Maha Siddha Vivaswan Nath (महासिद्ध विवस्वाननाथ) is regarded as the sixth of the eighteen founders and reformers of the Siddha Dharma tradition. His life is marked by profound transformations, controversial philosophies and a pivotal role in shaping aspects of spiritual and martial traditions. There are no written books or scripture but the details of his teachings have been passed down through oral traditions and are preserved in six narratives (ganaai bharta गणाई भार्ता).

Early Life

Maha Siddha Vivaswan Nath was born in the region corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan. It is mentioned that Mahasiddha vivasvan nath was very curious child with inclination towards spirituality from childhood. Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath’s parents were also deeply religious and devoted worshippers of the Mahasiddhas. They practiced their tradition with great devotion and followed the teachings of the Mahasiddhas sincerely. This created a profoundly spiritual atmosphere in their home, which also played a significant role in shaping Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath’s inclination toward spirituality. The identities of his parents remain unknown but it is well known that he hailed from this region and later traveled to Kailash for intense spiritual penance.

Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath’s childhood was marked by adversities. He was a thin, frail boy, often bullied by his peers. His polite demeanor and gentle way of speaking made him a target. On one occasion, when Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath was by the riverside, a group of bullies approached him from behind, harassed him, and threw him into the river and walked away. He struggled to stay afloat, fighting for his life, but soon he began to lose hope and started drowning, a passerby noticed him and came to his rescue. His life was saved but These experiences left him disillusioned and depressed, leading him to question why he faced such treatment despite his kind nature.

To escape the bullying, he went away in the fields and built a shed with the help of his family and chose to live away from others. However, some cruel individuals reached there also and burned the shed while he was asleep, leaving him with severe burns on his back. This traumatic event marked a turning point in his life, profoundly altering his outlook and demeanor

Encounter with the Healer

After escaping the fire, Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath sought treatment from a local healer named Daluka Vaidya who was a disciple of the Himalayan Mahasiddhas. Daluka was also very spiritual. He spent a lot of time with many great mahasiddhas and learned numerous things about medicine and healing rituals and also their philosophies from them, which gave him significant knowledge in these areas. Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath was very inspired by him, he began spending considerable time with him, seeking profound knowledge from him. The healer explained him the importance of bala (power) and suggested that his weakness—physical, emotional, and behavioral—was the root cause of his suffering. The healer’s wisdom resonated with Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath, who began contemplating the need for strength and power to survive and thrive. He resolved to overcome his weaknesses and punish the bullies.

Gathering the Weak

Once healed from his burns, Vivaswan Nath began gathering the weaker individuals of his village—those who had also suffered bullying and oppression in their life. Together, they discussed their shared hardships but struggled to find a solution. One day, after threatening revenge against the bullies, Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath was beaten severely. Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath thought that he do not wish to live in a world filled with such wicked and dark-hearted people. Thus he went away in forest away from society.

Forest Phase

Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath retreated to the forest, where he spent several years observing nature. His experiences in the wild profoundly shaped his philosophy. He witnessed the brutality of the natural world:

A snake swallowing another snake and walking away as it it’s no big deal.

A group of dogs tearing apart a living animal, the animal screaming in pain fighting for his life being torn piece by piece, blood dripping all over. Dogs snatching its parts and eating it while it’s still alive.

A fawn left to die after its parents were killed by a predator.

He saw one animal with a deep wound on head. The wound was infected. Maggots were coming out of it. The animal was screaming in pain running here and there rubbing the wound against tree. Mahasiddha vivasvan nath tried to clean his wound but before he could complete it animal got scared and ran away. Witnessing these terrifying and heart wrenching incidents led him to question the cruelty of creation. He reasoned that while God might be compassionate, the system of creation was flawed, allowing suffering and tamas (darkness and ignorance) to thrive. This realization deepened his resolve to purify the world of tamasic forces

Return to the Village: Confronting the Bullies

When Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath returned to his village, he had grown dreadlocks and a beard, adopting an ascetic appearance. He gathered the weak once more and declared that tamasic individuals, like the bullies, could not be reasoned with and must be removed. Leading a small group, he killed three of the bullies and openly challenged others to confront him. He claimed divine instruction for his actions, though this was a pretense to justify his mission.

