Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Encyclopedia
Swami Maheshwarananda, born Mangilal Garg, known as Swami
ji (born August 15, 1945 in Rupawas, Pali district
, Rajasthan
, India
), is a yogi
, guru
and the author and founder of the system Yoga In Daily Life.
According to his Guru he attained the state of self-realization at the age of 17. The World Religious Parliament awarded him with the sign of honour Proud of India in 1994, the spiritual title of Dharma Chkravarti in 1996, and the title Sarvabhaum Jagadguru
in 1999. In 1998 he was consecrated as Mahamandaleshwar
of Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhara
at the Maha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, India. In 2001 the highest spiritual title Vishwaguru was bestowed to him in the presence of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Sri Swami Narendranandaji Sarasvati, by the Vidvat Samaj (assembly of professors and scholars of the Sanskrit University of Benares) at the occasion of the Maha Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad).
After some years Swami Madhavanandaji granted his wish. Mangilal was prescribed strict yogic exercises and after six months of fasting and meditation he attained the state of self-realization (1962). He was initiated in the order of swami
s in 1967. In 1972 he went to Europe and founded Austrian-Indian Yoga-Vedanta fellowship in Vienna and first Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram.
of Shiva
, by his disciples. He lived sometime in the 19th century in ashram in a village Kailash in Rajasthan, India.
His spiritual successor was named Sri Mahaprabhuji. Sri Mahaprabhuji was born in 1828 and died in 1963 and was therefore believed to be 135 years old at that time. As Sri Devpuriji, he also announced his departure and died in meditation posture after singing OM in the presence of his disciples. He was believed to be an incarnation
of Vishnu
by his disciples and was thought to possess all 24 siddhi
s. He spent a lot of his life in an ashram built close to Bari Kathu in Rajasthan.
Sri Mahaprabhuji received the title of Paramhansa from Sri Shankaracharya of Shringhari Matha
in Pushkar
in the presence of Sri Shankaracharya of Puri
.
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda spent on the side of Mahaprabhuji more than 20 years and with his permission wrote a book titled "Lila Amrit" about the lives of Sri Mahaprabhuji and Sri Devpuriji describing the many miracles they performed. Swami Madhavananda named Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda as his spiritual successor and died in 2003.
One should not change religion, but become better Christian. Yoga is not a part of any religion, but all religions are part of Yoga, because Yoga is universal. Yoga is a religion in terms of relation between individual and cosmic self, that is God. It is not a religion in terms of today's understanding of the word religion. Yoga is a Universal principle which balances entire Universe, the space and the consciousness. There is only one religion, humanity. One should not change religion, but become a better Christian, a better Muslim.... a better human according to their religion. Helping hands are worth more than praying hands. Good deeds should be directed towards both animals and humans and not only humans. We can help the world peace by limiting our needs, reduce the use of plastics, become vegetarians and avoid drugs, especially alcohol, which can be considered as a devil in the form of liquid. Peace begins within ones own heart and charity within ones own home.
"Yoga in Daily Life" - developed by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda is a holistic and comprehensive system concerning body, mind, consciousness and soul. The system cant be described only as a religion or only as exercise. Yogic exercises are so called psychosomatic movements which can be adapted to any individual. The exercises have very old origin coming from ancient yogic scriptures. The system was developed with doctors, therapists and psychologists and is designed as a complete system in the yoga tradition, including all the main yoga paths :
The system is organized in to 8 levels. The goal of "Yoga in Daily Life" is to create a program in which people can learn human responsibility towards the world and environment in which we are living; foster our compassion for all living beings; develop dormant hidden forces, and learn how to use them for the benefit of the world. The system can be lived and practiced independently of age, social status, nationality and denomination. The system is an acknowledged diplomatic course in overseas (European) universities, and is taught in schools and hospitals for physical rehabilitation.
Swamiji's books are published in 11 languages and thousands of non-profit centers of Yoga in Daily life are present in all five continents.
In 1990 Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda also laid the foundation stone of a project referred to as "Om Ashram" with the full name Om Vishwa Deep Gurukul, Swami Maheshwarananda Education & Research Center. The center is located on 250 acres (1 km²) in the Jadan district of Rajasthan in the form of ancient symbol OM. Once completed, it would be the largest man-made symbol of OM in the world. Since 2003, the Om Ashram is also the Mahasamadhi Shrine (tomb) of his guru Dharmasamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda.
Another his initiative is the Sri Swami Madhavananda World Peace Council which has been established as a non-governmental, humanitarian and charitable society. The feature event of the Sri Madhavananda World Peace Council is the “World Peace Summit” (WPS) organized annually each time in a different country with aim to discuss a special topic (religious dialog, humanitarian projects,.. ) to support world peace. The events bring together a large gathering of politicians, scientists and general public and have been organized since 2002.
