His Holiness Sri Swami Shivananda Paramahamsa

Biography of His Holiness Sri Swamy Sivananda Paramahamsar ( Holy Father ).

He is Siddha Vidya tradition's main Guru 'Adi guru'. His prior name was Raman Nambiar. Born in a vegetarian Kshatriya family in sacred city Vatakara or Badagara, Kojikod Dist, Kerala. Since childhood he was a very straight forward kid, so he took up a job as a policeman as he grew up. After he got married his wife wrote him a letter requesting him to take leave from work and come home. Once he came she washed his feet, took him inside had him sit on a seat. She then laid her head in his lap and left her mortal coil.

This unimaginable event shocked and surprised Sri Raman Nambiar. "where did the one that asked me to come home go now? 'I am going to find out' with this intent and in total dispassion he left his job and home. When he was doing 'giri pradakshina' walking around the mountain of Subrahmanya temple in Palani, as he was going to take bath in river 'vartiar' two Siddha yogis did the upadesha of Siddha Vidya in his ear and disappeared. That is why the guru parampara of Sri Shivananda Paramahamsar started from him only. But he himself in his previous avatar was Sri Jyoti Ramalinga Swamy ( Vallalar ) of Vadalur, Shri Bhogar Mahashaya of Palani, Shri Konkana Maharshi of Tirupati, Shri Kakabhushunda Maharshi, Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Jesus Christ and Shri Mahammad.

Nara and Narayana are the two Siddha Purushas that came and initiated him into Siddha Vidya. He immediately went into samadhi, his body was covered with anthills and plant vines. He was found by a British forest officer Kalam as 'Apara Valmiki'. He was cutting down the forest when he found Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar in samadhi, with his eyes rolled up, only the whites of the eyes are seen.

He brought some herbs rubbed on Sri Shivananda Paramahamsar's head and served him, that brought his eyeballs down. For the welfare of this world he woke up from samadhi and initiated Shri Kalam into Siddha Vidya. It was a blessing that Sri Kalam could serve Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar to bring him out of samadhi, else he would have been burnt for disturbing a siddha purusha's penance (tapa).

Later Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar travelled entire Bharat and also to Singapur, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia etc, initiated around 6 lakhs people into Siddha Vidya. He established Siddha Samaj at Vatakara or Badagara as main center and Kayanna, Iyyuru, Mannurkara, Ammampalayam (Tamilnadu) as branches.

Shri Swamy Shivananda Paramahamsar is an avatar who realized that the same 'jiva shakti' is in human, animals, birds in the form of air equally. Birds and animals have more 'jnana' than human beings because their respirations are single directional 'eka gati'. Even in human beings prana is in 'ekagati' in sleep. He proved that respirations move in single direction in the spinal cord 'shushumna' with Siddha Vidya. His experiences are recorded in the book "Siddha Vedam", Moksha Soothram.

He taught that these many religions are not there in the world, there is only one religion that is Ishwara Matham. Service to this Ishwara is to supress the life force that is in the form of air internally upward and downward. This air when it is moving, is called karma, maya, sin, sharira, creating this world. Once this air is stilled with Siddha Yogam that is Karma Yogam, merit 'punyam', 'sukrutam', knowledge 'jnana' and 'rasamani'.

Iswara and jiva are same, all these beings are not different, I am the one that is all pervasive and omnipresent. All the worlds came out of me, all the 9 openings are in the head, the 6 chakras are only the changes in the mind. Arguments between scriptural educated people with no experience is like dogs fighting for food thrown in trash. The sun, moon etc that are seen outside are only reflections on the egg of ego. I am the center point for everything. The meaning of Veda Vakyas 'Aham Brahmasmi' etc. is to merge one's own life force in oneself.

There might be many 'karya' Gurus in the world, but the Guru for all the Gurus is only the mind. That is why mind is the 'Karana Guru'. In his book Life for World Peace, 4th chapter he stated that to create equanimity and independence and to remove the worldly view of Guru and disciple a saint has done this Siddha upadesha. He fortified the relationship of Guru and disciple saying no one should misunderstand.

Even though he has thousands of disciples, he used to say he has only two or three disciples. He himself said in an occasion one of them is His Holiness Sri Swamy Ramananda Paramahamsar and second one is Bhagawan Nityananda. He was travelling by foot preaching Siddha Vidya along with disciples, when he came to a Vinayaka Temple in Saluru, A.P. among all the disciples he called upon Shri Ramananda and said I will show you "Brahmananda". He said during union of man and woman life force travels inward through spinal cord 'shushumna' and touches the 'Brahma randhra' creating momentarily the 'Brahmananda'. He explained that Brahmananda will be permanent when the life force is merged into oneself. He showered special blessings on our Gurudev His Holiness Sri Swamy Ramananda Paramahamsar and proclaimed that he is his main disciple.

Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar displayed many miracles as needed, but cautioned the disciples that these are obstacles to attain jnanam. During second world war Dr. Rangarao (disciple of Shri Ramananda Paramahamsar) visited him in Chennai and asked that if a bomb falls on a yogi's body does it get destroyed?. Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar asked him to bring a spencer knife and asked him to stab him in his elbow. Nothing happend to his elbow but the tip of the knife bent. He proved that he has 'vajra sharira'.

He touched 33 K.V. electric line, all the fuses were burnt, still people talk about it in Chennai. When Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar was residing in the home of his disciple Govinda swamy, who was physically very strong person, he sat on the swing and asked him to swing him. He tried his best could not move the swing even an inch. Then Shri Shivananda called a small boy and made him swing the swing with ease. He proved to people that the power of yoga is greater than physical power even atom bomb. Sri Ramananda Paramahamsar our Gurudev wrote down some stories that he actually heard.

There are two kinds of pranayama.
1. Bramari pranayama 2. Bhujagikarana Pranayama.
Bramari pranayama is making the sound like a bumble bee. 18 siddha purushas perform this 18 different ways with different body poses. This is performed in the ashram established by Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar. This cannot be performed anywhere else. Only the students of Siddha Vidya following strict disciplines are eligible to perform.
Bhujagikarana pranayama has nothing to do with vocal cords, like the Cobra hissing. Anyone can perform this. All Gurus in the tradition of Brahma Vidya teach this pranayama.
He preached that life histories may be many but the same life is in everybody, so this life history 'jiva charitra' is important. To be kind to the life is to unite the life force 'jiva shakti' that is uniform in every being without any differences of nation, caste, religion, man, woman, animal and birds into oneself with the help of Siddha Vidya.

He lived up to 75 years of age and attained Jeeva Samadhi on 21st of June 1949 on the way to Kodai Canal, in a sacred town called Palani. Either it is divine or intentional that same day June 21st is declared as World Yoga Day. The body of Shri Shivananda Paramahamsar was taken from Palani to Vatakara for Samadhi. As the samadhi body is being placed in car his forehead had a tiny scratch, small amount of blood oozed out. This proves that yogis when they take samadhi the life force 'prana' is inside, even though there is no respirations outside they are still alive.
'Natasya prana utkramanti atriva samavaliyante' (Brihadaranyakopanishath).

Source:
Yogam Dhyanam Jnanam by Swamy Antarmukhananda.