Rajarshi Raghabananda Nayak

Raghabananda Nayak
Born(1938-08-28)28 August 1938
Fatehpur Village, Bhadrak district, Odisha, India
Died31 October 2016(2016-10-31) (aged 78)
OccupationsWriter, lecturer

Rajarshi Raghabananda Nayak (28 August 1938 – 31 October 2016) was an Indian writer and lecturer who studied Kriya Yoga in the lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, and Paramahansa Hariharananda.[1]

Early life and education

Ratnakar Nayak was born in Fatehpur village, located in the Bhadrak district of Odisha. He earned a Master of Arts in Odia from Visva-Bharati University, followed by a PhD in literature from Utkal University. In 1960 he became a lecturer at Visva-Bharati. He later transitioned to Gangadhar Meher College (Autonomous) in Sambalpur, where he served as the Head of the Department of Odia until his retirement in 1996.[2]

Initiation into Kriya Yoga

In early 1964, Nayak met Paramahansa Hariharananda, from whom he learned Kriya Yoga.[3]

Menninger Foundation

Nayak participated in a study by the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, United States, where researchers measured his physiological responses during meditation, including brain alpha-wave activity. Results from this work were published in Biofeedback: Yoga for the West[4] and Beyond Biofeedback[5] by Elmer and Alice Green.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Kriya Yoga Wisdom - Rajarshi Raghabananda". www.kriyayogawisdom.com. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Tous les Yogacharyas - Institut de Kriya Yoga". institutkriyayoga.fr (in French). 2 February 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Rajarshi Raghabananda". Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  4. ^ Biofeedback: Yoga for the West: http://hartleyfoundation.org/en/hartley-classics
  5. ^ Beyond-Biofeedback ISBN 0940267144 ISBN 978-0940267145 : https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Biofeedback-Elmer-Green/dp/0940267144
  6. ^ Elmer Green PhD biography: http://www.healthy.net/scr/bio.aspx?Id=56