Bhagavan Nityananda - Meg Krenz - Vision Mound Magazine - May:June 1980

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Vision Mound Magazine

The Journal of the Religious and Spiritual Teaching of Da Free John

May/June 1980



Bhagavan Nityananda

By Meg Krenz

(pictures added by Beezone)

In India there have been many men and women recognized for their complete surrender to Godand their wild freedom born from such surrender. These people are called "avadhoots," meaning"those who have given up everything." The ideal of the avadhoot is to yield every vestige of self,doctrine, and social convention, and to accept every arising circumstance as Divine instructionand grace. Thus for the avadhoot everything is seen as God, and his or her response to anysituation is typically spontaneous, free of all limitations and wholly aligned to Divine Will.Although many people have been associated with this traditional form of practice and realization,few of them have become well known, especially in the West. Of the handful of true avadhootswho have become known in recent times, perhaps the greatest and most influential was SwamiNityananda of South India.

Swami Nityananda, called Bhagavan (Lord) by his devotees, dwelled in perfect Identity withthe...SeIf of all beings. Throughout the sixty-odd years of his life (which ended in 1961),Bhagavan Nityananda lived as the Self of all to every being who came to him. He was given up inthe paradoxical wildness of God and lived freely in the world, untouched by the conventionallimitations, desires, and identifications suffered by common men and women.

Because Swami Nityananda enjoyed such radiant freedomin life, his behavior, at least by modern Westernstandards, would often appear bizarre and extreme.Indeed, had he appeared in America, he may have beenlocked up as a lunatic. In fact, this almost happened tohim-even in India, where there is cultural precedence forsuch beings. Eventually, though, Nityananda wasrecognized as a Divine Incarnation. In time, thousands ofpeople came to have his darshan (sighting). Through thisdarshan alone, Swami Nityananda initiated his devotees



darshan alone, Swami Nityananda initiated his devoteesinto Communion with the Divine Power and Presence thatPermeated and Radiated from his human form.

He did not write books, go on lecture tours, or create aspiritual organization to propagate his teaching. He did,however, make himself available to thousands of peoplewho revered him as Spiritual Master. Also, as describedlater in this article, Bhagavan Nityananda served theawakening of higher mystical experience leading to SelfRealization in the spiritual practice that spontaneouslyarose in the early life of Da Free John.

In recent months, a member of our Church traveling in India was fortunate to speak with CaptainHatengdi, a longtime devotee of Swami Nityananda. Captain Hatengdi was five years old whenhis mother first took him to see Swami Nityananda. During his childhood the young Hatengdiwould occasionally glimpse Nityananda sitting in the tree tops near where he lived. But theCaptain's mother became interested in other things and no longer took her son to visit theSwami. Then years later, while stationed at a military base in Bombay, Captain Hatengdi heard,of a man living in nearby Ganeshpuri who reminded him of Nityananda. He went to Ganeshpuriand found Nityananda living in the jungle. None of the local people were aware of Nityananda'sunique presence there, and so for three years, from 1944 to 1947, Captain Hatengdi wouldspend every weekend alone in the jungle with Nityananda.

The stories that the Captain told our friend in India, which are published here for the first time inthe West, are priceless jewels which convey the transcendental nature of Bhagavan Nityananda'swisdom and play with devotees. Because the major portion of Nityananda's spoken teaching hasbeen lost due to the illiteracy of his early following and his own indifference to becoming a publicfigure, they are especially valuable. Captain Hatengdi was a storehouse of anecdotes aboutNityananda's life with devotees.

Although these stories are told in a roughly chronological manner, they should not be taken as adefinitive biographical presentation of Swami Nityananda's life. There must be hundreds of suchstories that devotees tell about their Master's Divine Play. The stories that we present are asampling of those compiled by one devotee. A similar sampling from another source wouldundoubtedly produce a number of other stories or even variations of those presented here.Captain Hatengdi has tried to verify each of these stories with other sources but discrepanciesare sure to arise. We hope to produce, with the help of Captain Hatengdi and others, acomprehensive book of Nityananda's life which has thus far remained largely unknown in theWest.

For now we are pleased to have the opportunity to print these stories that so clearly convey thespiritual genius of a man intoxicated by the Divine. They illustrate the wild and yetcompassionate way in which the Spiritual Adept relates to the world. Throughout Nityananda'slife he was absorbed in the Presence of God, and he was profoundly moved to awaken that



life he was absorbed in the Presence of God, and he was profoundly moved to awaken thatRealization in others. His actions always moved people beyond their conventional assumptionsabout existence and into relationship with the Divine Being that he Incarnated.

