Swami Gyaneshwarpuri is a devoted disciple of Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Yoga Master and Teacher of the Spiritual Path from India, who he has been a follower of since 1996. During that time, he has undergone a tumultuous spiritual transformation as a result of Kundalini awakening, which, at the age of 53, resulted in his ordination – Sanyas Diksha – as a Hindu and yogic monk at the Maháprabhudíp ashram in Střílky on 23 July 2021. Swami Gyaneshwarpuri stays as a lonely, silent hermit in the caves of the Moravian Karst. He is not a yoga teacher and does not preach Hinduism. He has the right to use the spiritual title of swami (master of the self) and to wear the orange robe, the dress of Indian yogis and sadhus. He has thus obtained this highest initiation of Swamiji. He is of a cosmopolitan supra-religious mindset and inner disposition, hence he also worships the Christianity of Jesus, Buddhism, Taoism and other world religions. He is historically the first Hindu monk ordained in the Czech Republic. He writes professional publications in the field of speleology, sacral history and archaeology and, last but not least, his own original mysticism and philosophy, poems, spiritual stories and fairy tales with spiritual lessons. He pursues the Power of Love in all things and walks the Path of Knowledge (jnana yoga) as implied by his spiritual name Gyaneshwarpuri (gyana = jnana), which translates as “He who has understood”, which is a call to spiritual realization. He is therefore an inner jnani, which corresponds to his hermit’s philosophy of life, incomprehensible at first sight. He has been liberated since birth, but he has not yet realized the highest state of moksha consciousness, when the individual self becomes the whole Universe. However, he has his own inner guidance and connection to God, the Divine Self. To realize God and attain Enlightenment is his highest and only Goal in this incarnation to which he dedicates his spiritual yoga sadhana, meditation in retreat, mantra japa, repetition of God’s name, prayers, yoga asanas, kriyas, etc. according to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda’s System of Yoga in Daily Life. At present, he often stays in lonely and desolate places in the mountains and forests. He has studied the Bible on his own since childhood, but he has never claimed to be a Christian. Later, he also read the Bhagavad Gita and other Indian scriptures. What appealed to him most was the wisdom of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Hanshan, Bhagwan Sri Dip Narayan Mahaprabhuji and of course Swami Maheshwarananda, in whom he recognized the essence of his spiritual insight into Truth from his meditation caves and mountain hermitages. He also worships the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi and the Himalayan yogis of India. He does not teach yoga publicly, and as a true jnana, a man of knowledge, he accepts neither yoga students nor personal disciples. Currently, on Swami’s recommendation, he lives with his mother in a small ashram in Brno – Bosonohy. The hermit Gyaneshwarpuri is someone who, above all, will not be spoken of, for he combines the boundless humility of Francis' rule with the boundless rigour of Sri Devpuriji against the demons of egoism. This, my friends, is Himalayan yoga in the Czech Republic.
My biography in Hindi:
Himalayan yoga in the Czech Republic
Swami Gyaneshwarpuri, Yogic Hindu monk, hermit
Love, Kowledge, Solitude, Harmony and Universal Laughter.
My knowledge is not mine in Reality. It is the Knowledge of my Universal Master Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, who has been guiding me through this life since my birth. His are all of my visions. But the teachings of Maheshwarananda are the teachings of Avatar Mahaprabhuji and the other saints of India, the Vedas and the Upanishads.
Lord, may you protect and cherish us both
Master and disciple
May we both receive strength from you,
May our journey lead us to the ultimate knowledge.
Protect us that we may not be separated
but remain united forever.
Om peace, peace, peace.
My spiritual master, His Holiness Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda.
My spiritual master, His Holiness Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, was born on 15 August 1945, in the village of Rupawas, Pali district, Rajasthan, India. Since he was a young boy, he spent most of his time in prayer and meditation. As a teenager, he was initiated as a swami by his guru, Hindu Dharmsamrat Paramhans Sri Swami Madhavanandaji, with whom he stayed for several years in the ashram, where he performed rigorous anushtana – spiritual practice. He came to Europe in 1970. There, he recognized the needs of modern people, which inspired him to combine the ancient teachings of yoga and the discoveries of modern science with his rich experience. This is how he created a scientific and internationally recognized system of exercises called System of Yoga in Daily Life, which spread from Europe to the whole world. This system brings well-being to humanity and all living creatures and has become an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people. Over the last 50 years, Vishvaguru Maheshwarananda has been travelling extensively all over the world, tirelessly spreading the message of Sat Sanatan Dharma and yoga according to the teachings of Bhagwan Sri Dip Narayan Mahaprabhuji. Wherever he goes, he teaches people to understand and love themselves and others, helping them to know and realize the meaning and purpose of their lives. His message is one of understanding, respect and tolerance between peoples, cultures and religions, non-violence, protection of nature and the environment and a vegetarian way of life. On 10 April 1998, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda was initiated by the Parliament of the World's Religions as “Sarvabhaum Sanatan Dharma Jagadguru”. At the Maha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, India (13 April 1998), he was appointed as Mahamandaleshwar of Maha Nirvani Akhara. In 2001, on the occasion of the Maha Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad), he was awarded the highest spiritual title of Vishvaguru (Master of the Universe). Vishvaguruji’s spiritual and humanitarian work provided great moral support to people from Eastern European countries, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia, especially during the communist era. For his outstanding charitable, humanitarian, religious and environmental work, for his tireless efforts for tolerance and peace in the world, Vishvaguru Maheshwarananda has been honoured by senior social, health, religious and political leaders in many different parts of the world. Recognizing the urgent need to spread and develop people’s awareness of world peace, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda has initiated global interfaith dialogues and prayers for world peace with representatives of world religions and public figures, and is an active participant in international congresses and conferences. In his home country, India, he has initiated and implemented several humanitarian projects in the field of health and education, such as the Gyan Putra project, which supports children from the poorest families and provides them with the opportunity to go to school. His other projects include the construction of hospitals and schools for girls from underserved rural areas, and the construction and establishment of the University for Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga. One of the biggest spiritual projects involves the construction of Om Ashram at Jadan in Pali district. Vishvaguru Maheshwarananda is respected and appreciated worldwide by statesmen, scientists, doctors and eminent persons of different religions for his continuous spiritual and humanitarian work and efforts for the welfare and health of human beings, nature, environment and world peace. For his service to the science of yoga and the spread of physical, mental, social and spiritual health, he was awarded the honorary titles of Doctor of Yoga and Professor of the Spiritual Science of Yoga. As a disciple and successor of Hindu Dharmsamrat Paramhans Sri Swami Madhavananda, he is part of one of the oldest spiritual lineages in India, the Om Sri Alakhpuriji Siddha Pith Parampara, the holy incarnations and self-realized Masters, starting with Param Mahasiddha Avatar Sri Alakhpuriji and going to Param Yogeshwar Swamiji Devpuriji, Bhagwan Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji and Hindu Dharmsamrat Paramhans Sri Swami Madhavanandaji.
Swami Gyaneshwarpuri Sannyas Diksha with Vishwaguruji from Strilky Ashram, Czech Republic (23 Jul 2021).
Swami Gyaneshwarpuri is a devoted disciple of Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Yoga Master and Teacher of the Spiritual Path from India, who he has been a follower of since 1996. During that time, he has undergone a tumultuous spiritual transformation as a result of Kundalini awakening, which, at the age of 53, resulted in his ordination – Sanyas Diksha – as a Hindu and yogic monk at the Maháprabhudíp ashram in Střílky on 23 July 2021. Swami Gyaneshwarpuri stays as a lonely, silent hermit in the caves of the Moravian Karst. He is not a yoga teacher and does not preach Hinduism. He has the right to use the spiritual title of swami (master of the self) and to wear the orange robe, the dress of Indian yogis and sadhus. He has thus obtained this highest initiation of Swamiji. He is of a cosmopolitan supra-religious mindset and inner disposition, hence he also worships the Christianity of Jesus, Buddhism, Taoism and other world religions. He is historically the first Hindu monk ordained in the Czech Republic. He writes professional publications in the field of speleology, sacral history and archaeology and, last but not least, his own original mysticism and philosophy, poems, spiritual stories and fairy tales with spiritual lessons. He pursues the Power of Love in all things and walks the Path of Knowledge (jnana yoga) as implied by his spiritual name Gyaneshwarpuri (gyana = jnana), which translates as “He who has understood”, which is a call to spiritual realization. He is therefore an inner jnani, which corresponds to his hermit’s philosophy of life, incomprehensible at first sight. He has been liberated since birth, but he has not yet realized the highest state of moksha consciousness, when the individual self becomes the whole Universe. However, he has his own inner guidance and connection to God, the Divine Self. To realize God and attain Enlightenment is his highest and only Goal in this incarnation to which he dedicates his spiritual yoga sadhana, meditation in retreat, mantra japa, repetition of God’s name, prayers, yoga asanas, kriyas, etc. according to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda’s System of Yoga in Daily Life. At present, he often stays in lonely and desolate places in the mountains and forests. He has studied the Bible on his own since childhood, but he has never claimed to be a Christian. Later, he also read the Bhagavad Gita and other Indian scriptures. What appealed to him most was the wisdom of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Hanshan, Bhagwan Sri Dip Narayan Mahaprabhuji and of course Swami Maheshwarananda, in whom he recognized the essence of his spiritual insight into Truth from his meditation caves and mountain hermitages. He also worships the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi and the Himalayan yogis of India. He does not teach yoga publicly, and as a true jnana, a man of knowledge, he accepts neither yoga students nor personal disciples. Currently, on Swami’s recommendation, he lives with his mother in a small ashram in Brno – Bosonohy. The hermit Gyaneshwarpuri is someone who, above all, will not be spoken of, for he combines the boundless humility of Francis' rule with the boundless rigour of Sri Devpuriji against the demons of egoism. This, my friends, is Himalayan yoga in the Czech Republic.
When I was a few weeks old (1968).
On a hike with my dad when I was eight. Me in the middle (1976).
Meditation cave called Slezákova díra in Moravian Karst – Czech Republic.
Welcome, dear friends, to the website of the yoga monk Swami Gyaneshwarpuri.
