Part 1 of the detailed five-part biography of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Life and Work, narrates his birth as Ghanshyam Maharaj, divine childhood incidents in Chhapaiya and Ayodhya, departure from Ayodhya at 11 years on a seven-year pilgrimage of India as Nilkanth Varni, arrival in Gujarat and his subsequent meeting with guru Ramanand Swami. Thereafter, he took the saffron diksha at the guru’s hand and was renamed as Sahajanand Swami. Later, Ramanand Swami appointed him as his spiritual successor and head of the organization. Subsequently, he became popularly known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan and founded the Swaminarayan Sampradaya in Gujarat.
An audio sample in English from the printed book: Bhagwan Swaminarayan,
Part 1.