BIOGRAPHY

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Early Life

Karunananda Ji was born on June 15, 1967, in a poor spiritual family in Ekona, a village in Buxar, Bihar. His birth name was HarendraUpadhyay. His grandfather used to call him 'HarNarayan,' and he himself was a saintly person.

Childhood to Youth

Karunananda Ji received his primary education from a school in his village. He was very skilled and had a deep faith in worship and rituals. As a child, he was very attached to an idol of Radhika Rani, which he used to worship with complete devotion. During his childhood, while working in the fields, he had a divine light experience and became unconscious for a while. Once, while going to the market, he was attracted to a picture of Goddess Kali, which he brought home and began to worship and meditate upon with deep inner devotion. At the age of 15, despite his reluctance, he was married due to family pressure. However, he did not stop his quest for knowledge. Due to the poor economic condition of his family, he went to Patna at the age of 17 and completed his graduation by earning his own livelihood. Despite the financial difficulties, he could not pursue his education properly. To advance his meditation and knowledge, he visited various religious places, especially Kashi (Varanasi). After completing his graduation, he wanted to enhance his meditation practice in Kashi in 1989. However, due to his sharp intellect and at the insistence of his loved ones, he accepted a government job offer. Yet, not valuing that job much, he resigned in 1991 because his curiosity lay elsewhere.

Spiritual Journey

In Kashi, by observing the works of various astrologers, he developed a keen interest in astrology and gained expertise in this field. Subsequently, he began to ponder over questions like "What is Tantra? Where do negative energies (evil spirits) come from?" In a few months, he mastered the field of Tantra through the knowledge of Tantra Vidya. From 1999 to 2003 (only 3 years and 2 months), he worked as a Jyotivind (seer) at ManikarnikaGhat in Kashi. However, observing the dead bodies brought to the sacred ManikarnikaGhat, he realized that ‘Human life is nothing a bubble of water’. He then abandoned that work as well. He began writing books on Goddess Kali, Indian philosophy, and various deities. Despite writing many books, he felt unsatisfied and suspended all his work to fully devote himself to the worship of Goddess Kali.

As a Sadhak (Practitioner)

After intense sadhana (spiritual practice), his devotion and faith towards Goddess Kali deepened significantly. He used to call Goddess Kali as Shyama. During his three years of sadhana, he realized that the cosmic primal energy, Goddess Kali, is everything, and that serving humanity is the true service to Shyama Kali.

Establishment of the Organization

On November 23, 2006, dedicating his entire life to the service of the world under the auspices of the cosmic Goddess Shyama Kali, Karunananda Ji founded the International Society ForKali Awareness (ISKA). He resolved to spread the message of "ShaktyadhinamJagatSarvam" (The entire world is under the power of the Goddess) globally.