Swami Sivananda
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Swami Sivananda Saraswati (Sep 8, 1887—Jul 14, 1963), was an Indian spiritual leader and a well known proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswamy in South India. He studied medicine and served in Malaysia as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life in Rishikesh. He is the founder Divine Life Society and author of over 200 books[1] on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects.
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[edit] Early life
Sivananda was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, India as the third son to his parents on 8 September 1887.[2] Kuppuswami the boy was very active and promising in academics and gymnastics. He attended medical school in Tanjore, where he excelled. He ran a medical journal called Ambrosia during this period. Upon graduation he practiced medicine and worked as a doctor in Malaysia for ten years, with a reputation for waiving his fee for poor patients needing treatment.[2] Over time, a sense that medicine was healing on a superficial level grew in him,[2] 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] Initiation
Upon his return to India he visited Banaras, Nashik, Poona and various other pilgrimage centres. At Banaras, he had the Darshan of Lord Vishvanath.[2]
Sivananda next went to Rishikesh in 1924 where met his guru, Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. It was Vishwananda who initiated him into the Sannyas order and gave him his monastic name.[2] However, since 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.[2] After initiation, Sivananda settled in Rishikesh and immersed himself in intense spiritual practices. 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 and served pilgrims, holy men and poor using his medical expertise.
[edit] Travels
After a few years, Sivananda went on an extensive pilgrimage and traveled the length and breadth of India to meditate at holy shrines and study with spiritual teachers throughout India. During this Parivrajaka (wandering monk) life, Sivananda visited important places of pilgrimage in the south, including Rameshvaram.[2] He conducted Sankirtan and delivered lectures during his travels. He visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and met Maharishi Suddhananda Bharati. At the Ramana ashram, he had the Darshan of Ramana Maharshi on Maharshi's birthday.[3] He sang bhajans and danced in ecstasy with Maharshi's bhaktas. He also went on pilgrimages to various places in northern India including Kedarnath and Badrinath. He visited Kailash-Manasarovar in 1931.
[edit] Foundations
During Sivananda's stay in Rishikesh and his travels around India, many came to him for guidance in the spiritual path. He permitted some of them to live near him and instructed them. Sivananda asked his students take copies of his short articles and send them for publication. Slowly, large number of people started coming to him and his circle started growing.
Sivananda founded the Divine Life Society in 1936 on the banks 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, and Swami Satyananda Saraswati, founder of Satyananda Yoga.
In 1945, Swami Sivananda created the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy, and organized the All-world Religions Federation. He established the All-world Sadhus Federation in 1947 and Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948. He called his yoga the Yoga of Synthesis.
In 1957, Sivananda sent his disciple Swami Vishnu-devananda 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”.[4] 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
A prolific author, Swami Sivananda wrote exactly 296 books on a variety of subjects: metaphysics, Yoga, religion, western philosophy, psychology, eschatology, fine arts, ethics, education, health, sayings, poems, epistles, autobiography, biography, stories, dramas, messages, lectures, dialogues, essays and anthology.[5] Yet his books emphasized the practical application of yoga philosophy over mere theoretical knowledge. He was known to have said "An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory. Practice Yoga, Religion and Philosophy in daily life and attain Self-realization."[6]
[edit] Death
Swami Sivananda passed away on 14 July 1963 in his Kutir on the bank of Ganges, in Shivanandanagar.[3]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/teachers/sivananda/sivananda.html
- ^ a b c d e f g Autobiography of Swami Sivananda
- ^ a b http://dlshq.org/saints/siva.htm
- ^ http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/teachers/swamiji/swamiji.html
- ^ http://www.dlshq.org/allbooks.htm
- ^ See 'Sadhana Tattva': http://www.dlshq.org/download/allsiva.htm#_VPID_122
[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
Buddhist writers: B. R. Ambedkar • Lokesh Chandra • Edward Conze • Alexandra David-Néel • Kelsang Gyatso • Dalai Lama • Walpola Rahula • C.A.F. Rhys Davids • T.W. Rhys Davids • Robert Thurman•Richard Gombrich
Hindu writers: Aurobindo • A. Coomaraswamy • Bankim Chattopadhyay • Alain Daniélou • Dayananda • Koenraad Elst • David Frawley • Sita Ram Goel • The Mother • Prabhupada • Sivananda • Ram Swarup • Tilak • Swami Vivekananda • Yogananda
Jain writers: Satish Kumar • Claudia Pastorino • Yashodev Suri • Jayantsain Suri
Sikh writers: Bhai Vir Singh • Harjot Oberoi • G.S. Talib • Khushwant Singh
Zen writers: Nishida Kitaro • D.T. Suzuki • Paul Reps • Alan Watts • Thich Nhat Hanh • Yin Shun
Other/Syncretic: Annie Besant • Ram Dass • Sathya Sai Baba • Georg Feuerstein • H. S. Olcott • Meher Baba • Osho • Ken Wilber • Nirmala Srivastava