The Early Years

Little is known about Swami Nityananda's birth and early life. He refused to respond to anyqueries regarding his life, or even to refer to himself as "I." Instead he would call himself "thisone" or "this body." Even so, from the earliest photographs of Nityananda, he was obviouslyawake to the Living Power of God.



Nityananda's Early Cave of

It is believed by Captain Hatengdi that he quietly left his home as a young boy and took up awandering life of austerity and meditation, spending six years in a cave in the Himalayas andlater living in tree tops or other caves in the same district. Nityananda had no need of suchaustere practice for his own sake. He engaged these practices as an example and inspiration toall spiritual aspirants. In fact, years later, when a woman found him resting with his-eyes _closed and commented to her neighbor that he must be meditating, he replied, "All of that wasdone in the mother's womb," implying that he had realized perfect union with God before hisphysical birth.

According to the Captain, Swami Nityananda first revealed himself near Kanhangad in the SouthKanara District in Southern India. He was about eighteen or twenty years old. He stayed in aremote cave, absorbed in profound union with the Divine. Even then he generated miraculouscures and emanated a profound spiritual presence.

While sitting in trees, Swami Nityananda would often pick and crumble leaves and drop them tothe ground. Many healings were attributed to the leaves he blessed in this manner. CaptainHatengdi told a story of one skeptical Christian family who decided to experiment with theseleaves. The grandmother, suffering from the same disease as the mother, was given one of theleaves blessed by Nityananda. She recovered immediately, while the mother, who did not receiveone of the leaves, grew deathly ill.

Because of -his wild behavior in his early life, Nityananda was some times taken for a madman.Often young boys pelted him with stones, but they would change into sweetmeats and fall to theground. Often, Nityananda wandered around naked in these early days, and, on one occasion,was accosted by the local citizens who were irate at his nakedness. They reported Nityananda tothe magistrate, who tried to convince him to wear a loin cloth. But Nityananda responded,"Cover what? With what?" Finding it useless to argue, the magistrate ordered the police to tie aloin cloth on Nityananda. Three or four times they tried, but each time the cloth slipped to thefloor. Embarrassed by this public display, the magistrate called one of Nityananda's devotees,who was a tailor. The devotee approached Nityananda reverently, imploring him to wear the loincloth "for my sake." Only then would the garment stay in place.



One time, while Nityananda was lying on a large rock outside a temple near Kanhangad, a manbegan to pester him, saying, "Show me God. You are such a great saint, show me God."Nityananda struck the man on the toe with his umbrella, thereby rendering the manunconscious. When the man came to, he rushed to a doctor and demanded that he certify thatNityananda was mad and should be arrested. Because Nityananda had no witnesses, he waslocked up. After an hour in jail, Swami Nityananda began to play with his captors. He told thepoliceman on duty that he needed to urinate, so the policeman brought him a small mug. Soon itwas overflowing. So he brought another, which was quickly filled. Then the policeman began toresort to large earthen pots, which were also filled. Finally, to be free of the task of emptying thisendless stream of pots, the policeman let him go. Swami Nityananda wandered back to the rockto lie in the sun once more. As a strange addition to this story, when the doctor returned home,he found his wife dancing madly around the house She was exhibiting all the symptoms ofinsanity that he had certified in Nityananda.

During these early years, Swami, Nityananda simply wandered around in Kanhangad, generallystaying away from groups of people. The local children, however, were always welcomed byNityananda, and he spent a good amount of time with them. He allowed only children to touchhim, although he did allow adults to feed him. Typically he would show-up at random hours atvarious devotees' houses, where they would feed him. He would sometimes speak andsometimes remain silent, and if it was nighttime, he would sleep on the doorstep or in thecowshed.

On one such day in the early 1920s, Nityananda gave one of the most humorous teachingdemonstrations told to us by Captain Hatengdi, Swami Nityananda appeared early one morningat a housing complex where devotees lived. In those days there was no indoor plumbing, soeveryone simply relieved themselves on the floor of one room. Each morning someone wouldcome in and scoop up the "night soil" and dispose of it. On this particular morning Swami

Nityananda came into the "bathroom" quite early and picked up two large piles of excrement. Hecarried them outside, sat in the middle of the compound, and began to smear the feces all overhis body and occasionally eat pieces of it.



his body and occasionally eat pieces of it.

The devotees living in the compound were shocked. Why was their Master acting so strangely?He would offer them pieces of excrement from his pile, telling them how delicious it was. As theday passed in this manner, they began to fear that he would come into one of their houses andsoil the furniture. Finally, that evening he did come inside but the devotees managed to cleanhim before he sat down. At no time did Nityananda offer any explanation for his behavior.

