Ishwar Swaroop Swami Lakshmanjoo Maharaj (1907-1991) was a famed mystic, scholar, and fully-realized saint in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. Born into an extremely wealthy Kashmiri Pandit family in Srinagar, Kashmir on May 9, 1907, he attained Mahasamadhi during the early hours of the 27th September, 1991 in A-48, Sector 39, NOIDA, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Kashmir Shaivism is a school of spiritual teaching and practice that arose during the eighth century in Kashmir, India. ... Kashmiri Pandit refers to a person who belongs to a sect of Hindu Pandits who ancestrally originate from the Kashmir Valley. ... Srinagar (Hindi: श्रीनगर, Urdu: سرینگر, Kashmiri: سِرېنَگَر सिरीनगर) , is the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, and is situated in the valley of Kashmir. ... Kashmir (or Cashmere) may refer to: Kashmir region, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent India, Kashmir conflict, the territorial dispute between India, Pakistan, and the China over the Kashmir region. ... This article or section should include material from Samadhi meditation Samadhi, or concentration of the mind, is the second of the three parts of the Buddhas teaching, namely Sila (morality), Samadhi (concentration), and Panna (insight/wisdom). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... New Delhi   (Hindi: , Punjabi: , Urdu: ‎) is an urban area within the metropolis of Delhi, and the capital city of the Republic of India, as well as the seat of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: ‎, translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P. It is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ...

Birth

Swami Lakshmanjoo's parents, Paṇḍit Narain Das Raina (father) and Srimati Arnyamal (mother) were ardent devotees of their family priest and guru, Swami Ram. After giving birth to a son and three daughters, the parents approached their guru and asked his blessing for another son. Swami Ram blessed a single almond and gave it to Swamiji's mother to eat. Nine months later, a boy was born. As soon as Swami Ram heard news of the birth, he became ecstatic and approached Swamiji's parents, proclaiming, "I am Ram; let the child be called Lakshman", in reference to the brothers Ram and Lakshman, whose story is told in the Ramayana. ... The (DevanāgarÄ«: ) is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smá¹›ti). ...

Lineage

Swami Ram acted as Swamiji's guru, until Swamiji turned eight, at which point Swami Ram entrusted Swamiji to the tutelage of his chief disciple, Swami Mahatab Kak. It is believed that the lineage of gurus and shishyas that Swami Ram belonged to, which includes the illustrious Abhinavagupta, originated from Siva himself. It was Shiva in the form of Srikanthanatha who initiated Durvasa Rishi at the beginning of Kali Yuga. By the grace of Shiva and the watchful eye of the great Rishi Durvasa, this lineage shall remain unbroken till the end of this era. In Hinduism, a Sampradaya is a tradition of disciplic succession serving as a spiritual channel and encompassing a common philosophy embraced by many schools, groups, or guru lineages (called parampara). ... Abhinavagupta (c. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

Publications

Throughout his life Swami Lakshmanjoo remained hidden from public view. He translated into both Hindi and English what he considered to be the most important texts of his tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. To the earnest seeker he gave freely of his time, asking nothing in return. The following are a list of publications available through the Ishwar Ashram Trust in India and the Universal Shaiva Fellowship in the USA.

1. 1933 - Sanskrit Gitartha Samgraha (Abhinavgupta's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita)
2. 1943 - Hindi translation of Sambpanchashika
3. 1958 - Dvadaskali (12 forms of Shaiva Yoga)
4. 1958 - Sri Kramanayadipika (Hindi) on the 12 Kali's
5. 1964 - Hindi translation of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali (out of print)
6. 1982 - Lectures on practice and discipline in Kashmir Shaivism
7. 1985 - Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, edited by John Hughes (the essence of the first fifteen chapters of Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka
8. 1986 - Hindi commentary by Swami Lakshmanjoo on Abhinavagupta's Gitartha Samgraha
9. 1987 - Hindi translation of Panchastavi
10. 1994 - Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism, edited by John Hughes (includes: Vatulanath Sutras, Bodhapancadashika, Practice and Discipline, Kundalini Vijñāna Rahasya (Swami Lakshmanjoo's lecture at Benaras University 1965)
11. 2002 - Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, edited by John Hughes. (This includes the original recordings of these lectuers given by Swami Lakshmanjoo in 1972)
12. 2002 - English translation of Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta along with original audio recordings of these lectures given in 1975)
13. 2004 - Hindi translation of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali (reprint of earlier edition)

1. 2006 - In preparation: Swami Lakshmanjoo's original recorded lectures on CD and DVD, along with transcriptions in English:

 - Vijnana Bhairava, CD study set - Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka, first ahnika, CD study set - Shivastotravali, CD study set - Spanda Karika, CD study set - Spanda Sandoha, CD study set - Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gitartha Samgraha, DVD study set (recorded 1990) - Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gitartha Samgraha, CD study set (recorded 1980) - Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara, DVD study set - Paratrimshika laghuvritti, CD study set - Paratrimshika vivarana, CD study set - Vatulanath sutras, CD study set - Bodhapancadashika, CD study set - Janma marana viccara, CD study set - Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka, ahnikas 1 to 15, CD study sets 

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External links

To view a documentation of images of Swami Lakshmanjoo holding classes on Kashmir Shaivism at his Ishber Ashram in Kashmir go to the following link and choose under various available categories at the bottom of the window:

• http://www.kplink.com/gallery/categories.php
• http://www.koausa.org/Saints/LakshmanJoo/article2.html
• http://universalshaivafellowship.org/usf/shrine.html

References

1. http://www.ishwarashramtrust.com/li.php
2. http://www.koausa.org/Saints/LakshmanJoo/article2.html
3. http://www.universalshaivafellowship.org