Early Years

Avadhoota Nadanandaji was born on Vaishaka Purnima day, the full moon day in the month of June, to Puvapulli Krishnan Namboodiri and his wife Gangadevi in Kerala, India. He was born with a blue hue and did not cry like other babies. 

Raised in a simple but very orthodox joint family, whose ancestors had been Samantha rulers (rulers of places), his grandmother’s widowed younger sister greatly influenced him in childhood. She was a pious old lady who chanted the mantra ‘Rama Narayana’ with every breath and enthralled him with stories of Hanuman, Prahlada, Dhruva, and others, and also taught him by example.

One day, at about the age of nine, he had just returned from school near his parental home, and as usual, his elder sister was feeding him the typical South Indian meal of rice, yogurt and papad. Suddenly a saffron-clad sadhu (saintly person) appeared in front of the home’s courtyard, asking for alms. His mother invited him with utmost devotion and requested him to sit on the verandah so that she could serve him. He watched the sadhu as he held out a black bowl (called ‘kappar,’ used by sadhus), and his mother served rice, vegetables, papad, and pickles into it. He then took out another small bowl from his shoulder bag in which he requested water. When the sadhu was done eating and was putting back the kappar into his shoulder bag, the 10-year old Nadananda asked in all innocence, ‘Swami, will you please give me this bowl?‘ The sadhu gazed at him, then broke out into a beautiful smile and spoke in Hindi, ‘O son! One day this will come to you. You will certainly get this kappar!‘ His sister translated the sadhu’s words for him into Malayalam. Then, before leaving, the sadhu placed his hand on the child’s head and uttered something in Sanskrit.

Avadhoota Nadananda writes in his autobiography that, after meeting this sadhu, he would often dream of leaving home and traveling to distant places to be like that sadhu. He would visualise himself being at the foot of a snowclad hill, on the banks of mighty flowing rivers, in dilapidated temples in the company of sanyasis (renunciates) with matted hair and beards covering their bodies, chanting something in strange tongues.

At the age of ten, he was sent to live with his maternal uncle, a retired military man, to attend a better school far from home. He suffered much from an atmosphere of strict and often cruel military discipline at that tender age. The negative psychological feelings began to tilt the direction of his consciousness, and he turned to the Mother Goddess for refuge. This was the real birth of the spiritualistic tendencies within the heart of the young Nadananda. He would keep between the pages of his textbook a picture of Durga, the Mother Universal. Though he was brought back home after a stay of four years, there now was an unrepairable gap of emotional emptiness and a loss of intimacy between him and other members of the household.

In his youth, village elders treated him as a rebel born in their village to destroy the traditions after he convinced the authorities of the local temple of the Mother Goddess to open it up to all classes of people. He proved his point that no valid yardstick of authentic nature decides how anybody is great or small before the Mother of the Universe and that it was a time to change the age-old blind traditions. But most of the villagers, those who wanted to move along with the changing times, were with him. He mingled and ate with people of different castes, which was frowned upon by those in the orthodox Nambudiri caste to which he belonged. For a while, he worked as an editor for a weekly newspaper and wrote poetry and plays. He writes in his autobiography that it was an immeasurable grace that he did not succeed in those lines of work. In the heat of repeated defeats faced in his undertakings, his inclinations started turning towards spirituality. He worshipped the deity Sri Raja Rajeswari during his Sri Vidya Sadhana (practice) at home. With time, this intensified until he decided to leave home in search of the Self, with the blessings of his parents. 

Leaving Home and Meeting His Guru

He traveled by bus to the town of Kollur in Karnataka, where the famous and ancient temple of Goddess Mookambika is located, on the banks of the river Sauparnika. After bathing in the river, he went to the temple to have the darshan of the Divine Mother, who he had been worshipping thus far as Srividya. As he stood before the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) of the temple, he saw a beautiful, long-haired woman with the round vermilion mark on her forehead, clad in a yellow sari and blouse. She was gazing at him intently. Instead of looking at the idol of the goddess, his eyes were glued to the graceful woman. She proceeded to do a pradakshina or circumambulate the garbhagriha, and he could not help but follow her. Just as she reached the back wall, she turned and looked back at him with a lovely smile and said, ‘Go to the verandah of Sri Ramakrishna Yogashram. Your Guru will meet you there.‘ Then stepping forward, she disappeared into the garbhagriha. It was at that point that he realised that she was none other than Amma (Mother), Devi Mookambika herself!

