Chinmayananda Saraswati
| Swami Chinmayananda | |
|---|---|
A portrait of Swami Chinmayananda in 1990
|
|
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Founder of |
Chinmaya Mission Vishva Hindu Parishad |
| Philosophy | Advaita Vedanta |
| Personal | |
| Born | Balakrishna Menon 8 May 1916 Ernakulam, British India |
| Died | 3 August 1993 (aged 77) San Diego, California, U.S. Resting place: Sidhbari |
| Guru |
Sivananda Saraswati Tapovan Maharaj |
| Disciple(s) |
Swami Tejomayananda Swami Swaroopananda |
| Literary works | The Holy Gita and many more (See Bibliography) |
| Honors | Founder Member Vishva Hindu Parishad |
Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati (born Balakrishna Menon; 8 May 1916 – 3 August 1993) was a Hindu spiritual leader and teacher who inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission, a worldwide nonprofit organisation, to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta, the nondual system of thought found in the Upanishads, which epitomise the philosophical teachings of the Vedas.
Chinmayananda is known for teaching Bhagavad gita, the Upanishads, and other ancient Hindu scriptures. From 1951 onward, he spearheaded a global Hindu spiritual and cultural renaissance that popularised the religion's esoteric scriptural texts, teaching them in English all across India and abroad.
Chinmayananda inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission in 1953. Founded by his disciples and led by him, it is a spiritual, educational, and charitable nonprofit organization that encompasses more than 300 centres in India and internationally. He authored 95 publications, including commentaries on the major Upanishads and Bhagavad gita. He was a visiting professor of Indian philosophy at several American and Asian universities and he conducted university lecture tours in many countries.
Through his Vedantic teachings, publications, centres, ashrams, temples, and social service projects around the globe, his work continues to provide cultural and spiritual instruction to members of the Hindu diaspora. He died on 3 August 1993.
Balakrishna Menon, who later became known as Swami Chinmayananda, was born in the city of Ernakulam in present-day Kerala, India, on 8 May 1916, as the eldest son of a prominent judge, Vadakke Kuruppathu Kutta Menon, who was the nephew of the Maharaja of Cochin. His mother, Parukutty Amma died while giving birth to her third child.
He completed his formal schooling in Sree Rama Varma High School, Kochi (1921–1928) and Vivekodayam School, Thrissur (1928–1932). He completed his FA (Fellow of Arts) at the Maharaja's College, Ernakulam (1932–1934), and his BA (Bachelor of Arts) at the St. Thomas College, Trichur (1935–1937). He went on to Lucknow University (1940–1943) to earn postgraduate degrees in literature and law, while completing courses in journalism.
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