History

The ancient spiritual tradition of the Natha Sampradaya, which began with Shri Adinath, has been passed down from Shri Matsyendranath, Shri Gorakshanath, Shri Gahininath and Shri Nivrittinath to Shri Jnaneshvara Maharaja, the great poet-saint of the thirteenth century. In recent times, it has been handed down to Swami Swarupananda of Pawas (Ratnagiri, Maharashtra) and subsequently to the late Swami Madhavnath of Pune. Swami Madhavanand (Dr. Madhavrao Nagarkar) and Swami Makarandanath (Shri Makarand Vaze) are carrying forward this torch of spirituality at present. The life, philosophy and mission of all these saints is based upon the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. The Swami Madhavnath Bodh Prasarak Mandal was established in 1984 subsequent to the establishment of the Shri Swarupananda Jnaneshvari Mandal, which had brought out several books based on the discourses of Swami Madhavnath. Swami Madhavnath had begun to initiate disciples in 1975 and he gave special attention to the youth who came to him. He wanted them to undertake spiritual practice without renouncing their worldly duties. By following this path, he wanted them to attain Self-realization and carry forward his message by setting a living example before others. A Youth Centre was started which was later established as the Swami Madhavnath Bodh Prasarak Mandal. In order to organize this activity a trust was formed and the Swami Madhavnath Bodh Prasarak Mandal was registered as a Public Religious Charitable Trust. The Trust set up two halls in Pune for discourses and meditation sessions viz., ‘Dhyana Mandir,’ Maya Apartments, and ‘Adhyatma Mangal Dham.’ It has also established in 1998, Shri Sadhak Ashram, a retreat for spiritual practices and camps. This Ashram is at Bhugaon, a village on the outskirts of Pune. In 1992, four years before Swami Madhavnath laid aside his mortal body, he appointed two spiritual successors, Swami Madhavanand and Swami Makarandanath to carry forward the spiritual tradition of the Natha Sampradaya. While Swami Madhavanand has established a trust called the Swarup Yoga Pratishthan, Swami Makarandanath guides the functioning of the Swami Madhavnath Bodh Prasarak Mandal.