Thoughts on Swami Nithyananda

[DeviChaaya]

Namaste friends
Does anyone know much about Swami Nithyananda? Any followers of him here? I ask because I have encountered a couple of his devotees as they have a store front/mini temple across from the Shri Shiva Visnu temple on the other side of town.

They all seem very happy and it looks like some of them have even taken sannyas but... I'm still wary. And I'm wary because there seems to be a lot of... woo. I am an incredibly rational person but apparently this guru can give me the power of clairvoyance and a whole bunch of other weird stuff... I have read a lot of books and many of them say to never trust a guru who offers to teach you powers.

Then there is the believe that Swami Nithyananda is an avatar of Sadashiva? Everything, and I mean everything, that I have ever read, been told or experienced has said that Shiva does not take birth; He is the unborn, the self formed, self born, self manifesting... Yes, Shiva can take form but Shiva does not take birth like Visnu, it's one of the defining characteristics that differentiates Shaiva theology from Vaishnava theology!

I'm just... I want your opinions. Please?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Photo or video, both here and also many on internet, it is no secret. Smart boy.:

 

[DeviChaaya]

Not related to that as it seems to have been disproven.

 

[Terese]

Namaste friends
Does anyone know much about Swami Nithyananda? Any followers of him here? I ask because I have encountered a couple of his devotees as they have a store front/mini temple across from the Shri Shiva Visnu temple on the other side of town.

They all seem very happy and it looks like some of them have even taken sannyas but... I'm still wary. And I'm wary because there seems to be a lot of... woo. I am an incredibly rational person but apparently this guru can give me the power of clairvoyance and a whole bunch of other weird stuff... I have read a lot of books and many of them say to never trust a guru who offers to teach you powers.

Then there is the believe that Swami Nithyananda is an avatar of Sadashiva? Everything, and I mean everything, that I have ever read, been told or experienced has said that Shiva does not take birth; He is the unborn, the self formed, self born, self manifesting... Yes, Shiva can take form but Shiva does not take birth like Visnu, it's one of the defining characteristics that differentiates Shaiva theology from Vaishnava theology!

I'm just... I want your opinions. Please?

My opinion? He's a fake guru.

 

[Shantanu]

Namaste friends
Does anyone know much about Swami Nithyananda? Any followers of him here? I ask because I have encountered a couple of his devotees as they have a store front/mini temple across from the Shri Shiva Visnu temple on the other side of town.

They all seem very happy and it looks like some of them have even taken sannyas but... I'm still wary. And I'm wary because there seems to be a lot of... woo. I am an incredibly rational person but apparently this guru can give me the power of clairvoyance and a whole bunch of other weird stuff... I have read a lot of books and many of them say to never trust a guru who offers to teach you powers.

Then there is the believe that Swami Nithyananda is an avatar of Sadashiva? Everything, and I mean everything, that I have ever read, been told or experienced has said that Shiva does not take birth; He is the unborn, the self formed, self born, self manifesting... Yes, Shiva can take form but Shiva does not take birth like Visnu, it's one of the defining characteristics that differentiates Shaiva theology from Vaishnava theology!

I'm just... I want your opinions. Please?

I do not know, but have left a message in their website Chat facility asking if Swami Nityananda believes God to be sattvic, rajasic or tamasic Deity. They may reply to me at my email address. If a conversation develops I will let you know.

As regards powers, thoughts given by God to help one live in dignity can be very powerful indeed.

 

[Terese]

I do not know, but have left a message in their website Chat facility asking if Swami Nityananda believes God to be sattvic, rajasic or tamasic Deity. They may reply to me at my email address. If a conversation develops I will let you know.

As regards powers, thoughts given by God to help one live in dignity can be very powerful indeed.

Why would they ever say that God isn't anything but sattvic?

 

[Shantanu]

Why would they ever say that God isn't anything but sattvic?

In my opinion, God Sri Krishna transcends the gunas and does His own thing which cannot be neatly put into the sattvic, tamasic or rajasic guna categories. He does various things as Lord of the Universe which would lead one to think that he has a combination of these three attributes as He deals with humanity and the functioning of the universe. For example he is a creator as well as a destroyer and a preserver. If Swami Nithayanda gives me a different answer he would become a fake guru in my eyes.

 

[Vinayaka]

Then there is the believe that Swami Nithyananda is an avatar of Sadashiva? Everything, and I mean everything, that I have ever read, been told or experienced has said that Shiva does not take birth; He is the unborn, the self formed, self born, self manifesting... Yes, Shiva can take form but Shiva does not take birth like Visnu, it's one of the defining characteristics that differentiates Shaiva theology from Vaishnava theology!

