DO NOT BLINDLY BELIEVE IN WHAT OTHERS SAY.

SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT BRINGS

CONTENTMENT, CLARITY, HEALTH & PEACE.

THAT IS THE PATH FOR YOU TO FOLLOW

 .

Ananda Ananda

What is Ananda?
Ananda is Bliss
Nithyananda is Eternal Bliss

2
 .

A ll Religions have worked on Ananda, leaving

behind diverse paths to attain harmony.
Years have given this theme various dimensions,
totally complicating its basic simplicity.

P aramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal has delved

into the oceans of ancient sciences. Today this Living
Master is here to give to us these pearls of wisdom
in an uncomplicated form.

H is boundless knowledge & vast experiences is our

link to the past & his healing techniques are our key
to the future.

3
 .

“MIRACLES SHOULD NOT BE DONE,

THEY HAVE TO HAPPEN.”
Paramahamsa Sri
4 Nithyananda Swamigal
 .

Intelligent men with knowledge of the Chakras have for

over the years exploited fellow beings for personal gain.

“THERE IS ONLY ONE TIME WHEN IT

IS ESSENTIAL TO AWAKEN.

THAT TIME IS NOW.”

Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal has filtered

the essence from, Buddhism, Sufism, Vaishnavism,
Vedanta, Tantra & Christianity. He has now a perfect
method to activate all the seven Chakras, bringing to us
the priceless gift of healing.Teaching us the techniques of
meditation to give us freedom from sickness, both emotional
& physical.
5
 .

HIS VISION
To heal
To educate people through meditation
To build a meditation center

HEALING YANTHRA

6
 .

P aramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal conducts a two-day

intensive spiritual course “Ananda Spurana Program”. He
travels far & wide to educate the mind & awaken the soul.
There will soon be a one-year course for graduates who wish
to study the Science of the Chakras.

At the Chamundeshwari Studio on Millers Tank Bund

Road is the Healing center. Swamiji, along with his trained
healers brings relief to ailing patients. A multi specialty
holistic healing hospital will soon be a reality at Bidadi.

On April 14th 2001 Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda

Swamigal inaugurated DHYANAPEETAM a worldwide
movement for Meditation.

T he Ashram on the outskirts of Bangalore City will house

a 21 foot Stone Linga. This meditation center can
accommodate 4000 people. This Linga will radiate healing
energy when meditated upon.
7
 .

A nanda Spurana P rogram

Come with an open mind & return

rejuvenated enough to proclaim,
“my cup runneth over”.

8
 .

EMPTY YOUR CUP

A university professor went to
visit a famous Zen master.
While the master quietly
served tea, the professor
talked about Zen. The master
poured the visitor’s cup to the
brim, and then kept pouring.
The professor watched the
overflowing cup until he could
no longer restrain himself.
“It’s overfull! No more will go
in!” the professor blurted.
“You are like this cup,” the
master replied, “How can I
show you Zen unless you first
empty your cup.”

People’s reactions to this story:

“You cannot learn anything if you already feel that you know.”
“Preconceived ideas and prejudices always prevent us from seeing the truth.”
9
 .

“ WH O S O E V E R KNOWETH

T H E P O W E R O F T H E D A N C E,

D W E L L E T H IN GO D,
”
CRIES T H E PERSIAN DERVISH
POET RU M I IMPULSIVELY.

The autointoxication of
rapturous movement
brings the devotees,
for a while at least into that
self-forgetful union
with the non-self,
which the mystic ever seeks.

W H E N I D A N C E,
I C A N N O T J U D G E,
I C A N N O T H A T E,
I C A N N O T SEPARATE M Y S E L F F R O M LIFE.
10
 .

D A N C E,IN ITS E S S E N C E,IS SIMPLY LIFE O N A H I G H E R L E V E L.

11
“MEDITATION WILL COMPLEMENT MEDICATION”
Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda SwamigAL
 .

MEDITATION
V isualize the potential that lies within you. This
wealth that lies in you is far superior to all the
treasures in the world. Concentrate on your breath;
it becomes steady & calm. You will enter a whole new
world, filled with health & happiness, which will
enrich & elevate the quality of your life.

M editation will give you mental clarity & it will

let your higher self emerge. It will teach you far more
than basic relaxation, opening a path to permanent
happiness.

Y our Spiritual Guide will show you the way to

eternal bliss, steer you to the shores of safety & draw
you into the comfort zone.
13
 .

Ocean of Nectar,
Full of Grace,
Engulfing the universe
In Thy Splendor!
O Arunachala,
The Supreme Itself!
Be Thou the Sun
and open the lotus of my heart
in Bliss.
14
 .

LIFE IN POETRY
“Arunachala” ‘O’ Mount of light,
Thou who draw all sages bright.
Like a lotus for them to bloom,
To drive away darkness & gloom.

Arunachala the ancient hill,

Spirituality it doth instill.
Thus a divine soul was born,
A sparkling gem amongst the throng.

At the tender age of twelve,

He was a seeker one could tell.
Wandered through this holy land,
Walked the miles on stone & sand.

Narmada she danced in spate,

In a joyous frolicking ecstatic state.
Across the valley two hundred feet,
A honeycomb made the Vindhyas meet.
15
 .

