baba muktanand and his associates

Friends and associates of Swami Muktananda (Baba)

Photo: Baba Muktananda (at rear) with Bhagavan
Nityananda

Mentors

Hari Giri Baba

A mentor and guide to Baba Muktananda. He was an eccentric and humorous saint of great attainment from Vaijapur, Maharashtra.

Zipruanna

A naked avadhut from the village of Nasirabad, Maharashtra. He was a yogi of great attainment who was a spiritual mentor to Baba Muktananda for many years. He told Baba to go to Nityananda, saying 'he is your guru'.

Teachers

Siddharudha Swami (1837-1929)

A very well regarded saint of Karnataka. An early teacher in Baba’s teenage years. Baba learned Vedanta and took sannyasa, receiving the name, Swami Muktananda, in his ashram in Hubli, southern India.

Muppinariya Swami

A disciple and successor of Siddharudha Swami. Baba studied Vedanta with him in his ashram at Dharwar after the death of Siddharudha Swami. Made a visit to Ganeshpuri in his extreme old age, when Baba was very ill.

Spiritual friends and colleagues

Rang Avadhoot (1898-1968)

A well known saint of Gujarat who had worked with Gandhiji in his early days. He was a dear friend of Baba and visited the Ganeshpuri ashram a number of times.

Ranchod Bapuji

A great yogi who did much social work among the poor. He visited the Ganeshpuri Ashram in the mid-1960s. He and Baba had great affection for each other.

Swami Vishnu Tirth

A member of the Siddha Yoga lineage of Swami Gangadhar Tirth. Author of a book that Baba Muktananda often recommended to seekers, Devatma Shakti, which describes the process of Shaktipat. Baba and Swami Vishnu Tirth visited each other’s ashrams. Vishnu Tirth’s guru, Sri Yogananda Maharaj, wrote the book Mahayoga Vijnana, which helped Baba at a crucial point in his sadhana.maha mandleshwar Swami Brahmananda Giri

Main ashrams: Surat Giri Bangla, Haridwar and Sannyas Ashram, Vila Parle, Mumbai. Was invited by Baba Muktananda to preside over the initiation of Baba’s sannyasis in 1977. Baba and he became good friends and Brahmanandaji visited Baba’s ashram many times and initiated Baba’s swamis.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vishveshwarananda Giri

Main ashrams: Surat Giri Bangla, Haridwar and Sannyas Ashram, Vila Parle, Mumbai. Disciple and successor of Swami Brahmananda, who accompanied him on his visits to Baba Muktananda’s Ganeshpuri ashram. His relationship with Bhagavan Nityananda’s lineage continues to this day.

Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (1924-1981)

The spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He visited Baba at his Ganeshpuri ashram and also met with him at the Ann Arbor ashram in 1974. The two had great love for each other.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)

A US-born guru and founder of the Shaiva Siddhanta Church which has its ashram headquarters in Hawaii. Founding publisher and editor of the influential, Hinduism Today magazine. Visited Baba with many followers in Ganeshpuri.

Swami Venkatesananda (1921-1981)

A senior disciple of Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh whom he served as an attendant and secretary for many years. Later, he traveled and opened centres around the world. He had great devotion to Baba Muktananda and visited him frequently.

Ram Dass (Richard Alpert, b. 1931)

A psychologist who was Tim Leary’s associate at Harvard. Later he went to India, eventually becoming an influential spiritual teacher in the West. He toured with Baba on Baba’s 1970 world tour, introducing him to Western audiences.

Stanislov Grof (b. 1931)

A pioneer in the field of transpersonal psychology and the founding president of the International Transpersonal Association. He and his wife, Christina, were admirers and friends of Baba Muktananda.

AVDHOOT BABA NITYANAND

Biography

Early Life

Details about Nityananda's birth are relatively unknown. According to his disciples, Nityananda was found as an abandoned infant in Tuneri village, Kozhikode, India by a lady named Uniamma Nair, who was married to Chathu Nair. The Nair couple adopted this child and took care of him along with their own five children. Nityananda was named as Raman by his foster parents. The Nair couple worked as farm labourers on a farmland owned by a wealthy lawyer named Ishwar Iyer, who greatly trusted them. Nityananda's foster father died when he was three and his foster mother when he was six. Before dying she handed over her responsibility of Nityananda to Ishwar Iyer.^[2] Even in childhood, Nityananda seemed to be in an unusually advanced spiritual state, which gave rise to the belief that he was born enlightened. He was eventually given the name Nityananda, which means, "always in bliss".^[3]

Before the age of twenty, Nityananda became a wandering yogi, spending time on yogic studies and practices in the Himalayas and other places. By 1920, he was back in southern India.^[4]

Adult Life

Bhagawan Nityananda as a young Yogi.