As instructed, he went to the Ashram and, after fifteen days of staying on the verandah of the ashram, one day an older woman clad in a loose robe, with short hair, a stick in one hand and a tin box in the other, walked towards the verandah. She came near him and sat down. But because she looked dirty and disheveled, he moved away swiftly because of the ego of his Namboodri background. She was talking to herself like mad people do, and alarmed, he moved away. The old monk at the ashram cautioned him about going near her, saying that if she got angry, one could lose everything he had, but if she were happy, one would be blessed with good fortune. He was struck at hearing this and got up to prostrate on the ground before her, but she laughed and said, ‘Oh, you are from a Brahmin family, and I’m only a beggar like you think. So, how can you do namaskaars (prostrate) before a beggar? You will lose your caste, go away, get lost!‘ Yet her face only showed affection. Suddenly at that moment, he recalled the words from fifteen days before. Saying ‘Sri Sri Gurudevyai namah’, he did a full-body prostration (saashtaang namaskaar) before her. She took her stick, beat him once on the shoulder, and swiftly left the verandah, walking towards the Sauparnika River. Without hesitation, he followed her, like a calf following its mother’s footsteps. 

The woman, who was Avadhoota Tara Mayee, entered the river, crossed, and went to the other bank. She kept walking in the rain, moving deep into a forest, and he, too, followed her. Though the dark, dense forest had many wild animals, it was very tranquil and beautiful with scenic views and a salubrious atmosphere. Having realised his apprehension, Amma fondly told thr young Nadananda, ‘Don’t be scared of these animals. Never nurture fear or hatred but rather give love to all creatures.  If you start loving them, they, in turn, will love you.’ Thus he learned the early lessons and the science of love and compassion from his Guru, Tara Ma.

She lived there under one particular big tree in the rain, hot sun, and even cold weather, day and night, except when she went for morning ablutions or to the temple for taking alms or bhiksha. She spoke only rarely. Once on sighting a just-bloomed violet flower which had a few bees buzzing around it, she said to him, ‘I want you to be like this flower with bees around it.‘ Later on in life, he realised the import of that remark when he had became like such a flower himself, giving the nectar of spirituality to his disciples. She never gave him lectures, and he used to sit near her, looking at her lotus feet for hours and hours. She would go to the temple for bhiksha when the bells rang around noon. On returning, she would whistle. Upon hearing her whistling, many animals would gather around her, and she would feed those rabbits, serpents, crows, pigeons, tiny ants, etc. After feeding each of them thoroughly, she would feed him a handful of whatever she had received in the bhiksha directly into his mouth. Finally, whatever was left (not even half a handful), she would eat. This continued until the end of his stay with her. 

His first shaktipat diksha or initiation happened at the ashram unusually and suddenly, when she kicked him with her left leg on his chest whilst uttering the ‘ekaakshari’ or single-syllable mantra. It caused him to go into a trance for almost sixteen hours. After he came out, they returned to the tree in the forest. She then spoke to him, giving upadesha:

‘You have to keep this Agni (fire) with you forever and make use of it for others. A person who lives only for himself is an animal;  a person who lives for others is a bhagavan (divine one). Now you have to decide what you want to become: an animal or a bhagavan. If you decide on the positive one, take an oath that for the rest of your life, you will live for others, and only for others, regardless of the consequences on the spiritual journey.‘ 

He then took a solemn oath to live only for others, and she promised to be with him always.

There was no other sadhana, no japa or mantra that Avadhoota Tara Mayee taught him; all he did was observe what was happening. The lessons of love and service to the world continued when Tara Mayee first taught him to do sadhana in water. Without body consciousness, while practicing sadhana in water for long hours, the limbs can get bruised by the constant biting of schools of fish. She said, ‘That is fine. The fish will get something to eat. So stay there in the water. May you always be like this in both your material as well as spiritual life. Let your body be beneficial to others.‘

She urged that an Avadhuta should not be anxious about his own body. He should shun attachment to his physical existence. His body is only a tool to serve the needs of others. (To this day, it is this inspiration that Nadanandaji derived from Tara Maa that is enabling him to serve people despite his ill-health).

