Within Siddha Yoga, Bhagwan Nityananda is revered as the foundational or root guru of the modern lineage, the one from whom its living current of spiritual energy flows. The tradition understands its succession as moving from Nityananda to his disciple Swami Muktananda and then onward, with Nityananda honored as the primordial guru whose realization undergirds the entire path. He is regarded as an embodiment of divine consciousness, a perfected siddha whose state of natural abidance in the Self serves as the touchstone for what Siddha Yoga practice seeks to awaken. In this way, his life is not merely historical background but a living paradigm of the goal of sādhanā.

Central to his role is the transmission of shaktipat, the awakening of kundalini through the guru’s grace, which is the heart of Siddha Yoga practice. Nityananda is remembered as a master whose very presence, gaze, or touch could awaken this inner energy, and the shaktipat offered by later Siddha Yoga gurus is understood to be empowered by his realization. Even where formal initiation is given by subsequent teachers, the lineage views the underlying shakti as flowing from him, so that his blessing silently permeates the disciple’s inner journey. In this sense, he functions as the unseen source of the transformative power that practitioners rely upon.

Nityananda’s teaching style, though often expressed through few words, orients the practitioner toward direct inner experience rather than elaborate doctrine. His essential instruction, summarized in the saying that the heart is the hub of all sacred places, points to meditation on the inner Self as the core of practice. This emphasis shapes Siddha Yoga’s methods: turning within through meditation and mantra, cultivating awareness of the Self, and allowing realization to unfold from the inside out. His example of simplicity and direct realization thus becomes a quiet but potent guideline for how to approach spiritual discipline.

Devotional and contemplative practices in Siddha Yoga frequently take Nityananda as a focal point. His image, his samādhi shrine at Ganeshpuri, and the atmosphere of his ashram are treated as powerful supports for meditation and worship, imbued with his enduring presence. Practitioners invoke him as the living guru principle, the inner divine consciousness that guides and protects their sādhanā, and many regard him as an ever-present spiritual companion. Through remembrance, meditation, and pilgrimage, his role continues as that of a silent yet active guide, the spiritual root from which the path draws both its inspiration and its strength.