Vishwananda

Vishwananda (born Mahadeosingh 'Visham'

Paramahamsa Sri Swami
Komalram in 1978[1]), known to followers as
Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda (IAST: Vishwananda
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 Personal

followers and between 30 and 50 ashrams Born Mahadeosingh Komalram
worldwide.[2] By the end of 2023 Vishwananda had June 13, 1978
around 50,000 followers,[3] which includes 450 Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius
initiated male and female Brahmacharis, as well as 50 Religion Hinduism
male and female Swamis and Rishis.[3] All of them Nationality Mauritian
have taken a vow to renounce all material things, to
Sect Hari Bhakta Sampradāya
follow the principle of non-violence, and to
concentrate fully on the divine. The order is rooted in Signature
the cultural tradition of India and sees itself as an
Organization
offshoot of Sanatana Dharma, an "eternal religion".[4]
Founder of Bhakti Marga
Philosophy Vishishtadvaita
Life
Vishwananda was born on 13 June 1978[5] into a Hindu Brahmin family (originated in Bihar) in Beau
Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius.[6][3] According to reports from family members Vishwananda had a special
spiritual inclination already in his childhood and youth. Instead of playing, he preferred prayer and visits
to holy places. Supposedly at the age of five he had an apparition while he was in the hospital of
Mahavatar Babaji, whom he recognized as his personal guru.[7]

When he was around 20 years old Vishwananda made contact with European tourists. Since 1998 he was
invited to Switzerland and England,[2] and later to Germany, Poland, South Africa, Portugal and other
countries where Bhakti Marga now has smaller centres. More and more followers started to gathered
around the seemingly charismatic Vishwananda during darshans. During these events there is singing of
Bhajans, the guru gives lectures, and touches his followers at the third eye as a form of shaktipat and
distributes vibhuti.[7]

In 2004, he purchased a property in the small village of Steffenshof in Hunsrück, Rhineland-Palatinate,

and expanded into an ashram.[7] There, in July 2005, he established the organisation Bhakti Marga.[2]
In 2008 he acquired the former conference and seminar house of
the "ver.di" trade union in Springen, a larger property near the
Rhine-Main area.[7]

In September 2015 he was granted the title Mahamandaleshwara

by Nirmohi Akhada, the first guru outside of India to be awarded
the title.[8]

On July 11, 2015, a peace pole and a certificate was conveyed to

Swami Vishwananda for his outstanding accomplishments for
world peace over the last 20 years. Swami Vishwananda, so it
says, "helps the people to connect elements from eastern
spirituality with elements of the western spiritual tradition gives
people access to a very personal experience with the Divine,
regardless of culture, gender or age".[9]
Vishwananda young, engaged in
On July 2, 2016, he received the Bharat Gaurav Award, which prayers
felicitates Indian nationals with iconic personalities and
remarkable achievements. Those who always encourage and
empower each one to bloom into the next idol of tomorrow. [10]

On July 24, 2021, he established the Hari Bhakta

Sampradaya.[3][11][12] The order is rooted in the cultural tradition
of India and sees itself as an offshoot of Sanatana Dharma an
"eternal religion"[4]

In 2023, different newspapers report about Vishwanandas travels Mahamandaleshwara initiation of

around the world where he gives "darshans" (blessings) to Vishwananda
thousands of people. Newspapers from Spain and Slovenia, for
example report about darshans with over 2000 people.[13][14][15]
Heike Kiefer, a Swiss travel agent who has been organizing Vishwanandas events since 2002, reports that
he has conducted 331 darshans in 46 countries and 220 cities, and has provided blessings to more than
133,000 persons.[3]

On September 3, 2023, in Elmira, New York, Vishwananda inaugurated the Paranitya Narasimha Temple
and ashram.[16]

In November 2023, CNN called him one of the world's best-known spiritual gurus.[3][17]

Controversies
In 2001, the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger reported that two former members of Bhakti Marga stole
relics from 25 churches and monasteries in Switzerland during a tour. Such relics included the remains of
bones believed to be of Mother Mary and Saint Brother Klaus. The case was held in 2003, after one of the
culprits voluntarily reported herself to the police. The case was brought before the Baselland Criminal
Court in Liestal. Swami Vishwananda did not appear at the hearing due to a tour in America and sent
apologies for his absence. The two ex-disciples who were at the court spoke about their "psychological
dependence and the manipulative skills of the guru". They also claimed that it was Vishwananda's order
to collect as many relics as possible for "an imminent relic war and the end of the world by black magic",
and had convinced them that the theft was by "God's will".[18] The court sentenced the main defendant to
four months' suspended prison sentence for damage to property and disruption of religious freedom. The
48-year-old woman from Berne received a suspended fine of 3,500 francs, and the 29-year-old woman
from Zurich received a fine of 400 francs. Most of the bones, which were in Mauritius and in a French
monastery, were taken over to the diocese of Basel, and returned to the places of origin.[18]

