Third Guru in the Nangli / Sar Shabd Mission line of the Advait Mat lineage; born Bhakt Hemraj Ji of Lakki Marwat. Distinct from the Anandpur line third master (vairagyanand) - the branches diverge after Swaroopanand Ji. Modern lineage; hold text. Added 2026-08-31.
Draft — pending review. This text has been sourced and translated per our editorial policy, but has not yet completed human review against sung versions. Wording may change.
Shri Swami Nijatamanand Ji Maharaj was a direct disciple of Swami Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj and is counted as the third guru of the Nangli Sahib and Sar Shabd Mission line of the Paramhans Advait Mat. He remained at Shri Nangli Sahib until his death and led the community through the upheaval of Partition in 1947.
He was born Bhakt Hemraj Ji. On receiving sannyas initiation, Swaroopanand Ji gave him the name Nijatamanand Ji, explaining it as "one who lives in the bliss of one's own soul," a reading connected to the phrase Atmmadarshiyowaach from the Bhaktmal. His guru also called him affectionately Bholey Shankar and Double Shankar, describing his devotion as "completely devoid of cunning or conceit" and as representing "the path of love." The name is also transliterated Nijatmanand.
A twentieth-century historical figure with no classical iconography. Veneration is through photographic portraits and through his association with Shri Nangli Sahib, where he served for the greater part of his life.
Before renunciation he was a wealthy money-lender at Lakki Marwat, known for charitable works including the building of dharamshalas. After some six months of wandering in search of spiritual guidance he was brought to Shri Swami Swaroopanand Ji at Teri, Kohat district, through his relation Bhakt Sidhu Ram Dudeja, and took initiation there. The moment most often recounted comes at Bhakhrewali Ashram, when Swaroopanand Ji, departing, declared of him: "Swami Nijatmanand Ji will still remain here. Regard him as me, he being my other form." That statement is the basis on which his line understands his spiritual authority.
His guru was Swami Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj (1884-1936), the second guru of the lineage, whose own guru was Swami Advaitanand Ji Maharaj, Paramhans Dayal Ji. Shri Nangli Sahib is associated with all three of these gurus together, being the samadhi of the second and the seat at which the third served. The Sar Shabd Mission succession continues from him as follows:
He represents the continuation of the lineage at Nangli Sahib itself after Swaroopanand Ji's samadhi, and the line from which the Sar Shabd Mission subsequently developed. His role in relocating the community during the 1947 Partition, when the tradition's earliest sites at Teri and in the north-west were lost to the new border, is central to how this line understands its own survival.
Prayers for Nijatamanand Ji Ji are in production, sourcing and review come before publication.
Site guides for Nijatamanand Ji Ji are being researched and reviewed.
These sites have another presiding deity but also honour Nijatamanand Ji Ji.
Nangli Sahib, also called Nangli Tirath or Nangli Dham, in Nangli village near Sakoti Tanda, Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, is the samadhi (memorial shrine) of…