When questioned by his family, he argued that his actions were necessary to establish peace and purity. He drew parallels between the removal of harmful insects and the elimination of tamasic beings, asserting that God had given humans the ability to decide who could stay on earth and who could not.

Philosophy of the Pure Land

Vivaswan Nath’s controversial philosophy centered on the creation of a “pure land” where no being survived by harming another. His core beliefs included:

1. Jeev tamas Siddhant (erradication of Tamsic Beings):He argued that tamasic creatures—both human and animal—were corrupting God’s creation and needed to be erradicated from the planet.

2. Pavitra bhoomi(philosophy of pure land):
Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath believed that God has entrusted humans with great intelligence and therefore it is the responsibility of humans to remove the tamsic beings to purify the creation.

3. Anant lok (theory of infinite universes): Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath believed that every kind of being in this universe has its own realm. Therefore, we must eradicate all tamasic creatures so they return to their respective realms, as they have no need to dwell on Earth. In doing so, we would transform Earth into a sacred and pure land.

4. Prem marg me badha (obstacles in the Path of love):
Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath believed that humans and other beings who are incapable of love, those who sustain themselves by harming others, and those who derive pleasure from causing pain to others, are obstacles in the path of making Earth a sacred land. Such beings must be removed.

5. Tamas Tamsee Siddhant:
Mahasiddha vivasvan nath believed that to eradicate tamsic forces from nature we must cultivate tamas in ourselves and once eradicated we must return to our original satvik form.

Criticism and Debate

Many spiritual leaders and Mahasiddhas opposed Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath’s philosophy, arguing that his actions created negative karma and perpetuated tamas. When asked why he did not teach compassion and reform, Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath replied that such efforts had been tried by earlier Mahasiddhas but failed to create lasting changes. He insisted that hard decisions were necessary to achieve a pure land.

To illustrate his point, he would take skeptics to witness scenes of predation in the forest, forcing them to confront the harsh realities of nature. While some were convinced by his reasoning, others warned him that by doing this he himself is becoming more and more tamsic and this way would ultimately lead to rise of tamas in society. After listening to the arguments from both sides, he found himself caught in a deep dilemma. He couldn’t discern what was right and what was wrong. During that time, while traveling somewhere, he encountered a group of pilgrims on the way. Curious, he asked them, “Where are you headed?” They replied, “We are going to the Himalayas, where the great Mahasiddhas reside. By living in their presence and receiving their teachings, we hope to understand the truth of life.” Inspired by their words, Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath resolved to join them and uncover the ultimate truth. Thus, he set out for the Himalayas along with the pilgrims.

Journey to the Himalayas

Seeking greater wisdom and validation, Mahasiddha Vivaswan Nath traveled to the Himalayas, where he encountered a Mahasiddha guru named Mahasiddha Garudratna Nath. Mahasiddha Garudratna nath had once told him that he was a seeker in his past life, and if he practiced diligently in this life, he would become a great enlightened being, a Mahasiddha. This filled him with immense pride, and he began to see himself as a Mahasiddha already. While the other disciples followed the guru’s instructions with humility and lived peacefully, Vivasvan Nath, the aspiring Mahasiddha, believed that merely sitting in meditation and obeying the guru would achieve nothing.

He considered his own philosophies and experiences to be superior and started sharing them with others, openly criticizing the guru and the lineage of teachings. Blinded by arrogance, he began to believe he was always right, even equating himself to Brahma (the Creator) entering a state of bramha-bhram.

Seeing his delusion, the guru decided to teach him a harsh lesson. The guru punished him severely, beating him to the point that Vivasvan Nath was bedridden for an entire year. Confined to his bed, he had to eat and perform even his daily bodily functions there. During this time, the guru himself would come and clean up after him, tending to his needs without hesitation.

The long period of immobility gave him ample time for self-reflection. As he lay in bed, he deeply contemplated his actions, the teachings of the lineage, the unconditional love his guru had for him, and the truth about people and life. Gradually, he realized how gravely mistaken he had been and how his guru was nothing less than a divine blessing in his life.

