Translator: Rachel Toren and Shani Evenstain

Shri Shri Tailang Swami was a great Kriya yogi and one of the few yogis whose remarkable lives, filled with miraculous stories, were historically documented and verified. The name Tailang was mainly used in Varanasi, and is reminiscent of the Telugu language, which was his mother tongue.
Shri Tailang Swami was born to a Brahmin family in Andhara-Pradesh, a small village near Visianagram. His father Narisinghandar was a devoted person known for his generosity. Together with his wife, Anushtana, they led a religious life. Their inability to conceive caused them great sorrow and led the father to marry another woman. This decision deepened Anushtana’s sadness, who as a great devotee of Shiva, begged God, until she was finally blessed with a child. Once, while his mother was praying, the baby crawled into the room. Suddenly, an intense light shone from the Shivalingam and penetrated his body. His amazed mother and father realized that their son was holy, and he was known since then as Shivaram.
 
Shivaram’s first teacher was his mother, who upon his request when reaching adulthood, initiated him using the Shiva mantra. Shivaram loved his mother dearly and was close to her wholeheartedly. After her death, her body was cremated, as is traditionally accepted, and Shivaram decided to leave his house permanently. Shivaram now dedicated himself to his spiritual practice, and after twelve years of Sadhana, he made a pilgrimage to Pushkar. There, he met the yogi Bhagiratananda Saraswati, with whom he stayed, and became his disciple. The yogi initiated him into the Kriya Yoga secrets and changed his name to Gajanan Saraswati, but he was only known as Tailang Swami. In order to complete his initiation Tailang Swami traveled to Nepal and later to Tibet. While wandering from place to place, he maintained a vow of silence for many years, and became known for the wondrous miracles that happened in his presence. Hid exact arrival date to Varanasi, the city of Lord Shiva, is unknown, but he remained there for the last one hundred and fifty years of his life. 
Tailang Swami was not only a spiritual giant, but also a great man in size. Although he seldom ate, he weighed over one-hundred and fifty kilos, a fact that added to the mystery that surrounded him. The Master deliberately ignored all the health regulations, and did so for reasons known only to him. It is known that the great Masters, who have surpassed the cosmic dream of the Maya and who have experienced the world as an idea of the divine consciousness, can do as they wish with their bodies. They do so knowing that the body is an object that exists, is activated and is influenced by the pure and concentrated energy. In 1869, the great yogi Shri Ramakrishna [later Paramahamsa] traveled to Varanasi in order to meet Tailang Swami. After meeting the latter he said, "I saw God using this body as a vessel in order to manifest itself."
Shri Tailang Swami was the embodiment of simplicity and restraint. He was filled with love and his spirituality was entwined with great emotion. He was known for his big heart and generosity, his progressive and liberal way of thinking and for many charity deeds. Tailang Swami took under his wing disciples from all castes and religious backgrounds, even those who were born to the lowest castes or considered utterly ignorant. With a combination of generosity and genius, that characterize a great teacher, he taught his disciples the true meaning of loving God and helping others. Tailang Swami’s gift to mankind is his great work in the chapter dealing with the philosophy of religion, Mahavakya Ratnavali.
Shri Tailang Swami entered the sacred Samadhi in 1881 and left his body in the full moon of month Pusha (equivalent to December). Out of the two-hundred and eighty years of his life, he spent one-hundred and fifty of them in Varanasi.

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