Gunatitanand Swami

Gunatitanand Swami (28 September 1784 – 11 October 1867), born Mulji Jani, was a prominent paramhansa of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya who was ordained by Swaminarayan^{: 22 : 16 : 123} and is accepted as the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).^: 16 Born into a religious family in the small farming community of Bhadra in Gujarat, India, he first received religious education under his father's guru, Ramanand Swami, before encountering Swaminarayan and becoming a swami under him at the age of 25.^: 19 He was revered for his spiritual discourses and divine service.

For the BAPS, he embodies an essential element of the doctrine of Akshar and Purushottam.^: 92 They believe, based on interpretation, from the Vachanamrut that "Akshar is an eternally-existing spiritual reality having two forms, the impersonal and the personal".^: 84 Furthermore, BAPS claims that Gunatitanand Swami was believed to be the first personal manifestation of Akshar in the Guru Parampara: an unbroken line of "perfect devotees" who provide "authentication of office through Gunatitanand Swami and back to Swaminarayan himself".^{: 86 : 16} The Vadtal and Ahmedabad dioceses of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya do not subscribe to this theory.^: 55–60

Gunatitanand Swami held various administrative roles, most notably as the mahant of Junagadh mandir, a position he held for forty years.^{: 55 : 94} In addition, he was a prominent speaker and was held in high regard as an authority on religious matters in general. A collection of his most important teachings on dharma, knowledge of the atman, detachment, bhakti, and various other matters has been published under the name Swamini Vato.^{: 192 : 16 : 70} Gunatitanand Swami died in 1867, and a famous shrine known as the Akshar Deri was built upon the spot his cremation rites were performed.^: 132