However, the next day two people, who occasionally came to see Nityananda but were notdevotees, walked up and bowed at his feet, begging for forgiveness. This only confounded thedevotees even more. They pulled the two men aside and demanded to be told why they wereapologizing to the Master. The men confessed that, two days before, they had been standingoutside the compound discussing Nityananda's typically strange behavior. One man wascommenting that Nityananda only ate what was offered to him by devotees. The other replied,"Well, if this is so, what if he was given shit? Would he eat that as well?" The two men laughedat their joke and then left. But when they saw Nityananda lying in the street eating excrement,they were horrified and full of remorse that he had heard their conversation. Swami Nityanandahad responded in his typically direct and selfless manner, demonstrating that he was indeedsubmitted to his devotees.

On another day, in 1922, his devotees witnessed a dramatic revelation of his Divine Nature.Twenty-five or so devotees had gathered for meditation at seven o'clock in the evening.Suddenly they discovered Nityananda in their midst, crouching and straining, looking as thoughhe were going to vomit. Instead, they saw a huge flash of light around his form. When theyapproached Nityananda, all signs of life had left his body, which was quickly growing stiff.Immediately word went out that the young Master had entered mahasamadhi.1 The devoteeswatched over Nityananda all night. No one touched the body and no doctor was called in.However, they did hold cotton near his nose to see if there was any breath, but none wasdetected. Suddenly, at four o'clock in the morning, Nityananda began to move.

Completely startled, his devotees placed him on a bed and stretched his limbs. When they putquestions to him, Nityananda responded almost incoherently, saying, "The time has not yetcome. This one came a little out of place and out of time. The time is not yet. Nobodyappreciates and understands the things he does. So he wanted to discard the body and go. But afew sages met and they told this one, 'You go back. You have taken the body, why not use it



few sages met and they told this one, 'You go back. You have taken the body, why not use itup?' Let's see, Ramakrishna was there, Vivekananda was there. . ."2 He mentioned five names,but the people who were around him could not remember them all. In five-minutes he was fullyconscious, and would answer no more questions.

Swami Nityananda often spoke ecstatically of his relationship to God. He sometimes began hisinspired discourses by saying, "0, Uncle Arjuna, listen; Grandfather Krishna speaks."3 Althoughhe could neither read nor write, his ecstatic speech contained insight into human nature andreligious practice that reflected a prior, Divine Wisdom. It was during this early period that theonly book of his speech, Voice of the Self, was recorded. However, because many of the peopleto whom he spoke were also illiterate, much of his spiritual instruction has been lost. In addition,he was often found speaking when there was no one there listening at all!

Once some devotees saw Swami Nityananda sitting near a tree with a cobra. He was patting thesnake on the head, saying, "Are all three of you comfortable in that tiny little space?" (MeaningBrahma, Vishnu, and Shivathe Hindu trinity of the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Destroyer.)

There are several stories about Swami Nityananda requiring people to follow his instructions

precisely, but perhaps none more graphic than the following:

One night Nityananda found a local shopkeeper following him as he walked. He shouted at him togo back and never follow him again. Eight days later the shopkeeper, unable to control hiscuriosity, again followed Nityananda. This time the man saw Nityananda cross the river to speakwith a tall, mysterious figure. The shopkeeper realized that he had violated something andhurried home. The next day Nityananda found him alone and told him never to divulge what hehad seen. But the shopkeeper was again unable to discipline himself, and a week later he told hiswife what he had seen. He went insane the moment he finished speaking-an immediaterepercussion for having twice disobeyed Swami Nityananda.

Another story from these early days is told about three Muslims who knew Swami Nityanandabut were not his devotees. They were returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca when they stoppedby his ashram in Kanhangad to pay their respects. When Nityananda asked them what they hadseen in Mecca, they told Nityananda they had seen him there, and yet he had never leftKanhangad.

Some years later, in about 1930, when Swami Nityananda was walking at midday, two assailantstried to stab him. These men had been hired by a wealthy man whose only son had left school tofollow Nityananda. Since Nityananda walked faster than anyone else, there was no one by his



follow Nityananda. Since Nityananda walked faster than anyone else, there was no one by hisside to protect him. Finally a policeman arrived to arrest the attackers, but one of the assailant'sarms had frozen in the air. He began to scream, and begged to be released-Re could not movehis arm, and it was becoming extremely painful. When Nityananda reached up and touched theman's arm, down it came. Sometime later,' after the man had been jailed and a foolproof casehad been established against him, Swami Nityananda demanded that the man be released. Thelocal authorities, however, did not feel that they could release him. Swami Nityananda thenstationed himself on the steps outside the courthouse, saying, "No food need be served until theman is let out." . After three days of watching Nityananda refuse food and drink, the policereleased the prisoner, who later became a devoted follower of Nityananda.



