Devotion to Devi and Spiritual Seeking

From an early age, Sri Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji was a devoted bhakta of Devi, or Para Shakti, worshipping Her with deep sincerity. He firmly believed that the Divine Mother’s presence pervaded all things and all places. As he studied the Shastras, he began to understand the spiritual power of mantras and developed an intense longing for inner knowledge and direct vision of his chosen deity.

Driven by this spiritual aspiration, he travelled across many sacred regions of India, including Varanasi, the banks of the Ganga, Haridwar, Pandharpur, and Kashmir. These pilgrimages brought peace and spiritual strength to his heart and mind.

His journey eventually led him to the Himalayas, where countless siddhas had performed deep meditation. There, he lived in complete detachment, freeing himself from attachment to both body and worldly life, and entered a profound state of union, deep within himself

State of Divine Realisation

During this period of intense spiritual awakening, Sri Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji became completely absorbed in contemplation of the Supreme. He experienced everything around him as an expression of the Divine Presence. Such was his reverence for this realization that he even hesitated to place his feet upon the ground.

When people spoke, he felt the Divine speaking through them. He played joyfully with dogs, believing even their barking carried a divine message. The rising sun filled him with delight, and he rejoiced in the elements of nature, even playing with fire in spiritual ecstasy. Standing before the vast ocean, he would exclaim, “Oh Lord! I am able to see and touch You here.”

At times, tears would stream from his eyes as he declared that he could see the Divine everywhere and communicate with the Divine through all creation. In that state, he felt he needed nothing else, having himself become transformed into a living embodiment of love and bliss.

Arrival in Pondicherry

After having lived in the Himalayas, he came to Pondicherry where he settled down in Karamani Kuppam, Mudhaliyar Pettai, which at that time had very few people. He began his yoga ‘sadhana’ in one of the coconut farms there. He worshipped Devi through Yantras and had her formless darshan every day.

Sadhna and Spiritual Guidance

Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji spent his life in prayer, healing, and guiding devotees with compassion and spiritual wisdom. Swamiji had an eternally delightful presence with ‘Mahalakshmi’s beauty expressed in his face.

Known for his serene presence and radiant smile, he offered herbal remedies to the poor and comforted those in distress. People believed that merely receiving his darshan brought peace and happiness.

As devotees flocked to him from Puducherry and beyond, many felt relieved from suffering and inspired by his teachings on Divine bliss and inner peace. When people expressed their sufferings and difficulties to Swamiji, he would simply say ‘The Divine is here, there is no suffering, the Divine is filled with Ananda!’ and asked them to return with happiness; the difficulties of the bhakta seemed to melt away at that very moment.

 Over time, his spiritual influence grew so deeply that people lovingly began calling him “Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji,” gradually forgetting that his original name was simply Shaktivel.

Prophecy and Divine Vision

On a particular occasion, Swamiji fixed his gaze at one spot and started smiling. The people who were around were surprised and the people who stood beside him were perplexed. After continuing to smile and gaze at that spot for some time, Swamiji said with a smile – ‘God is going to smile there and thousands of people are going to make their livelihood! He also added by showing his dhoti that ‘Clothes are going to come! ‘Clothes are going to come!’. After a while, he continued smiling and said that there is soon going to be a vehicle that would be able to carry everybody, passing through that place. At that time the spot pointed out by Swamiji, was densely populated with a canopy of trees. The people around thought it would take ages if that piece of land were to get converted to an industrial undertaking and more so to build a road; yet they never opposed Swamiji’s words.

Jeeva Samadhi

Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji spent years in deep meditation, immersed in divine love and spiritual bliss. On his final day, he humbly asked the devotees who had come to see him to return the next morning, He uttered this with immense politeness and folded hands; this touched the devotees greatly. When they arrived on the 23rd day of the Tamil month of Aadi, they found that he had attained Jeeva Samadhi, merging into eternal divine consciousness.

His devotees and fellow seekers built his Samadhi at the place he had chosen, where he continues to be worshipped with devotion, and the sacred yantras used by Swamiji remain at the same place till this day.

Fulfilment of Prophecy

After a few days, few people including officials from the French Government, started some construction work in the area populated by the canopy of trees, opposite to his Samadhi, as predicted by him earlier. The construction was for a textile factory by name ‘Rodier’ (Anglo Textile Mills), which created employment for thousands of workers in that area. Gradually, construction work for railway tracks also commenced alongside. The devotees recollected Swamiji’s prediction and felt grateful and amazed that his prediction materialized so quickly and regarded this as a sign of his grace.

Guru Pooja and Living Tradition

After his samadhi, devotees began worshipping at the sacred site with deep devotion and started observing the 23rd day of the Tamil month ‘Aadi’ as ‘Guru Pooja’. It is widely believed that sincere prayers offered there help relieve the sufferings of devotees. Over time, Swamiji’s direct disciples also attained samadhi and were given the place next to Swamiji’s Samadhi.  

While certain difficulties arose in the operations of the Rodier mills (which was created out of a spiritual force of Swamiji), these difficulties gradually smoothed out with his blessings. For the past ten years, with the effort of the workers of Rodier mill and the support of the local villagers the Guru Pooja has been continued to be celebrated in a grand manner till today.

The disciples continue to uphold the tradition of having ‘Guru Pooja’ on Thursday, ‘Somavara Pooja’ on Monday, ‘Pradosham Pooja’, twice a month and a special pooja on the full moon day of every month, with food being given to the poor and needy.

Spiritual Legecy

Though the actual time period in which Arul Guru Sri Shaktivel Paramananda Swamiji cannot be demarcated, it is believed that he is the predecessor of Saint Vallalar.

Sacred Tamil Verses

“உலகெலாம் உணர்ந்து ஓதற்கு அரியவன்

நிலவு உலாவிய நீர்மலி வேணியன்

அலகில் சோதியன் அம்பலத்து ஆடுவான்

மலர் சிலம்பு அடி வாழ்த்தி வணங்குவாம்.”

Ulagellam  unarnthu  otharkku  ariyavan.

Nilavu ulaaviya   ner mali  veniyan,

Alakil chothiyan   ambalathu aaaduvaan,

Malar  chilambu  adi  vaazhthi  vanguvaam

The Lord who is difficult to learn and talk about,

He who wanders wearing the moon and ganges  in his head,

He who has immesurable luster, He who dances in the temple,

And let us praise his flower like feet wearing anklets

Sekkizhaar

“தோடுடைய செவியன் விடையேறி ஓர் தூவெண்

மதி சூடிக்காடுடைய சுடலைப் பொடிபூசி என் உள்ளம்

கவர் கள்வன் ஏடுடைய மலரான் முனைநாள் பணிந்தேத்த

அருள்செய்த பீடுடைய பிரமாபுரம் மேவிய பெம்மான் இவன்

அன்றே.”

“THodudaya  cheviyan  vidayeri  oar  thooven madhi  choodi,

Kadudaya  chudalai podi poosi  , yen ullam  kavar  kalvan,

Yedudaya  malaraan   munai  naal  pathindetha  arul cheitha  ,

Peedudaya biramapuram meviya pemman ivan andre”

God who keeps goddess wearing ear studs on his left side.

Who rides on the bull, wears the white crescent,

Who applies the ash of the cremation ground on his body,

Who steals my mind, who was granted the power of creation,

To Lord Brahma who worshipped him standing on the lotus flower,

And who has come as God to Brahma pura.

Thirujnana Sambandar