The Almora hills where tigers roam,

Ramakrishna Mutt was then his home.
It’s “heaven on earth” he often tells,
Not far from where Shiva dwells.

Fear of a tiger drove his mate,

To lift a stone ten times his weight.
When morning came six could not shift,
What in panic one man did lift.

Wandering far on tired feet,

He fell into a mindless sleep.
9 long months he lay that way,
Not knowing it was night or day.

One fine morn his eyes could see,

But his mind could only count till 3.
As he lay there in this plight,
His Manipura Chakra glowed with light.
16
 .

“Ananda Ananda” he heard it ring,

Enlightenment these words did bring.
Years of penance to reach this peak,
Now this legacy from him we seek.

Soul & thought & life he heals,

With his smile our heart he steals.
Energizing one and all,
That’s our Guru’s clarion call.

17
 .

“Trust & Faith” The only way to solve

the problems & dissolve the disease.
Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal

18
 .

BE THANKFUL
For every day, be thankful, for it’s a new day, a new beginning.
For when the sun kisses you awake
When you would rather be in bed
Give thanks that you are alive today
There are many who have fled.
For when thoughts of things to be done
Come gushing in front of you
Give thanks that you have work
There are many with nothing to do.
For when the morning demands are much
With numerous needs to meet
Give thanks that you have a family
There are many lonely on the street.
For when the jobs demand too much
With hardly time to rest
Give thanks that you can reach your goal
There are many not so blessed.
For when you lay your head to sleep
Too spent even to turn off lights
Give thanks that you are calm
There are many with sleepless nights.
19
 .

20
 .

HEALING WITH CHAKRAS

O ur Physical body is surrounded by an invisible

bio-energy field or aura. It has been proved that most
diseases can be detected in the energy body before
they become manifest in the physical body.

T he Chakras are high-energy centers in the

energy body. There are seven major Chakras, which
correspond to & energize the vital organs, endocrine
system, glands & major body parts like the brain,
heart, stomach, spine, eyes etc. The malfunctioning
of the Chakra results in disease of its corresponding
body part or organ. By cleansing & reactivating the
relevant Chakra, we can stimulate the functioning of
the corresponding ailing body part or organ.

21
SAHASRARA CHAKRA
 .

The Seven Major Chakras

Sahasrara Chakra (Crown Chakra)
Location: Top of the head
Colour: Violet
Goals: Wisdom, knowledge, consciousness
Excessive Characteristics: Overly intellectual, spiritual addiction,
confusion
Deficient Characteristics: Learning difficulties, spiritual skepticism,
limited beliefs, materialism, apathy
Parts of the body: This Chakra is associated with the top of the head,
the brain, and the entire nervous system
Sense: Sense of empathy, unity, experiencing another person’s experience
as if you were inside them, being them.
Endocrine Gland: Pineal Gland

Ajna Chakra (Third Eye, Brow Chakra)

Location: Center of the forehead
Colour: Indigo, Midnight Blue
Goals: Accurate interpretation, imagination, clear seeing
Excessive Characteristics: Headaches, nightmares, hallucinations,
delusions, difficulty concentrating
Deficient Characteristics: Poor memory, poor vision, denial
Parts of the body: This Chakra is associated with the forehead and
temples, with the carotid plexus.
Sense: Sense of Perception of all inner senses.
Endocrine Gland: Pituitary Gland

23
 .

Visshudha Chakra (Throat Chakra)

Location: Base of the throat
Colour: Sky blue
Goals: Clear communication, creativity, resonance
Excessive Characteristics: Excessive talking, inability to listen
Deficient Characteristics: Fear of speaking, poor rhythm
Parts of the body: The throat, neck, arms, hands and cervical plexus.
Sense: Sense of Hearing
Endocrine Gland: Thyroid Gland

Anahata Chakra (Living Love Center, Heart Chakra)

Location: Center of the chest
Colour: Emerald Green
Goals: Balance, compassion, self-acceptance, good relationships
Excessive Characteristics: Codependency, possessive, jealous
Deficient Characteristics: Shy, lonely, lack of empathy, bitter, critical
Parts of the body: The heart, blood circulatory system, cardiac plexus, as well as the
lungs and the entire chest area.
Sense: Sense of Touch
Endocrine Gland: Thymus Gland, controlling the immune system.

Manipura Chakra (Power Center, Solar Plexus Chakra)

Location: Solar plexus
Colour: Yellow
Goals: Vitality, spontaneity, strength of will, purpose, self-esteem
Excessive Characteristics: Dominating, aggressive, constantly active
Deficient Characteristics: Weak will, poor self esteem, sluggish, fearful
Parts of the Body: The muscular & skin system, eyes & face, solar plexus, large
intestine, stomach, liver and the other organs & glands in the solar plexus.
Sense: Sense of Sight
Endocrine Gland: The pancreas
24
 .

