Swami Ramanand

Not to be confused with Ramananda, who propagated Ramanandi Sampradaya.

A portrait of Ramanand Swami
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Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
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Swami Ramanand (born Rama Sharma) was born into a Brahmin family in Ayodhya in Vikram Samvat 1795 (1738 AD). His parents were Ajay Sharma (father) and Sumati (mother). He was considered to be the incarnation of Uddhava, a close friend of Krishna.[citation needed] Ramanand Swami was the founder and head of the Uddhava Sampradaya.[1] Ramanand Swami adopted the Vishishtadvaita doctrine of the Vaishnava which was first propounded by Ramanuja several centuries earlier. In his travels to Srirangam in southern India in his early life, Ramanand Swami said that Ramanuja gave him diksha (initiation) in a dream and appointed him in his line as an acharya.[2] Ramanand Swami then traveled west to Saurastra to spread the philosophy of Ramanuja. Before dying in 1858, Ramanand Swami passed the reins of the Uddhava Sampradaya to Swaminarayan.[3]

  1. ^ J. J. Roy Burman (2005). Gujarat Unknown. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788183240529. Retrieved 13 June 2009. Page 17
  2. ^ Williams 2001, p. 16.
  3. ^ Williams 2001, pp. 17