BAPS Public Affairs represents Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (“BAPS”), a Hindu organization that traces its roots to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a Hindu deity who founded this branch of Hinduism over 225 years ago.  BAPS members aspire to live His teachings by offering devotion to God in a spiritually pure mindset.  Spiritual purity is achieved through cultivating virtues, such as humility and compassion.  Devotion to God includes not just acts performed out of love for God, but also any act that celebrates the inherent divinity in all.  His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921-2016), the former leader of BAPS, expressed this spiritual precept in a single phrase: “In the joy of others lies our own.” Today, BAPS members derive inspiration from the life of his successor, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS. Mahant Swami Maharaj serves as a guiding light for BAPS’ global following through his saintly virtues, spiritual wisdom, and personal example.