The five vows, known as Panchvartaman, have been prescribed in the Swaminarayan tradition to attain eligibility (qualification) as a devotee of Shreeji Maharaj. They include five specific vows for each household grihastha (one leading a worldly life), and beyond that, five additional vows for those in the renounced order, Tyagi (one who has renounced worldly attachments). Those who follow these vows are considered truly worthy of being devotees under the shelter of Shreeji Maharaj. This remains the same for all time.

Five Vows (Panchvartman)for Householders

1. Daru Vartman (Vow of non-consumption of Liquor)

“All those things, items or actions, by whose sight, eating, drinking, listening or enjoying, the senses and conscience (antahkaran) get intoxicated, are equivalent to liquor.”

- E.g.: Tea, coffee, cigarette, hemp, opium, drugs, tobacco, gutka, Mava masala, pan etc. and any type of beer or any other liquor are prohibited. This is also compulsory in cold countries or even in any of unconditional situation. One must not use these things and must not encourage others to use them.

- Alcoholic medicines are also equivalent to liquor.

- TV, cinema, shows, plays, movies, gambling, chopat, lottery, circus etc. and to see and know the erotic literacy by the medium of internet or any electronic gadgets can intoxicate one’s mind and hence are equivalent to liquor.

2. Mati Vartman (Vow of not eating non-veg. food)

Mati means non-vegetarian food.

All those items which contain living bodies (small or microscopic insects) and the items which are totally banned in Hindu scriptures are equivalent to non-veg. food.

- All the items and medicines that contain meat, eggs or any products containing eggs or meat are equivalent to non-veg. Food.

- Unfiltered water, milk, oil, ghee are also equivalent to non-veg. food.

- Uncleaned or unsieved grain, flour and the vegetables that contain small insects (or aphids) e.g. cauliflower, certain other green vegetable etc. are also equivalent to non-veg. food.

- Certain items that generate irritation and hot temper and have very strong smells like onion, garlic, asafoetida (Hing ferula) etc. are also equivalent to non-veg. food.

- In short, one should abandon all above items at home. Furthermore, this vartman is violated by eating all pre-cooked and junk food from the market such as chocolate, biscuits, bakery items, ice cream, cheese, bread, yeast etc. This vartman is also violated by eating at marriage functions where the rules and regulations (regarding this vartman which are mentioned above) are not followed appropriately. Therefore, to please Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the devotee shall certainly abandon all pre-cooked food and drinks available in the market. If required, one should prepare the same at home observing all rules and regulations and shall consume the same after offering it to God.

- In unavoidable circumstances, we can drink water available in market after filtering it with a piece of cloth.

3. Chori Vartman (Vow of not committing theft)

Theft is not just taking away something from someone’s home. But one should not take even any trifle thing owned by someone without permission of the owner.

- One should not snatch away anything belonging to others by force or should not take possession of things against the will of the owner.

- One should not even take possession of anything that is lying on the street which does not belong to oneself.

- One should not falsely claim others’ possessions given to one for safekeeping purposes.

- One should not accept any object or money which one is not entitled to.

- One should not accept bribe, shall abandon adulteration or should not give less in weight, and shall not commit treachery or deceit.

- One should not stay in the bound place without the permission of the owner.

- In service, one should not shirk his responsibility in discharging his duty, which is theft of time.

- One should not commit theft of government properties or utilities like electricity, water, telephone etc.

- One should not do any illegal profession, business or service (which is prohibited by the Law of the Land).

- Theft from God: One should offer 10% of one’s income from legitimate business, profession, service or agriculture to God as dharmado for the purpose of purification of the wealth. If one is financially weak, he should offer 5 % to God as dharmado. If one fails to offer the same, it is commiting theft from God.

- One should offer one tenth of the time given by God, i.e. age, as dharmado; which means one should spend that much time in service and association with God or saints; otherwise, the chori vartman is violated.

4. Averi Vartman (Vow of observance of Celibacy)

Averi Vartman means observance of Celibacy. A householder devotee is though engaged in sansar (worldly life), they must observe this vartman (described as follows) to please Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

- A man should not lustfully gaze at or think about other women. Similarly, a woman should not lustfully gaze at or think about other men.

