Swami Vivekananda once flipped through a book nonchalantly and claimed to have read it in the process. When the librarian quizzed him as to what was written on a specific page, she was stunned when he could recite the page’s content verbatim.
All the qualities are present in Pramukh Swami and Maharaj Swami
All the qualities described thus far, which were present in Pramukh Swami Maharaj, can be seen today in the life of His successor, Mahant Swami Maharaj.
The Swan lives in water, but it does not get wet by water. Nilkanth Varni visited Mansarovar where there were innumerable swans. Inspired by the quality of purity in swans, Bhagwan Swaminarayan later named his sadhus ‘Paramhansas’ I.e. one who lives within society but is not affected by the temptations and evils within society.
The lotus is an aquatic plant that thrives in muddy conditions. The lotus roots itself in the mud and emerges above water through its lengthy stem. The lotus emerges from murky conditions yet remains untouched by the conditions which surround it. The world that we live in can be corrupt and dirty, yet the lotus gives us hope that despite the darkness, we too can flourish and live a virtuous life
In 2002, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was listed as one of the 20 most influential people in the Guiness Book of World Records and was also awarded a world record for the number of mandirs he had built. Upon being told of these awards, Swamishri said “One who builds mandirs does not make a list, and one who makes lists does not build mandirs.”