Affectionately called “The little Lahiri Mahashaya” by his disciples, Dr. Raghabananda Nayak is the only disciple of Paramahamsa Hariharananda to have ever attained the nirvikalpa samadhi state—and on the very day of his initiation in 1965, just as Shyamacharan Lahiri Mahashaya did when Mahavatar Babaji initiated him.

In the 1970s the Menninger Foundation of Topeka, Kansas, conducted a series of scientific experiments with him, studying among other things his alpha waves in the state of meditation. Highly impressed by their observations, they nicknamed him “the prince of peace.” The results were later presented in a scientific documentary, “Yoga for the West,” as well as in the best-selling book Beyond Biofeedback by Dr. Elmer and Alice Green, the internationally-known eminent psychologists.

Under the guidance of Paramahamsa Hariharananda, Raghabananda completed all the higher kriyas at the Karar Ashram, Puri, and was empowered as an accomplished acharya in 1974. Since then he has been devotedly working on his divine assignment by guiding and initiating spiritually-inclined people, writing numerous books on Kriya Yoga, and training acharyas of the Kriya Yoga order.

In 1992 his beloved guru conferred on him the title of Rajarshi, “Royal Sage”, the highest honor conferred to householder disciples.

He is now the president of the Hariharananda Kriya Yoga Mission – Sambalpur, Orissa, India, founded by his beloved master Paramahamsa Hariharananda in the year 1992. This ashram is one of the very rare ones in India headed by a householder. In appointing Raghabananda to manage this ashram, Baba has shown that Kriya Yoga is the path most suited for householders - anyone can be a “karma sannyasi,” performing his worldly duties as an offering to God, in a detached and blissful way.

Due to Gurudev Baba Hariharananda’s grace we had the blessing to see his work in progress through the saintly guidance of Rajarshi Raghabanandaji in a remote village in the Indian state of Orissa. The village’s name denotes the godly work done here on earth by a “Divine Hero”, our beloved Raghabanandaji, Gurudev’s twin soul.  
We could observe how his seva is in perfect alignment with Gurudev’s and God’s will. A perfect expression of love, which flows in all directions, from guru to disciples and from disciples to guru.

Banabira is the only Kriya Village in the world, where Raghabanandaji has been nurturing a Kriya community since 1986. There one can breathe peace and calmness and observe the villagers living a very poor and simple life, yet immersed in an extraordinary state of consciousness and happiness. Out of 1,400 villagers, an outstanding two thirds are kriyavans! In every home there is an altar dedicated to Gurudev Baba Hariharananda…
There is so much devotion to God, Baba and Raghabanandaji and so much faith in Kriya Yoga, that since 2002 the village kriyavans have been building out of their own meager resources a beautiful ashram. The place is a little heaven on earth, full of flowers, fruit trees, and bird songs. Only love can be felt in all directions, inviting you to dive deep into cosmic and God-consciousness. Nearby is a beautiful pond on which banks sits a peaceful little Shiva temple.