While unable to attend physically, I did attend virtually through the live stream. I paid the $10 and watched the movie, then later listened to Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath give Q&A and finally participated in the Satsang event where he would breath our breath.
Before I give my impressions, I would like to paraphrase something Ram Dass has said in the past:
Each person has their own Guru. A Guru for you, may not be for me and vice versa.
My Impressions:
The movie:
The movie was pretty interesting. It was interesting seeing him go all over India and see these different places and listen to him talk about his spiritual path and when he was introduced to Babaji.
However, people in the audience were mentioning "being someplace else" when the scene with the cave appeared in the movie. At least one person started with that, and others followed. I can't say I had any experience like that... I was a bit distracted during the film, but I didn't feel anything unusual or blissful.
Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath:
First he came up and did Q&A. He seems like a very nice person. The first question asked was a woman who is fighting for animal rights - and she wanted to know what she could do. His response to her was interesting. It was how I would have responded... basically he said something like:
Look it's fine you take care of animals and want them helped... but the most endangered and abused animal in the world is the human.
She probably didn't care for that answer... I dont know.. But I somewhat agree here. It seems, especially in L.A., people would rather care about a dog, then a homeless man. I guess the idea is: the dog is innocent, the homeless man is a product of his actions. But so too is the dog! At least in the traditions of the East with regard to Karma and Reincarnation. We ALL deserve love and we ALL should express love, to ALL.
However, as the other questions came in, my opinion was he wasn't answering them as a "Guru" (for me at least) but as a regular person. An example of this was a fellow who asked:
How can I get rid of my attachments and desires?
To which, and to my surprise, he espoused the same theology of Aliester Crowley: To embrace the passions. If wine is the vice, Drink Wine! Do this until you are sick of it. That was his answer. That was Crowley's answer.
I truly admire the work of Aliester Crowley, but I disagree in this hedonist philosophy that the way out is through experiencing all desires possible. Crowley spoke of it, as an ocean that one must fully experience to cross.
But what we know in the Bhagavad Gita, is that desires are endless! There's no way you can experience them all. True it is, you may get sick of alcohol after you loose your wife, children, friends and family... or you may get tired of drugs after you end up in jail... or you may get tired of sexual misconduct after your spouse divorces you.... But isn't there a better way?
Yes! there is. A better answer for this young man, would have been:
a) Meditate daily - this will help with will power.
b) Practice Hong-Sau
c) Transmute the energy in your particular desire to a different energy. Yogananda taught such techniques. They are too detailed to go into here... But I've touched on them throughout this blog. You can also find more information at: www.anandaonlineclasses.org
d) Learn to lower your likes and dislikes - till they are nullified. This is from the Gita Chapter 3:34. The teaching here is, you observe throughout your day and see the cycles of your moods... up and down you go. you hit a peak of positive mood and a few hours later a trough of negative moods. By going inside and letting the ups and downs go - you stabilize internally. Like the Trunk of a Tree - you stop living on the edge of the branches. The techniques for this are taught in the "Inner Peace" course at www.anandaonlineclasses.org
One could argue, that the person who asked this particular question needed this answer. Very true... possibly. But, when the answer was given in an open forum, it became an answer for all of us.
What bothered me the most, was everyone cheering when he described embracing your passions and fulfilling them to the full. That's the ego cheering.
The Mystical Satsang:
This is the part where he would breathe our breath. I was fully aware. I was focused. I wanted to give this a good shot. Granted - I was watching live from home... but nothing happened for me.
Most people in the audience (he said about 90% raised their hands saying they felt him breathing their breath) felt he breathed their breath. So they did feel something. Or they thought they did. But I'll believe they did honestly feel something.
Kriya Yoga Empowerment:
He is in Culver City today at the Masonic Lodge, giving a Kriya Yoga Empowerment/Initiation. There is a cost involved I believe, but it's not too expensive. I think around $108 or something.
Conclusion:
I'm VERY glad I saw the Satsang. I'm glad I saw him. Do I now believe he is my Guru? No. It helped me make a decision. From my perspective and my karma, I just saw a regular Yogi (not a Guru.) People are devoted and moved by him and evidently he is their Guru. I'm very happy to see people finding God through him.
My decision is to experience Paramhansa Yogananda as my guru. He's no longer in body form. But is reachable through meditation.
One thing I kept in mind was: If I were to follow this path, would I find his teachings with me daily to guide and help me. For me, no. He does have a Youtube channel. But that isn't the same thing as actual classes to overcome attachment/desires. For that, I'm choosing Ananda Online. It could be something else, for others. The Raja or Royal Yoga is more then just doing a breathing practice. It's also learning wisdom. Yogiraj is only in the area a few months out of each year. There's no official learning system through his disciples that I'm aware of. So - for me, I need more hand holding. I need a class/course that says "here's the way to overcome anger..." "here's the way to get past your attachments..." I could have gone with SRF, but I choose Ananda. What ever our decisions, they are our decisions we need to make along the path.
I want to make it clear, I do not think anyone who chooses Yogiraj is making a mistake. Each of us make our decisions that are required at each moment. His followers are right were they need to be... as are YOU, as is ME.