Svadhisthana Chakra (Sensation Center, Spleen Chakra)

Location: The center of the abdomen
Colour: Orange
Goals: Pleasure, healthy sexuality, feeling
Excessive Characteristics : Overly emotional, sex addiction, obsessive attachments
Deficient Characteristics: Frigidity, impotence, emotional numbness,
Parts of the body: Reproductive system, sexual organs & lumbar plexus
Sense: Sense of Taste
Endocrine gland: Gonads

Muladhara Chakra (Root Chakra, Security Center)

Location: The perineum, the point between the anus and the sex organs
Colour : Red
Goals: Stability, grounding, physical health, prosperity trust
Excessive Characteristics: Sluggish, obesity, hoarding, materialism, greed
Deficient Characteristics: Fear, lack of discipline, restless, underweight
Parts of the body: Lymph system, skeleton system, the prostate gland in men, the
sacral plexus, the bladder and elimination system, nose & the lower limbs.
Sense: Sense of Smell
Endocrine gland: Adrenal glands

Meditation or Medication?
25
 .

The Strong calm person is always loved & revered. He is like a shade
giving tree in a thirsty land or a sheltering rock in the storm.

26
 .

ENERGY & US
How does our body pass or transfer energy?
In our Physical body, under the skin lie 340,000 nadis or pathways of
vital energy, which could mean nerves, arteries, vessels all put together.
Our inner Dense body has 74,000 nadis. The core has 14 main nadis &
this network is connected to the Seven Chakras.
How should energy flow in the body?
Energy should flow in Harmony. The frequency of the energy flow
should be constant. When the energy flow is harmonious the Aura
develops well & indirectly the Higher Self will develop.
What happens when the energy flow is low?
When the energy flow is low, the Aura will also be low & negative energy
in the form of bacteria will enter the body causing sickness & disease.
If the energy flow has an imbalance in the frequency, what is the
consequence?
If energy flow has an imbalance in the frequency, then this type of energy
will cause dysfunction of the body causing cancers & tumors.
What are the causes for imbalance in energy?
Emotional & physical stress, unhealthy habits & unhealthy diet.
How are all sicknesses treated?
The Chakras need to be energized & balanced.

27
 .

WHAT IS A MIRACLE?
It was a damp & cloudy day when Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda
Swamigal decided that a trip to the Bidadi Ashram was a necessity. So
off we drove unaware of what sparred the trip & totally unprepared for
what we were about to witness.

As we got down and walked along, there was such a loud commotion,
one could not ignore it. A cow while grazing had accidentally got trapped
in a slushy area, which once must have been a lakebed. The loose wet
soil was making matters worse for the cow & it was unable to move.

A crowd of no less than forty villagers had gathered around the cow.
They tied ropes around & tried in every possible manner to rescue this
pregnant cow. The cow was unable to lift her totally exhausted body
from the mud.

Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal stopped at a distance of twenty

feet from this scene. He instructed the people to stop the pushing &
pulling. Just looked at the cow right into her eyes, clapped his hands &
then signaled her to come out. He called for two men to help the cow
as she tries to come out onto firm land. Having said this he simply turned
& walked towards the ashram not waiting to see the result. We both
28
 .

stood rooted there unable to follow Swamiji, curious to see what would
happen.
The cow got up & out of the slush with the help of those two men. It
was really no struggle. She moved on to the bank with such ease. By
this time Swamiji had walked a fair distance so we hurried to him with
questions pouring out of every pore. His unambiguous answer was “ I
did not perform any miracle, I just connected to the cow’s intelligence
which had gone totally haywire by all these people who had brainwashed
it into thinking that it would not be able to come out on its own. The
moment the cow realized her capacity to save herself, she came out of
the slush purely by her own effort”.

This is what Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal is here for, “ To

guide us out of troubled waters”.

29
 .

There are only two ways

to live your life. One is
as though nothing is a
miracle. The other is as
though everything is a
miracle.

30
 .

Healing With Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal

Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal is not just a spiritual leader, he is
creating waves as a healer too. To heal is his mission in life. The ailments
range from regular tension headaches to more serious disorders. Galaxies of
people, of all ages, from
different walks of life come
to him to be healed. Some
of the common ailments
are arthritis, hypertension,
migraine, osteoporosis,
asthma, allergies, skin
disorders, kidney
malfunctions, cardiac
problems, obesity etc.
Besides these are those with
anxiety, depression, mental
disorders, stress & other
mind related problems. A
couple of patients have been
healed from a coma stage
where the Medical
fraternity had given up
hope. The results are
intriguing. Healing is done
at the city center & under
the banyan tree at the
Ashram in Bidadi.

31
To dissolve
From words into wordlessness
From time into timeless
From matter to energy………….
This is to experience the divine.
Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal
 .

IN SEARCH OF LIGHT
Sacred Mother India has time & again given birth to many saints.
Paramahamsa (a spiritual personality of the highest order who has attained
enlightenment) Sri Nithyananda Swamigal was born into an upper middle
class family in the holy town of Thiruvannamalai. The place where Lord Shiva
once appeared in Vishwarupa (cosmic form), to settle the dispute between
Lord Vishnu & Lord Brahma. Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal is a
distinguished living Spiritual Master of this century; a powerful voice for
women in society who suffer untold miseries of suppression; an uncomplicated
master of modern meditation, passionate about his mission to heal. He
absolutely believes that his image of perfect synchronization of our body
organs & our chakras is the only hope for man and that he is a channel
through whom we will see change. The incidents mentioned here are not
exactly in chronological order. Many births condense together making it too
complex to be precise. Often visions of the physical eyes & visualization of
the inner eye reveal different stories.

