| Gurumayi Chidvilasananda | |
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 Gurumayi Chidvilasananda in 1984. |
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| Born | June 24, 1955
Bangalore |
Swami Chidvilasananda is the monastic name of Malti Shetty (Mumbai, India, June 24, 1955), who is the current guru of the Siddha Yoga lineage (parampara) established by Swami Muktananda.
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Malti Shetty was the oldest child of a Mumbai restaurateur; he and his wife were devotees of Swami Muktananda in the 1950s. Malti was brought the first time to the Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram at Ganeshpuri when she was five years old. During her childhood, her parents brought her, her sister, and two brothers to the ashram on weekends.[1]
After she had been initiated by Muktananda through shaktipat at age fourteen,[2] Malti moved to the ashram as a formal disciple and yoga student. [3] Muktananda soon made her his official English language translator and she accompanied him on his three world tours.
In May 3, 1982, Malti Shetty was initiated as a sannyasin into the Saraswati order, taking vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience, and acquiring the title and monastic name of Swami Chidvilasananda, (literally, "bliss of the play of consciousness"). She was later to be also called Gurumayi by her devotees. At this time Muktananda formally designated her as one of his successors, along with her brother Subhash Shetty, by this time known as Swami Nityanand.[4]
Swami Chidvilasananda gives this description of the spiritual initiation she received from Swami Muktananda in 1982:
All of a sudden, my Guru, my Baba,
Placed his hand on my head.
Streaks of fire exploded from his palm.
The house of my individuality was set ablaze.
Everything I had was burned away.[5]
Muktananda died a few months later. In 1985, there was a split between the two co-gurus and Swami Chidvilasananda became the sole head of Siddha Yoga.
Swami Chidvilasananda renamed the South Fallsburg, New York ashram Shree Muktananda Ashram, in honor of her guru, Swami Muktananda.
In 1992 she incorporated the PRASAD Project in the United States.[6] The PRASAD project is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nation.[7]
In 1997 she founded the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute with its own publishing imprint, Agama Press.[8]
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   | PRASAD Project - PRASAD - About PRASAD - Mission and Vision |
| | Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Non-Governmental Organizations Section - United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs - NGO Section |
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