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Nishkulanand Swami

Birth Place : Shekhpat
Distt. : Jamnagar Saurashtra, Gujarat State
Father : Rambhai Suthar
Mother : Amritbai
Date of Birth : V.S. 1822
Childhood Name : Laljibhai 

The saintly poet of 'Tyag Na Take Re Vairagya Vinaa' and thousands of devotional songs was born in Suthar family residing in a small village - Shekhapt. Rambhai and Amritbhi were his parents. His childhood name was Lalji and he become known as S.G. Nishkulanand Swami. 

Swami in his householder life, was an expert at carpentry. He lived a peaceful family life with his mother, wife and two children. He was a faithful disciple of Ramanand Swami. 

He became a firm follower of Shriji Maharaj after sad demise of his Guru-preceptor Ramanand Swami and developed rock steady faith and firmness in Satsang-Katha-Kirtans. Driven by the devotional fervour he walked 30 K.m on feet to and fro every evening to attend Satsang Sabhas of Shriji Maharaj in Bhadra after finishing a harddays work in Shekhpat during day He slept in Bhadra to come back home early in the morning. 

Laljibhai fell prey to an accident when he was working on a log with his chissels. The Sharp implement slipped from his hand due a sudden force of movement, rushed upwards and caught his scalp, giving a fatal wound. Profuse bleeding and the deep cut affected adversely and Laljibhai slipped in to deep unconsciousness. His helpless wife and age old mother cried for help and mercy of God. Shriji Maharaj appeared instantly, looked at Laljibhai, held his head in his lap and placed his blessed hand on the wound. Shri Hari asked his mother to stop crying and told them to prepare Sheera (a sweet dish) and bring it there quickly. Maharaj asked Laljibhai to get up to have sweet dish. Laljibhai returned quickly to the state of consciousness and had Prasadi. Maharaj inquired about his head injury and pain. In reply to it, Laljibhai said that there was no pain or any sort of giddiness. Shriji Maharaj lifted his blessed hand from the wound and everybody saw that there were no traces of the injury what so ever. It was vanished. Thus the mercy and compassion of Lord Shriji Maharaj, saved the life of Laljibhai. 

Once, Shriji Maharaj took Laljibhai as his guide in His religious tour of Kutch. To serve to Shri Hari all comforts, Devotee Laljibhai carried with him plenty of money, food and water. But Shriji Maharaj thought that when He himself is with his devotee his followers would never suffer. Shriji Maharaj asked Laljibhai to distribute food to the beggars and poor on their way. Shortly after they were confronted by theives, Shriji Maharaj asked Laljibhai to give away the sack of money. Laljibhai felt thirsty in their onward journey. Land was barren and hot blasts of sandy winds were become unbearable for Laljibhai. He started feeling unconscious due to unbearable thirst, dry tongue and throat. Seeing the precarious state of Laljibhai, Shriji Maharaj said 'Why are you putting yourself to such inconvenience ? There, here and everywhere, there is planty of water. Why don't you have it ? Drink it and quench your thirst.' Laljibhai was a most obedient servant of God. Without raising a doubt, he started drinking the salty desert water. But the water he drank was not saline, but was sweet like nectar. 

Lord Shriji Maharaj rested beneath the shade of a tree on their way between the villages of Lakadia and Aadhoi. Shri Hari then inquired, 'For how long will you pull on such life of a housecholder ? Why don't you became a saint ?' In reply to it, Laljibhai submitted himself at the lotus feet of his God to become a saint and Shriji Maharaj initiated Bhagwati Deeksha right at that place and named him Nishkulanand Swami. 

Shriji Maharaj felt hungry and asked Nishkulanand Swami to collect alm from Adhoi-a nearby village. But Nishkulanand felt bit nervous in collecting alm from Adhoi, as it was native place of his wife and she at present living there at her father's house. But Shri Hari expressed his desired for the swami to collect alms not only from the village Adhoi, but precisely collect alms from the house of his father-in-law. Nishkulanand Swami obeyed the orders and went to knock on the gate of his In-laws where his wife opened the door only to find Laljibhai standing before her in a saffron robe. She was shocked to see her husbnad in a dress of a hermit and cried like that of a helpless women. Swami in reply and response asked her to cook loaves for them if she desired Moksha and give it in them in alms. Thus he brought alms from the house of his father-in-law and served it to Shriji Maharaj. Shriji Maharaj asked him to camp at and reside in Adhoi to conduct Satsang while he proceeded to Bhuj. 

Obedient disciple Nishkulanand Swami stayed in Adhoi, conducted regular Satsang Sabhas and wrote the renown scripture 'Yamadanda. His relatives and in-laws tried at their best in Adhoi to bring Swami back in the fold of householdership, but Swami refused and said 

I am pure consciousness - beyond the elements and Maya, the world is mere mirage and miseries I dont like worldly life even in my dream state 

He preached the virtues and spiritual wisdom through his instant Kirtans and sent them back. 

His wife sent her eldest son Govind to all religious festivals in his best attires to see, meet and earn blessings from Nishkulanand Swami. She was sending him with a clear cut instruction to bow down at the lotus feet of Nishkulanand Swami. The boy used to offer invariably the prayer and pranam to Nishkulanand Swami, but Nishkulanand Swami, in all such meetings never looked at this child and stood always with eyes down cast and the mouth firmly shut. Maharaj asked Nishkulannad to speak to and look at the child, Swami submitted his fear that a single word to the child or eye-to-eye contact with the child would culminate into loss of the eldest child to that poor mother. Once, during such a visit, when Shriji Maharaj ordered him to have a normal dialogue with the eldest son Govind, Nishkulanand Swami was compelled to talk to him. As soon Swami spoke to Govind, the child made up his mind and became a saint spontaneously. This next generation saint was named 'Govindanand Swami.' 

Nishkulanand Swami was an idol of asceticism and detachment. He was never interested in food, habitat or clothing. He keep a coconut shell with him to use it as a cup, glass and bowl to drink water. Once during his religious tour of Baroda, devotees arranged a course of fruits and sweets in milk for his meals. As soon he found this, he asked his disciple to leave the place as the arrangements were befitting for those big persons of society but not for a saint. 

S.G. Nishkulanand Swami has strengthened the heritage of Sampradaya with his art and religious literature. The swing with the twelve doors in Vadtal and the most artistic wooden thresholds in the inner temple of Dholera are a few from his treasure of the art. In Gadhapur he used to display his art in diwali celebrations by presenting artisitic plants and trees decorated with kindling lights and beautifully lighted canopy to cover the beautiful seat of Lord Shriji Maharaj. 

Purushottamprakash, Bhakta Chintamani, Vachan Vidhi, Sneh Geeta, Yamadanda, Dhirajakhyan are the scriptures written by him. He has written 25 scripture's and a large number of Kirtans praising God and divine leelas of Shriji Maharaj. His language is simple and the style of emotional touch. 

The last phase of his saintly life was spent in the Dholera temple. He discarded his elemental existence on the 9th day of the dark half of Ashadha in V.S. 1904 and ascended to Akshardham.