Acharya Shanti Prakash
The Fountainhead of the Sarayu Parampara
Acharya Shunya’s great-grandfather, Acharya Shanti Prakash, is regarded as the fountainhead of the Sarayu Parampara. In the family and among students he is lovingly remembered as Badey Baba, “Elder Baba.”
Revered in Ayodhya as a Maharishi and honored as a Paramatman, he was known for deep devotion, disciplined inquiry, moral clarity, and lifelong selfless service. The neighborhood where he lived came to be known as Rishi Tola, “the abode of seers,” a name that still stands as quiet testimony to his presence.
Renewal After Turbulent Times
In the centuries before his birth, the lineage endured political upheaval and loss under colonial rule. The family’s home and patronage were disrupted. His grandfather relocated briefly to Delhi for survival, but after the violence of the 1857 uprising, the family returned to Ayodhya, carrying with them both loss and resolve.
Shanti Prakash’s father, Sadhu Summan Lal, chose restoration over retreat. While supporting the household, he reopened the family Gurukulam with only a handful of students and re-established a Devi temple within their home. That temple still stands today.
It was into this atmosphere of renewal that Shanti Prakash was born.
A Seer in Formation
From childhood, he displayed unusual serenity and depth. He absorbed Vedic recitation with remarkable fluency and carried himself with inward steadiness. Educated in the family Gurukulam under his father’s guidance, he was shaped by both scholarship and lived discipline.
In time, his life became a living expression of Vedic wisdom rooted in the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita. He guided seekers not toward ideology, but toward recognition of their own limitless Self, grounded in compassion, courage, and service to Truth.
Through him, the Sarayu Parampara found renewed strength. His light continues in the generations that followed.
Established the Sadharan Dharma Sabha
In 1922, Acharya Shanti Prakash founded the Sadharan Dharma Sabha and Sangha in Ayodhya. Through this step, he carried the light of the Vedas beyond his immediate circle of disciples and into the wider community.
“Sadharan Dharma” means Universal Dharma. The Sabha reflected his conviction that spiritual life cannot remain confined to study and meditation alone. It must express itself in service.
The organization supported devotional gatherings, education, charitable relief, community health initiatives, access to medicinal herbs, and guidance in meditation and ethical living. It sought to cultivate both inner clarity and social responsibility.
Through this work, he affirmed that Dharma belongs to all, and that wisdom must walk among people, not remain hidden in texts.
A Vision for All: Sarva Arogyam Sarva Mukti
At the inauguration of the Sadharan Dharma Sabha and Sangha, Acharya Shanti Prakash articulated a guiding vision: Sarva Arogyam Sarva Mukti — Health and Spiritual Liberation for All.
For him, liberation was never isolated from responsibility. Inner awakening and collective well-being belonged together. Health meant harmony of body, mind, and spirit. Mukti meant freedom from ignorance, fear, and bondage.
This vision shaped the work of the Sangha and continues to inspire the institutions that followed, including Vedika Global in the United States. Through Vedic education, spiritual discipline, and compassionate service, the same current flows forward: nurturing true health and guiding seekers toward freedom.
The mission remains unchanged. Dharma is universal. Liberation belongs to all.
Reviver of the Adi Gita
An esteemed Vedic scholar, Badey Baba is regarded as the first known compiler of the 84-verse Adi Gita, an ancient scroll brought to light through archaeological discovery. Many traditional scholars hold that these 84 core verses represent an earlier form of the Gita, predating the 700-verse Bhagavad Gita known today. It is believed that these foundational shlokas preserve the essential dialogue of Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, later expanded in successive generations.
In this sacred work, Badey Baba calls the seeker inward:
“Be a true seeker after Truth, and the light will flash upon you — not only through books and sages of this world, but from your own inner knowing. And if you are sincere in uplifting yourself and reclaiming your Self, even the sages of subtler realms will come forward to assist you.”
(Adi Gita, p. 86)
The Legacy of Satsang
Badey Baba’s satsangs became a living center of spiritual life in Ayodhya. Night after night, seekers gathered in large numbers to listen, reflect, and sit in shared inquiry. His words were not delivered as performance, but as transmission — rooted in scripture, illuminated by lived realization.
These gatherings were honored by the presence of revered spiritual figures of the time, including Swami Rama Tirtha, Neem Karoli Baba, Maharishi Kartikey Maharaj, Datun Wale Baba, Netraheen Baba, and Narayan Swami Ji. Their presence affirmed the spiritual stature of the Sabha and the depth of Badey Baba’s influence.
The satsang was not merely an event. It was a field of awakening where scripture, devotion, inquiry, and courage met in one shared space.
The Living Stream of Satsang
Today, Acharya Shunya continues this sacred tradition. Her satsangs are not lectures but living inquiry rooted in the Vedas, Yoga, and Vedanta. They remain open to all sincere seekers drawn to Self-knowledge.
As in her great-grandfather’s time, satsang is offered as a space of transmission — where scripture is studied with depth, devotion is honored, and Truth is approached with humility and courage.
The current flows forward, unchanged in essence
The Guru as the Root
All paths begin and end in the Guru.
ध्यानमूलं गुरोर्मूर्तिः पूजामूलं गुरोः पदम्।
मन्त्रमूलं गुरोर्वाक्यं मोक्षमूलं गुरोः कृपा॥
The root of meditation is the form of the Guru,
The root of worship is the feet of the Guru.
The root of mantra is the word of the Guru,
The root of liberation is the grace of the Guru.