Premanand Govind Sharan (born Aniruddh Kumar Pandey, 30 March 1969), known to his followers as Premanand, is an Indian Hindu ascetic & guru. He belongs to the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya. == Early years == Pandey was born in 1969 in the Akhri village, Sarsaul Block, near Kanpur to Rama Devi and Shambhu Pandey. At the age of 13 he left his ancestral home to become a sanyasi, following the footsteps of his grandfather. == Spiritual learning == Upon entering the path of a sanyasi, he was given the name Anandswaroop Brahmachari. After accepting the life as a sanyasi and the Mahavakya, he was named Swami Anandashram. He lived most of his early life as a spiritual seeker on the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi. While in Varanasi meditating beneath a peepal tree, a saint name Pandit Swami Shri Ram Sharma requested him repeatedly to watch Raas Leela the next day, which Premanand accepted reluctantly as god's will. ==== Guru ==== A Radha Vallabh Sampradaya Goswami initiated Premanand into the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya through the "Sharanagati Mantra." A few days later, at Pujya Shri Goswami Ji's insistence, Premanand met his current Sadgurudev, Pujya Shri Hit Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj, also called Bade Guruji, one of the most revered and well known saints of Sahachari Bhava. Gaurangi Sharanji Maharaj gave him the "Niz Mantra," which is the initiation of "Sahachari Bhava" and "Nitya Vihar Rasa," i.e. Thus, Premanand entered the order of rasik saints. == Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust == The Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust Vrindavan is a non-profit organization founded in 2016. The stated aim of the trust is to work for the betterment and upliftment of society and its people. It offers lodging, food, clothing, medical care, and other necessities to pilgrimages to Vrindavan Dham. == Teachings and philosophy == From early phase, he has stated to oppose the hierarchical life of the ashram. He discusses that spirituality is the essence of life, existence, and truth. and emphasis that the guru has great importance in everyone's life. Spiritual power maintains harmony in personal and social relationships. A negative character can be very dangerous; don't spoil your character. Preserve the invaluable asset of celibacy (brahmacharya), which greatly assists in leading a healthy, balanced, and spiritually oriented life. == Bibliography == Brahmcharya, 2019, Publisher: Generic, Language: Hindi, ISBN 978-81-971056-2-3 Ekantik Vartalap, 2019, Publisher: Generic, Language: Hindi, ASIN: B083BF71PW Hit Sadguru Dev Ke Vachnamirt, 2020, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust Vrindavan, Pages:54, Language: Hindi, ISBN 978-81-971056-0-9 Ashtayam Seva Paddhati, 2020, Pages: 68, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust Vrindavan, Language: Hindi, ISBN 978-81-971056-8-5 SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (VOL 1), 2024, Pages: 162, Publisher: Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Trust, Language: English, ISBN 978-81-971056-5-4 == References == == External links == Premanand Ji Maharaj Blog