Swami Sivananda
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This is the article on Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. For Swami Sivananda, the disciple of Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji, see Swami Sivananda (Rajasthan)
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Swami Sivananda Saraswati (स्वामी शिवानन्द सरस्वती) (Sep 8, 1887—Jul 14, 1963), as he is known under his monastic name, was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. A Hindu by birth, he was a doctor, and a well-known proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. During his life he wrote over 200 books, on these and a variety of other subjects.
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[edit] Early life
Prior to entering into the life of Sannyasa, Kuppuswami the boy was promising in academics and gymnastics, before attending medical school in Tanjore, where he excelled. Upon graduation he practiced medicine and worked as a doctor in Malaysia for several years, with a reputation for waiving his fee for poor patients needing treatment. Over time, a sense that medicine was healing on a superficial level grew in him, urging him to look elsewhere to fill the void, and in 1923 he left Malaya and retuned to India to pursue a spiritual quest.
[edit] Travels
Upon his return to India he went on an extensive pilgrimage and traveled to meditate at holy shrines and study with spiritual teachers throughout India. Sivananda traveled the length and breadth of India during his Parivrajaka (wandering monk) life. He visited important places of pilgrimage in the south, including Rameshvaram. He conducted Sankirtan and delivered lectures. He visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and met Maharishi Suddhananda Bharati. At the Ramana ashram, he allegedly had the Darshan of Ramana Maharshi on Maharshi's birthday. He sang bhajans and danced in ecstasy with Maharshi's bhaktas. He also went on pilgrimages to Kailas-Manasarovar and Badri. At Banaras, he had the Darshan (vision) of Lord Vishvanath.
Dr. Kuppuswami next went to Rishikesh where met his guru, Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. It was Vishwananda who initiated him into the Sannyas order and gave him his monastic name. However, since Swami Sivananda spent only a few hours with Swami Vishwananda, the full Viraja Homa ceremonies were performed later by Swami Vishnudevananda (not to be confused with his own later disciple, Swami Vishnu-devananda), the Mahant of Sri Kailas Ashram.
[edit] Foundations
Sivananda performed austerities for many years but he also continued to help the sick. With some money from his insurance policy that had matured, he started a charitable dispensary at Lakshmanjula in 1927.
He returned to Rishikesh and in 1936 founded the new religious movement the Divine Life Society on the bank of the holy Ganges River. The free distribution of spiritual literature drew a steady flow of disciples to the Swami, including the young U.G. Krishnamurti, who studied with him for seven summers, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, founder of Satyananda Yoga.
In 1945, Swami Sivananda created the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy, and organized the All-world Religions Federation. In 1947 he established the All-world Sadhus Federation. He called his yoga the Yoga of Synthesis.
[edit] Sivananda Yoga
In 1957, after ten years of service to his Master, Swami Vishnu-devananda was sent to the west to spread the teachings of yoga and vedanta. According to stories, Sivananda placed 10 rupees in Vishnu-devananda's palm, and simply said, "People are waiting”. Vishnu-devananda's efforts resulted in a great number of Sivananda institutes across the globe, bringing Sivananda's philosophy to a vast audience.
[edit] Authorship
He wrote a vast catalogue of books on Hinduism and Advaita philosophy, but also on other quite varied subjects, and how they intersected with his philosophy. Several of his books are available online.
On the 14th of July 1963, in the words of his followers, the Great Soul Swami Sivananda entered Mahasamadhi (departure of a Self-realized saint from his mortal coil) in his Kutir on the bank of Ganges, in Shivanandanagar.
[edit] External links
- www.sivananda.org
- Site devoted to Swami Sivananda, with online books.
- Swami Sivananda's books.
- More of Swami Sivananda's books.
- The Divine Life Society
- Life sketch of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh
- Sivananda on indiayogi.com
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