Before & at the time when he entered into this body, he was conscious &
completely aware of the events. Recounting this mystifying moment he says,
“The earth was swamped in darkness & silence impregnated the air. It
happened so swiftly; I saw this blazing star, followed by an explosion of light,
as I consciously entered this body & took birth”. The very next scene that
he saw was the hill at Thiruvannamalai, maybe not through his physical eyes
but with the awareness that he has entered the body.

He does not pay much attention to his birth or age, as he often calls himself
an “Ageless Spirit, The timeless in time”. He took this birth a few minutes

33
 .

H e Heals
H e Heal Each
H e Heals Each & Everyone
H e Heals Each & Everyone of Pain
H e Heals Each & Everyone of Pain Both Physical & Emotional

34
 .

past midnight on Ashtami the 1st of January 1978 at Thiruvannamalai where

his family still live. He is the second of three sons to his father Arunachalam
& mother Lokanayaki. They named him Rajasekaran.

On the tenth day after his birth, as per tradition an astrologer was summoned
to cast his horoscope. After a conscientious evaluation of the stars alignment,
(Kanya Rasi, Kanya Lagnam) he predicted that this child would one day
renounce the world in search of enlightenment & become a Raja Sanyasi.
Rajasekaran’s parents & family were heartbroken at the thought of him
leaving home & becoming a sanyasi (one who has renounced life or action).
They begged the man for a solution. He said nothing could be done, but
perhaps, if they did not show him the horoscope, his departure would be
delayed. The astrologer with a sense of total contentment for having had the
privilege to have caste this horoscope furthermore envisaged that he himself
would die in 21 days & that this would be the last horoscope he would cast.
The man died as he had predicted.

His parents he says, in no way prevented him from going in search of his
quest, nor did they ever question his actions. Even when he came home long
past midnight, they never said a word in anger or frustration. He
acknowledges with deep gratitude their enduring tolerance and
understanding.

Dhanakoti Ammal, his grandmother, bought him his first idol at the market
outside the temple gates. As a young boy he enjoyed making clay idols of
Gods, visiting temples & decorating the Gods. Even when his grandmother
opened her jewel box he was attracted to only the rudraksha. Very unusual
that the other sparkling gems did not fascinate one so young.
35
 .

“Don’t tell God how big your problems are...

tell your problems how big your God is.”

36
 .

Rajasekaran went to a regular school at Thiruvannamalai & was a fairly

average student. One day he was late for school and stood outside his
classroom waiting for permission to enter. His Math master Govindraj was
bent over the desk writing. Suddenly, as if struck by a vision, the master turned
towards him & saluted him. After lessons he invited him to his house for a
meal. It was not unusual, as it was a custom for people to invite to their homes
& feed those who had taken the vow to go to Sabarimalai. As Rajasekaran
entered the house, the master prostrated at his feet & hailed him his Guru.
The master believed he saw Lord Iyyappa in him & decided he would forever
be his shishya (disciple). From that day onwards he was lenient towards
Rajasekaran, giving him attendance freely. This made it all the more easy
for the young man to go about in his search. In due course he did finish his
schooling scoring 75% without really attending classes.

He has marked memories of his maternal grandfather, taking him to the

Arunachaleshwar temple & narrating the stories of Kannapan, Markandeyan
& Prahalad, depicted on pillars & paintings outside the shrine of the Goddess
Abethakujambal at the Ashtalakshmi mandapam. Even at this tender age of
ten, these stories had such an enormous impact on him. So much so that he
went home & wrote behind his school books his heartfelt desire. ‘When will
I become like Markandeyan? When will I become like Kannapan?’

Rajasekaran was a strange child who enjoyed the company of sadhus. He

realized pretty early on that he shared something in common with them. At
home, if ever they missed rice, tamarind, chilly & salt they were certain it
was stolen for these sadhus. He gave it to the sadhus, cooked with them &
ate with them. Often missing for days as he roamed the place in their
company.
37
 Give thanks for
unknown blessings
already on their way.

F Forsake Fear
A Anger & Ailments
I Inculcate & Invoke
T Trust in These
H Healing Hands
 .

At home he spent time in the backyard in his tent. Unmindful of time he

performed pujas (worship) for his Gods. Ringing the bell, burning camphor
& insisting all at home attend these rituals. Every one at home was tolerant
towards him.
Between the age of ten & sixteen was the age of boundless energy &
stubbornness; the age when, walking around on wooden slippers fascinated
him & probably disturbed all else at home. The childhood years spent within
the joint family had their fair share of war & peace. His fiery temper often
had him flinging objects at his cousins. A scar on his eyebrow is a reminder
of one such battle. He explains these childish bouts of anger in his own words.
“Paramahamsa is nothing but a Baalan (young boy), a Pisasu (demon spirit)
& a Paithiyam (mad being) all combined together. All three cannot be
predicted & these three negatives congregate to form a positive.
Annamalai Swamigal, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa happened
to be preaching to some foreigners, in the vicinity. Attracted to sages,
Rajasekaran rushed to hear him speak. He said, he had no body; he was only
an Atman (Spirit). Rajasekaran reflected on this trying to find a reason ‘if
this is true & if I cut myself, it should not hurt’. To satiate his curiosity he
rushed home & with a blade slit his right thigh. All he felt was pain & all he
saw was blood gushing out. Not only had he to put up with the pain, he had
also to put up with reprimanding from his mother. Totally disheartened &
fuming he went right back to the Yogi. He revealed to him the wound &
told him there was no truth in what he spoke. At that stage the yogi’s
explanation was not adequate, but he understood that there was more to this
matter than he had the power to understand; he had to look deeper & explore
the subject. This may have been his first glimpse into the world of spiritualism,
which soon turned into a life-consuming obsession.
39
 .

