Swami Vishwananda's Bhakti Marga and Parampara

It has been a little strange here at Jiva these past few days. Swami Vishwananda is here with his troupe of disciples, of whom there are a goodly number, perhaps 80 or so.

When I arrived in Vrindavan already a couple of weeks back, almost the first thing I noticed at the corner of Mathura Road and the Parikrama Marg was a big billboard with Swami Vishwananda’s charming smile and glowing tilak staring charismatically out at the world and announcing that he would be giving darshan on March 8 at the Jiva Institute. Below him, in a smaller frame was Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji, who besides being his host will be speaking on the Bhāgavatam at the darshan event.

This is not the first time that Vishwananda and his group have been at Jiva. Satyanarayana Dasaji calls Vishwananda a friend, and indeed the relations between the two are very cordial. Vishwananda's group is mostly young and enthusiastic, predominantly European (German and points east), who are very enthusiastic about kirtan and generally float around in a bubble of love for their guru.

I took it that I was watching a fledgling religious movement – hopefully benign – in its early stages, centered around this Mauritian Indian’s personality as the “embodiment of pure love.” Being such, he has devised his own bhakti-mārga, claiming adherence to the Sri Sampradaya as well as the receipt of grace from the legendaryHimalayan kriyā-yoga master, “Mahavatar Babaji” with whom he is in mystical communion. Indeed, he has written two books in which he "channels" Babaji and brings his message down from the Himalayas to today's world.

Bhakti Marg devotees whooping it up on Holi at Jiva.

Being brought up in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, like many others I naturally had a bit of discomfort with Swami Vishwananda's group from the onset. It comes down to legitimacy. We were trained by Srila Prabhupada to give importance to paramparā, the disciplic succession, despite the technical dubiousness of the Gaudiya Math's own antecedents and Saraswati Thakur's revisioning of the concept. Charismatic leaders like Vishwananda are endowed with great amounts of personal charm and natural leadership abilities can make others trust them with their spiritual lives, In our tradition we have always been quite openly sectarian, and that samskara is still with me.

When I asked about his disciplic succession, Vishwananda wrote to me the following:

I understand the nature of your doubt. I am unconventional. We are from the Sri Sampradaya and yet we worship Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and adopt many customs of other traditions. I count many Gaudiya Vaishnavas as my friends, including of course Mahant Sri Satya Narayan Dasji. 

From my point of view I am acting in accordance with what it means to be a real Vaishnava. What is the purpose of being a Vaishnava if we cannot embrace the love and bhakti of our brothers simply because they belong to a different Sampradaya? I recognise those who love God as my friends and family, irrespective of their tradition. 

Yet it is as you said, tradition is still important for guidance and focus, and with the information attached I hope your doubts are laid to rest regarding my own legitimacy and that of Bhakti Marga.
______________________________

Guru Parampara 

Peria Perumal Thiruvadikalay

Peria Pirattiyar Thiruvadikalay

Alhwar Emperumanar Thiruvadikalay

Koorathalwar Thiruvadikalay

Sri Ramanuja Acharya

Sri Parangusa Das
Srimath Yamuna Muni

Srimath Rama Misra

Srimath Pundarikaksha

Srimath Natha Muni

Srimath Satagopa
Sri Venkatarya Patha Saktham

Sri Ramakya Bhattar Swami

Sri Raghunatha Harithakula Bhushanam
Sri Veddhavyasotharam Srimath Rangaraja
Sri Vedhavyasa Raghunatha Bhattar Swami Kumarar
Sri Vedhavyasa Rangaraja Bhattar Thiruvadikalay
Sri Vedhavyasa Rangaraja Bhattar Swami Vishwananda

According to Babaji, who spoke to me personally about their relation and also in his introduction at the "darshan" event, they met by accident when SND was taken to Vishwananda's German center, the two became friends and the younger Swami showed respect for SN's learning and spiritual acumen, etc.

I certainly do not know Babaji as someone who would compromise his own integrity or Jiva Goswami's teachings for the sake of any personal benefit. Babaji recognizes Vishwananda has some charismatic power, since he can attract hundreds of people to these darshan events, even in secular Germany where he himself is lucky to attract a dozen or two. But more than that, Babaji appears to have great confidence in the sincerity Vishwananda's desire for bhakti.

It seems to me that Vishwananda has "outsourced" philosophy to Babaji, and he himself along with his disciples all regularly attend Babaji's classes when they are in Vrindavan. Certainly, he is evolving in his practice and teachings, in part due to Babaji's association.

In the beginning I expressed a bit of frustration that a Swami who seems to be in a constant state of philosophical flux should be able to stir up so much interest. "It is all just made up," I said, Then, half seriously, "I think I should also start my own sampradāya," Implying that if he can do it, why can't someone with a little more depth innovate and create appeal?

"What will you call it?" Babaji asked.

I had no quick answer because I could not think of ever being anything other than a Rupanuga. Nevertheless, I know that in terms of strict adherence, it is almost impossible to be a true follower. I said to Babaji, "How can one claim to even understand the words or mood of people who lived 500 years ago when the world has so changed? No matter how faithful we are to a teaching, the times challenge us to adapt to them."

It does indeed seem necessary to adapt or innovate if we want to avoid irrelevance. We came to do good. We wanted to find the highest good so that we could do the greatest good. It is the art of the sāra-grāhī to communicate the essence. But the trouble with scholarship is that we tend to get caught up in intricate details and lose the fundamental simple message that can have an immediate impact on a seeker. Oversimplification, of course, is probably worse, since it leads to facile sentimentalism. Vishwananda talks of "Just Love" and Babaji talks about purifying the concept of love in accordance with Jiva Goswami's philosophy.

Naturally, a person of great charisma attracts various kinds of rumors, usually prurient. For the moment I prefer to see the positive side of individuals like Vishwananda because I believe in the positive side of his teaching. His disciples are keen for the practices of bhakti, which their guru has given them, so what can be the harm? If you believe in the positive values of Harinama and kirtan, then certainly he is leading them in the right direction.

Vishwananda Swami has bought a house just a few meters from the Jiva Insitute, which indicates that the relation between the two is set to continue into the future. Let us hope that Radharani's mercy and the grace of the Goswamis guide both of them.