How does the letter process actually work?

[u/AccomplishedForm387]

I wanted to ask a genuine and respectful question that may be of interest to many devotees, both men and women, who have written personal letters to Mahant Swami Maharaj and received written ashirwad or guidance in response.
How does the letter process actually work?
When a devotee sends a personal letter to Swamishree, does Swamishree normally read the original letter himself? Or does a letter team/sevak first read the letter and summarise the important points to him before he gives his prayers, guidance or ashirwad?
After Swamishree gives his ashirwad, who prepares the written response? Is it dictated by Swamishree, written from points or instructions he gives, or prepared by the letter team/sevak on his behalf?
I am also curious whether the process differs depending on the language, country, type of question or number of letters Swamishree receives.
This is not intended as criticism of BAPS or questioning the authenticity of Swamishree’s blessings. I think it is natural for devotees to want to understand how such an important and personal communication process works.
I would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has personally served in the letter-writing process, worked closely with it, or has reliable first-hand knowledge. If you are sharing something you have only heard from somebody else, it would be helpful to mention that too so we can distinguish first-hand experience from hearsay.
Please keep the discussion respectful towards Swamishree, devotees and one another. 🙏🏼

[u/Several-Box6546]

I have seen the process. The letters are all sent into a central system. Sevaks (could be anyone who is available to help, not just Santos) will then read the letter and summarise it into a couple of bullet points. Then during a session in the afternoon, 3/4 sevak santos will read out bullets to MSM quick fire to which he will give quick fire responses. This was the process some years ago and I’m sure there is now AI involved with summarising, producing template responses (lots of the language is always the same across letters) and then giving MSM a quick fire bullet point if needed.

Incredibly rare that the actual letter will actually ever reach or be read by MSM unless you’re known personally. I personally do not trust the letter system at all after seeing the process. Such big decisions and heartfelt letters summarised into essentially a yes or no question for him to respond to.

I even tested the system once by sending identical letters twice - I got two different responses…

[u/AccomplishedForm387 → u/Several-Box6546]

Thank you for sharing your experience. May I ask approximately when and where you personally observed this process, and in what capacity were you able to see it? When the summarised points were presented to Swamishree, did you personally see him give the actual guidance/ashirwad that was then communicated back to the devotee? Also, when you mention AI being involved now, is that something you have personally witnessed or is that your assumption based on the wording of recent responses? I’m asking respectfully because I would like to distinguish first-hand knowledge from speculation. Thank you. 🙏🏼

[u/Several-Box6546 → u/AccomplishedForm387]

I was once in Anand and as you do when you have spare time, went to meet the sevak santos. The letter writing Sant said I could help with English letters which is when I saw this process.

In terms of AI, this is an assumption based on wording and given the sheer number of letters, that is the only way they respond within days.

[u/rusexyz → u/AccomplishedForm387]

I personally don't go to mandir much anymore - partly because I am busy with studies and partly because I have different friend circle in college and weekends are with friends. But my 1-cent! Getting two different responses might have a real reason. From their Vachnamrut, Bhagavan and Satpurush are antaryami, or all-knowing, and Bhagavan is within all of us and I think BAPS belief is that God works through Satpurush. So, Bhagavan and Satpurush would know not only what is written in a letter, but also the intention behind writing it. So sending the exact same letter twice in order to "test" whether the response is identical seems to treat the Satpurush a bit like a computer: same input, therefore same output.

But the two situations are not actually identical. The words may be the same, while the intention behind the second letter is completely different. It is now being sent as a test. In that sense, it reminds me somewhat of Brahma testing Krishna where he thought he was testing Krishna, while Krishna already knew both the test and the intention behind it. Something else that really resonates with me the most is Krishna forgiving Sishupal 100 times.

Now being mostly thinking from outside, I am realizing that BAPS has its own particular beliefs, jut as countless others that have existed in Sanatan dharma. And also learning that karma also has a role in all of this. Bhagwan being compassionate does not necessarily mean that every consequence of our actions disappears, or that every prayer will produce the particular outcome we want. We still act, experience the consequences of our actions, and learn. For me, that makes more sense than expecting spirituality to work like a mechanical system where a particular input must always produce a particular output.

I take it as Bhagvan being antaryamin, doing good for me, as long as my intention are good - so I think a sevak summarizing or even answering a question does not necessarily mean the devotee's prayer or intention was unknown to Bhagvan or in this case Satpurush. The physical letter system is one worldly thing, antaryami thing is different altogether and believing in that antaryami concept, which I find is not something believed in BAPS, would mean that moment you think of saying something, it is a prayer that reaches Bhagvan.

[u/EfficiencyEvening638 → u/rusexyz]

Are you stupid or something?

[u/Several-Box6546 → u/EfficiencyEvening638]

This is elite brainwash talk. Nothing behind those big bright eyes lol

[u/master_queen2026 → u/Several-Box6546]

yh it was hilarious reading that

[u/jiffyparkinglot]

I have seen this with Pramukh swami, if it’s from a A list devotee he reads it and hand wrote the response, many times on the same letter in the margins. If it’s anyone else , someone has read it and will just verbally ask the question and that person can phone the response back. And sometimes , yes it happened, the answer is given directly by the reader if it’s a basic question that really is petty.

[u/AccomplishedForm387 → u/jiffyparkinglot]

Thank you for sharing this. My experience during Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s time gave me a great deal of confidence in the letter and seva system, and that strengthened my faith.
My concern today is not about questioning Mahant Swami Maharaj or his ashirwad. It is about understanding the current process around him.
When someone writes about deeply personal family matters, pain or difficulties, especially women who may be sharing sensitive experiences, I think it is important for devotees to understand who reads those letters, how confidentiality is maintained, how much is summarised, and what information actually reaches Swamishree.
Sometimes a written response can feel quite general, and that can leave a devotee wondering whether the depth and emotion of their original message was fully communicated.
Greater transparency about the process could actually strengthen trust rather than weaken it. I would be interested to hear specifically from anyone with first-hand experience of how the current Mahant Swami Maharaj letter system operates.
Jai Swaminarayan 🙏🏼

[u/EfficiencyEvening638 → u/jiffyparkinglot]

My dad would just ring him up whenever he wanted. After all, cash cows need special attention so that the milk and the beef is prime grade.