Swami Satyeswarananda Vidyaratna Babaji

Swami Satyeswarananda Maharaj, Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas

Salient Points in the life of Vidyaratna Babaji

• Educated as a resident student for eight years in the high school of Yogananda's hermitage.
• Associated twenty years (since 1951) with Swami Satyananda, the chief monastic disciple of Swami Sriyukteswar in India.
• Graduated from the University of Calcutta with a B.A. Philosophy Honors, received an M.A. in philosophy specializing in Vedanta philosophy, concurrently received a LL. B. (law) degree, and also worked for Ph.D. program.
• Served as professor of law and worked as an attorney.
• Entered the order of Swami with the blessings of Sankarachaya Swami Krishna Tirtha Bharati of Puri Gobardhan Math and Bidyananda presided the ceremony.
• Lived in a small hut and sometimes in a cave in his meditative-life twelve (12) years in Dunagiri Hill, HIMALAYAS; sometime with Mahamuni Babaji who frequently visited him.
• He observed CONTINUOUS SILENCE . . . (akhanda mouna) for three long years and was known as Silent Sage, Mouni Swami, Mouni Baba etc.
• Received "Kriya Sutras" (in 1974), the message of Mahamuni Babaji, the Divine Himalayan Yogi.
• At the instruction of Mahamuni Babaji he toured and lectured in European countries in 1975.
• Mahamuni Babaji initiated Vidyaratna Babaji into Purna Kriya in the Himalayas in 1976 and commissioned him to re-establish the Original Kriya.
• After six years of commission, Mahamuni Babaji sent Vidyaratna Babaji to America in 1982. He has lived in America ever since.
• Authored thirty (30) books including Babaji and His Legacy, The Divine Incarnation, Biography of a Yogi, The Six Systems, etc.
• As a sannyasi, he lives and stays alone; and eats meals prepared by himself (swapak). Like Mahamuni Babaji and Lahiri Mahasay, he is free of asrams, centers and organizations.
• As a servant of all (sakaler das) he serves only the qualified and serious seekers of truth from San Diego.

Life Sketch of Vidyaratna Babaji

The Himalayan Yogi Swami Satyeswarananda Giri Babaji Maharaj was born in Bengal, India. Satya-Iswara-Ananda: Satya means "Truth," Iswara "God," and Ananda "Bliss."

He studied for eight years in the hermitage of Paramhansa Yogananda, where he met Swami Satyananda, initiated by Swami Kebalananda (disciple of Lahiri Mahasay), and chief monastic disciple of Sriyukteswar for the East. (Sriyukteswar selected Satyananda as leader for the East and Yogananda as messenger for the West.)

Young Satyeswarananda was associated with, studied Kriya under, and received his monastic training from Satyananda for the next twenty years.

He worked intimately with Satyananda, managing his affairs while living together with him in a modest lifestyle, sharing a small thatched hut.

Swami Satyananda's hut.

His responsibilities were tremendous and included the organization and administration of hermitages in charge of general and technical schools, a postgraduate teachers' training college, a printing press, a library and a hospital.

Many of these institutions were government sponsored, and almost all were residential.

Satyeswarananda also helped Satyananda in all aspects of service activities while accompanying him up and down the country, holding lectures and seminars and attending thousands of Kriya followers.

In the meanwhile, Satyeswarananda received concurrently a Master of Arts (M. A.) degree in philosophy, specializing in Vedanta philosophy, and a Law degree (LL. B.) from the University of Calcutta.

He was both a practicing attorney and professor of law at the State Government College of the University of Calcutta.

He taught in English. He is an accomplished Sanskrit scholar and is also conversant in several modern languages, among them Hindi and Italian.

Satyeswarananda joined the Swami Order with the blessings of His Holiness Jagat Guru Sankaracharya Bharati Krisna Tirtha of Puri. Jagat Guru's Swami disciple, Bidyananda conducted the ceremony.

When Satyananda left his body, Satyeswarananda, or "Baba" as he is popularly called, left for Dunagiri Hill in the Himalayas, where he used to go every summer for Kriya practice.

Sri Sri Vaisnabi Mata Bhagavati Jagadamba Temple (exterior), Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas.

The Interior of the Temple. At this location (the shrine of Vaisnabi Mata) Mahamuni Babaji created a golden temple from the cosmic vibrations and initiated Lahiri Mahasay into Kriya Yoga in 1861. Afterwards the golden temple was dismantled.

The hut (known as Ram Kuti), very close to the Temple, where Baba met Mahamuni Babaji for the first time. Baba lived in the left hand side room and received the message of Babaji in 1974. The message is published in the book Kriya Sutras of Babaji.

The first three years he observed continual silence and became known as "Mouni Baba," or the "Silent Sage."

Altogether Baba stayed in the Himalayas for twelve years, living in a small hut and a cave often together with Mahamuni Babaji and, at times, with Babaji and his disciples.

Baba's Holy Hut (Mouna Mandir - Temple of Silence) Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas.

Satyeswarananda was initiated into Purna (Complete) Kriya by Mahamuni Babaji, who blessed him with instructions to reestablish the original, authentic Kriya as directly taught by Babaji.

Swami Satyeswarananda Maharaj at Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas.

During the author's secluded years of meditation in the cave at Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas, on October 14, 1974, a holy man (who looked like Lord Jesus) brought a message to Baba (the author) from Mahamuni Babaji, the Divine Himalayan Yogi.

The holy man said that he had approached Mahamuni Babaji to help the Western seekers of Truth. Babaji had advised the holy man to inform Baba to follow him to the West.

As a result, Baba visited Europe in 1975, leaving his secluded meditative life in the Himalayan cave.

Baba at the Adriatic Sea beach.

Again, the holy man visited Baba at Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas with this message from Babaji, who himself later instructed Baba to comply with his Providence to serve the Western seekers of Truth. As a result, Baba arrived in the United States in 1982, and presented "The Holy Bible: In the Light of Kriya" in the service of Western devotees whose time is ripe.

Baba teaches from San Diego, a seat of Energy (Sakti Pith), very sincere seekers of Truth whose time is ripe.

Swami Satyeswarananda Vidyaratna Maharaj

PUBLISHED WORKS

English

German

Spanish

Bengali

Hindi