The Last Days of Bhagavan Nityananda (Part 4)

From the Name to the Nameless

Fifteen days before Guru Purnima, which fell on 27th July 1961, Bhagavan Nityananda moved from Kailash Bhuvan to the newly constructed Bangalorewala Building. His health had visibly declined. The robust, radiant form that devotees had known for decades had now become frail. He spoke very little, spending long hours absorbed in profound silence.

News of His condition spread quickly. Devotees arrived from distant towns and villages, anxious for one more Darshan of their beloved Baba. They had always known Him as an inexhaustible source of strength, compassion, and divine power. To behold Him now, lying quietly in a weakened body, pierced their hearts. Many struggled to hold back their tears.

Most had come carrying their own burdens—illnesses, family concerns, financial hardships, or spiritual doubts. Yet, the moment they stood before Bhagavan, their own problems disappeared from their minds.

For perhaps the first time, they forgot themselves.

Their only prayer became:

“Baba, please recover. May You remain with us.”

The One who had spent His life carrying the burdens of countless devotees had now become the object of their love, concern, and prayer.

In that silent exchange lay a profound transformation.

Their devotion was slowly rising above self-interest. Without realizing it, they were beginning to taste Shuddha Bhavana—the very purity of heart that Bhagavan had patiently nurtured throughout their lives.

Meanwhile, in the hall of Vaikuntha, an unbroken Sapta was in progress. Day and night, devotees immersed themselves in the chanting of the Divine Name.

That morning, Shri Bhaskar Hegde was leading the chanting. Gifted with a melodious voice and overflowing devotion, he repeatedly sang:

“Om Namo Bhagavate Nityanandaya…”

The sacred chant echoed through the loudspeakers and reached the Bangalorewala Building, where Bhagavan rested in deep silence.

Suddenly, Bhagavan opened His eyes and called one of the attendants.

With quiet firmness He instructed,

“Go and tell Bhaskar to stop this chant and instead sing…”

“Guru Maharaj Guru… Jai Jai Parabrahma Sadguru.”

The attendant immediately hurried to Vaikuntha and conveyed Bhagavan’s instruction.

Without hesitation, Bhaskar Hegde stopped chanting “Om Namo Bhagavate Nityanandaya” and began:

“Guru Maharaj Guru…
Jai Jai Parabrahma Sadguru…”

To an ordinary listener, this may have appeared to be a simple change of bhajan.

But for those with deeper insight, Bhagavan was imparting one of His final teachings.

Until then, devotees had worshipped Nityananda—the visible, tangible, compassionate Master who walked amongst them, blessed them, spoke to them, laughed with them, and transformed their lives.

The mantra,

“Om Namo Bhagavate Nityanandaya,”

naturally evokes the Saguna aspect of the Guru—the Divine assuming a form out of compassion for humanity.

But the new chant no longer invoked the personal name “Nityananda.”

Instead, it glorified the Guru as:

Parabrahma Sadguru

—the Guru who is not confined to name, form, place, or time.

Bhagavan was gently preparing His devotees for what was about to unfold.

The worship was no longer centred upon the physical personality called Nityananda.

It was being lifted towards the eternal, formless Reality that shines through every Sadguru.

This was not the abandonment of Saguna Bhakti.

It was its natural fulfilment.

True Saguna Bhakti always culminates in Nirguna Bhakti.

The form leads to the Formless.

The Name leads to the Nameless.

The Guru leads to the Self.

Bhagavan Himself had often explained that the purpose of the Guru is not to bind the disciple to a physical body but to awaken him to the Reality that neither takes birth nor dies.

Perhaps this was why, in those final days, He quietly changed the very current of devotion flowing through Ganeshpuri.

Without giving a discourse…

Without explaining philosophy…

Without announcing His intention…

He transformed the bhajan itself into a living Upanishad.

The devotees were slowly being prepared for the inevitable.

The Swaroopa they had loved with their eyes was returning to its eternal Nija Swaroopa.

The Guru in form was revealing Himself as the Guru beyond all forms.

The Saguna Nityananda was not disappearing.

He was unveiling Himself as the Nirguna Parabrahma Sadguru.

This single instruction beautifully reflects the eternal journey of every seeker.

Bhakti begins with the Name.

The Name awakens the Presence.

The Presence reveals Chaitanya.

Chaitanya flowers into Prabodha.

And Prabodha culminates in the direct experience of the Formless Self.

Thus, even in silence, Bhagavan continued to teach.

Even in physical weakness, He continued to elevate His devotees.

And even while preparing to withdraw His visible form, He was leading every sincere seeker from Swaroopa to Nija Swaroopa, from Saguna to Nirguna, from Guru to Parabrahma.

Om Namo Bhagavate Nityanandaya.

The Journey So Far…

As we move through the final days preceding Bhagavan Nityananda’s Mahasamadhi, a remarkable spiritual progression gradually reveals itself.

Part I reminded us that the greatest wealth is not the hidden treasure beneath Tungareshwar, but the heart that chooses the Guru above all else. Bhagavan first tested detachment (Vairagya).

The Last Days before the Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan Nityananda (Part 1)

Part II revealed the true treasure He longed to bestow—not worldly riches, but the inexhaustible wealth of Guru Krupa, while assuring devotees of His Nitya Darshan, beyond the limitations of the physical body.

The Last Days before the Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan Nityananda (Part 2)

Part III carried that assurance even further. Bhagavan taught that the Sadguru’s Grace is neither confined by time nor limited by distance. Once the Guru accepts the disciple, He silently takes charge of the soul’s journey.

The Last Days before the Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan Nityananda (Part 3)

Now, in Part IV, Bhagavan gently begins preparing His devotees for the final transition—from worshipping the Guru in form (Saguna Darshan) to realising the Guru as the eternal, formless Parabrahma (Nirguna Presence). Without a discourse, without philosophy, and without announcement, He conveyed this profound truth simply by changing the chant.

Thus, each episode is not merely a historical account of Bhagavan’s last days; it is a step in His final teaching—a gradual unfolding of the disciple’s journey from Bhakti to Chaitanya, from Chaitanya to Prabodha, and from Prabodha to the direct experience of the Self.

“These are not merely the last days of Bhagavan’s earthly life; they are His final lessons on the evolution of the seeker—from Bhakti to Chaitanya, from Chaitanya to Prabodha, and finally to the direct experience of the Self.”