Swami Muktananda’s emergence as a guru unfolded within the classical pattern of guru‑paramparā, where inner realization and outer authorization converge. After years of intense spiritual seeking and rigorous sādhana under various teachers, his search reached its decisive turning point when he met Bhagavan Nityananda in Ganeshpuri. Recognizing Nityananda as his true master, he received śaktipāta dīkṣā, the awakening of the inner spiritual energy, which initiated a profound process of inner transformation. This transmission did not simply confer a title; it set in motion the deep experiential realization that, in his tradition, is regarded as the essential qualification for genuine spiritual guidance.

Following this initiation, Swami Muktananda devoted himself to prolonged and intense practice under Nityananda’s guidance, undergoing the inner yogic experiences and stages of awakening that he later described in detail. Over time, this process stabilized into a sustained realization of the Self, which his lineage understands as the inner basis for becoming a guru. At the same time, his relationship with Nityananda matured from that of a novice seeker to that of a disciple prepared to carry the lineage. Shortly before Nityananda’s passing, Muktananda was blessed and designated as his spiritual successor, receiving explicit authorization to guide disciples and bestow śaktipāta.

After his guru’s departure, Muktananda remained in Ganeshpuri, continuing his meditation and service in the atmosphere sanctified by his master. Gradually, seekers began to approach him for guidance, and he responded by formally giving śaktipāta dīkṣā and articulating the path that came to be known as Siddha Yoga. In this way, his role as guru was not a sudden assumption of authority but the natural flowering of realized experience, confirmed by his guru’s blessing and recognized by those who came to him. Within the Siddha Yoga tradition, he is thus regarded as a realized master whose capacity to awaken others through śaktipāta, grounded in both inner attainment and outer transmission, constitutes the heart of how he became a guru.