Ganeshpuri The Later Years

One day Swami Nityananda suddenly abandoned the ashram-at Kanhangad and wanderedthroughout India for several years. His devotees lost track of him during this period Nityanandareappeared at Ganeshpuri, a remote spot near Bombay several hundred miles northwest ofKanhangad. At first no one recognized him as an avadhoot, but gradually the local peoplerealized that this man was a great spiritual figure. Over time he became well known in the area,and an ashram and an entire village were built around him.

As stated above, Captain Hatengdi found Swami Nityananda soon after the Swami had come toGaneshpuri. The Captain, who spent many weekends alone with Nityananda in the jungle, wouldoften sit silently for hours with him, Nityananda sat very close to him with his back turned. TheCaptain, however, often fell into a deep slumber, overwhelmed by the force he felt radiatingfrom Nityananda. He recognized, though, that the power of Nityananda's Presence wascommunicated to him in a very direct manner-in silence on the jungle floor.

In the early days at Ganeshpuri, Nityananda began to establish relations with the local people by

giving them things. Whatever was given to him, he in turn passed on as "prasad," a blessed gift.I n addition, he often employed many of the local people in building projects, including ahospital, ashram buildings, and roads.

Soon great numbers began to come to Nityananda. They had to pass through the land of a



Soon great numbers began to come to Nityananda. They had to pass through the land of aneighbor, who began to complain about the increased traffic, and who was even reported to havebeaten and robbed devotees who crossed his property on their way to visit the Swami. WhenNityananda heard of this, he went out and called the entire town together. Under his directionthey built a new road around the neighbor's property. Nityananda worked with everyone else,doing the heaviest kind of physical labor, cutting stones and the like. At the end of the day, hewould reach inside his loin cloth and pull out just the right amount to pay each of his workers. Ifsomeone had worked hard that day, Swami Nityananda would hand him more money than thosewho worked little.

Nityananda home

Ganeshpuri had been the seat of religious and spiritual activity even before Swami Nityanandacame there. One of the first projects that Nityananda undertook was to renovate an abandonedtemple site and companion hot baths. Throughout his remaining years at Ganeshpuri,Nityananda greatly valued these baths and required devotees to enter them before seeing hilt.Nityananda also frequented the baths, and his devotees noted that often he emerged from thebathing tank completely dry.

Nityananda admonished his devotees to never go to the baths before four o'clock in the morning.One morning a woman who lived in the ashram woke up at one o'clock a.m., but thinking it to befour o'clock, she walked down to the baths. When she arrived, she saw two bright young menleave the bathing tank and walk into the temple. When she reported this story to Nityananda, hetold her that she had seen two saints, and that in fact many great beings came there to bathe.Because an encounter with these beings could shock-the unprepared person, he had asked thatno one go to the baths while these other entities were present.

On another occasion, a devotee who had been up very late walked past the temple site at aboutone o'clock a.m. Near the temple he spotted a huge, eighteen-inch footprint. Astonished, herushed to tell Swami Nityananda what he had seen. But before he could say anything,Nityananda asked, "Did you bow before that footprint?"



Nityananda Ashram, Ganeshpuri (early days)

Over the years at Ganeshpuri, Nityananda's following grew, but his direct and simple way ofinstructing devotees remained essentially the same. People would often ask him for instructionor esoteric practices, but he would remind them that their instruction lay in seeing him. Thedevotee was to learn the practice of love and self-transcendence by observing how their SpiritualMaster served others, how he spoke, how he lived in God while performing all the functions ofhis ordinary life.

Darshan, or formal sighting of his physical form, was the principal form of his relationship todevotees. Often hundreds and thousands of people walked together for many miles in a largeprocession to come and enjoy his darshan. Whole towns closed down for spiritual celebration,and all the people of the towns paraded together to Ganeshpuri They filed past Nityananda'sdoor in large numbers, leaving gifts of flowers, fruit, and sweets. Swami Nityananda made itknown that he took care of people while they were in procession. Despite the long distance andoccasional rainstorms, everyone always arrived in Ganeshpuri well and happy to have a glimpseof Bhagavan Nityananda's radiant form.

But Nityananda's relationship to his devotees was not limited to those moments when they couldbe in his physical company. The Captain's mother, for example, had not seen Swami Nityanandafor many years when her son found him at Ganeshpuri and invited her to come and see theSwami again. The minute Nityananda saw her, he asked, "How long since I've seen you?" Whenshe replied vaguely, "Oh, about twenty years," he said, "No, twenty-two years." He told her howlong it had been-to the day-since he had last seen her, and commented on what she had done inthe interim.



