The spiritual path followed by the ancient sages (rishis) of India cannot be ignored in the present days of hectic restlessness. The ways of man to God, through spiritual exercises, are far more important than the worship of mammon. In this modern age of machines, man has lost faith in the powers of the mind and spirit attained through the practice of yoga and asceticism. There are a few sages in India who by the practice of yoga and mantra have attained great mental and spiritual powers. One of them is His Holiness Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji.

H. H. Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji was born in 1909 on the day of 'Rakhi Pournima', at the village Hunshikatti, Belgaum district, Karnataka state, India. In his early childhood he was attracted to devotional worship and spiritual life. During his school days at Bailhongal, his maternal grandmother's place, his grandmother used to give him little pocket money every day. He would collect a group of friends and together they would worship Nandi (a bull, Lord Shiva's vehicle, also known as Maddi-Basavanna). Out of the money his grandmother used to give him, he would buy sweets and distribute them as prasad (consecrated food) among his friends. Grandmother came to know about that and said she would stop giving him pocket money and actually refused to give it on that particular day. Still, he continued with his worship at the end of which sweets or prasad appeared before all of them and this continued for 20 days. That miracle was taken as the prasad from Maddi-Basavanna and the news was widespread in the village. At the age of 10, he had a visitation from Lord Anjaneya, known as Lord Hanuman, the son of Anjani, who gave him a fruit. Upon eating the fruit, Swamiji's Pashyanti vani (sublime psychic energy) was awakened and he was able to remember his past samskaras (dispositions in past life). Lord Anjaneya is known as a deity with residing power of prana and is worshipped for attaining health, power, celibacy, a true discipleship and control over prana. At the next stage of his spiritual development, he started with the devout worship of Saraswati, Goddess Sharada., the Goddess of knowledge and wisdom, which awakened many latent divine powers in him, related to knowledge and wisdom, poetry and intuition. Having once offered 125.000 flowers to the Devi, he got enormous power and was able to interpret Satshastra of Shri Nijaguna Shivayogi. At the age of 18 and as the result of his worship of the Devi (goddess) kundalini was awakened and he had remarkable spiritual experiences. Another significant stage in his spiritual development was the attainment of the siddhi of levitation during his yogic practices at Navilteerth on the banks of the river Malaprabha.There he attained oneness with the ruler of Time and Space.

All this speaks of Shri Kumarswamiji's innate quality of ardent devotion to the Supreme and a strong aptitude towards spirituality, yoga and meditation which were the guiding principles of his yogic sadhana (practice) throughout his life. The inclination towards yoga had given him a broad and universal outlook and above all a calm, collected and well-balanced attitude towards all things and all people. The dynamic personality of His Holines Shri Kumarswamiji has many facets. He is a great yogi, a philosopher, a humanist, a writer and a social reformer. He emerged as one of the great spiritual leaders of the world and was an ardent peace lover. He graduated in 1932 and was ordained in 1933. He established a math (monastery) in Dharwad called Navakalyanamath. While being engaged in social service, again and again his inner voice directed him to give up the worldly pursuits and dedicate all his time to the practice of yoga. It was in 1965 that he freed himself from the tangles of social activity and affairs of the math and entered into a life of solitude. During this year of yogic practice and solitude he had attained enormous spiritual powers and yogic achievements. According to his own words, he could experience the coolness of the moon during the day and the warmth of the sun during the night. Devotion to God, an intense desire to serve humanity, an innate urge for the realization of God – all these attributed to his choice of life of renunciation, dedication, sacrifice and service to mankind. Having taken Vidvat Sanyas in 1965 Shri Swamiji established a spiritual hermitage known as Tapovan, three miles away from Dharwad. Tapovan is located at the height of 2400 feet above the sea level and it lures all with its scenic beauty and serene atmosphere. There is an occasional flow of foreign visitors for darshan and spiritual guidance. Immediately after taking Vidvat Sanyas. Shri Swamiji withdrew into silence in the cave for observing penance (anushtana). He emerged from the cave after one year of penance and delivered a message. Subsequently he observed penance on two more occasions, once for six months and another one for nine months after which he delivered messages pregnant with prophetic visions.

