The Masters

Below is a brief profile on some of the Masters featured in the Dialogues with the Masters products:

Sri Jamanagiri Swami ("Cave Swami") - Cave Swami of Chaimundi Hills (as he is lovingly called by his disciples) is a sadhu, or recluse, who provides inspiration and guidance to the charitable work of Operation Shanti in India. His humble and generous nature, simple way of living, and practical, rational thinking form the cornerstone of what he calls "a charitable life", i.e. to help others in need and as he often says, "just do good things."

Ramesh Balsekar - Recognized as one of the foremost contemporary sages in the world and a Master of pure "advaita" (non-dualism), Ramesh, who is married and has three children, is widely regarded as a "householder" Guru. He has authored a number of respected texts on advaita including, The Ultimate Understanding, Who Cares!? The Unique Teaching of Ramesh S. Balsekar, andConsciousness Speaks: Conversations with Ramesh S. Balsekar.

H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj - Revered by millions throughout India and the world, Pujya Swamiji is President and the spiritual inspiration of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, one of India's largest and most renowned spiritual institutions. Under his divine inspiration and leadership, Parmarth Niketan has become a sanctuary known across the globe as one filled with grace, beauty, serenity and true divine bliss.

Swami Krishnamurthy - A mango farmer by birth, Swami Krishnamurthy is a deep intellectual by disposition. His expositions about the nature of reality, what is real and unreal, provide the Upanishadic wisdom of the ancients from a man who speaks from personal experience.

Nani Ma - Living next to the holy river Ganges in Uttar Kashi, Nani Ma was born in England, and has spent the past thirty years in India, devoted to spiritual practice and learning, high in the Himalayas. She is a woman of uncommon clarity, a deeply loving heart, and a complete lack of concern about appearances.

Sri Vellyananda Swami ("Nail Swami") - This remarkable man has pursued a path of yoga which involves not cutting nails or hair and subsisting on only hot water. It is said that he has had nothing but hot water and milk for the past twenty-five years, and as you will see, his hair and nails are not what we are used to.

Mata Devi Vanamali - The founder of Vanamali Ashram in Rishikesh, India, Devi Vanamali is a devotee of Lord Krishna, also known as Lord Vanamali. She speaks with a clarity borne of experience and has authored a number of books including: The Play of God, Song of Rama, Nitya Yoga: The Yoga of Constant Communion, and The Taste Divine, a book on sattvic, vegetarian cooking.

Hans Devraha Baba - To sit with Hans Baba is said to be a rare honor. None know his whereabouts in advance as he goes where he feels drawn. He is said to possess siddhis, or supernatural powers which accrue to adepts in yoga. Devotees will frequently enter a trancelike state during Hans Baba's chanting. His teaching is frequently through song as is seen even during the interivew in Dialogues with the Masters.

Prem Avadhoot Bapuji - I first met this wonderful Saint when my stepmother passed away. In the days immediately following her death, a friend told me Bapuji was just a couple of hours away. As you'll read in the story of my adventures, he came to me and paid his respects to my stepmother. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Bapuji is revered by his disciples around the world and he is the spiritual inspiration for several schools in his home state of Gujarat.

Govind Ashram - Few know of or have spent time with Govind Ashram, yet this is a man of such depth and such devotion that I feel deeply honored to be able to bring his wisdom to you. You will learn as much from the quality of his life as from his words. This is a true sadhu and a real sage.

Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati is a graduate from Stanford University, who came to Parmarth Niketan Ashram, on the holy banks of the Ganges River in Rishikesh from America in 1996. She took Sanyas Diksha in June 2000 from her guru His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj, marking her pledge to a life of service, renunciation, purity and devotion, and has been living in India and been serving the poor and needy eversince.