Swami Nityananda was always full in his service to devotees, and very exacting in makingdemands on them. He occasionally beat people to purify them of their tendencies. They foundthat even the number of times he hit them was significant. Once he struck a devotee who was abusinessman nine times, and the man found that his $9,000 debt cleared up soon after that. Inresponse to another businessman who came to him for financial advice, Nityananda onlycommented, "Waste, waste, waste! " The man left, thinking that he had been ignored by the

holy man, but on his way home he stumbled across a junkyard that was for sale, which hepurchased and which became a highly prof itable-business.

On another occasion, a woman brought her husband to see Swami Nityananda to be cured on aday when the Swami had asked to be left in private. He instructed the woman to have herhusband bathe, and then to give him a specific injection. On the way home, because he passedthe dispensary first, he stopped to have the injection before taking. the bath. He died themoment he set -foot in the bath, failing to follow the sequence Swami Nityananda had givenhim.



The Mahasamadhi

When Nityananda left the body in his first but premature samadhi in 1922, he came backbecause he had not yet "used up the body." Even though he suspected that no one would trulyunderstand or appreciate his Divine Incarnation, he continued to serve devotees for many years.Finally, in 1961, his service to devotees in his physical form was complete and he entered intomahasamadhi.

In the two years before Swami Nityananda died, his belly grew huge and round with spiritualforce. When devotees who did not understand the yogic phenomenon that was manifesting inNityananda's body would ask him about his size, his reply varied. To one big, strong man whowas fond of health programs and exercise, Nityananda said that he was growing big from lack ofexercise. To another, a yogi who practiced pranayama (breath control), he replied that he hadbeen doing pranayama and that, when the air was retained, his stomach became very bloated. Athird devotee, who had suffered from malaria, was told that his huge belly was due to

enlargement of the spleen resulting from a case of malaria that Swami Nityananda was believedto have suffered earlier in his life. To the fourth, a very loving and devoted woman follower,Nityananda responded that the love of all. devotees was now concentrated in his belly and thatwas the reason it had expanded.

Shortly before Swami Nityananda's death, signs of yogic purification began to manifest in hisbody. He developed diarrhea for about four or five months before taking his mahasamadhi, andit did not stop until he died. A doctor who examined the Swami said that there was nothinginfectious or diseased about Nityananda's symptoms. Around that-same time, an odorless pusbegan to ooze out of his ear. He claimed that it was due to a fall he had taken in childhood, buthis devotees, alarmed, called in a medical specialist. The doctor was awestruck at theresponsibility of treating a holy man of Nityananda's stature, and he approached the saintreverently. Prostrating himself before the Swami, the doctor told him that he could only consentto take the case if Nityananda would promise to be cured. Nityananda nodded, and the doctorleft a medication to be administered three times a day. When the doctor left, an attendant askedNityananda if he would take the pills, since he always had refused medication. Nityanandaconsented and took the first pill. Later in the day when his attendant reminded him that heshould be taking the medication several times a day, Nityananda responded, "Not necessary. Thedoctor's faith is such that one pill has done the job."

Three months before his mahasamadhi, Swami Nityananda began an all-liquid diet. Heconsequently became very thin. The diet, the diarrhea, and the discharge from his ear were all



consequently became very thin. The diet, the diarrhea, and the discharge from his ear were allsigns of a purification process that was taking place as the Swami prepared to discard the body.In the months prior to his death, Nityananda alluded to his departure several times. He told hisdevotees that a procession of 100,000 people would soon come to Ganeshpuri, even though itwas during the monsoon. His devotees, not understanding his allusion, never inquired further. Itis only in retrospect that they understood what he had foretold.

Captain Hatengdi described the event of Swami Nityananda's mahasamadhi as it was told to himby one of the trustees of the ashram, who was present. On Tuesday morning, August 8, 1961,the trustee, who had extended his weekend stay because Nityananda's condition looked serious,went to offer his salutations to his Master. When he arrived, he found Nityananda gasping forbreath. A medical team was present trying to administer oxygen. At nine o'clock, Nityanandaasked that the oxygen be removed, The room became very quiet.

There were twelve intimate devotees present watching their Master closely. At nine thirty-five,'he started breathing so deeply that his chest expanded out of proportion. After breathing inthis exaggerated manner for about an hour, at ten forty Swami Nityananda straightened out hisfeet and legs (which had been bent for some time due to arthritis) and placed his hands over hisheart. He opened his eyes very wide and looked at everyone. Then his eyeballs rolled up, and hemade a snore-like sound and left his body.

