Kriya-yoga is an ancient meditative yogic tradition brought to the world by Mahavatar Babaji to help humanity attain self-mastery and realise the Divine.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda teaches that the path to mastery is through sadhana, a consistent structured spiritual practice. As a kriya-yoga Master, He has chosen kriya-yoga as the primary meditative sadhana for Bhakti Marga.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a direct disciple of Mahavatar Babaji who asked Him to bring a new form of kriya-yoga to the world. Together they chose the kriya-yoga techniques best suited for our current times. In 2007, Paramahamsa Vishwananda introduced Atma Kriya Yoga through Bhakti Marga.

Atma Kriya Yoga means ‘action with awareness of the soul’. Paramahamsa Vishwananda says the fastest way to develop this awareness, and attain the Divine, is through bhakti.

Each Atma Kriya Yoga technique is specifically designed to cultivate one of the nine forms of bhakti. Awakening love and devotion for the Divine allows you to enjoy the Divine through your practice, moment by moment, breath by breath.

Atma Kriya Yoga includes Shaktipat initiation which is a transference of spiritual energy that pours the grace of all kriya-yoga Masters into the student. Through the grace of Paramahamsa Vishwananda and Mahavatar Babaji, this blessing plants the seeds necessary for God-realisation and rapid advancement on the spiritual path.

Every student who receives Shaktipat is automatically initiated into the kriya-yoga lineage.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s inborn mastery of kriya-yoga uniquely qualifies Him to initiate teachers and guide others on the path. He has initiated an extraordinary number of teachers.

As of 2017, 225 Atma Kriya Yoga teachers, on six continents, have been initiated and received the blessing to teach and give Shaktipat initiations to others.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda has also blessed a number of other practices derived from Atma Kriya Yoga to help students experience the power of a personal practice and to pave the way for deepening their relationship with the Divine.

An acharya is an honoured teacher and the title is awarded only to those who exemplify the teachings of the spiritual lineage. As an acharya, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has the authority to interpret and pass on the values and practices of the lineage as He sees fit.

Vaishnavas are bhaktas, lovers of the Lord. They are characterised by their personal relationship and eternal, loving devotional service to Narayana, the Supreme Lord.

Om namo narayanaya is the highest mantra of Bhakti Marga. Originally, it was through the grace of Ramanujacharya that this once secret mantra was made available to liberate everyone. In essence, the mantra means:

‘I salute the Lord, in whom all things abide and who abides in all things.’

Today, through the grace of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, this mantra offers the key to liberation in this current age. This is especially true when you have been initiated into the mantra through the Bhakti Marga Spiritual Order or Atma Kriya Yoga.

All Vaishnavas conduct themselves with great humility and recognise the importance of a guru to help them attain God, which they see as the ultimate aim of a human existence.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda venerates not only Sri Ramanujacharya, but also Mahavatar Babaji, who is both the founding guru of kriya-yoga and His own guru. Murtis of both gurus hold a place of honour on the main altar in the Sri Bhutabhrteshwarnath Mandir (temple) at Shree Peetha Nilaya.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda has always given Divine Mother great love and reverence. She has appeared to Him many times over the years. In fact, it was Divine Mother who asked Paramahamsa Vishwananda to settle in Germany and that He name His ashram Shree Peetha Nilaya, which means the ‘abode of Maha-Lakshmi’.

She also has a significant presence in the ashram’s beautiful new temple, Sri Bhutabhrteshwarnath Mandir.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda spent 18 days giving this Srimad Bhagavad Gita commentary in the form of an extraordinary live discourse open to the public.

The final form turned into a hardbound book of over 1000 pages including Sanskrit verses, English translations and commentary.

This commentary is from the week-long Srimad Bhagavatam discourse that Paramahamsa Vishwananda held in 2015. Known as the 7-day Journey to Love, He went deeply into interpreting the details of this classic scripture, regaling everyone with stories of extraordinary bhaktas and their awe-inspiring lives of devotion to the Lord.

The Bhakti Marga mission was launched on Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s 27th birthday. He then began to travel the world to give darshans, lead pilgrimages, build communities, and initiate brahmacharis into the Bhakti Marga Spiritual Order.

Devotees who wish to formalise their commitment to following His teachings and guidance may take initiation into the Bhakti Marga Spiritual Order.

Initiations include devotee, brahmachari and brahmacharini (monks and nuns), rishi (teachers), swamis and swaminis (masters).

Paramahamsa Vishwananda introduced painting as a meditative way to deepen a connection with the Divine in form. Bhakti Marga Devotional Art has evolved a lot over the years.

The Sri Bhutabhrteshwarnath Mandir is its crowning glory, with its art prominently featured on all the walls of the temple. Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s guidance was sought in every phase of the 100+ murals and wall reliefs. Today, Bhakti Marga artists are in demand all over the world to paint temples and offer classes.

Devotional music is an important feature of every Bhakti Marga event and Paramahamsa Vishwananda encourages everyone to sing along. He praises kirtan and bhajans for their ability to help us forget about ourselves, awaken our hearts and express our devotion.

Unprecedented in history, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has woven together the rich temple worship practices of Southern Vaishnavism with classic Vedic hymns and intimate, ecstatic devotional love songs that glorify the Divine in many forms. These practices offer a unique opportunity to experience and express bhakti through loving devotional service to the Divine.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda often speaks about how important it is on the spiritual path to associate with positive, like-minded people. Inspired by His teachings, Bhakti Marga communities are present in more than 80 countries on six continents. These groups gather regularly for events, courses and worship. They truly reflect the Sanskrit concept of vasudhaiva-kutumbakam: the world is one family. Guests are always welcome.

