Paramahamsa Hariharananda

Paramahamsa Hariharananda was born on 27 May 1907 as Rabindranath Bhattacharya in Habibpur, in the Nadia district of Bengal. At the age of twelve he was initiated into Jnana Yoga by Sri Bijoy Krishna Chattopadhyay.

His path through Kriya Yoga connects several masters of the lineage. In 1932 he met Swami Shriyukteshwar at the ashram in Serampore and was initiated by him into Kriya Yoga. In 1935 he received a second initiation from Paramahamsa Yogananda; between 1940 and 1941 he learned the third kriya from Swami Satyananda Giri; and between 1943 and 1945 he received a higher initiation from Shrimat Bhupendranath Sanyal.

He mastered advanced techniques (kechari, bhramari, and shambhavi), and between 1946 and 1948 attained nirvikalpa samadhi — a state of profound non-dual absorption in which ordinary mental distinctions and the sense of a separate self cease. According to tradition, in 1949 he was blessed by Mahavatar Babaji with a prophetic charge. On 27 May 1959 he was initiated into sannyasa as Swami Hariharananda Giri, and gained the rare ability to enter nirvikalpa samadhi at will.

In 1950 he was appointed acharya of Karar Ashram, and in 1951 was authorized to initiate seekers into Kriya Yoga. In 1974 he traveled to Switzerland for the first time, and went on to found Kriya Yoga centers across Europe, India, and North and South America. After 1990 he kept residences on three continents — in Vienna, Miami, and Jagatpur.

He is the author of Kriya Yoga: The Scientific Process of Soul-Culture and Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kriya Yoga: A Rare Pictorial Commentary. He entered mahasamadhi on 3 December 2002 in Miami at the age of 95, and was accorded a state funeral honor and bhu-samadhi at Balighai in Odisha.

His disciple and spiritual successor, who continues his teaching around the world, is Paramahamsa Prajnanananda.

Source: Kriya Yoga International ↗