AnnettLevi9 at 05:14, 3 December 2025

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{{Short description|Indian monk and Sanskrit scholar (born c. 1966)}}
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{{EngvarB|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox philosopher
| honorific_prefix = [[Mahamahopadhyaya]]
| name = 
| honorific_suffix =
| image = BhadreshdasSwami-portrait.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{circa|1966}}
| birth_place = India
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| nationality =
| awards = [[Saraswati Samman]] (2024)
| education = [[Ph.D.]], [[D. Litt.]]
| alma_mater = Karnataka University; [[Sampurnanand Sanskrit University|Sampurnanand Sanskrit University (Benaras)]]; [[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Educational Trust|Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Mumbai)]]
| notable_works = Swaminarayan Bhashyam, Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudha
| honours = Darshankesari, Vedant Martand (Silpakorn University), Abhinav Bhashyakar (Somnath Sanskrit University), Mahamahopadhyaya, Vedant Prakash (Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University)
| signature =
| signature_size =
| signature_alt =
| era =
| school_tradition = Swaminarayan Hinduism
| institutions = BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute, New Delhi. BAPS Swaminarayan Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya and Yagnapurush Sanskrit
Pathshala, Sarangpur, Gujarat
| main_interests =
| notable_ideas =
| website = {{URL|www.baps.org}}
}}
''[[Mahamahopadhyaya]]'' '''Bhadreshdas Swami''' is a [[Sanskrit]] scholar and an ordained monk of the [[Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha]] (BAPS).<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |title = Enlightening lecture on Vedas by Bhadreshdas Swami |agency=India Post News Service |url = https://www.indiapost.com/enlightening-lecture-on-vedas-by-bhadreshdas-swami/|access-date = 15 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Shastri|first1=Parch|title=Manuscripts shed light on Yoga history in the region |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Manuscripts-shed-light-on-Yoga-history-in-the-region/articleshow/47750592.cms|work=The Times of India|access-date=27 December 2015}}</ref> In 2007 he completed the ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'', a five-volume classical Sanskrit commentary on the [[Prasthanatrayi]]. This commentary on three of Hinduism's most notable texts: the [[Upanishads]], [[Bhagavad Gita]], and the [[Brahma Sutras|Brahma sutras]], forms the interpretive foundation of the philosophy of Akshar Purushottam [[Hindu philosophy|darshana]], also known as Swaminarayan darshana, illuminating the Vedic roots of the [[Akshar Purushottam Upasana|Akshar Purushottama philosophy]], which was propagated by the 19th-century Hindu leader, [[Swaminarayan]] and later by [[Shastriji Maharaj]].

The commentary discusses the basis of the five "eternal entities" - Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, Brahma and Parabrahman - as expounded by Swaminarayan. It also expands on the concept of [[Aksharbrahm]]a and [[para brahman|Parabrahman]] as well as the attainment of liberation ([[moksha]]) through devotion ([[bhakti]]) and worship ([[upasana]]).<ref name=":7">{{cite web |url=http://www.baps.org/News/2013/Swaminarayan-Bhashyam---A-Unique-Scriptural-Commentary-on-the-Prasthantrayi-5165.aspx |title=Swaminarayan Bhashyam - a unique scriptural commentary on the Prasthantrayi |publisher=BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha |access-date=4 November 2015 }}{{self-published inline|date=August 2017}}</ref> Following the tradition of the classical Sanskrit commentaries by [[Shankaracharya]], [[Ramanujacharya]], and [[Madhvacharya]], the ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' is the second classical Sanskrit commentary on the entire [[Prasthanatrayi]] to have been completed by anyone in the last several centuries.<ref name=":8">{{cite web |title = Scripture: Guru's grace empowers philosophical treatise |edition=Magazine Web |date=April–June 2014 |work=Hinduism Today Magazine |url = https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5495 |access-date = 4 November 2015}}</ref>

