Swami Muktananda was born on 16 th May,1908 near Mangalore. He met his first teacher, Siddharudha Swami, a renowned scholar and saint of that time, in an ashram in Hubli. It was there that he studied Vedanta, took the vows of sanyasa and received the name Swami Muktananda, “the bliss of liberation” After meeting numerous saints,one of the saints sent him to Bhagwan Nityananda, the Siddha Master, or perfected spiritual teacher, recognizing the Guru he had been seeking for. From Bhagwan Nityananda he received saktipata, the sacred initiation of the Siddhas by which one’s inner spiritual energy is awakened. This energy, known as kundalini, is a divine potential that exists within each human being; once awakened, it enables a seeker to reach the most subtle levels of inner experience. In 1956 Bhagwan Nityananda declared that his disciple’s inner journey was complete: Swami Muktananda had attained self realization, the experience of Union with God. Then in 1961, just before his mahasamadhi, Bhagwan Nityananda chose Swami Muktananda as his successor and directed him to bring Saktipata initiation and the timeless practices of yoga to seekers everywhere. In the decades that followed, Baba, as Swami Muktananda came to be known, travelled throughout the world, imparting to others the same saktipata initiation he had received and introducing seekers to the Siddha Yoga teachings and practices, freely bestowing the grace his Guru had given to him. People who had never before heard of meditation found that in Baba’s presence they were drawn into an inner stillness that gave their lives new focus and meaning. He introduced programmes to give saktipata initiation to vast groups and tirelessly explained to people the ongoing process of transformation that that was unfolding within them. He took maha samadhi on 02 nd October, 1982 .
