Yogi Vishnu Panigrahi

Meditation is real medication. About Pt. Vishnu : Pandit Vishnu Panigrahi has been steeped in spiritual endeavors since his childhood and even before his birth—his great grandfather told his grand daughter (Visnu’s mother-to-be) that there is a necessity of a boy from your home to be a spiritual devotee. The grand daughter prayed deeply over many months for a baby boy to come as her son and fulfill her great grandfather’s wish. After his birth mother would sing to the children every night songs and stories from the Ramayana (the famous epic on Rama Incarnation) and Puranas (the Indian versified Sanskrit encyclopedias of stories and narratives of divinities). As a young child his grandfather advised him to meditate for salvation and moksha and not indulge in prayers or rituals for lesser material or mundane purposes. A Radhe-Krishna Temple was constructed by the grandfather in their village in Orissa, India where Vishnu would frequently serve food and water to wandering sadhus who would come to rest for the night on the house verandah or temple verandah. Many of these sadhus were “kum-phatia babas” (they wear the bark of kum trees—a special sect of knowledge-bearing hatha-yogis and shunyavadi whose founder was Alekh mahima, formless god himself), who had a great impression on young Vishnu. These are the famous tree bark adorned babas that freely roam around parts of Orissa. They had no clothing or blankets while sleeping, winter or summer, only wearing a covering made of tree bark and carrying no extraneous possessions. School was 6 kms. away by bicycle for boy Vishnu. When in the larger town 10 kms away there were occasional discourses and satsang by visiting Swamis, counting among them was Swami Avdheshanand Giri of Haridwar, who has graced Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama with his presence in recent years. On these occasions Vishnu would skip school and attend the satsang (spiritual company and discourse of the saintly), resting under the trees after the satsang and he would reach home by bicycle in the evening. He found a kalyana-mitra (friend on the noble path) in a boyhood friend who would arrange to meet together at 3 a.m. morning in secluded places away from the village. Here they would join for meditation and chant all day “Mohamudgaram” (a famous hymn titled “Mace to Beat Delusion with”) by Adi Shankaracharya to dispel their fears and gain vairagya (intense inclination to renunciation). On Sundays and holidays Vishnu would serve the impoverished people at the nearby hospital by washing them and other chores of taking care of those waiting and recovering from treatment. There was always a lack of nurses to care for the patients who had to lay on the cement floor with bare facilities. Once there was an old man with a horrible odor and small worms attached to his legs who was neglected by the doctors. His legs were eventually treated and bandaged. During this time Vishnu cleaned the old man and shaved his head and beard over a few days. The man was so grateful and driven to happiness and blessed young Vishnu. On a following day Vishnu returned to be with him again but the man was not there. He inquired to where he was but no one remembered him or could say he had been there! Vishnu was surprised and felt it was God Himself who had come in the form of the old man then completely vanished! Another time an aged man was found near to his home debilitated with diseases. He was turned away by doctors as he was of low caste. Vishnu noticed him and at first took him to a hidden place as being an orthodox Brahmin he should not mix closely with the lower caste. But while beginning to treat him with food and medicine he asked himself why should he hide? He brought him then to an open place and people observed Vishnu bathing the aged man and the comments came out from the people that Vishnu has become mad and crazy! Vishnu did not relent and became a strong leader in his village and surrounding area against the caste differences and for the cause of humane treatment irrespective of caste. At the young age of 15 years he became a member of Muni Samaj, a school of meditation and yoga founded by Shiva Muni, a saint devoted to long periods of silence. He sought out knowledge as best to his means and at age 18 met Vedanta Keshari Swami Niranjanji, popularly known as the “Lion of Vedanta”. Vishnu underwent studies under him for two years. He also acquired a B.A. degree in arts at Jyoti Vihar University. By age 20 he delved into a path full of devotion focusing on cultivating universal love and sankirtan (singing and chanting for long hours as part of bhakti—the yoga of devotion and intense sentiment of surrender). His days and nights passed in prayer, japa (mental mantra-recitations) and chanting holy names in kirtan. This was a Bhakti tradition originating with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a great saint who lived in the 15th century, and popularized the path of bhakti, especially to Incarnation Krishna. It was during this time that