Within the Siddha Yoga lineage, Bhagwan Nityananda is revered as the foundational or root guru, the mahāsiddha whose realization and spiritual energy form the living ground of the tradition. He is regarded as a fully realized being whose awakened śakti underlies the contemporary path of Siddha Yoga, especially its emphasis on śaktipāt and inner meditation. His presence is not viewed merely as historical, but as the enduring spiritual source from which the current of grace in this lineage continually flows. In this sense, he functions as the primordial reference point for both doctrine and practice, the one in whom the ideals of the path are seen to be perfectly embodied.

A central aspect of Nityananda’s role is his relationship with Swami Muktananda, who is recognized as his primary disciple and successor. Through Nityananda’s grace and initiation, Muktananda is said to have attained Self-realization and the capacity to bestow śaktipāt, which later became the hallmark of Siddha Yoga practice. The spiritual authority and power transmitted from Nityananda to Muktananda, and then onward to Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, are understood as a single, unbroken current. Thus, the living guru in this tradition is seen as carrying and expressing the same śakti that originally radiated from Nityananda.

In terms of teaching, Nityananda is remembered less for elaborate verbal instruction and more for silent, direct transmission. His emphasis on the direct experience of the inner Self through meditation, supported by the guru’s grace, remains central to Siddha Yoga. Accounts of his life portray an embodiment of supreme detachment, spontaneous compassion, and uninterrupted God-consciousness, offering a concrete image of what realization looks like in human form. These stories, together with the ongoing practices of worship, chanting, and remembrance, keep his presence active in the daily spiritual life of practitioners.

Within the broader structure of the lineage, Nityananda functions as both exemplar and source. He is honored as the ever-present inner guru whose śakti empowers the entire tradition and sustains its core disciplines of devotion, surrender, and meditative inquiry. The framework of succession—from Nityananda to Muktananda and then to Gurumayi—rests on the conviction that the same transformative power that radiated from Nityananda continues to operate through his lineage. In this way, his role is not confined to the past but is understood as dynamically operative in the ongoing sādhanā of Siddha Yoga seekers.