After Swami Nityananda entered mahasamadhi, his body was displayed for devotees to see onelast time. As he predicted, 100,000 people came in procession to honor him in samadhi. Afterseveral days, he was buried in an airtight cement tomb. (In India only great beings are buried.All others are cremated.) Swami Nityananda's body was placed cross-legged in his favorite chairand then covered with diamonds, sapphires, camphor, and ash.

Before Swami Nityananda took his mahasamadhi, he told his devotees that he could now domore work in his astral form. Several years later, in 1969, Da Free John contacted SwamiNityananda's Transcendental Presence at the site of his samadhi. Swami Nityananda laterappeared to Da Free John several times in dreams and subtle vision.4 He led him through thehigher aspects of mystical experience that had been awakened in Da Free John by his earlierteachers and toward true Self-Realization in-God.

Since that time, Da Free John has often spoken highly of Swami Nityananda, calling him a greatyogi-saint. Swami Nityananda also maintained a very active influence in the lives of his devoteesafter his death. Captain Hatengdi told us that he had felt his relationship to Swami Nityanandaintensify after the saint had passed on. He said that only after Nityananda's death did many ofthe people who had been around him become sensitive to the profound nature of his spiritualPresence.

Thus, Swami Nityananda surrendered in service to his devotees even after death as he hadduring his lifetime. The mood that he had always communicated was not the rigid, asceticdisposition that one might expect of a traditional Eastern figure. Swami Nityananda was Alive inGod! Even though he did live an austere and celibate life, his constant occupation was one of thepleasure, love, fullness, and humor of life lived in God. It was that fullness, that humor, thatdelight in God that is Bhagavan Nityananda's legacy to devotees,: and to all who are inspired bythe stories of his life.

1. The death of a saint is regarded, in India especially, as a unique event. The saint consciously leaves the body andenters into mahasamadhi, perfect absorption in the Divine Condition, free of physical embodiment.

2. Sri Ramakrishna was a great devotee of God who flourished in the mid-nineteenth century and passed on in 1886.Vivekananda was the prominent disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.

3. Krishna, along with Jesus and Gautama, is one of the great archetypal examples of the Divine Man and the trueSpiritual Master. Krishna is said to have lived at least 4,000 years ago, although we have no certain historical data onhis life and Teaching. In the legends and myths of his life, Krishna, the living Spiritual Master, always teaches thetranscendence of all experience through ecstatic devotion-to Himself as the Divine Person. Through both miraculousand ordinary means, he always is shown attracting the ecstatic love of devotees. Arjuna was his principal devotee.



and ordinary means, he always is shown attracting the ecstatic love of devotees. Arjuna was his principal devotee.

4. Da Free John, The Knee of Listening (Middletown, CA: The Dawn Horse Press, 1972), pp. 122-30.

End of Article

The following was added by Beezone

Captain M.U. Hatengdi is a retired naval secretary at the Naval headquarters in New Delhi. Hefirst met Bhagawan Nityananda when he was 5 years old in 1920 in Mangalore. Had his firstdarshan in June of 1943. At that time he became Bhagawan Nityananda's disciple. After thatHatengdi spent almost every weekend with Bhagawan. Once Captain Hatengdi hurt his toe and itwas bleeding profusely. All of a sudden Baba came into his room and, without saying a word,Baba poured sandalwood oil over the wound. Sandalwood oil is very soothing. Baba often knewhis disciples' suffering and came to their aide in this way, without being told the circumstance.

Captain Hatengdi is one of the last, living elder disciples of Bhagawan Nityananda who had theprivilege of keeping Shri Gurudev's company and observing many of Bade Baba's leelas. He hasmany stories to share.

The following is from a post written by Captain M.U. Hatengdi for a book he was writing. CaptainHatengdi had several personal experiences with Bhagavan. Here is his note:

GURUDEV NITYANANDA: A personal account

Nityananda was a Master extraordinary and portraying Him is no easy task. In some respects, Heresembled Shirdi Sai Baba and in other, Sri Ramakrishna and perhaps Babaji, of SwamiYogananda’s famous autobiography. In the absence of authentic details on such limiting factorsas parentage or antecedents, he resembled Babaji and Sai Baba. In his mystic powers working atseveral places at the same or various times, unknown to anyone, he resembled Babaji and in hisexperiences of cosmic consciousness, pithy sayings and homely analogies and his strongaversion to dry discussion based on mere book knowledge, he reminds us of Sri Ramakrishna.And finally, in his silence, he reminds us of Sri Ramana Maharshi of Tiruvanamalai.

