Chapter 1: Avatar🔗

Every once in a millennium, a Being graces our fragile planet, the sheer power of whose presence turns the tide of humanity's spiritual evolution.

When such a Being lives and moves among us, millions are drawn towards Him beyond their understanding, intuitively sensing in Him the fragrance of their own inner awakening.

Such a Being is recognized as an AVATAR, the Divine in human form.

An Avatar has no purpose. Just as the rain is drawn to the parched earth He is drawn to our plane compelled by nothing but boundless compassion to fulfill the longing of a million hearts. He hears the ardent cry that asks to break free of the pain and misery of countless lifetimes, of every human limitation.

His is the power and the onus to awaken humanity from the darkness of ignorance into the light of bliss and Enlightenment.

A Being of such cosmic proportions walks among us today revered by millions as a living Avatar of Superconsciousness.

Playing in our dimension as a teacher, healer, yogi, mystic, social visionary, spiritual guru and guide, HIS HOLINESS PARAMAHAMSA NITHYANANDA unfolds the joyous leela of His Avataric advent, manifesting a conscious revolution in the destiny of over seven billion humans, and innumerable other sentient beings in other states of evolution.

As per the Vedic texts, the Absolute Divine, Isha performs five sacred acts or panchakrtya – shrishti (creation or projection of the Cosmos), sthiti (maintenance of the Cosmos), laya or samhara (dissolution or withdrawal of the Cosmos at the end of every Cosmic cycle), tirobhava (veiling the Reality) and anugraha (liberating all beings through Grace).

To perform the first four sacred acts, Isha does not require our permission or involvement. But to bless us and grace us with liberation or enlightenment, He requires our cooperation. For this compassionate purpose of showering living beings with His anugraha, Divine grace, Isha becomes the embodied Ishvara and descends to the human plane as the Avatar. The Avatar inspires humanity by His own divine acts, His life and His teachings. Acting as the Jagadguru, the world teacher, He guides and initiates humanity to take the unfathomable leap into Superconsciousness.

The average human being, being limited by his sensory perceptions and mental conditioning, finds it hard to conceive of the concept of a formless Consciousness or God (called ‘Nirakara Brahman’). At the same time, when the Universal Consciousness or God descends assuming a human form (as ‘Akara Brahman’), he finds it even more difficult to comprehend that he is now in the presence of an Avatar.

In the Bhagavad Gita (9.11), it is declared:

Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord (maheshvara) of the whole creation.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda reveals:

When the pure conscious energy, the supremely matured soul, assumes a human body, that is an Avatar. The Cosmos Itself chooses Its body and plays the divine drama (leela).

When The Avatar comes down to the human plane and expresses the ultimate Truth, He is ages ahead of His time.

Truth is never like a parrot talking; it is like a lion roaring. When the lion roars, you have to wake up! When the Avatar roars with the Truth and transforms and raises humanity, you have to wake up from the unconscious sleep of delusion and ignorance! master of countless universes, He is splendidly manifest in His imperishable and blissful abode. The amsha incarnations are said to oversee the execution of the Lord’s mission (in the world). The amshamsha incarnations are understood to perform the work of executing those missions.

In the various avesha incarnations, the Divine enters a jiva, an individual body, executes His mission, and then departs. His kala incarnations teach and establish the principles of religion and then disappear.

When positive consciousness declines, when collective negativity increases, O Bharata, at these times, I Myself happen in every age. To protect the pious and to annihilate the wicked, to re-establish righteousness, I Myself appear, age after age.

Sometimes, when the created world has to be sustained, I Myself assume name and form and initiate manvantaras (great eras of time) and provide the earth with appropriate divine personalities and sages, who set examples to be followed and indicate the path of progress.

I end also the unlimited increase of beings, whenever it happens. For this sake, I take the form of Rudra (the destructive and rejuvenative aspect of God). I create the bad, in order to highlight and promote the good; and in order to protect the good, I set certain limits, both to the good and the bad, for they would otherwise stray into wrong ways and inflict great harm.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda says:

Once one is established in infinite Consciousness, one becomes silent, and though knowing everything, goes about as if he does not know anything. Though he might be doing a lot of things in several places to all outward appearances, such a one will remain as if he does nothing.

It is important to understand at the very outset that the multiple dimensions of an Avatar (including His attributes and powers) fall into three broad categories:

1. KNOWN (which can be intellectually understood, recorded or quantified in some way)

2. KNOWABLE (which cannot be recorded, but whose existence can be deduced by their effects)

3. UNKNOWABLE (which can be neither recorded nor deduced, but can only be grasped experientially by an observer in the same space)

The existence of these three categories has necessitated the bringing together of three kinds of recordings in this volume, with some natural overlap in their purposes:

1. Modern scientific research reports – which accurately record, analyze and present the Known dimensions of the Avatar

2. Sharing by devotees – who describe the effects experienced in the presence of the Avatar, supporting the scientific research and providing powerful evidence of the Knowable dimensions

3. Revelations from the Avatar Himself – which offer a glimpse of the Unknowable dimensions, as no other observer exists in our time with an experiential understanding of this state. These words, however, are powerfully supported by the sacred texts and scriptures, which are the revelations of the Avatars down the ages. Hence the many scriptural references included in this volume.

The uniqueness of His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda is that He has consistently allowed His known dimensions to be measured and analyzed by modern science to the extent possible, for the purpose of taking science to the next level and for the benefit of humanity.

He is also the only known Avatar in history to frequently reveal the ultimate Truth in the language of modern science, effortlessly bridging the chasm between science and spirituality. In a later chapter of this book, Paramahamsa Nithyananda will personally explain the 'mystic science' (if we may call it that) behind this process.

