Chinmayananda Saraswati
Swami Chinmayananda (Hindi: स्वामी चिन्मयानन्द ) ( born May 8, 1916 in Ernakulam, Kerala, † August 3, 1993 in San Diego, USA) (real name: Balakrishna Menon ) is a teacher of modern Hinduism and founder of the Chinmaya Mission.
Life
Chinmayananda grew up in a very devout Hindu family who strictly followed the traditions in Kerala. He attended a modern English school, where he also learned Malayalam and Sanskrit. In 1940 he began his studies at the Lucknow University and graduated in 1942 the Indian independence movement, which is why he had to spend several months in prison. In 1945, he graduated in law and then began a career in journalism at The National Herald in Delhi, because he hoped thereby to influence political, economic and social reforms in India.
However, his life changed dramatically when he met Swami Sivananda in Rishikesh in 1947 and thus became interested in the Hindu way. He has made repeated some time in Rishikesh, but continued to pursue his career as a journalist in Delhi. 1949 Balakrishna Menon joined finally finally in the Ashram, received the initiation and was Samnyasin with Swami Sivananda. He got the name Chinmayananda ( one who has attained the bliss and absolute consciousness) and studied for some time at the ashram. For him, however, it was clear that the path of Jnana Yoga ( yoga of knowledge) is the right one for him. Sivananda recognized Chinmayanandas potential and sent him to Uttarkashi in the Himalayas, to study with the great guru Tapovan Maharaj, where Chinmayananda studied twelve years. At the end of his training, he decided to spread his teachings throughout the world.
His aim was to bring the rich knowledge of the Rishis ( sages ) to the people and thus bring about a resurgence of moral and spiritual values of the nation, in which he noted a drop of the philosophical principles of Vedanta. His goal was: "To convert Hindus to Hinduism " ( Hindus to convert to Hinduism ).
This was no easy task, since so far the study of the scriptures in India was not publicly available, but was only handed down by priests. His public lectures, which also took place in English, the language of the colonial masters, met with resentment of the incumbents. In addition to his lectures Chinmayananda wrote comments on texts of Vedanta, as the Upanishads, as well as numerous books on general religious questions which contain many fretted from modern life application examples.
During forty years of traveling and teaching numerous centers and ashrams were opened all over the world; as schools and hospitals were built. His merit was to have made the teaching of Vedanta accessible to all interested parties, regardless of age, nationality or religious background.
His life's work, the Chinmaya Mission, has a presence next to India, especially in the United States.