During the grand yagna, Lord Swaminarayan revealed Muljisharmane
deekshaam dadaanasya prajaayate, Bhuyaanme-tra samaanando yato
Dhaamaaksharam sa me.
i.e. I am extremely
happy to initiate Mulji Sharma who was born in Bhadra. He is
My divine abode, Akshardham.
- Harileelakalpatru (7.17.49).
Import
Lord Swaminarayan's divine
abode is Akshardham, who manifested as Gunatitanand Swami. He
is also known as Aksharbrahman, mentioned in the Upanishads and
Gita. According to Hindu Dharma's eternal concept of dual worship,
of the Lord with His choicest devotee or consort, such as: Narayan
with Lakshmi, Rama with Sita, Shiva with Parvati, similarly, Lord
Swaminarayan or Purushottam is worshipped with Gunatitanand Swami
or Akshar. Hence the name Akshar Purushottam.
'Akshar diksha' denotes
that an aspirant needs to become 'Akshar-rup' in order to attain
the Lord Purushottam. One believes himself to be Brahman, above
the 3 bodies, in order to offer worship to the Lord (Shikshapatri
116).
To overcome body-consciousness
and to then identify one's atma with the manifest Aksharbrahman,
also known as 'Pragat Gunatit Satpurush,' is the true meaning
of Akshar diksha.
This is the ultimate
'Mahotsav'-festival of life and the final goal.
Ritual
The festival is celebrated in all BAPS mandirs. However, it
is celebrated in Dabhan on a large scale every year, since this
is the sacred place where Lord Swaminarayan initiated Mulji
Sharma.