Swami Yatiswarananda (1889-1966), a senior monk and former Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Math, was a well known spiritual figure in the Neo-Vedanta movement. Besides seven years of pioneering work in spreading Vedanta in Europe and ten years of teaching Vedanta in the U.S.A.(Philadelphia[1]), he served in succession as the President of Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bombay, Madras and Bangalore.
Known in his premonastic life as Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya, the Swami was an initiated disciple of Swami Brahmananda (the great direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna), and was widely respected for his high spiritual attainments, Yogic insight and mature wisdom. He advocated and lived a well-harmonized spiritual life with meditation as the keynote, and love and service as the main melody. He was a source of inspiration not only to his monastic and lay disciples, but also to a large number of other people in India and abroad, to whom he endeared himself by his selfless love and gracious manner.