Swami Chinmayananda, or Pujya Gurudev, is the founding Father of Chinmaya Mission. He was one of the world’s foremost Vedantic scholars and one of India’s most respected spiritual leaders. A gifted speaker, Swami Chinmayananda built an intense rapport with his audiences and communicated the teachings with vibrancy and wit. He taught Hindu philosophy in its most ancient and purest form, Vedanta, as it has been passed on from teacher to student since time immemorial.
Swami Chinmayananda began his study of Vedanta as a skeptical journalist, bringing with him the secular knowledge gained through degrees in science, literature and law. After spending many years in the Himalayas under the tutelage of Swami Sivananda and Swami Tapovanam, he started spreading the joyous vision of Vedanta, which was shrouded in rituals, secrecy and Sanskrit, to the inquiring men and women around the world.
He also established schools, colleges, Hari Har Schools for the under privileged, old-age homes for the senior citizens, hospitals, clinics, temples, community outreach programs, in Sidhabari in the Himalayas, to name a few of the social upliftment programs.
He attained Mahasamadhi in 1993 leaving behind a rich legacy for future generations.