I was born as Marek Šenkyřík (7 May 1968) into a traditional Christian family where everyone went to church on Sundays as far back as memory goes. I attained the sacrament of Christian adulthood, Confirmation, in the Catholic Church in 1986. On 23 July 2021, I was ordained a monk, although no longer as a Christian, but as a Hindu. I have become the first ever Hindu monk – swami ordained in the Czech Republic. This text also describes something about my experience as a speleologist in the Moravian Karst. I have discovered a total of four small but very interesting caves. I consider my most important contribution to be the now almost legendary exploration of the historical underground of the Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary in Křtiny, during which a crypt with so-called painted skulls was discovered, being one of the most important speleological discoveries in the Czech Republic in the 20th century. I would also like to point out my spiritual biography up to now, including the orange Hindu monk’s robe. Thank you for visiting my site. What lucky karma has brought you here? I am currently a hermit in the Moravian Karst. I use many of the caves there for meditation purposes. However, I have also meditated at the source of the Ganges and above Rishikesh in the Indian Himalayan Region, in the Chey Pass in the Romanian Carpathians, in Monte Subasio above Assisi, on Stará hora in the Giant Mountains and in the Slovak Paradise. I kept looking for a place where I could be alone and meditate undisturbed, until I finally found it, it seems, in no other place than in the Moravian Karst, thanks to the empathy and understanding of the Administration of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area, who knows about my extraordinary and unusual spiritual needs… I am therefore spiritual and I am trying to positively inspire you. But only my Enlightened Spiritual Master, His Holiness Vishvaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Sri Swami Maheswarananda of India, understands me properly. If you perhaps need someone like that in your life, someone who understands your soul well, try enrolling in a local Yoga in Daily Life course. I bless you from the bottom of my heart. Will you write me what you have on your mind? I will try to answer you… I will delve into my meditation at the altar and see… I have spent thousands of days and nights in the solitude of meditation caves and mountain hermitages. So I know something for sure. That is my qualification. I act primarily through Love and Knowledge (bhakti and jnana). The power of Love – that is what I believe in. I am a hermit, not a spiritual teacher! That is my mysticism. I have the heart of Devpuriji. Enlightened Master of Yoga endowed with miraculous powers, the hermit Sri Devpuriji lived in the Himalayas at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and then settled in Rajasthan in central India. By the force of his will, he demolished the ashram and expelled the bhaktas, his disciples, and sent snakes against them. People thought that the saint had gone mad. The motives for his actions were beyond human comprehension. From then on, he spoke only to those who were deeply and seriously interested in Knowledge. In this Kali Yuga, he preferred the company of animals to the company of people (Vairagya). On the Path of Yoga, I consider myself a follower of this saint. In some ways, he reminds me of our Saint Francis of Assisi, my former mountain companion. Thank You, God, for guiding me on this Path. For I have known that God has guided me from my birth. My God is Shiva, the eternal Master of all yogis, ascetics and prayers. He is the most compassionate and kindest God in the entire Hindu pantheon. A devotee who meditates upon Shiva will quickly attain final Liberation (moksha). So being a yogi and a Hindu, I know for a fact that I am not of Christian birth, though I have been close to Jesus in my heart since childhood. I will not be a Christian monk in this lifetime (or ever again) because they usually do not uphold the important rule of vegetarianism, which I consider a very serious transgression of the Catholic faith. They shouldn’t be mad at me for criticizing them. I am very clear on this and I am a vegetarian in accordance with my conscience. So I am going back home to India. My current incarnation in the Czech Republic and Europe was only temporary. It’s not just meat, I don’t consume alcohol, tobacco or drugs. I am against them, including the now very popular and supposedly “harmless” marijuana. Unfortunately, some sadhus are setting a very bad example to the world by foolishly using marijuana – contrary to the original yogic teachings – to meditate in altered states of consciousness, for example, which can indeed convey very beautiful, harmonious and even incredible experiences. But I consider these sadhus basically unconscious (maya). Who can know for sure, though? Some people need to wake up from the slumber of mundane illusion somehow. But the price to pay here is impaired health. That’s why I say that drugs, meaning only natural ones, are dangerous and unpredictable. I had to mention this topical issue at length, because it imprisons many people, and as a result they never truly embark on the Way of God. But I have come to know that the spiritual Path is the purification of all evil inclinations to attain only pure (sattvic) qualities. So I seek the company of spiritual and wise people (satsang), for example in our ashram in Střílky. In addition, it is with joy and equanimity that I am already practicing monastic celibacy (brahmacharya) and recommend it to everyone ready for greater well-being, harmony and inner understanding and insight into the mystical science of the saints (anubhava). I relate most closely to the teachings of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Paramhansa Yogananda, Shri Mahaprabhuji and of course my Master Paramhans Swami Maheswarananda, but I have drawn heavily from all mystical authors of all religions and each of them has enriched my Path and my heart in some way. I eventually found everything I was ever looking for in a comprehensive form as concentrated knowledge in Yoga in Daily Life. It is undoubtedly one of the world’s purest teachings. No wonder, for this is the teaching of one of the greatest living saints on Earth, whose spiritual titles indicate that he is a fully Enlightened Soul and Master of the entire Universe. This yoga teaching best suits my inner knowing from the mountain caves. I am therefore a devoted disciple (bhakta) of Swamiji. I would like to pass on this teaching, which liberates from all suffering, but so far, I am doing so only in a meditative way, following the example of the Himalayan Masters, because my knowledge is still insufficient despite all my efforts. I still consider myself basically a beginner in inner yoga. May I be forgiven by all those who are already beginning to turn to me. I want to uphold the vow of silence (mauna), Silence and solitude outdoors. Therefore, I will live alone in the seclusion of the hermitage. I believe that this will give me the inner gifts that I can then be able to give out in public. And that’s what God demands. That is why Jesus was in the desert – to clarify his spiritual calling. I want to fulfil it following the example of the old Masters in a romantic way. “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” say the elders of Mount Athos who refuse to come out into the open (Matthew 16:26). In solitude, I become whole. “Contemplate your roots in nature and you will find yourself.” (Anthony de Mello). I believe in the mysterious power of God’s name, my mantra, Silence and solitude with God. But it all depends on whether conservationists and foresters are sympathetic. So far, I have mostly faced misunderstandings. Who will let a hermit live in the forest? Please let me know! Will you offer me your forest with a spring of fresh water? A place where I could build my little hermitage and be alone and isolated? Just as St. Francis of Assisi was given the abandoned Mount Alverna by a generous donor for his prayer and meditation… I rely on and believe in this Universal Principle. “LORD… who may live on your holy mountain?” (Psalm 15:1).
I hope I have answered some of your important questions in the introduction to this website.
Here I live, pray, meditate, repeat mantra, practice yoga and develop a website as a service to suffering beings. Ashram Brno - Bosonohy, Czech republic (2024).
“Let one not neglect one’s own welfare for the sake of another, however great. Clearly understanding one’s own welfare, let one be intent upon the good.”
My solemn declaration to Swami Maheshwarananda before he ordained me as a monk.
I declare that I will voluntarily and of my own free will become a Hindu monk. I will be ordained by the Indian Yoga Master Vishvaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Sri Swami Maheshwarananda. For the sake of clarification, I was born a Christian, but over time, I have come to understand that my faith is more of a Hindu one . Because at the time when I began to look for an enlightened Master to guide me on the mystical journey, the Catholic Church was unable to provide me with one. Someone like the stigmatized 20th century Italian Capuchin priest, Padre Pio. Unfortunately, he died in 1968, the year I was born. So we passed each other in terms of generations. Otherwise, I would surely have become a Capuchin monk like him. However, as I know for sure today, there is an insurmountable internal obstacle, because Christian monks do not usually follow a vegetarian diet, which is not a secondary problem, but a primary one. Swami Maheshwarananda, on the other hand, places great emphasis on a vegetarian diet with his disciples, and he adheres to it scrupulously as one of the prerequisites for a successful spiritual journey. That is the reason, following Swami’s example, I became a Hindu yogi rather than a Christian. Yet I hold Christianity, Jesus and Francis of Assisi in the highest esteem. In 1996, I visited Swami Maheshwarananda at his Mahaprabhudip Ashram in Střílky in South Moravia. My expectations were completely fulfilled. I found the One I was looking for. Since that day 25 years ago, I have been a disciple of this Master. Now, the Swamiji have agreed to my ordination by initiation as a Hindu monk of the Swami order. At this point, I would like to point out that I respect all world religions, not only the aforementioned Christianity, but also Buddhism, Taoism, and all other religious systems. So I am tolerant in terms of religion. I will therefore be ordained according to the Indian tradition and I am grateful to God for that. My thanks go to Swami Maheshwarananda for his guidance, grace and clearing the path. I thank God from the bottom of my heart that I have met a true Yoga Master, am guided by him and will be ordained a monk by him. This will fulfil the greatest wish of my life. I pledge my lifelong love, respect, loyalty and devotion to Swami Maheshwarananda. This is because the Swamiji has restored my human dignity by his decision to ordain me as a sannyasin.
In spring 2020, I wrote an official request for an ordination as a monk (swami) for Vishwagura Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Sri Swami Maheshwarananda. At first, however, I did not dare to present my request to the Master, knowing that I had to be more disciplined. Yet, in my consciousness, I heard the voice “You are Swami Gyaneshwarpuri.” That is why I started with tapas - fasting for several day to reach a specific spiritual goal. This goal was to be initiated as a monk as well as reaching greater understanding between Christians and us, yogis. I focused mainly on repeating the mantra, asanas, pranayama, and kriya. This extended sadhana was a success. I gained the necessary self-confidence and decided to present my request to the Master. On 13 July, 2021, at Mahaprabhudip ashram in Střílky, I sent my request for an initiation as a Hindu monk to the Master by the ashram mail. In a few minutes, Swamiji replied that he would like to give me a sannyasa diksha, but that it was necessary to hurry with it. And my heart was filled with gratitude, as if a beggar suddenly finds a treasure. That is why I went to Swamiji for a consultation, and he asked about the real reason why I wanted to be a swami. I answered him resolutely that I wanted to live as a hermit in the Czech Republic and at the same time to be an ordained monk! Then, Swamiji asked where my hermitage would be and what religion it would be dedicated to. I replied that in the Moravian Karst and that it would be consecrated to nothing else but yoga and Hinduism. Swami Maheshwarananda acknowledged that I wanted to be a hermit. The Master was probably pleased with my answers. He had a few more practical questions, such as where I would be getting money for my living. To these words he surprisingly determined that he would initiate me already during this Guru Purnima here, in the Střílky ashram, in just three days, on 23 July, 2021! It means that I did not have to go all the way to faraway India for a sannyasa diksha, as I was afraid of this journey. A record ten days passed between the application and the ordination! However, I had to complete numerous formalities with a notary, such as my affidavit with the stamp that I wanted to voluntarily become a clergyman of the Hindu religion, or a certified consent to ordination as a monk signed by my mother. Then, the solemn initiation followed, watched by many bhaktas, also on the Internet, as the ceremony was transmitted live. It was the first time in the Czech Republic (and in Europe) that a Hindu monk, a swami, was initiated here. Swamiji connected by phone with Pandits in India, who, in parallel with my ordination, performed a ceremony for me, accompanied by loud singing of mantras, which was transmitted by phone. During the sannyasa diksha, I bowed to the Master’s lotus feet, poured water on them from the pot and washed them. Then I sprinkled petals on Swamiji’s feet and head, and made a tilaka and Shiva’s sacred stripes on his forehead from the ashes of a Vedic fireplace. Then, Swamiji was blessing me for a long time, sprinkling white grains of rice on my head. He was drawing my future destiny. He told me that everything would come true. Then he cut a strand of my hair off
the Bindu Chakra on the top of my head. “Now you are a swami,” said the Master, and my heart was filled with deep gratitude to the Master, to God, and to
fate for this spiritual experience of the dream ordination as a Sannyasin. I was not touched by anything during the ordination itself, but I still perceived
everything well in my heart, the whole ancient beautiful Vedic ceremony at the sacred fireplace. I have been granted the noble spiritual title of a swami
and the right to wear the monk’s orange robe. He made me a master of myself. First job he gave me was to take care of my old mother. During the ceremony, my attachment to my father and mother ended with the Master’s words. Based on Swamiji’s wishes, I should learn English and Hindi. With the sacred act of sannyasa diksha, the Master gave me human dignity and many of his bhaktas came to congratulate me, bring me dakshina and various gifts. From that moment on, I remain in a constant Santosha - contentment and I am permanently committed to God’s will and care. Swamiji has declared that I am satisfied as it is, that is, as a hermit in the Czech Republic. I would also like to live in India, of course. The rest of the world is not of interest to me. To this, let me say that I believe in the forces of Love and Knowledge (Bhakti and Gyan). In this way, the good karma of many thousands of days and nights spent in the forests meditating on mantra japa and sadhanas in abandoned caves and mountain hermitages has been fulfilled. Still, I should not only meditate, but also work hard (karma yoga). That is why I have become involved, as a karma yogi, in the maintenance and enhancement of the Mahaprabhudip ashram in Střílky. So, yoga has beneficial cleansing effects on me overall and leads me to happiness and self-discipline. Currently, I plan to restore my old hermitage in the Moravian Karst, at Děravka, which the foresters had previously dismantled and burned. In doing so, I hold the hope in my heart that my new hermitage will be duly approved by conservationists and foresters so that, as a hermit of the Moravian Karst, I will have my favourite protected place for solitary prayer of the heart, mantra, meditation, and yoga.
