Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi
Encyclopedia
Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi (September 22, 1935 – November 23, 2006) also known as Chenkottukonam Swamiji, was a Hindu
spiritual teacher, orator, historian and religious scholar. He was the founder of Hindu Aikya Vedi
, and remained its chairman until his death.
Sathyananda established Sree Rama Dasa Mission. He was an exponent of the 4 spiritual paths Jnana Yoga
, Bhakti Yoga
, Raja Yoga
and Karma Yoga
, a devotee of the Divine mother goddess, and a yogi.
He was a poet, an orator, historian & religious scholar whose emphasis was on the scientific interpretation of religion to highlight the spirit behind it, and was known for his efforts for the cause of Hindu unity in India and the temple rights restoration movement.
Sathyananda conducted Sathakoti Archana (1 Billion Holy Names of the Divine Mother) in Thiruvananthapuram in 2000.
. He graduated in Economics
and History
from Mahatma Gandhi College
and took a Bachelor of Education degree from the University College, Trivandrum.
by Neelakanta Gurupadar. He was initiated in to Sannyasa
and trained by his guru
, and after the samadhi
he started building his organization.
Sathyananda died on November 24, 2006 at Thiruvananthapuram after prolonged illness. The former Union Minister O. Rajagopal
in his condolence message termed the Guru as a brave Acharya (teacher) who fought all his life for Hindu renaissance and Hindu unity. His mortal remains are housed in the sanctum sanctorum
at the Temple of Luminance in Chenkottukonam, Trivandrum.
, Boston
, Philadelphia, Chicago
, Richmond, Virginia
, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles
and San Jose
in the USA, and has moreover disciples and active centers in Malaysia, New Zealand
, Switzerland
, the Caribbean Islands and the United Kingdom
. He conducted tours all over India and countries like USA, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
spiritual teacher, orator, historian and religious scholar. He was the founder of Hindu Aikya Vedi
Hindu Aikya Vedi
The Hindu Aikya Vedi or Hindu Ikyavedi or Hindu United Front is a "platform to bring all Hindu organizations together", active in the state of Kerala in India. The group is dedicated to bringing in various sections in Kerala Hindu society such as the Nairs and the Ezhavas under a single umbrella...
, and remained its chairman until his death.
Sathyananda established Sree Rama Dasa Mission. He was an exponent of the 4 spiritual paths Jnana Yoga
Jnana yoga
Jyâna yoga or "path of knowledge" is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies...
, Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
, Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
and Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga
Karma yoga , or the "discipline of action" is a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the science of achieving perfection in action...
, a devotee of the Divine mother goddess, and a yogi.
He was a poet, an orator, historian & religious scholar whose emphasis was on the scientific interpretation of religion to highlight the spirit behind it, and was known for his efforts for the cause of Hindu unity in India and the temple rights restoration movement.
Sathyananda conducted Sathakoti Archana (1 Billion Holy Names of the Divine Mother) in Thiruvananthapuram in 2000.
Early life
Sathyananda was born Shekharan Nair on September 22, 1935 in a middle class family in the village Andoorkonam near ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. He graduated in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Mahatma Gandhi College
Mahatma Gandhi College
Mahatma Gandhi College is situated in Thiruvananthapuram city in the state of Kerala, India. It owes its origin to Mannathu Padmanabhan, the founder of Nair Service Society...
and took a Bachelor of Education degree from the University College, Trivandrum.
Initiation
While Shekharan Nair was working as an teacher at a high school, he was summoned to the ashram on the eve of his proposed departure to the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
by Neelakanta Gurupadar. He was initiated in to Sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
and trained by his guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, and after the samadhi
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
he started building his organization.
Foundation
Sathyananda registered Sree Rama Dasa Mission with its motto "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" in 1981.Activities
- As the president of the Nilackal Action Committee Sathyananda restored the holy place for Ayyappa devotees near SabarimalaSabarimalaSabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan...
and settled the dispute between Hindu and Christian religious groups.
- He played the key-role in Guruvayoor Temple Liberation Struggle and agitations against Devaswom Bill in 1996.
- Sathyananda also ensured uninterrupted continuation of Gurupadar's tradition of Parayanam (recitation) of entire Adhyatma Ramayana daily at the temple at Chenkottukonam for more than 8 decades and it still continues to this day.
- In 1989, Sathyananda started the Rama NavamiRama NavamiRam Navami also known as Sri Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. Ram is the 7th incarnation of the Dashavatara of Vishnu. Years later Lord Rama was married to Sita on the...
Rathyatra covering the southern States of India annually since then.
- Sathyananda founded Manishi Herbal Research Foundation for ayurvedicAyurvedaAyurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
research and production, and prescribed the formulations of many previously unknown and potent medicines, e.g. launching a health drink called "Herbal Cola".
- A spiritual nucleus in the ashram premises at Trivandrum in the form of a 108 foot high temple was named "Jyotikshetra" by Sathyananda.
- Sathyananda mission worked for the spiritual resurrection by putting an end to inequalities and casteCasteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
-based discrimination in the Indian society.
- In 2000 Sathyananda organized and carried out Shatakoti ArchanaLalita sahasranamaLalita sahasranama is a sacred Hindu text dated to the 12th century A.D. for the worshippers of the Goddess Lalita Devi, i.e. the Divine Mother, in the form of her and the male gods' feminine power, Shakti. Lalita is the Goddess of bliss, an epithet for Parvati. Etymologically, "Lalita" means "She...
(1 Billion Chants of Divine Mother’s Name), in which thousands of people devotedly chanted and prayed.
- Sathyananda also inaugurated the Second and Third National Conventions of the Kerala Hindus of North America in November 2003 and July 2005 respectively.
Sathyananda died on November 24, 2006 at Thiruvananthapuram after prolonged illness. The former Union Minister O. Rajagopal
O. Rajagopal
O. Rajagopal is an Indian public figure and former Union Minister who is associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party . Due to the low odds of election in the state of Kerala, Rajagopal represented Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha from 1992 until 2004-Early life:He was born on September 15, 1929...
in his condolence message termed the Guru as a brave Acharya (teacher) who fought all his life for Hindu renaissance and Hindu unity. His mortal remains are housed in the sanctum sanctorum
Sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase sanctum sanctorum is a Latin translation of the biblical term: "Holy of Holies" which generally refers in Latin texts to the Holiest place of the Tabernacle of Ancient Israel and later the Temples in Jerusalem, but also has some derivative use in application to imitations of the...
at the Temple of Luminance in Chenkottukonam, Trivandrum.
Mission abroad and travels
Sathyananda established centres of Sree Rama Dasa Mission in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Philadelphia, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
in the USA, and has moreover disciples and active centers in Malaysia, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Caribbean Islands and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He conducted tours all over India and countries like USA, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.