After receiving a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from Karnakata University in 2005, he was awarded a [[D. Litt.]] in 2010 and the [[Mahamahopadhyaya]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.univie.ac.at/indologie/oracle/publication_info.cgi?from=menue&todo=show_info&per_id=300&pub_id=38849&hide_sub_menu=1&active_men_id=560|title=DIP: Das 2011-2012 (2012)|year=2012|website=www.univie.ac.at|access-date=27 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105170954/http://www.univie.ac.at/indologie/oracle/publication_info.cgi?from=menue&todo=show_info&per_id=300&pub_id=38849&hide_sub_menu=1&active_men_id=560|archive-date=5 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> honorific by [[Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University]] in [[Nagpur, India]]. The [[University of Mysore]] also awarded him the "Professor G.M. Memorial Award" and the "Darshankesari award" in 2013 for his work on Swaminarayan [[Vedanta]].<ref name=":9">{{cite web |title = International Vedic Conference |url = http://www.internationalvedicconference.com/speakers.php |website = www.internationalvedicconference.com |access-date = 4 November 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150623205637/http://internationalvedicconference.com/speakers.php |archive-date = 23 June 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> He currently serves as the head scholar ("Pradhānācārya") of the Yagnapurush Sanskrit Pathshala in [[Sarangpur, Madhya Pradesh|Sarangpur]], [[Gujarat]], where the students are instructed by him in [[philosophy]], [[nyaya]] [[darśana]], [[vedas]], the Paninian [[Sanskrit grammar|grammar of Sanskrit]] and [[Indian classical music]].<ref name=":9" />

== Early life ==
Bhadreshdas Swami was initiated as a renunciant (swami) of the [[Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha|BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha]] by his guru [[Pramukh Swami Maharaj]] in 1981 at the age of 14,<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8"/> Afterwards, he attended the BAPS seminary for swamis in [[Sarangpur, Madhya Pradesh|Sarangpur]], [[Gujarat]], where he learned Swaminarayan [[Vedanta]] as well as the philosophical system of logic ([[nyaya]]) and Sanskrit grammar ([[Vyākaraṇa|vyakaran]]).<ref name=":8" />

== Education ==
Bhadreshdas Swami received five M.A. degrees in [[Sanskrit]] and Shad Darshanas from [[Sampurnanand Sanskrit University]], in [[Varanasi|Benaras, India]], and [[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Educational Trust|Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]] in [[Mumbai]], India in 1996.<ref name=":7" /> In 2005, he received his Ph.D. from [[Karnataka University]], based on his dissertation on the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref name=":9" />

== Scholarly work ==
Bhadreshdas Swami has conducted extensive research{{clarify|date=August 2017}} on the ''Upanishads'' and the ''Bhagavad Gita''.<ref name=":9" /> He was a project committee member of the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved-vidya Pratishthan (MSRVVP).<ref name=":6" /> He also serves as an advisor to students of Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy in his roles as a professor at the [[Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha|BAPS]] Swaminarayan Research Institute in [[New Delhi]], and [[Shree Somnath Sanskrit University]] in [[Veraval|Veraval, Gujarat]].<ref name=":9" /> Bhadreshdas Swami also serves as the head scholar at the Yagnapurush Sanskrit Pathshala in [[Sarangpur, Gujarat]], where he instructs students in [[philosophy]], [[Nyāya Sūtras|Nyaya Darshana]], [[Vedas]], the Paninian [[Sanskrit grammar|grammar of Sanskrit]] and [[Indian classical music]] composed for the [[tabla]], [[flute]] and [[violin]].<ref name=":9" /> His administrative roles include service on the managing committee of the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute at [[Akshardham (Delhi)|Akshardham]] in [[New Delhi]].<ref name=":9" /> He is currently writing commentaries on the [[Vedas]].<ref name=":6" />

=== ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' ===
[[File:SwaminarayanBhashyam2.jpg|400px|right|Swaminarayan Bhashyam]]
The ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' is a commentary (or bhashya), on the ten [[Upanishads]], the [[Bhagavad Gita]] and the [[Brahma sutras]], which are collectively referred to as the [[prasthanatrayi]] (three sources).<ref name=":7" /> It is composed in the traditional commentarial style of the classical Sanskrit commentaries written by [[Shankaracharya]], [[Ramanujacharya]], and [[Madhvacharya]].<ref name=":7" /> Just as these commentaries establish the vedantic schools of thought of their respective acharyas, the ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' elaborates Swaminarayan's philosophical principles seen in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma sutras.<ref name=":8" />

The commentary is the first of its scope written in the 21st century.<ref name=":7" /> Through a careful study of every verse (shloka) in the three sources, it establishes a basis for the five "eternal realities" expounded by [[Swaminarayan]] in the [[Vachanamrut]], namely: [[Jiva]] (soul/life), Ishwar ([[deity]]), Maya, Aksharbrahma ([[Brahman]]) and Parabrahman ([[Parabrahman]]).<ref name=":7" /> It clarifies the relationship of Aksharbrahman to Parabrahman and Swaminarayan's principle for attaining liberation through the practice of bhakti and upasana.<ref name=":7" />

==== Creation of the ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' ====
[[File:BhadreshSwami1.jpg|400px|right|alt=|Bhadreshdas Swami presenting the Swaminarayan Bhashyam to Pramukh Swami Maharaj]]

After earning his doctorate in Sanskrit, Bhadreshdas Swami was asked by his guru, [[Pramukh Swami Maharaj]] in 2005 to write a Sanskrit commentary on the Prasthanatrayi.<ref name=":8" /> Bhadreshdas worked on the commentary in a small room located in the basement of the BAPS seminary of [[Sarangpur, Gujarat]], India.<ref name=":8" /> In June 2007, the village of Sarangpur was struck by a flash flood, inundating his workspace and resulting in the loss of approximately 2500 pages of his original work and notes.<ref name=":8" /> These notes contained information regarding the acharyas' arguments and definitions of philosophical components and the initial chapters of the Brahmasutra Bhashyam.<ref name=":8" /> His deadline for completing the Bhashyam, the centenary celebration of the [[Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha|BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha]] in December 2007, was six months away but his original work was unsalvageable.<ref name=":8" /> With the deadline fast approaching, Pramukh Swami Maharaj gave Bhadreshdas Swami blessings to start over.<ref name=":8" /> Working approximately 20 hours per day, he completed the ''Swaminarayan Bhashyam'' on schedule.<ref name=":8" /> On 17 December 2007, at the BAPS Centenary Celebrations in [[Ahmedabad]], Bhadreshdas presented the completed five-volume 2,150-page work to his guru.<ref name=":8" />

==== Critical reception ====
[[File:Swaminarayan_Bhashyam.jpg|400px|right|Swaminarayan Bhashyam]]
The work has since been regarded by scholars of Indian philosophy as a significant commentary in the Prasthantrayi commentary tradition. Philosophy professor S.P. Dubey from the [[University of Jabalpur]] considers it to be the fifteenth major commentary in the tradition of Brahmasutra commentaries, which dates back to Shankaracharya (788-820 CE).<ref name=":10">{{cite web|url=https://swaminarayan.org/news/2010/07/delhiresearchinstitute/index.htm|title=Inauguration of BAPS Research Institute|website=swaminarayan.org|access-date=4 November 2015}}</ref>

Krishnamurti Shastri from the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan of India says that the "poetic commentary presents new insights into the secrets of Vedanta in comparison to any previous views on the subject".<ref name=":11">{{cite news |author=Harish Rao |title = Steny Hoyer honors Hindu scriptures at Capitol Hill |url = https://www.indiapost.com/steny-hoyer-honors-hindu-scriptures-at-capitol-hill/ |work=[[India Post]] |access-date = 4 November 2015}}</ref>