Our family at my first Holy Communion (1977).
Confirmation (1986).
Meditation cave called Trampů in Moravian Karst – Czech Republic (2022).
When I was a little boy, we would sometimes visit my great-grandmother Anna Putnová in Troubsko. My mother told me that she was a very pious and altruistic woman. I was less than 10 years old at the time. On one visit at my great-grandmother’s, I climbed up a ladder to the loft above her simple “hermitage”. And there I discovered a real treasure: the alchemy laboratory of my uncle Toník, who became a chemistry teacher. But he wanted to be a priest too, if it wasn’t for aunt Eva. And in one of the suitcases, a strange book caught my eye. In golden letters, already darkened, it said: “EPICTETUS”. Surprised by my find, I flipped through the book and took it home with me. At that important time, I must have been ten years old at the most. I read the book at home and was struck by its considerable wisdom. I was amazed that anyone would cultivate wisdom! I still remember that it said that some “things are in my power and some things are not in my power. It is not in my power, for example, what people think or say about me…” The book had a strong impact on me. Epictetus was an ancient philosopher who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. Thus, in my early childhood I found myself on the Path of Wisdom and Knowledge. And when and how did you first encounter the wisdom of the mystics, philosophers and Masters? Apart from Epictetus, however, no other ancient philosopher has so far caught my attention. Because subconsciously, I am only interested in the Spirit of the East, especially India. Compared to the Yoga Masters, I didn’t find the ancient philosophers that interesting. But I may be wrong.
With my great-grandmother, famous for her piety and altruism, at whose house I discovered my first spiritual book by Epictetus (1977).
In 1990 and 1991, I briefly studied archaeology and history at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University in Brno. For some strange reasons, however, it did not make me feel internally fulfilled at all, even though I attended all the lectures. After the Velvet Revolution, there were no archaeology and anthropology textbooks available for my self-education. I was not able to write down notes during the archaeology lectures quickly at all, because I do not know how to write in shorthand. For these reasons, I interrupted my exhausting university studies after half a year, as my amateur speleological and archaeological explorations of the crypts in the underground of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Křtiny, which were extremely successful, culminated. Therefore, after a long and deep reflection, I really preferred to do field research in the underground of the church in Křtiny rather than just sitting at a school desk in a room illuminated by the dim light of fluorescent lamps while listening to the rapidly droning voice of Professor Podborský and his colleagues. Eventually, I gave myself completely to my research into the historical underground in Křtiny, and I neglected my studies at Masaryk University for these reasons until I left completely… I kept dreaming that instead of going to school, I would live as a hermit in the Moravian Karst, which I finally managed to realize when I built a small cabin with a group of my friends at Skalka in the southern part of the Moravian Karst, where I spent two long years in solitude in full harmony, free even from secular employment, in 1993–1995. Later on, however, I sincerely regretted that I had somehow not completed my archaeology studies, but it was not really possible in my karmic situation. But even in this freedom to leave university, I now see the mysterious action of God’s special grace, which today only “I” myself can understand correctly. Really, where would I end up if instead of following God’s Call, I devoted myself to tedious and mostly atheistic materialistic archaeology??? As I now know, absolutely everything is essentially mystical and God-managed in some way, but you have to listen to the narrative of your inner consciousness, for example, using mountain meditation, and keep pursuing this inner guidance no matter what happens to you, as I do to this day. All my life, I have been drawn to the mountains, forests, caves and hermitages. I believe that if I had successfully completed my archaeology studies at Masaryk University then, I probably would not have donned my orange gown of a Hindu swami and never fulfilled the most secret wish of my spiritual Heart. I would still be just an average, and probably even above average, secular professional archaeologist, holed up in some archaeological or museum depository, instead of following God’s Call, devoting myself to my spiritual sadhana and belonging only to God and the Spiritual Journey, as I have fortunately been doing all my life.
We passed through the gate of the ashram in Střílky, with an orange flag flying above it, and found ourselves in a small square courtyard surrounded by buildings. Although the place was swarming with people, it was quiet. Somewhere deep inside me, a vague feeling emerged. Like two magnets coming together. Or like a fisherman pulling a fish ashore. Somewhere in the complex of buildings around us was the one we came here to see. Indian guru, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda.
I remembered living in the mountains. It was spring; I was living in an inaccessible remote cave and sitting on the rocks during the day. I was reading the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita and the Buddha’s discourses. I was determined, amidst the wilderness, to find an answer to my heart-rending questions. I was sitting on a rock and suddenly realized how extremely subtle the spiritual path was. What a Babylon! If only I had an enlightened Master! I understood that it would be difficult to go on without a teacher. But where to find one? It is said that if the disciple is ready, the Master can always be found. But it is not that the Master taps on the disciple’s shoulder. More likely, you are meant to recognize the Master among a million people. And most importantly, you begin to suspect who the real Master is. I was sitting on a limestone rock, with a buzzard circling high above me in the blue sky, the wind ruffling my hair, the sun shining and ants crawling on my legs. I could only see the wild and beautiful mountains. I suddenly remembered. I made up my mind in a second. “I must go to him!” flashed through my mind. I didn’t wait for anything. Within five minutes, I packed my things and headed back to civilization.
We were absorbing the atmosphere of the ashram courtyard when someone beside us remarked: “We are looking for karma yogis to dig a well!” A short yoga story played in my head. A young adept of the spiritual path came to a guru and asked to be accepted as a disciple. The guru accepted the young man and ordered him to practice. The young man diligently practised, meditated and performed his daily sadhana. After some time, however, he was overcome by the feeling that he was not making any progress. “I guess he’s not the right guru,” he decided and went in search of another teacher. After some time, he met another guru and became his disciple. Again he practised faithfully and fulfilled the duties imposed on him, but in time he again felt he was not making any progress. So he left to find a third teacher. But he also left them, as well as the fourth, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh one. Eventually, he returned in despair to the teacher he had met first. The guru took the young man back and let him dig a well. He was digging hard all day, but the well was only two metres deep in the evening. The next day, early in the morning, when he wanted to continue digging the well, the guru came to him and said: “Oh no, this is not the right place. Start digging elsewhere.” And he left. So the young man dug in another place, working steadily all day, but in the evening he was only two metres deep again. The next day, the guru was again waiting for him early in the morning. “This is not the right place either. Start again and somewhere else.” This continued in the following days. After a week, when seven two-metre holes were dug around the ashram, the young man asked the guru: “Master, what is the point of such work? If I had stayed to dig the first well, surely there would be water in it today!” “See,” replied the guru. “If you had not left me and had continued with the practice, you could have reached the goal of your Path today. That is why you are still at the beginning.”
I didn’t hesitate a moment longer and signed up for karma yoga. We were given the task of unloading excavated dirt from a tractor trailer. The tractor was driven by a man in his 50s. He had prayer beads around his neck, mala. He looked content. I asked him about the progress of digging the well. “You know, there are more problems the deeper you get,” he said, and his eyes sparkled. I realized the spiritual aspect of the answer. I thought it was beautiful and I wondered if this man might be a Master. The dirt was soon off the trailer. “That’s all,” said the driver. “And what now?” asked Betty. “How about we go see that well? We could volunteer for night shift digging,” we thought at the same time. And we were already at the door to the cellar where the well was being dug. I opened the cellar door and the cool damp air of the underground enveloped us. For a moment, I was seized with nostalgic memories of my caving past. I remember a time when exploring in caves, crypts, galleries, was my life. “We’re being drawn underground again!” I said presciently as we were descending a steep brick staircase. With each step, a view of the cellar opened before us, dimly lit by the yellow light of a bulb. We were going lower and lower when suddenly we saw a group of people in front of us looking into a well. Someone was giving instructions about the depth and width of the well in smooth English. We stopped quietly on the last step and dared not go any further. My gaze fell on a man in an orange robe. I recognized him. It was the Indian guru Maheshwarananda. A group of men turned to us curiously. My gaze met the guru’s. His brown eyes glowed with a strange brightness like two embers. He stared straight into my eyes for a few seconds. It was a penetrating X-ray-like look, the likes of which I had never seen before. My head was completely blank. No thoughts or questions. Just full attention. After a while, he turned away from us and continued to give instructions about the well. He said only a few words, however, and again measured Betty and me for a moment with that strange look. I tried to feel it through all my pores and register some special sensations. Friends had told me how, when they first met Swami Maheshwarananda, a powerful wave of energy swept over them, some experiencing a blissful feeling of euphoria, as after a long separation from a loved one, and longing to fall at his feet. However, I did not feel any of this. My mood was completely neutral. The guru finished giving his instructions and cheerfully made his way to leave. Betty and I were still standing on the last step of the staircase. He walked past me, and as he passed Betty, he leaned heavily on her shoulder until her legs almost buckled. I saw something. I was looking at a staircase, which in my vision represented the spiritual staircase to God on which we find ourselves. The darkness of the cellar represented the darkness of our ignorance in which we find ourselves and the top of the staircase bathed in the light outside, the goal of our Path – the light of Knowledge. And then, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, the Indian guru, was ascending this mystic staircase from the darkness of the cellar. The word “GURU” consists of two parts. “GU” translates as darkness and “RU” as light. GURU is therefore one who leads from darkness to light. He who shows the way from ignorance to Truth.
How I was given the spiritual name Gyaneshwarpuri (1996).
My Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda gives a spiritual name to his disciples. Taking a spiritual name is a symbol of vairagya – renunciation, adherence to the spiritual path. It is similar to when a monk who enters a monastery renounces secular bonds and chooses a new spiritual name to carry. A similar thing happens in yoga. I was invited by Swamiji to live in the Jadan Ashram in India for 5 years. That brought out the vairagya in me. Taking the yoga name was my effort to get closer to the native Indians. So as a sign of renunciation, I had my birth name Marek Šenkyřík changed to Marek Gyaneshwarpuri, which means HE WHO HAS UNDERSTOOD. I received this name from my Master in 1996 under very mystical circumstances. It was at one big joyous satsang. Swamiji was just talking about the Bhagavad Gita, and he said that the best commentary on this holy book was written by the saint Gyaneshwari. At that time, I had a hidden desire to be given a spiritual name, but I couldn’t say it out loud. Suddenly, the Master asked those of us present: “Which of you would like to be called Gyaneshwarpuri?” He added that it was “a very powerful name and that if he were not already called Maheshwarananda, he would want to be called Gyaneshwarananda.” Swamiji thought so highly of this yogic name. I could feel my whole body becoming electrified, as if every atom of it was speaking that name. So I claimed this name and became Gyaneshwarpuri… I am completely satisfied with this name. The inner longing of my soul was thus satisfied. It means that I have a spiritual name to realize. Gyana (jnana) is a yogic path, one of the four paths of traditional yoga. These paths are: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and finally gyana yoga. By gyana yoga, I imagine a hermit’s path, above duality, in voluntary helplessness, in concentration on the Divine Principle. Gyana is difficult to understand. It is a solitary, monastic path. The conjunction of the names Marek and Gyaneshwarpuri further symbolizes that I thought I was a Christian before I realized that I was actually a yogi and a Hindu.
Swami Gyaneshwarpuri Sannyas Diksha with Vishwaguruji from Strilky Ashram, Czech Republic (23 Jul 2021).
