Swami Praṇavānanda is a teacher who belongs to the living tradition of Śrī Vidyā and has experienced the path of meditation firsthand. There is no doubt that his wisdom and personal experience have enriched my understanding of spiritual practice. He offers his students a heartfelt flow of knowledge, support, and opportunities to expand our learning — and he does so consistently.
Gāyatrī Sādhanā has regenerated my mind, body, and being. This practice has helped me at work and allowed me to empathize with others. I see things and people as I have never seen them before. I am no longer tired or stressed. I am less fatigued from working and more energetic. I am more patient and generally more content and happy.
The Śrī Mahāgaṇapati pūjā made it clear to me that suffering is the result of past karma. I learned that I should not ask God to remove these difficulties, but to give me the strength to overcome them. I know that I should not seek escape from the challenges, but to embrace them. I know that my path is divinely appointed.
Ivan Markovich, Bulgaria
For me, Gayatri Sadhana has been the most powerful and magical experience. Each day, I feel an inner transformation and a protective shield that guards me from the worldly struggles. It brings an unwavering wisdom that guides my instincts in facing daily challenges. It’s truly beyond comprehension, dear saadhaks, how fortunate we are to be on this path. I am deeply indebted to Swamiji for his endless guidance and blessings.
Kumkum Nayak, Bengaluru
Five months ago, I stumbled upon a brilliant video on the Devi Khadgamala Stotram, which led me to discover Sri Vidyalaya. At the time, I wasn’t sure if my email inquiry would even warrant a response—after all, I was in San Diego, scouring the vast ocean of the internet and YouTube videos in hopes of finding a way to learn something as sacred as Sri Vidya. Deep down, I feared it was a lofty dream.
My life over the past 13 years had been a series of ever-tightening concentric circles of difficulty—uncertainty, instability, isolation, overwhelming responsibilities, painful losses, and a deep sense of lack, loneliness and vacuousness. More recently, these challenges had manifested as inexplicable physical pain with no medical prognosis.
When I received acceptance into Sri Vidyalaya under Swami Pranavananda Saraswati—who, as it turned out, had lived in California for many years before returning to India—I was overjoyed. What makes this experience truly extraordinary is Guruji’s rare combination of profound knowledge, generous heart, and personal care. He invests immense time and energy into imparting nuanced wisdom that simply cannot be found easily, online or otherwise in my experience. His teachings are structured in a way that makes even the most complex concepts accessible and comprehensible.
Guruji, along with his wonderful team, goes far beyond what words can convey—guiding us step by step, providing tools, courses, and PDFs, and even sending, at no cost, auspicious Banalingams and intricately carved Yantras internationally. The generosity, thoughtfulness, and blessings behind these gestures make me feel deeply special.
On a personal level, since beginning this journey under Guruji’s grace, I have been able to chant the Lalitha Sahasranamam—something I had never dared to attempt before, been initiated into Gayatri Puruscharana and developed a special connection with Maha Ganapati. Not only that, I have started witnessing extraordinary shifts in my life, career, academics, energy and even in my children’s lives—changes I can only describe as miracles!
The internal shift is also inexplicable – I feel deeply connected with everything, my self-awareness has increased – there is more acceptance and submission to divine will and grace. They say the right Guru appears when the student is ready. I now believe that all our struggles, pain, and hardships are but the necessary abrasions that polish the soul, awaken the heart, and prepare us for the path. I feel my true journey is only beginning as I take my first steps toward self-realization—Bhukti and Mukti—under the blessings and grace of our divine Guru Pranava and his sacred lineage.
Sri Matre Namah! Sri Gurubhyo Namah!