In January 2022, Hessischer Rundfunk, a regional broadcast arm of German state broadcaster ARD,
released a TV documentary in which suspicions of sexual coercion were broadcast against Paramahamsa
Vishwananda. The law firm acting on behalf of Paramahamsa Vishwananda sought injunctions at the
regional court of Hamburg citing "numerous offences against principles of permissable reporting, untrue
statements and blatant rights offences". The court judged that there was 'a lack of evidence to broadcast
such a suspicion' and ruled in favour of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, issuing seven injunctions against the
TV show which resulted in its removal from the ARD Mediathek platform. Hessischer Rundfunk's
serious journalistic failings were further highlighted after they alleged an identifiable follower of
Paramahamsa Vishwananda had tried to commit suicide after suffering sexual abuse, without checking
with the alleged victim if the allegation was actually true. The follower in question denied any such abuse
or suicide attempt ever occurred. The follower took legal action against HR, obtaining injunctions about
the misreporting about him and HR admitted their journalistic failure to take simple steps to verify the
allegations. HR's journalistic failings were widely reported in major German newspapers such as Der
Spiegel and Suddeutschezeitung.[19][20][21][22][23]

Selected books
Vishwananda, S. S. (2012). Just Love: The Essence of Everything. Bhakti Event Gmbh.
ISBN 978-3940381194.
Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2019). Bhagavad Gita Essentials. Bhakti Marga Publications.
ISBN 978-3963430473.
Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2023). Nārada-bhakti-sūtra: Commentary on the Perfection of
Devotion. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN 978-3963430985.