I'm just... I want your opinions. Please?

Buyer beware. Still, if it works for you, go for it. Obviously there are different styles of Gurus meant for different styles of people. We have a multiplicity of paths to choose from.

As for Shiva and avatars, you are correct. It's not traditional at all, and a transfer from sects that do believe in avatars. That's what happens when we have mix and match.

As for transformational claims, I'd personally be suspicious, as it goes against common sense. Change just takes time. My Guru used the analogy of educational training last month or so. 6 years in elementary, 6 years in secondary, then 4 or more at post secondary ... then you have a degree and are proficient at something.

Yes, you can learn a breathing technique at a weekend seminar for a fee, but the desired change will only happen after years of practice. There is no magic healing.

As for my opinion, on other Gurus, it's none of my business, and not my place to make comments one way or another. If i were in your boots though, I'd go and feel it out.

 

[DeviChaaya]

Buyer beware. Still, if it works for you, go for it. Obviously there are different styles of Gurus meant for different styles of people. We have a multiplicity of paths to choose from.

As for Shiva and avatars, you are correct. It's not traditional at all, and a transfer from sects that do believe in avatars. That's what happens when we have mix and match.

As for transformational claims, I'd personally be suspicious, as it goes against common sense. Change just takes time. My Guru used the analogy of educational training last month or so. 6 years in elementary, 6 years in secondary, then 4 or more at post secondary ... then you have a degree and are proficient at something.

Yes, you can learn a breathing technique at a weekend seminar for a fee, but the desired change will only happen after years of practice. There is no magic healing.

As for my opinion, on other Gurus, it's none of my business, and not my place to make comments one way or another. If i were in your boots though, I'd go and feel it out.

Of all the comments so far, yours has been the most helpful, @Vinayaka. I think I simply needed someone else to say it to confirm my suspicions. I applaud Swami Nithyananda for his efforts to establish new temples around the globe but I do not think I can ever follow someone who says he can give me magical mystery powers, especially when everything says that siddhis are a bonus (or a pitfall) of tapas or exacting sadhana; calling them shaktis does not erase the fact that they are... siddhis.

 

[Vinayaka]

Of all the comments so far, yours has been the most helpful, @Vinayaka. I think I simply needed someone else to say it to confirm my suspicions. I applaud Swami Nithyananda for his efforts to establish new temples around the globe but I do not think I can ever follow someone who says he can give me magical mystery powers, especially when everything says that siddhis are a bonus (or a pitfall) of tapas or exacting sadhana; calling them shaktis does not erase the fact that they are... siddhis.

The other problem (I remembered this after I posted) with mass market Gurus is that they literally have no time for any one on ones with devotees, which is at the very heart of any traditional Guru-sishya relationship. Maybe one initiation and that's it? What about some follow up if something goes awry?

 

[DeviChaaya]

The other problem (I remembered this after I posted) with mass market Gurus is that they literally have no time for any one on ones with devotees, which is at the very heart of any traditional Guru-sishya relationship. Maybe one initiation and that's it? What about some follow up if something goes awry?

This is exactly one of my worries! If someone claims to be a world guru... how can they really care for each disciple? I think I shall just turn to Shiva as I always have; the Adi Guru will lead my way.

 

[Viraja]

Nithyananda was chosen for a short time to be the next in line for Madurai aadheenam (a spiritual position involving lot of prestige). Then he was thrown out after a bit. I have seen pictures of him clad in Sannyasi clothes eating egg (if he is not declaring himself to be a sannyasi, then it is ok, but...). So given all this, you must expect someone who does not live by the exact principles he might teach... I would consider such a person still 'evolving' himself. But he might still be able to offer you some broader perspective that challenges your existing beliefs and may be helpful in this way... but another salient point that comes to my mind is that, being undisciplined himself, how trust-worthy will his followers be? Will they be money-frauds that you may not complain to anyone about, once you are in and reveal your identity?

 

[Shantanu]

Nithyananda was chosen for a short time to be the next in line for Madurai aadheenam (a spiritual position involving lot of prestige). Then he was thrown out after a bit. I have seen pictures of him clad in Sannyasi clothes eating egg (if he is not declaring himself to be a sannyasi, then it is ok, but...). So given all this, you must expect someone who does not live by the exact principles he might teach... I would consider such a person still 'evolving' himself. But he might still be able to offer you some broader perspective that challenges your existing beliefs and may be helpful in this way... but another salient point that comes to my mind is that, being undisciplined himself, how trust-worthy will his followers be? Will they be money-frauds that you may not complain to anyone about, once you are in and reveal your identity?

