SRI BHUPENDRANATH SANYAL MAHASAYA
Sri Sanyal Mahasaya was born on January 20, 1877, in Sadhana Para village, Nadia district, West Bengal, India. At the age of thirteen, he started a regular spiritual practice. His leisure activities included studying religious texts and scriptures, as well as engaging with spiritual figures such as saints and sages.
During his school and college years, his spiritual practice and education were impeded by recurring health issues. Sri Sanyal Mahasaya’s sister requested assistance from his Gurudev, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya, due to his frequent ailments. He nevertheless assured her that Sri Sanyal Mahasaya would live a lengthy life.
Sri Lahiri Mahasaya introduced Sri Sanyal Mahasaya to Kriyayoga when he was sixteen years old. His passionate longing for Godhood, purity, and humility moved Sri Lahiri Mahasaya. Sri Sanyal Mahasaya was so committed to the practice of Kriyayoga that he rapidly moved on to more advanced techniques and experiences. Upon omnisciently perceiving his imminent passing, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya encouraged his devoted disciple, Sri Sanyal Mahasaya, to study additional advanced techniques from Sri Panchanan Bhattacharya and to disseminate the Kriyayoga teachings.
Despite his evident desire to pursue a monastic life, according to his ideal and exemplary Gurudeva, Sri Sanyal Mahasaya was destined to marry Kalidasi Devi at the age of twenty-one. He was widely recognized as a thoroughly accomplished and well-established yogi after achieving self-realization in 1902.
He co-founded Shantiniketan with Rabindranath Tagore, with whom he maintained a close relationship. Additionally, he served as a teacher at the institution from 1902 to 1909. In 1923, he founded the Gurudham Ashram in Puri and the Bhagalpur Ashram in 1924. Sri Sanyal Mahasaya was a prolific and gifted writer who published a Bengali commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, as well as a variety of spiritual writings. On January 18, 1962, he entered the eternal abode known as mahasamadhi.