Premānand Swāmi

Paramhansas

Premānand Swāmi was born in a village near Nadiād to a Sāthodar brāhmin family. His mother was very beautiful; but everyone teased his father as being insane. When Premānand Swāmi was born, his mother left him in a hole of a tree due to pressure from the village folk. A carder found and raised him. When Rāmānand Swāmi ceremoniously handed off the reigns of the sampradāy to Shriji Maharaj, the young boy came to Jetpur with his adopting father. He was attracted to Maharaj and did not want to leave him. Maharaj let him stay. He, then, command him to learn music in Ujjain. After learning music and singing, he returned to Maharaj in Gadhadā. Maharaj gave him dikshā and named him ‘Nijbodhānand’. Later, he became more known by the name of Premānand. His kirtans of Maharaj are characterized by his love for Maharaj. Not only was he a good poet, he was a great singer. It is noted that when he sang a morning kirtan during the evening, the evening environment transformed into morning. He has a place among Maharaj’s eight poet singers. He has composed more than 14,000 kirtans, in which he describes Maharaj’s murti from head to toe. After Maharaj reverted back to Akshardham, his kirtans are characterized by a longing for Maharaj.