References
1. Leber, Sebastian (December 2, 2022). "Umstrittene Sekte "Bhakti Marga": Der Wunderguru
aus dem Taunus" (https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/umstrittene-sekte-bhakti-marga-
der-wunderguru-aus-dem-taunus-8906488.html) [Controversial sect "Bhakti Marga": The
miracle guru from the Taunus]. Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved August 28, 2023.
2. Maus, Robert (10 September 2018). "Der Ashram im Taunus" (https://www.faz.net/aktuell/rh
ein-main/hindu-tempel-der-bhakti-marga-hat-hauptsitz-in-hessen-15779772.html) [Ashram
in Taunus]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).
3. Sharma, Sonu (2021-12-18). "परमहंस श्री विश्वानंद ने मनाया कार्तिक उत्सव" (https://4pm.co.in/omicro
ns-knock-in-up-stirred/12547). 4PM News. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
4. "Der Guru aus Heidenrod und der Weg der Hingabe" (https://www.echo-online.de/lokales/kr
eis-rheingau-taunus/heidenrod-kreis-rheingau-taunus/der-guru-aus-heidenrod-und-der-weg-
der-hingabe-3686105). Echo Online (in German). 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
 5. "PARAMAHAMSA VISHWANANDA'S BIRTHDAY 2023" (https://events.bhaktimarga.org/pro
ducts/paramahamsa-vishwananda-s-birthday-2023). Bhakti Event. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
6. Sri-Swami-Vishwananda website staff (April 11, 2004). "About Swami" (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20040411033508/http://www.vishwananda.org/swami.htm). Sri Swami Vishwananda.
Archived from the original (http://www.vishwananda.org/swami.htm) on 2004-04-11.
7. Beck, Heike (August 2013). "Bhakti Marga eröffnet spirituelles Zentrum in Springen/Taunus"
(https://www.ezw-berlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/ezw-berlin/publications/downloads/Materia
ldienst_08_2013.pdf) [Bhakti Marga opens spiritual center in Springen/Taunus] (PDF). EZW
Materialdienst (in German). Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen.
Retrieved August 30, 2023.
8. Sarkar, Sumita (September 18, 2015). "Swami Vishwananda becomes first
Mahamandaleshwar from outside the country" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nashi
k/swami-vishwananda-becomes-first-mahamandaleshwar-from-outside-the-country/articlesh
ow/49006144.cms). Times of India.
9. "Peace Pole Gifted to Swami Vishwananda at Bhakti Marga in Frankfurt – GERMANY - May
Peace Prevail On Earth International" (https://worldpeace.org/2015/10/peace-pole-gifted-to-
swami-vishwananda-at-bhakti-marga-in-frankfurt-germany/). May Peace Prevail On Earth
International -. 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
10. "Awardees" (https://bharatgaurav.in/awardees/). Bharat Gaurav Awards. Retrieved
2024-02-19.
11. "What is the Lifestyle of a Hari Bhakta?" (https://blog.bhaktimarga.org/what-is-the-lifestyle-of
-a-hari-bhakta). Bhakti Marga Blog. Bhakti Marga. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
12. "Kriya Yoga And Spiritual Guru Paramahamsa Vishwananda To Visit India, Here's How You
Can Seek His Blessings" (https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/kriya-yoga-and-spiritual-g
uru-paramahamsa-vishwananda-to-visit-india-heres-how-you-can-seek-his-blessings). Free
Press Journal. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
13. "Ramchandani recibe en España al maestro hindú Swami Vishwananda" (https://elfarodece
uta.es/ramchandani-recibe-maestro-hindu-swami-vishwananda/). El Faro de Ceuta (in
Spanish). 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
14. "El maestro hindú Paramahamsa Vishwananda congrega a más de 2.000 fieles en el
frontón de Izurtza" (https://www.eitb.eus/es/noticias/sociedad/videos/detalle/9347389/video-
el-maestro-hindu-paramahamsa-vishwananda-congrega-a-mas-de-2000-fieles-en-fronton-d
e-izurtza/). EITB (in Spanish). 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
15. H, T. (2023-10-30). "Tanja Ribič Djurić in Branko Djurić sta bila na kosilu z enim bolj slavnih
ljudi na svetu" (https://www.tocnoto.si/tanja-ribic-djuric-in-branko-djuric-sta-bila-na-kosilu-z-e
nim-bolj-slavnih-ljudi-na-svetu/). TočnoTo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
16. "Paranitya Narasimha Temple Dedicated – Hindu Press International" (https://www.hinduism
today.com/hpi/2023/12/05/paranitya-narasimha-temple-dedicated/). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
17. "Vishwananda | CNN Portugal" (https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/noticias/Vishwananda).
cnnportugal.iol.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
18. Hohler, Stefan (June 15, 2007). "tagesanzeiger.ch: Nichts verpassen" (http://sc.tagesanzeig
er.ch/dyn/news/schweiz/762275.html) [Stealing of bones in churches]. web.archive.org (in
German). Archived from the original (https://web.archive.org/web/20101108093537/http://sc.
tagesanzeiger.ch/dyn/news/schweiz/762275.html) on 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
19. "Hat der Hessische Rundfunk ein Sorgfaltsproblem?" (https://www.fr.de/ratgeber/presseport
al-sti1490726/hat-der-hessische-rundfunk-ein-sorgfaltsproblem-91472791.html). www.fr.de
(in German). 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
20. Blazekovic, Aurelie von (2022-04-08). "Guru gegen Sender: Wie Bhakti Marga erfolgreich
gegen den HR klagt" (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/guru-hr-missbrauch-sekte-just-l
ove-1.5563546). Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-27.
21. Hülsen, Isabell (2022-04-08). "(S+) HR-Doku über Missbrauch: Ein US-Amerikaner wird
zum Opfer erklärt - doch der Sender hat nie mit ihm gesprochen" (https://www.spiegel.de/kul
tur/hr-doku-ueber-missbrauch-ein-us-amerikaner-wird-zum-opfer-erklaert-doch-der-sender-h
at-nie-mit-ihm-gesprochen-a-880b2009-1999-430e-b190-7bfdd1d52094). Der Spiegel (in
German). ISSN 2195-1349 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2195-1349). Retrieved
2024-05-27.
22. "Stellungnahme Bhakti Marga zur Berichterstattung des Hessischen Rundfunk" (https://page
s.bhaktimarga.org/de/stellungnahme-bhakti-marga-zur-berichterstattung-des-hessischen-ru
ndfunk). pages.bhaktimarga.org (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-27.
23. Blazekovic, Aurelie von (2022-04-08). "Guru gegen Sender: Wie Bhakti Marga erfolgreich
gegen den HR klagt" (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/guru-hr-missbrauch-sekte-just-l
ove-1.5563546). Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-06-09.

Further reading
Haigh, Martin J. (2022). "Geogpraphical Spread of Hindu Religion and Culture into the
West". In Singh, R. S. (ed.). Practising Cultural Geographies: Essays in Honour of Rana P.
B. Singh. Singapore: Springer Nature. pp. 224ff (https://books.google.com/books?id=StRwE
AAAQBAJ&pg=PA224). ISBN 978-9811664151.
Hawley, J. S. (2020). Krishna's Playground: Vrindavan in the 21st Century. Oxford
University Press. ISBN 978-0190123987.

External links
Official website (https://paramahamsavishwananda.com/)

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