Nityananda was a born Siddha. His total self-abnegation (he wore a mere langoti all his life andhad no possessions whatsoever), absence of any earthly Guru or known performance of Sadhanaor formal worship in any temple, his felicity to communicate in many languages, includingEnglish, his ability to understand other creatures, his omniscience as regards the past, presentand the future of individual, local and world affairs, his intimate knowledge of spiritual, historicaland political personalities, knowledge of unheard of remedies, only underscore this fact.

On no single occasion either in his youth or later in Ganeshpuri, was he ever found using the firstperson Singular (“I”) in reference to himself. It would always be ‘this one’ and ‘from here’.Behind his rather awe-inspiring presence, was the heart and compassion of a mother. Nowonder, as a full-fledged Master while hardly out of his teens, in Kanhangad and South Kanara,in the pre-twenties and early thirties, he would compare Sadhus (the denomination by which hewas referred to in those days) to a jackfruit, with its forbidding exterior and sticky interior, butwhich when penetrated with skill, yielded its honeyed sweetness inside. From those early days tohis last ones at Ganeshpuri, his concern for the lowly, those in distress and the children, wasunbounded. And he missed no opportunity in feeding them. Even today, some 700-800 poorchildren of the local tribals, are fed with one free meal every morning, near his Samadhi shrineat Ganeshpuri, with ever-flowing unsolicited funds received specifically for this purpose.

Even though people in their vast multitudes from all walks of life, including foreigners, went forhis darshan very few were moved to record their experiences or remember the details for thebenefit of others. The situation was further confused by his silence towards the general public



benefit of others. The situation was further confused by his silence towards the general publicand the resultant anonymity surrounding his physical manifestation, movements or activities.

He was not an organization man; nor had he any gospel to be spread. But he was a greatradiating and transmitting centre. As Swami Vivekananda said, spiritual knowledge cannot betaught like history or mathematics, but can only be transmitted like heat and light. Perhaps it isfor this purpose that Nityananda asked everyone to cultivate Shuddha Bhavana and Shraddha,so that the ‘door’ may be opened for Him to enter and gradually transform the aspirant fromwithin.

A prince amoung renunciates, he needed no gifts or estate, and what was offered was etherdistributed utilized for the common good and the rest left unsecured. He was at once the friendof the poor and of those in distress; the spiritual aspirant’s guide and the devotee’s eternalcompanion. His grace emanated from his presence. Swami Vivekananda defined grace thus:“Grace means this: He who has realized the Atman becomes a store-house of great power.Making him the centre and with a certain radius a circle is formed, and whoever comes withinthe circle becomes animated with the ideas of that saint, i.e., they are overwhelmed by hisideas. Thus without much religious striving they inherit the results of his wonderful spiritual ity.If you call this Grace, you may do so. “Sri Ramakrishna says that when such Ishwar-kotis attainMahasamadhi, it is like their hiding in an attic!

Nityananda consoled a grieving devotee, who had an intuitive premonition of his passing awayabout three months prior to the event, by assuring her that more was possible in the subtle thanin the gross. Today, almost all of the hundreds of devotees who pay homage at his Samadhishrine daily, would have never seen him in his human form. Yet when you enquire of them as towhat prompts them to come, each one has a tale to tell in which some distress was relieved,guidance received or elevation of spirit experienced.

--Captain M U Hatengdi, (retd Indian Navy)

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Devotees' Stories

Early Days in Ganeshpuri

As word spread of Nityananda's arrival, villagers from surrounding areas began gathering aroundhis hut in the evenings. A large pot of rice porridge, of which the Master would partake, alwaysstood ready for them. Devotees were soon flocking to Ganeshpuri as well. To accomodate them,a building was constructed east of the hot spring tanks.

At first, due to a lack of potable water, visitors only stayed the day. However, once the old wellwas refurbished, sulfur water was used for everything. One particularly hot afternoon the Masteroffered a plate of rice with spicy pickle sauce to a visiting devotee. It so happened that thewoman foudn sulfur water distasteful and declined the food, knowing that she would cravesomething to drink afterward. Nityananda again held out the plate to her, saying, "Don't beconcerned. You will drink rain water." Venturing a look at the blue sky, she still ate nothing.Within minutes, however,a solitary cloud appeared overhead and rain poured down. The Mastersaid, "Go and get your water," and she jumped up and collected rain water for both of them.

