The Divine wisdom of Nijanand Sampradaya descended on this planet in 1621AD whenSupreme Lord (Par-Brahmn) appeared before Nijanand Swami Devchandraji (1581-1654AD) in Jamnagar (Gujarat, India). At the age of forty, the Lord not only offered him the soul awakening TartamKnowledge, but also made Devchandra’s heart His abode. Charged with the Lord’s exalted power (Aavesh) and His Divine Wisdom, Devchandraji is regarded as the Kalki incarnation, or Buddha Avatar, much awaited by the Hindu world. His disciple, named Mehraj Thakur (1618-1694 AD), carried forward the mission of spiritual awakening or realization of one’s trueself, which he called Jagni. As a result of this divine work, and being charged with the Supreme Lord’s Divine powers, Mehraj was later known as Mahamati–the one having spotless Divine Wisdom, and Prannath–the Lord of the Souls.
Mahamati emphasized on the fact that Supreme Truth God is only one, and He is the only one who is worthy of worship. He said, “Par-Brahmn toh puran eak hai.” He reminded the Hindu world of the key message of Vedas that says, “Eko Brahmn Dwitiyo-na-asti.” In other words, “the Supreme Brahmn (Par-Brahmn Parmatman) is only one.” He showed how the scriptures of many world religions, including those of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and others, speak of the same truth but in different languages. Perhaps, this is the only faith on this planet earth that brings together the One Supreme Essence of all world faiths. The Holy Land of Bharat Varsha (India) and its culture, both, are truly gratified by having received this Divine Wisdom.
In 1678 AD, in the Great Kumbh Mela festival at Haridwar (Uttar Pradesh, India), leading Hindu spiritual leaders (Acharyas) exchanged their theologies with Mahamati. They recognized him as the last incarnation, Buddha Nish-kalanka Avatar--the one with the spotless Divine Wisdom. Mahamati sent his Twelve Comrades to Jama Mosque in Delhi with the divine message of Allah’s Imam Mehndi to awaken the last Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and to convey to him the true message of the Holy Koran. He revealed the true meanings of the secret signs of the Final Day of Judgement called Kayamat, and explained the many other secrets of Koran and Hadith. A number of Muslim experts conversed with him throughout his journey for spiritual awakening, and regarded him as Allah’s Imam Mehndi with full faith. Because of its potential for unifying humanity on a true spiritual foundation, Nijanand Sampradaya has expanded over a period of time, among diverse races and people, despite their origin or inherited religious beliefs.
Mahamati’s first mission was to establish peace, happiness, love and brotherhood throughout the world, i.e., “Sukh Shital Karun Sansar.” His Divine Words -the Holy Kuljam Swaroop and Bitak Saheb – represent a unique blend of various world scriptures. These books include revelation of spiritual similarities between the scriptures of Hindu Sanatan Dharma and that of other world religions such as Islam and Christianity. He showed the world how the Allah of Muslims and Par-Brahmn of Hindus are both one and the same. This way, the principles of this Divine Wisdom can be very well applied to solve the diverse problems of the present day world. His second mission was to free all the living beings or Jivas from the cycle of birth and rebirth, and lead the souls to their respective original eternal abodes.
To reap the true benefit of this Wisdom, one does not have to externally label himself as a follower in the faith. Instead, the key is to learn and practice its teachings, suiting to one’s individual needs. It focuses on creating an ultimate level of consciousness within a soul. And, this is accomplished through the practice of an exclusive and unparalleled love–Ishak for the One Supreme Lord. A soul practicing such an unselfish love finds her submerged in the ocean of supreme bliss or Nijanand. That is the ultimate goal of this Wisdom.
Though this Divine Wisdom may be much less known to a common Hindu and to the rest of the world, we find its hidden impact worldwide. The chief inspirational force behind Mahatma Gandhi’s success in the nonviolent war for India’s independence is rooted in this Faith. His mother Putlibai used to practice this Faith. He was very much impressed by learning the common teachings of both Srimad Bhagvad Gita and Koran in the temple of this Faith in his town. From here, he learned about the oneness of Hindu’s Ishwar and Muslim’s Allah. In his prayer, he used to sing, “Ishwar Allah tero naam, sab ko sanmati dey Bhagwan.” In other words, “Oh my Lord! Ishwar, and Allah – both are your names. Please give this wisdom to all.” He practiced it and showed the power of true love to those fighting in the name of religion. In his life history, Gandhi Ji speaks these words to his friend from South Africa:
“My city is a Sea City. As you can see, it is full of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Persians….. They all live like one family. My family was Pranami. Even though we are Hindu by birth, in our temple, the priest used to read from the Muslim Koran and the Hindu Gita – moving from one to the other as if it mattered not which book was being read as long as GOD was being worshiped.”
We can listen to him speaking these words in the Gandhi Film while on the seashore of Porbandar, Gujarat, India.
A study of the life history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also reveals that Gandhiji’s work had a profound influence on his ideas and beliefs. He won a nonviolent war for the black people in America, only after learning Gandhiji’s experience. Dr. King learned from Gandhiji how to love our enemy and train people to fight against evils based on the “Love Power” philosophy of Prannathji that says, “Koi det kasala tumko, Tum bhala chahiyo tin” i.e., “If cursed, don’t curse back. If stricken, don’t strike back. Show love and goodwill at all times.” Thus, one can see the critical role of this Wisdom in connecting the East and the West through this sacred divine tie.
We believe that it is extremely important to share these Divine thoughts with those who are not aware of it. By putting this Wisdom into practice in our individual lives cannot only uplift an individual spiritually, but can also bring about a true unity and peace among the many diversities of the modern world.