DIMENSIONS OF THE AVATAR

1. KNOWN (which can be intellectually understood, recorded or quantified in some way)

2. KNOWABLE (which cannot be recorded, but whose existence can be deduced by their effects)

3. UNKNOWABLE (which can be neither recorded nor deduced, but can only be grasped experientially by an observer in the same space)

Paramahamsa Nithyananda

The life-story of an Avatar is a divine drama or leela-maanusha vesham – the human role assumed for the sole purpose of furthering the Cosmic play.

Even though He is established as the Source of all knowledge, the Avatar joyously and innocently enters into the unfolding drama of His own life.

His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda chose to manifest His human form in the home of the devout Hindu couple Arunachalam and Lokanayaki in the ancient temple town of Tiruvannamalai in South India. He spent a joyful childhood as part of a large, affluent and philanthropic family, in whose home saints and wandering mendicants were always welcomed and honored.

Arunachala, the sacred mountain that draws seekers from around the world like a magnet, was the young Avatar's first love. Home to wizened yogis, mysterious siddhas and enlightened sages like Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, the ancient mountain provided the perfect training ground for His first experiments with the Self, God, and the universe.

From the beginning, Paramahamsa Nithyananda was drawn to Divine worship, temple culture, mysticism, yoga and meditation. Alongside His studies at school, Paramahamsa Nithyananda also trained in authentic yoga from an accomplished yoga master and siddha (energy adept) named Yogiraj Yogananda Puri (Raghupati Yogi), whom he fondly remembers as the one who introduced Him to the forgotten mystic sciences of ancient India - levitation, teleportation and materialization, among others. Under his tutelage, Paramahamsa Nithyananda successfully completed advanced levels of yoga and meditation training.

In parallel, Paramahamsa Nithyananda also started studying the Vedic scriptures, Puranas and Upanishads under the guidance of various spiritual teachers. He encountered many holy men and women in the town of Tiruvannamalai and received invaluable teachings and experiences from them. Prominent among them were Annamalai Swami (a direct disciple of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi), Yogi Ramsurat Kumar and Mataji Vibhutananda Puri (Mataji Kuppammal), who introduced Him to Vedanta and Sri Vidya worship.

One evening, while 'just playing' with meditation at the tender age of twelve in the lap of the mighty Arunachala, Paramahamsa Nithyananda had a profound spiritual experience of Enlightenment, the rarest experience of Oneness or Advaita with everything.

In an explosive vision encompassing 360 degrees in all directions, He was suddenly able to see in a single panoramic sweep, the hill in front of him, a temple that stood behind him, the rocks to the right and the town's main temple to the left, the sky above and the rock on which He sat!

This phenomenal vision was immediately followed by the direct experience of Himself in all that He saw - every stone, every plant, in all directions - above, below and beyond. This experience was

Kalpataru is a wish-fulfilling divine tree described in the Hindu puranas (historical epics). The Avatar is known as a kalpataru due to His special attribute of fulfilling the wishes of devotees through a blessing or initiation.

Normally, any person would be generating hundreds of thoughts from every cell of his body. During a process of meditation, the devotee is asked to make a conscious resolution (sankalpa) and hold on to that one wish he would like fulfilled immediately.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda is in sahaja samadhi, the natural space of no-mind or pure Consciousness. This space contains virtual particles of energy in perpetual vibration (spanda), exactly like the fabric of space-time (universal consciousness), as explained by the string or M theory (see page 81).

In quantum terminology, a thought is also a packet of energy, and during the initiation, the devotee's concentrated thought is now in Entanglement (see page 106) with Paramahamsa Nithyananda's no-mind space, which is the very fabric of space-time (universal Consciousness). This creates the strongest possibility of the desired manifestation happening in the shortest possible time.

The ultimate state of Enlightenment is the no-mind state, or to put it more accurately, the state in which the observer is dissociated from his emotions and thoughts, leading to a significant drop in the number of thoughts created.

For the seeker, the sincere practice of Unclutching® or the conscious dissociation from thoughts, leads to a state of purnatva or completion, by virtue of freeing him from the influence of the endless stream of thoughts and mental patterns that continuously spur one to action and trap one in the insidious web of karma.

Through a structured program called Inner Awakening® lasting 21 days, Paramahamsa Nithyananda guides participants to the space of completion through yoga, practical teachings, deep cleansing processes, and a battery of 21 powerful energy initiations (energy darshans).

This gives participants an unforgettable glimpse of Enlightenment, and further practice establishes them in the state of perpetual Completion or Living Enlightenment.

The attribute of initiation or deeksha is unique to enlightened masters and Avatars.

As an Avatar, Paramahamsa Nithyananda is able to initiate the disciple into achieving entrainment or coherence with His own attributes, by transferring to the disciple immense quantities of pure Cosmic energy in the form of bio-energy.

Special deekshas like Third Eye Awakening℠, which involves activating the ajna chakra (the subtle energy center between the eyebrows and encompassing most of the brain) is among the most extraordinary of the siddhis (mystic powers) that Paramahamsa Nithyananda has been bestowing on sincere seekers.

Einstein's theory of special relativity has already proven that Space and Time are intractably linked, and that time exists as a dimension along with every aspect of space. Thus, past, present and future exist simultaneously.

Classical information is stored in the form of bits. At the quantum level, information is stored in the form of qubits. Qubits are nothing but elementary particles containing information woven into the Space-Time fabric.

Akashic Records are the energy records of all the events that have

ever happened, are happening and will happen in the Cosmos. They are stored in the hiranyagarbha (Cosmic womb) or karya brahman in a coded form. Whenever an Avatar requires the secret details of past and future events, it is through the hiranyagarbha that the Akashic Records are accessed.