Spending a major part of his time in & around the temple premises, he became
acquainted with a sadhu from Burma, Ragupathi Yogi. A sage with immense
dexterity in the field of yoga. This yogi asked Rajasekaran to come daily to
the temple & willingly imparted to him the nuances of yoga (acquiring
knowledge of ultimate reality). He predicted that Rajasekaran would one day
become a great sanyasi. This at first frightened the young boy. When he asked
for proof of the power of prediction, the yogi clapped his hand & out of
nowhere created a shell & gifted it to the young boy saying “see I created it
for you”. Immediately Rajasekaran noticed the date carved on the shell &
frankly told the Yogi that it was not created now as it had a previous date on
it. He accepted the boy’s findings & said he had only transferred it from his
home. This was perhaps Rajasekaran’s first inspiration. He made Rajasekaran
understand that there was something beyond the five elements. Ragupathi
Yogi once had a photographer come & capture on print the young boy sitting
on a deerskin like a yogi. During one of the yoga lessons, Rajasekaran asked
him what the use of all this was. The yogi answered that they could fly. The
young boy was shocked & to make him believe it, the yogi actually took off
a clear six inches from the ground. The yogi was a sturdy man strong enough
to stretch & snap an iron wire tied around his chest. He would push a tube
& occasionally a green snake into his nose & pull it out through his mouth.
It was simple & straightforward, not a scrap of magic. All these acts did make
him appear like a mad man to those around. The young boy had his
fundamental tutoring under him.

At the age of 10 during the exams, most school children visited the temple.
During these years Bhagwan Sri Yogi Ramsuratkumar could be seen, sitting
on the temple steps opposite the Chinna Nandhi (small stone bull) at the

40
 .

Arunachaleshwar Temple. Almost like a ritual the boys would go straight to

him, lay their exam boards at his feet, prostrate before him & ask, “Will I
do well in my exams?” Not really looking for an answer they would pick up
the boards & run away. The yogi would sometimes mutter a few inaudible
words, sometimes ‘Ram Ram’, often “you will pass” or even “go”. To
Rajasekaran on one such day he said, “You will pass the test of life”. Unable
to understand the real meaning at that time, he asked for an explanation.
The familiar reply was “ Go, for you will not understand this today, but make
sure you always remember these words”. At this very moment he vividly
remembers taking his blessing.

All through the summer holidays he spent his time in sadhana ( the practice
by which perfection (siddhi) is attained). There were times when he would
meditate at the cremation grounds. Many have come to his parents & reported
to them that they had seen Rajasekaran at the cremation ground, late into
the night. When he did return, his parents never demanded any in depth
explanations. A simple answer as “ I was there meditating” would suffice.
Never once did they raise the issue of why he was doing this or for what was
he doing this. This was their uniqueness. Maybe in their heart they knew that
they were merely his guardians, but that’s just an assumption. Had they
prevented his search, thousands would be at loss today.

It was sometime in 1994, as he was bathing, Rajasekaran heard a knock on

the door. He heard the person say, “Are you aware that today is your 16th
birthday?” He froze at first in realization that he had not fulfilled his dream
of becoming enlightened by the age of 16. Then behind closed doors a river
of tears ran in spate for more than two hours. Depression engulfed him &

41
 .

his thoughts shifted between the story of Markandeyan & his unfulfilled
dream.

The search for enlightenment continued. Kuppama, an old lady, his paternal
grandmother’s friend played a significant part in his childhood. She was once
blessed with an appearance of Goddess Rajeshwari. More spiritual than
religious, this lady was the first to show him a path beyond temples & religion.
For the first time he heard that going to the temple was a foolish act. That
God lived in the temple of our hearts. That we must look within our inner
self to find God. What at first seemed like puzzling statements soon seemed
so easy to understand once she had explained them. In this context he says
Swami Vivekananda had said that children below fourteen could easily absorb
the Vedanta (a system of philosophy based on the Upanisads teaching the
culminating knowledge of the Absolute). He speaks of “sravanam, mananam
& nididhyasanam”. If we wished to know the truth we must first ask, next
listen & then let it sink into us. If we have understood it, it will reflect in our
work. Swami Vivekananda further simplifies this. When children below
fourteen years of age get sravanam (lessons) from a Sadguru (an authentic
Guru) they need no mananam (meditation), nididhyasanam (fixed
contemplation, the absorbed dwelling of the mind on its object) directly takes
place. Till the age of fourteen there is grace in the child’s face. He talks of
them, as flowers from another world not yet walked over, not yet ready to
bear fruit or to ripen. After the age of fourteen the boy turns into a man, his
looks mature. This was what was happening to Rajasekaran as he was below
the age of fourteen. As Kuppama was teaching him, the knowledge kept
sinking deeper into him stirring the desire to seek. It was at this point in time
that he became conscious of ‘God, humanity & many such truths’. The

42
 .

