Swami Sivananda Saraswati
A giant towering personality, both spiritually as well as physically, Swami Sivananda was a magnanimous, dynamic, compassionate Spiritual Master. He was the very embodiment of vibrant living spiritual bliss. His helping, outgoing and compassionate nature spurred him to be a doctor. At the peak of his career in Malaya, he received a call from the divine, returned to India, renounced his possessions and set forth on the path of Sannyasa. He served the needy, the lepers, the patients, and the desolate.
He redefined spirituality and gave the eightfold path of Yoga for this century – Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize, Be Good & Do Good and Be Kind & Be Compassionate. He inspired and continues to inspire and guide millions on the spiritual path and the path of self-realization. He is the fountain of our inspiration.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Like a true disciple, Swami Satyananda Saraswati undertook the mandate from his Guru Swami Sivananda Saraswati to spread the message of Yoga from Shore to Shore. Travelling the globe, he spread the message of Yoga. He conducted research in the ancient science of Yoga, bridged the gap between the old intuitive scientific terminology and the scientific terminology and presented Yoga in the modern context yet maintaining all the essentials of this classical science. He established the Bihar School Yoga (BSY), which is a premier institute of Yoga of great international repute for over 5 decades.
Swami Satyananda handed BSY over to his disciple, Swami Niranjanananda and continued on the path of renunciation as a Paramahamsa mendicant. He commenced his next mission at Rikhia, which was to become his tapobhumi – place of austerities. During this mission, he practiced and taught the path of practical bhakti – Serve, Love, Give – the three foundations of Spiritual Life as explained by Swami Sivananda. He established Bhakti and Yajna as two powerful tools to help mankind navigate through the turbulent times and help in the evolution of the collective human consciousness.
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
Swami Niranjanananda is a child prodigy who was initiated into Sanyasa at the age of 7. He completed his training by the age of 11 and was sent abroad to teach Yoga. For the next 13 years he travelled extensively, spreading the message of Yoga in Europe and Americas.
He was given the mantle of Bihar School of Yoga in 1983. Since then, he has been guiding the activities of Bihar Yoga for the last 4 decades. He has successfully continued the legacy of Yoga handed to him by his Guru, Swami Satyananda, taking it to new heights. By popular opinion, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for the work he did in advancing Yoga. He humbly dedicated it as being ‘Padma Bhushan to Yoga.’ Currently, he is active in guiding the future of Yoga as a holistic science.
He established the Sannyasa Peeth – an institution dedicated to reviving the holy principles of Sannyasa, Wisdom and Renunciation. He lives the lifestyle of a Paramhamsa and also directs the spiritual activities of millions world over.
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati
Having excelled in her career early in life itself, Swami Satyasangananda was inspired to tread the path of Sannyasa by Gurudev Swami Satyananda. She travelled extensively with her Guru during his travels all over the globe and developed deep insights in all matters of Yoga and Tantra. When Gurudev Swami Satyananda arrived in Rikhia, he directed her to initiate multiple enrichment activities at Rikhia. By her incessant efforts and guidance and blessings of Gurudev, the sleepy village of Rikhia was transformed into vibrant centre attracting spiritual aspirants from all over the globe. In 2007 Gurudev Swami Satyananda declared Rikhia to be Rikhiapeeth, a centre of higher learning and established Swami Satyasangananda as the first Peethadhishwari of Rikhiapeeth.
Under her capable guidance, Rikhiapeeth has undertaken many social welfare and spiritual renaissance activities and has become the epicenter of a powerful spiritual movement.
