Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj (Sant Mat Tradition of India) — A Short Biography
Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj
(A Short Biography)
Swami Vyasanand Ji’s life-story reads much like many of the lives of sages and Sants of spiritual traditions of India. Even his name is suggestive of his connection to the ancient spiritual wisdom taught by the prominent Sage Veda Vyasa. In the year 1967, Swami Ji was born in a Brahmin family in the village Aliabad, in the district of Bhagalpur, Bihar. His parents Shrimati Savitri Devi and Shri Dashrath Jha had five children of whom he was the third.
As a child he had a brilliant mind and possessed a charismatic personality. Even at an early age, his presence emanated a sense of purity and holiness. Since his early childhood, he took an interest in a spiritual life; he especially yearned to be in the company of Sants, yogis, and sages. He found great delight in associating with saints and listening to their teachings (satsangs). Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (Santmat tradition of Bihar) frequently visited the village Alibad, and Swami Ji got the opportunity to meet him. Swami Ji recalls the most auspicious meeting when he was only twelve years old. It must be the result of the last life’s good karmas that at such a young age Swami Ji was so deeply affected Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj by the darshan (“seeing” a holy person), which left a profound and lasting effect on the course of his life. After meeting the great Sant Maharshi Mehi, he devoted himself to the study of the teachings of Santmat. He visited Maharshi Mehi’s ashram in Kuppaghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar and took joy in listening to satsang — associating with monks and listening to the teachings.
On October 30, 1982, at the age of fifteen, he received diksha (initiation into the teachings of Santmat) from his Guru Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj. Deeply motivated to tread the inward path as taught by his Guru, he decided to wholly devote his life in search of the Divine. A few weeks after receiving his initiation, he decided to leave home. This event is reminiscent of the life-story of his Guru Maharshi Mehi himself, who also left his home at a young age in order to devote himself to sadhana (meditation practice) of the inward path to God realization.
Swami Ji’s mother and brother searched and found him in a nearby ashram, and persuaded him to return home. Swami Ji honored the request of his elders, but promised the monks before leaving the ashram that he would return in ten days. After returning to his home, his mind remained firm in the intent to seek the Divine, and his will only strengthened. As he promised, after ten days, he left his home, never to return again to the life of worldly attachments. This time, he decided to travel far away from his parents’ village and went to the ashram of Shri Shridhar Baba Ji Maharaj. Shri Sridhar Baba was among the highly accomplished disciples of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj. Swami Vyasanand Ji started sadhana (meditation practice) under the guardianship of Shri Shridhar Baba and made rapid progress. Shri Shridhar Baba Ji encouraged him to continue his education emphasizing that sants should also acquire the necessary education. Swami Ji enrolled himself in Goswami Lakshminath Paramhans Sanskrit College. He attended classes in Sanskrit and other subjects and continued his sadhana at the Ashram
He also spent some time with Sant Shishu Baba, who was another accomplished disciple of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj. His ashram was located in a small village, Khokshi Shyam, Bihar. Senior monks of the tradition were impressed by Swami Ji’s sharp mind and single-minded dedication to sadhana. It is not surprising that Swami Dhirendra, a senior monk of the Santmat tradition, gave him the name, Vysanand — “the delight of great Sage Vyasa.” On October 31, 1989, Swami Ji received the diksha of Nadanusandhan (the technique of Sound Yoga) from the prominent disciple of his Guru Maharshi Santsevi Paramhans Ji Maharaj. Maharshi Santsevi Ji Maharaj dedicated his life to sustain the sacred flame of Santmat after Maharshi Mehi left his physical body. Swami Vyasanand’s love and deep reverence for Maharshi Santsevi Ji Maharaj is evident through many reminiscences that he shares with his followers. Not only did Maharshi Santsevi Ji initiate Swami Ji in the highest yoga of Sound, but also conferred the yellow ochre robes of monkhood on him. This was a critical event in his life, which marked the beginning of his complete renunciation of connections with the material world, and his life as a monk. Later, Maharshi Santsevi Ji also gave Swami Vyasanand the authority to initiate on the path of Santmat — a responsibility that he is carrying out with dedication and dynamism.
