Peethadhipati Narayanananda Swamiji



Physical Address: 5004 N First St, San Jose, CA 95002
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1146, San Jose, CA 95002
Phone: 408-203-1036 or 408-690-3805
balajitemple1@gmail.com

About Balaji Matha and Swamiji:

Balaji Matha is a spiritual nonprofit organization dedicated for sharing the universal truth of the Vedas and the Upanishads of India, namely that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent and every person’s purpose in life is to realize this Oneness with everything.

Swami Narayanananda hails from a family of priests, near Bengaluru, India. His father's guidance influenced his spiritual growth at very tender age. At the early age of twelve, he entered the Adi Chuchanagiri Matha Mahakshetra Ashram, in Bengaluru, India, for further edification. Young Brahmachari Narayananda apprenticed several years at this ashram. In 1993, he was invited to come to America, where he rendered priest service to the public in the Bay Area. In 1999, he went to the Himalayas on pilgrimage.


Swamiji



After many years of service in local temples, in 2006 he founded the Balaji Matha in CA, USA. Swamiji took the vow of "Sanyas" with Padmabushan Dr. Jagadguru Sri Sri Swami Balagangadharanatha, in July 2010. Swami Anandanath (Narayanananda) returned to America and has dedicated his life to serve humanity. His intention is to help everyone to realize God within. In 2010, the Balaji Matha Temple received an anonymous donation of 23 acres of land near Hollister, in Tres Pinos, California. Swamiji has future plans of building a meditation retreat at this site, where students will learn about Hindu scriptures while communing with nature. This center for meditation will provide rooms for students and devotees. In 2012, Swamiji built and inaugurated the new Balaji Matha Temple in San Jose, California. There is also a sister Matha in Bengaluru, India to connect the eastern spiritual culture from India to the western world. Swamiji also has future plans to have a medical clinic and a school for the poor.

At the Panduranga and Sai Baba Maha Kumbabhishekam in June 2013, devotees requested to honor Swamiji with the title of Peethadhipati, forming a seat of prayer for him at Balaji Matha. All the traditional prayer ceremonies for Peethadhipati were performed by highly renowned priests with devotees and local dignitaries in attendance. After abhishekam for Swamiji, Sri Prabhu and Smt Poonam Goel crowned him and made him the first Peethadhipati of Balaji Matha Temple of North America. The title given to Swamiji is “Balaji Matha Peethadhipati Sri Sri Narayanananda Puri Swami.” Swamiji attended the Maha-Kumbhamela in Prayag, India, in 2013. In the beginning of 2014, he spent a few months meditating in the caves of Hrishikesh, India. Swamiji is always trying to increase his self-awareness, through travels, satsang and seva. Swamiji does not believe in discriminating between caste, creed, religion of the devotees. He maintains, "Whoever is truly faithful to the Almighty deserves loving guidance".


Swamiji



Swamiji diligently attends discussions and programs of different faiths whenever physically possible. Studying different religious texts, to understand their messages and then explaining the parallels between them is a favorite task of Swamiji. His steady focus has always been to gently steer the devotees along the spiritual path. In 2015, Swamiji arranged a beautiful pilgrimage to the Chota Char Dham in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The following year of 2016, he took a few devotees for Lord Pashupatinath's darshan, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The same pilgrimage continued to Lhasa, Tibet, China and onward to Manas Sarovar and Kailash Parvat in Tibet, China. During the parikrama (circumbulation) of Mount Kailash, one day while meditating, Swamiji had a holy vision of a Shiva temple in that site.

The blessings of this spiritual experience made Swamiji prescience that Lord Shiva through this significant vision is revealing His desire, for a temple to be constructed in that very site for the benefit of mankind.

Immediately, after his return to USA, Swamiji started the process of petitioning to both the Governments of the Indian Republic and the Peoples Republic of China, for the building of the temple, as ordained by the divine vision. Swamiji's unwavering attention for the betterment of his fellow human beings, is a constant reminder of God's presence in our lives.

In November 2018 Swamiji travelled to India with a few devotees to Bhuvanesvar, Orissa, then Puri Jagannath Dham. The trip continued to Bodh Gaya, Vishnu Gaya, Varanasi, Sarnath, Prayag, Ayodhya, Naimeesharanya, Kurukshetra, Vaishnodevi, Meenakshipuram and finally Rameswaram. Narayananda Swami’s tireless devotion and unfailing quest for betterment of humanity is a beacon of hope in this present strife ridden world.