| Sri Atmananda | |
|---|---|
| Born | P. Krishna Menon December 8, 1883 Peringara, Kerala, India |
| Died | May 14, 1959 (aged 75) Trivandrum, Kerala |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | guru and advaita philosopher |
Śrĩ Atmananda (December 8, 1883 – May 14, 1959), also referred as Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, was a well-known Indian sage, guru, and philosopher. Today he is considered one of three important advaita teachers of 20th century, which also included Sri Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj.[1][2]
He was a householder and showed by his life and teachings that ordinary life can be a type of meditation, yoga, or striving towards mokṣa, or liberation from karma. He spent most of his life employed as a police prosecutor. He also discussed many variations of philosophy within Vedanta and the Upaniṣads, including Ajativada.
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He was born as P. Krishna Menon in 1883 in Peringara, near Tiruvalla, in the state of Travancore, now a part of Kerala.[3]
After completing his the study of law, he became a Government Advocate and Inspector and District Superintendent of Police and remained in service until 1939. Meanwhile, his search for a guru led to his meeting Swami Yogananda (not to be confused with Paramahansa Yogananda) briefly in 1913, which was to alter his life forever. Eventually, he realized the Self in 1923, assumed the name Sri Atmananda and started teaching Jnana Yoga. After retirement from government service, he resided in his family home, Anandavadi on the river Pampa in Malakara.[3]
He published several books including,Atma Darshan and Atma Nirvriti in Malayalam (both of which he translated into English), and Atmaramam (in Malayalam). He died at Trivandrum (now known as Thiruvananthapuram) in 1959.
After his death, the book Atmananda Tattwa Samhita, based on tape-recorded talks between Sri Atmananda and some disciples, was published. In the following years, his eldest son Sri Adwayananda continued his teachings from his home in Anandawadi, Malakkara, near Chengannur, till his death in 2001. A school in his name, Sri Atmananda Memorial School, was founded in 1987 in Malakkara. When American mythologist Joseph Campbell visited India (1954–1955), his meeting with Krishna Menon has been described as the "climax of his visit" to India, and is recounted in his book, Baksheesh and Brahman, and the meditation he was given, "Where are you between two thoughts?"[4]