In 2000, I travelled all alone along the legendary pilgrimage route of the seekers of Enlightenment, which stretches from Europe to Istanbul and then by bus through Iran and Pakistan to India. I visited the high Himalayas above Gangotri. I made a pilgrimage to the source of the Ganges 300 km deep in the interior of the Indian Himalayas. It was truly a mystical Himalayan initiation. Then, because of the harsh high mountain climate, I descended to the foothills of the Himalayas for 5 months to meditate and perform my spiritual sadhana under an overhang of limestone rock above Rishikesh, which is considered the spiritual centre of all seekers of Enlightenment. However, for reasons unknown, I did not mingle much with the Indian population, I just gave them financial donations on the holy banks of the Ganges. Under the rock overhang, however, I was visited by Himalayan yogis for whom I brewed tea. I met a swami in Rishikesh who was clairvoyant and he offered me a free stay in his Kriya Ashram. But I refused, because I already had my Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda at that time. I have only the best memories of the Himalayas and would love to go back again. I plan to make a new pilgrimage back to the source of the Ganges above Gangotri. After returning from India, I settled in the Czech Republic, because it is enough for me to live as a simple hermit in a hermitage or in a meditation cave in the Moravian Karst.
An opinion has been formed that sannyasins should integrate into society
and participate in social and political activities. However, this is an outright mistake.
A sannyasin does not have to become president or leader of a political movement,
they can do anything with their thought vibrations.
They do not have to express themselves publicly although some do.
Those who contemplate in a Himalayan cave and work to cleanse themselves also cleanse the world
and help the world with their spiritual vibrations.
No one can prevent their pure thoughts from going out into the world
and reaching those who really need them.
Those who followed the path of wisdom never built monasteries, never lectured, never published books,
and never had disciples, but in spite of this they had amazing power over other people’s minds.
Swami Sivananda
Some yogis withdraw from society into solitude and live as hermits away from civilization.
But even those meditate for the good of the world. Their mere existence is a blessing to the world.
It is said that the wind that touches the jivanmukta spreads peace, harmony and happiness wherever it blows.
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
To know Brahman, you must acquire faith in the words of the scriptures and in your guru. Let yourself be devoted to Brahman. Meditate on it constantly. Not by deeds, not by offspring, not by wealth, but by devotion to Him and by detachment from the world, does one attain immortality. The supreme heaven shines in the lotus of your heart. That is where those who seek it enter. They have understood the nature of the holy scriptures and are renouncing the world. Withdraw into solitude. Sit in a clean place and assume an upright posture with your head and neck in a straight line. Be indifferent to the world. Keep your senses under control. Bow down to your guru with devotion. Then enter into the lotus of the heart and meditate on Brahman, the pure bliss.
Upanishads
I have no fear of death,
I have no father, no mother,
for I was never born,
I am not a relative, nor a friend,
nor a teacher, nor a student.
I am Shiva, the pure consciousness and bliss.
Sri Shankaracharya
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
The Hidden Power in Humans
What is vairagya? It is a voluntary detachment, for example, from one’s wife and companions. It is not enough to do it internally as some mystics teach. It must be done, if possible, in a physical way, by leaving home for a hermitage in the mountains, in the forests, in the countryside. Initially, however, it is enough to practice hermitage quietly even behind the closed door of your room, all the while meditating with the mantra and contemplating the higher meaning of earthly existence. It also means renouncing worldly possessions and sexual energy, and concentrating only on God and the Divine Self. It is not the literal hermitage according to the Catholic faith. From a Christian perspective, I may not be perceived as a typical “hermit” at all, although from a higher perspective, I am still a hermit in Reality. I am a vairagya, a yogi and a hermit in the sense of yogic philosophy. Life in the hermitage means the complete suppression of the thoughts of one’s own “self” and listening to the Higher Self, the Divine Self, God in inner Silence. The most important knowledge is atmagyan, the knowledge of one’s soul, which is part of the Universal Soul, or God.
Ascent to the hermitage at Lesslova hora above Křtiny – Czech Republic (2023).
Vision of the hermitage revival in the Czech Republic.
I have a vision. I see hundreds and thousands of young Czech men and perhaps even women wearing a brown or green cowl made with their own hands, maybe even an orange robe. I see them leaving this civilization and the company of their neighbours for the solitude of the border mountains or the highlands in the interior. I see them looking for abandoned mountain chapels, which there are thousands of in the Czech lands, I see them settling in there and becoming creatures of fairy tales. Hermits, shamans… strangers in the eyes of other people, who live in solitude in sacred places, in oak groves, in prehistoric hillforts, in caves and by forest springs. They are people who have given up their roles and ambitions in this grey joyless world to dedicate their lives to the greatest adventure which is the Spiritual Journey. I see them wandering aimlessly in the forests, talking to flowers, making friends with butterflies, praying among the trees, meditating on mountain tops, singing sacred chants and practising their spiritual exercises… and God bestows His graces upon them for the sincerity of their desire, guiding and protecting them, as He does anyone who has the courage to trust their heart and follow His call. Many return to the human world in time, richer in valuable experience, but some endure the pressure of loneliness and become initiates of the greatest spiritual mysteries. They become mystics in the highest and purest sense of the word, they become holy men and women who have purified their hearts and souls from the powers of darkness and who have glimpsed the deepest Mysteries of God. They will write poems for their kith and kin, and people will seek them for advice and for words of wisdom and comfort, for no one understands the mysteries of life better than the one who has perfectly understood the Self. And the best school of self-knowledge is the life of a lonely hermit. It is a difficult path, but those who are drawn to it by God from deep within would not trade it for anything in the world. They will enjoy a simple life in harmony with the whole Universe. A small backpack with all their belongings in it will do just fine. They will work just enough to defend their position of independence. It is true that they will break the laws of this society, but only because they are governed by Higher Laws, and so they will light a fire in the forest and go freely off the road, and they will fall asleep quietly under the treetops and wake up under the dome of the caves. They will not fight the world, for the world is sufficiently illuminated by their mere existence. And they will be as innocent as butterflies and so kind that even their opponents, officials, gamekeepers and conservationists will end up liking them. A hermit in the forest will become a prestigious affair, as their presence in the forest will become an ecological indicator of a clean, intact and harmonious environment. For a hermit’s heart is extremely sensitive to any kind of pollution and therefore cannot live in just any place. And so all the gamekeepers will compete in offering the most attractive hermitage sites to attract hermits to their forests. And these will all be the most captivating and breathtaking places still left in the Czech lands: by waterfalls and mountain lakes, in the clouds among the mountain pine trees, in lost caves and at important prehistoric archaeological sites, so everyone will have their pick and everyone will get only the best…
Chapel of St. Anne on Stará hora in the Giant Mountains, where I had this remarkable vision in 2000.
Winter hermitage life – Děravka hermitage in the Czech Republic (2010).
On Vegetarianism in the Name of God’s Laws in the Universe.
I wasn’t always a vegetarian – unfortunately, I was ashamed of it for a long time when I wised up. But I was born in a Christian setting where everyone ate meat and eggs. Consequently, I also automatically succumbed to this habit under the influence of my family upbringing. I began to practice vegetarianism immediately on the Divine Warning in 1996, when I was brought to the Mahaprabhudip Ashram in Střílky, where my future Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda was staying at that time. I even caught a few fish as a kid under the influence of an otherwise amazing book on nature mysticism called The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore by Ernest Thompson Seton. Later, in deeper meditation, I sincerely regretted this act, so I do not even kill ticks now. I think this is how God warned me not to harm any living beings. I would like to recommend vegetarian diet to everyone, for example even to Christians, who unfortunately ignore this warning, even those who are clergymen, monks and priests. This warning of mine against violence to animals will be understood only by real spiritual Personalities. Therefore, Indian saints, yogis, swamis and sadhus do not eat meat at all. You simply have to possess this most humane Hindu nature to understand It. Even Leo Tolstoy warned that as long as people kill animals, there will be wars.
Ahimsa – avoidance of violence: a few sentences about vegetarianism from the perspective of faith.
THOU SHALT NOT KILL is the great commandment from the Bible. However, its interpretation differs between Christians and Indian Yoga Masters. While Christians believe that only killing humans is forbidden, Yoga Masters teach that it is also about not killing animals! Hindu yogis and monks are therefore vegetarians, and they are actively spreading the idea of vegetarianism to the widest strata of human society. There is a fundamental contradiction in the interpretation of faith between East and West. Christian monks and priests usually eat meat. That is why I could not be a Christian monk. Yet the idea of vegetarianism is not unknown even among some in the Catholic Church. These are the Trappist and Pauline monks – two Catholic orders – who, following the example of their founders, eat a plant-based diet and are vegetarians. In this way, they certainly set a good example for those Christians who ponder the matter of healthy diet. Yet vegetarianism is not common among Christians. People are afraid to give up meat because they listen to the opinions of their materialistic doctors. They say you have to eat meat! Such a diabolical delusion and people believe it! The opposite is true… vegetarianism would be good for everyone. My Christian friends also argue that Jesus himself supposedly ate meat: for example, the Passover lamb and fish. The Bible teaches that. And for that reason, they too can eat meat. I don’t know why it is in the Bible or who put it there. Because I heard Swami Maheshwarananda saying that Jesus was a vegetarian. But this is where Swamiji’s enlightened intuition comes into direct conflict with the letter of the Christian law. Vegetarianism means intense compassion for suffering beings. I would recommend everyone to become a vegetarian, because only then can you fully Understand. The first thing to do is to resolutely stop eating meat, then compassion comes in. Don’t worry and don’t be surprised that you don’t feel compassion for animals yet. First, you have to get off the meat-eating train yourself. Vegetarians will do themselves a lot of good ethically and health-wise. Besides, a vegetarian diet is also tasty and completely replaces a meat diet. Those who kill animals, i.e. butchers, hunters, fishermen, etc., are worthy of shame. Besides, they create really bad karma by killing animals, because the suffering they cause is stored in their subconscious minds and will come back to them in future lives. I would not want to be a hunter. These people really have no compassion. How can anyone cut off the head of a deer or a doe is beyond comprehension. And they – the hunters – find it “pretty”. The hunters will suffer, and they will not know what for. This is the law of karma. Because they are people without compassion, God will not have compassion for them either. If only they would put down the rifles and get a camera with a telephoto lens or binoculars. That’s what I, a hermit, would recommend. Or does they find it heroic to cowardly shoot a deer in the heart with a rifle with a powerful scope? I myself have been a vegetarian since 1996; so for almost thirty years. I do not miss meat in my diet at all. Swami Maheshwarananda helped me a lot in my transition to a vegetarian diet. I needed reassurance that vegetarianism was the right decision and I had that in him. That is the Master’s task. I eat all kinds of vegetables and fruits, and also dairy products, so I am not a sensitive vegan, but a vegetarian like my Master. This is what I wanted to tell you about vegetarianism from the perspective of my faith.
