Kriya Yoga

Tantric Kriya Yoga ~ Gurus & Adepts

from traditional lineages

Sri Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati ~ 1960’s

Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar

Tantric Kriya Yoga

Lineage and History

After Swami Sivananda Saraswati was initiated as a Sannyasin by Swami Viswananda Saraswati on June 1^st 1924, Swami Sivananda plunged into a period of intense Yogic tapasya which lasted for many years. It was during his period of intense Tapas at Rishikesh in the foothills of the Himalayas, that Swami Sivananda met the reputed

Saintly Nepali Baba ³Babaji, who had a marked affection for Swami Sivananda. The Saintly Babaji who was also the founder of the Nepali Kshettar (A place where Sadhus receive there daily alms or meal) used to feed Swami Sivananda . It was not the Dhal but the opportunity of having the Darshan of Nepali Baba that was the power that drew Gurudev to the Nepali Kshetra, says Swami Venkatesananda in Gurudev Sivananda ⁵.

The Legendary Mahasiddha Babaji initiated the late Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh into Kriya Yoga Sadhana sometime in the mid 1920’s, but Tantric Kriya Yoga was not revealed in its fullness until after 14th July 1963 which was, the Maha Samadhi of Sri Swami Sivananda.

Empowered as the spiritual successor of Swami Sivananda Saraswati, his disciple Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati became the medium of spiritual power. Having surrendered with the spiritual current that flowed through his Guru, Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati continues with the transmission of Shakti that flows through a living tradition of yogic masters. A tradition which emanates through Adi Nath Shiva, Mahasiddha Babaji, and Adi Shankaracharya. Paramahamsa Satyananda with cosmic realisation and understanding then decided to begin the propagation of Tantric Kriya Yoga initiating disciples and students who he felt ready for the ultimate Yogic Sadhana. Following are

DIRECT QUOTES ON THE LINEAGE AND HISTORY OF TANTRIC KRIYA YOGA

¹Question: I have heard that Swami Sivananda was asked to build a mission by Babaji. Is this so? Answer: Yes, he ordered him to build a mission. As a matter of fact, Swami Sivananda received initiation into Kriya Yoga from Babaji, but he did not teach these techniques to anyone himself.

²In 1956 Swami Sivananda called me, and he just asked, " What Sadhana are you doing?" For twelve years he did not ask me a question like this. I did practise asanas, pranayama, etc, but not at the command of Guru, but as a matter of personal, sensual will. I practised a mantra, a very great quantity, you know, just as you have great quantities of money, twenty four million times and at the same time practised karma yoga, day and night, like a bull, like a donkey. After a period of twelve years he asked me "What Sadhana are you doing?"

I told him I do asanas, pranayama, mantra japa and a few more things that I did. He said, "You don't practise Kriya Yoga?" I said, "No". I had heard of it but I did not do it. He took me to his room and in ten minutes he taught me Kriya Yoga, or you may put it another way “In ten minutes, I learned Kriya Yoga”

On the 14th July 1963 Swamiji attained Nirvana, after that I started teaching Kriya.'

Few Sadhanas I have snatched from my Guru.' Some practices we were never taught by Guruji, but he use to do sadhana in his Kutir, I use to practise sadhana in my Kutir. I learnt his secret sadhana by being one with him.'

Guruji knew everything. If he did not want to part with secret knowledge, he would not let my connection meet his. Maybe with his inspiration I could be one with him or he must have joined the current with his energy of medium. Just as the sadhana of a disciple is deep, he moves nearer towards his Guru. The Guru and disciple are two physically, but their soul is one. In this day and age there are few authentic Gurus and disciples.

Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Disciple of Babaji – Initiated into Kriya Yoga & given a mission by Babaji

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Babaji

Sri Adi Shankaracharya was also a disciple of the immortal Yogi Babaji. This has been revealed by very reliable Yogic authorities and sources such as:

the Himalayan Yogi Swami Satyeswarananda Giri in his Biographical text “Babaji (Volume 1) the Divine Himalayan Yogi “ ©1984 has stated that the immortal Mahamuni Babaji initiated the great Monist Sri Adi Sankaracharya into Raja Yoga (sometimes called the “astanga” eightfold path – which includes concentration of mind with the breath along the Sushumna, and dissolving the mind into Samadhi) in Benares, and that Shankaracharya practiced his Sadhana in the Himalayas at Kedarnath so that he could attain the spontaneous state of consciousness. Swami Satyeswarananda Giri was told this by Paramhansa Brahmananda.

The Danish Yogi, Swami Janakananda Saraswati in his Yoga School’s journal Bindu No:5 has stated that according to Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Kriya Yoga today comes from a group of Swamis who have kept it secret, and used it from generation to generation. Initially, Swami Satyananda says that “it can be traced back to Sri Adi Shankaracharya in the eighth century A.D”.

Maha Avtar Babaji

(Photo taken at Prayag in 1911)

According to Pilot Baba, Kripacharya of the Mahabharat Era has taken on the forms of various great Yogis in order to further his mission, such as Maha-avtar Babaji and Hariakhan Babaji