Gujarat, and the Sharada Pitha in Shringeri in
Karnataka.
It is still said that the Dashanamis of the Shan-
karacharya Order are the most respected group
of religious mendicants in India. They are highly
learned in SANSKRIT and VEDANTA philosophy and
often are educated in English as well. The order is
devoted to noninjury and nonviolence; however,
they hired militant mendicants carrying tridents
to defend them against attacks by militant Vaish-
navite SADHUS or mendicants. Battles between
these groups are famous for their carnage. There
are currently six “regiments” of Dashanami NAGAS,
special naked renunciants who defend the faith.
The heads of the four maths are all named
Shankaracharya. They oversee extensive organiza-
tions with schools and social outreach centers.
These schools rely on a network of locally trained
Sanskrit pandits, experts who train students in
the traditions of Hinduism, making these maths a
valuable cultural resource.
Further reading: Austin B. Creel and Vasudha Naray-
anan, eds., Monastic Life in the Christian and Hindu
Traditions: A Comparative Study (Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin
Mellen Press, 1990); Klaus K. Klostermaier, A Survey of
Hinduism (Albany: State University of New York Press,
1990).
shanti
Shanti (peace or calm) is an oft-repeated word in
Hindu texts. The reference is not to world peace,
but to the spiritual peace that is understood to
accrue to an individual with MEDITATION and even
more so with higher realization. Many MANTRAS
in SANSKRIT end with the chant om shantih shantih
shantih, or “OM, peace, peace, peace.”
Further reading: Puran Bair, Living from the Heart:
Heart Rhythm Meditation for Energy, Clarity, Peace, Joy,
and Inner Power (New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998);
Clint Willis, ed., Why Meditate? (New York: Marlowe,
2001).
Shanti Mandir (est. 1987)
The Shanti Mandir (Temple of Peace) was estab-
lished by Swami Nityananda (b. 1962), brother of
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, not to be confused
with Swami Nityananda, the guru of Swami MUK-
TANANDA, in 1987, to promote the Shaivite teach-
ings of Swami Muktananda, head of the popular
Siddha Yoga Dham. Shanti Mandir now has centers
in Atul, Gujarat, India; Kankhal, Uttarandchal,
India; and Walden, New York.
Prior to his death in 1982 Muktananda had
chosen a brother and sister team—Nityananda
and Swami CHIDVILASANANDA, to coadminister
the huge worldwide organization he had built.
In 1986 Nityananda withdrew from Siddha Yoga
Dham amid tension, controversy, disruption, and
questions about his ability to administer the
group. He renounced his vows of SANNYAS, entered
private life, and set up a MEDITATION practice in
California.
In July 1987, he established Shanti Mandir
(Temple of Peace), over the objections of Siddha
Yoga Dham devotees who questioned his authen-
ticity and authority. After two years of building
Shanti Mandir on December 26, 1989, Nityananda
took a quick plunge in the GANGES near HARIDVAR
and reaffirmed his vows of sannyas and commit-
ment to Muktananda.
The Mandir in all three of its locations offers
courses and meditation intensives and initiates
students, using the chanting of MANTRAS as a pri-
mary practice. Nityananda also holds seminars,
retreats, and workshops in the United States, Aus-
tralia, and Europe.Further reading: “Nityananda, One of Swami’s Muk-
tananda’s Successors, Retakes Sannyasin Vows,” Hindu-
ism Today 12, no. 14 (April 1990): 28.Shanti Yoga Institute and Yoga
Retreat (est. 1974)
Shanti Yoga Institute was founded in the United
States by Yogi Shanti DESAI, a younger brotherShanti Yoga Institute and Yoga Retreat 403 J