Editor’s Note🔗

It is almost three years since the first volume of Nithyananda’s life story was written. At the time of writing the first volume Nithyananda had said that his story would be told in three volumes. The first was about the period of his growing up in Thiruvannamalai till he left home. This volume was published in 2005. The second was to be about his wandering days, when he traveled around India in parivrajaka, monastic wandering. This book that you have in your hands is the second volume. The third volume would be about the period after Nithyananda’s enlightenment. It is very likely that the third volume would multiply to thirty or even three hundred!

Very much like the first volume this book too had many missed starts. I accompanied the Master at least on three major trips in the fond hope that he may talk about incidents connected to this period. In a sense this period of his monastic wandering has been the most difficult to document. Before he left home he lived with his family. We could contact friends and family to fill the gaps as they arose. In later volumes after the enlightenment we would again have sources to verify. In any event since 2003 almost all of Nithyananda’s words have been documented. But this period between 1995 when he left Thiruvannamalai and 2000, the year he realized himself is the period of uncertain history.

Once when we asked Nithyananda about this period he said: Enlightenment is a rebirth process. It was as if my body and mind died at that moment. It is as if all the past memories before my enlightenment had been archived and stored somewhere else. I need to go and search. Sometimes these memories come up voluntarily, some times they don’t. What to do?

So, as he often says, what to do, nothing can be done. One just relaxes and waits. That is how this volume was written. One waited to catch those magic moments of past experiences as they were revealed with no advance warning. We are fortunate that someone or another caught these magic moments of camera and tape so that we scribes could do our job.

Why are these moments and his experiences so important?

Why are the Ramayana and Mahabharata so important? They are inspired outpourings of great masters that in turn inspired millions if not billions. No one knows for sure that they happened the way they were written and yet the essence of truth radiates from them. Generations of Indians have been brought up on these puranas and have tailored their lifestyles to their teachings. They have been the gospels for thousands of years and billions of people not merely in the sub continent but in other parts of Asia as well.

Histories of all great masters have served that purpose. Biographies and autobiographies of great maters such as Ramakrishna, Ramana, Vivekananda, Yogananda and others have molded the lives of many generations that came after them. Millions have aspired to their inspired state and have committed their lives to their ideals. Nithyananda is a master whose life story can transform one’s life. The truth is that the book that you hold now has the energy to transform you. Every word that is written in these pages is the truth. It is the truth of consciousness that transforms. The very reading inspires and transforms.

In these pages we have incidents that would make the casual reader wonder how these could have happened. The truth is that they did. The Arunagiri Yogishwara who gave Nithyananda a shawl when he was barely twelve, the Krishna who came alive through the innocence of an old lady, The Shiva who tended him when he was lying ill, Mahavatar Baba who blessed him with his name, Mother Ganga who blessed him with a death experience and the eternal virgin Narmada who carried him across, all of them interacted with Nithyananda exactly as told in these pages. Those who read with trust, faith and devotion are truly blessed, for they are ready for their own transformation.

To those of us who helped our Master's words come alive in these pages this has never been an exercise in writing. It has not been any kind of penance as any tapas implies some hardship. This has been an exercise in Nithya Ananda, deep and eternal blissful meditation. Without such meditation this book would not have been possible.

A traditional preface would have us offer this book to the lotus feet of the Master. This does not make sense to us. When Nithyananda is all around us where do we find his feet? To paraphrase Ramana Maharishi, why limit the concept of Nithyananda to his physical feet? We offer this book to the immeasurable energy that is Nithyananda, seeking His blessing to each and every one of you who has this book in hand.

As the Master says:

Let you experience Nithyananda, let you be one with Nithyananda, let you be Nithyananda.

Om Tat Sat!

NAA