Sri Swamiji

His Holiness Parama Pujya Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji

"People ask - who are you?

Think and you will experience Swamiji for yourself. Some people say yogi, man of miracles, healer, doctor, yoga man, magician; other say he follows the vedic way; some say confusion man - all are correct. Each person has his own way of looking at me but I say I am not a spiritual business man."

His Holiness Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore, one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the present day is an asset to India and the world at large. He is an incarnation of the Great Cosmic Power. Revival of culture, reformation of society and establishing peace and happiness among mankind and transforming into godly men is his mission. His methods include: establishing Dharma. * and Bhakti. * by singing devotional hymns, by reciting the names of the Lord Almighty and inculcating the masses by instilling into them love of God through chorus singing of Bhajans and listening to his meditation-music.

Sri Swamiji is traveling the world to help seekers discover that everything is God. In Him devotees find compassion, love and divine wisdom as He guides them on the path of Yoga sadhana - to discover and realize their true Self. Sri Swamiji conveys an important part of His message through His music, being noted for His namasankirtan. Sri Swamiji's music is devotional and used for spiritual energy transmission. This great master sings self-composed bhajans in Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and English and plays ayurvedic healing ragas on an electronic synthesizer, accompanied by musicians on classical Indian instruments. Devotees around the world claim to have received immense benefit through his concerts, everything from physical healing to spiritual guidance, and great outpourings of divine love.

It is easier to describe what He does than to say who He is. To begin to know who he is one must experience him, one must adopt the attitude of a seeker of God. Sri Swamiji speaks simply and to the heart in fact He is a silent teacher who teaches through your own love and devotion. To experience Him is to begin to know one's own true self.

... was born at Mekedatu in southern India on May 26, 1942. A Moslim saint had predicted to His parents that their child would have supreme wisdom and knowledge and was destined to uplift mankind.

The Actual Birth

- occurred on a rock in the Kaveri river. His mother Jayalakshmi was in deep meditation and the child was born covered with holy ash. The child was named Satyanarayana. His mother, whom the Swami calls His first Guru, initiated Him into spiritual life before her passing in 1951. Satyanarayana completed His education like other children, but found school had nothing to offer Him. He was endowed at birth with great knowledge and power. Even as a child, he organized satsangs and taught bhajans to His friends, and performed " siddhis " to entertain them, such as turning tree leaves into sweets.

For some time He performed various mundane jobs to earn a living, such as school teacher and postal worker. All along, however, he had been serving his fellow humans, helping them with their problems. Through his miraculous powers He was able to understand their situations, knowing their past, present , and future and helped them to overcome difficulties. Some of them became his first disciples who were soon to be followed by more. He sang bhajans and kirtans for them and started giving yoga classes in small village huts or on river banks, while he was wandering the countryside as a monk. He acquired a following which demanded all of His time an attention.

In 1966 He moved to the present site of the Mysore Ashram , which in the early days was only a straw hut in a field. It was there at Mysore that He became Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji . Since then Sri Swamiji has been helping people in Hisunique way. People come to Him for help with their worldly affairs, or to become healed of physical afflictions, or for guidance in their spiritual practice. Many come to hear His beautiful and powerful songs, which draw the heart and mind to God or to celebrate the special Hindu holidays in the old vedic traditions.

The Ashram

- has grown over years to an impressive size and encompasses many aspects of the spiritual life. There one can study Yoga, the Vedas and Sanskrit. There is a Universal Prayer Hall where traditional Pujas and Homas (special Hindu worship services) are performed. As Sri Swamiji propagates the teaching of Dattatreya Avadhoota, a Datta Temple has been constructed. Dattatreya represents the eternal teacher, the Manifestation of the Triple Principle of Sat (Existence), Chit (Knowledge) and Ananda (Bliss).

At the Mysore ashram, Swamiji offers daily Sri Chakra Puja and Ganapathi Homa on Sundays. Although this great yogi practices Hindu rituals, He embraces everyone - the agnostic, the atheist, the disbeliever, as well as those of any faith. All are welcome at the ashram. Sri Swamiji stresses that His teachings and the Vedas are really universal. The Ashrama is open to all people of all religions and on special Hindu holidays, like Shivaratri and Navaratri, thousands of devotees from all over the globe come to the Universal Prayer Hall.

Social Projects

In addition to intense spiritual activity, ashram life is also devoted to helping the poor. It is a tradition that all ashram visitors are fed free and food is distributed to the needy on a regular basis. Also, the Ashram runs two local schools and provides free medical services.

Centers

Sri Swamiji has established more then 50 centers in India and abroad and has build 18 new Dattatreya temples in India. Recently, He has been asked by Indian religious leaders to take care of five other ancient Dattatreya temples. Regular worship, including homas, pujas, classes in Hatha and Kriya Yoga , Sanskrit and the Vedas.

The Concept of Music Therapy

Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji sees healing with music as a yogic practice. Yoga teaches that the astral body has 72000 nervelets and 14 major nadis or nerves. Each nadi vibrates at its own frequency. Music soothes the nadis and helps them to vibrate at the proper rate. Music becomes a therapy, He says, when the healer, musicians and listeners all deeply concentrate on the sound. Sri Swamiji stresses on concentration or Ekagrata on the part of the healer musician and the listener. Listening is a special technique where sense control or Indriya Nigraha is required. "Physical health results from a healthy mind, " Sri Swamiji says. " Music of the right type helps in achieving relaxation by soothing the nerves and through that, comes peace and stillness of the mind."

Sri Swamiji claims that "ragas are the unspoiled sounds of eternal nature, the soul of man and Paramatman. In the hands of the perfect technician, they are great forces." Sri Swamiji uses a synthesizer because this instrument can reproduce singly or in combination the sounds of more than 1,100 instruments. This allows Sri Swamiji a greater range for healing through music. Not all ailments can be cured by Sri Swamiji's music however, especially those which have already reached a terminal state.
Music therapy requires more than just intense meditation on sound. This great master understands the varying vibrational qualities of the different ragas and knows which raga can help a particular disease. Certain ragas can only be played at selected times to be healing.

The renowned Indian musician, Maharajapuram Santhanam says, "Each one of the ragas have curative powers. Sri Swamiji has done a lot of research on this and I have heard first person accounts of cures through His music therapy. There is a divinity in His music and bhajans which makes it essentially different from others."

Kriya Yoga

- helps aspirants to learn to activate and control their senses and to control their thought processes.

Kriya Yoga involves learning breath control (Pranayama) to effectively channel the flow of prana (life force) which traverses the 72,000 nadis or astral nerves in the human body. By doing so the aspirant learns to direct mental power to open the three ganthis, important knots in the nervous system, which obstruct the rhythmic flow of prana. By undoing these knots a kriya yogi opens the path for Kundalini energy to flow. According to Markandeya Purana, Kriya Yoga was revealed by Lord Dattatreya to great saints and yogis of ancient India. Sri Swamiji has made it part of His mission to revive this ancient knowledge and bring it to the West.