Settled in southern India, Nityananda gained a reputation for creating miracles and wonderful cures. He started building an ashram near Kanhangad, Kerala state. The local police thought he must be producing counterfeit money to pay for the building, so Nityananda took them to a crocodile-infested pool in the jungle. He dived in and then produced handfuls of money, which was apparently enough to satisfy the police. The beautiful hill temple and Ashram in Kanhangad are now pilgrim centres. The Guru Van, a forest in the hills nearby where Bhagawan sat on penance, is now a pilgrim retreat.^[4]

By 1923, Nityananda had wandered to the Tansa Valley in Maharashtra state. There, his reputation as a miracle worker attracted people from as far away as Mumbai, though he never took credit for any miracles. He said, "Everything that happens, happens automatically by the will of God."^[2][3] Nityananda gave a great deal of help to the local adivasis, who were despised by the population at large. Nityananda set up a school, as well as providing food and clothing for them.

As a guru, Nityananda gave relatively little by way of verbal teachings. Starting in the early 1920s, his devotees in Mangalore would sit with him in the evenings. Most of the time he was silent, though occasionally he would give teachings. A devotee named Tulsiamma wrote down some of his teachings and his answers to her specific queries. Later, these notes were compiled and published in the Kannada language and came to be known as the Chidaksha Geeta.^[2]

Some believe that Nityananda had the power to transmit spiritual energy (shaktipat) to people through non-verbal means. He could also be extremely fiery and intimidating in his behaviour, even to the point of throwing rocks on occasion. This was his way of deterring people who were not serious in their spiritual aspirations, or who came to him with ulterior motives.^[3]

In 1936, he went to the Shiva temple in the village of Ganeshpuri and asked if he could stay there. The family that looked after the temple agreed and built a hut for him. As his visitors and followers increased, the hut expanded and became an ashram. To the people around him, he was an avadhuta: one who is absorbed in the transcendental state.

Nityananda died on August 8, 1961. His Samadhi is located in Ganeshpuri at the Samadhi Mandir. There is also a shrine dedicated him in the Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram at Ganeshpuri. His ashram, tourist hostel, and other buildings associated with his life in Ganeshpuri are preserved by the Shree Bhimeshwar Sadguru Nityanand Sanstha Ganeshpuri. This trust is also responsible for his samadhi shrine in Ganeshpuri, which is a pilgrimage site.

A trust at Kanhangad looks after the Ashram and temples located there. The trust also runs a few educational institutions and a dharmasala.^{[citation needed]}

Nityananda’s Guru

According to Nityananda's biographers, the identity of Nityananda's guru is a mystery. Some believe that he had no guru. In one of his talks, Swami Muktananda said Nityananda’s Guru was an unknown Siddha Purusha from Kerala.^[5] At least one photograph has been identified showing him with a teacher named Swami Sivananda when Nityananda was a young man.^[6]

POWER OF THOUGHTS

The Power of Thoughts

One day, a yogi and his disciple arrived to the big city. They had no money with them, but they needed food and a place to stay. The disciple was sure that they were going to beg for their food, and sleep in the park at night.

"There is a big park not far from here. We can sleep there at night", said the disciple. "In the open air?" Asked the yogi. "Yes", responded the student. The yogi smiled and said: "No, tonight we are going to sleep in a hotel and eat there too". The student was amazed. "How?" "Come and sit down", said the yogi.

They both sat down on the ground and the yogi said:
"When you focus your mind intently on any subject, it comes to pass."

The yogi closed his eyes and started to meditate with full concentration. After about ten minutes he got up and started to walk, with his disciple following him. They walked through several streets and alleys, until they arrived to a hotel.

"Come, let's enter inside", the yogi said to his disciple.

They just set foot in the entrance, when a well-dressed man approached them.

"I am the manager of this hotel. You look like traveling swamis and I believe you have no money. Would you like to work in the kitchen, and in return I'll give you food and a place to stay?"

"Fine", responded the yogi.

The disciple was perplexed and asked the yogi: "Did you use any magic? How did you do that?"

The yogi smiled and said, "I wanted to show you how the power of thoughts works. When you think with full and strong concentration about something that you want to happen, and your mind does not resist the subject of your thought, your thought materializes."

"The secret is concentrating, visualizing, seeing details, having faith and projecting mental and emotional energy into the mental scene. These are the general prerequisites. When your mind is empty from thoughts, and only one single thought is allowed to enter, it gains a very great power. One should be very careful with what he thinks. A concentrated thought is powerful, and exerts a very strong influence."

The disciple looked at his teacher and said: "I see that I have to sharpen my concentration in order to be able to use this power."

"Yes, this is the first step", responded the yogi.

Maa Saraswati

Characteristics :	Knowledge
Other Names :	Vaagdevi, Sharda
Consort :	Lord Brahma
Vehicle (Vahana) :	Swan
Mula Mantra :	Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah
Saraswati Gayatri Mantra:	Aum Saraswatye Cha Vidmahe Brahmaputriye Cha Dheemahi Tanno Saraswati Prachodayat

Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of arts, music, knowledge, and wisdom. Saraswati is considered as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Goddess Saraswati is said to possess the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. Saraswati is regarded as the dispeller of chaos and confusion.

