50 Facts About Nigamananda Paramahansa

Nigamananda Paramahansa is associated with the Shakta tradition and viewed as a perfect spiritual master of vedanta, tantra, yoga and prema or bhakti.

Nigamananda Paramahansa was a sannyasi from Adi Shankar's dashanami sampradaya.

Nigamananda Paramahansa achieved siddhi in four different sadhanas : tantra, gyan, yoga and prema.

At his birth, Nigamananda Paramahansa was named Nalinikanta, per the wishes of his father, Bhuban Mohan and the advice of his father's guru, Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati.

Nigamananda Paramahansa completed his study in 1899 and joined a service in the District Board of Dinajpur, the estate of Rani Rashmoni.

Nigamananda Paramahansa went to Kutabpur to inquire and learned that she had died just an hour before his vision.

Nigamananda Paramahansa unsuccessfully attempted to reach his wife through occult science.

Nigamananda Paramahansa's inquiry took him to Madras to study theosophy at the Theosophical Society at Adyar.

Nigamananda Paramahansa woke up to find the sadhu standing beside his bed.

Nigamananda Paramahansa saw Tara Devi coming out of his body and mingling with him.

Nigamananda Paramahansa met guru Satchidananda Saraswati at the holy place of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Nigamananda Paramahansa realized that Satchidananda Saraswati was the sadhu who had given him the Tara mantra in his dream.

Nigamananda Paramahansa was initiated by the Satchidananda into renunciation and according to that principle changed his name to Nigamananda.

Satchidananda directed Nigamananda Paramahansa to undertake pilgrimages to the four institutions of religious seats and realize for himself the significance of each, as the Hindus held these places of worship sacred.

Nigamananda Paramahansa followers believe that he did enter by way of this samadhi and was returned into his body with the residual consciousness of "I am the master or guru" and in yoga he had visualized and practically understood in his own body his guru's vedic knowledge.

Nigamananda Paramahansa accepted her challenge and traveled to Gouri devi to learn bhava sadhana.

In 1904 Nigamananda Paramahansa went to Allahabad to see kumbha mela and learned that his master Sachidandand was in the area, staying with Sankaracarya of Sringeri Matha.

Nigamananda Paramahansa found Sankaracarya sitting on an elevated throne surrounded by 125 monks, including his guru.

Nigamananda Paramahansa further explained to the sadhu assemblies that "on the basis of the vedanta philosophy there was no difference between his 'Guru' and 'Jagadguru' ".

Nigamananda Paramahansa spent the last fourteen years of his life in Puri.

Nigamananda Paramahansa's mission was to propagate sanatana dharma, the spiritual foundation of the Hindu religion, to spread the "right kind of education" among people, to publish spiritual literature with emphasis on character building and to provide "service to all created beings", with the attitude of serving the indwelling God.

Nigamananda Paramahansa encouraged his disciples to meet periodically in groups of three or more to offer prayer and worship to the guru, to exchange spiritual experiences and to chant "jayaguru", a non-sectarian word he invented, meaning "Glory of, by, and for the Master".

Nigamananda Paramahansa instructed them to read spiritual books and devise ways and means for managing matha and ashrams and pledging to lead the life of a spiritually inspired ideal householder.

Nigamananda Paramahansa advised his disciples that the glory of God or Guru is experienced through the medium of the word "jayaguru".

Nigamananda Paramahansa studied vedanta philosophy due to Shankaracharya after he was initiated as a sanyasi of that order.

Nigamananda Paramahansa indicated that Shankar's disciplines were difficult and that Lord Gaurang offered an easier path.

Nigamananda Paramahansa never admitted that he was God-incarnate or an Avatar although many disciples fancied him as one.

Nigamananda Paramahansa stated that an incarnation is an exclusive descent of God on earth to uphold spiritual order.

Patanjali's aphorism expands this idea: "By contemplating on the form of one who has no attachments, concentration of mind is attained", Nigamananda Paramahansa advised his disciples to meditate on his physical form such that all the admirable qualities and attributes in him would get automatically transferred into their beings and fashion their souls.

However, Nigamananda Paramahansa pointed out that true transcendental divine love and ecstasy could be properly experienced by the most fortunate ones only after they had attained monistic realization of the supreme as declared by Lord Krishna himself in the Bhagavadgeeta:.

Nigamananda Paramahansa pointed out that the path shown by Gauranga, who practiced and preached unconditional devotion and love for God, was rather narrow, inasmuch as it was directed to Sri Krishna as the only God.

Nigamananda Paramahansa pointed out that although the doctrine of monastic vedanta philosophy treats the supreme reality in terms of oneness of individual and universal consciousness, it does not systematically explain the structure of the material creation that is addressed by Samkhya philosophy.

Nigamananda Paramahansa said that one should remember that death is coming.

Nigamananda Paramahansa taught that the breathing system is closely connected with the intricate workings of the mind.

Nigamananda Paramahansa pointed out that if earlier practices are perfected, the succeeding steps yield lasting results.

Nigamananda Paramahansa founded his first Yoga Ashram in 1905 at Kodaldhoa in Garo Hills, which is called now "Garohill-Yogashrama".

Nigamananda Paramahansa founded Shanti Ashram in 1912 at Jorhat to fulfill his three missions, to propagate Sanatana Dharma, spreading true education and serve everybody as god incarnate.

Nigamananda Paramahansa took a plot of land of Jorhat in Sibsagar district and founded this ashram there on Akshaya Tritiya, in the month of Baishakh.

Swami Nigamananda Paramahansa retired and resided in Nilachala Kutir in Puri for several years, until 1935.

Nigamananda Paramahansa said, this matha is very dear to my heart, I can sacrifice my life hundred times for the sake of this matha.

Nigamananda Paramahansa believed that Lord Jagannath is the "symbol of truth".

Nigamananda Paramahansa established Guru Brahama Ashrams where people from any faith can come and pray in their own ways.

Nigamananda Paramahansa instituted five Ashrams in five divisions of undivided Bengal.

Nigamananda Paramahansa installed Jagat Gurus Ashan, in 1915 at Kokilamukh, Jorhat, Assam and established many ashrams and made thousands of disciples in the guru-shishya tradition.

Followers of Nigamananda Paramahansa run Nigamananda Paramahansa Education Centers in Orissa, schools and educational institutions around India.

Nigamananda Paramahansa wrote and published a series of books, known collectively as Saraswata Granthavali.

Nigamananda Paramahansa published Arya Darpan, a monthly magazine on sanatana dharma, intended for disseminating non-sectarian spiritual knowledge among the masses.

Nigamananda Paramahansa created an annual conference called Bhakta Sammilani for householders and sanyasis, to strengthen prayer groups, discuss the importance of having a guru, review the well-being of sanyasis living in the ashrams, help solve problems pertaining to them and the ashrams as a whole, provide welfare, such as schools, for communities and to hold lectures by enlightened speakers on public spiritual life.

Nigamananda Paramahansa set a different prayer day for women disciples where they alone could participate and exchange their views.

Nigamananda Paramahansa's birthday is celebrated every year on Sravan Purnima day at Nilachala Kutir in Oriya culture.