Acharya Mahamandleshwar Nirvan Pithadhishwar Swami Shri Krishnanand Ji

Nirvana Pithadhishwar Acharya Mahamandleshwar Swami Krishnananda  Giri was a highly respected philosopher, especially in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. Though he valued and was a scholar of Indian philosophy.  He was the most popular teacher of Advaita Vedanta among Sanyasis his lifetime. He was an exponent of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the most influentialsub-school of Vedanta. Vedanta is one of the six orthodox philosophies of Hinduism, chiefly concerned with knowledge of Brahman, the universal supreme pure being. Advaita Vedanta is the monistic arm of the philosophy, based on the unity of the Jiva (individual soul) and the Atman (universal soul). As a philosopher, Swami Krishnananda  Giri ji was an expounder, not a formulator. He did not develop any kind of new or personal philosophy. Rather, typical of most Hindu philosophers, he expounded and built upon the philosophy contained in the Upanishads. The Upanishads are commentaries on the Vedas,a large body of sacred texts originating in ancient India, which according to Hindu tradition, are “not of human agency.”The Upanishads constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. Pujya Swami Shri Krishnananda ji  Maharaj gave in-depth lectures on all of the principal Upanishads.  There are many books also on the lectures of Pujya Swami Ji like Sakandopanishad.

The birth name, birth date and Birth Place of Pujya Swami Krishnananda Giri are not known with certainty, in part because of the tradition of ascetics and monks to renounce family connections. He never told about him or his past life to anyone. At the age of near about twenty, the Brahmachari emerged from his cave and permanently rejoined Shri Govind Math in Varanasi.

In 1930, Brahmachari was initiated into the order of Sannyas by first Nirvan Pithadhishwar Acharya Mahamandleshwar Swami Shri Jayendra Puri ji at the great Indian celebration called Kumbh Mela. At that time, Brahmachari was formally ordained into the ascetic order and given the name Shri Swami Krishananad ji Maharaj. He became a wandering yogi (Privrajaka) spending time on yogic & Vedantic  studies and practices in the Himalayas and other places. He gave his service in the Mandali of His Guru ji Also.

Pujya Swami Krishnananda Giri Ji started the tradition of   Gnana Yagna in an effort to spread the message of the Geeta and the Upanishads during his Chaturmasya Vrata.

Pujya Swami Krishnananda Giri Ji was the closest disciple of Acharya Mahamandleshwar Nirvan Pithadhishwar Swami Shri Jayendra Puri ji Maharaj. Swami ji gave him all power to manage all his ashrams himself. Swami Jayendra Puri ji took Mahāsamādhi to attain the final liberation after leaving his body (It is at this time that the soul knows a complete and unbroken union with the divine, and, being free from the limitations of the body, merges effortlessly into the transcendent Self).

In 1942, Pujya Swami Krishnananda Giri Ji was elected Acharya Mahamandleshwar Nirvan Pithadhishwar by Mahanirvani Akhada on the post of his Guru Ji. He was the founder & president Satsang Bhawan , Bada Bazar, Kolkata. Satsang Bhawan, named so to indicate that the goal of its followers was obtain Satsang. During his fifty years of travelling and teaching, Pujya Swami Krishnananda Giri Ji opened numerous centers and ashrams all over India; he also built many Colleges, hospitals, Temples. He played a major role in the renovation of many temples. The world famous temple Daksh Prajapti was also renovated by him. He had many disciples. He always propagated Sanskrit language and Indian culture. He gave respects to Brahmins and Gaumata (Cows).  Pujya Maharaj Shri left his mortal body and merged effortlessly into the transcendent Self in 1978.

निर्वाण पीठाधीश्वर आचार्य महामंडलेश्वर श्री श्री 1008 स्वामी कृष्णानंद जी महाराज

सर्वशास्त्रार्थनिष्णातं निगमागमबोधकम् ।
श्री कृष्णाख्यं यतिश्रेष्ठं प्रणमामि पुनः पुनः ॥1
कृष्णानन्दं जगद्वन्द्यं कारुण्यामृतसागरम् ।
स्वात्मानन्दनिमग्नञ्च शिवसायुज्यसाधकम् ॥2
जीवितं यस्य लोकायऽऽलोकायैव च जीवनम् ।
महादेव समं मान्यममान्यानपि मानदम् ॥ 3
हार्दं लोकहितार्थाय मनोहारि च यद्वचः ।
राकेन्दुरिव दिव्याय भव्याय नमो नमः ॥ 4
काषायवस्त्रभूषाय मालारुद्राक्षधारिणे ।
श्री कृष्णानन्दसंज्ञाय गुरुणां गुरवे नमः। 5
यतिमण्डलमार्तण्डमानन्दान्बुधिसन्निभम्
नमामि शिरसा देवं कृष्णानन्दं यतिं वरम् ॥6
अज्ञानतिमिरध्वान्तं विप्रकुलसमुद्भवम् ।
नमामि मनसा देवं कृष्णानन्दं यतिं वरम् ॥7
नमः परमहंसाय सुधीभिर्वन्दिताय च ।
श्री कृष्णानन्दसंज्ञाय गुरुणां गुरवे नमः ॥8
अष्टश्लोकी स्तुतिरेषा पुण्यानन्दविवर्धिनी ।
विरचिता ह्यनन्तेन गुरुदेव प्रसादतः ॥