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
ji (born August 15, 1945 in Rupawas, Pali district
Pali district
Pali District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The town of Pali is the district headquarters.-History:...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), is a yogi
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
and the author and founder of the system Yoga In Daily Life.
According to his Guru he attained the state of self-realization at the age of 17. The World Religious Parliament awarded him with the sign of honour Proud of India in 1994, the spiritual title of Dharma Chkravarti in 1996, and the title Sarvabhaum Jagadguru
Jagadguru
Jagadguru , literally meaning the Guru of the world, is a title used in Sanatana Dharma. Traditionally, it has been bestowed upon or used for acharyas belonging to the Vedānta school who have written Sanskrit commentaries on the Prasthānatrayī - the Brahma Sutra Jagadguru (Sanskrit जगद्गुरु),...
in 1999. In 1998 he was consecrated as Mahamandaleshwar
Mahamandaleshwar
Mahamandaleshwar is a title used by some Hindu monks of the Dashanami order of renunciates founded by Shankaracharya. A person called Mahamandaleshwar has been elevated by his peers to the highest level of traditional, Hindu spiritual guardianship...
of Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhara
Akhara
In Hinduism, Akhara is an organization of the different sects of Sadhus Vairaghis yogis or Hindu Renunciates....
at the Maha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, India. In 2001 the highest spiritual title Vishwaguru was bestowed to him in the presence of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Sri Swami Narendranandaji Sarasvati, by the Vidvat Samaj (assembly of professors and scholars of the Sanskrit University of Benares) at the occasion of the Maha Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad).
Youth
His parents were pandit Krishna Ramji Garg and Phul Garg. His father was a recognized astrologist. Inspired by his parents, he started to learn to meditate when he was 3 years old. He was growing up with two brothers and three sisters and soon spending most of his time in prayer and meditation. His father died, when he was twelve and his mother sent him to his uncle Swami Madhavanandaji to Nipal for further education. He met his master Swami Madhavanandaji (Holy Guruji) at the age of 13. Mangilal showed little interest for school, but was constantly asking his uncle to make him a Sannyasi.After some years Swami Madhavanandaji granted his wish. Mangilal was prescribed strict yogic exercises and after six months of fasting and meditation he attained the state of self-realization (1962). He was initiated in the order of swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
s in 1967. In 1972 he went to Europe and founded Austrian-Indian Yoga-Vedanta fellowship in Vienna and first Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram.
Guru lineage
The guru lineage begins with Sri Alakh Puriji. He was the Guru of Sri Devpuriji. Sri Devpuriji was believed to be an incarnationIncarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, by his disciples. He lived sometime in the 19th century in ashram in a village Kailash in Rajasthan, India.
His spiritual successor was named Sri Mahaprabhuji. Sri Mahaprabhuji was born in 1828 and died in 1963 and was therefore believed to be 135 years old at that time. As Sri Devpuriji, he also announced his departure and died in meditation posture after singing OM in the presence of his disciples. He was believed to be an incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
by his disciples and was thought to possess all 24 siddhi
Siddhi
is a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". The term is first attested in the Mahabharata. In the Pancatantra, a siddhi may be any unusual skill or faculty or capability...
s. He spent a lot of his life in an ashram built close to Bari Kathu in Rajasthan.
Sri Mahaprabhuji received the title of Paramhansa from Sri Shankaracharya of Shringhari Matha
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
in Pushkar
Pushkar
Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated at 14 km North West from Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 metres , and is one of the five sacred dhams...
in the presence of Sri Shankaracharya of Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
.
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda spent on the side of Mahaprabhuji more than 20 years and with his permission wrote a book titled "Lila Amrit" about the lives of Sri Mahaprabhuji and Sri Devpuriji describing the many miracles they performed. Swami Madhavananda named Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda as his spiritual successor and died in 2003.
Teachings
The main points of Maheshwarananda's teachings are physical, mental, social and spiritual health; respect for life; tolerance for all religions, cultures and nationalities; world peace; protection of human rights and values; protection of the environment and preservation of nature; selfless service, and care and love for all living things. According to his teachings, the realization of these fundamental principles of life will lead man to spiritual development, self-realization, and realization of God. Women should protect their honor and beauty and should not sell their nudity for movies and magazines.One should not change religion, but become better Christian. Yoga is not a part of any religion, but all religions are part of Yoga, because Yoga is universal. Yoga is a religion in terms of relation between individual and cosmic self, that is God. It is not a religion in terms of today's understanding of the word religion. Yoga is a Universal principle which balances entire Universe, the space and the consciousness. There is only one religion, humanity. One should not change religion, but become a better Christian, a better Muslim.... a better human according to their religion. Helping hands are worth more than praying hands. Good deeds should be directed towards both animals and humans and not only humans. We can help the world peace by limiting our needs, reduce the use of plastics, become vegetarians and avoid drugs, especially alcohol, which can be considered as a devil in the form of liquid. Peace begins within ones own heart and charity within ones own home.
