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Sri Swami Krishnananda Saraswati (April 25, 1922 – November 23, 2001) was a foremost disciple of Swami Sivananda and served as the General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India from 1958 until 2001.[2][3] He was an illuminated saint, sage and philosopher. [2][3][4][5][6] Author of more than 40 books and 150 essays and articles, he wrote and lectured prolifically on yoga, meditation, religion and philosophy. His lectures, though delivered largely extempore (without rehearsal),[7] were known for their structure, style and sophistication, and have been widely published in text form. [2][3] Swami Krishnananda was President of the Sivananda Literature Research Institute and the Sivananda Literature Dissemination Committee. He served as Editor of the Divine Life Society’s monthly publication, Divine Life Magazine, for 20 years.[2]
[edit] Biography[edit] Early lifeThe eldest of six children, Swami Krishnananda was born on April 25, 1922 into a highly religious and an orthodox Brahmin family. He was named Subbaraya by his parents. The family was well-versed in the Sanskrit language, which influence was very profound on the young boy. He had his high school education at Puttur (South Kanara Dist., Karnataka State) and stood first in the class in all the subjects. Dissatisfied with what was taught in the classroom, he took to earnest self-study of Sanskrit with the aid of Amara-Kosa and other scriptural texts.[2] [edit] Memorization of the Bhagavad GitaSwami Krishnananda studied and committed to memory the entire Bhagavad Gita when he was still a boy. His method for doing this was simple: he would not take his morning breakfast or even lunch unless he memorized a prescribed number of verses, on a daily basis. Thus within months he memorized the whole of the Gita and recited it, in full, everyday. Reading from the Bhagavata Purana that Lord Narayana lives in the sacred Badrinath Dham, the young boy literally believed it and entertained a secret pious wish to go to the Himalayas where Badrinath is and see the Lord there.[2] [edit] Pilgrimage to RishikeshBy the study of Sanskrit works like the Gita, the Upanishads, the Vedas, etc., he became rooted in Advaita Vedanta philosophy, though he belonged to the traditional Madhva-sect (Dvaita Vedanta), which follows the dualistic philosophy. His inner longing for Advaitic experience and renunciation grew stronger everyday. In 1943, Subbaraya took up Government service at Hospet in the Bellary District, but it did not last long. Before the end of the same year, he set out in search of the Sivananda Ashram. During this time he lived in poverty, but, according to him, the journey involved his contact with many interesting places and persons, in each of which he learned something noble. A cook that he met in Benares fed him and took him to Haridwar. The cook gave him half a Rupee to go from there to Rishikesh, where the Sivananda Ashram is located.[2][8] [edit] The Divine Life SocietyMain article: Divine Life Society The Divine Life Society is a world-renowned spiritual, religious and educational institution founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936. Its headquarters are located at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, India, where it was founded.[9] Young Subbaraya arrived there in the summer of 1944.[2] [edit] First meeting with Swami SivanandaWhen he first met Swami Sivananda, Subbaraya fell prostrate before him and the saint said: "Stay here till death; I will make kings and ministers fall at your feet." In later years, Krishnananda came to realize the prophecy of the saint's statement. Swami Sivananda initiated the young man into the holy order of Sannyasa on the Indian sacred day of Makara-Sankranti, January 14, 1946, and he was named Swami Krishnananda.[2][8] [edit] Service in the hermitageSwami Sivananda found that Krishnananda was suitable to do works of correspondence, letter writing, writing messages and even assistance in compiling and editing books. Later on he was given the work of typing up the hand-written manuscripts of Sri Sivananda, which were brought to him daily. For instance, the entire two hand-written volumes of the Brahma Sutras of Sivananda's were typed by Swami Krishnananda. He confined himself mostly to literary work and never had any kind of relation with visitors; people who came from outside never knew he existed in the ashram. It was in 1948 that Sri Sivananda asked him to do more work, along the lines of writing books in philosophy and religion, which he took up with earnestness. From that year onwards he was absorbed in writing, conducting classes and holding lectures, as per instruction of Swami Sivananda.[2] [edit] General Secretary of the Divine Life Society (1958 -2001)When it became necessary for the Ashram to co-opt assistance from other members with regards to management, Swami Krishnananda was asked to collaborate with the Working Committee, which was formed in 1957. It was at this time that he received a position of secretary, concerned especially with the management of finance. He continued this work till 1961, when, due to the absence of Swami Chidananda for a protracted period of time, Sri Sivananda nominated him as General Secretary of the Divine Life Society, which position he held for more than 40 years until his death in 2001. Swami Krishnananda was the longest serving General Secretary in the history of the institution. [2] [edit] Sivananda Literature Research InstituteDue to his considerable literary skill and understanding of the entire gamut of the works of Sri Sivananda, numbering about 300, Swami Krishnananda was made the President of the Sivananda Literature Research Institute, by Sivananda himself, when it was formed in 1958. Krishnananda was also appointed as the President of the Sivananda Literature Dissemination Committee, which was formed to bring out translations of Sri Sivananda's works in the major Indian languages, simultaneously. In 1961, Swami Krishnananda was made Editor of the Divine Life Society's monthly publication, Divine Life Magazine. He held the position for 20 years.