Mahakumbh 2025: At first sight, Vyasanand Giri appears like other Mahamandaleshwars in Mahakumbh and is seen roaming around in Niranjani Akhara, where he was made Mahamandaleshwar on Sunday. One thing that sets him apart from other Akhara saints is that he is the son of a former US Army commander. Vyasanand Giri does not answer any questions on this subject, but Mahant Ravindra Puri of Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani confirmed that this is true.
Mahant Ravindra Puri said, “He is Tom, son of a former senior commander of the US Army and was doing a good job in an IT company, but he felt such a passion for spirituality that he decided to leave everything.” Elaborating on Tom’s spiritual journey of becoming Mahamandaleshwar Vyasananda Giri, Puri said, “Tom used to work in the IT sector. After some time, his inclination towards spirituality increased and he decided to adopt Sanatan Dharma and ultimately took Sannyasa. He started doing yoga and meditation, did a lot of research on Hindutva and Sanatani culture. He used to frequently go to Rishikesh and meet me for the last few years.”
Pattabhishek performed as Mahamandaleshwar
Mahant Ravindra Puri revealed that after a spiritual ceremony on Sunday, he gave Tom a new name Vyasanand Giri and performed Pattabhishek as Mahamandaleshwar. Puri, president of the Akhara Parishad, said, “It means that one has awakened the soul, has mastered meditation and yoga and has learned to control the senses. This designation means that he is ready to sacrifice even his life to protect Sanatana Dharma and with the belief that Tom is ready for his spiritual journey, we performed his Pattabhishek.”
‘There are better people than us among foreigners’
When asked how can foreigners be made Mahants if they adopt Hindu customs, he said, “It is not so. Many of these foreigners are better than us. When they go into meditation, they become immersed in it. We have seen that many Indians get disturbed by mosquito bites and start feeling sleepy while meditating. Whereas in Tom’s case we found that he can meditate for a long time. When asked how many Mahamandaleshwars have been built by Niranjani Akhara since the 2019 Kumbh, he said, “I think we have built 30 Mahamandaleshwars so far. Tom is one of the five-six foreigners from countries like America and Malaysia.”
‘There are many Muslims also who want to adopt Sanatan Dharma’
Mahant Ravindra Puri said that many foreigners who believe in different religions are inspired by Sanatan all over the world and that is why they are adopting Sanatan Dharma and feel that they are returning to their roots. He said, “There are many such Muslims also, out of which about 100 have contacted me. He wants to become a monk after adopting Sanatan Dharma. I get hundreds of calls from non-Hindus.”
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