... was born at Mekedatu in southern India on May 26, 1942. A Moslim had saint predicted to His parents that their child would have supreme wisdom and knowledge and was destined to uplift mankind.
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occurred on a rock in the Kaveri river. His mother
Jayalakshmi was in deep meditation and the
child was born covered with holy ash. The child was named Satyanarayana.
His mother, whom the Swami calls His first Guru, initiated Him into spiritual
life before her passing in 1951. Satyanarayana completed His education like
other children, but found school had nothing to offer Him. He was endowed
at birth with great knowledge and power. Even as a child, he organized satsangs
and taught bhajans to His friends, and performed "siddhis" to entertain them,
such as turning tree leaves into
sweets.
For some time He performed various mundane jobs to earn a living,
such as school teacher and postal worker. All along, however, he had been
serving his fellow humans, helping them with their problems. Through his
miraculous powers He was able to understand their situations, knowing their
past, present , and future and helped them to overcome difficulties. Some
of them became his first disciples who were soon to be followed by more.
He sang bhajans and kirtans for them and started giving yoga classes in small
village huts or on river banks, while he was wandering the countryside as
a monk. He acquired a following which demanded all of His time an
attention.
In 1966 He moved to the present site of the
Mysore Ashram, which in
the early days was only a straw hut in a field. It was there at Mysore that
He became Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji . Since then Sri Swamiji has
been helping people in His unique way. People come to Him for help with their
worldly affairs, or to become healed of physical afflictions, or for guidance
in their spiritual practice. Many come to hear His beautiful and powerful
songs, which draw the heart and mind to God or to celebrate the special Hindu
holidays in the old vedic traditions.
They especially come during
Maha
Shivaratri, when Sri Swamiji enters the homakunda unmindful of the
surrounding fire. An ordinary person would be scorched by the fire, but the
flames are powerless before Sri Swamiji, who goes with His bare hands into
the fire and materializes Shiva Lingams, Sri Chakras and other items.