"Yoga in Daily Life" - developed by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda is a holistic and comprehensive system concerning body, mind, consciousness and soul. The system cant be described only as a religion or only as exercise. Yogic exercises are so called psychosomatic movements which can be adapted to any individual. The exercises have very old origin coming from ancient yogic scriptures. The system was developed with doctors, therapists and psychologists and is designed as a complete system in the yoga tradition, including all the main yoga paths :
- the path of the selfless way of acting (Karma YogaKarma YogaKarma yoga , or the "discipline of action" is a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the science of achieving perfection in action...
) - the path of discipline and meditation (Raja YogaRaja YogaRāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
) - the path of devotion (Bhakti YogaBhakti yogaBhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
) - the path of realization and knowledge (Gyana Yoga)
- purification techniques (Hatha YogaHatha yogaHatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
)
The system is organized in to 8 levels. The goal of "Yoga in Daily Life" is to create a program in which people can learn human responsibility towards the world and environment in which we are living; foster our compassion for all living beings; develop dormant hidden forces, and learn how to use them for the benefit of the world. The system can be lived and practiced independently of age, social status, nationality and denomination. The system is an acknowledged diplomatic course in overseas (European) universities, and is taught in schools and hospitals for physical rehabilitation.
Swamiji's books are published in 11 languages and thousands of non-profit centers of Yoga in Daily life are present in all five continents.
Organization of work
The International Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship is a non-profit and non-denominational organization seated in Vienna/Austria, at Schikanedergasse 12/13 (A-1040 Vienna). It was founded in 1990 by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda to unite, under one organization, the various associations of "Yoga in daily life" that are scattered across the world. The fellowship has member associations in Roster Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).In 1990 Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda also laid the foundation stone of a project referred to as "Om Ashram" with the full name Om Vishwa Deep Gurukul, Swami Maheshwarananda Education & Research Center. The center is located on 250 acres (1 km²) in the Jadan district of Rajasthan in the form of ancient symbol OM. Once completed, it would be the largest man-made symbol of OM in the world. Since 2003, the Om Ashram is also the Mahasamadhi Shrine (tomb) of his guru Dharmasamrat Paramhans Swami Madhavananda.
Another his initiative is the Sri Swami Madhavananda World Peace Council which has been established as a non-governmental, humanitarian and charitable society. The feature event of the Sri Madhavananda World Peace Council is the “World Peace Summit” (WPS) organized annually each time in a different country with aim to discuss a special topic (religious dialog, humanitarian projects,.. ) to support world peace. The events bring together a large gathering of politicians, scientists and general public and have been organized since 2002.
Humanitarian projects
- In 2002 the Shree Vishwa Deep Gurukul Prathmik Vidyalaya, Yoga in Daily Life's primary school in Rajasthan, India, was founded.
- To address the major water crisis in the desertDesertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
state of RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the International Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, has launched a Desert Rainwater Harvesting initiative. The project was supported by UN. - Healthcare. The "Sri Swami Madhavananda Hospital", currently under construction at Jadan Ashram in the Pali districtPali districtPali District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The town of Pali is the district headquarters.-History:...
of RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, will serve as a naturopathic and allopathic hospital. This will provide residential health care to neighboring districts. - Initiative for the blood donation project in collaboration with the Red Cross of SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
in 2008 and 2009.
Recognitions and Awards
- Representative at the Millennium World Peace Conference of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the UN-Headquarter, New York, 2000.
- Participating in the interreligious and international Conference “Forum 2000” organized by President Václav Havel on behalf of “Human Rights”, 2001.
- Participating as a speaker in the Earth Dialogues in Lyon, France in 2002, initiated by Mikhail GorbachevMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
(Green Cross International) and Maurice Strong (Earth Council and World Council of Former Foreign Ministers). - Award with the Danica Order, the highest decoration for humanitarian merits, by the President of the Republic CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Stjepan MesicStjepan MesicStjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
, Oct. 2002 - Speaker at the Expert Colloquy for Intercultural and Interreligious Communication and Conflict Prevention at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, Oct. 7–9, 2002