The second thing, right after vegetarianism, I would like to recommend is the repetition of a mantra. Mantra has supernatural powers. The mere repetition of a mantra can cause a miracle. Such is the power of God’s name. Nothing is more important than a mantra. The mantra with God’s name is given by a self-realized Master to his disciples; if you don’t have a Master, you can use a mantra from yoga literature, for example from a great book by Sri Swami Sivananda called Japa Yoga. It contains a variety of suitable mantras. So choose one and start your mantra japa practice. Of course, the best way is to get a mantra directly from your Master along with his blessings. Repeating a mantra makes really deep sense to me. I think I am here on Earth to repeat God’s name. At least I can do something for God. I keep the hope in my heart that God will also be pleased with me. If only all people would start repeating mantras! There would be peace everywhere. “Mantra is the treasure of all treasures”, says Swami Maheshwarananda, who places great emphasis on the practice of mantra in his teachings. Simply by repeating the mantra, one can realize God in this life and attain moksha. Mantra contains the name of God, or the name of an avatar of God. The name of God in a mantra is a very important essence. It repels all negative energies such as demons, Asuras and Rakshasas. They hate God’s name. They prefer meat. Hence, if one wants to realize God, they should repeat their mantra day and night. It does not matter whether you repeat the name of Jesus or the name of Indian avatars like Mahaprabhuji or Devpuriji. It does not matter what religion you are born in, just keep repeating the name of your Lord and Master. This attracts His blessings. God’s name is a powerful weapon against all sin. Find solitude and silence, sit down and repeat your mantra. Mantra is also a weapon against disease, for it cures both this physical body and the astral body beyond it. In India, the miraculous healing through mantra is well known. Mantra awakens all sorts of strange powers over time. The repetition of a mantra must become a daily habit. The repetition of a mantra becomes a necessity of life. It will make you thirsty for the mantra. Do not let the obstacles that arise on your yoga path stop you. Choose a Master in whose proximity all doubts disappear. The Master must be Self-realized – enlightened, but such Masters are very rare nowadays. Fate gave me a Hindu saint, Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. When you get to know his whole spiritual lineage – parampara: Alakhpuriji, Devpuriji, Mahaprabhuji, Madhavananda and Maheshwarananda, your worldly wandering and spiritual search will be over. Then you will gratefully accept the mantra from Swami Maheshwarananda and become his disciple.
Seva – my trauma: service to people or rather service to God in the solitude of the hermitage?
After my spiritual awakening, life in the world no longer seemed futile and empty to me. The only thing that made sense to me was service to suffering people. My motto at the time was: “Until I know who I am, I shall serve!” That is why I joined the ranks of Catholic charity and became a charity caregiver for the sick and all sorts of handicapped and disabled fellow citizens. It gave me a deep sense of fulfilment and I was happy that this service was freely available and open to us amateurs. I remember they had a big cross on the wall, which reassured me that I was in the right place. So I lived by serving people, bathing them, dressing them and taking them for walks. At that time, my relationship with my girlfriend came to a head. That was in 1997. I wanted to become independent and a hermit, but I had no idea how to break up. In the end, it became a great ordeal due to the internal attachment between the two of us. But with the Love given to my suffering patients, I somehow overcame my personal suffering and continued on the spiritual journey. I gained a lot of experience that way. Then I became a lonely hermit and I am very happy that I went through all that. I learned to give Love. I am grateful to God for that. I gained spiritual energy and insight, wisdom, experience that not everyone has. That was my karma yoga. But then I was overcome with longing for the mountains and for a free life. That is why I was hired for hard labour in the highest Czech mountains, the Giant Mountains. We made hiking trails in the most beautiful places of the local mountain wilderness. I worked from spring to autumn and left for the winter to meditate in the mountain caves with a rich financial reward.
Memories of the charity and caregiving service for Caritas Czech Republic.
I opened the envelope, and inside was a small note in a black frame telling me that Mgr. MVDr. Vlaďka Hlavová died. They sent me the letter because I was Vlaďka’s carer a few years ago. That was in 1997. Vlaďka was wheelchair-bound and lived in Brno at Bohuslava Martinů 9. The matron, Mrs Šujanová, assigned her to me because she anticipated a certain kinship of souls… My task was to help get Vlaďka into a wheelchair every day and take her down the hill to Masaryk University, where she studied psychology. And then bring her home again. I had to be very careful because the descent down the hill is very steep and Vlaďka was paralysed, so she couldn’t have prevented a collision if I accidentally let go of her wheelchair… Which almost happened a few times… Thanks to this mutual dependence, a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding could develop… Vlaďka was one of the greatest fighters I have ever known. She was a young, healthy woman, a few years older than me… Then it suddenly happened. Her body was paralysed, her legs immobile, her fingers twisted, and she could barely hold a pen. She found herself completely dependent on the help of others, fully aware of the unchanging nature of her situation. None of us can imagine such a thing… By God’s grace, I got to be a caregiver to many similarly affected people during my work at Caritas Brno. I bathed them, put them in the bath, soaped and showered them, dressed them, took them for walks, and so on. It was a very valuable life and spiritual experience for me, so it was me in the end who was thankful that I was allowed to serve these people. In fact, they showed mercy to me by allowing me to serve them. I felt that way then and I wish all young people could see and experience what I did… Vlaďka was a really great fighter. What befell her would have broken most of us, but she did not lose herself in self-pity, did not expect anyone’s sympathy, and tried to defend at least the remnants of her independent spirit. So she began to study psychology, trying to help herself, and so her illness paradoxically became an opportunity for intensive spiritual work. She tried to turn her fate to her advantage, hoping to use her experience to serve similarly challenged people. No wonder, therefore, that the very first time I put on her shoes she immediately and vigorously scolded me for treating her like a child. She had a good capacity for empathy, so our relationship quickly developed on a philosophical basis. Vlaďka even wanted to write a research paper on me because she thought I was a “big mystery” that she couldn’t fit into any of the psychological schemata she had been taught at school. She asked me if I had any instinct for self-preservation, because she couldn’t understand how I could live so carefree and not hoard. And I was seemingly “normal” then. What would she say today if she met a hermit in a cowl completely surrendered to the Grace of God? She also told me once that she had an inkling that her caregiver would be her guru. And indeed it was a bit like that, because I continued to look after her outside of work, and even after my journey led me away from Caritas Brno. When I found myself in Brno, I picked Vlaďka up in the car and drove her out of the city and into the countryside. I parked her in a wheelchair among the trees and gave her an expert lecture on how I managed to quit smoking tobacco, and Vlaďka listened with a smile. Another time I took her to the Jesuits' midnight mass and there I hung a medallion of the Virgin Mary on a silver chain around her neck, which Vlaďka wished to wear, although she herself was an unbeliever. But she was attracted to religious people because she felt they had “something” that other people lacked, whatever that “something” might have been. At other times, she washed and sewed my jacket in return, because I, as a man of the woods living in a log cabin in the Moravian Karst, could not deal with something like that… Then she forced some money on me out of pity for my “poverty”, but I bought a painting with it and gave it to Vlaďka. The painting is called “Fate”, and undoubtedly still decorates her room. Vlaďka secretly cried then. She also confided in me that she always looked forward to the Snippets from the Journey Home that I sent her along with my poems, and she was most moved by my time living in a Romanian cave and my expulsion by the police. Yet our inner worlds were completely different, each of us living in a completely different world. Vlaďka expressed it symbolically in her last letter as a relationship between a “lion” and a “frog”. It was one of the interpersonal encounters and pure karma yoga. And why was Vlaďka hit so hard by fate? She once shared with me that a few months before she fell ill, she had attempted a very indiscreet act. However, God did not allow her to do so, and as a backlash of the karma she had previously created, she was knocked down to a wheelchair. At least that’s how she intuitively felt and perhaps that’s why she endured her illness so bravely… I wish you peace, Vlaďka, wherever you are. I know you still exist, for death here is the gateway to life hereafter. I wish your soul, which is now travelling through the universe, peace in the name of Jesus Christ and my Master. Just now, as I write these lines, a small bird has flown to my hermitage at St. Clement’s Hillfort. It is the size of a finch, but all brown. I have never seen such a bird. And I know that bird was you.
Life in this secular society, in this Kali Yuga, is based on what I would call the Big Lie, or the Great Deception, which everyone believes and follows; some psychologists like Erich Fromm and others have even already seen the sense. It is called the Long Road of Life. Your base desires are to blame: for a woman, for money, for offspring, for material possessions, etc., which this Kali Yuga world can satisfy well, but at the cost of attachment to it and at the cost of loss of inner freedom. Only where there is Knowledge can there be harmony in marriage. Most men and women, however, are moving in this direction only in pursuit of the mirage of their fantasies. I believe that God, who has sent us to this world for a certain Purpose, has at the same time given us all the material means necessary for life so that we do not suffer. We have no need to want or demand anything from the world and we will still receive what God actually intended. That is why some monks live only on alms, having nothing and expecting nothing. Only saints know and show this Short Path to freedom, happiness, harmony and holiness. So I recommend to follow only the words of the saints in all things in this world. All the others are subconsciously and subliminally – but in good faith – lying to you. So do not let them fool you.
Meditation cave called Adlereova in Moravian Karst – Czech Republic.
Tratak involves observing the flame of a candle. At first, seemingly nothing will happen. But later on, your consciousness may be visited by “demons”, which are your own negative thoughts that you must fully understand, remove and disobey. Then “angels” – devas – will begin to visit you, bringing you very wise and inspiring spiritual thoughts. Eventually, the Universal Principle of the Inner Master will be presented to you through nirguna, in unmanifest form. You will find various inner reassurances and proofs of the correctness of your Spiritual Journey; these are very positive and wise thoughts and Divine inspiration. You will write, for example, spiritual poetry, or compose professional and spiritual literature. There is no need at all to fear the lower forces sleeping somewhere in your sub-conscience that you really need to clear. This is what a mantra is for. I repeat: do not be afraid of this natural process at all; unfortunately, everyone has to go through something in order to become internally wise. By the Grace of your Universal Friend and Master who knows literally everything about you and yet forgives you immediately and in a really wise and humorous way. There is no point at all in hiding or concealing anything from Him. Your whole life is astrally recorded as a book somewhere. You will always be very satisfied, happy and blissful inside. Keep a spiritual diary and try to write down your new knowledge. Maybe someday someone will be interested, or maybe you will even write a book about your experience. Extraordinary inner visions and thoughts from Someone from the Universe will come to you. You will draw inwardly from the Divine source of your Overself, or superconsciousness. You will overcome all trials victoriously, and throughout all experiences you will have God’s guidance and God’s protection.
Should I leave for India or stay in the Moravian Karst?
There was a discussion that I should go to Jadan (an ashram in India) and live near the Master. I do not think so, however, and I am deliberately pursuing my vision of a relatively independent life as a hermit in the Czech Republic. I just feel it in my Heart and this Journey has my heart. I am close to God wherever I think of Him. A quiet and peaceful place in a cave in the Moravian Karst will help me concentrate on the Divine Principle better than a crowded monastery. Although I have great respect for all the karma yogis and bhakti yogis who are helping Swami to build the colossal Om Ashram, I am staying at a distance here in the Czech Republic. I think it has a deep meaning, among other things because I have been instructed by the Master to take care of my mother. So I cannot travel anywhere. And so I want to pursue it in accordance with God’s will. “It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though they may be faulty, than another’s duties. For to follow another’s path is dangerous.” Bhagavad Gita (3.35). It is pure jnana: I will probably not live in an ashram or a monastery, but separately in an anonymous hermitage. Because in our ashram, as I had the opportunity to find out, it is unfortunately not possible to live a purely contemplative hermit life.
In 2021, when I applied to Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda for Sannyas Diksha, I made it a condition that I would continue to live with my mother. Because I felt indebted to her for what she did for me. At the time when I was permanently staying in the mountains and caves, she had the foresight to pay health and social security insurance for me, which I had no thought of at the time. If she did not, it would have undesirable consequences for me. Swamiji agreed with this free decision of mine. He even reiterated that I should take care of my mother in her old age. Which is why I live in a shared household with her. But I perform this seva on the principle of vairagya, detachment from every other person, as is already required of monks. I prefer to cook for myself because my mother is not a vegetarian and does not follow the principles of sattvic diet. I eat in an almost ascetic way. My ideal is one meal a day: soup with fresh vegetables, rice and bread – I think that is enough. I am happy and balanced, I am not attached to anything at all, I am serving my mother practically on the principle of voluntary vairagya – detachment, i.e. without mental attachment. I still go to forest hermitages and meditate in caves. I think both my mother and I need that solitude. It has a very beneficial effect on us. The most important Principle of the Spiritual Journey, in my opinion, is real vairagya, not just internal, but also physical one, i.e. detachment from every other person, however much we love them. My mother has always been the incarnation of the Indian goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, in our family. Unfortunately, however, she smokes cigarettes excessively, eats meat, does not pray and does not meditate, so she has severe health problems as a result. But she is a Christian, so she will hopefully recover from her depression.