43
 .

knowledge that what the rishis said was true, that their lives were not a waste
or a lie. That the backbone of India is Aanmeegam (spirituality) & all of
our blood flows towards that direction only.

During this time he often meditated on the hill. He evolved to be with nature,
living with weather and seasons and wild animals and the rest. Sitting on a
rock here he had his first experience. As he was meditating on the question
of “Who Am I?” getting into an altered state of consciousness trying to look
into this feeling, he felt this sudden explosion of light. He felt its immensity,
this “I”. Like you’re walking miles under the hot sun & you get a chance to
take a dip in the lake. At first the coldness of the water takes your breath
away as you’re not ready for that, and then, the scale of everything around
you, the silence, and the color of the water, the taste of it - it makes you feel
as if you are floating on another planet. This was his first outer body
experience & it happened on Poornima (a full moon night), in the month of
Vaikasi, during the period of the star of Visakam. He says “I could see myself
in everything around me, in the plants, on the rocks, on the earth, on the
animals & also on my whole body. There were images of me everywhere. I
was able to see images behind me too, in fact all around, 360° above & below,
left to right”. At this point he realized he could go no deeper into this feeling
of “I”, nor could he hold on to it for long, it began to dissolve. Once this
emotion vanished he sat motionless while a fever of happiness raged over him
for three days. Then, when this ecstasy also wore off, fear slowly set in, a
fear that he may have been possessed. He was really not prepared for this
experience. He hurried down from the hill to tell Kuppama that he was
possessed for a while, and that they should never go back to that rock for
the spirit there may posses them again. She held his hands & soothed away

44
 .

his fears. Explained to him that he was not possessed by any spirit, but by
God himself. Empathetic & over protective towards him she feared that his
equilibrium may be lost, so she cooked his meals & personally attended to
him for three days, till this experience settled down within him. No matter
how much she tried to convince him, he still remained terrified of that rock.
She later took a photograph of him sitting on that rock, and then built an
ashram for him there. Both the picture & the Ashram she gave to him telling
him he would one day understand & realize the value of why she had done
this. Today this Ashram, serves as a branch of Dhyanapeetam.

So crystal clear is his memory of this exhilarating incident. On one of his

usual wandering expeditions, Rajasekaran sat perched upon a rock. It may
have been one rock many million years ago, but it had a kind of a split right
through with a gap in between, a comfortable place to rest. He sat there
swinging his legs, enjoying the beauty of nature & taking in breaths of fresh
air. The light was low & far away in the horizon, he spotted an old man
walking towards him. What was this man doing all alone? He thought to
himself. When the man came within ten feet of the rock, he jumped down
in front of the man. He wanted to ask him what he was doing here. As his
feet touched the ground & he regained his balance, he lifted his eyes. Lo &
behold! What he saw took the air out of his lungs, sweat bathed his body. It
was not an old man; it was a bear on two feet. He moved backwards, one
step & he was up against the cold hard rock. The bear came down on its
fours. Rajasekaran thought to himself, “That’s it, I’m about to become his
meal for the day”. The bear looked him straight in the eye, turned left, and
then right, then chose to slowly walk away. Did the bear know this young
man was here on a mission or was he just not hungry?

45
 .

Habitually he walked around the sacred hill at Thiruvannamalai. On one

particular evening, engrossed in some verses from a book, he walked on.
Instinct declared that something was amiss. He stopped in his tracks & slowly
lifted his eyes to see what it was. There were a pack of five hyenas around
him, devouring with their eyes the now motionless shell-shocked prey. Hyenas
in packs were dreaded killers, leaving no chance for survival. He was mute
& frozen. If he did choose to cry for help the chances of being heard were
remote. Unable to think, he stood as if rooted firmly into the soil. From deep
within him the word “Arunachala”, rose strong & clear. Out of nowhere he
heard a loud voice. Turning in that direction he saw an old man rushing
towards him club in hand, scaring away the hyenas. The hyenas vanished from
the scene. Was this another instance to show that there was more in store for
this young man?

Rajasekaran often headed to the hill to meditate, to be surrounded by silence

and nature and sky, and to be able to travel without physically moving. He
kept on at this for several days but he saw no path to enlightenment. In anger
he decided to do a more severe form of tapas (penance), with Agni (fire) on
five sides. He placed on his head a pot of fire & sat surrounded by a circle of
fire. He had some boys help him do this, by keeping the fire going from
sunrise to sunset. When asked “was it necessary to go this far?” He says the
heat from live fire was very intense, but the burning desire to attain
enlightenment was much more. This time he realized the power to control
his mind as he was getting to be more spiritually aware. He was able to
imagine his body as a sword. It was a technique to reach a higher self. He
could now cut his vision. He says, “Drishti (direct vision of the Truth) is my
Srsti. (Creation.) Whatever is my Srsti, is my dream. Dream becomes my

46
 .

reality. The gap between Iccha (wish) & Kriya (every practice which helps the
gaining of higher knowledge) gets cut”.