The different names and forms of God in the Hindu scriptures are nothing but the various manifestations of the same underlying Cosmic principle.

KALABHAIRAVA is the energy or the very fabric of the cosmic Space-Time dimension. From time to time, Kalabhairava, through the agency of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, provides access to the Akashic Records to one and all, for their specific needs or benefit.

Akashic Readings on Birth, Death and other topics, channeled through Paramahamsa Nithyananda, can be found on this link: www.nithyananda.org/akashic-readings

True knowledge, intuition and right cognition are the specific attributes needed for a being to get enlightened.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda effects this in His disciples through special processes involving initiation, teaching and transforming the disciple to live in a state of Completion, which decreases the number of normal thoughts, and increases clarity and energy.

Opening of the third eye or ajna chakra allows for the expansion of the five koshas (our energy bodies (see page 161) which normally exist in a contracted state due to vyasti (the wrong perception of the existence of individuality).

The opening up of cognition through right sakshi (observation) leads to a reversal of the koshas, due to the right cognition of the state of samasti (involving all).

This allows the expanded vijnanamaya kosha to cognize the visual perceptions even with blindfolded or closed eyes. Further expansion, as in the case of an adept Yogi would allow the siddhi of parakaya pravesham to manifest, as in the very famous example of Adi Shankaracharya (see page 188).

Union of Shiva-Shakti

An Avatar is the physical manifestation of the metaphysical union of Shiva-Shakti. He exists in the state of pure Consciousness (Shiva) even as He manifests as an embodied form (Shakti).

Physically, the grace exhibited, and other attributes ranging from hairline to form, all point to a state of Ardhanarishwar, revealing the simultaneous expression and perfect poise of masculine and feminine energies. However, it goes without saying that He is beyond any identity, let alone gender identity. Being in a state of pure Advaita, He carries no concept of ‘I’ or ‘you’ and male or female.

Serial studies of Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s physiology over the years have conclusively shown the endocrine status equivalent to a six or seven year old child.

Thus, the observer is likely to conclude that His physiological and psychological state is that of a young child, who does not yet identify with gender in the same way that adults do.

However, a significant difference exists between the two.

In a child, the concept of gender/sex exists in seed form, though not yet expressed.

The Avatar is at the opposite end of the spectrum, having transcended the limiting idea of all duality through the realization of Shuddhadvaita or the pure Oneness of the Self.

His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s medical test report dated 08-09-2014 proves beyond doubt that His male hormone (testosterone) level is far less than even that of a child. At the time of this test, Paramahamsa Nithyananda was a medically fit 38-year-old adult male.

Susadha

Described in the Linga Purana, Susadha translates as 'one who helps to calmly bear pain.' This attribute applies not only to the Avatar, but also to his disciples, who would have a similar capacity to calmly bear pain.

Scientifically, pain is described as an unpleasant sensation caused by a noxious stimulus, and mediated along certain nerve fibers into the brain where it is interpreted as such. In other words, the perception of pain requires a noxious or harmful stimulus, a neural pathway from the point of stimulus to specific parts of the brain, and the cognition and interpretation of the stimulus as pain.

The perception of pain is strongly linked to previous experience, emotion and anxiety, all of which are stored in the limbic system.

The Avatar reveals another siddhi through the leela of a compound fracture

A striking example of the Avatar being beyond pain was revealed on 14 June 2011, when Paramahamsa Nithyananda was on His usual rounds of horse-riding in the serene environs of the Vaidya Sarovar sacred pool on the Bengaluru Aadheenam campus.

On suddenly seeing a large group of devotees who had just arrived to pay their respects to Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the horse took fright and lost his balance, throwing off the rider.

The entire episode, including Paramahamsa Nithyananda's rising to His feet with a smile, speaking normally and just saying, 'It is a fracture, let's go to the hospital...." has been video-recorded.

At the hospital, an X-ray revealed that Paramahamsa Nithyananda had sustained a Type 1 Open Fracture (compound) of both bones of His right forearm (radius and ulna).

Normally, such fractures cause excruciating pain. However, Paramahamsa Nithyananda smiled and said that there was no pain! From the moment of the fracture till the conclusion of a major surgery lasting eight hours to fix the fracture, no painkillers were used, and He was talking normally with His ashramites (monastery residents) and disciples.

It appears that He had chosen this unique way to reveal yet another siddhi - as is the usual leela (Divine play) of the Avatars!

Paramahamsa Nithyananda explains this experience with typical simplicity:

"There was no pain because there is no conflict between the muscle-memory and the attitude to life. Always approach life with acceptance and gratitude."

This is an example of the rare state of permanent Unclutching® or Sahaja Samadhi.

Over the years, several students of Nithyananda Gurukul℠ have fallen and broken bones without experiencing any pain whatsoever. At least three incidents of disciples manifesting the attribute of susadha have been documented in this volume.

Bigata Vajra

Bigata Vajra is the ability to spontaneously return to health under any conditions, referred to in the Linga Purana as a quality of Shiva Himself. This quality was demonstrated in December 2015, when Paramahamsa Nithyananda defied medical science with a spontaneous recovery from the dreaded dengue.

In December 2015, while in Phuket, Thailand for conducting the Inner Awakening® Shivoham™ program, Paramahamsa Nithyananda developed high fever and body ache. Immediately after informing his physician, He dissociated from the pain and fever, and for the next 15 days continued with the Shivoham process without any rest, and without any sign or symptom of the condition.

Meanwhile, the blood test for dengue was performed in Phuket, and also later repeated in Bengaluru about a month later. The test report showed very high level (>4 times) the normal of IgG antibodies, which suggested a recent severe dengue infection. However, the first blood counts in Phuket were low, but became completely normal by the second blood test in Bengaluru (within a gap of about 3 weeks).

