Late Hindu Spiritual Leader Recognized With PA House Resolution

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers have recognized a late Hindu spiritual leader with a proclamation at the state capitol.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a resolution this week that honors His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a spiritual guru with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is connected with the Hindu faith.

The resolution was timed to coincide with what would have been the man's upcoming 100th birthday. He died back in 2016.

"Pramukh Swami championed a global movement of peace and selflessness," State Rep. Steve Malagari, a Montgomery County Democrat, said in a statement. "His message of putting others before oneself has spread across every nation and has brought enlightenment and harmony to billions of people."

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a global Hindu organization that is dedicated to promoting harmony between individuals and families and among diverse communities.

Maharaj, who was born back in December 1921 in India, opted to follow a spiritual path from a young age, and went on to dedicate himself to seeking purity, renouncing material items, and possessing a "striking humility, saintliness and selfless desire to help all," according to the Pennsylvania House resolution.

Malagari's office said that the late guru and spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is credited with growing the BAPS organization worldwide. It now has more than 1,100 "mandirs," or Hindu temples, across the globe, and has 150 centers in North America.

Malagari said he presented the resolution before the House because Maharaj exuded selflessness and always put others before himself.

His unique message of "in the joy of others, lies our own," is an "excellent mantra for all to follow, especially legislators and policymakers," Malagari said in a statement.

A website dedicated to the late spiritual teacher says that Maharaj was a "rare soul who always lived for others and at the same time remained totally absorbed in God. A peaceful, humble, simple and spiritual personality — this is Pramukh Swami Maharaj."

The site says that Maharaj was born into a farming family, but that he was attracted to the spiritual life from a young age.

He ended up completing his initial religious studies at the age of 18 and subsequently began his journey into the spiritual life.

He was appointed president of the BAPS in 1950 when he was just 28 years old, after which he became affectionately known as "Pramukh Swami," the website states.

"Remaining aloof from caste or creed, his borderless love has touched the lives of many, whether young or old, literate or illiterate, and rich or poor," reads the website.

More information about the BAPS organization can be found here.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly says it tries to recognize individuals of religious commitment who "accept the responsibility of moral leadership and render the wisdom of human understanding. Individuals with such noble aims and accomplishments are publicly proclaimed and commended for the edification of others."