Lakshman Joo (Ishwar Swaroop) Raina

He was known as "Lal Sahib" or friend of God by followers and considered by them to be a fully-realized saint. His parents were ardent devotees of priest and scholar Swami Ram. Followers believe he was blessed before birth, when Swami Ram gave a single almond to Swamiji's mother to eat and "Lakshman joo" was born nine months later. He was named after the Ramayana epic, a reference to the brothers Ram and Lakshman, by Swami Ram who said at his birth "I am Ram; let the child be called Lakshman joo".

Followers believe as a child "Lakshman joo" showed clear signs of spirituality and would become easily absorbed in his own nature from the age of three. Too young to find the appropriate yogic expression, the child described this state as "badhi bhod" which in Kashmiri means "greater than the greatest."

Up to the age of seven his spiritual progress was watched closely by Swami Ram. When Swami Ram died he entrusted the young boy to his disciple, Swami Matabakak. At the age of sixteen Swami Matabakak initiated the young "Lakshman joo" into the practical aspects of Kashmir Shaivism and told him that with regular practice he could experience the reality of consciousness within six months. Followers believe he approached his practice with such zeal that he had his first taste of God Consciousness within a month, at the age of sixteen. After that glimpse of the Divine he took a vow of lifelong celibacy and dedication to the realization of the highest state of God Consciousness. In 1934, when he was twenty seven, his father built an Ashram at the foot hills of Ishbher/Gupta Ganga (Nishat). He began teaching Shaiva Sutras to his disciples there, the chief amongst them being Sushree Sharika Devi d/o Pt. Jialal Sopory who in later years was considered by followers to also be a saint.

During the next three decades "Lakshman joo" immersed himself in Kashmir Shaiva philosophy. He believed intellectual understanding needed to be tested with personal experience. By 1965 he had acclaim as a lineage holder of the oral tradition of Kashmir Shaivism and until his Maha Samadhi/death (Param Niwas/Home, Noida-Delhi) he received a regular stream of visitors from India and abroad. He was well known then in Kashmir and India abroad. He gave teachings to people of any race or religion or economic situation and did not require recompense.

Before he died in 1991, at "Param Niwas" (family home) in Noida-Delhi. To continue his teachings he "blessed" in India the Ishwar Ashram Trust at Srinagar, Kashmir and in the United States he "blessed" the Universal Shaiva Fellowship. Ishwar Ashram Trust now governs four ashrams in Kashmir, Jammu, New Delhi, and Mumbai.