This is the first authoritative biography of Babaji, the immortal master made famous by Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi", an all-time best-seller. Babaji lives today near Badrinath, in the upper Himalayan mountains. His body has not aged since the age of sixteen, when centuries ago he attained the supreme state of enlightenment and divine transformation. This followed his initiation into scientific art of Kriya Yoga by two deathless masters, the siddhas Agastyar and Boganathar, who belonged to the '18 Siddha Tradition', famous among the Tamil speaking people of southern India. This rare account, by a long time disciple, reveals their little known stories, ancient culture and present mission, as well as how their Kriya Yoga can be used to bring about the integration of the material and spiritual dimensions of life. Clear explanations of the psychophysiological effects of Kriya Yoga and guidelines for its practice are given. It includes verses from the Siddhas' writings with commentary. This is a book which will inspire you.
Marshall Govindan (Satchidananda) is the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas, and a disciple of Babaji Nagaraj, the famed Himalayan master and originator of Kriya Yoga, as well as his late disciple, Yogii S.A.A. Ramaiah, (1923-2006). M. G. Satchidananda has practiced Babaji's Kriya Yoga intensively since 1969. He studied and practiced Kriya Yoga in India for five years with Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, assisting him in the establishment of 23 yoga centers around the world during an 18 year period as a dedicated. During this period he practiced Kriya Yoga for eight hours per day on average, and as a result attained Self-realization.
While in India he studied the Tamil language and the works of the Tamil Yoga Siddhas. In 1980 he assisted in the collection and publication of the complete writings of Siddhar Boganathar in Tamil. In 1988 he was asked by Babaji Nagaraj, the founder of Kriya Yoga to begin teaching. In 1989 in founded "Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Publications" to facilitate research, publication and education related to Babaji and the Yoga Siddhas. In 1991, he wrote the best selling book, "Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition", now published in 15 languages. In 1992 he founded Babaji's Kriya Yoga Ashram on a beautiful 80 acre mountain top site in St. Etienne de Bolton, Quebec. He offers classes, seminars and retreats there year round. In 1993, he edited and published the first international English translation of "Tirumandiram: a Classic of Yoga and Tantra."
In 1995 he retired from a 25 year career as an economist and later a systems auditor to devote himself full time to teaching and publishing in the field of Yoga. Since 1992, he has traveled extensively throughout the world guiding about many Kriya Yoga study groups in over 20 countries, ashrams in Canada and Bangalore, India, and a lay order of 26 teachers of Kriya Yoga: Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas, a non-profit educational charity, incorporated in the USA, Canada, India and Sri Lanka. Since 1989 he has personally initiated over 13,000 persons in Babaji's Kriya Yoga in a series of intensive sessions and retreats.
In October 1999 he was blessed with the darshan of Babaji Nagaraj near his ashram in Badrinath, Himalayas. He 2003, he was again blessed with His darshan, at Val d'Aosta, in the Italian Alps, and given the name "Satchidananda."
From 2000 to 2001, he completed the writing of, and publication of "Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Siddhas," in several European languages. Since 2000, he has co-sponsored with Dr. Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., a team of scholars in a large scale research project engaged in the preservation, transcription, translation and publication of the whole of the literature related to the Yoga of the 18 Siddhas. The Yoga Siddha Research Project, based in Chennai, has produced during this period six major publications related to the Yoga Siddhas. A new translation with commentary of the "Tirumandiram" was completed and published in ten volumes by Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas in 2010. The transcription of more than 150 palm leaf manuscripts written by the Yoga Siddhas will be published by 2012.
He is the author of:
Babaji and the Eighteen Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition (1991)
Kriya Hatha Yoga: Eighteen Postures for Relaxation and Rejuvenation (1992)
Kriya Yoga Sutras of the Patanjali (2000)
The Wisdom of Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas (2006)
Kriya Yoga Insights Along the Path (2008)
Most of the above works are published in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese
And the editor and publisher of:
Thirumandiram: A Classic of Yoga and Tantra (1993)
The Yoga of Siddha Boganathar volume 1 (2003)
The Yoga of Siddha Boganathar volume 2 (2004)
The Yoga of the Eighteen Siddhas: An Anthology (2004)
The Yoga of Siddha Tirumular (2004)
The Yoga of Siddha Avvai (2005)
Tirumandiram, (2010)
Babaji's Kriya Yoga: Deepening Your Practice (2010)
The Yoga Toolbox: An Everyday Guide for Shaping Your Life (2010)
Kailash: In Quest of the Self (2010)
He is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
For more information visit his websites at www.babajiskriyayoga.net, www.thewisdomofjesus.net and www.tirumular.net and see his biosketch on wikipedia.net