Soon, he began to perceive the sweet burning sensation of the fire within. A desire to go to the Himalayas slowly began growing. Still, he wondered how he could do so without being initiated into sanyasa or without the kashaya vastra (saffron-coloured robe). But his Guruji had read his mind and arranged for a sanyasi visiting Mookambika to perform his sanyasa sanskara (rituals related to renunciation), as Avadhutas are not supposed to do rituals. It was a day-long event by the Sauparnika river. Under the supervision of his Guruji, the sanyasi ordained him with the saffron clothing and the new name of ‘Swami Nadananda Tirtha” – Tirtha being one of the ten sects in the Dashanami tradition of sanyasa.

Now he began to be regarded differently by people, with a great deal of respect and prostration. After a few months, his Guruji asked him to leave for ‘tapas’ (ascetic practice) in the Himalayas, the land of the Rishis. Though the journey would be arduous, she assured him that she would always be with him, just as she had been with him over lifetimes. He was to meet with her gurubehen (a female co-disciple of the same Guru, and in this case her biological sister as well), Asha Mayee, who lived at Triyugi Narayan. She told him to beware of maya (name, fame, wealth, women) and not take up residency in any existing ashrams. She would make sure that he would be cared for when he needed it. He was to travel barefoot and not carry any money with him, nor ever take any dakshina (donations) or clothing from devotees; only accept alms in the form of food (bhiksha), and keep up his chosen poverty. He just had to maintain his purity and innocence and never be afraid or look back.

Sent off on His Mission

He left for the Himalayas by train, clad in saffron with his kappar (bhiksha bowl) and water pot, and a blanket and nothing else. In Haridwar, one Mast Ram Baba guided him into a twenty-one-day sadhana. Following this, he traveled to Vyas Ghat, a grueling walk, barefoot for eight days. After a sadhana there for fifteen days, he moved on to Devprayag. He met Avadhuta Asha Mayee there by the banks of the Ganga, who asked him to return to Vyas Ghat, which he did. 

Near Vyas Ghat, he found a cave to live in, near a temple whose priest attended to his needs. Since it was his first Navaratri in the Himalayas, he did a forty-one-day purascharana of the shodashi mantra (Srividya) japa, undisturbed. He only had Ganga water during those days and nothing to eat except some leaves from the forest. A snake had been living in the cave as well, and at the end of the sadhana, the snake went around him three times and died. At the insistence of one Vigyanand Saraswati, he initiated him into the Goddess’s Tryakshari (three-syllabled) mantra. With this initiation or diksha, he became Guruji’s first disciple. At the time of  Shivaratri, he initiated him and the temple priest into the Goddess’s panchadasi or fifteen-syllable mantra. 

Then he moved on to Devprayag where he chose to live by the river ghat in the open, despite the bitter cold. He again ‘met’ Asha Mayee though she was supposed to be physically in Triyuginarayan. Though he was planning to move on to Gangotri, she dissuaded him from doing so until April because of the hostile weather conditions. Since he had ninety days, he did another japa (chant) of sixteen lakh times ‘shodashi mantra’, sleeping on the ghat steps at night. There he had the amazing experience of seeing an old saint clad in white, walking over the river’s water and coming to him. The saint conveyed that he had met Tara Mayee in Mookambika a few days earlier. She had sent some paayasam (sweet porridge) for him, packed in a teakwood tree leaf. Nadanandaji was deeply moved and encouraged at this. He then moved on to Gangotri via Rishikesh and Uttarkashi on foot, visiting the Vashishta cave enroute.

An interesting episode on this journey was his initiation into the Bismillah mantra by a Muslim shepherdess. He then reached Uttarkashi, where he met up with many sadhus. All that he had with him throughout his travels were one piece of cloth, one blanket, one vessel for bhiksha and one for water, and never any money. Avadhoota Tara Mayee appeared before him here in love and encouragement, bringing a small packet of peppered groundnuts fried in ghee. Here too, he decided to do another purascharana (intense chants), staying by the river ghats, with hardly anything to eat. The hair on his body would stand on end (romaharsha) during japa. He would always hear the mantra (shodashi) around him. Once again, at the end of the purascharana, Avadhoota Tara Mayee appeared, scolding him for starving himself. She had brought with her rice and sambar packed in plantain leaves (this plant is not found in the Himalayas) and hand-fed him affectionately. This was the last time she ever appeared before him in her own form though he did have many experiences of her presence later, in other forms. After reaching Gangotri, he did yet another purascharana by the river banks, in a barebones tent since he could not find an unoccupied cave. The weather was very harsh, and he had fever and body pain due to the wind.

