Akram Vignan is a scientific spiritual path for realizing the true Self which is the pure Soul. While Akram Vignan is relatively new, it is grounded in two of the most ancient religions of the world: Hinduism and Jainism. It resembles Hinduism and Jainism in that its path to enlightenment/liberation is through Self-Realization, though the approach is different, and the followers of Akram Vignan worship some of the same deities.
The spiritual path of Akram Vignan was founded in south Gujarat in India in 1958 by Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, a follower of Hinduism. One evening in June 1958, after years of spiritual seeking, an amazing spiritual world and purification of the ego spontaneously unfolded within him such that the true Self (Soul) was detached from the Non-Self (egoism, intellect, thoughts) of Ambalal Muljibhai Patel. At the end of this revelation, answers to all spiritual questions became known to him. Answers to questions such as, ‘What is this world? How is the universe governed? Who am I? What is spiritual bondage? What is liberation? What is the science of Karma? became clear.
Even more astounding than what he experienced was the power that manifested within him. He was able to impart the same experience to all seekers who came to him. Through his authentic scientific process of Self-Realization known as Gnan Vidhi, he imparted this Knowledge to others. Thousands of spiritual seekers received his blessings through Gnan Vidhi until his death, and thousands continue to do so even now and through his successors. This spiritual science and pathway to liberation came to be known as ‘Akram Vignan.’ It is called a science because of the uniform process used to separate the Self from the Non-Self and spiritual because the true Self is the Soul and maintenance of its separation from the Non-Self is dependent upon on daily prayers to Tirthankara Lord Simandhar Swami and the application of right understanding of his teachings in daily living, which inevitably leads to right conduct.
Following his enlightenment, Ambalal Muljibhai Patel as the spiritual leader of ‘Akram Vignan’ took the name of Gnani Purush (Enlightened Spiritual Master) Dadashri or Dada Bhagwan. The word “Dada” is a term of endearment and the word “Bhagwan” means Lord but Ambalal Muljibhai Patel did not equate himself to God or the Lord. The Tirthankara Lord Simandhar Swami is worshipped as a Supreme Being by the believers in Akram Vignan. The successors to Dada Bhagwan also took the name of Gnani Purush and were blessed by Lord Simandhar Swami to spread Akram Vignan as enlightened spiritual masters.