34 comments:
My comment is that Yogiraj appeared in my bedroom when I was a teenager, and when I met him in person at 38, he looked exactly the same. He has a very organized teaching system, (I am one of his senior teachers) and also lets us know clearly that Yoganada's Kriya was watered down so as not to SCARE the christians with its potency. As a 15 year practitioner of this Kriya I KNOW WHY this was necessary. Yogiraj only charges what is necessary for him to do his world work. He asks nothing from his students and clearly teaches them that any miracle they experience : THEY CREATED through their own faith. He ALSO TEACHES if you have an addiction PRACTICE KRIYA and it will fall away naturally... YOU MISSED the fact that he was BORN on Shri Yuketeswar's birthday, and the night he appeared in my room, I was praying and crying to Shri Yuketeswar...
it is impossible to JUDGE and CRITIC a perfected MASTER, those who think they can... will end up with this sort of review... Namaste...
@Johana: I normally don't reply back to comments. But I just want to mention something - when I attended the session where Yogiraj encouraged people to indulge in intoxicants - he didn't follow it up with "But... be sure to get kriya to get out of addictions" - he simply fed their desire nature. They roared with glee. It was rather dissapointing to see.
It was said by a great master, "By their fruits you will know them." For me, this is not the fruit of a master.
But that's for me. I am not judging your path. Two people can have different masters. What I find very disturbing though, is the aggressive and demanding nature of the followers of Yogiraj. Most of the comments on my humble site, are on those posts i've made about Yogiraj. The posts are mostly extreme. People telling me i need to divorce myself from logic and reason and following him with fanaticism.
In your case, you presented Yogananda's path as "watered down" and your path as more rugged and powerful.
These are all personal experiences. But when one starts down the road of preaching one way over another... or one teacher over another - I never find anything good at the core. SRF does that, IMO. Which is why I never got too deep into it. Granted, everyone is an individual... and you may not represent Yogiraj, but when more and more individuals act the same - they start to represent the core.
I'm glad you're on a spiritual path. I'm also sure it's the pefect path for you - as it's the path you are on. God speaks to all of us, where we are. Just as God speaks to me on my path.
I just can't accept that the way to God is to blindly follow someone without reason, as several Yogiraj followers have indicated... that path did not lead well for those who followed Jim Jones, David Karesh, and a variety of other teachers. I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what we say we follow - we must use our reason, at least in the beginning.
I'm glad you had a spiritual experience that proved to you Yogiraj was the real deal. I did not have your experience. I can only go by what I witnessed and read. His books do not inspire me... they seem to be ego driven stories. All pronouncing how great he is. How awesome he is. How amazing he is. There's no humility in his writing. I just don't ingest his words and find joy. I find it to be a "I'm the best, leave the rest" type of mentality.
I wrote this article as a reference, to myself, to see what I thought about each spiritual influence in my life. This blog is for me. For my personal growth. When I saw Yogiraj, I tried to hold back judgement... i read his book and held it back... but i couldn't at a certain point stop overlooking the glaring ego driven material. The turning point was seeing him live, at Agape... the advice he gave was just not what I look for in a spiritual teacher.
That doesn't mean i'm right or wrong. It's how i see it. you see it differently, i'm glad you are happy with your path as I am with mine.
the test of the sad-guru is not through what you think (creating doubts), but through these 3 things. A sad-guru cannot be mistaken for a teacher. "A teacher can only inform, but a master can literally transform"
"1. SHIVAPAT - Sharing his Enlightened Consciousness of thoughtless awareness resulting in Spiritual Evolution which brings about a Unified Field of Consciousness amongst the people.
2. SHAKTIPAT - Transmitting center to center in the disciple's Chakras the Kundalini Energy which burns their negative karmas.
3. PRANAPAT - Breathing His spiritual Prana (life force) through the breath of the disciples in their spinal cord flushing out all toxins & emotional stress."
and for these 3 things, you have to be at the retreat. During the experience, Most people Literally see his being morph into various people including Sir Yukteswar (Paramahansa Yogananda Guru) You don't have to believe what he say, but definitely do experience who he is. Many testimonials on youtube including one from the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" Author Mark Hansen
In the bible, it is said to be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven, Master Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath said to drop the mind and be like a child of 5, and Sri Chinmoy said to be like a child of 7. The mind block have to go away and surrender have to come for grace to descend. Cultivate your faith instead of your doubt, give it a shot and it will be a life changing experience.
"To which, and to my surprise, he espoused the same theology of Aliester Crowley: To embrace the passions. If wine is the vice, Drink Wine! Do this until you are sick of it. That was his answer. That was Crowley's answer. "
From reading An Autobiography of a Yogi, remember that Maha-Avatar Babaji materalize a grand palace for Lahiri Mahasaya
"'Few mortals know that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of mundane fulfillments,' Babaji observed. 'The divine realm extends to the earthly, but the latter, being illusory, cannot include the essence of reality.'
and in the same chapter
""'Lahiri, do you call me for a trifle?' The master's gaze was stern. 'Truth is for earnest seekers, not for those of idle curiosity. It is easy to believe when one sees; there is nothing then to deny. Supersensual truth is deserved and discovered by those who overcome their natural materialistic skepticism.' He added gravely, 'Let me go!'"
source: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter_34
Dear Long M. I'm the author of this post and wanted to reply to your points.
