Carrot in my ear eBook

Swami Shankarananda (Swamiji) attained the state of Self-realisation at the feet of one of the 20th-century’s greatest masters of yoga and meditation, Swami (Baba) Muktananda Paramahamsa. Baba Muktananda’s teaching and inspiration was a key factor in the reinvigoration of the revered mystical tradition of Kashmir Shaivism in our time.

Swamiji grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a graduate of both Columbia and New York universities, began a promising career in English literature at Indiana University. However, in the late sixties, a dramatic turn of events profoundly altered the direction of his life.

In 1970, he travelled to India in search of a great teacher and a spiritual path. He practised Buddhist Vipassana meditation with Master Goenka, and hatha and raja yoga with Hari Dass Baba. He spent time with the mysterious Neem Karoli Baba; the great sage, Nisargadatta Maharaj; and the holy mother, Anandamayi Ma. His search culminated in the meeting of the powerful and charismatic Baba Muktananda, under whom he studied for 12 years until Muktananda’s death, and who initiated him into the Saraswati order of teaching swamis. Swamiji carries on the Siddha tradition of Muktananda and his teacher, Bhagawan Nityananda. In 2010, in recognition of the length and quality of his international work, Swamiji received the prestigious Hindu title, Mahamandaleshwar, meaning ‘great teacher’.

Swamiji was instrumental in disseminating Baba Muktananda’s Kashmir Shaivism in the West beginning in the 1970s. In 1974, he established the first Western ashram of this tradition, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Later, he also directed centres in Los Angeles, New York, and Melbourne.

Motivated by the significance and value of the Shaivite teachings to Western spirituality, Swamiji edited Siddha Meditation, a collection of Baba’s writings and one of the first commentaries on Kashmir Shaivism ever written specifically for Westerners. Swamiji also wrote Muktananda Siddha Guru, essays on the Guru-disciple relationship, and was the founding editor of the Siddha Path magazine.

Swamiji is author of the Australian best-seller Happy for No Good Reason, also published in India by Motilal Banarsidass, Carrot in My Ear, a compilation of questions and answers about spiritual practice and philosophy, and Self-Inquiry: Using Your Awareness to Unblock Your Life. Other titles by Swamiji include a five-CD lecture series, The Yoga of Gurdjieff, and the audio and video series, Great Beings, including Volume I: The Wisdom of Anandamayi Ma.

Swamiji is Shivacharya (spiritual director) of the Shiva School of Meditation and Yoga, near Melbourne, Australia. His reputation as a Shaivite master is drawing national and international recognition as students from around the world gather, inspired by these profound teachings and his compassionate and wise guidance.