This demonstrates not only a very strong immune system, but also the ability to dissociate from fever and pain to perform the normal vigorous duties of the day, and also the spontaneous healing of the disease without any medical intervention.

Legal name: Ishwar Sairam

(excerpt from video sharing - edited)

Hi, I am Ishwar, I am six years old, and I am going to explain about how I broke my hand.

Once I went to my friend's house in the ashram during the holidays. I was sitting on the corner of a plastic chair, and lost my balance and fell off with such force that I broke my hand.

I went up to the third floor to our apartment in the ashram, and told my mom that my hand was disconnected. I was not crying, I was just focusing on the pain.

My dad and mom rushed me to Swamiji and told Him that I had broken my hand. Swamiji immediately asked an assistant to call an ambulance and take me to the hospital.

In the hospital they took me to the operation theater and did something... after that I was in the hospital for four days and then came back home.

X-ray of Ishwar revealing the broken bone

Name: Parthipan S

Spiritual name: Sri Nithya Jnanaprabhananda

Location: Bengaluru, India

After I attended Life Bliss Program Level 1, one day I was driving my bike to the office, and in one place, suddenly, my bike skidded and I was thrown off it, and fell away from my bike on the side of the road.

When I realized I was falling, I silently called out to Swamiji for help.

After I fell down, I realized that I had forgotten to lift the side-stand and driven this far. I got hit in the joints of the hand, but surprisingly there was no pain at all, and in fact I felt a cool sensation there!

I used to be the kind of person who always made a big fuss about even a small wound, and I could not tolerate pain at all in my life. But that day I realized it is possible to live life without feeling any pain! This experience happened only because of Swamiji.

I was fully healed in about a week’s time.

Spiritual name: Sri Nithya Yogananda Swami

Sannyasi of Nithyananda Order

Location: Nithyananda Peetham, Bengaluru Aadheenam

Email: [email protected]

A couple of years ago, I fractured my hand.

Naturally, it was very painful. So during the daily darshan I requested Swamiji for healing. Swamiji blessed me, and the excruciating pain disappeared in an instant.

I was scheduled to go for a surgery, but Swamiji blessed me saying that there will be no need for it. As He said, the bone correction was done without the need for a surgery.

As I had just recovered from chicken pox, the doctors did the correction on the fractured arm without administering anesthesia.

The doctors were awestruck to see how composed I was throughout the procedure!

Later I shared with them that thanks to Swamiji's blessings, I absolutely did not feel any pain!

The Sanskrit word 'divyasharira' is sometimes translated as 'divine body', but the phrase hardly conveys the full scope of the original term.

The seemingly physical form assumed by the Avatar when He descends to the human frequency is called a divyasharira. Though appearing similar to the human form, the physiology is far from that of the average human being in areas of crucial significance.

While several great masters and saints are known to have attained divyasharira while leaving the body, like Sant Jnaneshwar, Ramalinga Vallalar, Tirujnanasambandar, and more recently, Paramahamsa Yogananda, it is rare to find an Avatar who exhibits so visibly the qualities of the divyasharira while living and moving freely in the human frequency.

Ancient yoga texts like Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita prescribe a series of asanas, pranayama and bandhas that act as primary steps towards the attainment of a divyasharira.

Although in theory, it is possible to attain a divyasharira through intense yogic practices alone, sustained over several janmas (births), a mere glimpse of the attributes and powers of the divyasharira reveal that it is not actually a human body that has been perfected though yogic disciplines, but rather the pure manifestation of the supreme Consciousness itself, uncorrupted and incorruptible by its descent into the frequency of matter.

Two of these altered states of physiology have already been discussed with reference to the attributes of Ardhanarishwara and Susadha. There are other several significant differences which differentiate the divyasharira from the normal body.

QEEG recordings of Paramahamsa Nithyananda's brain have demonstrated Entrainment and the ability to control the brain waves at will, unlike in His normal counterparts (this attribute has been discussed in detail in later chapters).

Moreover, there is an intense sensitivity to smell, sound and touch. Physicians who examined Paramahamsa Nithyananda have repeatedly noticed the increased sensitivity to touch, which in normal human beings also means a high level of sensitivity to pain (as both are similar neural phenomena). But in the case of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the heightened touch-sensitivity is simultaneously associated with the absence of the cognition of pain.

A simple and innocent attribute of the Avatar's divyasharira is the maintenance of the human form in a pure state, allowing for a fragrant smell to emanate from the body. Small children always smell nice, and with age and maturation, changes occur in human physiology to produce a combination of noxious odors and pheromones.

An Avatar like Paramahamsa Nithyananda, while having attained physical maturity, lives in the physiological and psychological childlike state of innocence, thereby producing a divine fragrance similar to the jasmine flower or pure sandalwood.

Spiritual Name: Dr. Sri Nithya Pranananda Swami

Sannyasi of Nithyananda Order

Location: Nithyananda Peetham, Bengaluru Aadheenam

Email: [email protected]

During the early days of the ashram, I used to be Swamiji's personal secretary and also taking care of His personal seva.

On multiple occasions, after Swamiji gave energy darshan to large crowds during some program, I have noticed sandal fragrance coming from Swamiji, and also from the clothes used by Him, while taking them out for washing the next day.

At that time I don’t know that this is also a special siddhi that is manifested by Avatars!

The word ‘anima’ is a derivative of the word ‘anu’. Anu does not stand for atom, but rather refers to the smallest indivisible elementary particle.

In quantum physics, structural particles are divided into quarks (like protons and neutrons), as well as leptons (like electrons).

Interactive particles are photons, gluons and perhaps gravitons.

