Rajarshi Raghabananda Nayak

Dr. Raghabananda Nayak (28 August 1938 - 31 October 2016) was a writer in Oriya and university lecturer. He was a Kriya Yoga spiritual master of Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda and Paramahansa Hariharananda's lineage.

Biography

Studies

Dr. Nayak was born in Fatehpur Village of district Bhadrak, Odisha, India. He obtained his master's degree in Oriya from Vishwa Bharati University, Shantiniketan, India. Later he got his D. Litt. from Utkal University, Odisha. He had been appointed first as a lecturer at Vishwa Bharati University in 1960. For many years he headed the Dept. of Oriya at Gangadhar Meher College (Autonomous) in Sambalpur, Odisha from which he retired in 1996.

Initiation into Kriya Yoga and Samadhi

He came in contact with Paramahansa Hariharananda in early 1964 and learnt Kriya Yoga from him in 1965.

Menninger Foundation

The Menninger Foundation of Topeka, Kansas, USA, had the opportunity of taking him as a subject of study and analyze alpha waves in the state of meditation. The results of this study along with a video has also been shown in a documentary film named "Biofeedback: Yoga for the West". Subsequently, this study had appeared in a science book named "Beyond Biofeedback" by Dr. Elmer and Alice Green.

Hariharananda Kriyayoga Mission

He was the President of the Hariharananda Kriya Yoga Mission, Gopalmal, Sambalpur, Odisha, India from 1992 to 2008. This was founded by his master Paramahansa Hariharananda in the year 1992. He learnt from him at Karar Ashram in Puri what Hariharananda considered to be the higher kriyas according to the kriya yoga tradition and was given the title of Acharya (teacher) in 1974. He has written several books in Oriya and English about yoga and spiritual matters.