Bhagwan Nityananda is regarded within the Siddha Yoga tradition not as someone who formally “became” a guru through institutional procedures, but as a realized being whose very state of consciousness naturally drew seekers to him. He was revered as an avadhūta and jñānī, a master established in divine awareness, whose presence itself functioned as teaching. His manner of instruction was often wordless: silence, a glance, or simple darshan served as the primary vehicle of transmission. In this sense, his guruship arose less from appointment and more from recognition—devotees experienced transformation in his company and came to see him as a Siddha, a perfected master.

Within this living context of realization, Nityananda became the spiritual source of what later came to be known as Siddha Yoga. He was known for the capacity to bestow śaktipāta dīkṣā, the awakening of the inner spiritual energy, and it was in this way that he guided disciples such as Swami Muktananda. Nityananda is said to have recognized Muktananda’s attainment and blessed him to uplift others, thereby affirming a lineage rather than founding a formal movement himself. Before his passing, he instructed Muktananda to continue the work and establish an āshram in Ganeshpuri, which became a central place of practice.

The path that is now called Siddha Yoga was articulated and organized later by Swami Muktananda, who traced its living current back to Nityananda. Thus, Nityananda stands as the foundational Siddha and spiritual wellspring of the tradition, while the named and structured form of “Siddha Yoga” emerged only afterward. His role is best understood as that of the silent source: a realized master whose inner state, rather than any formal designation, conferred the authority and power that define a guru in this lineage.