Who is Shri Premanand Ji Maharaj

Shri Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj, whose birth name was Aniruddh Kumar Pandey on 30 March 1969, is a revered saint and Bhagwat Katha reciter from Vrindavan. He is a part of the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya, a spiritual tradition centered on intense devotion to Radha and Krishna.

He was born in a religious Brahmin family in the neighborhood of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Right from early childhood, he was drawn towards a simple and devout life. He was only 13 years old when he left home to adopt the path of brahmacharya (celibacy) and subsequently sanyas (renunciation). He stayed on the banks of the Ganga River for a while, doing spiritual exercises and devoting himself to devotion.

Subsequently, he also arrived in Vrindavan, where upon seeing the Raas Leela, he also experienced a strong divine attraction towards Radha-Krishna’s gopi-bhava infinite love. This experience transformed his life. He made up his mind to remain in Vrindavan for good and started living the life of a rasik saint, devoting his whole life to loving devotion of Radha Rani and Krishna.