Overwhelmed by remorse and gratitude, he wept and repeatedly thanked his guru. Months passed in this state of self-realization and repentance, and eventually, he attained true enlightenment and became a Siddha.

Enlightenment and Legacy

Emerging transformed, he journeyed to Kailash, where he did great penance.Even amidst fierce snowfall, he continued his intense meditation. While all his companions abandoned the practice and left, he remained steadfast, immersed in his penance. Snow piled up over him, several feet thick, but he did not waver. Months later, when the snow finally melted, Lord Shiva appeared before him and offered him a boon.

When asked to make a wish, he humbly replied, “I have found you; that means I have found everything. I desire nothing more.” Yet, Lord Shiva insisted, saying, “I wish to grant you a boon. Ask for something.”

In response, he asked to be included among his celestial attendants (ganas). Lord Shiva granted his wish, and thus integrated him into the realm of his ganas. Living on Mount Kailash, he received profound knowledge and wisdom from Lord Shiva and his ganas. Later,
Upon his return, he established the importance of the guru-disciple relationship, acknowledging his earlier misconceptions. He became a proponent of rigorous spiritual discipline and martial training, contributing to the formalization of yudha vidya (martial knowledge) within Siddha Dharma.

Philosophical Contributions

Vivaswan Nath’s philosophies, though controversial, influenced the Siddha tradition in several ways:

1. Integration of Martial Training: He emphasized the need for strength and veer bhav (heroic disposition) in spiritual practice.
2. Purity through Action: His vision of a pure land inspired discussions on the balance between compassion and decisive action.
3. Challenging Traditional Views: His arguments about tamasic beings and cycles of purity sparked debates that enriched the Siddha Dharma.

Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath’s concept of Malechhas

The word malechha is made of mal i.e. excreta and ichha i.e. desire. Malecha refers to the individuals full of vile, disgusting and mean desires of world with no moral principles whatsoever. Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath said that there are some tamsic individuals in this world who deny the existence of God and criticize the siddha tradition and they have no interest in dharm and spirituality. According to mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath such individuals are a curse on the planet, they will only harm the dharm, humanity and planet. He also said that there are hidden malechas (guhiya malechas) also who wear mask of dharm and spirituality and may appear very clever and peaceful. But behind the mask they are very malicious and full of evil and selfish desires.

We need to identify such individuals also. So If we try to bring malechas on right path through reasoning, persuasion and intelligence, it will never happen. These people will present every possible low and baseless arguments and will never accept the reality. According to Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath such people are foolish and fools can’t be made to understand through intelligence. Therefore it’s necessary to eradicate such people to save the righteousness. Some Mahasiddhas supported his thoughts while others opposed him. They said that it is not right to remove them ,they also have the right to live and if given ample time and right teaching and training they can be brought on the path of righteousness. In response to this Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath said that we eat food as it healthy and necessary to sustain life but once it turns into waste inside the body it can not be reverted back to food that we ate. Then it must be expelled out of the body. If not done so it would deteriorate the health and might lead to death.

Similarly these Malechhas are like waste of the system, they cannot be turned to spirituality again by any means. Therefore such people must be removed from time to time otherwise they would devour the entire tradition which will harm the whole humanity. He even insisted on removing the two nastik Mahasiddhas among the eighteen Mahasiddhas from Siddha Dharm. But Gurumandal of that time denied his request and therefore they are still included in Siddha Dharm.

Oral Traditions and Worship

Maha Siddha Vivaswan Nath’s life and teachings are preserved in six oral narratives (vartas). Though no written texts exist, he is remembered as a reformer and is worshipped alongside the other seventeen Mahasiddhas as an incarnation of Shiva’s energy. It is believed that he is ansha avatara of Shiva and later transcended physical existence and became one of Shiva’s divine gana.

Expansion of his teachings

Mahasiddha Vivasvan Nath imparted his great wisdom to his four disciples.

These disciples carried forward his profound philosophies and great contribution to siddha dharm ensuring their relevance and continuity for future generations to come.