Premanand Ji Maharaj Height, Age, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Premanand Ji Maharaj

• Premanand Ji Maharaj’s grandfather was a Sanyasi and his family environment was very virtuous, devotional, and peaceful since the beginning.

• From a young age, he was engaged in serving saints and various devotional services as his parents used to wash the feet of saints with great respect and love and the entire family used to take the nectar (the Charanamrit) and drink it. The entire family held great respect for the saints.

• Premanand Ji started reciting many prayers at a very young age. He was very fond of chanting ‘Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murare, Hey Nath Narayan Vasudeva’ or ‘Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.’

• When he was in just 5th standard, Maharaj Ji started reading the Gita Press publication titled ‘Shri ShukSagar.’

• Premanand Ji Maharaj was always uninterested in school studies and he only wanted to know the purpose of life in a spiritual way.

• When he was in the 9th standard, he was determined to live a spiritual life in search of the path leading to God and was ready to leave his family to achieve that goal and he also told his mother about his thoughts and decisions.

• At the age of 13, he left his home one night at 3 am with a strong will to discover the truth behind human birth, the cycle of life and death and attain the state of bliss known as ‘Sat Chit Anand’ which means the ‘God.’ That is when his spiritual journey began.

• During the initial days of his spiritual journey, Premanand Ji was welcomed into Naishtik celibacy and he was named Anandswaroop Brahmachari and then later, he accepted Sannyasa and started living away from worldly possessions and family.

• Soon after, he accepted the ‘Mahavakya’ which is known as a grand and profound saying that has great importance to a spiritual yogic practice. After accepting the ‘Mahavakya’ he was named as Swami Anandashram.

• Later for his survival, he accepted only ‘Akaashvritti’ which means accepting only the things that come by the will of the god and without any personal effort.

• Premanand Ji Maharaj lived most of his life as a spiritual seeker on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi.
  

  Premanand Ji Maharaj’s young photo

• He had a daily routine of taking 3 Ganges baths every day, in both summers and winters. He would never miss a day even during harsh winter days.

• Premanand Ji Maharaj also used to immerse himself in Brahmakarvritti practice every day and he used to fast for days.

• His daily routine also included sitting under the tree and then sitting among the beggars to have some food and then meditating on the banks of the river. Premanand Ji Maharaj was quoted saying in an interview
  

  Sometimes, I wouldn’t get anything to eat. There were times when I would not get anything to eat. When I saw someone eating a Roti, I would feel they were lucky.”

• One day, while meditating beneath a massive peepal tree in Banaras, he suddenly felt a curiosity inside him about what Vrindavan looked like.

• One day, when he was at Tulsi Ghat, a saint came to him and informed him that there was a Chaitanya Leela being organized at Hanuman Prasad Poddar Vishwa Vidyalaya and it was going to be a divine dance (Ras Leela). The saint requested him multiple times to watch Raas Leela and Maharaj Ji would initially deny but he later accepted after many refusals.

• He went to attend the Ras Leela in 2000, and Maharaj Ji reached Vrindavan without anyone with him. His early routine included the Vrindavan Parikrama and the darshan of Shri Banke Bihari Ji.

• In the temple of Banke Bihari Ji, a person told him that he must also visit the temple of Shri Radhavallabh Ji once. Before this, Maharaj ji had not even heard the name of the Radhavallabh temple.

• From there, he went for the darshan of Radhavallabh Ji. Maharaj Ji used to stand for hours admiring Radhavallabh Ji and watching him.

• After a few years, Maharaj Ji met the great saint Shri Hit Mohit Maral Goswami Ji who initiated Maharaj Ji into the Vaishnava Hindu denomination named ‘Radha Vallabha Sampradaya’ sect through the ‘Sharanagati Mantra.’ This sect emphasises devotion to the goddess Radha as the supreme being.

• A few days later, Shri Hit Mohit Maral Goswami Ji insisted that Premanand Ji Maharaj meet Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj who is also called Bade Guruji. Bade Guru Ji is one of the most well-known Saints of Sahachari Bhava and he is also Premanand Ji Maharaj’s current Sadgurudev.

• After meeting him, Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj gave him the ‘Niz Mantra’ which is the secret chant which is passed down from a guru to his student. Giving the mantra to Premanand Ji was the initiation of his ‘Sahachari Bhava’ (elaborated explanation of spiritual teaching) and ‘Nitya Vihar Rasa.’

• The entire process with Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj confirmed that Premanand Ji Maharaj has entered the Rasik Saints who are the saints who are specifically submerged in exclusive love for Shri Radha Krishna.

• Maharaj Ji remained in the service of his Sadgurudev (Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj) for more than ten years and used to complete whatever work was given to him with total devotion.

• Slowly, he was fully absorbed in the Sahachari Bhava and Premanand Ji Maharaj was entirely devoted to Sri Radharani.

• In 2016, Premanand Ji Maharaj founded the non-profit organization named ‘Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust’ in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. His organization helps many saints and supplies lodging for these saints along with food, clothing, medical care, and many other necessities. The organization also works for the betterment and upliftment of society and its people.

• Maharaj Ji became viral on social media because of his preachings and teachings. He only teaches people to chant God’s holy name continuously with every breath.

• Premanand Ji Maharaj is respected by people around the world who come to Vrindavan to seek the blessings of Maharaj Ji. Many famous celebrities have also come to seek blessings and some of them are Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, B Praak, and The Great Khali.
  

  Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma (left) seeking blessings from Premanand Ji Maharaj

• Premanand Ji Maharaj is respected and admired worldwide for his refusal to treat his celebrity devotees differently from others.

• Earlier, Premanand Ji Maharaj suffered from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease which is a genetic kidney disease which eventually caused both kidney failures. He goes through kidney dialysis three times a week.

• Premanand Ji Maharaj has a daily habit of only sleeping for 4 hours at night, waking up early, and then going for Vrindavan Parikrama at 3:30 in the morning, followed by his Satsang (prayer meet) at 4:30.

• In September 2024, he denied the request of the registrar of the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj University, Kanpur, to receive an honourary PhD degree. While rejecting the offer, he said that any title bestowed upon a saint is inadequate.

हमारा विश्वविद्यालय आपको PhD की उपाधि प्रदान करना चाहता है! pic.twitter.com/L2vYoNB2t1

— Bhajan Marg Official (@RadhaKeliKunj) September 8, 2024