satsang since January 27th, 1983 to present:
Male house-holder devotees:
- Ghanashyam Bhagat (Enrique Guzman)
- Suresh Bhagat (Jorge Solono)
- Lakshman Bhagat (John Philip Brown)
- Yogesh Bhagat (Don Jose Reyneso)
- Harikrishna Bhagat (Jose Gillian)
- Mahesh Bhagat (Freddy Alcantara)
- Dinesh Bhagat (Daniel Montoly)
- Balmukunda Bhagat (Miguel Rivera)
- Paresh Bhagat (Freddy Mateyo)
- Mahadeva Bhagat
- Vasudeva Bhagat
- and many others…
Female house-holder devotees:
- Ma Saraswati (Mireya Bobadilla)
- Radha Devi (Gloria Guzman)
- Ansuya Devi (Maria Martinez)
- Paravati Devi (Demetri)
- Radhika Devi (Liselle)
- Laxmi Devi
- and many others…
Our mandir:
The Arizona Vedic Cultural Center Of Swaminarayan Gurukul USA was established on November 22nd, 2009, to teach Vedic Sanatan Dharma in the USA and around the globe. The mandir (temple) is open to people of all ages from all walks of life. We hold a Satsang congregation (holy fellowship) every Saturday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, followed by prasad (vegetarian dinner).
Our mission:
- instilling the values of self-discipline, etiquette, humanity, cultural sensibility, appreciation, and love of nature and the universe
- developing harmony and peace with all religions through Vedic Dharma
- developing the highest character through the teaching of Vedic Dharma
- providing Vedic education to anyone interested
- promoting a happy and healthy life through Vedic wisdom via Yoga, the healing power of music, and the naturopathic techniques of Ayurveda (the teaching of Bhagwan Dhanvantari, Lord of medicine, avatar of Lord Vishnu)
- teaching Bhakti Yoga for self-realization
Arizona Vedic Cultural Center Of Swaminarayan Gurukul USA
1150 W Superstition Blvd.
Apache Junction, AZ 85120
(480) 888-8743
Jai Swaminarayan – Jai Shri Krishna – Jai Shri Ramachandra – Jai Shri Lord Shiva – Jai Shri Lord Ganesha – Jai Shri Hanumanji
AZ Vedic Cultural Ctr. Of Swaminarayan Gurukul USA 
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