A fundamental aspect of an Avatar is the ability to understand and merge with the very substance of the Cosmos, which in physics means the ability to interact with the forces of elementary particles.

Thus the siddhi of anima allows for the process of quantum entanglement, which we will study in further sections related to deeksha, darshan and prana pratishtha.

Mahima is a siddhi manifesting as an expanded state, and can be observed at both Newtonian and quantum levels.

When the energy of Kalabhairava manifests in Paramahamsa Nithyananda, there is a visible expansion of His body, which can be measured in centimeters.

At quantum levels, expansion of the vijnanamaya kosha allows for extra-sensory cognition like blindfolded reading and 360-degree vision, and extends up to parakaya pravesham.

Laghima is a siddhi manifesting as immense lightness.

At Newtonian levels, it manifests as intermittent levitation by disciples through the awakening of Kundalini energy.

At quantum levels, thoughts are reduced to zero, giving a sense of immense lightness in the being.

The state of mind of perpetual Samadhi is a mind filled with virtual particles (vacuum) as opposed to thoughts, which are real particles or quanta (packets) of energy. When one is not weighed down by thoughts and emotions, an immense lightness is felt. This is experiential for disciples at both the Newtonian and quantum levels.

Garima manifests as the siddhi of becoming as heavy as desired.

Like a Neutron star, massive condensation of elementary particles would possibly lead to an object with a small mass but immense weight. This siddhi is yet to be scientifically evaluated on Paramahamsa Nithyananda and his disciples.

Prapti siddhi manifests as the ability to reach any desired point in space and time – in any dimension, in the past, present or future.

In this siddhi, nothing is too far away or too near, and one has access to everything, everywhere.

The application of this siddhi could be as simple as an ability to read a mind, to accessing the Cosmic Archive, to the more complex phenomenon of the linga sharira (subtle body) entering another's body for the sake of either experiencing the other's cognition, or altering the bio-memory of a willing disciple.

It also manifests as the ability to penetrate the various subtle states of consciousness of others (like dream state, deep sleep state, meditative state) and resolve inner conflicts, bestow healing or boons, or simply bless with darshan.

Devotees regularly report having received darshan and healing from Paramahamsa Nithyananda in their dreams and visions during meditation, often before having ever seen or heard about Him in their waking state.

It will be impossible to ever completely document the tremendous changes effected during deep sleep, when the Avatar penetrates the causal layer of the devotee and erases the karmas (root patterns and incompletions) of lifetimes in a single compassionate stroke. The only accounts we have are of devotees who underwent Near Death Experiences (NDEs), who recall having been approached by Paramahamsa Nithyananda immediately after clinical death, and asked if they would like to return to the physical plane. While the majority prefer to move on, a rare few return to tell the astounding tale.

During the Samskara Dahana meditation process, which is part of the Inner Awakening® program, Paramahamsa Nithyananda enters the energy space of all the participants with their consent in order to cleanse their bio-memory of its patterns, incompletions and karmas.

The effect of this can be easily studied by the alteration of gene expression in the participants, which has shown up-regulation of beneficial genes and pathways and down-regulation of harmful genes and pathways after this initiation.

Akashic Readings or the accessing of information from the hiranyagarbha (Cosmic Archive) by crossing the barriers of space and time, which Paramahamsa Nithyananda occasionally performs for the benefit of devotees, is a rare and advanced expression of the mastery over the subtle frequencies of matter.

Prakamya is the ability to precipitate a desired reality from the infinite possibilities available in Existence.

For devotees, it translates as Kalpataru or the power of wish-fulfilment through the bestowing of boons.

Ishatva literally means possessing absolute lordship.

Ishatva actually denotes the power to influence the natural forces, as well as convert matter into energy and vice-versa at will.

In Patanjali Yoga Sutras, it is said:

By focused meditation on the true nature of the gross and subtle manifestations, their sequence and meaning, (one) gains mastery over physical matter.

It expresses as the siddhi of manifestation (Materialization) or moving objects or information from one place to another (Teleportation) as per the laws of quantum mechanics. Teleportation can involve the movement of information, an object or a being.

These phenomena have been studied extensively on Paramahamsa Nithyananda and the divyashareeris (energy channels) through whom He materializes objects. In his Avataric form, Paramahamsa Nithyananda has materialized or teleported over 4000 objects ranging from powder like vibhuti (sacred ash) to hard structures in the form of material objects, to distant places.

There are also significant eyewitness accounts of Paramahamsa Nithyananda's command over the natural forces like rain and snow (a few accounts have been shared in this volume).

Spiritual name: Sri Nithya Atma Pujananda Swami

Sannyasi of Nithyananda Order

Email: [email protected]

I had the good fortune to travel to Mt. Kailash with Swamiji in August 2012.

During the yatra (pilgrimage), many of the devotees from India expressed a desire to experience a snow shower, since they had never seen snow in their lives.

One night during the darshan at Manasarovar, Swamiji said that Kailash itself was celebrating our presence, and as a sign of blessing from Kailash, there would be a snow shower the next day.

Our chief travel guide, who was a local person, said there was no way we could expect snow, as the season for snow was more than three months away. Some of the devotees were disappointed about that.

I noticed that Swamiji just smiled at him quietly and said, 'OK'.

I thought to myself, 'The guide knows the weather, but Swamiji knows God!'

The next morning, just as we were getting ready to leave, we were graced with a beautiful snow shower! It was completely unseasonal, and a sure sign of Swamiji's power to influence Nature, which I have noticed earlier also on many occasions!

The surprised guide then said that we will not be able to have darshan of Kailash, since the weather had turned cloudy. But just as Swamiji got out of his caravan at the vantage point, the clouds suddenly parted and revealed Kailash!

