Premanand Govind Sharan (born Aniruddh Kumar Pandey, 30 March 1969), known to his followers as Premanand, is an Indian Hindu guru. He belongs to the Radhavallabh Sect.

Early years

Premanand Ji Maharaj was born in 1969 in the Akhri village, Sarsaul Block, near

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

to Rama Devi and Shambhu Pandey. At the age of 13 he left his ancestral home and took

sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...

Spiritual learnings and moved to Vrindavan

After he initiated into celibacy and took on the ascetic vows of Sannyasa, he was given the name Anandswaroop Brahmachari, who thereafter accepted Sannyasa. On accepting the Mahavakya, he was named

Swami Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...

Anandashram. He lived most of his early life as a spiritual seeker on the banks of the

Ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

in Varanasi. While in

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

meditating beneath a

peepal tree ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of Ficus, fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, bo tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tr ...

, a saint name Pandit Swami Shri Ram Sharma requested him repeatedly to watch Raas Leela the next day, which Premanand Ji Maharaj accepted reluctantly as god's will. He initiated into the Radhavallabhi Sampradaya by attaining the "Sharanagati Mantra" and met his current Sadgurudev Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj or Bade Guruji. Bade Guruji gave him the "Nij Mantra," which is the initiation of "Sahachari Bhava" and "Nitya Vihar Rasa," which let him enter the Rasik Saints.

Guru

A Radhavallabhi Goswami initiated Maharaj into the Radhavallabhi sect through the "Sharanagati Mantra." A few days later, at Pujya Shri Goswami Ji's insistence, Maharaj Ji met his current Sadgurudev
Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj
also called Bade Guruji, one of the most revered and well known Saints of Sahachari Bhava. Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj gave him the "Niz Mantra," which is the initiation of "Sahachari Bhava" and "Nitya Vihar Rasa," i.e. Thus, Pujya Maharaj ji has entered the Rasik Saints.

Trust

The Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust

is a non-profit organization founded in 2016. The stated aim of the trust is to work for the betterment and upliftment of society and its people. It offers logding, food, clothing, medical care, and other necessities to pilgrimages to Vrindavan Dham.

Spiritual teachings and philosophy

From early phase, he has stated to oppose the hierarchical life of the

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Spiritual power maintains harmony in personal and social relationships. A negative character can be very dangerous; don't spoil your character. Preserve the invaluable asset of celibacy (Brahmacharya), which greatly assists in leading a healthy, balanced, and spiritually oriented life.

Bibliography

*''Brahmcharya'', 2019, Publisher: Generic, Language: Hindi, *''Ekantik Vartalap'', 2019, Publisher: Generic, Language: Hindi, ASIN: B083BF71PW *''Hit Sadguru Dev Ke Vachnamirt'', 2020, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust Vrindavan, Pages:54, Language: Hindi, *''Ashtayam Seva Paddhati'', 2020, Pages: 68, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust Vrindavan, Language: Hindi, *''SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (VOL 1)'', 2024, Pages: 162, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust, Language: English,

References

External links

Premanand Ji Maharaj Blog
{{Subject bar , commons = yes , commons-search = Premanand , d = yes , d-search = Q124488286 , portal1 = Biography , portal2 = Hinduism 1969 births Living people Indian Hindu religious leaders Hindu spiritual teachers Indian Hindu saints 21st-century Hindu religious leaders Hindu reformers Devotees of Krishna Indian Hindus Indian Hindu yogis Indian Hindu monks