Bharati is a Sanskrit word referring to divine wisdom. It is also the name of the order of swamis, the wisdom branch, in which the Spiritual Director, Swami Nijananda, is ordained.

 "The wisdom that God makes available, He makes available in many forms. God reveals Himself to people according to their natures, and He sends such revelations to people as are fitting to their temperaments---different races, different religions (Frithjof Schuon). The Koran tells us that unto every nation have We sent a prophet and some We have told you of and some We have not. Now in our present day, people in our area have lost touch with their own heritage, and many have sought out heritages foreign to them and which, if they take these seriously, they have a certain amount of difficulty trying to understand."

 THE BHARATI FOUNDATION was founded in 1997 to conserve and make available the teachings of Swami Nijananda. His teacher said of him that he knew and understood all the scriptures, including oriental philosophy, and that his purpose was to teach and guide people. "This man is a sage," a compliment not lightly given by an enlightened master. 

 In that same year, he was honored by the Zen Master Sensei Hidy Ochiai, Supreme International Head of the Washin-ryu School of Karate, and a monk in Nagasaki at the time of the atomic explosion. The Sensei conferred on him "at sight" the only honorary degree of shodan (first degree black belt) ever granted, in recognition of Swami Nijananda's spiritual attainment.

 Swami Nijananda Bharati was raised in the Christian Tradition. He was born in 1928, the son of a physician. His early education was private. Continuing his collegiate and professional training, he earned Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Doctor of Medicine degrees, practiced general medicine for a few years before completing training in psychiatry, which he practiced for the remainder of his career. In 1969 he met his Guru, His Holiness Swami Rama and was soon initiated into the Himalayan Tradition of Meditation. He was ordained a monk in the Tradition in 1989 and took the name Swami Nijananda Bharati.    

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