Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda is from a lineage of spiritual teachers in India. While carrying the traditional teachings, he makes spirituality a practical part of modern daily reality, guided by the prayer "May all beings live in peace and contentment." Swami Nityananda was trained from childhood by Baba Muktananda and initiated into the mysterious path of the Siddha Gurus. He learned the various yogic practices, including meditation and Sanskrit chanting, and studied the philosophies of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. He was initiated into the Sarasvati order of monks in 1980, and in 1981, Baba Muktananda declared Swami Nityananda would succeed him to carry on the lineage