Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in Canada -23

Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in Canada

  BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Toronto, ON, Canada

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
61 Claireville Drive, Toronto,
ON M9W 5Z7. Canada
Tel: 416 798 2277
Fax: 416 798 4498
Email: info@canada.baps.org

Visiting Hours:

The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir complex encompasses: the Stone Mandir, the Wooden Haveli and the Educational Museum. Open to visitors from 9am – 6pm daily throughout the year.


We ask, "How can you separate the two?"


The three most sacred scriptures are:
What do we mean by shastras or scriptures ? A book that contains preaching and commands is called a shastra. A book in accordance with which spiritual knowledge is spread, tenets are established and devotees are governed, is called scripture. The book which enshrines the do's and don'ts of moral conduct and explains the religion of humanity is a scripture. Hinduism can boast of many such scriptures. Whatever our great rishis had realized during their spiritual quest was presented before mankind according to the extent of their realization. These precepts, too, became scriptures.
Of all these scriptures, Lord Swaminarayan revered the books written by Vyas Bhagvan most. Moreover, He has observed in the Vachanamrut, Gadhada Section 11-58: "A sampradaya (sect) flourishes in this way." So saying He remarked, "God who has descended on the earth for the fulfillment of a certain mission or goal, displays Dharma, which refers to His divine glory in all His divine exploits, from His birth till He returns to His heavenly abode. All these go into the making of scriptures which help the Fellowship grow and expand."
Lord Swaminarayan promoted devotional poetry and music among His paramhansas. They were distinguished writers and music maestros. He advocated art, literature and architecture - even today they dominate the spiritual landscape of Gujarat. However, the Lord's eternal gift to humanity is the treasure of spiritual literature He wrote, spoke and inspired.

How Festivals Enrich Society :

Akshar Deri
The symbol of Akshar Deri on the home page of www.swaminarayan.org is the trademark of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Sanstha. The Akshar Deri is a holy shrine that commemorates the cremation spot of Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami who was the choicest disciple and first successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. According to the Vedic principle of Bhakta and Bhagwan, Gunatitanand Swami is revered as the ideal Bhakta and Swaminarayan as Bhagwan. Akshar Deri is visited by hundreds of thousands of people from throughout the world. Devotees offer prayers, prostrations and perform circumambulations for spiritual elevation, fulfillment of mundane desires and relief from miseries. It is a divine and holy place of pilgrimage in the Swaminrayan Sampraday.


FAQs - General Questions about Mandir

Q.1 What is a mandir? 

Q.2 Why mandirs are needed?



Q.4 Why not school and hospitals, but mandirs?

Q.5 Why so many mandirs?

Q.6 Why build mandirs outside India?

Q.7 How do mandirs help society?

Direct Influence:

Indirect Influence:

Q.8 What cultural importance does the mandir have?
Mandir: Preserver of Scriptural Traditions

Mandirs: Preserver of Language

Mandirs: Role in cultural life today

Q.1 What is Hinduism?
A. Summary Answer:

Hinduism: Unity in Diversity

Common Beliefs of Hinduism
Regarding God

Regarding the Ãtma (soul)

Common Practices in Hinduism

  • Artha – to accumulate earnings for one’s subsistence.
Thus, the Hindu system of beliefs provides guidance for both the spiritual and material rea
Q.2 Who is a Hindu?
A. Summary Answer:
Q.3 What is unique about the Indian Calendar?
Q.5 What is Ahinsã?
A.  Summary Answer:
Ahinsã is not just non-violence. It also encompasses respect and consideration for life and peaceful, harmonious living.
The Concept of Ahinsã
Ahinsã is the feeling that attempts to reduce harm to all living creatures. The concept of Ahinsã is meant to be practiced by:

