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Paramahamsa Hariharananda known as "Baba" (father) to his students, was known as a Kriya Yogi in the lineage of Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Hariharananda's father Haripada Bhattacharya, an affluent community landlord was a Brahmin.Hariharananda's mother, Nabin Kali, was a woman from the village of Birnagar, Nadia and came from a Brahmin family. Nabin Kali and Haripada had eleven children, five sons and six daughters. Rabindranath (Rabi in short) was the youngest son and later came to be known as Paramahamsa Hariharananda.

According to his own disciple, Swami Sarveshawarananda, at the age of twelve Hariharananda took initiation in the path of Jnana Yoga from a certain Shri Bijoy Krishna Chattopadhyay, after visiting him a couple of times in the company of his brother Pareshnath and brother-in-law, both disciples of his. A disciple of Trailinga Swami of Benares, Bijoy Krishna Chattopadhyaya was known as "Howrah Thakur" because he lived in the Howrah suburb of Kolkata.

In 1932, by his own claims, Hariharananda went to meet the Kriya master, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri who initiated him into Kriya Yoga, in his Serampore ashram, West Bengal. Hariharananda further claimed that the Swami taught him cosmic astrology, and entreated him to come and live in his Karar Ashram in Puri, Orissa.

In 1935, he claimed to have met Paramahansa Yogananda, and received the second Kriya initiation from him. In 1938, he renounced the material life and entered his guru's Ashram in Puri, Orissa, starting the life of an ascetic monk as Brahmachari Rabinarayan.

Sananda Lal Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, in his book Mejda also clarified the origins of Hariharananda, showing that he could never have been a direct disciple of either Sri Yukteswar or Paramahansa Yogananda as he only came to Puri in 1938, two years after the death of Sri Yukteswar and two years after Yogananda's last visit to India, and that it was there that he became involved with Yogananda's movement.

He claimed to receive the third Kriya initiation from Swami Satyananda Giri in 1941, then head of the Karar Ashram and childhood friend of Paramahansa Yogananda.

In 1951 he got written permission from Paramahansa Yogananda to initiate and teach Kriya Yoga.

On May 27, 1959 he took formal monastic vows from the Shankaracharya of Puri Srimad Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha and was named Swami Hariharananda Giri.

From 1960 to 1974, Hariharananda toured all over India to spread the message of Kriya Yoga. The year 1974 marked his first journey to the West, where he would return every year. His travels took him all over Europe, South America, the United States, and Canada where he established centers and ashrams.

He started charitable dispensaries, educational projects, and cared for the sick, the poor, old widows, orphans and poor children.

Paramahamsa Hariharananda died in Miami, Florida, United States in 2002 and was buried in Balighai, Orissa, India that same month .