# Vishwananda

Vishwananda (born Mahadeosingh 'Visham' Komalram in 1978), known to followers as Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda (IAST: Paramahāṁsa Śrī Svāmī Viśvānanda), is a Mauritian neo-Hindu religious leader. He is the founder of Bhakti Marga, a neo-Hindu organization that has ashrams and temples in many countries. His main ashram is in the small village of Springen (Heidenrod) in the Taunus, and teaches his own version of kriya yoga called Atma Kriya Yoga.
By the end of 2022 Bhakti Marga had around 10,000 followers and between 30 and 50 ashrams worldwide. By the end of 2023 Vishwananda had around 50,000 followers, which includes 450 initiated male and female Brahmacharis, as well as 50 male and female Swamis and Rishis. All of them have taken a vow to renounce all material things, to follow the principle of non-violence, and to concentrate fully on the divine. The order is rooted in the cultural tradition of India and sees itself as an offshoot of Sanatana Dharma, an "eternal religion".

## Life

Vishwananda was born on 13 June 1978 into a Hindu Brahmin family (originated in Bihar) in Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius. According to reports from family members Vishwananda had a special spiritual inclination already in his childhood and youth. Instead of playing, he preferred prayer and visits to holy places. Supposedly at the age of five he had an apparition while he was in the hospital of Mahavatar Babaji, whom he recognized as his personal guru.
When he was around 20 years old Vishwananda made contact with European tourists. Since 1998 he was invited to Switzerland and England, and later to Germany, Poland, South Africa, Portugal and other countries where Bhakti Marga now has smaller centres. More and more followers started to gathered around the seemingly charismatic Vishwananda during darshans. During these events there is singing of Bhajans, the guru gives lectures, and touches his followers at the third eye as a form of shaktipat and distributes vibhuti.
In 2004, he purchased a property in the small village of Steffenshof in Hunsrück, Rhineland-Palatinate, and expanded into an ashram. There, in July 2005, he established the organisation Bhakti Marga.
In 2008 he acquired the former conference and seminar house of the "ver.di" trade union in Springen, a larger property near the Rhine-Main area.
In September 2015 he was granted the title Mahamandaleshwara by Nirmohi Akhada, the first guru outside of India to be awarded the title.
On July 11, 2015, a peace pole and a certificate was conveyed to Swami Vishwananda for his outstanding accomplishments for world peace over the last 20 years. Swami Vishwananda, so it says, "helps the people to connect elements from eastern spirituality with elements of the western spiritual tradition gives people access to a very personal experience with the Divine, regardless of culture, gender or age".
On July 2, 2016, he received the Bharat Gaurav Award, which felicitates Indian nationals with iconic personalities and remarkable achievements. Those who always encourage and empower each one to bloom into the next idol of tomorrow.
On July 24, 2021, he established the Hari Bhakta Sampradaya. The order is rooted in the cultural tradition of India and sees itself as an offshoot of Sanatana Dharma an "eternal religion"
In 2023, different newspapers report about Vishwanandas travels around the world where he gives "darshans" (blessings) to thousands of people. Newspapers from Spain and Slovenia, for example report about darshans with over 2000 people. Heike Kiefer, a Swiss travel agent who has been organizing Vishwanandas events since 2002, reports that he has conducted 331 darshans in 46 countries and 220 cities, and has provided blessings to more than 133,000 persons.
On September 3, 2023, in Elmira, New York, Vishwananda inaugurated the Paranitya Narasimha Temple and ashram.
In November 2023, CNN called him one of the world's best-known spiritual gurus.

## Controversies

In 2001, the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger reported that two former members of Bhakti Marga stole relics from 25 churches and monasteries in Switzerland during a tour. Such relics included the remains of bones believed to be of Mother Mary and Saint Brother Klaus. The case was held in 2003, after one of the culprits voluntarily reported herself to the police. The case was brought before the Baselland Criminal Court in Liestal. Swami Vishwananda did not appear at the hearing due to a tour in America and sent apologies for his absence. The two ex-disciples who were at the court spoke about their "psychological dependence and the manipulative skills of the guru". They also claimed that it was Vishwananda's order to collect as many relics as possible for "an imminent relic war and the end of the world by black magic", and had convinced them that the theft was by "God's will". The court sentenced the main defendant to four months' suspended prison sentence for damage to property and disruption of religious freedom. The 48-year-old woman from Berne received a suspended fine of 3,500 francs, and the 29-year-old woman from Zurich received a fine of 400 francs. Most of the bones, which were in Mauritius and in a French monastery, were taken over to the diocese of Basel, and returned to the places of origin.
In January 2022, Hessischer Rundfunk, a regional broadcast arm of German state broadcaster ARD, released a TV documentary "Just Love - Sektenaussteiger packen aus" in which allegations of sexual coercion were broadcast against Paramahamsa Vishwananda.
The law firm acting on behalf of Paramahamsa Vishwananda sought injunctions at the regional court of Hamburg citing "numerous offences against principles of permissable reporting, untrue statements and blatant rights offences". The court judged that there was 'a lack of evidence to broadcast such a suspicion' and ruled in favour of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, issuing seven injunctions against the TV show which resulted in its removal from the ARD Mediathek platform. Hessischer Rundfunk's serious journalistic failings were further highlighted after they alleged an identifiable follower of Paramahamsa Vishwananda had tried to commit suicide after suffering sexual abuse, without checking with the alleged victim if the allegation was actually true. The follower in question denied any such abuse or suicide attempt ever occurred. The follower took legal action against HR, obtaining injunctions about the misreporting about him and HR admitted their journalistic failure to take simple steps to verify the allegations. HR's journalistic failings were widely reported in major German newspapers such as Der Spiegel and Suddeutschezeitung.
In March 2024 German show ZDF Magazin Royale [de] aired a 21-minute segment criticising Vishwananda and Bhakti Marga, including using the debunked controversy of sexual abuses in the organisation. Bhakti Marga members themselves acknowledged the humor in the segment but pointed out that it misrepresented the community. Journalists from the Wiesbadener Kurier, a local newspaper, who engaged directly with Bhakti Marga described their experience as open and transparent, in contrast to the critical tone of the satirical broadcast. Repeated resurfacing of the accusations, despite their legal dismissal, was viewed as misleading and lacking journalistic integrity.

## Selected books

* Vishwananda, S. S. (2012). Just Love: The Essence of Everything. Bhakti Event Gmbh. ISBN 978-3940381194.
* Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2019). Bhagavad Gita Essentials. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN 978-3963430473.
* Vishwananda, P. S. S. (2023). Nārada-bhakti-sūtra: Commentary on the Perfection of Devotion. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN 978-3963430985.