Year 1995 His Divine Holiness At Age 17

Handwritten mantras from Isakki Swamigal

Handwritten mantras from Isakki Swamigal, a great enlightened being and Avadhuta (one who lives with almost no food, water or clothes). He was one of the enlightened beings in Tiruvannamalai who birthed The Avatar and played the role chosen by Existence for him as The young Avatar's Guru in the Hindu Science of Vedanta. He attained mahasamadhi (leaving the mortal frame) in 1991. These personally handwritten mantras were handed over to His Divine Holiness, who is his coronated successor in the Arunachala Sampradaya (Tradition and lineage of Gurus of Tiruvannamalai) after his immediate disciple Mata Vibhutananda Puri.

These mantras are meant to be chanted while circumambulating the sacred Arunachala Hill to attain the highest states in the mind, body and Consciousness, ultimately Enlightenment itself.

Photos

Photos Of The Year

A group photo at the Ramakrishna Mutt where His Divine Holiness Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam (HDH)(first row, extreme left) practised intense brahmacarya (monasticism) for 4 years (1995 - 1999).

1995, 26 Aug : HDH is seen with a group of co-brahmacāris (peer group of monks) at the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt where He spent four years in intense brahmacharya (monkhood). The group is sitting around Ranganathanandaji, the dīkṣa Guru of HDH, from whom HDH received mantra initiation. This photograph, HDH pasted on the rear of the mantra dīkṣa initiation registration slip!

This is the "Devi Māhātmyam" chant book. HDH used to chant these verses extolling the glory of Parashakti (Universal Cosmic Mother) when He was in the Ramakrishna mutt where He lived the austere life of a brahmāchari (Hindu monk) from 1995 to 1999.

In His own words,

"This is the book used for Durga puja during the Dusshera festival. I would chant this so often. I would go to the magazine department in the morning at around 10’o clock. After attending to the files and everything, if I have time, I will just take out this book and go on chanting. I would have a small bell and go on ringing it and chanting. I personally bound this book.

Once I took the vow that I will chant the Chandi (another name for Devi Māhātmyam) 108 times. In three months I finished: 700 verses 108 times! I would go on reading and ringing the bell. When the staff brings in some work, I will attend to it and resume reading."

1995, 26 Aug : This is the official registration slip showing the exact date when HDH received the mantra dīkṣa from Ranganathanandaji Maharaj at the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt, Chennai. He lived an intense life of a brahmacāri for four years here (1995 - 1999).

HDH is seated in His room in the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt in Chennai where He stayed for four years practising intense brahmacarya (monkhood). With Him are two senior monks - Suseendran maharaj (left) and Duraipandi maharaj (right).

HDH carried this laminated photograph of Sri Ramakrishna with Him during this period and thereafter. This is still part of the biological archives of the National archives of ShriKailasa.

HDH held extraordinary love for the Trinity of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi (Sri Ramakrishna’s consort) and Swami Vivekananda (monastic disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and one of the greatest saints of Mother India).

He joined the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt and lived a 4-year period of extraordinary intensity, austerity and service as a brahmacāri (monk).

This water bottle, HDH carried with Him from the time He joined Ramakrishna mutt in 1995. He recalls receiving it as a gift from His maternal uncle (mother's younger sister's husband - Anbazhagan). He kept it with Him throughout the period of spiritual wandering from Chennai to Calcutta to the Himalayan ghats and back to South India. It is today part of the biographical archives of the National archives of ShriKailasa.

A Devi (Goddess) deity in brass which was part of the deity collection in the worship altar of HDH.

The course completion certificate awarded to HDH for completing the three-year Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Rajagopal polytechnic, Gudiyatham, TamilNadu, South India (1992 - 1995).