N. Radhakrishna Bhat, Sanskrit professor at the [[Karnataka State Open University]], has stated, "By reading this commentary we will come to the conclusion that the Swaminarayan tradition is an independent one on Akshar Purushottama Siddhanta based on the Vedic tradition which is quite ancient. It is quite a different one and has its own specialty. It greatly differs from [[Ramanuja]]'s ''[[Vishishtadvaita]]'', [[Vallabha Acharya|Vallabhadeva]]'s ''[[Suddhadvaita]]'' and the philosophy of [[Madhva]], [[Nimbarka]] etc. It brings out greatly the special features and principles of the Siddhanta very effectively… in accordance to the eternal Vedic principles conveyed by Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayana and the enlightened [[Guru]]parampara."<ref name=":10" />

V.S. Vishnu Potty, of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Culture at the [[Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya]], states that "this new interpretation opens our eyes to a new horizon in this field of knowledge, in an objective manner."<ref name=":10" />

The dean of the Arts faculty at the [[University of Delhi]] has stated that "This volume is prepared in faultless Sanskrit and a lucid style. Swaminarayan Bhashya is really a distinct contribution through a fresh approach to the old Brahmasutra commentaries...It is my sincere opinion that the BrahmaSutra Swaminarayan Bhashya is a well-researched work. I believe, Brahmasutra Swaminarayan Bhashya will be an important addition to the field of Vedanta philosophy and will be warmly received in India and abroad."<ref name=":10" />

The work was also added into the [[Library of Congress]] by Democratic whip [[Steny Hoyer]]. During this ceremony, Hoyer said that "Surely these commentaries written by [Bhadreshdas Swami] will bring peace and blessings to the millions who will read and benefit from them".<ref name=":11" />

==== Acclamation by Shri Kashi Vidvat Parisad ====
On 31 July 2017, Bhadreshdas Swami and his work on the Swaminarayan-Siddhant-Sudha was acknowledged by the Shri Kashi Vidvat Parisad.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.baps.org/News/2017/Swaminarayansiddhantasudha-Acclamation-by-the-%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%C5%9Ar%C4%AB-K%C4%81%C5%9B%C4%AB-Vidvat-Parisad-11826.aspx|title='Swaminarayansiddhantasudha' Acclamation by the ⁠⁠⁠Śrī Kāśī Vidvat Parisad|website=BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha|access-date=5 August 2017}}</ref> Throughout India, the Shri Kashi Vidvat Parisad is an authoritative council on all matters pertaining to [[Vedas|Vedic]] dharma and philosophy.

The council's gathering was marked by four declarations:

First, that the [[Prasthanatrayi]] [[Swaminarayan]] Bhashyam and the Swaminarayan-[[Siddhanta|Sidhhant]]-Sudha are sacred texts on [[Para Brahman|Parabrahman]] Swaminarayan's revealed Akshar Purshottam Darshana; and that these sacred texts are in every manner the protectors of the eternal Vedic religious tradition.<ref name=":1" />

Second, that Bhadreshdas Swami is an [[acharya]] and a contemporary commentator in the lineage of commentators on the Prasthanatrayi.<ref name=":1" />

Third, that within philosophy, it is valid to identify Swaminarayan's Vedanta by the title ''Akshar-Purshottam Darshana''.<ref name=":1" />

Fourth, that all members of the Shri Kashi Parisad endorse the [[Akshar Purushottam Upasana|Akshar Purshottam]] Siddhant, revealed by Parabrahma Swaminarayan as distinct from Advaita, Vishistadvaita, and all other doctrines and is indeed a Vedic Siddhanta.<ref name=":1" />

=== Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudha ===
On 17 September 2017, [[Mahant Swami Maharaj]] inaugurated the Swaminarayan-Siddhanta-Sudha, a text authored by Bhadreshdas. This text is a vadagrantha, or a formal exposition, justification and defense of the philosophical and theological positions of a darshan. This specific vadagrantha is composed on the [[Akshar Purushottam Upasana|Akshar-Purshottam]] [[Hindu philosophy|Darshan]]. It presents a sophisticated treatment of the philosophical principles of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Declaration of Bhagwan Swaminarayan's teachings as the Akshar-Purshottan Darshan|journal=The South Asian Times|volume=10|pages=B15}}</ref>