My mother, who lives with me (Ashram Brno-Bosonohy, Czech republic (2024).
Do not overdo karma yoga at the expense of your own spiritual sadhana.
Everything has to be in harmony. There is no point at all in toiling from morning till night and neglecting one’s own spiritual sadhana due to exhaustion after work. That is why I decided to renounce karma yoga after 27 years of intense practice. I will only do my solitary sadhana in a deserted place, for which I have hardly had time due to the strenuous karma yoga of cleaning toilets, washing dishes in the kitchen, and other work in the ashram. I believe now that I have really become a swami I have the right to meditate more at the expense of my workload. I will therefore occupy a deserted place on the grounds of the ashram in Střílky, where I will practice intensive spiritual sadhana on the principle of solitary anushtana during the seminars, as required from yogis by, for example, Bhagavad Gita. I believe that the ultimate Goal of human birth is moksha (Enlightenment), not service to the world. There are several Yoga Paths: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga. But I am a born raja yogi and jnana yogi, as my name “Gyaneshwarpuri” suggests. All my life, I have been subconsciously inclined towards hermitage-based solitude. There is no point in suppressing this in me at all, for it is the higher yogic disposition of my life and soul. Hence I renounce all the lower paths, recommended mainly for householders and secular yogis, i.e., karma yoga and even bhakti yoga. I am only attracted to the hermitage-based life of spiritual discipline, which I believe is one of the prerequisites for a successful jnana yoga sometime in the future. So, for now, I will mainly discipline myself. In all respects, I worship my Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, who, in my opinion, is first of all a true gyana yogi, that is, a sage of yoga and the Spiritual Journey to Godhead, who understands me well.
Meditation cave called Křížova in Moravian Karst – Czech Republic.
On 23 July 2023, fortune smiled on me and I realized the connection to my Divine Self of the Universal Master.
It was on the second anniversary of my sannyas diksha – ordination as a Hindu monk – that I conducted a memorial ceremony at the place of my ordination at the Vedic hearth in the Mahaprabhudip Ashram in Střílky. Since then I have been inwardly connected to and guided by God through my Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda in the form of nirguna. At least that’s how I see it.
Vairagya – solitude as the most important prerequisite for yoga.
Do not be deceived by the spiritual state of the people around you. You have to be able to leave them physically and then internally. You cannot retain any worldly affection, otherwise it will bring you back to the world of suffering. You must see your parents clearly as they are. They basically played a reproductive function and did not go to God themselves. Even Jesus says that you must leave your parents, wife and relatives if you want to follow Him, which means going to a monastery or hermitage. All the evil demons will surely remind you of your obligations and responsibilities arising from attachment to your mother, wife and the like, and thus lead many back to illusion and hell on earth. You will best serve your fellows, contrary to what public opinion says, if you free yourself from them and quietly go to God. Those who do not follow God as their only goal are undeserving of me, says the Lord. You have to develop a certain cruelty towards worldly relatives who mentally terrorize you and lead you astray. You have to develop “cruelty” from the point of view of worldly people in order to free ourselves and break the perilous curse of worldly life once and for all. You have to break the inner bonds of the animal kingdom. This I consider to be the most important thing in your life. You who want spiritual experience, come to God. In spite of all the suffering descending upon you, do not interrupt your solitude. Those who fail to do so return to the human world and take the path of service to duality, karma yoga. Do not expect to find someone else’s energy supply in your own mental crisis resulting from the interruption of the supply of the drug that is the need of human company. In solitude, the power of the ego disappears and the ability to love is born. Beware of false friendships and camaraderie. Rarely do you find a faithful, sincere friend who will be able to follow you on the spiritual journey. Never embrace a friend too intimately unless you have tested him well for a long time before. We are only interested in the friendship with our inner and physical Master, for it liberates us. Beware, therefore, of all kinds of spiritual communities, for they too can become an obstacle on your way to God. For this reason, experienced sages also left the monasteries and went to the forest to the solitude of hermitages, where they attained the state of holiness. True yoga has always been, is, and will always be a solitary affair, for few – despite many false appearances – are interested in the higher state of consciousness of your being. Read what the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Bible, says about this solitude. Be sure not to be domesticated by secular society.
Meditation cave called Slezákova díra in Moravian Karst – Czech Republic.
It is an Anahata Project based on the long-term Solitude of a hermit, Hindu swami, monk Gyaneshwarpuri from Brno. This Story is set in a secret location somewhere in the Slovak mountains and will also continue at Gangotri in the Indian Himalayas. If you might recognize this place from the photos posted here, please do not share it anywhere else. Such places need to be protected. Do not seek me out. In fact, I have nothing to give you. Everyone must seek God alone. “As I watch I realize that people will ultimately come to terms with God, with destiny, and with themselves only when they dare to seek aloneness.” (Anthony de Mello, Wellsprings). The most important thing is to preserve the solitude of these mountains from profane, sensationalist visitors from the big cities, because they would not understand it and would disrespect it anyway. I seek Connection to God in the solitude of a mountain cave. So this Enlightenment is what “I” seek in the mountains. If you have any serious problems, please do not hesitate to contact my spiritual master, Vishvaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, preferably at the Maháprabhudíp ashram in Střílky, who will be happy to give you the necessary consultation, guidance and expert advice in any kind of predicament. My own advice to you is that you should definitely be vegetarian, practice yoga asanas and believe in God. Everything will sort itself out in time. Seek positive company, satsang. Give up attachment to kusang, bad company, and God will help you find your individual Path. Meditate, relax and contemplate. Repeat God’s Name (your mantra) or prayer to yourself. God’s Name heals the soul and the body. Practice brahmacharya as much as possible. Celibacy is not only for monks. It will help you avoid many of life’s difficulties. You will heal from secularity and progress on your spiritual Path to God. The God of the mystics speaks in silence and solitude. I myself do not accept yoga students. Sign up for a Yoga in Daily Life course in your community. This will lead you to the Goal.
My meditation cave, “The Hermitage of the One Who Sits and Remains Silent” in the Slovak Paradise, where I spent several years in complete solitude - Slovakia.
Consultation for mental distress based on the personal experience of Swami Gyaneshwarpuri.
Through meditation and introspection, I have come to understand with certainty that I am liberated from birth, liberated but with a small “l” just in case. It does not mean that I do not fall into the various – quite numerous – pitfalls of the karmas like most mortals here on Earth, except for Jesus, Swami Maheshwarananda and the avatars. So I call out to the world: “I am not Enlightened. I have not yet realized the highest state of consciousness – moksha, in which the individual self becomes part of the whole Universe!” Yet I am undoubtedly enlightened on some level, otherwise I would not be able to meditate and contemplate. “Something” would get in the way of these meritorious activities, just as (bad karma) prevents most of the secular population from doing so and living only secularly, not spiritually in the purest sense of the word. I have realized the Divine Connection. Atma gyan – knowing my soul as part of God, is my nearest Goal. I am a disciple of a living Yoga Master who is a Vishvaguru and a Paramhans – that is, a fully Enlightened Soul and Master of the entire Universe. My soul has come to know who He is. I boast in Him that He is the Friend of my soul. I have been one with Him since eternity. I Love and revere Him above all things. I entrusted myself to His Divine care. I feel like we have known each other before. I think I am Mahaprabhuji’s disciple from past lives, but that is not important. This time, I was born here in Europe. That is why I am a follower of traditional Indian yoga, especially Himalayan yoga, but my beginning point was the sweetest Christian mysticism, which I experienced in a mountain way, following the example of St. Francis of Assisi. Here I say: glory be to the Lord Jesus, to Francis of Assisi and to Padre Pio! It may be that I am also here for Christians who are lacking something in their faith without knowing what it is. Perhaps it is body-mind work as a prerequisite for a successful life without suffering, a life of longevity, health and spiritual development of all the inner hidden forces, happiness and wisdom. And vegetarianism as the condition for sustainable survival on this planet Earth. That is, union with God through the practice of our pleasant, relaxing and miraculous Yoga in Daily Life, which is guaranteed to bring us to the Supreme Goal. This is something I have 26 years of experience in. I do gyana (jnana) meditation and mantra. I also practice other daily spiritual sadhana – asanas, pranayama, prayers and kriyas. In spite of all my efforts and endeavours, I am only an experienced beginner in yoga and meditation. But there is something I have undoubtedly inherited from past lives (viveka, fine discrimination). I understand God’s Word well. I sit alone at the altar every night and learn. I listen to God’s Silence. Sometimes, I am connected to a personal God. That is when my answers are unique. I like to listen to God, my protector and saviour. He knows the daily path I am to take. I am only an instrument of this higher and supreme Self, if the God wills it. Listen to the Silence with me, it is the source of Knowledge. I am here to show you the spiritual path by my example. I look at the picture of my Master – and He guides me. Blessed meditations at the feet of my Master. He is my treasure. Do not hesitate to chant the mantra with His Name. You too should please God with your mantra. You would be relieved of many worries that weigh on your mind. You are pleasing the Supreme Being. Surrender your Love to Him. You will see your purest dreams come true. Everything is possible with God. God will take your lives in His hands. We are children of the One God and I am His servant, instrument and messenger. I have spent thousands of days and nights in solitary meditation in caves and mountain hermitages… So I know something for sure. I can offer some advice. If you have questions for me, I will try to answer them from the heart (anahata). People come to me for consultation with their troubling concerns. I concentrate on the Master, practice centring prayer at my altar and answer in writing. That is what I do. However, if you have more complicated questions, please address them directly to my Master and Teacher Paramhansa Swami Maheshwarananda. He comes from India to Střílky in South Moravia several times a year. Do not be afraid to ask. My Master comes for that. However, many of the answers can be found on my website. I pray for your health and spiritual prosperity. That is why I keep repeating my guru mantra. It is my task to live this life as a hermit here in the Czech Republic. My Master ordained me as a monk of the Indian Swami Order at the Maháprabhudíp ashram in Střílky, South Moravia, on 23 July 2021. I gave myself to Him completely. I am trying to realize Him in this very life. I have His Grace and I receive well the Words of His Wisdom and Knowledge. It was out of this union that I decided to teach in solitude. I wish you the Happiness of union with God. Sincerely and Lovingly yours orange Swami Gyaneshwarpuri.
I do not accept any personal visitors. I am a hermit, not a healer of physical ailments. I reply by e-mail as a matter of principle. I do not speak English.
“I have long exercised an honest introspection, the exquisitely painful approach to wisdom. Self-scrutiny, relentless observance of one’s thoughts, is a stark and shattering experience. It pulverizes the stoutest ego. But true self-analysis mathematically operates to produce seers.”
Paramhansa Yogananda
Autobiography of a Yogi
Swami Gyaneshwarpuri Sannyas Diksha with Vishwaguruji from Strilky Ashram, Czech Republic (23 Jul 2021).
“It happens that someone harbours hostile intentions against us, wants to harm us, for example by slander, defamation, involving us in various disputes and forging criminal plans, causing harm to our body, property, causing discord in the family, seducing us to commit adultery, cultivating resentment and revenge, which leads to serious crimes, arson, even murder.”
Břetislav Kafka
New Foundations of Experimental Psychology
It is usually impossible to resist such energies unless we practice inner prayer and mantra. This kind of exorcism is the best protection against Satanism and black magic.