In Search of Gyanganj

After a short stay to recuperate, he returned to Uttarkashi and decided to search for Gyanganj in Tibet, the origin of his Guru Parampara or tradition. Gyanganj is like a university where every spiritual practice under the sun can be learned. But before that, he wanted to go to see Asha Mayee in Triyuginarayan. On the long journey by foot, he stayed in village temples along the way. Her cave was on the top of a very steep climb. She told him that the mystical Gyanganj was accessible to someone only if it was the wish of the great Mahaguru Mahatapa (aka Mahavatar Babaji), and no one would otherwise be able to locate it among the foggy snow-clad mountains of Tibet. She gave him a shaligram-like thing, telling him it was the ‘beejam’ (literal meaning ‘the seed’) of his life in spirituality. These days it can be found in the pooja room of the Baba of Anandamayi Peeth at Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

The journey through Tibet was very challenging. He was unsuccessful in finding Gyanganj, and he realised that this was because of the fact that even the tiniest speck of impurity will bar one from entering there. So he returned to Haridwar, via Arunachal and Varanasi, and traveled from there to Vikasnagar near Dehradun, again on foot. He did a purascharana there by the banks of the Yamuna. During that stay, he received an invitation from a Swami from Jammu to visit there and then go for the darshan of Vaishno Devi. Since Navaratri was approaching, by popular demand, he stayed there to do Chandi Paath and Devi Bhagavatam discourses during the nine days. The villagers were delighted to have him there and proposed building a cottage for him and constructing a temple for the Mother Goddess, to which he consented. While this was happening, he did his seventh Srividya purascharana. 

First Meeting With Babaji

With winter approaching, he left the place to go to Gujarat and then returned to Dehradun to serve tribals through the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram’s organisation for more than five years. During this time, he went for the Kumbh Mela in Prayag for forty-one days.  On one of those days, at sunset time, he happened to be near a group of people sitting in a line near the sangam (confluence of the three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati). It was then that he recognised the presence of Babaji (from Paramahamsa Yogananda’s book). Though he tried many times to reach him, he could not move, as if his legs were chained. Finally, he could see the face of Babaji, who gestured him to move. He did pranams standing there itself and once again tried to move towards him. But Babaji had disappeared from the vicinity. Nadanandaji stayed there in a trance for a long time. The mere vision of him had given him such intoxication! 

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked back to see a sadhu standing behind him, in white robes, white, matted hair, and a beard. The sadhu spoke: ‘Look, Swamiji, to have darshan (sight) or sparshan (touch) of great saints we must have eligibility. Purity of body/mind/intellect is essential. You failed to reach Gyanganj or Babaji. Why? You know, even now, you have some impurity in mind. Desire to gain something materialistic is your problem.‘ While Nadanandaji was wondering how this stranger knew about his failed attempt to reach Gyanganj and Babaji, the sadhu spoke again: ‘I know all about you! You have done good sadhana on Srividya, and you are planning to move to do Narmada parikrama. But mind one thing – even a small impurity in mind, body, or intellect, or any materialistic thought will be a hindrance in reaching your goal’, and then he merged with the crowd.

Nadanadaji’s attempt at the pilgrimage of Narmada parikrama, which can take a year, had to be given up halfway due to serious illness in between. He did do an eighth purascharana of Srividya japa though. Later he visited Rajasthan and then traveled south to Tirupati. There, instead of Lord Venkateshwara [a form of Vishnu], he saw Maha Tripura Sundari’s (divine Mother) idol instead. He then went to Srisailam and Arunachala. In the latter, he meditated all night on the hill where the Virupaksha cave is located. 

Returning to Haridwar, he did his tenth Shodashi purascharana. During this time, he was visited by a saffron-clad sadhu with matted hair, a long stick in one hand, and a water pot in the other hand. He came and sat near him and started talking: ‘Son, though you don’t know me, I know you very well and have been following you from the first day of your spiritual journey, and I know about your deep disappointment at not being able to reach Gyanganj. I am Bhriguram Paramahamsa. I am coming from Gyanganj with a message from Mahatapa Guruji. After completing your purascharana, go back to your ashram in Jammu. Then, in a short while, you will get a chance to go to the Himalayas again. Go and have the darshan of Mansarovar-Kailash!‘ He was none other than his Paratpara Guru – his Guruji’s Guruji’s Guruji, and the mere vision of a great Guru of his tradition filled him with new energy in body/mind/intellect!