At Gudiyatham, in the state of Tamil Nadu, Rajasekaran completed his

Polytechnic course with a distinction. Life in the hostel was different for him.
He never could relate to other fellow students, & certainly their wavelengths
differed. He may have even seemed anti-social. Spending hours in meditation
often attracted teasing remarks. The boys riddled him with questions. Once
a fellow student teased, “ Why can you not come out with us? What do you
gain from all this meditation?” In anger he replied, “Something will come
out of all this. One day you are going to stand in line to seek my blessings”.
At this point Rajasekaran had no idea who he was to become, it was only a
retort in anger. Well these words did turn out to be true. A couple of months
back this very boy (name: Ditto) now a young man, did come & receive
Swamiji’s blessings.

At the age of seventeen when he made this enormous decision to leave home
& go out into the world, his mother wept inconsolably. His parent’s grief
never resulted in refusal. According to the rules of the Ramakrishna Mutt at
Chennai, both parent & child had to give in writing, that this boy would no
more go back home, & that he had renounced all ties with the family. He
studied the scriptures here at this Mutt. So interested was he in the subject,
that he once read 600 pages in 10 hours nonstop. Within 3 days on the
occasion of Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday celebrations, Swami witnessed the
manifestation Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa & Sharadha Devi together
placing their hands over his head, blessing him.

He remembers never adhering to the rules of the mutt. The free spirit in him
was already spreading its wings. To be in the company of enlightened beings
47
 .

was worth any punishment. On hearing that Thich Nhat Hanh, an enlightened
Buddhist monk a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, was in the vicinity, he slipped
out to see him. This monk was a guest at the Theosophical Society campus
at Adyar in Chennai. When Swamiji fell at his feet to take his blessings, the
monk rose from his seat, lifted Swamiji & embraced him. He then invited
him to sit along with the other monks. They were seated according to their
years as a monk at the monastery. He asked Swamiji how long he had been
a monk & seated him in accordance with the order.

Besides Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Rajasekaran had strong magnetism

towards the teachings of saints like Swami Vivekananda & Sri Ramana
Maharshi.

He has traveled the length & breadth of India, covering a distance of nearly
30,000 kilometers of which 2000 kilometers was covered on foot. From
Gangotri (The place where Lord Shiva received Ganga in his locks) to
Rameshwaram (the auspicious meeting point of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian
Ocean and the Arabian Sea) he has visited numerous places. Those strong in
his memory are Gaumukh (“The Cow’s mouth” the source of river Ganga),
Tapovan (a peaceful place known for its hot springs which are believed to possess
miraculous healing powers),Yamunotri (3293 meters above sea level, the sacred
source of the river Yamuna), Manasarovar (Hindus believe that Goddess
Parvati has taken the form of the Manasarovar Lake and that deliverance is
assured for people taking a bath here, a place to see before you die, “It’s breath
taking” Swami says), Badrinath (Known as ‘Tapobhoomi’ land of meditation
and penance), Kedarnath (Very close to the Indo-Chinese border, couched in
the scenic locales of the Garhwal Himalayas , here the idol of Lord Shiva is in
the form of a pyramidal lingam), Benaras (Benaras or Varanasi is sandwiched
48
 .

between the rivers Varuna and Ashi as they join the Ganges, Varanasi takes
its name from its location. It is the cosmic center of the Universe. Mark Twain
once wrote, “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than
legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”), Puri (The abode of
Lord Jagannath), Allahabad (at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and
the mythical Saraswati River, the point of their mingling known as Sangam),
Hardwar (where the mighty Ganga comes down to the plains of India from the
Himalayas) & Almora in Uttaranchal (here is a cave where Swami
Vivekananda meditated)

Shiva had manifested himself before Swamiji in Kedarnath. On his journey

from Tapovan he decided to take a ride in the Army truck. The truck had
no cushioned seats, only wooden planks to sit on. One sudden jerk caused a
fracture to Swamiji’s backbone. The doctor at the camp insisted he be put
in a plaster cast. Refusing treatment, Swamiji placed his palm on the area
closest to the fracture, healed himself & walked back. At the Ramakrishna
Mutt Hospital in Hardwar, he decided to see a doctor, who insisted he take
an x-ray. The doctor was obviously surprised to see the results.

The Ramakrishna Mutt in Almora was home for a while to Swamiji. The
rooms of the inmates were spaced out. One late evening as they sat outside
studying, they heard a fellow student shouting out a warning. A tiger was on
the prowl; so they rushed into their respective rooms & bolted the doors. It
was nothing unusual; tigers were known to roam freely in this part of the
land. Not a soul dared to come out till dawn arrived. When morning came,
one of the inmates was missing. Unnerved & terrified at the thought of what
could have happened they rushed to his room. The door was locked. On
knocking they were relieved to know he was very much alive, just unable to
49
 .

come out. Apparently his door had no bolt & in that state of panic he had
lifted a large object & placed it against the door to hold it in place. Now he
was powerless to move the same object out of the way. Six of the others got
in through the window & were astonished to see the object; it was a solid
grinding stone. It took the efforts of all six collectively to shift, what this
one man had lifted in the state of panic. Swamiji uses this as an example to
explain that we are capable of much more than we think.