Prayer helps,
it is the most silent all-pervading Power.
The following passage from the Bible is about my Journey:
“Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.” But Jesus said: “You must not stop him! No one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.”
Mark 9:38–40
In terms of practical psychology, I am a proponent of the teachings of parapsychologist and co-founder of modern psychotronics Břetislav Kafka. In his New Foundations of Experimental Psychology, you should read the chapter “How to face evil and hostile snares and seductions”. It tells how this practical exorcism is performed:
In that case, we should get a recent photo of them. If we cannot procure one, imagine their form as vividly as possible (in which case put your face in your hands), think as intensely and vividly as possible of their presence, where they are, and give them orders in firm and living faith:
“You must immediately and completely break your inclination towards me, you have an insurmountable aversion to me, you feel horror at your actions, you transgress, you are overwhelmed with awe and fear at every remembrance of me. You will shun me, you have no courage to speak to me, your threats disgust you and you lose the ability to carry them out,” etc.
The above must be commanded with great mental force, which will be received telepathically by their subconscious activity and will certainly work.
The outcome must not be doubted in the slightest. Should we come into contact with that person in any way, we must immediately act according to this method mentally and as soon as possible remove ourselves from their presence.
This distance thought action works best when the person is in natural sleep. In sleep, their subconscious (soul) is more accessible to impressions.
It is necessary to act until the time of obvious result. It is necessary to evoke a certain rigour, almost cruelty, and to nourish the idea of success.
Hostility must not be fostered towards this person. On the contrary, we must cultivate love and friendship towards them in our hearts. The soul of all of us is basically pure and yearns for perfection, hates evil deeds and abhors them. By love, we make their subconscious soul receptive to our good admonition, exhortation, recognize our good, right intention, conform to it, acknowledge it as right, and accept this effort in the suggestion we sent out, which is anchored in the esplana. Esplana in our direction, in striving alone, acts upon the conscious “self”, so that the hostile person, without knowing in what way it is done, begins to resent, to fear, to loathe their actions, and as a result is warned of their deeds.
And therefore let it be the rule: “Love your enemies!”
I can take you into my prayers. I get advice from God in every situation. I can try to pray for you. I have experience from my Journey in dealing with the “evil spirit” and perhaps I can advise. But behind everything is He, the Supreme. God’s Love and Sovereignty. I have got my mantra from Swami Maheshwarananda, and I am always at peace. I turn for help to my lineage of Indian Yoga Masters, avatars of God. We act through Love. I practice yoga (Yoga in Daily Life). Who should pray if not a hermit. “Pray unceasingly.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
My altar with a rose. Ashram in Brno – Bosonohy (2023).
Never be afraid of evil. Your Love is a higher power. Nothing bad can happen to you. Black magic is never worth it. Black magicians will suffer from various physical and mental illnesses. Such is the inexorable law of karma. And no one can help them, because doctors do not understand the magical nature of the world. They must humble themselves before a saint if they want to be cured and saved. Before Jesus, for example. Light triumphs over evil. Never be tempted by Satanism and black magic. It is terrible karma. But we, the disciples of Swami Maheshwarananda, are not afraid of such people. We are under God’s protection. We have compassion. The Higher Power cancels their magic. Love protects us. The important thing is not to allow yourself to be afraid. “They” live on fear. Do not be afraid and sit at the feet of the Master. Without him, we would be helpless in fights like this. We have great power: Love! And the Divine Mantra. You can see that my experience is very varied. But now that I am engaged in mantra yoga and celibacy, such events tend to elude me. I am grateful for that; it is how the Grace of the Master works. Pray. Never be led by anger and fear. The Yoga Master is obeyed by all the lower evil forces. They will surely kneel. The black ones must envy us, God’s people. They cannot reach that high. Satanists will fall into the bottomless pit where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. They have joined the side of evil, and therefore have no hope. I would not want to be a Satanist, the embodiment of unholy pride and rebellion against God. Only intense regret can set them free. Darkness everywhere, not a hint of Light. This is the fate they wanted. Eternal damnation. Should not God turn away from them? But their situation is not hopeless! They can turn to God and Jesus Christ for help! And God helps, even the unbelievers. God is most gracious. They will become Christians; such is their karma. Well, magic is unrewarding and punishable. Speaking of Satanists who practice black magic, my Master said that it could be schizophrenia. Unfortunate satanists, ask God for forgiveness (of this bad karma). There is strict justice everywhere in the Universe. Sin and evil are punished by an unfortunate birth, or even an animal birth. It is not a philosophy, it is Reality, says Master Maheshwarananda. So think about what you do. Everything that goes around comes around; bad for bad, good for good. It is up to you which path you take, whether the dark path of evil or the ethereal path of cosmic Love. So pull yourselves together.
It is best to avoid Satanists. Not try to save them. They will be diminished by our disinterest. They are uninteresting. They are not positive. We ignore them. We do not trifle with Satanism. Satanists are unclean. We are looking for a satsang (true spiritual society), not a non-religious kutsang. We have a democracy, so we cannot ban them. Even demons have their function. Everything is God’s game. We disagree with them, however. The wisest therefore avoid them. Bless. They are just ignorant. That is the way to look at it. We do not touch them. They themselves must want to sit at the feet of the spiritual Master. And to reach qualitatively higher, into a higher state of consciousness. Love controls and decides everything. The Journey leads no other way. Otherwise, they will always remain trapped in the ignorance and subconscious.
Many devout Christians follow the way of the cross and therefore have a personal experience with Satan. First of all, I want to say that everything is God and Satan basically does not exist. It is an attempt to explain evil in the world. Also, there is essentially no black magic and it is ineffective. You need not fear it. It is surprising how many Christians Satan keeps in fear even today. Of course, Christian theologians and Bible scholars will disagree with me here, for according to the Bible, Satan is a fallen angel who causes the destruction of souls in the world. But we, non-dual yogis, look at the matter differently. However, we do not mess with Satan, who also has his black-clad followers in the Czech Republic. So how to proceed if you observe some typical manifestations of Evil in yourself:
- loss or draining of energy (vampirism)
- bewitchment, magical attack
- haunted by evil spirits
- and the like
It is fair to say that you are a sensitive person and should not have to deal with these problems alone. Psychiatrists with their drugs are not the right solution in this case.
- Get a rosary and begin to repeat the prayers. The lower astral abhors that.
- Get a strong protective amulet. However, I do not recommend the traditional Christian cross, as it is associated with self-crucifixion, sickness and unnecessary suffering. Take Jesus down from the cross already! A good Christian is a joyful Christian. This is also true for us Hindus, for our spiritual nature is bliss. The Tau cross of Saint Francis of Assisi is much better, as it is a symbol not of crucifixion but of the aforementioned joy. The silver medallion with the Holy Archangel Michael, imported from Assisi, also proved to be an excellent tool against Satanism.
- You must take refuge under the protection of the saints, for example St. Francis of Assisi or Padre Pio. Satan fears Padre Pio.
- If you use marijuana, alcohol or other psychotropic drugs, stop immediately!
- Seek the spiritual company of people on the Spiritual Journey. This will help you reach positive vibrations and loving energies.
- Try to solve your problems yourself: light a candle on your altar and meditate sincerely on the hidden causes of your problems, repeating God’s name, prayer or mantra.
- Never be afraid of evil, for there is good, Love and God, which will protect you. You will definitely succeed in the fight with Satan.
- Try finding a living spiritual Master, someone like my Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda in the Czech Republic. Christians may prefer to have an experienced contemplative monk as their protector and spiritual guide. It is true that whoever is under the protective mantle of a saint, evil and unclean forces will not be able to exercise their power over him.
- Go on a holy pilgrimage to a holy place.
- Have a normal, healthy relationship with one life partner, or better yet, take up celibacy to get closer to the monastic state.
- Create a healthy lifestyle through vegetarianism. The energies of fear of the slaughtered animals will not penetrate your subconscious mind and affect you in the form of depression.
- Bless, wish everyone well. Peace and welfare should be your watchword.
- Love wins. The whole Universe is sustained by God’s Love. Become an instrument of the power of this Divine Love here on earth.
- Dedicate yourself to God, your protector – the deception of the devil will cease to plague you. Stand on the side of the peaceful and harmonious forces.
The true story of how I overcame and cured a black magician (1995).
On New Year’s Eve 1995, a very strange incident happened to me. I attended a New Year celebration at a speleological base. There were many strangers present. Naturally, us speleologists were present. An unknown guest sat down next to me and began to talk to me. “Do you want someone to die and not get discovered?” he told me. I didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying. “Or do you want to have any woman you look at?” he continued. After a while, he revealed to me that he had trained in black magic. I was a Christian and I longed to show him God. So I invited him for a night walk in the woods. And he said we would go then. We went into the night forest, the stars were shining, it was before midnight. Frozen snow crunched under our feet. We only walked a few hundred meters. When the black magician dramatically declared: “You and I would kill each other!” “I have to release it!” And with those words he sat down in the snow on the forest path towards Nový dvůr. He was sitting with his legs crossed. What was I supposed to do? I sat on the ground too, facing him. And the black mage was already concentrating. I felt like I was being pulled into another dimension. I jumped to my feet from my sitting position and circled my hands like in kung fu. “You put up a shield!” the black magician shouted with irritation and began to run down the hill through the forest. He was completely smitten. He hit the ground and fell into a snowdrift. I ran after him and crouched over his prone body. I put my hands on the middle of his chest, where the heart is. I could feel the energy radiating from my hands. I blessed him in the name of Jesus. I blessed again and again the black mage who was still lying on the ground at my feet. “God, grant this man Love,” I prayed. I repeated it over and over again: “Give this man Love!” “I can feel it,” he said. “You helped me.” “I don’t want black magic anymore.” He got up and looked sane and healthy. In my consciousness, the Universe has turned into a manifestation of energies. I understood and experienced firsthand the Wisdom of the Masters that Love is the Greatest Power. I later visited the former black magician at his home. “It’s all coming back,” he said in explanation to his magical experiments. God protects me, I assured myself.
I will not disclose his name here, because he has become humbled, but he did me harm persistently for a long time. It was when I lived as a hermit at Děravka. He would come from the Bull Rock with the evil intention of intimidating me. Many times he attacked me, for instance by pouring caustic-based liquid on my sacred linden tree dedicated to my Master Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. He would also leave his own human excrements outside my hermitage. I could tell from that he was an evil man, like Satan incarnate. He would also bring me pointed branches charred black in fire and ritually lay them by the hermitage. Other times, he would leave some pellets at Klostermann’s Spring. There was a lot going on in more than five years (2005-2012): demolished and discarded crosses in the Kostelík cave and stolen memorials. I also blamed him for breaking my main granite memorial at Děravka, which he threw into the mouth of the chasm. With all this he tried to intimidate me and stop my spiritual mission in the land of the Moravian Karst. Eventually, I decided to send him holy pictures of Jesus, Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio by post. I also included a book by the excellent Christian mystic Anthony de Mello: The Way to Love. This gift had a really positive effect on him and he pledged not to harm me again. Since then, there has been no more trouble from this Satan worshipper. Possession by an evil spirit is real for many people, and not only Satanists, but also, for example, butchers, hunters, etc. Likewise, an evil woman is an instrument of the powers of hell. You will experience a lot of oppression, adversity, a misunderstanding of your personality on your spiritual journey if you are really following God. The proof of these words is Jesus himself. This is why I ended up being just an insignificant liberated hermit.