As instructed by Bhriguram Paramahamsa, Avadhoota Nadanandaji headed for Jammu. In addition to holding satsangs, he helped raise money for ashram construction by doing Chandi Paath in various homes there, including those of non-Brahmins, thereby setting an example. He then left for Haridwar en route to Nepal to visit Mansarovar/Kailash. Though he journeyed in Nepal with a group, he chose not to engage in conversation but do Devi Pranava japa while walking. Moreover, he walked without shoes as he had always done, unlike the others. So after fifteen days of such walking, his legs below the knees had swollen; he started lagging, unable to keep up with them. It was nearing sunset, and being exhausted, he decided to rest under a tree. As he sat there with closed eyes, contemplating the three aspects of the Divine Mother, he heard a sound. Opening his eyes, he saw a tall, beautiful woman before him, well decorated with ornaments and flower garland, wearing a lustrous sari. He checked to see if it was not a dream. When she touched him, he felt as if he had been transformed into an infant of six months. Then lifting him in her arms, she fed him with milk from her breast. This went on for a few minutes, and all the while he felt as though he was completely submerged in brilliant divine light. Nadanandaji writes in his autobiography that when he recalls that incident, he can still taste that milk on his tongue. 

Heading for Lake Mansarovar and Mount Kailash

Twenty-five days after the beginning of the journey, he reached Mansarovar. To him, the journey to Mansarovar means the journey to one’s pure heart that loves every being equally. The external Mansarovar is only good scenery for the eyes. But diving into the internal Mansarovar, one will be in ecstasy in the everlasting experience of Bliss. When he heard people say that if they were lucky, they might see a hamsa or a swan there, he recalled that ‘hamsa-soham’ is one of the last mantras of Srividya! Hamsa also means prana or vital energy. To bathe in Mansarovar means to ascend in the prana shakti through ‘hamsa-soham” (a technique of pranayama) and reach Sahasrara, the crown energy center and then merge the prana shakti with Pure Consciousness (Shiva). Then ‘Awareness’ (Shakti) would lead the practitioner to reach the Advaita siddhi/moksha, which is the ultimate reality. He understood that mere washing of one’s body in the lake Mansarovar on reaching the hill known as Kailash would not give someone salvation or moksha, but by going through the path of yoga and tantra, one can definitely attain moksha.

He sat on the banks of Mansarovar for three days without eating or drinking, in a state of intoxication and the state of Pure Being, feeling his body as very light, tears of ecstasy in his eyes, and the ‘hamsa-soham’ mantra echoing in his brain. On the third night, he saw a light emerging from the lake, but after a few seconds, he could see that it was his revered Guruji (Avadhoota Tara Mayee) appearing before him. He pinched his hand to confirm that it was not a dream. Tears overflowed from his eyes, and horripilations swept him. His legs shivered as he got up to move towards her. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she embraced him, scolding him for not eating properly during sadhana. She reminded him that this journey had happened only because Guru Mahatapa of Gyanganj had planned it that way. Then she led him to a yogi sitting on the lakeshore, none other than Keenaram Paramahamsa, her paramaguru from Gyanganj. The yogi was in deep meditation, wearing white clothes, white hair, a big beard, and a well-built body.  

As Nadanandaji offered his saashtanga pranams (full-body prostrations), Keenaram Baba opened his eyes and gestured to sit near him. He spoke: ‘All that is happening is not unexpected. All this was destined. You are destined to burn yourself in this pyre. You had the experience of ‘soham.’ Yes, this was destined! Now, I have something for you. Through Tara, I am destined to pass my yogic powers to you.‘ Again the yogi closed his eyes and told Tara Mayee to touch the centre of her disciple’s forehead. At that, he experienced the sound of soham in and around himself, feeling as if his body were burning in fire and shivering as if in fever. His eyes had closed on their own. He heard the voice of the yogi again: ‘Son, these are the siddhis (spiritual powers) which you are supposed to keep with you. Now onwards, you are a Siddha yogi, who has the siddhis of doora shravan (extrasensory ability to hear conversations far away), doora darshan (extrasensory abilities to see things not in range of eyesight), healing powers, and sankalpa siddhi (power to fulfill one’s desires effortlessly). Do not misuse them. You have taken an oath to live for others, and you need these powers to do so. So keep them and live for others!‘

Tara Mayee said, ‘Son, this is the last part of your shaktipat deeksha. Now you are a perfect adept, but remember, do not reveal your identity now. When the time comes, I will let you know while I prepare you for loka sangraha (living for the entire humanity).‘ She also asked him to prepare any of his disciples to carry on this work in the future.  