Your first point: Tests of a Guru. Where is the source of your 3 tests? is it from Yogiraj? I've never heard this, and it's quite odd. You're suggesting to turn over your conscious mind to the person before you even figure out if they are a guru. By doing those three things you in fact turn over your will. You are already accepting someone as your guru when you do these things. Again, please tell me the source of the 3 tests you mention...
My problem with your 2nd point on being like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven, is that I'm not all about doubt. Yogiraj creates doubt. His book (to me) is nothing but ego. Watching him at Agape,i saw a charlatan who just told people to embrace their passions. I didn't go into this with doubt. I started out wanting to believe... but in the end, the oddness with him was too much. There's so much i've taken down off this site about him because I dont want to influence people away from him if they find joy in his teachings. But i'll give you something to chew on... Yogiraj claims (or is marketed by his followers) that he "addressed the U.N." - that seems like he's very important, right? I researched this. He has NEVER addressed the U.N. he has taught a class to some people who work for the U.N. - who have a club of sorts. Hardly "addressing the U.N." Things like that, things like his book... make me doubt his authenticity. I wanted to believe - but a sapde is a spade.
[cont. inreply to Long M]
Your third point is about my frustration with Yogiraj telling the world to embrace their addictions and passions. You quote Autobiography, but what you quote doesn't talk about embracing passions or addictions. I will say that your quote, "Few mortals know that the king of God includes the kingdom of mundane fulfillments..." is NOT about addictions, nor passions. Mundane fulfillments can be sustenance. I have seen time after time, people being taught to "embrace passions" or addictions... and only end up addicted and with STD's. Show me anywhere Yogananda, Sri Yuketeshwar or Lahari ever taught people to drink up, get high, have sex. I dont see it directly mentioned anywhere... I did see it directly mentioned from the lips of Yogiraj (in reference to general addictions/passions - and the example of wine give) at his talk at Agape.
Finally - I started this blog as a place for my thoughts to be recorded so i could look back on it in time and see who i was and my spiritual path as it unfolded. I don't intend this to be a soapbox to tell other people how to live their lives. I hope it doesn't appear like that. At any rate, what i've noticed is, I get only one commenter on this blog: Supporters of Yogiraj. They do not accept that I don't see him as a Guru. They won't allow it. They tell me I must give over my consciousness. I must act like a madman and give up everything and follow him. They tell me I'm "wrong." They wont even except the olive branch of "well maybe he's your guru, but I dont feel that way." They tell me "I found your guru, he is Yogiraj!" They insist he is THE guru. Which makes me feel like they are in a cult.
If I were to go to Ananda (followers of Yogananda) and tell them I just don't see Yogananda as a Guru... they would say "Oh? Well that's fine." and smile. But not you guys.
The marketing behind Yogiraj, the stories told about him that are not true (like Addressing the United Nations, when he only addressed a small social club of workers of the united nations - which has talks on golfing, skiing, yoga, etc.), the book he wrote with all the grand stories of how 'amazing' he is. He comes off as egotistical, and just telling people what they want to hear... and his followers make me feel like they are in a cult. They have no reason. They already believed he was Guru before even thinking it through.
Other followers of Yogiraj have told me to blindly accept him. But that logic lead man to Waco Texas, and many more to Jonestown. I'm NOT suggesting Yogiraj is dangerous - but I am suggesting that one must be wary for danger.
The only way to Know is to Experience. Never to believe nor to dis believe (both are hindrances). I'll like to share that going this year will be my third time at a New Life Awakening Retreat, i am relatively new and i had my doubts before i met Yogiraj (especially from the cost) but I allow myself to be open regardless and that is when I KNOW he is the Master. (3rd day into the retreat after he did Shaktipat) I myself and others see him morph into various people including Sri Yuketeswar, his aura (golden,rainbow) among other things.
You formed a guru standard and from that (mental construct) you base who is and who isn't a guru on. And that is the blockage you have to be able to remove. Osho, and J. Krishnamurti are Gurus that may have a hard time making your guru standard list.
Sir Ramakrishna touched Vivekananda and moved him to a higher dimension of consciousness. Similarly i have read that Sri Yutekswar did something similar to Yogananda I forgot the exact source (mind your doubts) but i read this before, and this is Shivapat. During this experience, I felt he literally was inside me looking out at himself. Everyone's experience is different depending on their receptivity and capacity, and what they need at the moment.
Shaktipat is well known, a quick search on google will explain that it is grace from guru to disciple. No mind can grasp this, so fear and doubt is not unexpected.
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktipat"
Receptivity goes hand in hand with Humility.
If a barber says he can cut hair, would you pass that off as egotistical? Gurunath is able to do the things he say easily and often (my experience among many. Old and New attendees alike). I know there are EX-SRF members that have been to the retreats and become part of "this", maybe you can find and ask them why they say this kriya is more powerful. But Maybe you were meant to do the SRF kriya first, I don't know.. but regardless of your decision you will benefit from doing "theres" or "ours" Kriya Yoga Albeit at a slower or faster rate also depending on your consistency in the practice. From my understanding (revelation) that Sri Yuketeswar and him are one, there shouldn't be any conflict.
