Vishwananda

Vishwananda
Personal
Born
Mahadeosingh Komalram

(1978-06-13) June 13, 1978 (age 46)
ReligionHinduism
NationalityMauritian
SectHari Bhakta Sampradāya
Organization
Founder ofBhakti Marga
PhilosophyVishishtadvaita

Vishwananda (born Mahadeosingh 'Visham' Komalram in 1978[1]), known to followers as Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda (IAST: Paramahāṁsa Śrī Svāmī Viśvānanda), is a Mauritian neo-Hindu religious leader. He is the founder of Bhakti Marga, a neo-Hindu organization that has ashrams and temples in many countries. He lives in Germany, where his main ashram is in the small village of Springen (Heidenrod) in the Taunus, and teaches his own version of kriya yoga called Atma Kriya Yoga.

By the end of 2022 Bhakti Marga had around 10,000 followers and between 30 and 50 ashrams worldwide.[2] By the end of 2023 Vishwananda had around 50,000 followers,[3] which includes 450 initiated male and female Brahmacharis, as well as 50 male and female Swamis and Rishis.[3] All of them have taken a vow to renounce all material things, to follow the principle of non-violence, and to concentrate fully on the divine. The order is rooted in the cultural tradition of India and sees itself as an offshoot of Sanatana Dharma, an "eternal religion".[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tagesspiegel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference faz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Der Guru aus Heidenrod und der Weg der Hingabe". Echo Online (in German). 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-24.