Eating eggs is part of the knowledge that he is imparting. There is nothing in being a guru that bars one from eating non-vegetarian products. In my religion it is acceptable to do so. What is not acceptable as a guru is to have money making schemes that are not deserved. They should live on donations.

 

[Viraja]

Eating eggs is part of the knowledge that he is imparting. There is nothing in being a guru that bars one from eating non-vegetarian products. In my religion it is acceptable to do so. What is not acceptable as a guru is to have money making schemes that are not deserved. They should live on donations.

No, no, I am not saying he is barred from eating egg as a guru (a teacher). But he is barred from doing so declaring himself as a 'Hindu sannyasi' clad in Orange robes.

 

[Shantanu]

No, no, I am not saying he is barred from eating egg as a guru (a teacher). But he is barred from doing so declaring himself as a 'Hindu sannyasi' clad in Orange robes.

A sanyassi is someone who has given up worldly attachments and lives in seclusion. Nityananda lives with activities, that is things that he wants to do. A man of action, No?

 

[DeviChaaya]

I have to come to a shaky conclusion that it's perhaps not real. He charges $10000 for a 25 day yogic retreat. That's $400 a day. That alone makes it prohibitively expensive and just makes me think of paying for enlightenment which is a thing I do not believe in

But, you know, I probably could have handled all that if it wasn't for the members of his sangha constantly pressuring me to buy my place in his Inner Awakening course (the prohibitively expensive one). It's skeevy and I don't appreciate constantly being told to book my place and everything will fall in place.

There's also the issue that he is a living avatar of Sadashiva which I find... absolutely preposterous. Everything I have read and experiences about Shiva is at pains to impress upon people that Shiva does NOT take birth, ever. Yes, He may take form, but He is eternal and without mother or father; the eternal, uncreated consciousness.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda claims to be an incarnation of Sadashiva and it just smacks of hubris. While I agree with him that we do not pour oblation on the lingam to lubricate it and prevent it from cracking (as the guru of Isha Foundation said) I find worshipping a person as Sadashiva to just... I don't know. I can't let go of my misgivings.

Honour and worship are two different things and I do not believe what is happening here is honour but a cult of personality. I wish I could better articulate my misgivings.

 

[Terese]

I have to come to a shaky conclusion that it's perhaps not real. He charges $10000 for a 25 day yogic retreat. That's $400 a day. That alone makes it prohibitively expensive and just makes me think of paying for enlightenment which is a thing I do not believe in

But, you know, I probably could have handled all that if it wasn't for the members of his sangha constantly pressuring me to buy my place in his Inner Awakening course (the prohibitively expensive one). It's skeevy and I don't appreciate constantly being told to book my place and everything will fall in place.

There's also the issue that he is a living avatar of Sadashiva which I find... absolutely preposterous. Everything I have read and experiences about Shiva is at pains to impress upon people that Shiva does NOT take birth, ever. Yes, He may take form, but He is eternal and without mother or father; the eternal, uncreated consciousness.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda claims to be an incarnation of Sadashiva and it just smacks of hubris. While I agree with him that we do not pour oblation on the lingam to lubricate it and prevent it from cracking (as the guru of Isha Foundation said) I find worshipping a person as Sadashiva to just... I don't know. I can't let go of my misgivings.

Honour and worship are two different things and I do not believe what is happening here is honour but a cult of personality. I wish I could better articulate my misgivings.

I'm no servant of Swami Nithyananda, but wouldn't "taking birth" also mean manifesting/taking form?

 

[Aupmanyav]

He does not even deserve honor. He is facing court case of rape and unnatural sex. He is a fraud.

 

[DeviChaaya]

I'm no servant of Swami Nithyananda, but wouldn't "taking birth" also mean manifesting/taking form?

When Shiva takes form it is through His own will. There is no mother or father for Shiva as He is the first. Taking birth requires a womb. Shiva never does this. All manifestations of Shiva that He takes are swayambhu, self manifesting independent forms.

 

[ajay0]

I have great respect for Bhagavan Nithyananda , who was an enlightened master who left his body in 1961.


The new Nityananda seems to have fallen off the track of yoga due to faulty adherence to scriptural teachings.

Tantra is for the householders and not for monks.