One day, as I was walking to the square in Spišská Nová Ves to collect alms as usual as a hermit from the Slovak Paradise, I was verbally attacked by a group of convicts who had probably just been released from prison. I was completely unnerved by the assault. That made me wonder how to deal with such a situation as a monk and hermit. When the inspiration came to me to take an interest in the philosophy of the non-offensive peaceful martial art of the Power of Love called aikido or Universal Harmony, as taught by its legendary founder Morihei Ueshiba in 20th century Japan. I came to understand that the most important philosophical idea of aikido is to repel the opponent or enemy, but not to injure them. That is why I painted aikido calligraphy on the rock of my cave hermitage in the Slovak Paradise to commemorate this epiphany. Since then I had always seriously considered practicing aikido, but I couldn’t do it for a long time because I lived in the forest outside civilization. It was not until 20 years after this incident that I settled in Brno and received very strong spiritual instructions to try to join the aikido club of Doc. PhDr. Zdenko Reguli, who holds the Sixth dan in aikido, as well as a dan in Judo and other martial arts. Therefore, at the turn of 2022 to 2023, I actively studied aikido under his guidance. Although I was satisfied technically, I was disappointed spiritually, because aikido was presented only as a basically sporting art, although at an excellent level, but completely without the philosophical dimension that was introduced by its founder Master Ueshiba. So in the end, I decided not to come to aikido training anymore. Still, aikido made me wiser. I gained confidence in terms of fighting, even though I didn’t take belt tests at all and just used an ordinary white belt to tighten my kimono. I hold all aikidoists in high esteem and embrace them in my heart. They are definitely on a spiritual journey as well. Aikido definitely goes there just as well as yoga. Nevertheless, for those who are seriously interested in the spiritual path, I do not recommend to pursue any martial art, but to devote all their energy only to yoga. I parted ways with all martial arts after my experience with judo, karate, kung fu and aikido, which I studied combined for several years as an amateur. I am no longer a fighter of any martial art. Still, I am an inner warrior, but only spiritually enlightened people will understand this about my rather complex philosophy of life as a Hindu monk and hermit. I do not recommend you to delay yourself with any martial arts on the Path of Yoga. Everything I have ever been looking for has been given to me by the yoga of Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. I have always sought Knowledge and Wisdom, that is why I have rooted myself in Yoga in Daily Life. There may still be something to aikido. Hence, I do not condemn aikido, nor do I advocate it anymore, but since Ueshiba was an enlightened saint, I recommend following him. In your next life, however, you may be born in Japan to study it more. I did not want to risk that, because I plan to realize the next incarnation only in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India.
Aikido training. Swami Gyaneshwarpuri on the right (2022).
Again on whether I should live in an ashram in Brno and be of service to the homeless, or live alone in a rural hermitage and go into observation.
On 29 August 2024, I was awake all night by the fire drinking tea at my hermitage, Gangotri, in the Mahaprabhudip Ashram in Střílky, and while doing so, a seemingly remarkable inner vision or idea occurred to me, based on which I almost decided to turn the cooperative apartment I will inherit from my mother into a small ashram to house a few selected homeless people with a spiritual perspective. I decided on this path of Universal Charity with almost total certainty. However, my mother is still here in this world, so I will not continue with this project for the time being. Thank you, Someone from the Universe, for this Divine inspiration. However, these homeless people must be able to live without a woman, not do drugs, not drink alcohol, not smoke tobacco and eat only vegetarian food in the ashram. This offer is therefore far from being for everyone, but it is selective. I could teach them yoga and meditation. This ashram would therefore be intended primarily for socially disadvantaged individuals who are, however, able to pay the minimum rent to cover the overhead costs of my ashram. It is only for men, as I have no capacity for women here, unfortunately. I would like to prepare these selected people to meet Swamiji, my Master, but only if they have this spiritual guidance. They would each eat individually. The capacity of the ashram is only 3 persons in two rooms plus the Swami in a separate room. If necessary, it might be possible to accommodate someone on the floor of the meditation room. However, these homeless people need to be completely independent and able to take care of themselves. Perhaps, however, I will not realize this project of service to my fellowmen at all upon the subsequent inner warning also from Someone from the Universe and will live only as a true hermit completely alone. So for now I will see where this path will lead. My mother is still with us so I have plenty of time to think about the problem and meditate on this inner dilemma. I am not committing to anything. This vision is still in the lap of God. But on even deeper reflection, it would be better, in my case, to retire into complete hermitage-based solitude as soon as possible – into observation! I would just take care of myself, which means to have a small village house instead of an urban flat, with capacity for occasional visits from fellow yogis or yoga students. For the most important principle on the Path of Knowledge is to be a completely hidden yogi. When a drowning man catches at a straw on the spiritual journey under the influence of inner distress, he usually quickly goes out to serve someone! But not me. I have always wanted to do things completely alone in this way, and this is what my Higher Master Self advises me to do. I know you would like me to serve the people already, Swamiji, but I prefer to be in observation. Such is the Path of Knowledge, and I have come to see that public service leads away from it. Therefore, on really deepest reflection, I refuse to serve the homeless in my ashram, and I shall be just a completely solitary yogi, as the holy Bhagavad Gita asks of the yogis – sanyasins, unlike the more lay proprietors.
“When you are praised by your spiritual enemies, think where you are going wrong.
They want to see hermits serving the public.”
The Great Lama from the North received an urgent message from the Lama from the South asking for a wise and pious monk to initiate novices into the spiritual life. To everyone’s astonishment, the Great Lama sent five monks instead of one. And to those who wanted to know why, he answered cryptically: “We will be lucky if one of them gets to the Lama.”
The group of monks had been on the road for several days when a messenger came running up to them and said: “A priest died in our village. We need someone to take his place.” The village seemed quite a comfortable place to live and the priest’s salary was quite decent. One of the monks suddenly awakened pastoral desires. “I would not be a Buddhist,” he said, “if I did not stay here to serve these people.” So he said his goodbyes.
A few days later, they happened to spend the night at the palace of a king who took a liking to one of the monks. He said: “Stay here and you may marry my daughter. And when I die, you will succeed to the throne.” The monk was very attracted to kingship and so he said: “How better could I influence the people of this kingdom than as king? I would not be a Buddhist if I did not take this chance to serve religious interests.” And he also said his goodbyes.
The remaining monks continued their journey until they reached a hilly region and came to a solitary dwelling occupied by a beautiful girl. She invited them in and thanked God for sending the monks to her. Her parents had been murdered by bandits from the mountains and the girl was left all alone, with only her fears. The next morning, when it was time to leave, one of the monks said: “I will stay here with the girl. I would not be a Buddhist if I did not practice compassion.”
The remaining two monks went on and reached a Buddhist village. There, to their horror, they discovered that its inhabitants had abandoned their religion and were under the sway of a Hindu theologian. One of the monks said: “I am obligated to these people and to Lord Buddha himself to stay here and convert them back to the faith.”
So only the fifth monk eventually reached the Lama of the South.
I wrote to Mons. Pavel Konzbul, Bishop of Brno, regarding a request to join the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi.
Dear Monsignor Konzbul,
I am seriously interested in joining the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi in Brno. I should mention that I was born a Catholic, but I became a Hindu monk under Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda of India. I have a question as to whether I would be eligible to become a member of the Third Order of St. Francis under these circumstances. I do not, of course, attend your services or go to confession, nor do I perform any other formal Catholic spiritual activity. Indeed, I am a Hindu and a yogi in heart and soul, and I perform my conscientious duties and spiritual sadhana according to this religion. So I have a question whether the Capuchins of Brno would accept me among them into the Third Order under these circumstances, especially for symbolic and mystical reasons, since I have felt myself to be an inner disciple of St. Francis of Assisi for many decades. I would like to combine these two religions in my heart without ceasing to be a yogi and a Hindu. I appreciate your response. I am from Brno and I live as a hermit in the Moravian Karst. With Love and Respect.
An example of the hermit’s somewhat mysterious philosophy of life and mysticism:
I’m becoming aware of things hidden
at the edge of emotion and perception.
You can only be alone in the quietest solitude.
Otherwise, you are a slave.
For this reason, I will not join any religious order.
I’m a hermit.
You have to go into the most imperceptible solitude to understand something.
Don’t be afraid of being alone. The angels will guide you.
I don’t belong in the human world.
Forests and mountains are my home.
Your freedom and autonomy hinder them.
That is, your union with God.
Only if you serve them can you be happy.
That’s what I call invisible slavery.
You have to surrender your spiritual energy to them,
and so you become attached.
Where is your freedom then?
This is how it’s all starting to unravel for me.
For this reason, the greatest saints avoided people as much as they could,
preferring to serve God in seclusion.
I’m sure that you will heal from your difficulties in solitude
and laugh heartily at those difficulties,
for you will see the essence of the interpersonal relationships of duality.
So go into solitude, it’s more than a service to duality.
That is, if you are ready for Knowledge.
But that’s what they want to stop you from doing.
By feeling responsible, by saying it’s an escape, that you have to serve someone, and so on.
Therefore, on this Path of Yoga Vairagya,
you must not be attached to wife, children, friend, family, country, religion,
for my Home is the Universe.
But you want to keep it all,
so you take the path of service of Bhakti yoga and Karma yoga,
but that is your mistake from the higher viewpoint,
because you will not see the whole Truth like the jnanis.
Enough of convenient sponging,
you have to purify yourself, even Swami cannot help you.
So by all means go into solitude.
It won’t be pleasant at first,
but everyone has to go through it,
at the latest in the solitude of dying.
Why wait for death?
Be as if you are already dead to the world,
like the sannyasins, the Hindu monks.
“To become a swami is to dedicate one’s life to a spiritual quest. To seek the origin of the universe, to seek the one Reality, to return to the spiritual home from whence we came. We belong to eternity and our stay in this world is only temporary. Swami dedicates his life to the journey within, where the Divine Self, omniscient and omnipresent, is hidden. Swami ceases to be attached to the family, to the material house, to property, to worldly abodes, for his abode is the universe.”
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Lila Amrit
Cave called Slezákova díra in Moravian Karst – speleological research (2021).
A sculptor was working on a statue in the quarry. But he wasn’t very successful. Suddenly, the stone broke in two, and to his surprise he saw an ant holding a small grain in the middle of the crack. The sculptor pondered: “How did the ant get in there? Who feeds it?” And he thought: “Whoever gave you the beak will also give you food.” He dropped his work and went home, even though it was only noon. His wife was surprised, especially when he told her that he would stop working altogether. “If an ant can survive in a stone, how could I die?” His wife calmed him down and sent him to the doctor. But he went on: “Why, I’m normal, and if fate, God, or whatever you want to call it, wants to give me something, let it be thrown down through our roof. If it was just put in front of my door, I wouldn’t go for it! I am nobody’s servant. If God gave me life, he must help me survive.” Women are kind-hearted, but everything has its limits. There’s a saying that people love you for your work, and if you don’t work for your family, the love will fade away. But the sculptor didn’t relent. One evening, he said to his wife: “Earlier today, I had a stick, and I was just digging around in the sand, and suddenly a wooden chest appeared, and it was full of jewels and gold.” The woman quickly asked: “Where is it?” “Well, I buried it again! If fate wants to give me riches, let it bring them to me here, why should I bother?” “You’re crazy, tell me where it is.” Two thieves happened to be standing at the window and heard everything. They decided to find the treasure that very night. They succeeded in finding the chest, but when they opened it, there were only snakes and scorpions writhing in it, much to their surprise. “The cunning man must have known about us and set us up,” they figured. “But we’re really going to throw that chest down his chimney.” And they dragged the heavy chest up to the roof, threw it straight into the bedroom, and fled. When the wife opened it, it was filled with jewels and gold. The man calmly said: “This is what fate wanted to give me, take it, I’m not interested.” And the moral of the story is: If anything is really within your karma, it will come to you, and if it is not, you will not attain it.
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Divine Mirror. Stories of a Yoga Master.
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