Shri Kumarswamiji toured over many places of India, delivering thought provoking speeches and lectures on spiritual subjects in all the principal Universities, preaching the tenets of science, yoga and mysticism. In his own intuitive, unique way he made the reconstruction of the human society guided by a strong belief that the cultural unity of India makes an entry into the realm of rich human values. Shri Swamiji is the author of sixteen books in English and eleven books in Kannada, his mother tongue. Many eminent thinkers and scholars of the East and the West have immensely appreciated and admired Shri Swamiji's masterly works on yoga, mysticism, religion, philosophy, education, international peace, democracy, etc. all of which penetrate deeply in the field of modern thought. Tapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji is also a linguist and a charming orator with a beautiful style and excellent clarity of thought, who speaks to his listeners stirring the depths of their own nature. Shri Swamiji is one of very few learned saints of India and his achievements in the sphere of yoga are remarkable. The subtlety of his thought and the fragrance of his literary and poetic style are like a fresh rose while his spirit is solemn and yet sweet. Shri Swamiji could intuit like a prophet, feel like a poet and think like a philosopher. Yes, he is a prophet who can read the logic of events and a philospher who can cherish the love of wisdom.

with H.H.Shri Shivananda Swamiji of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, 1951

with H.H.Shri Chidananda Swamiji of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, 1990

His Holiness Shri Kumarswamiji with His Highness Maharaja of Mysore

Under the auspices of The All India Philosophical Congress Shri Swamiji delivered two lectures, one at the University in Madras in 1940 and the other at the Aligarh University in 1941. He was invited to attend and preside over the World Parliament of Religions convened by His Holiness Shri Swami Shivananda Maharaj. In December 1970 Shri Swamiji attended the World Science and Yoga Conference held in New Delhi and participated in the deliberations of different streams. In 1954, Shri Swamiji happened to meet Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru., the then Prime Minister of India in Delhi. On seeing Swamiji, Panditji asked, «Who is this Monk?». Swamiji replied, «I hail from Karnataka (formerly Mysore), the land of Basava.» Then Panditji said to Swamiji,« Oh! I have heard about your address at Rishikesh. It was indeed reminscent of the speeches of Swami Vivekananda.»

His Holiness Shri Kumarswamiji, the learned Saint, visited Europe several times from 1972 to 1982. At the invitation of the French National Yoga Congress Shri Swamiji delivered lectures in France and also toured over Switzerland, Belgium, England and Italy delivering speeches on various topics. He presided over the International Yoga Conference held in May 1972 in Grenoble, France, as well as over the Parliament of World Religions in Paris in November 1972. It was on that occasion that the audience had the privilege to listen to the 'second Vivekanand of India'. Later in November that same year Shri Swamiji had an audience with H.H. Pope Paul at the Vatican Palace in Rome and discussed with him the tenets of Shiva-yoga, the scientific and effective yoga method which enables spiritual aspirants (sadhakas) to galvanize into activity the dormant pineal gland, which, when awakened, helps to open the third eye. As a reputed philosopher, Shri Kumarswamiji inaugurated the International Yoga Seminar held in France in 1975 and was the chief guest of the Sixth International Festival of Yoga and Esoteric Sciences held in London in 1976. Again in the year 1977 His Holiness Shri Kumarswamiji was invited by the French-Indian Centre de Relations Culturelles to deliver lectures on yoga, philosophy and mysticism.

Many had sought and obtained guidance in their spiritual development from Shri Kumarswamiji who discovered a simple and effective method of collective prayer known as Prarthana Yoga (Prayer-yoga) and later founded the International Prayer-Yoga Circle, with a view to bring about a sense of duty, co-operation and mutual love amongst all sections of humanity through devotion to God. The mantra || He Prabho Praseed Aum || which is the quintessence of Prayer-yoga, flashed to Shri Swamiji when he was in deep meditation. Since then it has been given to all and sundry for their self-realization. The boon of Prayer-yoga can be summarized in the following words of Shri Kumarswamiji, «Today in the world there is divorce between power and peace. In the West there is power, but it is blind. In the East there is peace, but it is lame. Prayer-yoga helps us to remove this disparity and regain the peaceful power and powerful peace». This as well as many other messages reveals the cosmopolitan spirit of Shri Swamiji who by his selfless service to the mankind has become the citizen of the world.

with H.H.Dalai Lama, Silver Jubilee of Tapovan, Dharwad, 1990

with H.H.Dalai Lama, Silver Jubilee of Tapovan, Dharwad, 1990

On completion of 25 years of successful selfless service to the mankind by H.H. Shri Kumarswamiji, Silver Jubilee of Tapovan was celebrated in December 1990, inaugurated by His Holiness Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate. Many scholars, thinkers and other delegates from India and abroad participated in the Science and Yoga Conference which was held on that occasion.

Shri Kumarswamiji had a profound knowledge of homeopathic and yogic medical treatment for many human ailments. A homeopathic medical unit is being run in Tapovan.

His Holiness Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswamiji left his physical body and attained unity with God (Lingaikya) on 22nd October 1995.