- A man should not keep company of women other than his wife and a woman should not keep the company of men other than her husband.

- A man should not stare at his mother, sister or daughter of young age and should not stay with her at lonely places.

- Similarly, a woman should not stare at her father, brother or son of young age and should not stay with him at lonely places.

(Then it is obvious that there would be a similar prohibition for distant relatives, friends of the opposite sex and others for staring at and staying within lonely places.)

- Nude, semi-nude, erotic and vulgarly dressed scenes and pictures displayed by plays, cinema, TV, channels, shows, movies, internet and other modern gadgets of entertainment are similarly very harmful. They are prohibited for all devotees. All devotees should abandon them strictly.

- One should not wear semi-transparent, transparent and short clothes which reveal one’s body parts and vitiate one’s thoughts. In addition, one should not watch women or men dressed in such clothes.

- One should not participate or attend lustful occasions like cultural dances, parties, dance programs, discos etc.

- One should not read and look at erotic publications, articles, books or magazines.

- Women shall observe rajaswala dharma (not touching anywhere during menstruation). They shall not touch clothes, any person or anything for three days; and can touch them after bathing (with all the clothes worn) on the fourth day.

- One should associate with his own wife, according to the seasons without deep attachment.Moreover, one shall stay away from copulation with his wife, on the days before and after Ekadashi, days of manifestation of God and Amavasya (day of new moon), days of the month of Shravan and Adhikmas, days of yajna samaiyo (special religious fete) and fasts and at pilgrim places.

5. Vatalavu Nahi and Vatlavava Nahi (Do not get proselytized and do not proselytize)

One should not eat anything that is not edible for him as per the norms of his religion and one should not force someone to eat anything which is not edible as per his norms of religion.In other words, one should not eat at someone’s home who is not observing all rules and regulations (here it means the panchvartman) properly and similarly if one is not observing rules and regulations properly, he should not force others to eat, who are observing all rules and regulations properly.

Five Vows (Panchvartman) For Ascetic Saints

1. Nishkami Vartman (Vow of non-lust)

Ascetic saints shall observe an eightfold celibacy. Accordingly,

- He must not associate with women.

- He must not touch any cloth of women.

- He must not touch women.

- He must not talk about the appearance of women and must never decide about the complexion or age of women.

- He must not ponder about women.

- He must not look with interest nor touch even the picture of women.

- He must not even think of enjoying women. Hence copulation is obviously ruled out.

- He shall never speak to women.

For strict compliance of the above,

- Saints shall never go out or walk without being in a pair. Reason of this command is so that the vow of non-lust would remain firm because of mutual restrain due to the presence of the other saint and even if there is some mistake, one shall atone for it as prescribed by Nishkam shuddhi.

2. Nirlobhi Vartman (Vow of non-greed)

- Being a saint, if he keeps or makes someone keep wealth for him or touches money, even worth a penny, it is equivalent to the sin of killing a thousand cows every minute.

- One shall never keep an additional twelfth cloth over and above the prescribed eleven.

- One shall always wear thick clothes made of madarpat and shall never wear thin clothes.

- The clothes should be dyed using the saffron coloured clay of the Rampur village (Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India) and not by artificial dye.

- One shall not wear stitched clothes.

- One shall not use rajoguni clothes like silk, muslin etc. or keep such rajoguni objects for one’s own use.

3. Nirmani Vartman (Vow of humility)

One shall never harbour any type of ego. Respect or disrespect (or insult), whatever comes by the will of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, one shall behave with equanimity in both the situations.

4. Nisnehi Vartman (Vow of detachment)

- One shall not have any social relation with his parents, brothers or other close relatives of his past life (i.e. before initiation as a saint).

- One shall never keep any dealing with his birthplace or his past home.

- One shall develop affection toward Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the devotees of Bhagwan Swaminarayan only owing to their relationship with the God.

5. Niswadi Vartman (Vow of non-gourmandize)

- One shall not use metallic utensils for eating or drinking but shall always use wooden bowl (pattar) and calabash only.

- Whatever food is available by the will of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, one shall eat it after making it tasteless by mixing all the food items of food and adding water to it.