Krishnananda Saraswati

Swami Krishnananda Saraswati
Swami Krishnananda
Born	Subbaraya 25 April 1922 India
Died	23 November 2001 (aged 79) Shivanandanagar
Guru	Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Philosophy	Vedanta

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Swami Krishnananda Saraswati (25 April 1922 – 23 November 2001) was a disciple of Sivananda Saraswati and served as the General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India from 1958 until 2001. Author of more than 40 texts, and lecturing extensively, on yoga, religion, and metaphysics, Krishnananda was a prolific theologian, saint, yogi and philosopher.

Krishnananda was President of the Sivananda Literature Research Institute and the Sivananda Literature Dissemination Committee. He served as editor of the Divine Life Society’s monthly paper, Divine Life, for 20 years.

Life

Subbaraya, rechristened Swami Krishnananda by his mentor Swami Sivananda Saraswati, was born on 25 April 1922 into an orthodox Madhva family. He learnt Sanskrit at an early age and took to reading and memorising Sanskrit works. His understanding of Hindu scriptures predisposed him towards Advaita philosophy. He yearned for spiritual learning and renunciation, however, his father persuaded him into accepting a government job at Hospet Government Training School in Bellary in 1943. He fell ill there and returned home. In 1944, he left his home to visit Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh. He worked as an editor in the Ashram and in 1948, on Sivananda’s request, he wrote his first book Realisation of the Absolute.

In 1961, he became the general secretary of Divine Life Society. He spent his life in the Ashram giving lectures and writing over 40 books on philosophy, Hindu scriptures, yoga, meditation, mysticism and poetry till his death on 23 November 2001.

Philosophy

Vedanta

Swami Krishnananda valued and was a scholar of Western philosophy and was also an exponent of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the most influential sub-school of Vedanta.

Yoga

Swami Krishnananda taught and practiced Yoga of Synthesis, which combines the four main paths of the discipline - Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.

Swami Krishnananda, Rishikesh, 1972.

Books

• A Brief Outline of Sadhana - ebook only
• A Short History of Religious and Philosophic Thought in India
• A Study of the Bhagavadgita - ebook only
• A Textbook of Yoga - ebook only
• An Analysis of the Brahma Sutra
• An Introduction to the Philosophy of Yoga
• Being the Cosmic Whole - ebook only
• Brahma Sutras by Swami Sivananda
• Canons of a Perfect Life
• Commentary on the Bhagavadgita
• Commentary on the Katha Upanishad - ebook only
• Commentary on the Mundaka Upanishad - ebook only
• Commentary on the Panchadasi - ebook only
• Daily Invocations
• Daily Satsanga
• Essays in Life and Eternity
• Essays on The Upanishads
• Everything About Spiritual Life - ebook only
• Fruit from the Garden of Wisdom
• In the Light of Wisdom
• Interior Pilgrimage
• Lessons on the Upanishads
• Living a Spiritual Life - ebook only
• Moksha Gita
• Mundaka Upanishad
• My Life
• Religion and Social Values
• Resurgent Culture
• Sadhana – The Spiritual Way
• Self-Realisation, Its Meaning and Method
• Spiritual Aspiration and Practice - ebook only
• Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals
• Sri Swami Sivananda and His Mission
• Studies in Comparative Philosophy
• The Art of Total Thinking - ebook only
• The Ascent of the Spirit
• The Ascent to Moksha - ebook only
• The Attainment of the Infinite
• The Brahma Sutra as a Moksha Shastra - ebook only
• The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
• The Canons of a Perfect Life
• The Chhandogya Upanishad
• The Development of Religious Consciousness - ebook only
• The Esoteric Significance of the Kathopanishad - ebook only
• The Epic of Consciousness
• The Epistemology of Yoga
• The Essence of The Aitareya and Taittiriya Upanishads
• The Foundation of Spirituality - ebook only
• The Glory of God - A Summary of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana
• The Guru-Disciple Relationship
• The Heart and Soul of Spiritual Practice
• The Heritage of Indian Culture
• The Mandukya Upanishad
• The Nature of the True Religious Life - ebook only
• The Path to Freedom: Mastering the Art of Total Perception - ebook only
• The Philosophical Foundations of Religious Consciousness - ebook only
• The Philosophy and Psychology of Yoga Practice - ebook only
• The Philosophy of Life
• The Philosophy of Religion
• The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita
• The Philosophy of the Panchadasi
• The Problems of Spiritual Life
• The Process of Spiritual Practice - ebook only
• The Process of Yoga - ebook only
• The Realisation of the Absolute
• The Secret of the Katha Upanishad
• The Song of God Almighty
• The Spiritual Import of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita
• The Struggle for Perfection
• The Study and Practice of Yoga (2 volumes)
• The Teachings of the Bhagavadgita - ebook only
• The Tree of Life
• The Universality of Being
• The Vision of Life
• The Yoga of Meditation
• The Yoga System
• Thus Awakens the Awakened One
• To Thine Own Self Be True
• True Spiritual Living
• What is Knowledge
• Yoga as a Universal Science
• Your Questions Answered
• Yoga, Meditation and Japa Sadhana

Further reading

• Chidananda, S.; Gunasekaran, K.J.A.; Hridayananda, S.; Keikens, Narayan; Krishnamurthy, V.; Krishnananda, S.; Madhavananda, S.; Mandali, Matru; Naik, B.R.; Nath, Dr. Bharat Chandra; Narayanananda, S.; Prasad, Ganesh; Randev, Prof. Vasudav; Rao, Seshagiri; Sachdev, Medha; Sahai, Baldeo; Sinha, D.M.; Sivachidananda, S.; Sivananda, S.; Tushar, Chattopadhyay; Vandana, Mataji; Viveka, Mataji; Yagnavalkyananandaji, S.; (1999) A Messenger of Peace and Wisdom. Rishikesh: Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy Press.
• Divine Life (2001). "Swami Krishnananda Attains Mahasamadhi" Divine Life. December 2001: pp. 1–5
• "His Holiness Sri Swami Krishnananda Saraswaiti Maharaj". dlshq.org. 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2010-11-05. 
• "Swami Krishnananda's website". 12 April 2013. 
• Krishnananda, Swami. A Sacramental Life. Rishikesh: Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy Press. 2004
• Krishnananda, Swami. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Yoga. Rishikesh: Y.V.F.A. Press. 3rd ed. 2000 ISBN 81-7052-155-6
• Krishnananda, Swami. My Life. Rishikesh: Y.V.F.A. Press. 1998