Param Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj
For four long years, the spiritual thirst, the search to find a true Master made Param Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj traverse all over the country meeting many Sages, visiting several ashrams and practising severe austerities in Uttara – Khanda. During this period of deep introspection, Param Poojya Swamiji was inspired to undertake a Kailash – Yatra. The historic year of this pilgrimage was 1956 and its pinnacle was the glorious darshan Swamiji had of the holy Atmalinga. This choice Blessing, conferred by the Almighty on such a worthy recipient as Poojya Swamiji, sparked off an intense awareness of the depth and power of sannyasa. At that overwhelming turning point, in that immortal moment, all walls melted, all differences vanished, making His pure and unsullied Self merge effortlessly, become one with the Supreme. Now, Swamiji had just one desire....” to be only in Silence.... in the Mahamouna that fills and overflows from the vibrant Chidakasha of Kailash.”
The Grace and Intuition conferred upon Poojya Swamiji by this momentous experience led Him to Shri Swami Nrsimha Giriji Majaraj – the Master He had been seeking so ardently! Shri Swami Nrsimha Giriji Maharaj graciously ordained Him into the “ Paramahansa Sannyasa Order” of Shri Adi Shankaracharya. Thereafter, He taught Him Vedanta personally, as well as through His other disciples, at the Shri Dakshinamoorty Math. When Shri Swami Nrsimha Giriji Maharaj left the pontificate to retire into solitude, Swamiji was free to follow His own calling, to seek His own destination. That is when Parashkti, the Divine Mother, inspired Him to go to Mount Abu.
In the year 1960, when param Poojya Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj first set foot upon Mount Abu, He was totally overwhelmed by the silence, the serenity and sanctity pervading the place...
This “ Vibrant Mouna”, this Mystic Silence, was like no other .... it was a Silence pulsating with meaning, a Silence that conveyed so much more than mere sound!
As this sensitive tapasvi, this Enlightened Sannyasi looked around, He could actually sence the Divine Presence of Mata Arbuda Devi. He could actually decipher the Eternal Truth passed on by the Lord Shri Dakshinamoorty from every leaf, every flower, every tree and every rock of this ancient and holy spot. With a surge of joy, Param Poojya Shri Swami Ishwarananda Giriji Maharaj recognized that THIS was the place chosen for Him.... that the Mother had brought Him home!
In the awe – inspiring, spiritual environs of Mount Abu, Shri Arbuda Mata showered Her Ananya Karua – Her Abundant Grace on the young ascetic who had realized that this is where His Sadhana would bear fruit, this is where His Mission would take shape. The fact that Mount Abu was like a replica of Mount Kailash added vigour and intensity to the austerities that Param Poojya Swamiji practised here in total solitude, far far away from the crowds and cacophony of city – life.
Living in caves, experiencing total harmony, an exhilarating oneness with the natural beauty surrounding Him, Swamiji’s sadhana, His tapascharya scaled new hights of awareness, gifting Him with untrammeled peace, allowing Him to exult in the joyful discovery of the Bliss Within !
Ramjharokha, Dandi Gufa, the banks of the serece Nakki lake and a secluded monastery, which later became Shankara Math, were some of the isolated and scenic spots where Swamiji spent long hours in meditation. Those were years of rigorous self – control and discipline, years of meticulous effort and preparation, years of a mystic journey towords Selfdiscovery....... which would then enable the Master to be the Guiding Light to the thousands of troubled devotees who would flock to Him in the coming days, for succour and spiritual guidance...
Mentioned in the Skanda Purana, the ancient temple of Lord Shri Somanatha stands on the bank of the picturesque Santa Sarovar. Resting on the verdant asan provided by Mother Nature, with majestic hills behind Him and the blue waters before Him, Lord Somanatha has blessed many a sage who has done tapascharya, here over the centuries.
With such a spiritually fertile foundation, it was but natural, that this histroric shrine would one day become a vibrant centre of Samvit Knowledge, where genuine seekers of Truth would come and blossom...
That memorable day arrived in the year 1971, when devotees persuaded Param Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj to preside over the ashram built in the precincts of the temple. When Poojya Swamiji agreed, the first step towards the creation of this sacred seat of Self – Knowledge – the Samvit Sadhanayana – was taken.... while Lord Somanatha, who had ordained it all, looked on in Silent Approval!
Framed by the backdrop of an imposing range of hills, the historic temple of Duleshwar is situated on the banks of the serene Nakki Lake. This ancient and holy shrine, mentioned in both the Skanda and Shiva Purana, was the sacred venue of the very first consciousness – raising camp, the first Samvit – Satra conducted by Param Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj. The year was 1961 and the occasion – Gita Jayanti – a day commemorating that sacrosanct occasion on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, when Timeless Knowledge was passed on to the diffident Arjuna by his Divine Charioteer – Lord Krishna.
All the sadhaks who had tasted the nectar of Eternal Knowledge, imparted by Poojya Swamiji at this initial satra, began to long for more.... By the late sixties, the number of devotees comimg to Swamiji for Instruction and Blessings began to increase steadily. Swamiji’s affable nature and His inimitable manner, of clothings the most profound Truth in the most simple language, endeared Him greatly to many a devout heart. Anyone who heard Swamiji’s discourse invariably wanted to hear Him again... and yet again!
One of the most significant devotes among them was Shrimati Anasuyaben Sarabhai. A freedom fighter from Ahmedabad and a close associate of Mahatma Ghandhi, she was a true devotee gifted with sensitivity, insight and large- heartedness. She realized that the inexhaustible treasury of Poojya Swamiji’s Wisdom should reach out to larger numbers; and for that purpose, under her inspiration, the outlines for a spiritual centre were drawn and Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj named it “Samvit Sadhanayana”.
Anasuyaben then proceeded to acquire the land surrounding Shri Somanatha Temple to house the centre. A brick and mortar structure came up soon after and she named it “ Anand Lahari”. A library of priceless spiritual literature was added, later on.
Param Poojya Swamiji now began His invaluable Mission of meticulously sculpting the correct path of sadhana, for the mounting number of sadhaks thronging the shrine, eager to learn from a Living Master. The clanging of bells, the blowing of the conch, the joyfull bhajans being sung in Shri Somanatha temple all seemed like happy portents heralding a new awakening on Mount Arbuda.....
Lord Shri Dakshinamoorty, the Original Guru, had passed on Absolute Knowledge in Total Silence. His incarnation – Bhashyakara Shankaracharya – had left behind exhaustive commentaries and hymns of incomparable beauty. Now it was the turn of a gentle and genial giant – Param Poojya Shri Swami Iswarananda Giriji Maharaj to spread His Divine Message through the newborn school for SelfKnowledge – the “Samvit Sadhanayana”!