Paramahamsa Vishwananda
Born God-realized
Paramahamsa Vishwananda was born God-realized on 13 June1978 on the beautiful island of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. Almost immediately, people could see that this child was someone special.
Instead of playing childhood games, He spent His time praying, visiting temples and acting out religious rituals, while always living in the presence of God. Even while very young, He enjoyed singing the Divine Names and inspiring all those around Him to love God. In truth, He has always been a living example of bhakti-marga, the path of devotion.
An Esteemed Brahmana Heritage
His parents belonged to the Bharadwaja-gotra, a noteworthy brahmana family lineage that dates back thousands of years, even before the time of Krishna.
Met His Guru
His guru, Mahavatar Babaji, first appeared to Him when He was about five years old, recovering from eating some poisonous berries in the hospital. As Paramahamsa Vishwananda tells of the experience, this was when He saw the Light of His true Self, a light brighter than the sun. He was to see Mahavatar Babaji again and again as time passed.
Experienced Samadhi
At the age of 14, He began to embrace His mission as a spiritual Teacher after He experienced a state of samadhi (complete absorption in the Divine).
Attracted Attention
It didn’t take long before His vibrant personality and unmistakable realisation of the Divine began to attract more and more people seeking His blessings and advice. Much to His mother’s dismay, visitors lined up at His home wanting to meet with ‘the young saint’.
Settled in Europe
At the age of 19, He visited Europe for the first time. Very quickly, spiritual seekers started to gather to see Him. At this point in time, the Divine Mother appeared to Him and asked Him to settle in Europe.
Established the First Ashram
His first ashram was established in tiny village of Steffenshof, Germany in 2004 when a handful of followers decided they all wanted to live together. What started with a single house, soon grew to four. After just three and a half years, as more and more devotees joined the group, it was clear they needed a larger place to call home.
Launched Bhakti Marga
On His 27th birthday, He officially launched His public Bhakti Marga Mission. Bhakti Marga means ‘path of devotion’. This meaning described His life perfectly, and through Bhakti Marga, His message and teachings could be spread throughout the world.
His Name and Title
Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s full name and title is 1008 Paramahamsa Sri Vedavyasa Rangaraj Bhattar Sri Swami Vishwananda.
Each piece of His name holds important significance and reflects His spiritual mastery.
- The number 1008 has symbolic meaning in spiritual attainment. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the number 108 is considered sacred, representing various aspects of human existence. The assignment of the number 1008 signifies an even greater importance and higher honor, indicating great spiritual achievement.
- Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara (Hindi: महामंडलेश्वर) is a title. It literally translates as “the great and/or chief of many monasteries.” It was bestowed upon Vishwananda by Nirmohi Akhara, a spiritual governing institution based in Ayodhya consisting of several Hindu leaders and monks. His initiation was attended by all four heads of the Vaishnava sampradayas.
- Sri Vedavyasa Ranganaj Bhattar (Hindi: श्री वेदव्यास रंगराज भट्टर) refers to a Śrī Vaiṣṇava acharya.
- Paramahamsa is the highest level of spiritual development, where a sannyasi attains connection with the “ultimate reality.”
- The name Vishwananda means “universal bliss.”
His Mission
His personal mission is to ‘open the hearts of humanity’.
He does this by tirelessly traveling the world to awaken love and devotion of the Divine through personal blessings, spiritual talks, devotional singing, wisdom discourses and pilgrimages to holy sites.