I heard Swamiji's joyous cry of 'Har Har Mahadev!' and only then realized what had happened – Kailash had listened to Swamiji's request and given us darshan. What a power!

For over a decade, from 2004 to date, Paramahamsa Nithyananda Himself has undergone a series of scientific studies on His neurophysiology.

In 2004, a team of scientists led by Dr. Murali Krishna, MD, President, Integris Mental Health Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, conducted a series of state-of-the-art tests, including a PET Scan to study Paramahamsa Nithyananda's neurological systems.

Using the advanced technology of Positron Emission Tomography, or PET Scan, the activity of Paramahamsa Nithyananda's brain in the state of Samadhi was studied in detail.

There was a significant enhancement in activity of the lower portion of the mesial frontal area of the cerebral cortex.

This region is the starting point of the ajna chakra or the Third Eye and connects to the limbic system and the rest of the cerebral cortex.

At the same time, the rest of the cerebral cortex was in a complete state of rest.

The technique of quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) was utilized to study the various brain waves, viz, alpha, beta, theta and delta.

In a normal person, all the waves are present in different regions of the brain in different moments of time.

Due to His state of perpetual samadhi (sahaja samadhi), Paramahamsa Nithyananda demonstrated complete entrainment of all the brain waves, with the entire brain shifting fluidly from one brainwave pattern to another. This degree of synchronicity that contains over 100 billion neurons and even more interconnections is impossible to reproduce by any normal person under any circumstances.

On 29th April 2005, Dr. Juan Acosta-Urquidi & Associates from Sound Health Designs, Wichita, KS, USA, recorded autonomic functions like heart rate variability along with simultaneous EEG.

The heart rate variability (HRV) is a technique to measure the activity of the sympathetic or the parasympathetic nervous system.

During healing, HRV tests were conducted simultaneously on Paramahamsa Nithyananda and the recipient. There was an obvious difference in the HRV readings before healing began. As soon as healing was initiated, both Paramahamsa Nithyananda and the recipient showed exactly the same graph, both in time and space with a robust sympathetic arousal.

The conclusion was that during healing, there is complete entrainment of the autonomic nervous system of Paramahamsa Nithyananda with that of the recipient.

On 26th April 2006, Dr. Juan Acosta-Urquidi simultaneously studied Paramahamsa Nithyananda and a participant during a healing session, to measure a sensitive parameter of autonomous arousal called Galvanic Skin Resistance or Response.

Another technique to read the autonomic nervous system, the GSR readings showed an increased level of sympathetic arousal during healing. This is consistent with the HRV tests done separately in other labs.

It is important to realize that Paramahamsa Nithyananda is the only Avatar who has agreed to be scientifically evaluated, both in terms of His own body as well as the changes He brings about in other beings. However, it is astonishing to note that His Avataric attributes and powers are exactly as defined by the 5000-year-old Hindu yogic sciences after extensive observation and study. Now it is being tested and proven by modern science also.

This valuable data will set the benchmark for establishing the attributes and the powers of a true Avatar.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda states clearly that His purpose and vision is not only to reveal the sacred secrets, but also to establish the truth behind the science as one that is observable, reproducible in not only His presence, but also as a multi-centric science reproducible across the globe.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda Himself has been the subject of scientific studies since 2004, and over the past decade, an enormous amount of data about not only His altered state of neurophysiology, but that of His disciples as well, has continued to be recorded. This impressive array of data will be presented systematically in this chapter, as well as in the chapters to follow.

Scientists, researchers and doctors of the Integris Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center and the PET center of Oklahoma, USA administered various tests and analyzed the mystic phenomena on Nithyananda's neurological system. Following is the summary of the findings.

A Mind Matters Column™

The Mind of a Mystic

By R. Murali Krishna, M.D. President, James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body & Spirit President COO, INTEGRIS Mental Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Sri Nithyananda Swami is a trim, healthy looking young man with dark, shoulder-length hair. Handsome and polite, possessing an open manner and a wealth of curiosity, he could be any ordinary American college student.

The difference is that ordinary American college students do not wear orange robes and turbans, have not experienced spiritual enlightenment and are not regarded as a teacher, healer and mystic by millions of people in all corners of the world.

A mystic? The term is not a bad fit for 'Swami,' as he is known. Mystics, popular culture tells us, have direct communion with God. Through means not understood or measurable, mystics are thought to have access to ultimate realities or truths. Picture a mystic and you'll probably picture someone full of bliss, someone gifted with lofty thoughts and insights the rest of us do not possess. The very presence of a mystic is thought to bring peace and healing to others.

That's an apt description of Swami, a 27-year-old from South India. He is approached by thousands of people a year seeking relief from diseases and ailments that conventional medical approaches have not cured. Swami's background lends him the air of a mystic, too. He left his home as a teen, visited ashrams across India, immersed himself in philosophy, read extensively and mastered the art of meditation.

The procedures Swami went through were administered by some of Oklahoma City's finest and most experienced physicians, neuropsychologists and researchers: Drs. Fordyce, Ruwe and Higgins of the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center Neuropsychology Department and Dr. Chacko of the PET Center of Oklahoma. These doctors were using technology they use with patients on a routine basis. When they look at images obtained by their technology, they know what's normal and what's not.

The results from testing Swami? Decidedly not normal.

Our first look into Swami's brain was achieved with the help of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) device. Unlike traditional diagnostic techniques that produce images of the body's structure or anatomy, such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI, PET produces images of the function of the brain through the metabolic activity of cells. An analog of glucose is attached to a radioactive PET tracer. The PET scanner then images the metabolically active brain areas at any given time.

