Swami Parmanand
The road to inner peace runs right through Columbia. There is a distinguished Swami in our midst.
Born in a remote village of India, Mahamandaleshwar Yugpurush Swami Parmanand Giri Maharaj Ji recently stayed at a private residence in Columbia for several days during his yearly speaking tour across the U.S.
Swami Parmanand as he is known, first came to the U.S. when he was invited by the United Nations to speak at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in August of the year 2000.
Dedicating his life completely to the service of others, the Swami has founded numerous schools, hospitals, and orphanages in his native India over the past 50 years. A popular man, known for his wisdom, Swami Parmanand regularly draws crowds of over 50,000 people seeking his spiritual teaching.
While in Columbia, the Swami taught at the Hindu Temple. Although he does understand some English, the Swami used the services of a local translator. A steady stream of the faithful beat a path to his door for the rare chance of a private audience with Swami Parmanand.
Upon meeting the Swami, one is immediately struck by the rich orange glow radiating from his robe. There is a kindness flowing from his deep brown eyes that seems to penetrate the soul. The experience is a lasting and unexpected one that lingers long after he’s gone.
During a private consultation, Swami Parmanand was asked how to decipher truth from illusion. He replied, “We need money. That is a necessity. A house and clothing are necessities as well. But if a person believes he will be happy because of these things, this is an illusion.”
He continued his discourse by saying, “When one uses material goods to define happiness, he will try to increase possessions and as a result will become more and more bound by them.”
“We should seek to find happiness within ourselves. When we start looking for happiness in objects, not only will we not find it, but we will continue this search for a long time and go through a lot of bodies. Happiness does not exist in objects. The very idea that happiness can be found in an object is an illusion,” said Swami Parmanand.
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