North Indian Railways charged nothing to transport Sadhus. They could board
at any station & disembark anyplace without being asked to show the ticket.
Swamiji would get on to any train anywhere, look out the window & get
off wherever his heart told him to. Then he would walk in any direction that
he chose to. When he grew tired he would walk to the closest station & get
on to any train. It never mattered to him to ask what was its destination, as
he would once again get off wherever the birds beckoned him. On one of
these directionless journeys he came to the banks of the River Narmada. He
clings to the memory of the Narmada as she danced in a frolicking state.
Further on in the valley of the Vindhya Range, he saw something
unimaginable. At a visible height, a honeycomb stretched from one mountain
to another, a distance of almost 200 feet, forming a sort of bridge like link.
The honeycomb belonged to a swarm of huge bees, the size of a man’s palm.

The experience at the Kasi cremation ground was poles apart from any other
that he had. As he stood watching the bodies burning, he thought to himself
‘what is it like to die?’ He got on to watchtower on the right & decided that
he would get up from his meditation only after experiencing death. He sat
in Padmasana for two & a half days, oblivious to his surroundings, without
sleep or food. He sat meditating on death. After two & a half days he felt
50
 .

something, he experienced his own death. He felt his body die, a feeling of
losing contact. He began to see himself as a non-form. There was no more
fear of death; the feeling had simply disappeared. It took him two hours to
come back to a normal state. He was floating in a plane of elation, a feeling
that he was performing abhisheka for Kasi Viswanatha, the reigning deity of
Benaras. The cremation ghat contractor, a member of Harichandra’s family
spread the word about this sadhu who was deep in mediation. Hearing about
him, some came with sweet & food offerings. This experience was a base
for enlightenment.

For days he attempted different techniques of tapas in pursuit of ‘attaining

oneness with God’, but was not successful. He had done everything there
was to do. Completely disillusioned he thought to himself that all these so
called Great Enlightened masters are in a conspiracy against me. In his fury
he flung the picture of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, chipping a corner.
His resolve not to be beaten down by life’s disappointments was crumbling.
The more fervently he went in pursuit of his goal the more evasive it got.
He then gave up convincing himself that he did not need to become
enlightened. Unexpectedly on the seventh day when he least expected it, he
was enlightened. This was an exhilarating moment of joy, as a fever of
contentment swept over him. These great masters he amusingly says, had
included him in their conspiracy. Enlightenment was like a song he didn’t
even know he knew. Now Rajasekaran had a profound spiritual experience
that provided important insights into the spiritual nature of life and health,
truths that he had been seeking for many years. The divine energy had
penetrated into him like a shaft of light. This was the death of Rajasekaran
& the birth of Nithyananda.

51
 .

After being enlightened his basic body biochemistry vanished, he felt his body
disappear. This fever took months to subside. He spent the next few months
living under trees and inside caves meditating and pursuing spiritual
purification. He sat still for days & nights in a village near Acharapakkam
unmindful of what went on around him. He was in deep meditation, so
involved that he never noticed the snake that lay close to him. Word went
around about this Sadhu who never spoke. People flocked around this young
Swamiji more out of curiosity. A twenty-year-old girl was brought to him. A
spirit had possessed her for nearly four years. The parents had tried every
possible way to drive it away. Unaware of his powers he thought, “How am
I to drive this spirit away?” Ramanujar came into his vision & he heard him
say, only a Brahmagnani (one who has knowledge of the Vedas) could do this.
The spirit now begged him for diksa ( salvation). The spirit wanted him to
do the last rites so it could attain enlightenment. He went to the seashore at
Chennai & performed the rites. Immediately the spirit left the girl in peace.
In his days that had seemed like a barren landscape so far, here was his first
miracle, 10 months after enlightenment.

For a while he lived in a cave at Perunkarani, a hilly area near Naddu Palani
in Tamil Nadu. He spent all his days absorbed in ecstasy, never searching for
his meals. He remained mute & hardly possessed any proper clothing, but
there was this aura about him then; He even had this extra glow in his eyes.
Every day Padhmanabha Reddiar a local in the area would religiously bring
him ‘kanji’ (old rice with water) in a mud pot, his only intake for the day.

Swamiji then settled for a while at Salem, traveled to Erode & other nearby
places to educate & heal people. He now spends his time between the Ashram

52
 .

at Bidadi (on the outskirts of Bangalore, 27km from the city) & the City
Healing Center. There is a constant line of people entering everyday to be
healed. His concentration is now focused totally towards the meditation
programs & to the healing work at both places. Everyday he strives to show
us the path to spirituality & to teach us how meditation can transform our
lives; how to be able to heal ourselves both mentally & physically. He has
something extraordinary in his ordinariness.

53
 .

BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT

Believe in your heart that
Something wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own power,
and in your own potential,
and your own innate goodness.
Wake every morning with the awe of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent, awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life in yourself and in everyone you see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those around you
to the potential of each new day.
Don’t be afraid to admit you’re less than perfect;
this is the essence of our humanity.
Let those who love you help you.
Trust enough to be able to take.
Look with hope to the horizon of today for today is all we truly have.
Live this day well. Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities,
all possibilities and miracles.
Always believe in miracles.

54
 If you wish to know the divine,
feel the wind on your face & the warm sun on your hand
You can transcend all negativity when you realize that the only
power it has over you is your belief in it. As you experience this truth
about yourself you are set free.
 .

The Miracle is not to fly in air,

Or walk on the water,
But to walk on the earth.

57