By: Kulasekhara Perumal
Kavi Yogi Maharishi Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati (11 May 1897 – 7 March 1990) was a great philosopher and poet. His teachings are focused mainly on the search for God in Self, through the Sama Yoga practice he created.
Bharati was born in Sivaganga 40 KM from Madurai in Tamil Nadu in South India and attained Jeeva Samadhi in Sholapuram near Sivaganga.
He was a genius having spent all his life in the company of great personalities. He came to Shirdi in 1915 at the age of 18 and on the same day Lokamanya Bala Gangadhar Tilak came to seek Baba’s blessings for freedom struggle, Meher Baba as a young man of 25 years was sent by Hazrat Baba Jan and Khaparde family from Amaravati. Tilak came in the guise of a peasant and Sai Baba sent him back assuring that India will get independence in due course. He gave spiritual instructions to Meher Baba and sent him to Upasani Maharaj. Khaparde was made to stay back for nine months.
On seeing Shuddananda, Baba said ‘Books bring Bhrama not Brahma’. Shuddananda was 
well versed in Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam and could 
quote any of the scriptures extempore. Shuddananda later confided in Baba that he could not concentrate during meditation. Sai Baba gave neem leaves to eat which were sweet to taste and detained Shuddananda for three months at Shirdi and told him to help Upasani Maharaj. Baba’s advice to Shuddananda was that he will meet a great Mahatma in later life and on his guidance will attain Self-realization. Shuddananda went to Ramana Bhagawan in Tiruvannamalai and then practiced silence at Pondicherry for twenty years, from 1940 to 1960, in the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Mirra Alfassa.
Bharati always lived alone, without an Ashram, stating that:
“There are enough groups on Earth, we must unite them and not create new ones.”
Honors
In 1984 the Raja Rajan Award of One Lakh of rupees was given to Bharati by the Tamil University in Tanjore, effectively proffering the honor of Doctor of Literature.
The title Shuddhananda (pure bliss) was given to him by Jnana Siddha in the Himalayas who gave him several mystic powers too.
The Sringeri Jagadguru Shiva Abhinava Narasimha Bharati gave him the name of Kavi Yogi Bharati when he was 12 years old.
Swami Sivananda conferred on him the title of Maharishi (great visionary) as he has composed over 3000 poems and made him preside over a few annual conferences of Divine Life Society
Teachings
Bharati’s ideals are found in the teachings of Sama Yoga, a system that he founded. It is a synthesis of material science and spiritual yoga. Sama Yoga is also the basis of future spiritual socialism according to Sivananda.
A mysterious saint in the Himalayas Gnana Siddha initiated him in Mahaturya Samadhi, the highest plane in spiritual development. He had intimate contact with Ramana Maharshi, Shirdi Sai Baba, Siddharudar, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Seshadri Swamigal, and Avatar Meher Baba
He traveled all over the world several times and spread his ideals and India’s celebrated culture and 
values. He established Yoga Samaj Centers at Vadalur and Chennai and published his books. He founded the Shuddhananda Bharati Desiya Vidyalayam High School in Sholapuram village, near Sivagangai, Tamilnadu in 1979. In his school, Shuddhananda Bharati worked like a young man of twenty. When he was asked his age, he used to answer: “My age is Courage!” The Yogi wrote over three hundred works in English, French, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Sanskrit; five thousand songs, and 1500 poems in French. The magnum opus of the man conscious of the presence of God in him, Bharata Shakti, (in 50,000 verses) described his ideal: only One Humanity living in communion with only One God in a transformed world! Bharata Shakti is a monumental and unique work. The Yogi depicts the essence of all the religions, of all the prophets and saints, all the approaches of Yoga and all the cultures on an allegorical fabric. It is a book for any age that all spiritual researchers and all nations should read and meditate on.
As a boy of eight years, the Divine Force called upon him to serve the nation while he embraced the Holy Feet of Sri Meenakshi Amman, in the temple at Madurai, Tamil Nadu. In the wake of that Grace, he made his life-long spiritual pilgrimage with song-thrills, acquiring wisdom through meditation and association with Great men of his times.
He was a tireless volunteer of the Indian National Congress during the freedom struggle and had contacts with Great Leaders like Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji, Nethaji, V.V.S.Ayyar, V.O.C Chidambaram Pillai (the first Indian to sail a commercial ship against the British), Poet Subrahmanya Bharati, Subramania Siva, M.N.Roy, Raja Mahendra Pratap and Shenbaga Raman. He served as an editor for `Swarajya’ (Tamil), `Bala Bharati’, `Iyarkkai’ (Nature in Tamil), and `Samarasa Bodhini’. He campaigned against the evils of untouchability, liquor, and the slaughter of animals in the name of God.
He lived in Sholapuram during his last years guiding the samaj and the school. He attained Jeeva Samadhi on 7th March 1990. Kaviyogi, during his life, was ever healthy, smiling, simple, and active.
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