In the case of Swami, the drug was intended to identify highly active areas of the brain in an alert and conscious state, in the early stages of meditation and during deep meditation.

The results of the PET scan tests were stunning. To begin with, the activity in the frontal lobes of Swami's brain were significantly heightened, even in early meditation stages. The level of activity was higher than would be seen in the average human brain under any conditions.

When we then asked Swami to go into the deepest meditation state, there were two more remarkable findings. There was no hesitation and no retreating, just continuous, fluid shifts from one type of brainwave to the next. Because the QEEG represents the five brainwave bandwidths as colors, it was as we were watching Swami float from color to color within a rainbow.

The brain is the body's most complex organ, containing more than 100 billion neurons, each of them in chemical and electrical conversation with up to 10,000 other neurons. Its sheer capacity to process information is astonishing.

Remarkably, that complexity presents little difficulty for Swami in managing his brain activity. Swami's mind – his thoughts, emotions and intellect – control his brain. He can, in a very fluid, easy way, shift his brain function and alter his brainwaves.

More than answering questions, the voyage we took into the mind of a mystic brings intriguing questions for study:

Are there techniques we can learn and teach that will bring balance and peace into people's lives? Can we invoke a healing response or accelerate healing through specific training? Can we learn techniques that will allow us to control pain or alter the course of a disease? Can we learn to activate what I call our D-spot, thus putting us in instant connection to delight or the divine?

The results from our study of Swami are new pages in our world's growing book of research on the brain. There continue to be indications that the human mind may be able to choose to heal the body. We're now looking at the possibility of people learning and acquiring these healing capabilities, an event of immense benefit for humankind. The potential for altering the rates and progression of many diseases – heart disease, cancer, arthritis, alcoholism and many others – is beginning to look achievable.

Swami is a bridge between the invisible, ancient world of mysticism and the modern, visible world of science and discovery. As brain research continues on a widespread basis, and as we appropriately bring the phenomena of mysticism into the realm of science for further study, we are taking strides on a path of hope and health.

Pictures of electrode placement

Following are a few pictures that show that Swamiji's healing energy affects the HRV signals recorded in the receiving subject:

Baseline heart rhythm tachogram recording (approximately 7 mins.)

The following 3 graphs show the power frequency spectra of tachogram signal. The graph below shows the spectral signal value, at approximately 0.25, indicating parasympathetic state dominance (the subject was very quiescent).

In the graph below, a new peak appears at the far left, indicating robust sympathetic arousal, which mirrored Swamiji's spectral signal (not shown).

Baseline: Note highest power values are in Delta frontal sites; Theta highest at frontal-central and parietal sites, slightly left of midline. Alpha power comparable to Theta but restricted to frontal-central sites. Alpha and Beta 1, 2 overlap exactly.

Meditation: a comparison to Baseline topo maps reveals slightly increased Delta power; Theta concentrated more central and frontal; Alpha extends to parietal sites; Beta 1, 2 not much different, but Gamma band reveals a marked shift from frontal to occipital region

Seattle, Wa. USA. Dr. Juan Acosta-Urquidi and his associate, Ann Trechak from Sound Health Designs, LLC, Wichita, KS, USA made observations of brain waves and other vital metabolic activity during normal, deep sleep, meditating and healing states of Swamiji.

a

Following are brainstate patterns and colored topo maps of the brain with Baseline readings, Meditation, Deep Samadhi and Healing states' readings.

Power-frequency spectra reveals delta (1-4 Hz, burgundy) is the dominant rhythm, followed by theta (4-7.5 Hz, red) and some alpha (8-12 Hz, yellow).

19 channel International 10-20 electrocap hookup, linked ears referential using Mitsar equipment (St. Petersburg, Russia).

Baseline eyes closed. Topographic brainmap shows highest delta power localized at frontal-central sites.

At higher gain setting topo maps reveal roughly symmetrical distribution of delta, theta and alpha around Fz and Cz (frontal and central vertex sites).

Topo maps during meditation: Note increased beta rhythm: beta1 band reveals more green color (indicating increased power), and beta2 (15-20 Hz) now appears in light blue at same central site.

Healing State: This analysis revealed a striking shift of brainstate during healing; alpha rhythm (8-12 Hz, yellow) now shows marked increase and slow rhythms (mostly delta) are markedly suppressed. This finding is consistent with my previous studies with many energy healers, (Acosta-Urquidi, J., 2004, JACM, vol. 10, no. 4, p.725.)

Conclusion: Swamiji demonstrated a remarkable ability to shift into different brainstates during meditation, samadhi and healing conditions. The change between his baseline pattern and meditation is small, indicating that he is always in a permanent state of meditation when he sits still with eyes closed.

Nithyananda met with Dr. William Collins, a leading Researcher and a practicing Neurofeedback specialist at the latter’s office in St. Louis, USA. Dr. Collins requested to study the brain activity of Nithyananda along with that of a patient at the time he was healing the latter. The patient was in-jured in a car accident 10 years ear-lier consequently suffering from af-fected motor nerves. Nithyananda readily agreed to his request. The ex-periment was conducted and the re-sults recorded which are presented here in brief.

‘The world is not going to believe this!’ exclaimed Dr. Collins at seeing the as-tounding observations recorded.

There were 4 main states in which the brain readings of Nithyananda and the patient were recorded and compared: (a) both just sitting normally, (b) Nithyananda meditating, (c) Nithyananda healing the patient and (d) Nithyananda radiating healing energy, without directing it specifically towards the patient.

When Nithyananda was just sitting and his brain waves were recorded, Dr. Collins observed the following:

1. Nithyananda’s brain was unusually quiet (especially the right side of his brain). Brain metabolism was 1/20th of normal people – this is significantly lesser that what he has seen even in very calm persons.