You made some assumptions, one in particular I like to comment.
" and his followers make me feel like they are in a cult. They have no reason. They already believed he was Guru before even thinking it through. "
when I directly experience something, what to reason? This is not a believe in his words or believe in who he is, but a direct experience of his being within my own being. No among of mind fondling will come to any realization of this nature.
PRANAPAT is i believe a word coined by Yogiraj Gurunath, and again this can only be experience at the retreat. (most cases anyway)
Other ways to start is first be initiated by a local teacher, cost is 108 and practice and see for yourself the results. Then maybe you can come to a better understanding of the Being i'm talking about.
I understand that this is a big commitment, and a weighty decision, but i promise only positive will come from the retreat whether you chose to one day meet him in India or never see him again, it will be a life changing experience if you allow it to be.
Hey Long. The thing is, I did experience him. But Yogiraj's followers don't accept that someone won't take him as their guru. I get comments all the time to "try again" but I follow a guru. I don't need Yogiraj'. That doesn't mean he isn't your guru, just he isn't mine. I actually talked with srf folks who follow Yogiraj. But again I have to go by my experience as you do yours. I saw no halo. No dream of him, he didn't breathe through me. Nothing. All I saw was philosophy I don't accept (ie the passion embracing.). I respect your path. If you keep a blog let me know so I can follow your own growth. In Divine Love-Brian
I found your blog searching Gurunath's name on Google. I added your blog to my reading list and will stop by once in a while to read and comment. I do not have a blog of my own, but I will let you know if i do.
Kriya Yoga is the discipline and naturally growth from passion to dispassion (more joy, peace etc.) will result from doing it. His answer possibly address the person asking the question. Acting a passion is better than keeping it repressed. (creating more problems)
It may also be of balance, Whether the answer is yes or no for the same question. If I am too far to the left, I will be pointed right to be in the middle and vice versa. And from balance, we can move forward optimally. ( most important)
well, thank you. It was nice having this dialogue. Peace.
Dear Brian,
thanks for sharing your experience.
I am very grateful that I found a critical voice
about that matter. People often yearn for something and oftentimes are more than ready to trade reason and responsibility for fanaticism.
We must have critical voices about spiritual teachers, because there is no way to find out if they are for real or not if you choose not to trust your own feeling or just blindly follow the herd.
I saw a youtube clip by this master and got the
vibe that he was not completely off with what he was saying, but that he didn't give practical advice either, just a lot of theory. Plus, it was obvious that he was indulging in all the attention he got from his followers and unnecessarily stretched the conversation, by the looks of it. There certainly was energy flowing to him from them, they were all kneeling in awe, drinking his words, the usual thing.
A real master is not supposed to create a psychological or energetic bond between the people and his own person, nor to transmit his own energy to them, as far as I know. It is all about empowering others. Everyone has their own shakti, so the master is a master if he awakens your own, and nothing else. Transferring shakti from one person to another is called transmigration and is considered an "impure method", as to my knowledge. Anyone who takes shaktipat should do research, and be very careful. Inflated money charges, self-glorification, asking others to "follow" - these are warning signs, IMO.
It is said that even in India, it is very difficult to find an authentic shakti master, so being from India is no guarantee, folks!
Stay centered, respect yourself, trust your gut feeling and don't let others mislead you, unless you want to be a sheep. The divine is unlimited and runs through each of us. Whatever you require will come to you, when you are ready for it. You are as sacred as everyone else, so what's all the fuss about? Those who disrespect themselves are easy prey for those who preach water and drink wine (literally)!
Thanks and blessings, love to all.
M.
Hello Brian,
I'm sorry that I wasn't present at any retreats where such statements were made, because I'm sure that attendees I know would have asked him to clarify and I would like to hear his answer. However, I have been present when specific communications were for the individual and not the group, and this was clear. I realize that "personality" of teachers can also be a barrier to any individual, just as in all life relationships.
Here is another example: I have heard from an early disciple that Yogananda also advised at least one individual to eat meat/lamb for a short time to complete their meat cravings. I don't think he would have advised this for all people; nor do I think he would judge anyone who does eat meat anyway. I find it most productive to focus on what I can learn in the most positive way from the teacher I follow: in my case this is Yogananda, from SRF, and Yogiraj. While organizations aren't perfect -- including Ananda, SRF, nor Siddhanath.org, I honor their mission yet don't follow them blindly, and when appropriate, submit suggestions for improvement. The SRF lessons are the dearest instructions I have encountered in my spiritual path. And Yogiraj's teachings in Wings to Freedom and Babaji, The Lightning Standing Still are gifts I cherish; I have more to contemplate than I can comprehend in this lifetime. His wisdom is not secular nor mundane, nor egoic in my view. He does declare his mission and his position, and this could appear to some as egoic. He declares who he is, as did Jesus if we can go by Jesus' words as recorded in the scriptures.
Peace and best wishes to you on this universal/individual path to Self-Realization.