Devotees gathered late one evening on the west side of the ashram. Here Nityananda sat on asmall ledge bordering a six-foot drop into the darkening fields behind him. Silence prevailed.Suddenly in the distance a pair of bright eyes appeared and, weaving its way slowly through thefields, a tiger came up to the ledge and stopped. The animal then rose lightly on its haunchesand rested its forepaws on Nityananda’s shoulders. Calmly the Master reached up with his right



and rested its forepaws on Nityananda’s shoulders. Calmly the Master reached up with his righthand and stroked the tiger’s head. Satisfied, the tiger jumped back down and disappeared into

the night. Later Nityananda observed that as the vehicles of the Goddess Vajreshwari, tigersshould be expected around her temple. He also said that wild beasts behave like lambs in thepresence of enlightened beings.

Many stories tell of his uncanny ability to understand animals. In Udipi once he told its captors torelease a certain caged bird because it constantly cursed them. Another time he reassured afrightened devotee that a nearby cobra was too busy chanting to harm anybody. Othersremember a devotee who always came for darshan accompanied by his pet parrot. And in May1944, Captain Hatengdi heard Nityananda say that a bird told him that it would rain in threedays, and rain it did.

Nityananda's Life

Nityananda lived from the late nineteenth century to 1961, making him one of India's mostrecent extraordinary saints. Nonetheless, information about his birth and early childhood issparse and contradictory. It has been said that as an infant he was found in the Guruvan jungleby a harijan woman. This woman sold the baby to the childless Unniamma of Calicut, a simplewoman who earned a small income by doing household work for Ishwar Iyer, a prominentsolicitor. This kind, devout man took an interest in the youngster, who was named Ram by hisadoptive mother. Upon her death, he assumed guardianship of the child.

Occasional remarks made by Nityananda through the years, however, support another version:protected by a large serpent coiled around him, the baby was found on a riverbank and cared forby the kind-hearted but poor Unniamma, here married with several children of her own. IshwarIyer, again Unniamma's employer, took the orphaned Ram upon her death.

It is generally agreed that Ram, as he was then called, left his home with Mr. Iyer following a tripthe two took together to Varanasi. He was then perhaps in his early teens and it is known thathe traveled widely during this period. While it is impossible to reconstruct an itinerary, it isthought that he spent considerable time in the Himalayas and in many holy places in north India.When his foster father lay dying, Nityananda returned to Calicut to be with him. Following thefuneral, Nityananda again departed for a period of wondering in south India, and stories exist ofeven more far-ranging travel: to Singapore, Malaysia, even Japan.

Around 1910 stories begin placing the young Nityananda in the South Kanara district of NorthKerala. This was a time of miracles and of growing recognition that an exceptional being waspresent. Historically, Nityananda was discovered in Udipi in 1918 by two gentlemen whoremained life-long devotees.

During this period Nityananda traveled a great deal. He also spent time in contemplation atGuruvan, the jungle where he was found as an infant. For a time he stayed a few miles nearerthe sea at Kanhangad, starting several substantial building projects and working on the rock-cutcaves for which the area is famous. By now he was quite well known and an ashram wasdeveloping around him. Today we find temples to his honor at both Guruvan and Kanhangad.

In the 1920s Nityananda spent time in Mangalore. Nityananda had many devotees here and itwas his custom to stay with a devotee family in the town. During this time, Nityananda alloweddevotees to gather around him in the evenings and sit in silence. Occasionally, however,

Nityananda would speak from a trance-like state, and eventually devotees began to copy downhis words. The many different transcribers spoke different dialects and had varying levels ofeducation. Sometimes his words were not recorded until after Nityananda had stopped speakingfor the evening. Years later, these notes, in their various formats and languages were gatheredtogether and compiled by a persevering devotee and published in the Kanarese dialect. Thewords of Nityananda were eventually translated into English.



In the mid-1930s he settled in a jungle near Bombay called Ganeshpuri. There he remained foralmost 30 years, until his mahasamadhi in 1961. His reputation grew steadily during this time,drawing crowds to his tiny place in the jungle. Initially, he stayed at a very old Shiva templecalled the Bhimeshwari temple. Built in the sixth or seventh century, the site was overgrown byvegetation and inhabited by snakes and tigers. Nityananda cleared it out and settled into thissimple temple, which was just a hollow place lined with stones and covered with a roof. In thecenter of the floor stood a round stone pillar called a lingham. Villagers would pour water over itand decorate it with flowers and kumkum, the vermilion powder used in worship andceremonies. The lingham is the symbol of Shiva's pure potential. And because Nityananda wasthere, the sixty or seventy miles surrounding Ganeshpuri were transformed from a jungle to aplace where the ground was cultivated and educated people came to live.

More on Nityananda's life from Non-duality Press

Nityananda: In Divine Presence

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Bhagavan Nityananda - Meg Krenz - Vision Mound Magazine - May:June 1980