The Mahayoga Lineage
Harshada is a modern representative of a very old spiritual lineage originating in ancient India. He refers to it as the Mahayoga Lineage. That's not an official name, but rather a reference to the Kundalini Mahayoga taught by the masters in his lineage for millenia.
Harshada was initiated by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda in 1992. After that, Harshada spent many years serving and training under Gurumayi in her ashrams in India, the U.S. and Australia. During those years he was mentored by several teachers in that lineage, most notably Swami Madhavananda, Swami Umeshananda, Swami Shantananda, Swami Durgananda (aka Sally Kempton), and Ram Butler.
After separating from Gurumayi's ashram in 2004, Harshada went deeper into the roots of the lineage and connected more directly with the modern root guru of the lineage Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri. Nityananda was born in South India in the late 19th century and left his body in 1961.
Nityananda was an avadhuta - a being who was beyond social convention. He didn't speak much or teach in any official way and claimed no authority and also conferred no official authority on his disciples to carry on his lineage. His main teaching was his state of deep absorption in the Absolute and the energy he transmitted to anyone who came into contact with him. He had countless devotees and many disciples. Several of Nityananda's disciples became gurus with their own communities. Among his main disciples were Shaligram Swami, Tulsi Amma, Jananda Swami, and Swami Muktananda who was the guru of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
Nityananda didn't have a guru in his lifetime. He is believed to be a reincarnated siddha. Nityananda is thought to represent the lineage of Dattatreya and also connected to the mysterious Natha Sampradaya which connects back to Dattatreya and also the Adinatha, Lord Shiva. The Nathas were great Mahayogis. They were non-adherents to norms not only of general society, but also non-adherents to the norms of Hinduism and other yogic and pari-yogic lineages.
Harshada's connections to the Natha Sampradaya include his direct lineage connection with Nityananda and his more indirect connection with Jnaneshwar Maharaj, a 13th century master and disciple of Shri Nrvrittinath. Jnaneshwar, also known as Dhyaneshwar and Jnanadev, was an extraordinary siddha. Blessed by his guru and elder brother Nrivritti, Jnaneshwar became enlightened when he was a teenager and wrote countless poems in the Marathi language. He is most known for his poetic commentary of the Bhagavad Gita known as Jnaneshwari. Jnaneshwar took living samadhi when he was just 21. Harshada brings his students on pilgrimage to the samadhi shrines (tombs) of both Nrvritti and Jnaneshwar during his annual Pilgrimage Retreats to India.
Jnaneshwar, along with Namdev and other masters in Maharashtra started a popular movement known as the Bhakti Movement encouraging people to chant mantras and engage in devotional practice independent of the their caste or social status. This tradition, known as the Varkari tradition, still exists today with millions of people making annual pilgrimages to Jnaneshwar's samadhi shrine and other holy sites aroud the state of Maharashtra. Harshada brings groups of students regularly to Maharashtra on pilgrimage.
Harshada is not a Varkari and doesn't continue those formal aspects of Jnaneshwar's work. In contrast with the massive popular Varkari movement, Jnaneshwar's Mahayoga work is somewhat more hidden - conveyed in his esoteric teachings and carried on by people who engage in inner practices like meditation. This is the aspect that Harshada teaches.
Mahayoga
Mahayoga, also known as Kundalini Mahayoga, is the blend of teachings and practices taught by Harshada and other teachers that come from his lineage. It weaves together the philosophical streams of non-dual tantra, bhakti, vedanta, Patanjali, hatha yoga, jnana yoga and meditation practices often referred to as raja yoga. The foundation of Mahayoga is the awakening of the Kundalini Shakti, the indwelling spiritual intelligence that lies within everyone. Truly speaking, Mahayoga is not a yoga like a technique or system. It is the process of the kundalini awakening and expanding. It happens within a person's subtle being and also in their outside life revealing the divine within and without. The teachings and practices of Mahayoga are there to support this process.
Dattatreya