Someone said that he is finding it difficult to obtain the techniques of Kriya Yoga from the web. Then he asked if Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath is legit source. This was the answer from one of the more knowledgeable persons in the group.
==============================================
I belong to this tradition and so reading this prompted me to chime in on the discussion. The technique of Kriya Yoga as it was originally taught by Lahiri Mahasaya is a little challenging to come by because initiation comes with a vow of secrecy and most kriyabans, myself included, take this vow seriously. However, if you keep on searching you will find that there are about two or three sites that do list the techniques of certain forms of Kriya Yoga. One of them is by a former follower of Lahiri Mahasaya’s great grandson Shibendu Lahiri: Ennio Nimis.
What you should understand though is that different lineages tend to teach Kriya Yoga differently because Lahiri Mahasaya taught Kriya Yoga differently to different people based on some sort of psychoemotional assessment. Some of these disciples eventually set themselves up as “gurus” and basically taught their “disciples” what they have learned first-hand from Lahiri Mahasaya. In fact, even lineages that descended from his own children teach Kriya Yoga a little bit differently from each other.
The Kriya Yoga hype started when Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi that it is possible to attain moksha in this life by way of hastening the evolutionary process through the aid of these techniques called kriyas (not to be confused with the kriyas of Hatha Yoga), foremost among them is the breathing technique where strong ascending and descending sensations are actually felt in the area of the spine. Kriya Yoga often comes in four “degrees,” with the first degree or first initiation being composed of four techniques: talabya kriya, mahamudra, kriya pranayama, and yonimudra a.k.a jyotimudra (again, not to be confused with Hatha Yoga practices bearing the same names). Yogananda said that a million kriya pranayamas perfectly executed and practiced within the context of the entire Kriya Yoga regimen could lead to moksha. And if one is committed enough he can accomplish this in three years.
Because of this 1 kriya = 1 year of natural evolution theory of Yogananda, which his own guru Swami Sri Yukteswar disagrees with (Sri Yukteswar’s formula is 1 kriya = 1 month of natural evolution only), it is only natural that many who have read Autobiography of a Yogi, the types who believe in such things, wanted to learn the technique, but the Lahiri lineage, Yogananda’s lineage included, made this very difficult. In Yogananda’s organization, for example, one needs to practice preparatory techniques for at least one year before he becomes eligible to apply for Kriya Yoga, to which his fitness to receive such a powerful technique will be assessed and he will be asked to accept Paramahansa Yogananda as his guru and Self-Realization Fellowship as his religion. These kinds of conditions are, of course, not for everybody and so a lot of aspirants seek for easier alternatives to obtain the techniques—and this is where non-lineage “gurus” like Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath come into the scene. (continued)
(continuation)
The non-lineage “gurus” all have the same story to tell. Basically, they claim that the master who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya in 1861, only known as Babaji because he refused to disclose his real name, magically appeared to them and taught them the method directly, and then he (Babaji) personally gave them the charge to spread Kriya Yoga throughout the world.
Sidhoji Rao Shitole a.k.a. Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath (you can’t blame the guy for altering his name because his surname sounds like “shit hole”) is no exception to this, and if you read his autobiography Wings to Freedom, you will probably concur along with myself and others that it is one hell of a made-up life story. From what I have gathered, Mr. Shitole was heavily into Theosophy and for a number of years in his stint as Yogiraj has been teaching his own made-up version of “Kriya Yoga” that did not even remotely resemble any of the authentic forms. In one account, he made one aspirant visualize a swan swimming around his head, placed his padukas in the aspirant’s head, shouted something that sounds like “fuck!” and asked him to visualize the same swan taking off from his head and flying to the heavens until it vanishes in the light. When this technique came to the attention of some legitimate kriyabans, they humorously labeled it as Yogiraj technique of Seven-swans-a-swimming.
When certain forms of Kriya Yoga were made available in the Internet by disgruntled followers of certain gurus from authentic lineages, Mr. Shitole’s Kriya Yoga techniques were radically altered and now they do resemble the first degree kriyas. Apparently, Mr. Shitole’s American citizen son Rudrasen is very Internet savvy and regularly supplies his Dad with information that he has gathered from different websites.
In truth, Babaji did not teach this Kriya Yoga to Lahiri Mahasaya. He gave Lahiri Mahasaya more than a hundred techniques most probably in written form for him (Lahiri) to experiment on, which he did. And out of all those many techniques chose only a few that was most effective to teach his followers. This means that it is really Lahiri Mahasaya and not Babaji who came up with these formulas or combinations, and the claim of non-lineage “gurus” that Babaji personally appeared to them to teach them the exact same combinations is based on a big misunderstanding of how Kriya Yoga actually developed.
Among those who claim to have been directly initiated by Babaji are Sidhoji Rao Shitole a.k.a. Yogiraj SatGurunath Siddhanath, Thiru Rajasekaran a.k.a. Paramahansa Nithyananda, Swami Vishwananda (who claims to be a reincarnation of Yogananda), Swami Shree Yogi Satyam (who also claims to be a reincarnation of Yogananda), Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, Yogi Ayyappa, Marshall Govindan Satchidananda, Gyan Swami, Louie Bonnano a.k.a. Louix Dor Dempriey, and Dr. Donald Schnell a.k.a. Prema Baba Swamiji. There are, of course, others but they are not as popular as these folks.
