Desh Vibhag Lekh

The Desh Vibhag Lekh is the last and final testament of Sahajanand Swami or Swaminarayan, made in 1826. It has been accepted as such by the Bombay High Court.^[1]

The Lekh was written in the Darbar of Khachar Dada Ebhal at Gadhada in the year 1826. It was dictated by Sahajanand Swami himself and written by Sadhu Shukmuni. It was translated into English by Geo. P Taylor in 1903.^[2]

Purpose

The Lekh has 30 points, which give the following directions:

• Demarcation of the jurisdiction and responsibilities of the two Gadis (NarNarayan Dev Gadi and LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi). The Narnarayan Dev gadi controls the Uttar Desh and Laxminarayan Dev gadi the Dakshin Desh. The demarkation is that the Uttar Desh territory runs from Bhuj to Calcutta and above and the Dakshin Desh territory runs below this line as per this Lekh.^[3]

• Duties and responsibilities of Acharyas and means of appointing future Acharyas

• Directions of what to do with the incomes of the temples

• Appointment of Sadhus and how they should remain under the commands of the Acharyas faithfully.

• Instruction for Satsangi's^[1]

Use

This document has been produced in the Indian Courts of Justice, time and again when individuals have challenged the Acharyas’ rightful place as Spiritual Leaders and Trustees of Swaminarayan’s Sampraday and all its assets. Some organisations have been instructed by the Indian judiciary to remove the word Swaminarayan from their name, because they cannot justify their philosophies to be the same as Sahajanand Swami’s.^[2]

To further protect Swaminarayan’s Sampraday, the Indian courts of justice have devised management schemes, appointing the Acharyas as Trustees of their respective Gadi, further recognising the position of the Acharyas, as bonafide successors to Sahajanand Swami.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Raymond Brady Williams (2001). An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 052165422X. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tPkexi2EhAIC&pg=PA36&lpg=PA33&dq=tejendraprasad&lr=&output=html&sig=usNlyIA5gyEaRB9DwFmIagMZDyI. p.36
2. ^ ^{a b} "Desh Vibhag Lekh". http://www.swaminarayan.info/Shastras/scriptdetails.asp?scode=4. 
3. ^ M. G. Chitkara (1997). Hindutva. APH. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zqkBNr4U7cwC&printsec=copyright&dq=swaminarayan+ahmedabad&lr=&client=firefox-a#PPP1,M1. Retrieved March 26, 2009.  Page 228

References

• Appeal no.165 of 1940 in the court of the district judge, Kaira, at Nadiad from decree in reg. civil suit no. 519 of 1936 of the court of the sub-judge Mr. P. B. Patel of Borsad.