(Note: Many years later, in June 2016, Avadhoota Nadanandaji connected Mohanji with the Guru Mandala when he made him offer dakshina to the great master, Bhriguram Paramahansa, across from the Shiva temple in Shirdi. The Guru Mandala also conferred the title of Brahmarishi upon Mohanji through Avadhoota Nadananda. Later, Avadhoota Nadananda transferred his spiritual wealth to Mohanji)

Though he joined the group of sadhus to Kailash, he chose not to go for parikrama [circumambulation], having already reached the real Kailash within, due to the grace of his Guruji through the experience of soham at Mansarovar. 

Advanced Tantra Training

After the experience of Advaita Siddhi (Attainment of non-duality – i.e., realizing the Self) during the Kailash trip, he was keen to do Tantra Sadhana, being inspired by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who had tried even Islamic and Christian modes of sadhana. For this purpose, he traveled to Varanasi. Unable to find food or accommodation, he sat chanting mantras on the steps of the famous Manikarnika Ghat, where the air is full of smoke day and night, from the burning pyres of bodies in cremation. An older woman, who appeared to be a beggar, came and sat near him and lovingly offered the food she had collected. He told her that he was in search of a Guru who could teach him Tantra sadhana. Soon he was introduced to a well-known Bengali tantrik of that time who agreed to teach him, telling him that he had to stay at that ghat only for that purpose. The condition for his agreeing to teach was that Nadanandaji would, in return, initiate the tantrik into Srividya, to which he agreed. There were two steps to the Tantra sadhana, the first one performing homa over a burning pyre at night after completing japa. He also warned about possible dangerous snares with this sadhana.  Only after completing this successfully could he move on to the next step of shava sadhana. The Bengali tantrik then went away to Tarapith.

Nadanandaji began the sadhana in earnest during nights near a burning pyre. The beggar woman would bring him food during the day. One night during sadhana, a very fierce form of a lady, naked and wearing a garland of skulls, appeared in front of him and ordered him to stop his japa. When he replied that he wanted nothing, she gave a terrifying laugh. At that point, Nadanandaji became angry and told her to go away. Then she became calm and told him, ‘Son, I was testing whether you are doing it for materialistic needs. Ok, continue, I will be yours from the day of completion of your japa.’ Then he understood that she was none other than Mother Tara (Goddess Tara, nith form of Dasamaha Vidya), whose mantra japa he was doing. 

He also realised that the beggar woman was no ordinary woman but instead a great sadhika in Tantra, a Yogini, or a Bhairavi. She told him she had a dream on the second day of meeting him. In that, an old lady was saying to take care of her child, showing Nadanandaji. The sadhika now understood that he had a special mission destined for him by his Guru Parampara. In serving him, she would get the blessings of the Guru Parampara.  

On the forty-fifth day of the japa sadhana on Tara Mantra, the Bengali tantrik returned to Manikarnika Ghat and met him by the ghat steps. The tantrik already knew that Nadanadaji had had a vision of Mother Tara. So he would start him off on the shava or corpse sadhana from the next New Moon day or Amavasya. The tantrik cautioned him that any fear would mean inevitable failure. Again there was the appearance of a fierce form like that in the previous sadhana, but this time he did not answer her questions as instructed by the tantrik and successfully completed the ritual. Then the tantrik gave him the mantra of ‘Swayamvar Parvathi’ (a Yogini), which Nadanandaji had received already from his father in his college days. He was told to do this japa in a standing posture immersed in water up to his waist for at least 21 days, after which he could leave Varanasi. He did this from morning to noon and then evening until midnight. Finally, two weeks into the sadhana, one day at midnight, a young woman, radiantly beautiful, wearing ornaments and garland, appeared, asking what he desired. He replied to the Divine Mother that he needed nothing but her boon that if he ever needed the mantra for helping someone in need, it would bear fruit and requested her blessings. She poured three handfuls of Ganga water into his open mouth and disappeared into the river.

