Gnanananda (Nia-na-nan-da) was an Indian guru, referred to by followers as Swami Sri Gnanananda Giri. He was the Chief Disciple of the Sri Sivaratna Giri Swamigal and one of the leaders (Peetathipathis) of the
Jyotir Math
Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or Jyotir Math is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the 820 CE philosopher-saint Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine o ...
, one of the four Maths established by Adi Sankara. This lineage of Peetathipathis is also called the 'Giri' Paramparai, as seen from the Peetathipathis' name which ends with 'Giri'. Gnanananda is a
Mahayogi,
Siddha Purusha, Himalayan sage and Indian philosopher. He believed in
Advaita Vedanta
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...
because of his
lineage. He had a number of disciples including
Vidyananda,
Triveni and
Dasagiri. He blessed Hari to 1.
Haridhos[Master of bhajana sampradaya/Online edition of India's National Newspaper/3 Sep 2004 – 6th lineage of the Peetam, http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/09/03/stories/2004090302630500.htm -] Giri to uplift and help mankind from sufferings through Guru Bakthi Prachara
[Sadguru Gnanananda, his life, personality, and teachings/T. M. P. Mahadevan – 1979 – page 7] Swami had a number of accomplished disciples through his abnormally long tenure- Bramanamda who took samadhi at Puskar, Achutadasa of Polur. He loved obsurity. He changed identity to avoid being recognised .
Birth and childhood
Sources report his birth as early 19th century in the village Mangalapuri in North Kanara District of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.
[Sadguru Gnanananda, his life, personality, and teachings/T. M. P. Mahadevan – 1979 – page 6] to an orthodox
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
couple, Venkoba Ganapati and SriMathi Sakku Bai.
He was named ''Subramanyan'' at birth, and left his home at a very early age. His birthday is celebrated on the birth star of ''Kritika'' in January (the Tamil month of ''Thai'').
Sanyasa
Sivaratna Giri Swami accepted Subramanyan as his disciple and named him ''Pragnana Brahmachari''. Sivaratna Giri initiated Gnanananda in the traditional manner into the ''Giri'' order of
Jyotir Mutt and gave him the monastic name of ''Sri Gnanananda Giri''. Sivaratna Gnanananda adorned the 6th
lineage of Peetam
of
Jagadguru Totakacharya for some time. However, he nominated one Ananda Giri in his place and retired to the height of the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
for penance. Gnananda spent many years at the sacred spot of
Gangotri and icy caves of the Himalayas in intense ''
tapas
A tapa () is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal, and can be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as ''chopitos'', which are battered, fried baby squid, or patatas bravas). In so ...
''. He travelled extensively on foot, spanning the whole India and Tibet, Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka and Malaya. He met many holy men over the course of his pilgrimage.
Teaching and establishment of ''ashrams''
Gnanananda returned to India and established an
ashram at Attayampatti in Salem and then at Siddhalingamadam near
Villupuram
Viluppuram, Villupuram, or Vizhuppuram () is a Municipality and the administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district.
Located south west of a Tiruvannamalai and north west of Cuddalore null The town serves as a major railway junction, ...
.
[Sadguru Gnanananda, his life, personality, and teachings/T. M. P. Mahadevan – 1979 – page 17] The most famous ashram, named "Sri Gnanananda Tapovanam", is situated two miles away from
Tirukkoyilur. Gnanananda built temples for the deities of
Gnanaganesa,
Gnanaskandan,
Gananapurisa,
Gnanambika,
Mahalaksmi,
Gnana Venugopala,
Gnana Bhairavar and
Gnana AnjaneyanShiva in
Tapovanam.
Another ashram was constructed in
Yercaud
Yercaud is a Hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
History
Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills (also known as Shevarayan Hills), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud ...
, a hill station near Salem. It was called "Pranavanilayam". This was a retreat for contemplatives. Giri wanted to develop it as a centre for comparative religion. In contrast to
Tapovanam, no rituals were permitted in
Yercaud
Yercaud is a Hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
History
Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills (also known as Shevarayan Hills), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud ...
. The central emphasis was on meditation and dhyana.
Swami Gnanananda Giri taught a number of paths based on the aptitude of his disciples Therefore, some of disciples are conversant in the "path of knowledge" (
jñāna
In Indian philosophy and religions, ' ( sa, ज्ञान}, ) is "knowledge".
The idea of ''jñāna'' centers on a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced. It is knowledge inseparable from the total experience of reality, especial ...
-marga) while others are the "path of works" (
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
-marga) and still others follow the "path of faith" (
bhakti-marga). His senior monastic disciple
Vidyananda Giri was a profound scholar and linguist and brought out Tamil translations of Shankara's commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. He also made available Tamil versions of famous Advaitic texts like ''Sanatsujatiyam''. He trained followers in Advaitic Nidhidhyasana. Another of his lineage,
Satyananda was associated with
Franklin Merrell-Wolff and taught his method of "introceptive knowledge".
Swami Gnanananda Giri realised that the path of
Vichara and
Nidhidhyasana was confined to a few philosophically advanced aspirants. For devotees at a lesser level, he advocated
stuti,
japa
''Japa'' ( sa, जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions.
''Japa'' may be performed while sitting in a medit ...
and
nama sankirtan. He was well versed in all the modes of
Bhajana Sampradaya and he held that
Hari Bhajana for ordinary devotees was the easiest way to attain "
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...
". He had chosen
Haridhos Giri
Swami Haridhos Giri (Sanskrit:- Swami Haridas Giri), affectionately called Guruji, was born in the month of Margazhi (December-January) in the Tamil calendar with the birth star of Utharattathi. Giri was born in the village of Thennangur, Tamil ...
propagated the importance of
Namasankeetanam.
[Hindu.com – Resonant voice of Haridas Giri/Online edition of India's National Newspaper/28 Jan 2005 -http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/01/28/stories/2005012802060300.htm -] Gnanananda had instructed and blessed Hari, the son of
the great Nat Annaji Rao. The boy later became known as "
Haridhos Giri" on being initiated in sanyasa on his own. Haridhos carried his guru's (Gnanananda's) sandals (
Paadhuka) with him to all the holy places he went to. He also visited many holy places with his Guru Paadhuka to propagate the importance of singing god's praises ("NamaSankeerthanam") as instructed by his guru. As part of spreading the cult of Namasankeerthanam, Giri established Mandalis and Samajams in various countries..
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giri, Gnanananda
1974 deaths
20th-century Indian philosophers
Advaitin philosophers
Indian Hindu monks
Ontologists
Sanskrit writers
20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians
Year of birth missing