20 Facts About Chidananda Saraswati

Chidananda Saraswati was president of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India.

Chidananda Saraswati is well known in India as a yogi and spiritual leader.

Chidananda Saraswati succeeded as president of the Divine Life Society in 1963, after the death of his predecessor, Sivananda Saraswati, who founded the Society.

Chidananda Saraswati received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola College, Chennai.

Chidananda Saraswati pursued a life of renunciation in 1936 and joined the Sivananda Ashram run by Sivananda Saraswati in Rishikesh in 1943.

Chidananda Saraswati was appointed as General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in 1948.

Chidananda Saraswati was initiated into the Sannyas order by his guru, Sivananda, on the day of Guru Purnima, 10 July 1949.

Chidananda Saraswati was elected as president of the Divine Life Society in August 1963, upon the death of Sivananda.

Chidananda Saraswati died on 28 August 2008, at 20:11 pm.

Chidananda Saraswati shared his knowledge with others, so much so that he virtually became the Guru of the household and the neighborhood, to whom he would talk of honesty, love, purity, service and devotion to God.

Chidananda Saraswati was an ardent admirer of Sri Ramakrishna Math at Madras and regularly participated in the Satsangs there.

Chidananda Saraswati ever thirsted for the darshan of Saints and Sadhus visiting the metropolis.

Chidananda Saraswati delivered lectures, wrote articles for magazines, and gave spiritual instructions to the visitors.

Chidananda Saraswati exhorted all to raise their consciousness to the level of the Divine.

Chidananda Saraswati now became known as Chidananda, a name which connotes: "one who is consciousness and bliss".

Again in 1968, Chidananda Saraswati undertook the Global Tour at the request of numerous disciples and devotees of Sivananda and visited all countries of the world.

Chidananda Saraswati's entire life and personality is a radiant example and expression of Naam Bhakti and Naam Shakti.

For example, after completing a thirty-day fast while in Canada, Swami Chidananda Saraswati arranged for resources to be provided to support the founding of a Sivanada Ashram in Vancouver.

Chidananda Saraswati was a speaker at the 24th World Vegetarian Congress in 1977.

One of Chidananda Saraswati's disciples was Lilias Folan who went on to become popular for teaching yoga on American TV.