Have you ever wondered why Wikipedia does not have any article on Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath? Well, there used to be, but when people began exposing him in the talk page including his false claims like being a Yogiraj (this man is not a yogi in any sense of the word and has absolutely no verifiable credentials as a yogi), a Siddha (he has no siddhis of any kind), a Nath and even a "Nath Lord," the inaccuracies and inconcistencies in Wings to Freedom, and his relentless and shameless OBVIOUS rehashing of the teachings of Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, Crawley, Osho, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, etc. even "Hamsacharya" Dan Kogan, the creator of the article, voted to have the article deleted in order to save face (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Yogiraj_Gurunath_Siddhanath_%282%29). The talk page of the now defunct article actually made it to Sarlo's Guru Ratings website as an "ANTI page" (see http://www3.telus.net/public/sarlo/RatingsM.htm). That's how bad the talk page was in its expositions on this scam artist Sidhoji Rao Shitole.
The man's real name is Sidhoji Rao Shitole, a former theosophist who obtained Kriya Yoga from information floating freely in the Internet mainly by the help of his son, Rudrasen who lives in California. I'm sure you're aware that the entire Kriya Yoga system as taught by SRF (and others) are effortlessly available to anyone who seek them.
A true Nath guru or any guru that claims to represent an ancient Order must be backed by an authentic (verifiable) guru parampara/sampradaya, a lineage of elected (chosen) masters that traces back to the founder of the Order. An example of this would be the guru parampara of Paramahamsa Yogananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Srila Prabhupada, and Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. All of these gurus had an extant and definitive lineage. Mr. Shitole, unfortunately, has none. His "names," which are really titles (Yogiraj "King of Yogis," Gurunath "Guru of the Nath Order," and Siddhanath "An adept/miracle man among Naths") are all self-conferred.
He has absolutely no connection with the real Nath Order, he doesn't know them and they don't know him. He cannot point to any true guru, living or dead, who will verify in return (or have verified at any point in time) that he (Shitole) was indeed his disciple. He also lacks testimonials from gurubais (brother disciples under the same guru), disinterested 3rd party witnesses, authentic documents, or photographic evidences linking him to the Nath Order or to any authentic spiritual order or lineage for that matter. HE IS A FAKE!
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In his fictional "autobiography," Wings to Freedom, this man has burried himself with cart-loads upon cart-loads of foul-smelling and ridiculous lies. As an example, he claims to have had interactions with Raja Sundernath, the deceased Mahant of the Goraknath Temple (circa 1924), who has been out of the body many years before Mr. Shitole was even born. He said that Sundernath is not really dead but is very much alive and can still be found meditating in a cave at Akalpuri. He also claims to be a successor of Raja Sundernath.
There are two problems there: 1. Raja Sundernath's death was well documented and accepted by everyone in the know, you can read about it in such scholarly works as G.W. Briggs' "Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis"; 2. in the Nath tradition, one cannot succeed his guru until he is dead. This means that Mr. Shitole cannot be the successor of Raja Sundernath because, according to his claim, the man is still in the body! But of course, even if Raja Sundernath is dead, Mr. Shitole cannot substantiate his claim of successorship anyway, as he doesn't have anything save his uncanny stories.
Mr. Shitole also claims that Mahavatar Babaji, guru of Lahiri Mahashay, is no other than Sage Gorakhnath (Goraksha Nath). Yet the Mahavatar Babaji of Kriya Yoga lore is believed to be immortal (still in the body), while Gorakhnath is long dead and buried at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple about a kilometer from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra, India!
No true Nath will ever say that Gorakhnath is still alive, his death is a fact accepted by all his true (lineage holder) followers past and present, and no true Kriyaban at any point in time, including its fountainhead Lahiri Mahashay, ever entertained the notion that the Sage Gorakhnath and Mahavatar Babaji are one and the same. Please refer to all authentic Kriya Yoga literature both old and modern, and I guarantee that you will never encounter this connection in any of them ever. This disastrous deduction, like all others mentioned here, only sprang from the fertile imagination of Mr. Shitole who, by the way, wear several belts indicating supreme mastership of the order, supposedly given to him by... Mr. Snuffleupagus? The biggest problem is no one have seen Mr. Snuffleupagus award those belts to Mr. Shitole, absolutely nothing exists that will support any of his fantastic claims.
If I will enumerate all the errors of Mr. Shitole's nightmare fantasy teachings, it would take me the entire afternoon to finish, because there is nothing there except errors! Errors after errors after errors, nonsense after nonsense after nonsense, megalomaniacal claims after megalomaniacal claims after megalomaniacal claims. There is obviously something wrong about Mr. Shitole's head. He pretends to be someone he's not, and only the most uneducated fool, who doesn't even bother to investigate and research before dedicating his life to a spiritual teaching, would buy them.
