Vidyananda Bharati Swamyji of Kanhangad Nityanandashram is very dear to me for many years, we have met several times and we stay connected. He visits our Bevinakoppa Ashram as well. Vidyananda Bharati Swamyji has been doing the seva for a long time now leading a simple life immersed in sadhana, he is the beloved of Jananandaswamy, Govindaswamy, Mahabalanandaswamy, Aatmanandaswamy, Sadanandaswamy, Muktanandaswamy, and many other saints and Nityananda Bhaktas. We share our few sweet and bitter experiences with each other.

Staying in Guruvan for a long time or being there itself is a fervent sadhana. Very recently while they wanted to renovate (jeernoddhara) the platform around the Banyan tree of Guruvan, a new astrologer came there and asked Tambula prashna (branch of predictive astrology mostly practiced in Kerala, Betal Leaf reading) ‘Can the platform/stage be renovated?’. He received the answer ‘yes’ but ‘no one should stay there at Guruvan in the night, apart from the priest (Vidyananda), only he can stay there and he has to stay. So many Devis, Devatas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Kathyayinis, Yaksha-Yakshinis, Shivganas, Vishnuganas, Malaveera, Rishis, Munis, Gandharvas, and Siddhas visit there at the night and the puja happens on its own there, nobody should watch this nor roam around during this’.

A few days before a Siddha Vidyarti (disciple) named Nityananda Das initiated in SiddhaSampradaya (Siddha lineage) of Badagar Pujya Shivananda Paramahamsa, came to Guruvan. Nityanandadas is Kerala’s Siddhayoga Sadhak, his parents had traveled all the way from Kerala to Ganeshpuri and prayed for offspring, he was named ‘Nityanandadas’ after his parents’ prayers to Bhagavan Nityananda at Ganeshpuri bore the fruit as a boy baby. He came to Guruvan and told Vidyanandaswamy ‘I have heard a lot about Guruvan through media that there are many miracles that take place here during nights. I have done my sadhana in wild forests and mountains, I was never frightened nor did any obstacles bother me there. Some fabricated stories have been floating around on certain Facebook and Google pages about Guruvan, so I am here to scrutinize it on my own, directly’. He stayed in Mavungal’s ‘Anandashram’ for a few days then he came to Guruvan. He took permission from Nityananda Ashram Trust to stay in Guruvan and stayed back at Guruvan. He did not experience anything strange there, he started laughing. Vidyananda Bharati had to go to Hubli for three days, Nityanandadas had to stay alone in Guruvan during that time. The same night, he heard the loud noise of Conch, bells, and chanting of Mantras but when he came out to see, there was nobody. He heard voices of hundreds of people, a kind of fear seeped in, he couldn’t even come out of the room. Frightened by the events, he vacated from Guruvan informing the workers who come for cleaning and left to Mavungal’s Anandashram.

After Shri Vidyananda Bharati Swamyji came back to Guruvan, Nityanandadas came to Guruvan, prostrated to Shri Vidyananda Bharati Swamyji and saying ‘Without realizing Bhagavan Nityananda’s divine play and his powers and glory of Guruvan, coming here to scrutinize it was wrong’, he repented. ‘Your words are true, true, the ultimate truth’, he admitted finally.  Beloved Shri Vidyananda Bharati only narrated this real incident to me.

I would like to reiterate one such similar incidents which also occurred in the past when Bhagavan Nityananda was in the body, this incident was narrated to lawyer P.K Nair by Bhagavan Nityananda: An Islamic devotee from Cheravattur who had completed Hajj pilgrimage used to visit Bhagavan for his darshan at Kanhangad. Once while the cave construction work was under progress he was there, Bhagavan hit him over the head with a lantern, he bled profusely. Haaji was suffering from a long-standing headache which was cured instantly after this miraculous treatment from Bhagavan, and also Raam-naam started coming out of him. He assisted Bhagavan in the cave construction works and accompanied Him to most of the places He went to. Once while they were in Guruvan, looking at the Malaveer and Vandevatas there, Haaji expressed that these are superstitious and they don’t exist. Bhagavan did not reply to anything but left him in Guruvan alone in the night while he rested. As the dark night enveloped the forest, Haaji felt that he was beaten up by invisible beings and heard unusual sounds, bewildered from this he ran from there and recounted the entire event to Bhagavan Nityananda. Bhagavan told ‘Even in Islamic religion there are Saitans, Heaven (Jannat), Heaven (Jahannam) concepts as in Christianity and Hinduism and rest other religions as well. One must respect and accept all religions’.    

One must not find vices in Guru and judge the taste of the holy water (tirtha).

Namo Nityanandaya

Swamy Vijayananda, Bevinkoppa Ashram

Translation to English: Ramya Poojari