Trilinga Swami

Trilingaswami was born to Nrusimhadhar and Vidyavati in 1607. He was named as Siva Rama and perhaps also as Trailingadhar, because he was born in Trilinga Desa (It is a region between three great Shrines of Paramashiva. Srisailam, Drakshaaraamam and Kaleswaram).He belongs to a Royal family nearer to Visakhapattanam.His parents are devotees of Lord Shiva.He started practising Sadhanas from his childhood. After his mother's death he left his village and started his spiritual journey. In due course of time,he reached Benares and stayed there permanently.

The yogi was great not only spiritually, but physically. His weight exceeded three hundred pounds : a pound for each year of his life. As he ate very seldom, his mystery increased. A master, however, easily ignores all usual rules of health when he desires to do so for some special reason, often a subtle one known only to himself.Trilinga Swami was a fascinating man who exhibited many supernormal powers including the ability to bi-locate – be in two places at the same time. His psychic powers enabled him to gain mastery over the elements, and he would meditate under the water of the Ganges River sometimes for more than six months at a time."It is well nigh impossible to call Trailingaswami either a saint, a siddha, a yogi, a saadhaka, a baba, a paramahamsa, an avadhoota or an avatar for he is all and not merely one among these many, Swami Kritarthananda called him, ‘The Living Shiva of Varanasi”.

In due course of time he rose to be Trilinga Swami, Ganapatiswami, Ramananda Saraswathi and Mouni Baba, performing various miracles all through.The story goes that when Ramkrishna Paramhansa came to Benaras, he met Swamiji, to whom he mentioned his desire to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple. But as time was running out, he concluded that it would perhaps not be possible. As he said this and turned around to leave, there stood, instead of Swamiji, Lord Vishwanath himself! After this divine sighting, Ramkrishna became a lifelong disciple of Trilanga Swami.

'As the sun is the doer, kartha, for the earth, for jeevi, the highest and the most important, the master is aatma. Owing to the sun’s rays alone, all living beings are able to carry on their activities. In fact the sun does nothing. In the same way, aatma in the human body, like the sun, shines as the karta. By its shining, by its radiance, the senses go on performing their functions.'This is just a glimpse into his teachings. He has dealt with topics like Aatma bodha, Chitta - Shuddi, Dharma, Upasana,Tanmayatwam etc. in a lucid style.

As the temple priest says, “Trilanga Swami had five disciples during his stay in Kashi who were instructed to not take on any disciples of their own.” This was Trilanga Swami at his reclusive best. The Swami’s preaching was in the form of dictation to his trusted disciple Shri Umacharan Mukhopadhyay. In fact he had announced beforehand the exact date he would attain nirvana. A month earlier, he personally supervised the setting up of his idol. On the due date, he took Samadhi (meditation unto death) directly under it.He attained Samadhi in the year 1887.