  • thought - not having thoughts of ill-will towards others
  • word - not using speech to slander or malign others
  • deed - not performing violent physical actions
In renowned Hindu scriptures such as the Mahãbhãrat (3-207-7), the Vãsudev Mãhãtmya (20/21), and the Padma Purãn (1.31.27), Ahinsã is referred to as the highest virtue of life: Ahinsã paramo dharma. Bhagwãn Swãminãrayan has referred to the practice of Ahinsã throughout His Shikshãpatri - the code of conduct for devotees:
  • “All scriptures advocate Ahinsã as the highest dharma.”(Verse 12)
  • “My devotees should not harm any living being. They should not intentionally harm even small insects.” (Verse 11)
  • “Even for performing yagnas (ceremonial and divine sacrifices) to please deities or ancestors, no harm should be inflicted on any living being.” (Verse 12)
  • “Even for acquiring women, wealth or a kingdom, one should never, in any way, harm or kill any person.” (Verse 155)
Vegetarianism: An Application of Ahinsã
A practical application of Ahinsã seen in Hinduism is vegetarianism - as it fosters the sentiment of respect for other living creatures. The most ancient Hindu scriptures curbed the practice of killing animals by imposing strict ritualistic regulations which are very difficult to ordinarily meet. Those who were following the spiritual path and wanted to attain God were prohibited altogether from killing animals and consuming animal flesh because such consumption hinders spiritual progress. Hindu scriptures say that killing animals and consuming their flesh leads to violence in our thoughts and behavior. It spoils one’s character and obstructs one’s acquisition of noble virtues.
Today, some people feel that because they are not actually killing the animal themselves, eating the flesh and other body parts of a dead animal does not violate the code of Ahinsã. However, Hindus consider the consumption of dead animal flesh to be a barbaric practice. The Vãsudev Mãhãtmya and other Hindu scriptures state that one who consumes animal flesh, who sells animal flesh, or who prepares animal flesh – all of these people accrue the same sin as the person who slaughters the animal. This is similar to the Western idea that the murderer and the accessory to the murder are both guilty of the killing.
Some people argue that God has given us the ability to kill animals and digest animal flesh; therefore God must have wanted us to eat animals. One could easily respond that God has given us the intelligence and ability to kill humans and digest human flesh, so in that belief system, did God give us this ability because he wanted us to eat human flesh? The flaw in this argument becomes clear here. These people have made the grave error of confusing ability and civility, or ethics. Men may have the ability to kill animals and eat animal flesh, but that does not make it right. Humans have the ability to do some very bad things. But civilization, ethics, morality, and dharma are all meant to restrain man from exercising his full barbaric, animalistic capability and instead, to elevate him from this animalistic condition to the plane of humanity and even higher to the plane of spirituality. It is with this intent of elevating mankind from just a human being to a spiritual being that Hinduism has propagated the value of Ahinsã and its corollary vegetarianism. 

Q.6 How does the practice of self-defense fit into the concept of Ahinsã?
A. Ahinsã is not just non-violence or not resorting to arms, but it is also the feeling that tries to reduce harm to all living creatures. Sometimes, force or violence may in fact be necessary to prevent harm. Suppose a train is heading towards a child who is standing in the middle of railroad tracks. We would be inclined to push the child out of the way to save his or her life. Suppose that a wild animal is running ferociously to attack a group of tourists. The animal may need to be wounded to prevent harm to numerous people. Ahinsã recognizes the right to defend one’s self, family, community, and country through the most feasible and appropriate, yet least violent, means necessary. However, defending oneself should never be used to justify violence that is not provoked or warranted. One should be careful that defending one’s self does not become a hidden form of aggression.

Q.8 What is Karma?
A. Summary Answer:
There are three types of karmas – sanchit, prãrabdha, and kriyamãn.

  • Sanchit karmas – the stock of karmas, or accumulation of past good and bad actions.
  • Prãrabdha karmas – are the portion of sanchit karmas used up to create the present physical body and the experiences we are to encounter in this life.
  • Kriyamãn karmas – the new actions we perform each day which shape our future experiences of pain and joy.
One may ask: Why do some sinful people seem happy and why do some righteous people experience misery? To understand this, consider the analogy of a large storage vessel for grains. As long as the sacks of good grains are emptied in the vessel, there will be no problems. One will get good grains as one removes them from an outlet at the bottom of the vessel each day. But, when a sack of bad grains is emptied into the container, one eventually comes across it after the layers of good grains have been exhausted. One reaps the benefits of the layers of past good actions until the bad layers arrive. So, until then, the person may seem to live in comfort and happiness, but he has to eventually bear the consequences of his bad actions. There is no correlation, however, between the order that the karmas were performed and the order in which one receives the fruits of those karmas. Thus, although it is possible for one to receive the fruits of one’s karmas in the order in which those karmas were performed, as implied in the aforementioned analogy, this is not always the case. One may receive the fruits of karmas independent of the order in which the karmas were performed.
Karma is not to be confused as the giver of the fruits of our actions. In His Vachanãmrut, Bhagwãn Swãminãrayan says,
“Just as when seeds which are planted in the earth sprout upwards after coming into contact with rainwater, similarly, during the period of creation, the jivas which had resided within mãyã together with their kãran sharir (causal body), attain various types of bodies according to their individual karmas by the will of God, the giver of the fruits of karmas.” (Vartãl 6)
So, in fact, God is the giver of the fruits of our actions. One might think that God is cruel when He dispenses the fruits of bad actions. But, God is impartial towards all. The Brahma Sutras by Ved Vyãs say, “God is not biased in giving happiness and misery to anyone but gives the fruits of one’s karmas.” (2-1-34)
Not only does God give the fruits of one’s karmas, but earning the grace of God or His realized sãdhu can destroy the harmful karmas of one’s past. Many stories from our scriptures show this to be true. Bhagwãn Swãminãrayan also says in the Vachanãmrut Gadhadã I-58 that if a God-realized Sãdhu becomes pleased upon a person, then regardless of how malicious his karmas may be, they are all destroyed. The blessings of that great sãdhu could make a beggar into a king, could transform a bad fate into a favorable destiny, and could dissolve even the most disastrous misfortune.
Accepting and understanding that our actions have causes and effects stops us from performing unrighteous actions for which we would have to suffer from the further accumulation and consequences of harmful karmas.

Q.   Why are there so many Gods in Hinduism?
A. Summary Answer:
Hinduism is not a polytheistic religion. For all Hindus, there is only one Supreme God.




Om Tat Sat



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