The Pranami Sampradaya, also known as Pranami () or Pranami Panth is a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the Supreme God. It is based on the teachings of Mahamati Prannath and Devchandra and their holy book, the Tartam Sagar.
The Praá¹ÂÃÂmë sect belong to the Sant heritage like that of the Kabërpanthi, DÃÂdà «panthis, and Sikhs.
The Praá¹ÂÃÂmë sampradaya emerged in the 17th century in Western India, based on the teachings of Bhakti saints, Devcandra Mehtàand his foremost disciple MehrÃÂj ṬhÃÂkur aka PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth. Devcandra (1581âÂÂ1655) was born into a wealthy KÃÂyastha family in Umarkot, Sindh and was initiated into the RÃÂdhÃÂvallabhàsect. According to sectarian tradition, Kråṣá¹Âa visited Devcandra and gave him the tÃÂrtam mantra, which gives access to the IëlÃÂs of Kråṣá¹Âa. His disciple MehrÃÂj ṬhÃÂkur aka PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth was born into a ṬhÃÂkur family in Jamnagar, Saurashtra. PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth worked as a government official in Saurashtra, and travelled through Arabia, Persia, and Iraq studying the QuþrÃÂn, Bible, and other Islamic-Christian texts. In India he founded the MahÃÂmaá¹ galapurë Temple in Surat. In the 1677 Kumbhamelàin HaridvÃÂr, he won a religious debate in which he defeated Vaiá¹£á¹Âava and à Âaiva followers, and was awarded the title of mahÃÂmati. In Jamnagar he was arrested several times for allegedly embezzling public funds.
The traditions grew after Mughal Empire declined, in the wake of Aurangzeb's religious persecution of non-Muslims, when Hindu rebellion led to new kingdoms. King ChatrasÃÂl of Bundelkhand patronized PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth, and he lived in its capital Panna, Panna for the rest of his life until his death in 1694. The Pranami tradition welcomed all castes and religions to join the Supreme Truth Shri Krishna worship tradition. At conversion initiation, Prannathji would invite the new members to dine together regardless of whether they came from any Sanatan background. He would also explain the Pranami ideas by citing Hindu and Islamic texts to make his teachings connect with the background of the converts.
The Pranami Sampradaya is also known as the Nijananda Sampradaya, literally, 'nij' meaning, oneself or own and 'ananda' meaning bliss or joy. The Pranami sampradaya's teachings tries to bridge the gap between the Eastern religions and Western religions together stating that both the Eastern and Western religions talk about the same one almighty god.
The Praá¹ÂÃÂmë sect is heavily influenced by Islam, having developed in an era of Islamic rule. PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth claimed that Hinduism and Islam both contained the same esoteric truths, and that the QuþrÃÂn and Vedas both revealed the same truth. According to sectarian tradition, PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth is both the last avatÃÂr of Viá¹£á¹Âu and the Mahdë and ChatrasÃÂl is compared to þAlë. During his lifetime PrÃÂá¹ÂanÃÂth was considered to be both a Hindu sant and a Musim faqër.
The Praá¹ÂÃÂmë corpus, like in other Bhakti movement saint traditions, an eclectic mix of vernacular languages found in central, west and north India: Hindi, Gujarati, and Sindhi.
Until the early 20th century, Praá¹ÂÃÂmës were accused of being crypto-Muslims. They were and are treated suspiciously by others and were considered to be outcastes. In recent decades the sect has gone through Hinduization/Vaishnavization with older Islamic elements being discarded.
Among other notables â Mahatma Gandhi's mother, Putlibai, belonged to Pranami sect. Gandhi in his book My Experiments With Truth mentions about this sect - "Pranami is a sect deriving the best of Gita and Quran, in search of one goal â Shri Krishna."
The Tartam Sagar, also referred to as the Kuljam Swaroop, is the holy book of the Pranami tradition. It is a compilation of 14 books; Raas, Prakash, Shatritu, Kalash, Sanandh, Kirantan, Khulasa, Khilwat, Parikrama, Sagar, Singaar, Sindhi Bani, Marfat Sagar, and Kayamatnama (chhota and bada), consisting of 18,758 verses. The text was published in 1965 for the first time. It is regarded to contain the revelation of the Vedic scriptures, as well as the description of the supreme abode of Krishna, called paraá¹ÂadhÃÂma or Goloka Vrindavan. The text is regarded to be divine, and is therefore accorded equivalent worship as Krishna.
The tradition is strictly vegetarian (ahimsa, non-violence to animals), non-caste tradition dedicated to Supreme Lord whom they also call as "Rajji". Dedicated Pranami temples exist such as in Kathiawar and Gulf of Kutch region, but followers of Pranami traditions substitute it by praying and spiritual pursuits in any nearby convenient temples. There are an estimated 5-10 million Pranamis found primarily throughout North India, particularly the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim), and Assam, as well as the eastern half of Nepal.