Introduction

Lord Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri to provide his followers with a sense of direction and purpose in life, although it provides the basis for does, dont's and ways of living, the main aim of the Shikshapatri is to promote and advance hinduism to the highest levels, where by giving followers a means of attaining salvation.

In only 212 sections it contains the spiritualism of Lord Swaminarayan, this spiritualism has been presented in such a form that every soul can except and use for the betterment of his life.

The Shikshapatri outlines the dharmas or rules for any one and everyone who wishes to lead a purposeful and meaningful life, with the prime aim of attaining moksha or salvation, ie reaching Akshardham the divine abode (home) of Lord Swaminarayan.

The Shikshapatri was written on Vasan Panchmi in the year 1882 at Vadtal in a place called Hari Madhap Mandir, and is now a place of pilgrimage.

The Shikshapatri contains general dharmas for all of Lord Swaminarayan's followers, dharmas for the Acharyas (gurus of the sampradya) and their wifes, dharmas for householders, rulers (kings and Prime Ministers), married women, widows (ladies whose husbands are no longer living), females, bramhacharis, and sadhus.

It has been pro-claimed that anyone who follows the rules laid down in the Shikshapatri will obtain and enjoy not only in this life but the life after death total happiness and complete satisfaction of the mind. The Shikshapatri teaches a layman or a corrupt (criminal) individual how to observe the various dharmas and the benefits of such observance.

The Shikshapatri has hence been created by Lord Swaminarayan with a view to creating greater awareness of the real meaning of being born, it prescribes a medicine that no doctor could prescribe, it can cure humans problems that no doctor could cure even with the latest advances in medical science.

The basis of the shastra is to generate a relationship between Dharama and Bhakti (Lord Swaminarayan's parents), where dharma means in simple terms the rules, laws and duties laid down by Lord Swaminarayan according to a persons religion, it provides effective and pure means of observing these laws. Hence everybody who wishes to advance in life regardless of what magnitude (size or amount) or direction, both Dharma and Bhakti must go hand in hand together. Slight separation in either two would mean a degrading of the individual. Degrading of a person will bring with it greed, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and attachment to material objects (money, tasty food, expensive cars ).

Having written the Shikshapatri Lord Swaminarayan asked his followers and devotees that anyone who with an open mind accepts the writing laid down in this Shikshapatri as my divine self will be fully accepted with open hands, and I will embrace this haribhagat my self to my divine abode Akshardham. However any one who does no accept the words written in this Shikshapatri and who violets them in any form shall be excommunicated (to cut off all ties), Lord Swaminarayan all relationship will be broken. When all attachment and relation with Lord Swaminarayan have been broken a person then experiences un-happiness, fustration and pressure from life, pain the he would not otherwise have suffered.

The Lord even took into consideration people who could not read his glorious spiritualism by saying that a person who does not have the ability to read this Shikshapatri due to some illness shall listen to the holy narratives, and if they find no-one who can read the Shikshapatri to them my followers shall worship the Shikshapatri as the representation of my divine form.

The ideas laid down in the Shikshapatri can be used by everybody either at work, school, home, on holiday, or with friends and enemies, it will show you how to behave such that you will be successful in everything you undertake to do in your life.

The Shikshapatri has been written for the welfare of every soul to clear the dirt that can be picked up by us every day of our lives.

The conclusion or, to the end of the Shikshaptri Lord Swaminarayan clearly states that anyone who follows this shastra shall without doubt attain happiness, salvation, and all their desires shall be fulfiled. He also warns followers that anyone who abuses the contents of the Shikshapatri shall not be welcomed onto his holy sampradya and shall not only in this life but in others suffer great distress and pain.

The Shikshapatri shall only be given to a person who posses spiritual learning, and is thirsty for realising the full glory of the Lord.

The Shikshapatri was given by Lord Swaminarayan himself to Sir John Malcom who was the Vice-Roy of Bombay at the time in India who was impressed by Lord Swaminarayan's work. This Shikshapatri is currently residing at the Oxford Library.

Slokha 212 of the Shikshapatri states:

May Lord Shree Krishna, the destroyer of all miseries of his devotees, protector of dharma and bhakti, and giver of all desired happiness, shower his choicest blessing on all his devotees.

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