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Before believing anyone, before joining anything, before trying something that would supposedly expedite the liberation process or whatever, before donating your hard-earned money, one must first spend time investigating. Investigate the person, peruse history books and textbooks of all sorts (and by all means tap into the power of the Internet), confirm the validity of one's claims with existing lineages related to his or hers. Do not be lazy, do not just believe. Do not be swayed by acting, eloquence and costume. Protect yourself from fraud, or else you really deserve to be a victim of fraud.
Read Geoffrey A. Barborka's The Divine Plan, or any such straightforward theosophical texts, then compare them with the "teachings" that Mr. Shitole is blabbing about in his youtube videos, and you will see where his stuff is really coming from. A very obvious amalgamation of Theosophical and Yogic (most especially Kriya) lore. Not clever at all to those who want to see the truth, but absolutely believable to those who don't want to take any responsibility on there own and are shopping around for a savior.
For the followers of Mr. Shitole, a word of caution: Do not drink milk or whatever that flows on the surface of that MERCURY Shiva Linga (pictured in his website), you may all end up dead. And the next time you see your guru, ask for proof. Real proof, one that will stand-up in court, not mere feelings or imaginations. Every single cult follower have them, they prove nothing.
Please help spread this knowledge about Sidhoji Rao Shitole a.k.a. Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath, he is deceiving many.
Dear Brian Warner... Yogiraj is not out looking for disciples. HE IS TEACHING THE ADVANCED KRIYA'S for 2012 and OUR TRANSITIONS.... He isn't asking anyone to follow him, but people do once they get such profound internal and external experiences that they cannot stay away, for the sheer love of the experience of his force.
Those who hold such closed-minded and judgement driven doubts do not receive this grace, and stay away; then they seem to need to defend their lack of experience by trashing the name of one of the most powerful representatives of Babaji's Kriya available today.
I suggest if you intend to accomplish Kriya Sadhana and become free from rebirth, absorbed by the divine eternal...that you not spend so much of your time defending your perspectives of someone who has only transformed the lives of thousands... Babaji sits under Yogiraj, and you are not helping yourself or your own spiritual evolution with this focus you are publishing here.
You are also often incorrect--clinging to rumor and unverified facts, which is not helpful to you or anyone else. When you, yourself are a master--only then are you qualified to judge... your assumptions are incorrect. Your conclusions only mislead. I expect you will delete this, however I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE you will have a KARMIC RESULT, for the scope of this error in fact and judgement you have published to keep others away from a living profundity.
You insult and injure mostly yourself, because those who know him, love him. For all of his humanness and for his profound risk taking by exposing himself to people like you. He says: it is time to tell everyone your spiritual stories, because in this day and age--people need to know what is POSSIBLE SPIRITUALLY--this is the only reason he has published his books---his STUDENTS FORCED HIM TO. LITERALLY BOUND HIM TO HIS HOUSE PESTERING AND PUSHING HIM FOR SEVERAL
YEARS.
I suggest you go to your altar and beg Babaji to grace you with greater clarity and discernment. You are no disciple of Paramhansa, you disgrace him. He would never speak against another great Yogi---ESPECIALLY THE ONE BORN ON YUKETESWARS BIRTHDAY AND INTO THE ROYAL DESHMUK POSITION in Maharastra--he is literally and verifiably a King of the Solar Dynasty; this HE KEEPS SECRET from the public--to protect him from naysayers such as yourself.... There is no faking going on here... and Yogiraj is ALWAYS sending those that follow him--off to see other gurus to experience truth for themselves. THEY ALWAYS COME BACK...
After 15 years of only more profound and increasing experience since he appeared in my room as a girl... I can speak of this. And so will any other long time student... there are no fools in his Sangha...only fools who destroy their own evolution and personal spirituality by disgracing the name of Shri-Yuketeshwar's chosen one...
PS He now gives out who his initiating gurus have been, and he has cleared any misconceptions about the Nath lineages... he was under orders to only give out parts of his story at certain dates.. this he has been doing for over 20 years...every six years he gives out more clarifying information that cleans up the doubts generated by those who are looking to discredit him by trying to poke holes in his stories using information he was not yet allowed to release (he meets with Babaji more often than Paramhansa was ever allowed to)... this can be verified, but I doubt anyone who can verify this, would speak with you about it if they knew what you were doing in this forum.
You may want to get his new book that verifies all he says about Gorakshanath; BABAJI THE LIHGTENING STANDING STILL
It is very well referenced. And, you forget---he is from Maharastra, and the Guganath Temple was built by his Grandfather, and is his family Temple... so be careful about what you think you know...
Johanna Parry Cougar popularly known as Senior Hamsacharya in the cult is one of the seriously brainwashed followers of SCAM ARTIST SIDHOJI RAO SHITOLE who now goes by the self-proclaimed titles Yogiraj (King of Yogis) Gurunath (Guru of the Nath sect) Siddhanath (Nath possessor of Siddhis or yogic powers). According to Johanna Parry Cougar, "every six years [Scam Artist sidhoji Rao Shitole] gives out more clarifying information that cleans up the doubts generated by those who are looking to discredit him by trying to poke holes in his stories using information he was not yet allowed to release." Translation: "Scam Artist Sidhoji Rao Shitole, the LUNATIC with NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER that I worship, is trying to do some serious damage control by cleaning up all the lies and inconsistencies in his made-up 'autobiography' Wings to Freedom now that he HAS ALREADY BEEN BUSTED!" We encourage everyone to take into account everything has been exposed here and to ask Shitole personally about them while armed with a hidden camera. It is hightime to expose this LOWLIFE HUSTLER and his band of mindless fanatics.
