Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati was born on 14th February in Rajnandgaon and at four years of age moved to the Bihar School of Yoga to live next to his guru Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati. In 1971 he was initiated into Dashnami sannyasa, and at 11 years old was sent by Sri Swami Satyananda to live abroad in different countries to attain direct experience with people from all walks of life and to help propagate yoga. It was this experience that enabled him to have a unique cross-cultural understanding of human nature as well as to attain an adroitness and ease in communicating with the international community. In 1983, he was called back to India to preside over the activities of the Bihar School of Yoga, Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation at Ganga Darshan. In 1990 he was initiated as a Paramahamsa sannyasin, and five years later appointed the spiritual preceptor to succeed Sri Swami Satyananda.

Swami Niranjanananda established Bihar Yoga Bharati in 1994, an Institute for advanced studies in yogic sciences, dedicated to the study of yoga in an ashram environment. Four years later, he set up the Yoga Publications Trust in Munger, from which thousands of research papers, textbooks and audio-visual material have been published. He inspired a children’s yoga movement, the Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal in 1995, and he also travelled extensively to guide, instruct and disseminate yoga around the world. In 2008 he handed over the presidency of the Bihar School of Yoga and all institutional responsibilities to the next generation. Before Sri Swami Satyananda’s Mahasamadhi, he was given the mandate by his guru to explore the sannyasa lifestyle as well as to revive, present and elucidate the classical yoga vidya. A year later he established Sannyasa Peeth, dedicated to the development and training of Sannyasins.

Erudite in all aspects of yoga, yogic philosophy and lifestyle, he has authored a great number of classical books on yoga, Tantra, spirituality, Samkhya and the Upanishads. Swami Niranjanananda is a true inspiration to spiritual aspirants all over the world. He radiates joy, celebrates life to its fullest, and lives yoga from moment to moment.