Dada Bhagwan
| Dada Bhagwan | |
|---|---|
 Dada Bhagwan | |
| Born |
Ambalal Muljibhai (A.M.) Patel 7 November 1908 Tarsali, Gujarat, India |
| Died | January 2, 1988 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Founder of | Dada Bhagwan Foundation |
| Philosophy | Akram Vignan |
| Quotation | "May the world attain the Happiness that I have attained" |
Dada Bhagwan (November 7, 1908 – January 2, 1988), born Ambalal Muljibhai Patel was a spiritual leader and the founder of the Akram Vignan movement.
Life
Ambalal Muljibhai Patel (A.M.Patel) was born in Tarsali, Gujarat, India, and raised in the Gujarati village of Bhadran by Vaishnav parents Muljibhai and Javerba Patel. A.M. Patel credited his mother for instilling within him an early appreciation of the values of nonviolence, empathy, self-less generosity, and spiritual penance.He was also influenced by the writings of Shrimad Rajchandra. He married a local village girl named Hiraba and was a contractor by profession. He claimed to have attained Self-realisation in June, 1958 at Surat railway station while sitting on a bench at platform number 3. However this was not revealed initially by him.
After A.M. Patel's Self-realization experience, a close relative began to address him by the spiritual name of Dada (a Gujarati term for "Revered Grandfather") Bhagwan (Lord) became his spiritual name.
Dada Bhagwan formed a movement which he termed Akram Vignan. Unlike the step-by-step purification according to Jain principles, Akram Vignan promises instant salvation through the grace of Lord Simandhar Swami, for whom Dada Bhagwan serves as a medium. Flügel regards the movement to be a form of Jain-Vaishnava syncretism, a development analogous to the Mahayana in Buddhism.[1]
He lived in Baroda for about fifty years and later traveled to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Kenya and spread a doctrine known as Akram Vignan. He died at the age of eighty in the year 1988.
Dada Bhagwan is recognized as a spiritual leader within Gujarat, India.[2][3] He was portrayed in a 2011 independent film titled "Desperate Endeavors".[4][5][6][7] Also He was honored as Spiritual Scientist/Master of the 20th and 21st century in the Spiritual Science Museum.
Akram Vignan Movement
After Dada Bhagwan's departure, the Akram Vignan Movement was spearheaded by Dr. Niruben Amin. Pujya Niruma started spreading this spiritual knowledge to the entire world.[8] Through her selfless service, she was instrumental in liberating thousands of people, throughout the world by gracing them with spiritual discourses and Self-Realization Ceremonies.
On March 19, 2006 Pujya Niruma left her mortal body, Deepakbhai Desai, her spiritual contemporary now heads the Akram Vignan Movement. He travels around the world conducting spiritual discourses and Self-Realization Ceremonies.[9][10]
To date, Dada Bhagwan Foundation has built twelve "Trimandirs" (tri-temples) which feature idols of Simandhar Swami, Vishnu and Shiva.[11][12]
Books
Dada Bhagwan has authored the following books:
- Who Am I ?; ISBN 978-81-89725-10-5
- Generation Gap; ISBN 978-81-89725-18-1
- Harmony In Marriage; ISBN 978-81-89725-15-0
- Life Without Conflict; ISBN 978-81-89725-21-1
- Anger; ISBN 978-81-89725-04-4
- Worries; ISBN 978-81-89725-05-1
- The Science Of Karma; ISBN 978-81-89725-11-2
References
- ↑ Flügel, Peter (2005) 'Present Lord: Simandhara Svami and the Akram Vijnan Movement.' In: King, Anna S. and Brockington, John, (eds.), The Intimate Other: Love Divine in the Indic Religions. New Delhi: Orient Longman, pp. 194–243.
- ↑ "Anandiben Patel".
- ↑ "Dada Bhagwan Road".
- ↑ "Desperate Endeavors". Times of India. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ↑ "Desperate Endeavors". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ "Desperate Endeavors". The Indian Express. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "Desperate Endeavors". NDTV. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ↑ RENOWNED SPIRITUAL EXPONENT DR. NIRUBEN PASSES AWAY, http://jainsamaj.org/magazines/ahimsatimesshow.php?id=98
- ↑ The Florida Times Union. "2000 People Seek Self-realization". The Florida Times Union. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ↑ Archer, Rick. "Batgap interviews Deepakbhai Desai". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ↑ DADA BHAGWAN FOLLOWERS BUILD SIMANDHAR SWAMI TEMPLE COMPLEX AT ADALAJ, Ahimsa Times, January, 2003 http://jainsamaj.org/magazines/ahimsatimesshow.php?id=60
- ↑ "Trimandir.org". Trimandir.org. Retrieved 10 April 2014.