[2] [edit] DeathOn the morning of November 23, 2001, Swami Krishnananda related to those attending on him a dream he had the previous night, which indicated his leaving the body. He had further said that his cook and the doctor from Rishikesh who had been attending on him must be paid their dues that very day. According to those close to him, Krishnananda was very cheerful that day and met with Ashramites and visitors as usual. He also talked very freely to the persons attending on him. In the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Krishnananda asked for a copy of the Bhagavad Gita with the commentary by Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj to be kept by the bedside. When the Holy Scripture was brought, Krishnananda began to read it periodically. Around 3:30 p.m. he had his usual light supper. At 4:25 p.m. he felt a little difficulty in breathing and asked his attendant Sri Swami Satyakamanandaji to recline him on the bed indicating that the last moment had arrived. And the end came at 4:30 p.m. He attained mahasamadhi on that day.[3][10] An excerpt of an article that was carried in the December 2001 edition of the Divine Life Magazine entitled "His Holiness Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj Attains Mahasamadhi" read:
The last rites were carried out on Sunday, November 25. Many devotees and most of the local people came to pay their last respects. Thousands of people were present. Krishnananda's body was carried in a sitting position in a palanquin covered in flower garlands. He was carried in procession to the Samadhi Shrine, the Viswanath Mandir, and the Bhajan Hall of the Sivananda Ashram, then along the road to the Sivananda Ghat where abishek was performed. As Swami Krishnananda was being taken in the boat to be immersed in the Ganga, three large flocks of birds appeared in the sky, each flock in a V formation. They were flying in the direction of Badrinath, the abode of Lord Narayana and the holiest temple in India. [3][10] [edit] Yoga and philosophy[edit] Advaita VedantaMain article: Vedanta Swami Krishnananda was a proponent of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the most influential sub-school of Vedanta. Vedanta is one of the six orthodox philosophies of Hinduism, chiefly concerned with knowledge of Brahman, the universal supreme pure being. Advaita Vedanta is a philosophy of nondualism, comparable to Western Idealism,[5][11] based on the unity of the Atman (soul) and Brahman, in which Brahman is viewed as without attributes.[12][13] The Indian philosopher Adi Shankara (788 CE – 820 CE), the one largely responsible for the expounding and consolidation of Advaita Vedanta, wrote in his famous work, Vivekachudamani:
In addition to Vedanta philosophy, Swami Krishnananda was also, as is apparent by his extensive writings and transcribed lectures, and according to all those who knew him,[2][3] a master of practically every system of Indian thought and Western philosophy.[5][6] He wrote in his autobiography:
In a cryptic statement, Swami Sivananda said, “ Many Shankaras are rolled into one Krishnananda.” He later amplified this in an essay entitled I Marvel at Krishnanandaji.[2] [edit] Yoga of SynthesisMain article: Yoga of Synthesis Swami Krishnananda taught and practiced Yoga of Synthesis, a method of Yoga he learned directly from Sri Sivananda.[3] It combines the four main paths of the discipline - Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga - along with various sub-yogas such as Sankirtan Yoga and Hatha Yoga. This is reflected in the motto of The Divine Life Society, which is, "Serve (Karma Yoga), Love (Bhakti Yoga), Meditate (Jnana Yoga), Realize (Raja Yoga)." In Sivananda's own words, "One-sided development is not commendable. Religion and Yoga must educate and develop the whole man - his heart, intellect and hand.”[15] [edit] Message of Swami KrishnanandaConsistent with Advaita Vedanta philosophy and the Yoga of Synthesis methodology, Swami Krishnananda’s message was that of wholeness and unity, which is, according to the Vedanta, Reality, or Truth.[3] In his book, Yoga as a Universal Science, Krishnananda states that all human suffering is ultimately the result of the perception of separation from Brahman, and that people erroneously try to relieve this suffering by interacting with objects through the physical senses. Our cultivation of these sense experiences, he says, is nothing more than the outer expressions of the Self attempting to relieve suffering. However, he explains that the relief we are really seeking is to become one with Brahman, and that it’s only through maya (illusion of subject-object duality) we desire for and attempt to have sense experiences instead. This misconception, he says, not only perpetuates the predicament, but results in lost energy.[16] As a remedy to this, he says that people must gradually, through careful discrimination and cooperation, cease to look at the world as being "outside" of or separate from themselves. Rather, people should unite themselves with the "outside world" and become ONE with it. [16] He writes further in Yoga as a Universal Science:
Andrew Cohen, author and the founder of EnlightenNext Magazine, visited the Sivananda Ashram in 1984 and heard Swami Krishnananda speak there.[17] Writing in the Spring-Summer, 2001 issue of EnlightenNext, he described his experience 17 years later in the article, "Come Together":
