suggested that human beings were an expression
of the Supreme Consciousness. If this concept
were accepted, he believed, humanity would enter
a state of love toward all sentient beings. He died
in 1990.
Further reading: Didi Anandamitra, The Philosophy
of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti: A Commentary on Ananda
Sutram (Calcutta: Ananda Marga, n.d.); Shrii Shrii
Anandamurti, Baba’s Grace: Discourses of Shrii Shrii
Anandamurti (Los Altos Hills, Calif.: Ananda Marga,
1973); Ácárya Vijayánanda Avahuta, The Life and
Teachings of Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (Calcutta: Ananda
Marga, 1994); ———, Shrii P. R. Sakar and His Mission
(Calcutta: Ananda Marga, 1993); ———, The Spiritual
Philosophy of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (Denver, Colo.:
Ananda Marga, 1981).
Ananda Yogi, Gururaj See AMERICAN
MEDITATION SOCIETY.
Ananta See ADISHESHA.
Anasuya Foundation (est. 1975)
The Anasuya Foundation (also known as the
Tripura Yoga Foundation) was created in 1975. It
was a response to a revelation of Lord Dattatreya
that Swami Punitachariji received while meditat-
ing on Mount Girnar in Gujarat state. Lord Dat-
tatreya appeared as the Vedic trinity—the union
of BRAHMA, VISHNU, and SHIVA. His classic form of
three heads and six arms appeared as the supreme
being who is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omni-
scient.
Lord Dattatreya represents the divine spark
contained in true wisdom. He is a transmitter of
the secrets that when known empower others to
understand the universal energies and know the
meaning of life. In the vision, Swami Punitachariji
(also known as Bapu, a fond name for a grandfa-
ther figure) saw Lord Dattatreya seated on a large
rock. Legendary saints and holy people were wor-
shipping him with flowers. Bapu recognized Lord
Dattatreya from traditional statuary and paintings
and knew that the Lord’s all-knowingness and
spiritual prowess could transform ordinary exis-
tence into divine life.
Lord Dattatreya gave Bapu a mantric chant:
“Hari Om Tatsat Jai Guru Datta, a mantra recited
for the effects of its sound, rather than its mean-
ing.” From his own training in the Hindu tradi-
tion, Bapu believed that the world and everything
in it were created through sound. He believed
that repeated mantras of power make the invisible
creative planes of existence reverberate to enrich
and enhance the physical plane of the Earth. Bapu
believed that repetition of the mantra of Lord Dat-
tatreya sends forth the Lord’s spiritual essence to
those who seek his divine wisdom. Through the
union of sound, between the visible and invisible
worlds, one’s spiritual teacher need not be on the
physical plane sharing an earthly life. Chanting
in this way allows spiritual interaction between
GURU and chela (student) without time constraints.
Bapu believed that Lord Dattatreya had specifically
given him this insight to promote the elevated
consciousness of humankind and to enhance the
spirituality of the people on the planet.
The religious beliefs of Bapu were exported
to North America in the late 1970s, when Shan-
tibaba, an early devotee of Bapu, who wished to
share with students in other countries the mysti-
cal teachings about sacred sound, immigrated to
the United States. Not long afterward, teaching
centers were also founded in the United Kingdom
and Germany. Today there are centers located in
California, New York, Colorado, and New Jersey.
International headquarters are at Girnar Sadhana
Ashram in Gujarat state, India. The American
headquarters is the Tripura Yoga Foundation in
Snowmass, Colorado.Further reading: Datta Mission. Available online. URL:
http://www.jaiguru.com. Accessed August 15, 2005;
“Mantras and Meditation,” Hinduism Today, August 1986.Anasuya Foundation 35 J