Narmada Parikrama and Gyanganj

Following the successful completion of Tantra sadhana in Varanasi, Nadanandaji took a train to Indore to try again the Narmada parikrama, which he had to abandon in the middle previously. This time around, he finished it in 19 months with many divine experiences. He followed this up with one chaturmas (holy period of four months during rainy season) in Badrinath and then went up to Tapovan, located above Gangotri. During his stay in Tapovan with a swami, Bhriguram Paramhansa appeared before him and said he was pleased with Nadanandaji’s sadhana. He said that he had come there to show him the way to Gyanganj this time and that Nadanandaji would be spending some days there for higher sadhana in Srividya. 

They traveled together over unknown Himalayan hills for some days. Bhriguramji told him that he didn’t need food and could gather energy directly from the sun. In fact, he had not eaten in the previous few years. He took out a magnifying glass from his bag and told him that with that glass, and just by having a strong sankalpa or intention and by looking into it, it would manifest whatever one needed. This was based on ‘surya vidya’ which was something one could learn at Gyanganj. Then Bhriguramji asked Nadanandaji to walk alone for three days and said he would meet him on the fourth day. He assured Nadanandaji that he would not feel hunger or thirst in those three days and that the Mother Goddess Lalitha, in the form of  ‘Surya”, would be watching over him always.

He continued the strenuous journey on foot, crossing the Tibetan border and past many villages. As promised, Bhriguramji met up with him again on the fourth day, and they continued the grueling trek again for a few days. Gyanganj is an extraordinary spiritual training center in a valley enclosed on all sides by hills dotted with caves. There are no buildings. There is also a branch known as Siddhashram. At the time of his visit, more than 150 sadhakas were there for higher studies and sadhana. Shri Mahatapa Babaji is the head of this institution; he is more than 300 years old and has been sitting in a trance for the last 50 years or more! 

Bhriguramji took him to a cave with a clean-shaven swamiji with vibhuti and kumkum on his forehead, sitting on his asana or seat. Bhriguramji told the swami about Nadanandaji’s Srividya Sadhana and his 11 purascharanas of the shodashi mantra (Nadanandaji did four more purascharanas in later years). Swamiji was supposed to take care of Nadanandaji’s future sadhana and studies in Srividya during his stay with him at that cave. Nadanandaji was to do seva to that swamiji, by pressing his legs, washing his clothes, cleaning the cave, and doing the cooking as well. The swamiji initiated him into the practice of Hamsa Soham, the ultimate mantra in Srividya, to be done with pranayama. He also taught him the practical worship of three aspects of Pratyangira (an incarnation of Goddess Chandi/Durga). He would sit under a tree near a stream and do sadhana. He was introduced to a Lama, well versed in the Tibetan system of Srividya where it is called Ugra Tara. 

The higher studies of Srividya were very tough, especially since the sadhana was not only japa or pooja; it was correlated to Tantra, Yoga, and Vedanta. Doing some mudras was hard, but the Lama supported him patiently, even teaching him the secret of antaryaga (internal worship). He was not permitted to take notes and had to remember it by rote, yet he managed to write down a few critical points on a piece of paper obtained from the swamiji. All of Nadanandaji’s doubts were cleared during this higher study. During his stay and practice in Srividya in South India, though he had heard of some of the techniques of this sadhana, none of the acharyas over there had been fully competent about the practical part. 

Advanced Srividya Research

One afternoon while walking through the forest in the valley, Nadanandaji saw Bhriguramji at a distance under a tree, deeply absorbed in meditation. He quietly sat next to him for hours till he opened his eyes. Bhriguramji told him that he must live in samsara like a lotus leaf on water when he returned to live with worldly people. With the accumulated energy of sadhana, live only for others, always. He was also advised to start a research work on ‘Sri Chakra Vibrations.’ Nobody had tried in that direction, and he was told to practice, experience, and write everything down since it would be helpful for the coming generations. After leaving Gyanganj, he would be taken to Siddhashram, from where he would reach India. He was also advised to visit Kamakhya (incarnation of Goddess Durga, in a temple near Guwahati).

