Kripalvananda
Encyclopedia
Kripalvananda also known as Swami Kripalvanandji or Bapuji, was a renowned master of kundalini yoga
and the namesake of the Kripalu Center
and Kripalvananda Yoga Institute in the United States
.
Kripalvananda was born in 1913 in Dabhoi
, Gujarat, India
. After his training by guru
Dadaji (also known as Pranavandji or Bhagwan Lakulish), he renounced his worldly attachments and traveled throughout western India as a lecturer, writer, and teacher. One of his students was Yogi Amrit Desai
.
He is reputed to have met Dadaji in Bombay circa 1932, when Dadaji told him he was occupying the body of a deceased sadhu
for 18 months, during which time he could initiate Kripalvananda into the teachings of kundalini yoga. The two men traveled together for 15 months until Dadaji vanished. Several years later, in 1942, Kripalvananda took sannyasa
vows and became a recognized kundalini yoga master.
Dadaji is said to have reappeared to Kripalvananda briefly in 1950, then in the body of a 19-year old saint
. In 1955, Kripalvananda encountered a statue of Lord Lakulisha, the 28th incarnation
of Shiva
, and recognized Lakulisha's face as the face of Dadaji. It is said that the advanced teachings of kundalini yoga were revealed to him at that instant.
..
Swami Rajarshi Muni is a disciple of Kripalvanand who maintains Bapuji's ashram in India, looks after his disciples there. and is said to be carrying Kripalvananda's spiritual lineage forward.
Kripalvananda spent four years at Desai's yoga centers in the United States, primarily at the Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania. While in the U.S., he performed intense sadhana
for 10 hours daily. In 1981, as his health was failing, he returned to India, where he died December 29, 1981.
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline for developing strength, awareness, character, and consciousness. Practitioners call Kundalini yoga the yoga of awareness because it focuses primarily on practices that expand sensory awareness and intuition in order to raise individual...
and the namesake of the Kripalu Center
Kripalu Center
The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a non-profit organization that operates a health and yoga retreat in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Its facility is a former Jesuit novitiate and juniorate seminary built in 1957. The center has described itself as North America's largest residential facility...
and Kripalvananda Yoga Institute in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Kripalvananda was born in 1913 in Dabhoi
Dabhoi
Dabhoi is a city and a municipality in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. It was originally known as Darbhavati.- History :...
, Gujarat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. After his training by guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Dadaji (also known as Pranavandji or Bhagwan Lakulish), he renounced his worldly attachments and traveled throughout western India as a lecturer, writer, and teacher. One of his students was Yogi Amrit Desai
Amrit Desai
Amrit Desai is a Yoga master who founded the Kripalu Center and currently oversees the Amrit Yoga Institute in Salt Springs, Florida, located in the Ocala National Forest.- Life and career :...
.
He is reputed to have met Dadaji in Bombay circa 1932, when Dadaji told him he was occupying the body of a deceased sadhu
Sadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
for 18 months, during which time he could initiate Kripalvananda into the teachings of kundalini yoga. The two men traveled together for 15 months until Dadaji vanished. Several years later, in 1942, Kripalvananda took sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
vows and became a recognized kundalini yoga master.
Dadaji is said to have reappeared to Kripalvananda briefly in 1950, then in the body of a 19-year old saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. In 1955, Kripalvananda encountered a statue of Lord Lakulisha, the 28th incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, and recognized Lakulisha's face as the face of Dadaji. It is said that the advanced teachings of kundalini yoga were revealed to him at that instant.
Disciples
Kripalvananda is said to have met Amrit Desai in 1947 and recognized him as the one who was meant to carry his tradition to the WestWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
..
Swami Rajarshi Muni is a disciple of Kripalvanand who maintains Bapuji's ashram in India, looks after his disciples there. and is said to be carrying Kripalvananda's spiritual lineage forward.
Kripalvananda spent four years at Desai's yoga centers in the United States, primarily at the Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania. While in the U.S., he performed intense sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
for 10 hours daily. In 1981, as his health was failing, he returned to India, where he died December 29, 1981.
External links
- Kripalvananda Yoga Institute
- Yogacharya Swami Shri Kripalvanandji on Lakulish Yoga website