Swami Vishnu Tirtha (1888–1969), also known as Munilal Swami, was a sanyas, writer, and

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

with a prominent place in the

Shaktipat Shaktipata () or Shaktipat refers in Hinduism to the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another or directly from the deity. ''Shaktipata'' can be transmitted with a sacred word or mantra, or by a look, thought or ...

tradition of Siddhayoga. He was born on 15 October 1888 in

Jhajjar Jhajjar is a town in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is a part of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and situated on the road connecting Rewari to Rohtak (NH-352), Loharu to Meerut (NH334B), Charkhi Dadri to Delhi and Gu ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He stayed with an uncle while obtaining an undergraduate degree, then married and was employed as a teacher in Bilaspur,

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

while he obtained a postgraduate degree and a baccalaureate in law from

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Kh ...

. He then practised as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in the

Ghaziabad District Ghaziabad district () is a largely suburban district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is also a core part of the National Capital Region. The city of Ghaziabad is the administrative headquarters of the district. This district is ...

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

where his assistant was Late

Chaudhary Charan Singh Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) was an Indian politician, peasant leader, author and an independence activist who briefly served as the prime minister of India from July 1979 to January 1980. Singh was principally kn ...

the former Prime Minister of India. Munilal and his wife raised a son and daughter. Though Munilal experienced various advanced kriyas since childhood, he was guided to subtle sadhanas by a Bengali saint who lived at Delhi's famous Kalkaji temple. The great yogi seer Baba SitaRam Das Onkarnath asked him in Ayodhya to take studies in Sanskrit to fulfill his life's mission. He was introduced to Swami Yoganand by a High Court Judge and was able to reach to him in Rishikesh after several correspondences. It was at the Swarg Ashram in Rishikesh he received

initiation fro
Yogananda Maharaj
in 1933. After travels to many holy places around Badrinath and Kedarnath, in 1939 Munilal expressed a desire for initiation as a renunciate ( sannyasin). Yogananda directed him to Swami Shankar Purushottam Tirtha in Banaras, who initiated him at the Mohan Ashram,

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

near the bank of the

Ganges 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 rive ...

. His name then became Swami Vishnu Tirtha. At the direction of Yogananda, he proceeded toward

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

and finally settled in

Dewas Dewas is a city in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The municipality was formerly the seat of two 15-Gun Salute state princely states during the British Raj, Dewas Junior state and Dewas Senior state, ruled by the Pa ...

where he laid the foundation for the Narayan Kuti Sanyas Ashram. Swami Vishnu Tirtha was a towering personality and great adept in Siddh Yoga traditions of India. He initiated many spiritual aspirants into the system of

(descent of energy) and wrote a number of books. His commentary on "Saundarya Lahiri" of Adi Shankaracharya is unique and was lauded by great proponents such as MahaMahopadhyaay Gopinath Kaviraj. His most memorable work in English is ''Devatma Shakti'', a study of the ''Divine Power'' (

Kundalini In Hinduism, kundalini (, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the '' muladhara''. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power ...

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

) and the science of Shaktipat, based on traditions recorded in ancient scriptures supplemented by direct experiences. In the book, ''Devatma Shakti (Kundalini)'', Vishnu Tirtha observed: "We have pointed out repeatedly that no real progress in spirituality is possible unless an aspirant gets his kundalini power awakened, and it has also been pointed out that the easiest way of awakening that power is through initiation by shaktipat by a spiritual master."Swami Vishnu Tirtha, Devatma Shakti (Kundalini) Divine Power, Chapter "Secret of Upasana (Worship)" (Delhi, India, Swami Shivom Tirtha, 1993), p. 129. Vishnu Tirtha had a profound love for the Ganges River and always used to spend few months each year at Yog Shri Peeth Ashram in Rishikesh. The land for the Ashram was gifted by his guru Swami Yoganand. His disciple

Swami Shivom Tirtha Swami Shivom Tirth Maharaj (15 January 1924–2008) was a noted guru of the Tirtha lineage of Siddha Yoga. Born in a small village in Punjabi Gujrat in present-day Pakistan, his name before he entered the life of renunciation ''(sannyas)'' was ...

and others carried out the construction of the centre in 1965. He left his body in 1969. Vishnu Tirtha’s mountain like personality can be understood from Churning of the Heart (Parts I, II, III) and "Sadhan Shikhar" written by his disciple Swami ShivOm Tirtha. Here a Guru is sculpting a disciple from a human being. One of his Guru Bandhus (disciple of same Guru) Devendraji Vigyani Maharaj described him as a person without any hint of sin.

Bibliography

*Devatma Shakti (Kundalini) Divine Power - (in English) Dec. 1948, Yoga Shri Peeth Trust, India. *Adhyatma Vikas *Atma Prabodh *Geetatatwamrit *Prana Tattva *Prityabhigyahridyam (commentary) *Sadhana Sanket *Saundya Lahiri (commentary) *Shaktipat *Shiva Sutra Prabodhini *Upanishadvani

References

External links

Official website - Shri Narayan Kuti Sanyas Ashram - Dewas

Swami Vishnu Tirthji Maharaj - Collection of Rare Photos

Gurus of the Tirth Lineage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vishnu Tirtha, Swami 1969 deaths Indian yoga teachers Indian Shaivite religious leaders People from Jhajjar People from Dewas 1888 births

Bibliography

See also

References

External links