NĀHAM KARTĀ. PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ. MAHĀ PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ HĪ KEVALAM.
I am not the doer; God, Master, Mahaprabhuji alone is the doer.
Translated into English for Swamiji, at his feet.
Who I am.
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. In 2024, he made a seemingly futile attempt to join the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi as a Hindu monk.
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.
“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.”
Dhammapada Verse 166
The presence of the mystic. Monk ordination.
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.
How I was given the spiritual name Gyaneshwarpuri.
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.
My early childhood encounter with wisdom.
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.
Meeting with the guru in Střílky in 1996.
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.
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…
Project Gangotri.
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.
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
I’m looking for a plot of land in the woods for my wooden hermitage.
“Does anyone know of a forest in which I could build a hermitage near a spring of fresh water and live as a hermit on the Principle of Francis Alverna Mountain? Please let me know. A wise man will ask… It should be a location in the Moravian Karst and its surroundings, or anywhere in Moravia, easily accessible from Brno. Thank you very much.” “Lord… who may live on your holy mountain?” (Psalm 15:1). Or: “Meditate, repeat your mantra and your wish will come true.” (Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda).
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
© Indický Mistr jógy Paramhans Swamí Mahéšvarananda za Nirgunou 
a Jeho oddaný žák hinduistický a jógový mnich v České republice © Swami Gyaneshwarpuri.  
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