[3][4] Swaminarayan enthroned his two adopted sons, Ayodhyaprasad Pande and Raghuvir Pande, who were the sons of his brothers Rampratapji and Ichcharamji, as the spiritual leaders of the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi headquartered at Ahmedabad and the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi headquartered at Vadtal respectively.

Swaminarayan gave sole authority to these two individuals to install murtis in temples and to initiate sadhus and householders into the Sampraday.

[10] The constitution of the Sampraday is laid out in Desh Vibhag Lekh which describes in detail the functions of the Acharyas.... it is my command to all sadhus, bhamcharis and all satsangies, that for the purpose of your kalyaan (emancipation) you must obey and follow the two Acharyas of Dharmavansh, and obey their commands by thought, action and speech.

"[19][20] It is seen as imperative to be a humble, loyal follower of the Dharmavanshi Acharya once receiving the diksha (guru mantra) in order to achieve a bhram form.

[13] The ceremony involves the taking of five vows (panch vartaman): not to commit adultery or robbery, not to consume intoxicants or meat and not to lie.

There are eight important things in the life of a Satsangi;[22] these are Kanthi – a thread worn around the neck,[23] the Tilak Chandlo – a holy mark,[23] the Mala – a thread with 108 beads,[13][24] Nitya Pooja – daily prayers,[23] the Temple,[23] Darshan – a form of worship,[23] Aarti – a ceremony, and[23] Vandu Pad and Chesta Pad – verses recited in the temples daily.

[25] Upon initiation, Satsangi make 11 vows, called Niyams (Rules):[26][27] From the beginning, ascetics have played a major role in the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

[28] Sadhus, initiated by either Dharmavanshi Acharya, also form an integral part of the organisation and wear only orange robes.

Ascetics lead a strict life, refraining from worldly pleasures and devoting their lives to the service of the holy fellowship.

In 1978, the then Acharya of the Ahmedabad gadi, Tejendraprasad, founded the International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) in the United States on the occasion of Vijaya Dasami.

is "To advance the Sanatan Dharma, in accordance with the principles and teachings of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, founded and ordained by Sahajanand Swami", enabling Swaminarayan's devotees from both the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi (Ahmedabad) & Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) to practice their religious duties in harmony.

In turn, this will enabling followers to meet the challenges that they are faced with today in giving their youth a religious experience that they can understand and practice themselves.

[34] In 2001, ISSO Seva, an independently run charity under the Swaminarayan Sampraday was established to help mankind, the homeless and needy and promote awareness about modern day diseases and infections.

Its headquarters are at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Ahmedabad; it was created to help young people to confront the challenges of human life.