Saraswati - the Consort of Brahma
Lord Brahma is known for creating the universe. Since knowledge is required for creation, Maa Saraswati signifies the creative power of Brahma. An apt creation requires sound knowledge. The creation of Lord Brahma became fruitful with the knowledge provided by Goddess Saraswati.

Maa Saraswati - The Image
Goddess Saraswati is usually depicted as a beautiful woman with yellow skin dressed in a pure white saree. Saraswati is portrayed sitting on a white lotus with veena (a musical instrument) in her hands. The book in her hand signifies the eternal and universal knowledge as well her perfection of the scriptures. Lotus symbolizes the supreme reality and it suggests that the goddess herself is rooted in the supreme reality.

The color white represents purity and her rejection of everything that is base and materialistic. The Swan represents the discrimination between the evil and the good, the eternal and the transitory. The four arms of the goddess suggest the four aspects of human personality i.e. mind, intellect, vigilance, and ego. The pearl string represents the power of spirituality. The peacock standing near Maa Saraswati represents arrogance and pride over its beauty. The Goddess teaches that physical appearance could be deceptive, by not taking peacock as the vehicle. Goddess Saraswati suggests that one should be wise regarding the eternal truth.

Saraswati - Bestower of Knowledge
Musical instruments, books, speech, knowledge, intellect are regarded as symbols of Saraswati. Saraswati is believed to be the provider of knowledge that dispels ignorance and unhappiness. Saraswati is worshipped by seekers of knowledge especially students, scholars and scientists.

Basant Panchami
Vasant Panchami marks the beginning of the spring season. The festival of spring is celebrated with full vivacity and joy amongst the Hindu people. In Hindi language, the word '' basant / vasant'' means ''spring'' and ''panchami'' means the fifth day. In short, Basant Panchami is celebrated as the fifth day of Spring Season.

SIDDHI VINAYAK

Ganesh

Also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.

Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles (Vighnesha, Vighneshvara), patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. He is honoured at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters during writing sessions.^[] Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

Ganesha emerged a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya, (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; gāṇapatya), who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

Other names

Ganesha as 'Shri Mayureshwar' with consorts Buddhi and Siddhi, Morgaon (the central shrine for the regional aṣṭavināyaka complex)

Ganesha has many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vigneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri (Sanskrit: श्री; śrī, also spelled Sri or Shree) is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.^[]

The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana (Sanskrit: गण; gaṇa), meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha (Sanskrit: ईश; īśa), meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva (IAST: Śiva). The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति; gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vignesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana (IAST: gajānana) ; having the face of an elephant).

Vinayaka (Sanskrit: विनायक; vināyaka) is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vignesha (Sanskrit: विघ्नेश; vighneśa) and Vigneshvara (Sanskrit: विघ्नेश्वर; vighneśvara) (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hindu mythology as the creator and remover of obstacles (vighna).

A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pille or Pillaiyar (Little Child). A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillepillaiyarpallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk of an elephant", but more generally "elephant". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Palipillaka means "a young elephant". means a "child" while word means a "noble child".

ESSENCE OF ALL TEACHINGS

Change Your Idea of Yourself

Understanding is determined by knowledge. Attitude is shaped by understanding. peace and joy arise in the mind according to one's attitude. Take the case of an ordinary soldier. If he becomes a lieutenant, he feels more important. As he rises through the ranks from a lieutenant to a major and then to a brigadier general and finally assumes the position of commander-in-chief, his power increases progressively and so does his awareness of his stature. If he becomes the president of his country, his authority is far more pervasive and he also feels far more important. Actually this person remains the same throughout. What changes then? It is his own idea of himself. He felt insignificant while he was a soldier, but now he considers himself not a soldier but the president of his country. Similarly, if you give up the wrong view of yourself as a trivial, destitute, inferior, begging, and imprisoned creature and instead begin to feel that you are Shiva, the all-pervasive soul, that you are perfection itself, how much greater your joy will be! Stop looking upon yourself as a limited individual. Become firmly anchored in the sense of your own pervasiveness, of your ability, greatness, and purity.

Think - "I am the Self"

Remember the body is perishable. Eternity is only in the Self. Truth is only in the Self. Greatness is only in the Self. Before departing there is one thing you must do - and that is to attain the Self. You are the Self. The Self is yours. You are constantly thinking about your body and identifying yourself as a person. Stop! Discard that idea. Then think, "I am the Self. I am Consciousness." The fruit of thought is very great. What you attain in the end is what you think about all the time. So think, "I am the Self, I am Consciousness. I am beautiful." The Self is complete and pure and perfect. Whatever you do, wherever you go, sit calmly and contemplate the fact that your are the Self.

Illusion of Maya Versus Ultimate Reality

The world deceives us when we consider it to be simply the world as we see it. However, once we experience the blissful sport of Consciousness, the world is transformed into a haven of bliss.

Essence of All Teachings

I will explain the essence of thousands of scriptures in half a verse. This world is an illusion. There is no difference between the individual soul and the supreme Soul. They are one and the same. This was the teaching of Shankaracharya, who wrote:

This world is the creation of the mind.
Once the mind becomes mindless,
there is no world.
There is only heaven.

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