• This implies there is an enormous conservation of energy.

• Oxygen and other chemicals consumed by the brain to process information is greatly con-served.

2. The activity was a minimum; only the energy required to run vital body functions were being consumed.

3. The readings of brain activity and metabolism were at such low levels that Dr. Collins changed electrodes to more sensitive ones and even adjusted them a few times to make sure he was getting the readings. Despite the adjustments, the readings continued to show unusually low levels! 4. The left and right sides of his brain were working simultaneously.

5. The strength of Alpha waves, which is generally high for people who are stressed, was signifi-cantly lower than normal.

Dr. Collins could not believe that Nithyananda was in his normal state with this level of activity in the brain. He remarked, 'there is no such thing as normal state for you!' And Nithyananda replied that he was right, because even during normal state he is really in Samadhi.

While Nithyananda was meditating:

1. Higher frequency brain waves increased. This was found only in people who had meditated for 20 yrs or so.

2. Lower frequency waves decreased in strength. This was the reverse of what is normally observed in average persons, where lower frequency waves become more prominent during meditation.

• The reason for this unusual reading is, as Nithyananda pointed out, that when average persons meditate they concentrate, but Nithyananda simply enters into pure awareness.

While Nithyananda healed David, Dr. Collins noted the following readings:

1. Nithyananda's brain readings were dramatically different.

2. The right side of His brain became much more active. The difference between the right side and the left side was dramatic!

• Right hemisphere does global thinking and rapid processing.

• Whatever takes the left brain several minutes to process, the right brain will process in half a sec (i.e. the right is 100s of times faster than left brain)!

• His right brain was much more active compared to the left.

• The right brain was also in the timeless zone (no concept of time).

3. The strength of the waves implied a tremendous level of metabolic activity.

• Dr. Collins stated 'If I had done this, I'd be fatigued and sleeping by the time its over!'

• But of course, Nithyananda felt refreshed after healing, and this was unbelievable for the doctor.

At the same time, from the patient's brain readings:

1. Certain high frequencies that we don't normally produce, were being produced by his brain.

• These high frequencies are generally produced when we integrate information, or an epiphany happens.

EEG Electroencephalogram

QEEG Quantitative (or Quantified) Electroencephalogram

a.k.a., brain-mapping or topographic EEG analysis, it is computer-based processing of EEG data obtained from electrodes attached to the scalp

Advantages of QEEG More objective assessment of EEG alterations is possible, which can be interpreted more easily by those who are not specifically trained in reading conventional data. Uninterrupted monitoring of instantaneous information about the changes in neurophysiological function is pos-sible. Attributes of brain function that cannot be seen in the raw EEG signal may be observed.

Application of QEEG Researchers have demonstrated that specific deficits were related to left and right hemispheric dysfunction as measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis.

Quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) and topographical brain mapping have been suc-cessful in demonstrating localization and verification in studies concerning right and left cere-bral hemispheric dysfunction.

The strength of QEEG as a measurement tool is established when utilizing an ideographic basis to make within-patient comparisons across homotypic brain regions (e.g., left frontal leads F1, F3, and F7, with right frontal leads F2, F4, and F8.

The QEEG is an effective and flexible neuropsychological assessment tool.

Types of Analysis ❖ Interhemispheric comparison (left versus right hemisphere sites) ❖ Within-subject statistical approach (patient serves as own control) ❖ Comparison of patient to normative database ❖ Comparison of specific sites (i.e., F8 & T4) based on current brain-behavior relationship theories

EEG Bandwidths The EEG (electroencephalograph) measures brainwaves of different frequencies within the brain. Electrodes are placed on specific sites on the scalp to detect and record the electrical impulses within the brain.

Frequency is the number of times a wave repeats itself within a second. It can be compared to the frequen-cies that you tune into on your radio. If any of these frequencies are deficient, excessive, or difficult to access, mental performance can suffer. Effects of Training: If enhanced, can induce drifting, trance-like state. If suppressed, can improve concentration, ability to focus attention

Alpha (8-12 Hz) Alpha waves tend to peak around 10Hz. Healthy alpha production promotes mental resource-fulness, aids in the ability to mentally coordinate, and enhances overall sense of relaxation. In this state you can move quickly and efficiently to accomplish whatever task is at hand. When Alpha predominates most people feel at ease and calm. Alpha waves represent the stage when the brain is shifting into idling gear, relaxed and disengaged, waiting to respond when needed. It is considered to be "potential" activity of cortical areas.

It is the major rhythm seen in normal relaxed adults - it is present during most of life especially beyond the thirteenth year when it dominates the resting tracing.

Alpha is a common state for the brain and occurs whenever a person is alert, but not actively processing information. You can increase alpha by closing your eyes or deep breathing or decrease alpha by thinking or calculating.

Alpha-Theta training can create an increase in sensation and abstract thinking.

Subjective feeling states: Relaxed, not agitated, not drowsy, tranquil.

Associated tasks & behaviors: Meditation, no action

Effects of Training: Can produce relaxation, inner-awareness of self, mind/body integration, balance, centering.

Beta (12-35 Hz) Activity is 'fast' activity. It is low amplitude, high frequency activity associated with a state of mental, intellectual, focused attention or concentration. It is an active processing state. It is usually seen in symmetrical distribution and is most evident frontally. It may be absent or reduced in areas of cortical damage.

It is generally regarded as a normal rhythm and is the dominant rhythm in those who are alert or anxious or who have their eyes open. However, high beta during relaxed states often signifies difficulties with excessive anxiety or obsessions.

It is the state that most of brain is in when we have our eyes open and are listening and thinking during analytical problem solving, judgment, decision making, processing information about the world around us.