=== Awards ===
In recognition of his work on the commentary, the [[Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University]] in [[Nagpur]], India, awarded Bhadreshdas Swami a [[D. Litt.]] in 2010, then in 2012, the title [[Mahamahopadhyaya]]<ref name=":0" /> (an honorific recognition awarded by the Indian government to prestigious scholars), the highest academic honor bestowed by that institution.<ref name=":7" /> He has also received the "Professor G.M. Memorial Award" from the [[University of Mysore]] and the "Darshankesari award" in 2013 for this work.<ref name=":9" /> At the [[World Sanskrit Conference]] in Bangkok in 2015, he was awarded the "Vedant Martand Sanman" by [[Silpakorn University]] in Thailand.<ref name=vicharan>{{cite web|title = HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj's Vicharan|date=6 July 2015|url = https://www.baps.org/Vicharan/2015/06-July-2015-8189.aspx|website = BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha|access-date = 4 November 2015}}{{self-published inline|date=August 2017}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book|title = Swaminarayan Bhashyam : Brahmasutra Swaminarayan Bhashyam|lccn=2011432134|publisher = Aksharpith|isbn = 978-8175261181|last = Bhadreshdas|first = Sadhu|author-link = Sadhu Bhadreshdas|location = Amdavad|year = 2009}}
* {{Cite book|title =Upanishat Swaminarayan bhashyam : Ishadyashtopanishad Swaminarayan bhashyam |lccn=2011432133|publisher = Aksharpith|isbn = 978-8175263062|last = Bhadreshdas|first = Sadhu|author-link = Sadhu Bhadreshdas|location = Amdavad|year = 2009}}
* {{Cite book|title =Swaminarayan bhashyam : Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Swaminarayan bhashyam |lccn=2011432126|publisher = Aksharpith|isbn = 9788175265165|last = Bhadreshdas|first = Sadhu|author-link = Sadhu Bhadreshdas|location = Amdavad|year = 2012}}
* {{Cite book|title =Swaminarayan bhashyam : Chhandogyopanishad Swaminarayan bhashyam |lccn=2011432128|publisher = Aksharpith|isbn = 9788175265318|last = Bhadreshdas|first = Sadhu|author-link = Sadhu Bhadreshdas|location = Amdavad|year = 2012}}
* {{Cite book |title =Swaminarayan bhashyam : Bruhadaranyakopanishad Swaminarayan bhashyam |lccn=2011432125|publisher = Aksharpith|isbn = 9788175265325|last = Bhadreshdas|first = Sadhu| year=2012 |author-link = Sadhu Bhadreshdas|location = Amdavad}}
* {{cite journal|title=Mukti Mīmāṃsā|journal=Journal of the Ananthacharya Indological Research Institute|first=Mahamahopadhyaya Sadhu Bhadresh|last=Das|volume=10|year=2012}} catalogued at {{Cite web|title = DIP: Das 2011-2012 (2012)|url = http://www.univie.ac.at/indologie/oracle/publication_info.cgi?from=menue&todo=show_info&per_id=300&pub_id=38849&hide_sub_menu=1&active_men_id=560|website = www.univie.ac.at|access-date = 27 December 2015|year = 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160105170954/http://www.univie.ac.at/indologie/oracle/publication_info.cgi?from=menue&todo=show_info&per_id=300&pub_id=38849&hide_sub_menu=1&active_men_id=560|archive-date = 5 January 2016|url-status = dead}}
* {{Cite book|edition = 1st|title = Essence of the Upanishads: The Wisdom of the Ancient Rishis|publisher = Swaminarayan Aksharpith|date = 1 June 2012|isbn = 9788175263529|oclc=820817846|first1 = Sadhu|last1 = Bhadreshdas|first2 = Sadhu|last2 = Paramvivekdas}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami, Bhadreshdas}}
[[Category:Sanskrit writers]]
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]
[[Category:Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Indian Hindu spiritual teachers]]

Bhadreshdas Swami - Revision history

AnnettLevi9 at 05:14, 3 December 2025