Swami Muktananda’s spiritual formation unfolded primarily in India, and it is best understood as a journey that moved from wide-ranging exploration to focused discipleship. In his early years he lived as a wandering monk, traveling throughout India and studying with various saints and yogis. During this period he engaged deeply with Vedanta, yoga, and traditional scriptural study in ashrams and monastic settings. This broad exposure laid the groundwork for his later realization, but it did not yet constitute the heart of his training in the Siddha tradition.

The decisive phase of his spiritual training began when he came under the guidance of his principal guru, Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra. It was in Ganeshpuri, in the presence of Nityananda, that he received shaktipat diksha, the spiritual initiation that he regarded as the pivotal turning point of his inner life. Under Nityananda’s guidance he undertook intense meditation and yogic practice, and it was this sustained discipleship that shaped his realization in the Siddha Yoga lineage. Although his earlier wanderings enriched his understanding, his core spiritual training and maturation are rooted in his years of service and practice with Bhagawan Nityananda in Ganeshpuri.