Daily meditative and yogic sadhana (or spiritual practice) was first introduced in the form of Atma Kriya Yoga. Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a kriya-yoga Master and a direct disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. Together they chose to bring forth kriya-yoga techniques that develop bhakti and allow practitioners to experience their own unique relationships with the Divine.

To support and strengthen communities, and to help people stay connected with the practices that elevate them, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has inaugurated 30 temples around the world. All temples welcome visitors who wish to come and celebrate the Divine in the company of bhaktas.

Masterfully using experience as a teaching tool, Paramahamsa Vishwananda called upon residents and devotees to work together to completely refurbish an abandoned seminar complex to house His main ashram. Teaching by example, He was ever-present during the renovations, and a major part of every construction decision.

It took six years of love, patience and unity to turn the seriously damaged building into the beautiful centre it is today. Shree Peetha Nilaya, the abode of Maha-Lakshmi, opened to the public in 2013.

Following Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s lead, additional ashrams have been built by His swamis around the world. As of 2018, ashrams are open in India (Vrindavan), Latvia (Riga) and Russia (Moscow). Three more are under construction in South Africa, Czech Republic, and two more in Russia.

To bring music that glorifies the Names of God to a wider audience, and to create an uplifting experience of Divine Love, Paramahamsa Vishwananda started the Just Love Festival. The three-day spiritual party has quickly become Europe’s largest spiritual music festival attracting world-renowned international artists and thousands of guests.

Throughout the years, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has collected an impressive array of over 500 relics from the most esteemed and revered saints in all of Hinduism. Now on reverent display in the Hindu Saint Museum at The Ashram, He invites everyone to come and venerate those who lived a life of Divine Love and who saw God in everyone and everything.

The Sri Bhutabhrteshwarnath Mandir is a testament to bhakti, saturating the senses with the Divine on every level: art, scriptures, music, worship practices, the lives of saints, and a community of lovers of the Lord. Inspired by the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, more than 100 wall paintings glorify the pastimes of Krishna, avatars of Lord Narayana, Vaishnava saints, and the bhaktas who loved them. The art alone is worth a trip to see this beautiful expression of bhakti.

The temple is the crown jewel of Shree Peetha Nilaya and invites everyone to attend prayers with ‘Live from the Ashram’ broadcasts available through The Ashram website.

There is a difference between a guru and a satguru. Gurus are ones who can take one out of the darkness of ignorance. Gurus are teachers and you can have many gurus in life. But knowledge alone is not enough to grant liberation.

To be on the bhakti path is not a random occurrence. It is a sign that God is longing for you just as you are longing for Him. When the time is right, He sends the satguru to show you the way, to help you rise above your negative thinking and develop positive divine qualities.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda is here to remind you of your divinity and give you an experience of Divine Love. And for those who are ready, He is here to shower them with the grace to realise God.

A satguru is one who has had the vision of God and knows Him well. You only have one satguru. It is an eternal relationship that lasts throughout many lives, and only your satguru can free you from the cycle of birth and death caused by karma. Paramahamsa Vishwananda is such a being.

The grace a satguru carries is indescribable as the Lord is ever present with Him. To meet your satguru is an immeasurable blessing and rare opportunity. Through His infinite mercy, Paramahamsa Vishwananda graciously takes responsibility for the spiritual attainment of all those who sincerely seek and follow His guidance.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda provides support to His devotees in the form of sadhana (spiritual practices), wisdom, teachings and personal experiences. His continual aim is to help people transform everything that stands in the way of them realising their innate divine qualities and attaining God.

To receive darshan from a satguru is a treasure beyond words. A satguru’s wisdom is beyond compare as He is the living embodiment of the timeless scriptures. To take initiation under a satguru provides the keys to realising eternal bliss.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda was born God-realised on 13 June1978 on the beautiful island of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. Almost immediately, people could see that this child was someone special.

His parents belonged to the Bharadwaja-gotra, a noteworthy brahmana family lineage that dates back thousands of years, even before the time of Krishna.

His guru, Mahavatar Babaji, first appeared to Him when He was about five years old, recovering from eating some poisonous berries in the hospital. As Paramahamsa Vishwananda tells of the experience, this was when He saw the Light of His true Self, a light brighter than the sun. He was to see Mahavatar Babaji again and again as time passed.

At the age of 14, He began to embrace His mission as a spiritual Teacher after He experienced a state of samadhi (complete absorption in the Divine).

It didn’t take long before His vibrant personality and unmistakable realisation of the Divine began to attract more and more people seeking His blessings and advice. Much to His mother’s dismay, visitors lined up at His home wanting to meet with ‘the young saint’.

At the age of 19, He visited Europe for the first time. Very quickly, spiritual seekers started to gather to see Him. At this point in time, the Divine Mother appeared to Him and asked Him to settle in Europe.

His first ashram was established in tiny village of Steffenshof, Germany when a handful of followers decided they all wanted to live together. What started with a single house, soon grew to four. After just three and a half years, as more and more devotees joined the group, it was clear they needed a larger place to call home.

On His 27th birthday, He officially launched His public Bhakti Marga Mission. Bhakti Marga means ‘path of devotion’. This meaning described His life perfectly, and through Bhakti Marga, His message and teachings could be spread throughout the world.