In search of a secluded, holy place for meditation, Swami Vyasanand journeyed to the Himalayan Mountains. He did intense sadhana in the mountains and on the bank of holy river Ganga. Food was always scarce, and he was literally in the hands of divine mercy. Many times inspired by the divine grace, people would show up to offer him food just as hunger was nearly overpowering him. He also managed to learn to make flat bread out of a variety of grain flours. He would mix all the flours together with water and form a ball of dough for large flat breads. He would then hang the bread from the roof of the hut to preserve it. He ate a piece of bread only when hunger arose. Thus, he could meditate for many weeks by sustaining himself on small soaked pieces of the hardened bread. This allowed him to continue his sadhana uninterrupted. His sadhana advanced at a very rapid pace under these austere conditions. He recounts that these were very blissful times. As colder weather approached he would come out of the mountains and come down on the banks of the river Ganga. He would again return to the Himalayas as weather became warmer often changing the location of the place of his sadhana.
On one occasion after his intense meditation retreat, he had a chance to have darshan of Maharshi Santsevi Ji Maharaj. At that time, Maharshi Santsevi Ji Maharaj asked him in addition to tending to his own intense sadhana, to spread the teaching of Santmat. Swami Ji followed this command, and also continued to retreat into the foothills above Rishikesh, and built a small hut to continue his sadhana. A few men from a nearby village began to visit him and offer him food. Since his hut was on the side of a mountain, a government official asked him to vacate the hut that was on government land. As he was contemplating the course of action, a close disciple, Shri Pavan Vasishtha offered to purchase some acreage in the remote Himalayan foothills in Dwara village, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. This would provide a permanent solution and a secure place for Swami Ji to continue sadhana. In 1997, Swami Ji agreed and constructed a very small mud hut with a thatched roof (which he still uses as his room when he is in Dehradun) on the land. This would later become the present day ashram in Dehradun. Devotees from all over India visit this pristine ashram, which is imbued with intense spiritual vibrations.
Swami Ji’s move to Dehradun commenced a new chapter in his mission of the service of Santmat where scores of nearby villagers came to listen to his teachings. The glorious experience in sadhana reflected radiance on the face of Swami Ji. His darshan was powerful and presence pleasing, and, not surprisingly, the people began to realize they were in the presence of a great mahatma. As word spread about the great yogi so also his followers grew in size. To accommodate and spread the message of Santmat Swami Ji devoted more and more of his time to teaching. He established an ashram in the holy city of Haridwar in 2000. Subsequently, his followers are constructing ashrams in various places, including ashrams in Bangalore (Karnataka), Mourmandi, (Punjab), Fatehgarh (Punjab), and Jammu (Kashmir). All of these ashrams may be in different states, but share the same features: similar daily routines are practiced and their central halls are adorned with large murtis (statue) of Maharshi Mehi reminding the devotees of the continuousness of the holy stream of tradition.
Swami Ji’s followers are spread out throughout India. He travels extensively and is taking the message of Santmat to all corners of India — Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Mumbai to Bengal. He emphasizes the importance of steadfastness in moral conduct and the practice of meditation for the inward journey of the soul. Although Swami Ji travels constantly, keeping a schedule that is truly beyond normal human capacity, he, nevertheless, always appears fresh and his face shines usually bearing a divine smile. He practices what he preaches, lives a simple life, and dedicates himself to sadhana and the service of Santmat. He owns no cars, or any other material things for his personal comfort. He keeps his residence in the original mud hut, eats in the common dining hall with all guests and ashram residents, and welcomes visitors of all castes, religions, and status. He closely follows the moral conduct as prescribed by his guru and is humble and easily approachable to all. Those who have spent time with him consider it to be the highest blessing. His darshan is divine grace itself.
Swami Ji is a prolific writer and speaker. His public talks capture the hearts of listeners and inspire them to dedicate themselves to the inward path of God realization. He has written a number of books expounding the theoretical and practical aspects of Santmat. He has also composed poetry similar to that of his Guru’s poetic writings and other sants of the Sant tradition. In his writing and lectures, he connects Santmat to the wisdom found in the Vedas, other religious texts, and teachings of Sants. He is an important link in the lineage of Santmat of Bihar, and is carrying the torch of teachings to every corner of India in order to bring the light of spiritual knowledge with the principles of Santmat tradition. ////////