[edit] Authorship and lecturesSwami Krishnananda single-handedly expounded practically all the major scriptures of Vedanta in the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy of the Divine Life Society, by giving lectures in the Academy's early morning sessions, afternoon classes and regular three-month courses. Most of these lectures have now been published in text form—authentic commentaries covering the philosophy, psychology and practice of the various disciplines of Yoga. Additionally, Swami Krishnananda is the author of more than 40 books and 150 essays and articles on Yoga, meditation, religion and philosophy,[2][3] many of which are now considered classic works of theological and philosophical literature.[2][3][4][5][6] He did this writing and teaching in the midst of his enormous day-to-day volume of work as General Secretary of the Divine Life Society.[2] [edit] Selected Works[edit] The Realization of the AbsoluteWritten by Swami Krishnananda in 14 days at the age of 26, The Realization of the Absolute is a well-known book on the Vedanta-philosophy and its methodology. It is considered by many to be one of his best, most concentrated works. It was the first book that he wrote.[18]
[edit] The Light of WisdomThe Light of Wisdom is a presentation of the essence of the philosophy, psychology and practice of yoga in a way that is helpful for the beginner on the path.[20] Swami Vimalananda, direct disciple of Sivananda, writes of the work:
[edit] To Thine Own Self Be TrueTo Thine Own Self Be True is a book on mystical relations obtaining between the internal and external realities, together with instructions on the methods of internal meditations.[22] In the preface to the work the Divine Life Society writes:
[edit] Resurgent CultureIn November 1960, Swami Krishnananda was invited to the University of Allahabad to speak on the essentials of culture and philosophy. Resurgent Culture is the book-form of the lectures he delivered there.[23] Krishnananda began the first lecture by addressing what he believed to be the pitfalls of modern epistemology:
Near the end of the lectures, Krishnananda stated clearly what he believed to be the best approach to practical living and inquiry:
[edit] The Ascent of the SpiritThe Ascent of the Spirit is a logical study which begins with the foundations of educational psychology, its philosophical basis and spiritual significance, and covers the important areas of thought and action as the meaning behind social relationship, as well as the ultimate roots of legal and ethical principles involved in human life.[26] Swami Krishnananda writes in his introduction to the book:
[edit] The Epistemology of YogaThe Epistemology of Yoga is a book on epistemology, which is the theory of knowledge, in regard to Yoga and the attainment of the Ultimate Reality. It starts with an analysis of the mind and the means of perception, and explains why it is impossible for the mind to know the world and why we cannot even know ourselves, and why this lack of knowledge leaves us in a state of dissatisfaction and sorrow. Krishnananda then relates how the Yoga and Vedanta philosophies deal with this most important issue and how, through meditation leading to Samadhi, our individual consciousness realizes its true nature as Universality, or God-consciousness (higher consciousness).[26] [edit] The Epic of ConsciousnessThe Epic of Consciousness is an epic poem in Miltonian style of English verse in five chapters highlighting the cosmic sweep of creation, believed in Vedanta to be a process of the intricate ascent of the soul to Universal Perfection.[28] Krishnananda begins—in the preface to the poem—by referencing mind-body dichotomy:
[edit] The Advent of Swami SivanandaThe Advent of Swami Sivananda (RealVideo) is a speech that was delivered extempore by Swami Krishnananda in 1987 comencing the observation of the centenary of Swami Sivananda. In the lecture, Krishnananda describes the context of and purpose for the incarnation of Swami Sivananda.[30] [edit] InfluenceSwami Krishnananda lived a monastic life. He did not travel extensively, and he did not promote nor profit monetarily from his writing or teaching.[3][9] However, his influence on the world has been immense.[2][3][4][5][6] His legacy to the world is that of Swami Sivananda’s--service, love, charity, chastity, meditation, realization--embodied in the mission, teachings and practice of the Divine Life Society, which from the year 1936 has been built up by Sri Sivananda and his dicsiples to its present day status as a spiritual, religious and educational outreach to the world. For 73 years the Divine Life Society has disseminated spiritual knowledge to the world, trained and educated spiritual seekers, established and run educational institutions, established and run medical organizations, and helped countless poor and needy.[31] The Divine Life Society’s headquarters in Rishikesh, India, maintains and implements many laudable bodies and institutions, including its Charitable Hospital, which renders free medical service to the public; its common kitchen (the Annapurna Annakshetra), which feeds about 600 permanent residents, daily visiting guests and pilgrims; its Guest House, which looks to the needs of its many daily visitors and guests; the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy, which trains spiritual seekers and aspirants; its monthly periodical, Divine Life Magazine (in English and Hindi), which puts out articles on sublime philosophy and spiritual guidance; its well known Leprosy Relief Program; and its Social Service Wing, which attends to the needs of the world’s poor and needy. The Temples of worship at the Divine Life Society hold prayers for the peace of the world and conduct regular worship of the Lord. They also conduct continual recitation of the Lord’s name, 24 hours a day.[31] Swami Krishnananda was the backbone of this institution, serving as its General Secretary for more than 40 years, and representing it with his many works of spiritual, theological and philosophical literature.[2][3] [edit] Bibliography of Swami KrishnanandaSwami Krishnananda's books, articles and essays are available at Krishnananda.org for free PDF download or purchase in hard copy .
[edit] Notes and References
[edit] External links
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