Sri Shivarudra Balayogi Maharaj (born 20 September 1954), born Srinivas (Seenu) Dikshitar in Kolar in the South Indian state of Karnataka, is a self realised Yogi and a direct disciple of Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj.
After meeting his Guru at the age of sixteen, Seenu performed 20 years of vigorous service and meditation under Shri Shivabalayogi's guidance at his Dehradun ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas. Soon after the death of his Guru in 1994, Srinivas entered a stage known as tapas—intense and unbroken dhyana (meditation) in which the mind is kept in perfect thoughtlessness. By performing tapas for around 20 hours a day continuously for five years, he achieved Enlightenment/Self Realization. Based in the Dehradun ashram, he now travels to many parts of the world teaching meditation and continuing his Guru's mission. He has established numerous meditation groups in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and around India.
Hinduism Today has written that, "Thousands have been inspired by his influence" and "When the famous Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj passed away in 1994, meditators around the world wondered who would take his place." Shivarudra Balayogi is counted as one of the few disciples who completed at least five years of tapas, and is revered by many followers as the successor of his Guru's legacy. In his book on Indian spirituality, renowned Vedanta scholar Adwaita P. Ganguly writes, "Baba Shivarudra Balayogi is the embodiment of gentleness, compassion and service to humanity. He is also resolute and immovable as Silence itself".
Life
Beginning
Shivarudra Balayogi was born Srinivas Dikshitar on 20 September 1954 to a pious Brahmin family in Kolar in the South Indian state of Karnataka. The youngest of four children (including Vijay Kumar, Vijaya Lakshmi, Satyanarayana), he was affectionately known as 'Seenu.' His father, Shankara Dikshitar, was a doctor who dedicated much of his time to serving the poor without charge. Seenu drew inspiration from a young age from his mother's example of fervent devotion and inner strength.
Awakening
Srinivas had begun to experience an acute spiritual hunger by the age of five. At the age of six or seven, he became mesmerised upon hearing his sister singing Bhaja Govindam, composed by the great Yogi-teacher Adi Shankaracharya. The spiritually precocious child immediately learned the Sanskrit verses, began singing them and contemplating their meaning. A sudden detachment (vairagya) dawned, as a result of Adi Shankaracharya's exhortation:
Sing the Glory of God and adopt His consciousness into your mind, for when the end comes to the physical body, none of your worldly scholarship, wealth or possessions are going to come to your rescue.
Seenu's mind became obsessed with thoughts of birth and death: "What is the use of living if we are simply going to die?", "Do we come into being with our physical body, and do we die with this body?", "If one is truly the Immortal Soul, the Consciousness beyond birth and death, why is it that we are unaware of it?", "If happiness exists, why is it that we do not have it all the time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?"
Srinivas had become uncomfortable with the sight of the world, and wondered whether there was a technology to "switch off" the universe.
Guru
During his teenage years, Seenu spent much of his time at various temples around his home, sitting quietly by himself. He would contemplate the meaning of jnana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion) and vairagya (detachment) from the teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, and longed for a Guru of the calibre of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Shri Ramana Maharshi.
At the age of fifteen, Seenu began to secretly meditate in the isolated Nagara Theertha cave in the Chamundi hills (outside Mysore) several days a week instead of going to school. At the age of sixteen, Srinivas was led to the great Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj through a series of unusual events. Having performed a heroic twelve-year tapas (intense meditation) at the age of fourteen, Shivabalayogi Maharaj was known for his powerful presence and dazzling aura of peace. In a dream, on the night before meeting His Guru, Swamiji initiated Seenu into a mantra, which was to become an anchor for his mind on the path to Self Realization:.