You can read the following disclaimer at http://www.siddhanath.org/yogiraj/the-nath-lineage (don't bother deleting it, we have copies of the page):
"Yogiraj does not belong to or associate himself with any Nath sub-sect but has been directly blessed by the presence of Shiv-Goraksha Babaji. In that sense, he is a Nath yogi as well as a kriya yogi and has his own tradition and teachings of kriya yoga. Do not go to any Nath branch of yogis and expect to find his reference there. He teaches alone and is blessed by the supreme Babaji who is the final authority of all the Nath branches as well as all the branches of kriya yoga."
Translation: "AUTHENTIC NATH YOGIS DO NOT RECOGNIZE OUR SCAM ARTIST CULT LEADER Sidhoji Rao Shitole because he is a fraud and has absolutely no credentials except his made-up stories. So, we beg all of you not to ask any of the real Naths, like the Saiva Siddhanta Church or followers of Gurudev Mahendranath, because if you do you will find out OUR BIG SECRET that OUR GURU IS A LUNATIC CON MAN who weaves lies to satisfy his strong narcissistic desires."
@Johanna: In reply to your comment directed to me.... I think I was extremely fair with Yogiraj. I didn't call him out or hit him with false acusations. I simply reported on a blog, what my impressions were of him, from what I personally saw.
If that's "off limits" and a "disservice" then I'd suggest you really consider what you're asking. You're asking me to look at something I think is "off" and to pretend it's not "off" at all.
I never suggested Yogiraj isn't a good guy, but I said, he isn't my guru. That doesn't mean he isn't yours. Perhaps he is your guru... He isn't mine. Can't we agree on that?
Or do you feel that all guru seekers MUST follow Yogiraj? I find many of his followrs talk to me like this (like expecting me to follow Yogiraj, just because I'm open to the eastern path.) I dont accept it. I accept Yogananda, and I'm cool with that.
Aagain, I don't see how i'm making a disservice to anyone here... my post was without any attack or cruelty. I just reported what I saw and felt. It seems many of the people who wite me (and follow Yogiraj) expect me to have the same reality they have. I dont. That doesn't make your reality any less. It certainly isn't mine though.
While I don't share ID's strong convictions, I do agree with ID on his basic feelings that Yogiraj does appear to be very ego driven. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not here to tell you how to live your life... I just don't see him the way you do. That's ok, right?
Or do you expect me to see him the same way you do?
My world view is, any path can lead to God... and we won't share the same paths. When I read Yogananda's (Autobiography) and compare it to Wings of Freedom... it's like one is sweet and gentle and egoless (Yogananada) and the othe (Wings to Freedom) is all about how great he himself is... maybe that's my karma not letting me see him as you do. That's just how i see it. I doubt my commentary affects anyone in the world, but me :) So I don't see how this is a disservice.
Ah, watching videos of Swami Vishwananda! I get inspired!
And Swami Prajnananda Giri disciple of Hariharananda (student of Yukteswar)
exudes beauty. He is the epitome of sweetness...youtube.com/watch?v=8ZCUATDpEN8&NR=1
(Previous post edited to correct spelling.)
It appears that Gwen Kraft is really ignorant about the scam artists that use the name of the masters and pretend to know Kriya Yoga. Worse, she is attracted to them.
Hariharananda was NEVER a disciple of Sri Yukteswar. All true kriyabans know that. Correspond with either SRF or Nayaswami Kriyananda and they will be able to confirm this fact to you. Some insights here http://www3.telus.net/public/sarlo/Yharihara.htm
Swami Vishwananda is a notorious homosexual pedophile http://guruphiliac.blogspot.co.uk/2008/09/handsy-swami-goes-down-with-smile.html
What to say?
What to do?
Let's just pray.
Yes there is a way!
Blessed be the Guru
May he come into view
of our silent heart's ray.
Whoever the prey,
Whatever the day,
In June, March or May,
Let's bend down and pray.
PS : the Brahman Sansad of Varanashi has bestowed a rare honarary title to Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath. They personally witnessed his constant service to Humanity : constantly shining spiritual light/energy/love. Following this experience, they decided to bestow this title. More info here : http://www.siddhanath.org/articles/may-10-2013-yogiraj-satgurunath-siddhanath-bestowed-honorary-title-at-rare-spiritual-coronation
WAKE UP! Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a homosexual tantric guru who exploits his brahmacharis/ monks sexually. He uses his yogic powers in order to achieve these goals. Be careful, he is very dangerous!!
https://reviewaguru.blogspot.com/2018/08/warning-swami-vishwananda-unworthy-of.html
https://falsevishwananda.wordpress.com/
Find other blogs on the Internet.
Your relationship should be with God alone, rest are just guiding, including Guru.If someone is drowning and needing help, one would not wait to be helped by a good Guy.You just need help.Similarly, if your target is God,accept as much help your being allows and forgive arrogant Gurus.
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