Sat or Vajra Gurus | Upaya Gurus

Paramahamsa Satyananda Sarasvati
Paramahamsa Satyananda is an extraordinary spiritual adept and transmitter of the Tantrik Yoga tradition. He is Dharmanidhi's Sat Guru (also known as Vajra Guru).

It was due to Paramahamsaji's spiritual accomplishment and his compassionate grace that in his presence Dharmanidhi was able to recognize his true primordial nature. Paramahamsaji traveled extensively throughout India, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Tibet, and Burma during his years as a wandering ascetic yogi in training, acquiring a vast practical knowledge of the non-dual traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. He established the now world famous Bihar School of Yoga in 1964 after having finished his training with Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, his Sat Guru, in 1955. After many years in retreat in the Himalayas and conclusion of a 5-year sadhana retreat known as Pancagni Sadhana, Paramahamsaji appointed Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Sarasvati as his successor and the preceptor of the lineage.

Paramahamsaji now remains mostly in retreat in a rural area of Bihar, India.

Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Sarasvati
Paramahamsa Niranjanananda is Dharmanidhi's Junior Guru Maharaj. He and Paramahamsa Satyananda are virtually one heart and mind. Paramahamsa Niranjanananda went to live in the ashram of Satyananda at age 4 and by the age o 10 took initiation as a sanyasin monk. After living and travelling overseas for 11 years he was recalled in 1983 to India and appointed President of Bihar School of Yoga. In 1990 he was initiated into the Paramahamsa order of sanyasin monks. Paramahamsa Niranjanananda is a great visionary of the Yogic and Tantrik traditions. Through his transmissions and wise, compassionate tutoring, Dharmanidhi received a deeper understanding of the tradition.

In 1997, Paramahamsa Niranjanananda conferred the lineage transmission to Dharmanidhi through abhisekha in the akhara at the Munger ashram, and told him to start a new school of authentic Tantra for western lay people and to initiate people into this new branch of the Sarasvati order of Yoga Tantra. Paramahamsa Niranjanananda named the new order of Tantrik lay initiates "Jnanagni Kula" (or Wisdom Fire Family of Practitioners), and set out a structure of 7 levels of initiation for Dharmanidhi to guide initiated students through.

Paramahamsa Niranjanananda has authored over 20 books and continues to travel worldwide teaching Yoga and Tantra for uplifting humanities health and spiritual well-being.

Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh
Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh was born into a family of spiritual maters in 1887 in Tamil Nadu, India. After serving as a medical doctor in Malaysia he gave up his medical practice and was initiated into sanyasa tradition by Swami Vishwananda in 1924. Swami Sivananda was to become a magic force in India producing dozens of highly realized and competent students who became gurus in their own right. He wrote over 200 books and established free medical clinics. He was Paramahamsa Satyananda Sarasvati's Sat Guru.

Upaya Gurus

Ivar Hafskjold
Ivar Hafskjold, a Norwegian, is the heir of Hafskjold-Stav. This is his family’s tradition of spirituality, which includes teachings of philosophy, health cultivation, mythology, runic oracle casting, trance mediumship and martial arts.

Dharmanidhi began his study of this pre-Christian European tradition in 1990 and was adopted into the Hafskjold family as an heir in 1995. Dharmanidhi is the recognized Thule (Wisdom Holder) of the Jarl branch of the tradition and teaches a weekly class in Stav in Oakland, CA.

Lar Short
Lar Short is the spiritual director of Grace Essence fellowship in Taos, New Mexico. Lar is an accomplished practitioner, gifted innovator and educator. He was trained in the kriya yoga system of Swami Rudrananda of New York City by Swami “Rudi” himself, which he transmitted over several years to Dharmanidhi. Lar was also fortunate enough to be a favored student of H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and received training in many tantras and meditation techniques of Vajrayana and Dzogchen.

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