In later years, while staying in an ashram at Indore, Nadanandaji researched the vibrations of Sri Chakra Bindu and prepared the manuscript for the book ‘Secrets of Sri Chakra.’ Years later, when he was in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, he completed the work on ‘The Science and Essence of Srividya’, which was published as a hardbound book. He had an intention that he did not share with anyone, to submit the transcripts of his research work to the great Gurus of Gyanganj, seeking their blessings. So he decided to go to Tibet via Sikkim and Arunachal. He walked all day, for days, just like he had done on the previous journey sheltering in Buddhist viharas, with no compass, guide, or map, and only with a prayer in his heart to his Guruji. 

As he neared Gyanganj, he was greeted at the main entrance by Bhriguram Paramahansa, as if he had been awaiting the arrival of Nadanandaji. The next day, he was taken to the cave of Mahatapa Baba, which was filled with divine effulgences and fragrances. This was the first time he was coming so close to the holy feet of the great Guru who was sitting with eyes closed in siddhasana posture on a rock. With deep reverence, he placed the spiral-bound volume of the book ‘The Science and Essence of Srividya’, at the feet of Mahaguru Mahatapa. The cave began to reverberate with the divine humming of the sound Om. Mahaguru neither spoke nor opened his eyes, and the reverberation was the sign that work had received supreme approval as per the tradition of acceptance.

When he came out of the cave, Bhriguramji embraced Nadanandaji and told him that after 50 years, this was the first time that they heard the sound from the Supreme Guru Mahatapa.

Retirement

Avadhoota Nadanandaji and Mohanji have developed an extraordinary relationship. Nadanandaji connected Mohanji with the Guru Mandala (lineage of masters) when he made him offer dakshina to the great master, Bhriguram Paramahamsa, from the Guru Mandala, across from the Shiva temple at Shirdi, in June 2016. Then, the Guru Mandala conferred the title of ‘Brahmarishi’ on Mohanji, which was given through Avadhoota Nadanandaji. Finally, at a special ceremony, Avadhoota Nadanandaji transferred his entire spiritual wealth to Mohanji. At that time, in a solemn and no-nonsense tone, yet soaked with love, Nadanandaji said to Mohanji, ‘I have been crying to find someone eligible to hand over. I have been waiting for permission to withdraw from public life. The Guru Mandala told me, “You can get off the saddle. You are free to step down now.” They relieved me of all my responsibilities. I have to step down. For a few decades now, I have been walking this tedious path literally with blood in my mouth and fifth stage cancer, which I had taken over from a woman who was dying. Now I am seventy-six. This body is tired. I cannot move on like this anymore. I need to withdraw from public life, go back to myself and merge with the supreme consciousness. I shall be in isolation.‘ 

Even though Nadanandai is still going for treatment, in X-rays and scans, no ailments are ever visible, even while he has fifth stage cancer. This is intriguing to the doctors. He has said about this: ‘When our seven chakras are activated, and we operate in superconscious realms, the body is equal to sookshma (subtle). When cosmic energy is fully activated in our system, artificial energies such as medicines or machines will never work or get nullified. Medical science will not understand that.‘

One wonders how Nadanandaji could travel thousands of kilometers raising funds for the gurukulam ‘Aksharathara’, despite his deteriorating health on one side and the devastating pandemic on the other. Not just that alone, scores of disciples were inflicted with the Covid virus. He has been at the forefront, counseling them, guiding them with medication, tips to enhance immunity,  exuding inexorable confidence, performing rituals almost daily, special homas to save lives, and finally brought many of them back to normal lives. A few, as destined, received from their beloved Guru, Agnishradh, a ritual to liberate them from all earthly and ethereal prarabdha [karma], since they were not privileged to get a traditional funeral owing to Covid protocol.

Nadanandaji says, ‘I do not touch money. I do not use money. When people give money, I use it for serving the needy. I do not have a bank account.‘

Nadanandaji is also very fond of music and an excellent singer. His musical journey began with Bhimsen Joshi. He can be seen singing and dancing enthusiastically during festival concerts organised at Siddhaganj. The association with his master could be the reason for his inclination to Hindustani music and gazals besides South Indian classical music. The ease with which he sings ghazals and classical music is inexpressible. Tears often roll down his cheeks when listening to any singer rendering krithis (songs) with deep devotion. From classics to film songs, nothing misses Nadanandaji’s attention, and he ensures everyone enjoys the music. By explaining a krithi, its meaning, and context, he connects everyone into its magic.