said, “Ah, my Nityananda has come!” From that
point forward, he was known by that name, which
means “eternal bliss.”
Nityananda began manifesting miraculous
powers while still in his teens, and he was a
wandering SADHU (mendicant) before he was 20.
There are accounts from Kerala and Karnataka
states of the “sky-clad” (naked) yogi who traveled
only on foot and ate only what was handed to
him. In his presence, people had profound expe-
riences of meditation and healing, both physical
and spiritual. In the 1920s Nityananda built the
Kanhangad Ashram around some jungle caves
near the town of Kanhangad in Kerala, which is
maintained to this day. By the 1930s, however, he
left the region, again on foot. In 1936, Nityananda
arrived in Ganeshpuri, the Maharashtrian village
that was to be his home for the rest of his life. On
the day he arrived, the caretaker of the local SHIVA
temple built him a hut, and within a few years that
kutir was enlarged to become Vaikuntha Ashram,
the very spot where Bhagawan Nityananda’s SAMA-
DHI shrine stands today.
Bhagawan Nityananda is recognized in Ganesh-
puri not only for his spiritual power but also for
the material help he provided to the local people,
who at that time were often living at a subsistence
level. He distributed the offerings given to him,
providing for the villagers food and clothing and
establishing a local school and hospital and the
Balbhojan (children’s food) Center, which still
functions in Ganeshpuri.
In the last two decades of his life, thousands of
pilgrims traveled to Ganeshpuri for Nityananda’s
blessings and the experience of his DARSHAN.
Swami Muktananda writes, “In his presence,
everyone meditated spontaneously.” Nityananda’s
hallmark teaching is “The heart is the hub of all
sacred places. Go there and roam.”
Shortly before Nityananda took mahasamadhi
(died) on August 8, 1961, he passed on the guru’s
gaddi, the seat of power of his spiritual lineage,
to Swami Muktananda, just as, years later, Swami
Muktananda would pass it on to his disciple,
Gurumayi CHIDVILASANANDA, who has been car-
rying forward what is now known as the Siddha
Yoga mission since 1982.Further reading: Douglas Renfrew Brooks et al.,
Meditation Revolution: A History and Theology of the
Siddha Yoga Lineage (South Fallsburg, N.Y.: Agama
Press, 1997); Swami Muktananda, Bhagawan Nity-
ananda of Ganeshpuri (South Fallsburg, N.Y.: SYDA
Foundation, 1996); Shakti Smriti Interview Collec-
tion, Unpublished oral history manuscripts held by
Shakti Punja, the SYDA Foundation archives, South
Fallsburg, New York.Nivedita, Sister (Margaret Noble) (1867–
1911) supporter of women’s education in India
Sister Nivedita, an Irish-born convert to VEDANTA,
became a social activist and supporter of women’s
education in India.
Margaret Noble was born on October 28,
1867, to Samuel Noble and Mary Hamilton in
Dunganon, Northern Ireland, in county Tyrone.
Before Margaret was a year old, Samuel moved
to Manchester, England, where he enrolled as
a theological student of the Wesleyan church.
The young baby was left with her maternal
grandmother in Northern Ireland, where she
enjoyed a happy childhood while her father stud-
ied and became ordained. At four years of age, she
returned to live with her father, unhappy to leave
her grandmother’s home.
With her sister, she attended Halifax College,
run by the Congregationalist Church. She learned
personal sacrifice from the headmistress of Hali-
fax, a member of the Plymouth Brethren. After
her father was appointed minister of a church,
she liked to listen to him preach and to imitate his
expressions.
Margaret was a thoughtful girl who asked
many questions. She had learned about the char-
acter of a nation from her paternal grandfather in
his fight for home rule for Ireland. At age 18, in
1884, she received a post as teacher and becameK 316 Nivedita, Sister