Small is beautiful and close to God’s heart. From the very beginning, our way of working has been to establish a network of small but efficient missions in the name of the beloved master, Paramahamsa Hariharananda (known affectionately as Baba, meaning “father” in Sanskrit). These small organizations are guided and nurtured by Rajarshi Raghabananda (one of Baba’s most advanced disciples), and Swami Sarveshwarananda (Baba’s personal attendant in the last years of his life). Each Hariharananda mission or center runs its own projects independently; what connect them together are bonds of love to their teachers, not corporate obligations.

Lahiri Mahashaya, the father of modern Kriya Yoga, had stated nearly 150 years ago that if Kriya Yoga became an organized movement, it would be doomed. When a divine transmission is managed by rich and powerful institutions, spirituality and purity tend to decline, and loyalty to the corporation and its leaders— instead of the freedom of God-realization—becomes the unwritten expectation for the members. With the corruption of the ideals of the leaders comes the corruption of the spiritual practice, and the original message of the founder gradually fades away.

Baba, who once had been described as “the master of disorganized religion,” often told his acharyas and monks to “work independently, always preserving your love for Hariharananda.” In this way he maintained unity through diversity and ensured that the marvelous teachings of Kriya Yoga would never be ‘owned’ and stifled by a single entity or person, and could be shared in multiple creative ways.

As Papa Ramdas used to say, “In the shelter and proximity of a big tree, a small tree cannot grow to its full stature and potential, capable of giving shade and coolness to many beings.”
The same happens with organizations. Startup units or projects need the protection of the main organization, but as soon they have developed sufficiently to sustain themselves, they can be spun off and follow their own path and mission, maintaining their connection with the mother organization on the basis of freedom and love.

Welcome to the family!