Vishwananda (born Mahadeosingh 'Visham' Komalram in 1978),[1] known to followers as Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda (IAST: Paramahāṁsa Śrī Svāmī Viśvānanda), is a German neo-Hindu religious leader. He is the founder of Bhakti Marga, a neo-Hindu organization that has ashrams and temples in many countries. He lives in Germany, where his main ashram is in the small village of Springen (Heidenrod) in the Taunus. He teaches his own version of kriya yoga called Atma Kriya Yoga. By the end of 2022 Bhakti Marga had around 10,000 followers and between 30 and 50 ashrams worldwide.[2] By the end of 2023 Swami Vishwananda had around 50,000 followers, which includes 450 initiated male and female Brahmacharis, as well as 50 male and female Swamis and Rishis. [3]
According to reports from family members Vishwananda had a special spiritual inclination already in his childhood and youth. Instead of playing, he preferred prayer and visits to holy places. Supposedly at the age of five he had an apparition while he was in the hospital of Mahavatar Babaji, whom he recognized as his personal guru.[5]
In his youth, Vishwananda apparently often visited the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi. There he learned about the "supernatural abilities" (siddhis) that Sai Baba was known for. He later broke away from the guru, but took up the practice of "materializing" vibhuti (holy ash), jewellery, flowers and even golden lingams. Still in Mauritius, when he was around 20 years old Vishwananda made contact with European tourists.
Since 1998 he was invited to Switzerland and England,[2] and later to Germany, Poland, South Africa, Portugal and other countries where Bhakti Marga now has smaller centres. More and more followers started to gathered around the seemingly charismatic Vishwananda during darshans. During these events there is singing of Bhajans, the guru gives lectures, and touches his followers at the third eye as a form of shaktipat and distributes vibhuti.[5]
Vishwananda young, engaged in prayers
Around the year 2000 he was baptized and said he would receive messages from Jesus and Mother Mary. In 2004, he purchased a property in the small village of Steffenshof in Hunsrück, Rhineland-Palatinate, and expanded into an ashram.[5] There, in July 2005, he established the organisation Bhakti Marga.[2] He began to initiate men and women into celibate brahmacharis and later on into swamis as well. Married people could also become members as devotees. Vishwananda teaches his own version of kriya yoga called Atma Kriya Yoga.
In June 2007, the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger reported that Vishwananda stole relics from 25 churches and monasteries with the help of two women who were his disciples. According to the newspaper, Vishwananda said that he only wanted to save the relics from destruction in an imminent war of relics.[6]
In 2008, Bhakti Marga acquired the former conference and seminar house of the "ver.di" trade union in Springen, a larger property near the Rhine-Main area.[5]
Mahamandaleshwara initiation of Vishwananda
On July 11, 2015, a peace pole and a certificate was conveyed to Swami Vishwananda for his outstanding accomplishments for world peace over the last 20 years. Swami Vishwananda, so it says, "helps the people to connect elements from eastern spirituality with elements of the western spiritual tradition gives people access to a very personal experience with the Divine, regardless of culture, gender or age".[7]
In September 2015, he has been granted the title Mahamandaleshwara by Nirmohi Akhada, the second guru outside of India to be awarded the title.[8]
On July 2, 2016, He received the Bharat Gaurav Award, which honours Indian nationals with remarkable achievements and iconic personalities. The award recognizes those who encourage and empower others to become the next generation of leaders.[9]
On July 24, 2021 he established the Hari Bhakta sect in his role as a Vaishnava-Acharya. [3]
File:Paranitya Narasimha Temple.jpgInauguration of the Paranitya Narashima temple
In November 2023, CNN recognized him as one of the world's most revered gurus due to his global influence and the universal appeal of his teachings in the West.[3][10]
In 2023, different newspapers report about Vishwanandas travels around the world where he gives "darshans" (blessings) to thousands of people. Newspapers from Spain and Slovenia, for example report about darshans with over 2000 people.[11][12][13] Heike Kiefer, a Swiss travel agent who has been organizing Vishwanandas events since 2002, reports that he has conducted 331 darshans in 46 countries and 220 cities, and has provided blessings to more than 133,000 persons.[3]
In October 22, 2023, In the small town of Elmira, New York, Swami Paramahamsa Vishwananda completed the inauguration of the Paranitya Narasimha Temple and ashram on September 3, 2023. It was the culmination of a massive undertaking by a mere handful of his American devotees and monks. Hundreds of people from around the world made the pilgrimage to attend. Devotees from Russia, Brazil, Canada, India and Africa all landed in the small town of Elmira to be volunteer and help at this historic event.[14]
Allegations made by Hessischer Rundfunk
In a January 2022 television and podcast documentary by Hessischer Rundfunk, the German state of Hesse's public broadcasting corporation, several alleged victims were interviewed and Vishwananda was accused of sexual abuse.[15][16] In response, Bhakti Marga filed suit against Hessischer Rundfunk in Hamburg Regional Court for false reporting in a TV and podcast production.[17] Vishwananda denied all allegations of sexual transgressions, filing an affidavit at the court through his lawyer.[18]
After a thorough examination, the Hamburg Regional Court came to the conclusion that numerous statements containing the core allegation of alleged sexual abuse were procedurally untrue and therefore inadmissible. These statements were also ruled not permissible as statements of suspicion.[17] Seven provisional injunctions were issued by the district Court of Hamburg in March 2022 which prohibited public allegations of sexual misconduct against Vishwananda as had been widely misreported by major German newspapers.[16][15]
Personal life
According to the podcast of the Hessischer Rundfunk that had been partially prohibited by the Court of Hamburg due to false claims about sexual abuse, Vishwananda married the German citizen Eva Diehl around the turn of the century.[19]
Selected books
Vishwananda, S. S. (2012). Just Love: The Essence of Everything. Bhakti Event Gmbh. ISBN978-3940381194.
Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2019). Bhagavad Gita Essentials. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN978-3963430473.
Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2023). Nārada-bhakti-sūtra: Commentary on the Perfection of Devotion. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN978-3963430985.
^Sri-Swami-Vishwananda website staff (April 11, 2004). "About Swami". Sri Swami Vishwananda. Archived from the original on 2004-04-11.
^ abcdBeck, Heike (August 2013). "Bhakti Marga eröffnet spirituelles Zentrum in Springen/Taunus" [Bhakti Marga opens spiritual center in Springen/Taunus] (PDF). EZW Materialdienst (in German). Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
^"Just Love - Kapitel 3: Der Guru" [Just Love - Chapter3: The Guru]. ARD Audiothek (Podcast). Hessischer Rundfunk. January 28, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2023. at min. 15:14
Further reading
Haigh, Martin J. (2022). "Geogpraphical Spread of Hindu Religion and Culture into the West". In Singh, R. S. (ed.). Practising Cultural Geographies: Essays in Honour of Rana P. B. Singh. Singapore: Springer Nature. pp. 224ff. ISBN978-9811664151.
Hawley, J. S. (2020). Krishna's Playground: Vrindavan in the 21st Century. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0190123987.
